Reminiscing

This week I pulled out my rubbermaid full of old pictures (I know, I know...I need to organize) and I sat on the floor for way too long reminiscing and pulling out old pictures. Here are only a few that I loved.

Mom and me.

Quitcherbellyakin-do you even remember this???

Nauvoo 1995?

One of my favorite memories-going to the Thanksgiving day parade in Chicago with Sally and Valoy when them came to visit. Nov. 2003.

Skydiving! August 1998

Hattie and Kyle. Jan 2003??

We've been WAITING!!!!

WE HEART THE AMAZING RACE!! We have been waiting for so long for this season to start. We are so going to try out next year. T minus 12 hours and counting.

8 months old!

Our Westy boy turned 8 months old yesterday! He is sure moving and keeping us super busy. For some reason, I kept a picture of Ryan when he was 7 1/2 months old in my calendar book. I also conveniently found a picture of the girls when they were the same age. I had to do a little digging for my baby picture but was able to finally locate it (Thanks dad!). So, for the sake of journaling, here is a comparison of our family members at 8 months old.

Westy boy at 8 months. He's totally in love with wheels.
Me

Neeley

Ryan

Hattie

Could be one of those days...

Medusa lives here at my house. Every morning, this is what I battle.

Feel sorry for me?

Kilkenny

Okay, everyone knows how much Ryan loves shoes, right? Not just any shoes, but NICE shoes. Even more than his love for NICE shoes, Ryan loves really GOOD shoes for various purposes. He has been running, biking, and swimming for years and as a result, has had trouble with aches and pains in his lower back, knees, calves, etc. He heard about Vibram 5 fingers and did a lot of research on the benefits of running with minimal foot gear. The "marshmallow" over-priced, over-marketed athletic shoes of today are doing nothing but injuring runners. Why is it that ultramarathoners, track runners and racers wear the most minimalist shoes? Some even wear sandals or go barefoot and are NEVER injured?

Anyway, Ryan purchased himself a few pairs of Vibram 5 fingers and never looked back. His running pains have all disappeared!

Now, I am a much slower adopter of the 5 finger shoes. I personally don't hate them, but I'm not that serious into shoes. AFter Ryan finished reading Born to Run (see earlier post) he handed it over to me and i kind of rolled my eyes. I enjoy running about as much as I enjoy meat loaf. I can swallow it, but don't enjoy it at all. Despite my reticence, I have run quite a bit in my life and even attacked a marathon. After the marathon, I was certain I could never run again. My knee was so sore I didn't know how I was going to walk. To this day, every time I run more than 5 miles, I feel my knee throbbing. Easy solution? Don't run more than 5 miles at a time!

Again I digress. Ryan passed me Born to Run and after some eye rolling, I started reading. WOW. Great book even if you are not into running at all. Long story short, I myself was inspired to test out minimalist running shoes. Instead of going straight for the uber minimalist Vibram 5 fingers, I purchased a pair of Saucony Kilkenny racing flats last week.

I have been running on these bad boys all week and I can't believe how great I feel! And even better- NO KNEE PROBLEMS!

SO, moral of the story, pick up Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and get yourself a pair of racing flats. (Or Vibram 5 fingers if you are brave.) And even if you aren't a runner, the book is still worth your time.

A GREAT book

I just finished a fantastic book and I'm always on the lookout for a good read. This one had me at "hello." Tori Murden McClure is the first woman to row alone across the Atlantic Ocean and she is one tough nut. She tangles with a few hurricanes, is stalked by sharks, and encounters great disappointment as well as eventual triumph. GREAT BOOK. I highly recommend it.

Exhaustion

Okay, I SO should be getting kids hair done and ready for school, but by way of stalling, I just had to document this. Have I ever mentioned that I HATE the 5:00 evening hour? I absolutely despise that hour of my day. I am exhausted, Westy needs a lot of attention, dinner is usually burning (if it is even prepared), neighbor kids are all over my house, Ryan is still a long way from coming home, and in the rush of after school events, it looks as though a bomb went off in my kitchen. I'm usually at my WORST from 5-6, or 7.

However.....once my kids go to bed and my house is picked up and quiet, I'm a whole new person. I'm usually trying to get lunches made, backpack packed, clothes ready for the next day, and trying to regain my mental toughness to deal with the next day.

As I was shutting down the house last night, I grabbed my camera and had to document these. This is a normal sleeping position for Neeley. Actually, anything is normal with her. I have no idea what is happening in her brain.
And, by comparison, Hattie is perfectly asleep in her top bunk without even getting in the covers. She doesn't want to mess up her bed.

Westy has a small cold, so I propped the top part of his mattress up. Of course, he thinks it is different and fun so he plopped himself downward. Nice. Let all the fluids drain to his face.