3.27.2010

Severely Out-numbered


My sweet nephews spent the night last night so their mama could go to work early this morning.  Danny also had to work, leaving me alone with FOUR kiddos!  The odds were definitely NOT in my favor (4:1 !!!!), so I decided to plan some fun activities to keep everyone sane busy.  ;-) 

The party began with a campout in our living room,
complete with a tent, a scary story and s'mores!







Snuggle toes!



The weather was a bit cool today, but Easter was on our brains, so I hid some confetti Easter eggs in the back yard for a hunt.  Afterwards we headed to the park to break them open in an egg war. 






















































We then headed to the local grocery store where the Easter Bunny was making an appearance and then back home to try out our new sidewalk paint! 















Just a routine traffic stop (Garret was speeding and forced to pay...
you do the crime, you do the time, buddy!) 

An exhausting and super fun time spent with all 4 kiddos,
and a reminder of how much I love each and every one of them. 

3.17.2010


Happy St. Patrick's Day!




We celebrated our St. Patrick's Day on Monday this year since Danny has school tonight.  My folks came over along with my Gram and great-uncle, and all the traditional fixins were prepared...mmmm...mmmm! 

Mom's Irish soda bread



Danny's cabbage & red potatoes...the kids just gobbled this cabbage right up (yeah right!)



Corned beef



Brenin's gold "leprechaun" coin which happens to fit just perfectly in her eye (oh joy).



Beautiful Lukes Bazookes



We all adjourned to the music room following supper for some Irish music! 

As you can see from this picture, we're all a little nuts,
but boy did we have some laughs anyways! 



Brenin & Dad on the guitar & banjo



Brenin & Mom on the guitar & mandolin



Luca on the drums (oh yeah, and somewhere during the course of the evening, my children decided to put their Chinese outfits on to celebrate St. Patrick's Day...they're a little confused)  :) 




Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL St. Patrick's Day, Irish or not! 

3.16.2010

Race Day Photos!!!

St. Patrick wishing us luck before the race!



A few minutes before the start! 



Not every day you see THIS walking down the sidewalk! 



Mile 1...Do I look like I'm struggling for breath...because I AM!!! 



Shannon at mile 2...she was a great encouragement and even ran with a thrown-out back!  Ouch! 



Almost home!



Sweet, sweet finish line!  36 minutes later!


The weather was absolutely perfect as old man winter took the week off!  We had such a great time getting "greened up" for the occasion and had many laughs along the way (in between, of course, gasping for life-giving air!)  Best of all, the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County was richly blessed! 

3.13.2010

Run, Cari, Run! (read with Forrest Gump accent)



I’ll be running my first 5K tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.!
 Here’s a little summary of the week’s thought process on the matter: (just in case you were dying to know)
Sunday:  Oh look. That 5K’s only a week away now. That sure came up fast.
Monday: Ah, a good solid week of running ahead. I can DO this!

Wednesday: Is it Wednesday already????
Thursday: Ummmm...guys?  I think I might be in a little bit of trouble here! 
Friday:  I think I'm ill.
Saturday am:   help
Saturday pm: (trembling in the fetal position).



Pray.  




Seriously.





In honor of the event and the ridiculous boredom which ensued on a treadmill in preparation, I wrote this poem.  It's painfully good, so prepare yourself.  ;-)  (just kidding)


Pedometers, speedometers, Spandex, oh my!
Signed in for a 5K, why oh why?!? (I blame Shannon, by the way…)


My feet hit the pavement and I feel a little wiggle.

Things begin to jiggle that never used to jiggle!

Ne'er an athlete, at least I could skip.
I tried it this week and threw out my hip! 

I'm beginning to think this idea wasn't so great.
There must be a better way to lose this baby weight. 
**Disclaimer:  The author is fully aware that her first baby was born 7 years ago and her second on a completely different continent but still reserves the right to call it "baby weight...it's called 'artistic license,' people!"

What more can I say?  What more can I do?
Maybe I can say I came down with the flu!

Or measles or mumps or chicken pox galore,
Or the dog took my running shoes right out the door!

I'm digging deep now and know I'll find the strength, 
To run this first race, no matter it's length.

I'll see my babies cheering me on in the crowd,
And make them and their mommy ever so proud.

They'll see me struggle adn work for my goal.
They'll tuck that lesson deep in their soul.

I'll breathe a sigh of relief when I cross that finish line.
I'll check my pulse rate at five-ninety-nine. 

Collapsed in a pile on the blacktop bare, (I'm just being realistic here, folks). 
I'll thank God for that moment, so proud and so rare!


Pictures to follow!  Happy Sunday everyone! 

3.09.2010

Friday Fun

My sister has off of work on Fridays, and so all summer long when the kids are off of school we reserve our Fridays for "Friday Fun Day."  We go water-parking or roller-skating or rummage sale-ing or running through the sprinkler or whatever else kind of trouble we can find to get into.  It's a magical day that we all look forward to. 

The last 2 Fridays, the kids had off of school, so it was natural that we reverted to our "Friday Fun" schedule.  This sleepy Friday led us to the library!

It's such a great place to pause and hear yourself think... 

...to curl up on a cozy chair made just for you with a good book and soak up some sun through the strategically placed oversized window...



...to get lost in the pages...



...to be engrossed...



...or to curl up with a friend in any number of quiet corners...



...to travel the seas together on the world's most famous ship...



...amidst walls made of pages, bonded by wonder.

It was lovely. 

I want to live there. 

:-) 



And of course what Friday Fun wouldn't be complete without a little ice cream!







Days are getting longer around here, and it won't be long
before our WEEKLY Friday Fun Days are back!