Completely Bananas

Lucky

2011-10-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

My blog has taken such a hit these 5 months and I am kinda bummed because I was just looking over some older posts and love that I took the time to document so many things. Now it's like there is a huge gaping whole in my life from August until November. Which couldn't be further from the truth. Life is CRAZY busy.

For starters, I am nearly 22 weeks pregnant and recently found out the gummy bear in my belly is a GIRL. I wasn't sure how to react to the news. I didn't think we would ever actually have a girl and when making the decision to try for a third baby it was the least of my motivation. I think when you have two boys everyone assumes you really want a girl, hence all the people who once they finished telling me, "Really? You don't even look pregnant" (I did remember to take a test but thanks, I guess.) started saying, "Are you hoping for a girl?" And when I would tell them that I really didn't care they would just look at me like, "Yeah, you really want a girl". But honestly, aside from having my eye on a certain Pottery Barn flowery bedspread and my desire to plan a huge extravagant wedding, I really didn't care. I was prepared to skip all of the teenage drama and issues that come along with girls; body image, going out in a boys car, my sons friends spending the night to hang with their beautiful, only slightly younger sister. Uh. But thankfully I can depend on Josiah and Oliver to sock the first person to lay a finger on her and if they don't Jaime will not be far behind. This girl will be traveling with an entourage at all times and I am sure she will simultaneously love it and hate it. I so am excited to be doing this the third time around with something and someone totally new. I can't wait to meet her. I have a feeling she may be the prettiest, sassiest little girl ever. And she will definitely be the best dressed because lets face it, after 4 years of buying crap with trucks on it I am ready to move on.

In other HUGE news it appears we will be staying in Asheville for a while (alot) longer. Thankfully we have lots of houses at the beach we can visit when our blood begins to freeze because we are building a new house! It has been in the works for a while but I haven't said anything until it was a done deal. This week we secured the contract and permits and they begin to clear the lot next week. In the contract it states that "Time is of the Essence" and we are guaranteed to close in 120 days. This baby is due in 131 days so time being of the essence is a sore understatement. I am freaking out a little bit actually! The house is going to be in our current neighborhood but on a wooded lot across from the park... the very last lot that the builder was actually saving for himself but has since made other plans. We are starting from scratch and designing the floor plan to be our own. There will be 3 bedrooms upstairs, two downstairs and a playroom! So thankfully this bunk bed situation can be adverted until further notice and our kids will each have their own space. We will finally have a guest room again and I am so glad. Lil-feel free to quit your job and become my assistant. I can pay in hugs from your grandbabies. Aside from the much needed extra space our builder is giving us all of the upgrades; granite, hardwoods floors throughout, a garden tub and duel shower in the master, huge deck, fenced in yard, wood burning fireplace, pretty much our dream house... And we are SO excited. Mostly, I am happy to keep building on the foundation that we have made the past 7.5 years in Asheville. We have the best friends ever and it's only going to keep getting better. Hooray!

Going into the holidays I am amazed at how much we have to be thankful for. Is this really my life? How did I get so lucky? We will be on Topsail Island for Thanksgiving and Wilmington for Christmas. Jaime and I will celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary in December and then after New Years we will be busy making moving preparations and then this baby is due March 7th... So don't expect another update until well, maybe summer?! Happy Holidays to all!

Excuses, Excuses.

2011-08-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

I think it may have been two months since I last wrote a blog. And while I am not usually a fan of excuses of any kind, I have been totally out of the loop. Besides all the usual with swimming, hiking, playdates, vacation bible school, out of town guests, laundry, sweeping/mopping, cooking, cleaning, etc, etc... I'm pregnant! Again. For the THIRD time. And just in case you're wondering, it doesn't get any easier. For about 4 weeks I thought I was going to have to hire a full-time nanny. "Sick" doesn't describe those four weeks. And thank heavens there were only four of them. For the first time in my life I found food repulsive and combined with already naturally low blood sugar and hormone increases I was starving and but throwing up every time I ate. Since Mom's can't call in sick and the full-time nanny is out of the question since we have no money because we have a baby every year well, I persevered. And I kept going. It was like a month long marathon. And speaking of marathons, I was determined to run the Asheville Half again regardless of my pregnancy status and continued on with my training program. That is until last weekend. Every week was fine, until the week I ran 8 miles, was pouring sweat and panting up a huge hill. My head was screaming at me; "WTF are you doing? You haven't eaten in a week, this hill is huge, it is 90 degrees outside and you already did this last year UNDER your goal time. What are you trying to prove?" So, I made a detour and headed back to the Y. And the decision was actually quite liberating. I still plan on being a beast in the gym and even ran 6 miles yesterday...but it was because I felt like it, not because I thought I had too. I actually enjoyed myself. Whatever, I guess I will just have to settle for regular old awesome instead of superwoman.

So here I am nearly 11 weeks and still no doctor appointment. I go in 9 days and can hardly wait to see the hopefully 1 babies heart beating inside of me. I feel certain with all the sickness and what appears to be a giant uterus that something is going on in there. Seriously, with the third baby I think you start to show the day you conceived. And I actually lost 4 pounds during all that craziness so it isn't ChicFilA weight. When I look down at my expanding waist line all I can think is what will I do if its twins? Seriously, what would I do? Twin boys. I can see it now. AH!

In addition to our new addition Josiah finally had his dental surgery and did awesome. It was beyond scary for Jaime and I but everything I am lacking as superwoman he must have picked up and become super-kid. He has a very expensive "robot tooth" now and we only have to go through it ONE more time. Fingers crossed it goes just as smoothly.

I turned 28 last week and can hardly believe that Jaime and I have been together for nearly 10 years, married for 8, own a home and have 3 children. I always thought by the time I turned 28 I would start to look for someone to marry. Ha! I couldn't be happier with the path my life has taken and am kinda digging the fact that I'll only be 45 when my youngest goes to college. I'm thinking sailboats and islands and still being young enough to rock a bikini. Woohoo!

And I am not the only August birthday. Ollie is turning two next week. I am so devastated over this I am not even throwing him a party. What happened to my little baby?! He is a full blown talking tot with an attitude problem. And I love him more than anything. Rather than a big fiesta we are going camping all weekend and focusing on him one hundred percent. Whatever he wants, he's gonna get. Because you only turn two once.

Here is a pic of our growing family and hopes that I will get back into this now that I crawled off of deaths door. Cheers!

Vacation

2011-06-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Long, long ago in far away land... there used to live two kids. They had very few responsibilities and lots of time. However, they thought they were stressed. College is just so taxing and paying $700 a month in rent (back when both worked, so really like $350) can really take its toll. So obviously, these kids needed lots of vacations. And they took them; 5 weeks in Europe with little more than a backpack and a train ticket. The Greek Islands, a summer in Costa Rica exploring every rainforest and hitting up each beach on the Pacific Coast. Exotic Islands like Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands, Skiing in Colorado in the Winter. Ah, Life was good. Throughout their courtship they often spoke of children and how they couldn't wait to get their little babies passports and take them to foreign lands. After all, they wanted their children to be worldly, cultured and educated. Why didn't more parents travel with kids? How hard could it be?

Well, very hard, unless you are Angelina and Brad. Yes, that is the lesson learned after 2 kids and about 9 years. Children require a boatload of stuff. Even for a minimalist parent. And I think it cost's over a gazillion dollars to check a bag these days. And should you still be able to afford 4 plane tickets and 5 checked bags (you know after the mortgage, doctor bills, frequent trips to the ER, the dentist, minivan payments, preschool, enough groceries to feed an entire farm, clothes, shoes, replacement shoes for the ones they loose, etc...) then you still have to ride on the plane with them. And considering I have to be heavily sedated to even enter the airport the thought of caring for two screaming mad men across the ocean scares me worse then the actual plane. So yeah, all exotic vaca's need to be taken while the children are with babysitters. And besides, they get tons of culture already from Handy Manny and Dora. They don't need to come with us to Mexico.

But it IS summertime and these kids deserve some fun. So, we do our best to take them anywhere that is 3 movies away in the minivan. Anymore and it just isn't worth it. This past week with visited Greensboro, NC for the 4th year in a row for the annual CPA festival at The Embassy Suites. Think Cedar Rapids but with accountants instead of insurance agents.

On Wednesday we went to Emerald Point Water Park and it may as well have been the beaches of Tamerindo. I really don't know who had more fun, Jaime and I or the kids? We went down water slides and jumped off of pirate ships. It was fabulous. On Thursday Jaime had to go to his accounting school and I ventured off the North Caroline Zoo in Asheboro with the kids solo. This is the point where I tell anyone with kids: NEVER, ever, go to the North Carolina Zoo with your children by yourself. You have to take someone else. That place is too hot and too large. We walked, literally, from North America to Africa. There were supposed to be little trams to take you around but I couldn't find it. I was stuck on the Baboon trail and the bus was on the Zebra trail. Oh and did I mention that since I am crazy and obsessive about my workouts I had gotten up at 5am to run 5 miles before heading out on this adventure? Thursday was a marathon of a day to say the very least. I was so excited to see Jaime after his class that I wasn't even mad at him for being gone 11 hours. I did however leave him in the room after dinner to put the kids to bed while I went down to reception and cashed in my two free drink tickets.

Friday morning got off to a slow start with all of us overly exhausted and I was eternally grateful for the Television. Thankfully the boys stayed transfixed by Nickelodeon (No TV for 6 weeks and they go into a trance when it comes back. Yes!) They laid there until 10am and I was thrilled. We ended up having a pretty great day after that and went to the Science Center and out to lunch. We picked Daddy up around 2:00pm and began to make our way back to Asheville.

It was a fantastic couple of days. I am so amazed at how grown up and well behaved the boys are getting. This year was 100 times easier than last year. And although we were all hot and over walked at the zoo, no one lost their cool and we survived. We won't do it again, but I am glad we did it one time. These are the days memories are made. I never would of imagined 9 years ago that two little blond boys could fill up my heart and make me love a trip to Greensboro so much. Nothing else matters at this point except enjoying every second with them while they still love me and want to hang out with me. One day, I won't be cool anymore and we will have to force them to go on trips, at which point a bribe to Costa Rica may be in order...

The Absense of Cable TV

2011-06-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sometime in elementary school this boy in my class, who had one of the nerdiest and nicest dads ever, brought in letter for show and tell. He explained that he and his Dad together had gotten rid of their TV and it had been an entire year since they had last watched. The letter he was holding was from the President who was writing his congratulations after they had written him explaining what they had accomplished. Wow! I was floored. Both that a kid could not watch TV for a year and that the President of The United States actually cared! I was insanely jealous, I wanted one too.

But there was no way I could ever get a letter like that. We watched the Andy Griffith show every night during dinner and my Dad would never give up TV for a letter from George Bush Sr. He would consider that a major rip off. Also, I had no brothers or sisters living at home and I needed my friends in TV-land. So, I ogled his letter and lived in awe of that kid until we graduated from high-school. Now through facebook stalking I have determined that he is the director of a large global software company in Washington DC and probably chilling with Obama doing stuff besides watching TV. But I digress. Here I am now 20 years later and Jaime has canceled the cable.

We are almost one month in and oddly enough, I have survived. We still have a DVD player/Netflix and will pop in the occasional movie when we are feeling close to heat stroke or getting washed away by the rain...but for the most part we are now part of the elite no TV crew. I don't know how my neighbor feels about me showing up on her porch every Monday night begging to be let in to watch the Bachelorette but I am feeling pretty good about our choice. I just stared my 9th book of the year. Jaime and I are playing board games after the kids go to bed or hanging outside on the porch and actually talking to one another instead of siting in a trance on the couch too tired to move. It's really kinda nice. And just look at all the fun we have been having! Never a dull moment in the Conley Casa.

Mucho Familia

2011-05-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Jaime, the boys and I made the 7.5 hour trek (YES! It took 7.5 hours, blame boiled peanut stands and who the hell knows what else that made this trip two hours longer than usual) down to Wilmington to keep my sisters 3 children for the weekend. From Friday to Monday we would be responsible for Lila (1), Oliver (1), Josiah (3), Luke (4) and Kayia (7). Read: That is 5 children under the age of 7.

Friday night was rough. We were totally out of our element and had no idea that 5 kids would be so hard. We are so used to the craziness that comes with 2 that we honestly had no idea it could get any worse...until we doubled our two and added one more. This coupled with older kids who simply don't like going to bed at 7pm (WHY?) made everything super scary. We ate take out pizza and watched a lot of TV on Friday. Forget good parenting, it was all about survival.

Saturday morning I awoke with a new attitude and was moving along quite well making breakfast for all of the kids who woke up before the sun and were running hot laps through the house screaming. My cheeriness was put on hold when Jaime burst into the kitchen. "I can't watch this many kids!" he panted, completely out of breath. "Go take a break", I told him.
"Oliver just fell down the stairs! I can't watch this many kids!" he repeated. And so began Saturday.

We somehow managed to get all 5 kids dressed and to Luke's T-ball game by 9am. We were only 4 minutes late and forgot his hat, glove and water. Still a success! After playing at the park we went home to attempt naps. They had to be exhausted, I could barely stand up. Everyone laid down quietly and Jaime tells me he is going for a run. Later gator, he was gone. 15 minutes later, everyone woke up. From this point until around 6pm it is all a blur. Their were tears and temper tantrums (mostly from Jaime and I) and tons of laughter and love (the kids). They were having the times of their lives. Seriously, the love between those cousins was almost enough to make me agree to do this again. At 6 O-clock Lil and Marty showed up. I overheard Lil ask Jaime, "What can I do?" and he replies like a steadfast business man in charge of the accounting department, "Get into that kitchen and do WHATEVER Kelley tells you to do." After that, I knew things were going to be okay. Lil was washing babies, I was cooking and watching out the window as Marty took a screaming Lila on a walk through the yard. When the kids were clean and in their pj's we put them down in front of a movie and the Conley's went and fetched us grownups a fabulous smorgasbord of Chinese food. Their kindness and generosity nearly brought me to tears. You see, there is not much that I can't handle. And there is even less that I will admit I can't handle. But I was in way over my head and they saved the day. THANK YOU Yaya and Grandpa!

Sunday morning we were up again with the sun. Jamie looks at me with renewed look of hope in his eyes, "This is just like a basketball game you know you're gonna lose. From here on out, its all about running down the clock baby". And that's exactly what we did. We took them all to a berry farm out of town that was an hour drive each way (2 hours down!) and we left them in that field picking berries for over 3 hours (5 hours down!). We ate snacks then took them to the beach for for 3 hours. Lila and I walked the loop and ate more snacks. Before I knew it was dinner time again and guess what? Sunday is a school night, time for BED! I have never seen kids so exhausted. After they went to sleep Jaime went for take out and we ate approximately 1,000 french fries and a gallon of ice cream in a celebratory effort. I crawled into bed and briefly awoke at 11:30pm to hear my sister close the door behind her. Ah, freedom.

So in hindsight, nearly a week later, I am actually looking back on the trip with fond memories. I remember some of the best times of my life were with my family at my grandma's house. Josiah has talked non-stop about his cousins all week and I think he may have had the greatest trip of his life. Here are some pics from the weekend. Enjoy!

Josiah goes to the Dentist

2011-05-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon Josiah had his first official dentist visit. He went when he was around 18 months and had all of his teeth counted but now that he is a big 3 year old it was time to have them cleaned. I have always been fanatical about teeth. Having had so many issues with my own teeth due to repercussions from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever medication (that saved my life but ruined my teeth) I have been brushing my boys teeth since they've had teeth. I never sent them to bed with a bottle (I breastfed them both for a year) and have to stop myself daily from freaking out if something not 100% from the earth goes into their mouth. They have treats but they are limited to birthday parties and special occasions. We don't drink juice or eat candy or processed sugary foods very much at all.

So, imagine my surprise when after a very successful cleaning (seriously, Josiah was a rock star in Spiderman sunglasses, chillaxin to the max in the laid back chair) to find out he has 3 cavities! Two of them so aggressively decayed that he may require root canals. I was so upset. I mean really, really upset. I mentally zipped my lips together while I received the bad news that was accompanied by a lecture on diet and tooth brushing. I was pretty sure any minute DSS was going to arrive and drag me away for slipping Mountain Dew into his sippy cup and I was prepared to start screaming, "STOP, I'm Innocent!" But I mentally zipped and listened. Then we left with our little referral card to the specialist who will no doubt sedate my little boy with anesthesia and saw off his two back molars and replace them with crowns and send Mommy and Daddy a bill for one million dollars for being such bad parents.

The rest of the night I was racking my brain thinking of crappy food that I may not think is crappy but actually is. Here's what I came up with besides the obvious cupcakes and juice boxes from the birthday parties we seem to attend every weekend now: Pretzels, wheat thins, raisins, goldfish, pancakes and cheerios- all carbohydrates that eventually turn to sugar. But doesn't every other kid eat this stuff too? I have been to my fair share of play dates and I know what kids eat. If he doesn't eat this stuff what will he eat? Unfortunately, I am not going to have much success in sitting him down with a plate of steamed broccoli for dinner and believe me, I have tried. We don't eat meat and aside from cheese what am I supposed to do? This is not a rhetorical question. Seriously, what am I supposed to do? Why are my little boys teeth, "Aggressively decaying?" I don't want to be one of those people in denial who shows up at the doctor 250 pounds with diabetes and heart disease and says something like, "But I don't eat anything bad, I swear."

So, today after breakfast I pined Josiah down and scrubbed his back teeth. Not an easy task let me tell you. And I did the same thing after lunch. Unfortunately, though it appears that I am too late. I guess I should have been doing this all along.

I guess now I will have the first kid with a broken bone and the first with three cavities. I am WINNING in the Mom category right now. Thank goodness I am a mom and have to behave as such or I may just walk outside and scream out the F word super, duper loud. F*CK!!!!!!

One for the Books.

2011-05-09T09:45:00.001-07:00

This weekend we celebrated Josiah's 3rd birthday as well as Mothers day and had plenty of family and friends in town to help join in all the fun.

Saturday began early with The Ramble Run 12K and I have to say that in 4 years of taking running somewhat seriously and numerous races, this one was the best yet. It was an intense experience and I loved every second. Having no clue of the course or elevation changes I was prepared for anything but hoping for the best. Here is a map of the hills:

Like I said, it was intense. As one runner said to me, "It made the Shamrock look flat" or our other friend who placed 18th overall and ran it in just 47 minutes,"Brutal." I don't think I would personally describe it either of these ways, just intense. There was a lot of up hill and some of them were crazy big but then we got to run down hill, then up another one etc, etc... And the scenery was so picturesque and lovely. Most of it was on gravel roads and trails and at one point I found myself all alone just as the sun was shining through huge oak trees. I was listening to some Indian spiritual chant on the Slum Dog Millionaire CD and for a brief second thought I was in heaven. It was really fantastic. I beat my estimated finish time by 2 minutes and came in at 1:08 which works out to about a 9:05 mile for 7.5 miles. I was so happy! I told my friend who did 47 minutes to slow next time and he may have more fun. Such a great way to start the day!

After the race, we were greeted by Jaime's brother and sister who made the trip from Boone, NC and Atlanta, GA for Sisi's big day. My mom arrived a day earlier and was a great help getting everything ready for the party. And finally after 3 weeks of non-stop asking, it was time to go! Hickory Nutt Gap Farm was a beautiful spot for Josiah and 35 of our closest friends to party down.
Such a great party with such perfect friends. Thanks everyone for making my little boy's day so special!

Sunday morning we kept the celebrations rolling and woke up early enough to head to the Pisgah Mountain Inn on the parkway for a Mother's day Breakfast. After stuffing ourselves rotten, we hit the hiking trails and for the first time ever, HAD A SUCCESSFUL HIKING EXPERIENCE! Josiah hiked almost to the tip top of Mt. Pisgah and Oliver rode in the backpack without screaming. Do we really want to add another baby into this easy going family of ours? It was so awesome! It made me remember I actually like living in the mountains when I am able to be a part of them. Thanks kids! Mama was a happy camper.

It was such a blessing not only to spend Mother's day with my 3 boys but with my Mama as well. Without her, none of these extraordinary experiences would be possible. Thanks for giving me life!

Now I just have to make it through Josiah actually turning three this Wednesday when the lump in my throat may finally find its way out. Why does it all go by so fast?

I've got that Boom Boom Gloom.

2011-05-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

I see a flash of light. One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand...ten one thousand, BOOM! 1o seconds divided by 5 tells me lightening just struck two miles away. Even worse? Flash, Boom. Lightening just struck in the yard.

To compare my temperament to a crazed golden retriever at any sign of a thunderstorm would be putting it mildly. Images of Chicken Little running through the town screaming, "The sky is falling!" may be more accurate if I wasn't hovering under a pile of laundry in the closet. Last week, I nearly puked. Read: The only thing I hate more than the word hate, is lightening.

And to make my life even more exciting, we get a violent thunderstorm accompanied by tornado warnings every week now. Today thunderstorms are supposed to begin at 4pm and go through 10pm and I know this because I look at the hourly forecast every single day. OCD? Yeah, but you already knew that.

So this brings me to another point... Dooms day. Go ahead and laugh or insert a silly comment but something is UP. Tornadoes, tsunamis, shattering earthquakes so large that they are changing the earths alignment, hurricanes, 3 wars in the Middle east, nuclear eruptions, the future is not looking bright. And just to be clear, I do not think May 21st 2011 nor, December 21. 2012 will bring the end of time and I am aware that natural disasters have been happening for centuries and the only difference today is that we know about them as soon as they happen via world based media outlets. However, I don't think the earth can sustain population growth and its environmental and economic toll forever. I just hope that today (between 4-10pm) isn't the last day because I am not prepared.

But if today is it, or tomorrow, do I really want to spend so much time fretting about it? I never take a single day for granted and thank my lucky stars every morning I get my sleepy PJ clad boys out of their beds...and then I spend the rest of my day worrying about something. Having a background in psychology (ha, that fabulous 4 year degree that = unemployment) I know that a lot of psychological disorders don't present themselves until mid to late twenties and I have to wonder, am I cracking up? I mean, what normal person spends so much time worrying about being struck by lightening or other totally unlikely events? I will do back flips off of rocks into slightly shallow water no problem but am scared $hi*tless of the wind blowing or having an unknown brain tumor that only my dog knows about.

I think so much of my fears have to do with in spite of how crazy I am, I am happier than I have ever been...and I am so scared of anything messing that up. I don't want anything shaking my family unit or touching Jaime, me or the boys. I wanna live happily ever after forever and ever. Now, could someone just guarantee that for me so I can stop worrying about it? Thanks and good luck.

Time for an Update:

2011-04-28T10:13:00.001-07:00

It has been almost 3 weeks since my last post but it hasn't been for lack of activity... more a lack of camera (WTF is that thing???) and a partial cleanse of all things internet. In keeping up with my new years resolution, I am currently finishing my 5 book of the year! Which means during my blessed nap time hours I have been cuddling up with a book rather than going cross eyed and throwing angry fits over a certain bird game, stalking people on facebook or tending to the Blog. So, sorry. But it's been good for me.

Now, back to the books. I started the year with Water For Elephants, followed by The Help, then a fun read from a friend called Naptime is the New Happy Hour. Most recently I finished The Glass Castle and am currently in the middle of The Art of Racing in the Rain. Every single one has been my favorite! Although, I must say the Glass Castle wins as one of the most touching memoirs of all time (I think). I loved, loved, loved it.

I am currently training for The Ramble Run 12K on Mothers Day and have been logging much longer runs the past month and been hitting the hills. You can't see the course because it is in a gated community but one section is on the Blue Ridge Parkway and another on a wooded trail, so I am assuming it won't be flat. And 7.4 miles has required some getting used to. In all of my training endevors I have gained 3 pounds and have been eating like a very large, stoned man at a Bob Marley concert. And speaking of Mothers Day, my little boy who was born on Mothers day 2008 will be turning 3 soon. I love him so much. I can NOT believe he will be three and how fast these years are flying by.

We spent a fabulous Easter at the beach and even got the whole family out to see the sunrise on Sunday morning .No church or book could ever speak to me the way something like this does. It makes me feel alive. It also makes me miss home very, very much.

I so wish I had more pictures to share and here is hoping that my camera is just lodged in a bin of blocks somewhere. Happy Spring everybody!

The Cooper River Bridge Run

2011-04-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Way back in 2003, Jaime and I became engaged and celebrated with a trip to Charleston, SC. There were no hotel rooms in the whole city and we were stuck having to fork over big money to bunk in pure fanciness at a posh B&B (darn). Upon arriving in Charleston we found out it was "Bridge Run" weekend. What's that? The third largest 10K race in the US with over 40,000 runners. "Holy crap! That many people come here to run 10 miles? Why?" I asked while eating my croissant and drinking a mimosa. Someone remarked that it wasn't 10 miles...it was only 6.2. Ha, only. It all sounded crazy to me but Jaime and I later discovered what was super fab about all these nutty people was that as soon as the race was over, the entire town turned into a Madi Gras atmosphere at 8:30am. Now that, is my kinda party! We partied the day away and lived vicariously through everyone in town for the race. It was so much fun, I only wish I could remember it...

Seven years and 2 children later, we returned to Charleston but this time with bibs in hand ready to tackle that bridge. Jaime ended up staying with the boys and I was sent out on a solo mission only to surprise the heck out of myself an finish in just over 55 minutes. Even more surprising? I settled for Taco Boy and nap rather than the post race party. My oh my, how 7 years and two children can change you.

This year the kids are older and more trustworthy with babysitters so Jaime joined me for a repeat performance. And before I get into this years race let me tell you a little bit about Jaime. He is awesome BUT slightly crazy. He has to be 3 hours early for everything. Seriously, this is not an exaggeration. And every second that passes while traveling to said destination he is a nervous wreck and also chugging coffee, thereby making him even more nervous. So knowing what I knew from last years race, I was prepared for Jaime to freak. You (and 40,000 other people) have to be in line for the buses by 6am to make it over to the start line in Mt. Pleasant by 8am. I went ahead and did the mental math accounting for travel time from Seabrooke (45 minutes), breakfast and putting us inline by 5:30am (the absolute latest Jaime could handle if the requirement was 6). So, we got up at 3:30am. Our wonderful hosts, Jaime's Aunt Sherry and Uncle Bart, had graciously left out breakfast for us and offered to take care of the boys. I asked Jaime to turn on the light, "There's no time" he says holding out his Iphone providing only enough light to see me standing in the dark next to 10 cereal boxes.

When we got in the car, he made me drive. I had been forewarned that on Seabrooke if you go 26 miles an hour you have to pay $50.00. No questions asked, no exceptions. Must go 25, I repeated in my head over and over. And who can forget my run in with the Folly police on the way to last years bridge run? So, we are out driving around in the dark for what feels like an eternity and all I can think about is food. I never skip breakfast and generally the first thing I think about when I wake up is what I am going to eat. I am a mega-grouch without food, coffee, a gallon of water and a multivitamin. So I did the unthinkable and went to McDonalds. Yes, those same golden arches that soak all of their food in ammonia and use meat "products", aka-pigs toenails and chicken beaks. But I figured whats the worst that can happen with an Egg McMuffin and a coffee? Jaime tells me he wants a plain biscuit with grape jelly which also seems safe. No problem! Except I was forgetting one crucial thing... where do people go to work when they are too stupid to work anywhere else? You guessed it: the Downtown Charleston McDonalds. These people were some class acts and I am not one to berate food service workers (I worked at Hardees at one point in my life for about 8 hours, so I get it) but holy hell, how long does it take to get a biscuit? Exactly 35 minutes, that's how long. Finally, I asked the girl at the register if she wouldn't mind just giving my food to someone else since we had already payed for it and I didn't want it to go to waste and she goes, "Ah nah, I get fo ya." and grabs a bag that had been sitting next to the fryer for 10 minutes. Jaime was in a total fit by this point and I am pretty sure was breathing irregularly. When we got in the car he says, "Do you need directions?" which he had been pulling up from the Iphone and I am like, "Uh, yeah, duh" and he says "Ahhhhhh. I thought you could get there from here" and starts to pound something into the phone. At which point I say, "Forget it" and take off about 100 miles per hour down Calhoun. We saw an empty spot in front of a fire hydrant and in all seriousness Jaime say's "Just park here!! I'll pay the ticket!" I had finally had enough and told him he needed to calm down. It was 5:45am and the race didn't start for 2 hours and 15 minutes. We eventually found legal parking and made our way to the line only 5 minutes after the suggested time of 6am. Granted, we were almost a mile back from where we would actually get on the bus and between parking, trips to a port-a-john and all of the line, I am pretty sure I had run 5K before ever stepping up to the starting line. It was an adventure, but we made it! On the bus ride over we were treated to this sunrise on the bridge :And Jaime became my cool, collected sweet husband again. We had literally been off the bridge for 45 seconds when the bus driver got a message via walky talky that the bridge was now closed. Whew!! That was cutting it way too close. Imagine if we had missed our entire race for a McMuffin? We lined up for the start at exactly 8am behind 40,000 of these people:

I was tired. It had been a long journey to get to this point and I get a little scared in crowds. I started thinking about how this seemed like the perfect venue for a terrorist attack and imagined the bridge blowing up. As we stood there waiting for our wave to take off I was becoming more and more anxious. Finally at 8:21 it was our turn to cross the start line, which means I wasn't even finished with the first mile when the Kenyans were celebrating their victory.

Running with 40,000 people is a struggle. Just imagine if you decided to go for a run in the middle of the civic center at a Phish show. Also, after my surprising time in the Shamrock a few weeks back I got cocky and thought this would be a breeze. That bridge is actually pretty freaking steep and it was hot. I was working harder than I had planned and was relieved when I got to the finish line. The clock said 1:16 but since we started 21 minutes late my chip time came out to 55:38 which was exactly 3 seconds slower than last year. Well, at least I am consistent. Jaime got 53 something and had way more fun than I did. He we are at the finish festival.
I was pretty bummed out about my experience and ate my feelings in key lime pie and sweet tea. But when we layed down for bed that night (at 8pm) I read an article Aunt Sherry had cut out for us. It was about people running the bridge to overcome something. One lady had lost a child, one had cancer, one had lost like 100 pounds...and I immediately felt selfish and ungrateful. I thought back to that trip in 2003 when I didn't even know how far 10K was and realized, 55 minutes and 6.2 miles is nothing to shake a stick at. And how lucky am I that we are healthy enough to run, fortunate enough to have wonderful family to keep our two beautiful boys and we got a fabulous vaca to Charleston out of it? Falling asleep I had a much more positive outlook and looked at the day totally different than I had before. Funny how a little rest can make you so much happier.

We spent the rest of the weekend at the beach and eating more pie. I absolutely love Charleston. The people, the food, that damn bridge, everything. The boys had a blast and proved to us even more what little beach bums they are. We are counting down the days until next year and who knows? Maybe just maybe we will live there by then.

Asheville Idiotarod

2011-03-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Asheville hosted the legendary "Idiotarod" shopping cart race. It is part of the race for awesomeness series that also includes the basketball 5K (dribbling a basketball 3.1 miles). I have been trying to get a team of 5 to compete the past few years and have never been successful. Mainly because my ever so ethical husband ( who used to make me pay taxes on my babysitting money) seems to think that "stealing" a shopping cart is bad news. So this year I found a way to be involved without breaking any laws. I took part in an honest to goodness flash mob!

For those you who aren't up to date on Flash Mobs (or current episodes of the Modern Family) don't worry, it isn't what it sounds like. We don't go around flashing people. That would give Jaime even more of a heart attack than stealing a buggy. The actual definition is: a term coined in 2003 to denote a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment and/or satire. The director of the race heard that the E! Television show "Too Fat for Fifteen" was going to be filming this years run and decided to put together a group of people who suddenly appear and do the entire dance to Micheal Jackson's Thriller. We met secretly all week and learned all of the steps. Not an easy task for someones such as myself. I would rather run 10 miles than do a single cha cha and that MJ has some pretty crazy moves. But it was a learning experience and by the end of the last practice I felt good about it. So imagine my sadness when Sunday's performance was less than thrilling. Boo. We had a large group of about 100 people who dedicated time and effort into learning each step for a fabulous performance (and one very hot, Micheal Jackson dance teacher, who may or may not have been gay, who spent the whole week teaching like 10 dance classes) all to have a ton of drunk people join in and try to preform the dance as well and basically stepped on feet and dropped it like it was hot. Entertaining, yes. Thrilling, no. But in the end I am left with a small space in my brain that now contains all of the dance information I need to surprise the heck out of some people at the next Halloween party. And that, is good enough for me!

Check out these pictures of how fabulously weird Asheville is. We really want to move back to the beach (like really, really bad) but there is no comparison for this town. It is such a uniquely, wonderful part of North Carolina. Enjoy!

Mind Numbing Chit Chat

2011-03-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness. There are days where my brain literally feels like it is on fire. I spent the first two years of Josiah's life praying that he would talk sooner rather than later and that my fear of measles, mumps and rubella had possibly sent him into a vaccinated, autistic frenzy and now...it never ends.

Where we going today Mama? We going to the bank after that? Why we don't have any money for the bank? Daddy don't give you no money? Who would be on my sticker if I went to the bank? I get a kitty sticker at the bank? What's for lunch today? Where did you get that turkey? That turkey was at Yaya's house on Thanksgiving? Where did Bubby get those pants? Those pants is red? Why are you yawing? You tired? Mommy?"

That is just a brief interlude into my day with Josiah. And honestly, I feel slightly guilty for my responses to some of these questions after 7 plus hours of it. Sometimes I totally ignore him or sometimes I go for shock value. As in, " Whats that mans name?" (Random guy at grocery Store) "Handy Manny, honey". "That man is Handy Manny?!" "Yep."

Lately, I have been enforcing a very strict policy of not answering a question more than once. If he asks the question and receives no response (because I am ignoring him) he is allowed to repeat the question until getting a response. But once I answer it, I will not not answer it again. This policy does NOT work. He keeps asking after reciveing a response and I keep answering because I don't know what else to do.

AH! And thank heavens Oliver only says "cookie" over and over and it is still adorable. What the crap am I going to do when they are both talking non-stop? I tell Josiah all the time, "Talk to Oliver" and he says, "Bubby a baby. He dont' talk." To which Oliver usually shoots him a sideways glace that says, "Be quite!"

In all seriousness, he is pretty freaking adorable and the stories are hilarious. The other day he told me that heaven was in Wilmington. How sweet is that? And really, who can resist this guy?

My Lucky Day

2011-03-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a wonderful mother who raised me to believe that I was the prettiest, smartest, best person to ever live I have grown to be extremely competitive by nature. From the moment I was born all I ever heard was how lovely I was, as any doting parent should tell their child. So, imagine my surprise when I started middle school about one foot taller than everyone else (boys included) and this weird combination of being skinny and huge at the same time. Wearing my duck head shorts and rusty t-shirt I thought I was awesome and later found out, I wasn't. Somewhere in those lost middle school years I had to make a decision; Cry about it and let others dictate the way I feel about myself or continue to believe that I am awesome. I chose the later. Thanks Mom.

So anyway, here I am 15 years later and if a camera is around I still stop to pose like I am at the end of a catwalk. These days my husband has replaced my Mama as my roommate but thankfully continues to make my feel like one in a million. This glowing self-esteem isn't without its downfalls... I am really hard on myself. I don't like to lose or ever feel like I could have done something better. I want to be the best at everything and I actually get pissed off when I'm not. Yep, I said it out loud.

Last spring was the first time in 2 years that I wasn't pregnant or had just given birth. So, I took full advantage and got into tip top fighting shape. Everything was almost perfect with one exception, The Shamrock 10K. It isn't just a 6.2 mile run, it is the 10K of death. The hills are killer and the climbs in between seem to last forever. When I first practiced the course last year it took something crazy like an hour and twenty minutes (I did get lost and added an extra mile or two, but still.) On race day in 2010 I finished in 1:05:52 and almost threw up at the finish line. I felt like Micheal Scott when he finished that 5K for rabies on The Office and ate so much fettuccine and no water. It was officially my worst race ever and it has haunted me for a year.

I began practicing for this years race in January. I ran the course in rain and ice. One day my lips started bleeding from the blistering winds. I ran with a friend who is way faster and every single time thought to myself, I am never running with him again. I pushed it as hard as I could and only got under an hour one time. Which is crazy, because I even ran faster per mile in the Asheville Half than that. What is it with this course?

So this past Saturday was the big day. Time to redeem myself. And when I say that I am competitive yes, I like to beat other runners, but when I am running the only person I am competing against is myself. It's all about self-improvement and being better than the day before. I put on all my lucky, green shamrock gear (If I can't win the race there was always the costume contest, right?) and headed over to Asheville Catholic School. I realized on the way there that I had forgotten my watch. Oh well, the finish line would have to be a surprise. I took off with the gun and ran down Kimberly really fast. I was thinking the whole time, "I am running too fast. I won't be able to make it up Cherokee. Slow down." but I just kept going fast anyway. Then when I reached Cherokee (hill to heaven) it was literally like downshifting in my little Red Jetta. I kept running but everything was in slow motion and seemed much heavier. I said a little prayer of thanks when I reached the top and took off up Sunset. And to be clear, sunset sucks. It is a such fake out because you can't see the actual elevation change (like on Cherokee) but it just keeps going and going and hurting an hurting. My ipod fell out of my ear at one point and the sounds I heard around me were like people gasping for their last breaths. The way I personally sounded made me grateful that the money I payed to the race went to people who were hopefully praying for me. The downhill portion didn't come soon enough or last long enough before I was pulling myself up that ginormous hill on Kimberly wondering what the outcome was going to be. On one hand I felt slow and like I was near death and on the other I knew I had given it everything I had. No matter what the outcome I couldn't have done any better and was already planning next years attack strategy when I rounded the corner and could see the clock. 55 something. What? I ran up the hill on Culvern with a new burst of life and a giant smile. Granted, it must've said 55:50 something because by the time I crossed the finish line it was 56:07, 9 minutes and 45 seconds faster than last years time. I won. Now what?

Oh, Oliver.

2011-03-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

Somehow, someway...it has been over 18 months since little Oliver was born. At this point my life has become so fun and relatively simple. I have noticed that when I wake up in the morning my perspective has changed from, "What the heck are we gonna do to fill this day up and make it go by as quickly as possible?" To, "What are we gonna do today?!!" I actually miss Josiah when he is at school and am so excited for summer. I can't imagine not spending all day, everyday with these boys. And even though it is still over 2 years away, kindergarten is getting too close.

Oliver has grown into such a wonderful little toddler, who I will always refer to as my baby. He can talk and fight and makes sure to get exactly what he wants and nothing that he doesn't. He can sing and count to 3. He loves to climb on stuff and read books. He loves Josiah.

His little personality is developing too. Today I asked him what he wanted for lunch and he looks at me stone faced and says, " Cooo key." I started to laugh and then he started laughing too. Last night Josiah asked, "Can I have Bubbies strawberries?" and Oliver yelled across the table, "NO!" He has developed quite an attitude and has even started throwing some tanturums. Still, they are so much easier to deal with the second time around. Or maybe they are just easier because they are coming from Oliver and he is just so freaking sweet, even when he's mad.

His hair is crazy looking. The top just isn't growing. The back however, is beautiful and soft. Jaime gave me five dollars (Um, heck yeah this this stay at home mama took that!) in exchange for a promise not to cut it until after he turns two, so he will be rocking the mullet for a while longer. Here are some pics of my one and a half year old baby. Enjoy!

Healthy, Happy and Fabulous

2011-03-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

First of all let me start by saying, wow and holy guacamole! That stinky little groundhog named Phil can actually predict the weather. This month has been fantastically glorious. Every weekend has been sunny and ranging anywhere from 50-70 degrees and it's FEBRUARY! We have been taking full advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures and even spent a Valentines Day weekend alone at the beach. And even though I spent the better part of Friday in Urgent Care and Saturday indoors under the covers fast asleep...it was awesome! I mean, if you're gonna be sick might as well do it next to the ocean, with no kids and a good looking man. And Saturday night when I finally got my appetite back, Jaime was there to take me on super romantic date to the one and only J Micheal's Philly Deli. Ah, nothing like fried mushrooms and a 12 inch cheese steak after not eating for a week. The boys had a fabulous time at Yaya and Grandpa's house and even got to go to the motherland and soak up some salt and sand.Upon returning to Asheville we have been hiking in Hot Springs.

Practicing for the soccer team,And returning to business as usual with daily trips to the park, sitting on the porch looking for trash trucks and being outside as much as humanly possible. We currently have no broken bones or illness and life is great! It is truly amazing how much easier my days become when it isn't freezing outside.

Goals for spring include: Running LOTS, selling this house and finding Jaime a job being the CFO of an ocean front retirement community where he can work half days. That's all. And in regards to that crazy post about more babies... don't get your hopes up. I love to run and be skinny way too much in warm weather. Talk to me in the fall!

6 Months Later and Still Missing Her...

2011-02-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

Last August, I got a call from my Dad that it was time for me to make the trip home to say goodbye to my precious Nana. We had known for sometime that this day was coming. In past couple of years she had experienced a decline in health and was living in a skilled nursing facility or as she affectionately referred to it, "The Home." As we get older the circle of life becomes so much more real. We begin having and watching our own children grow-up while saying goodbye to those who shaped us in so many more ways than could ever be conveyed in a single blog. I didn't just lose a grandparent with Nana.... I lost a friend, confidant and virtual savior. She was and is such a huge part of who I am today and six months later, I still think of her everyday and either want to laugh out loud or cry.

When making arrangements for the funeral I offered to speak about what she meant to me the past 27 years. It was very the least that I could do. So better late than never, I would like to share what I read that day:

"We are all here today because we were lucky enough to know Helen Smith. I consider myself most fortunate not only because she was my Nana but because I was able to spend the majority of my life, thus far, living just a stones throw away on a little piece of property that we all called, "The Sound."

I first moved to the sound when I was only 3 years old. I loved being able to go to my grandparents house for waffles in the morning and to swim in the pool. I would walk down the dirt road to my house later in the day only to hear my phone ringing and Nana asking if I wanted to come back down for a deviled egg sandwich and a coke... I always did.

I could count on her for almost anything. I would call and leave messages daily and even taught her how to punch in that 3 digit code on the back of her answering machine so that she could check her messages from her daily golf lesson at The Cape... she always did.

The older I got, the more challenging I became and after I lost my license I became dependent on Nana, yet again. Only this time I was beyond embarrassed to be 17 and have my grandmother picking me up each day from Hoggard. Everyday I asked her, "Nana, please stay in the car! " and every single day at 3:30, I would leave class to find her in the middle of the forum talking to who else? The coolest kids in school. She would be asking them, "Have you seen my granddaughter, Kelley Smith?" I was mortified.

Then my freshman year in college, still without a license, I wouldn't even let her get near the campus. I would walk over a mile each away to avoid similar embarrassment. And regardless of the fact that I behaved like an ungrateful brat, who jammed rap music at the Sunbirds highest deciable...she still showed up faithfully each day and never once judged me. That is who she was. She very well may have been the strongest woman I have ever known. She was loyal and she loved her family more than anything.

So finally, after many wonderful years and more recently a couple of tough ones, she is at peace and reunited with her WG "Bill" Smith. And while we will miss suh an amazing woman we are comforted in knowing that everything is as it should be. And not that I would ever have to remind the pro to do this, but I am confident that when she reaches her tee time in the sky we can all expect her to..."Sit down. Hug the Ground. Shift your weight and SWING THE CLUB!" "

Love you Nana, miss you.

Skinny Legs, Stopped Up Bums and Runny Noses

2011-02-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

So I may have mentioned in previous blogs that my wonderful husband, who in spite of having a cardiologist for a father and a PA for a sister, doesn't actually believe in medicine. And no, he isn't one of those no vax believers. He totally thinks you should get all your shots and once you have them you'll never get sick, ever. And this is an actual Jaime philosophy... If you feel yourself getting sick your mind can stop it. You just have to concentrate really hard and push the sickness away. Seriously. And in the 9 years we have been together, I have never once seen him have a common cold, a fever or throw up (with the exception of the white trash party aftermath but that wasn't from germs). He also believes some diseases are totally imaginary. For example, allergies. Or arthritis. He is a funny one and I love him dearly.

That said, I have started to take on his philosophy somewhat (Although, NOT when I am shivering and sweating at the same time and vomiting all over myself and he looks at me like, "Push it away. Think better. Feel Better".) and our children rarely ever go to the doctor. In fact, our pediatrician disappeared last summer and we have yet to get another one, simply because we haven't needed one. I don't even call the nurse line because guaranteed I am smarter than most of those ladies and I do not have 6 available hours to hold... And after the time I called because Josiah slept until 10 Oclock in the morning ( this was an emergency considering he never slept past 4am as a baby) and they told me to go take all his clothes off and shake him...I have decided to just alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours for almost any problem and wait. The point of all of this is that when we finally do roll into the doctor's office we have a whole list of problems. They will ask, "How long has this been going on?" and I am like, "Since the middle of September" and then they look at me like I am confused.

So, on to ailment number one: Josiah got his cast off last Thursday and we were all relived to see it go. No more trash bag baths and two legs for soccer season starting in March, hooray!
However, since the removal of the cast he has been dragging his leg behind him and refuses to bend his knee. His foot turns out too. It is a sad little walk to watch and I long for my hyper active boy to run around in circles again. Also, his right leg is very skinny and has little muscle left. Where did it all go in just 3 weeks? If all this continues he may have to go to physical therapy and I guess all we can say is that thank goodness he will eventually get better...even if it is taking longer than we thought.

And number two: After getting the cast he stopped pooping. I know, TMI, but he NEVER poops! It is super freaky and he is so uncomfortable. He spins around and grabs his bum screaming, "MY BUM HURTS!" which in the grocery store is a little embarrassing for everyone involved. We have tried suppositories and OTC meds but nothing is freeing his poop. AH! And for the third and final ailment: This weekend he got a fever and seemed so dazed that I drove halfway to the emergency room. Note: I turned around and went back home when he started asking me about all of the princesses and "Where do they live?" But he had finally gotten my attention. I found and made an appointment with a new pediatrician Monday morning. When the Doc came in I had to explain that Josiah had a fever, seems out of it, can't walk right and hasn't pooped in a month. He looked at me like, "Hold up, start over." I explained all of our issues and thankfully they are all unrelated. The fever is because he has a cold, his walk will get better when the muscles gain strength and the pooping or rather the absence of pooping, is really common around toddlers who are potty training and become afraid of poop. He gave him some Myrolax to clear him out (Great. Can't wait for that).

So all in all, poor little Josiah is have a rough time! He is the sweetest little boy and I can't wait for him to feel better. Being a parent is a bizarre experience. Someday's it feels like I am on that show Wipeout (but much louder) and people are just throwing obstacles in my direction to make me fall. Still, I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world. I am so in love with all three of my boys! Please say a little prayer for Josiah and another one that neither he nor Ollie ever gets diagnosed with allergies. That we could NOT handle.

Am I Crazy?

2011-02-09T09:41:00.001-08:00

Josiah likes to sing a little song that goes something like this, "Cause when you're up you're up. And when you're down you're down. And if you're only half way up you're neither up nor down." Is he singing to me? In the mornings I feel like I can barely get out of bed when one of the kids inevitably starts screaming at 6:50am. Then I get up and turn into the energizer bunny. Changing and dressing kids, making breakfast, working out like a maniac, chugging coffee, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, building castles out of the 7 legos we can seem to locate, breaking up fist fights, reading Tangled AGAIN, sit-ups and push ups, potty training, begging and bribing, crying, laughing and eventually crashing at nap time (Me, not the kids...they usually stay in their rooms banging on the walls waiting for me to get up again.) Seriously, I am like a walking ad for Ambilfy. And then we start to think, should we have another baby? Initial response: Um, hell no.

More carefully thought out response: Maybe. Pros: Three kids seems like a fun family eventually. Like a picture out of Pottery Barn Kids with the three twin beds in a row and that awesome storage cubby on the wall. Three kids playing and entertaining themselves like half a soccer team. Support from one another and an untouchable closeness. Sharing secrets and building forts. Having each others backs. Being able to have a Conley take a Gold, Silver and Bronze all in the same Olympic marathon. You know, fun stuff. Cons: Having 3 children under 4. Considering that I have already broken one of their legs and sent the other one into the emergency room after an incident with a shower curtain and minor head trauma, I can only imagine how I would handle 3 kids. Gaining and losing 40 pounds AGAIN. Not being able to run as far and as fast as I want for 40 more weeks. Possibly getting another stretch mark on my perfect 6 pack. Figuring out how I would get them all into and out of the car. Not sleeping (Major CON), nursing every 2 hours for a year, not drinking or taking meds (surely needed with 3 kids), not knowing where we would put them all or where we are going to live (house is for sale), paying for three kids at Ivy League schools all at the same time- oh wait, they'll probably get scholarships. I guess that can be a pro. Another pro?

Look at how sweet little babies are! The first is a picture of Josiah (1 day old) and the second is Oliver (also 1 day old but so much bigger than teeny, preemie Sisi ). Getting pregnant in the next few months would make baby number 3 and Oliver 2.5 years apart. Which is exactly twice the amount of time in between Ollie and Josiah (15 months). So that should be easy, right? And really, what is one more?

So, what do we do? Right now I am going to assume that yes I am in fact crazy and go take a nap.

Sunshine in the Storm

2011-01-31T09:44:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Jaime and I had the welcome surprise of the fabulous YaYa making an appearance in Asheville on her way up to see Uncle Craig for the weekend. It is always such a treat to hang with Lil and show her a day in the life of her grandbabies. We went to Tiny Tykes and ChicFilA as part of our weekly Friday ritual and she was nice enough to keep the kids while I ran a 10K course in North Asheville that afternoon. The run was one of my coldest ever. My lips were almost bleeding from the wind but more importantly the sun was shining. I LOVE sunshine, even in the cold. I came home feeling very cold and a little strange but gave it up to the weather and the fact I ran all the way to the tippity top of Cherokee without stopping (Which I can do now, after a year of trying. Can I get a Whoot Whoot?). Anyway, since Yaya was in town Jaime and I had the option of going out on a Friday night without paying a hundred dollars for a sitter. Oddly enough though, I didn't feel like it at all. Still, I got dressed and went. Who knew when the opportunity would present itself again. So we went downtown and eventually ended up at our neighbors house watching a movie. A drank a few beers but was still home by eleven o-clock and asleep before mid-night. Enter, 3:30am. I opened my eyes, the room was spinning and I had goose bumps. First thought; Why am I so hungover? What is going on? I stood up and literally projectile vomited everywhere. I mean, everywhere. From then on and for the next 12 hours, I didn't stop throwing up. It was the sickest I think I have ever been. Around 3:30 the next day I eventually stopped puking but I couldn't move. My body ached to unfathomable proportions. I have no idea what I would have done if it hadn't been Saturday and if I would have had to watch the boys through all that. It was insane. Jaime was on fire as Florence Nightingale and totally took care of me and the kids. Sunday morning I was starting to come out of the funk but still needed a little more rest... So he took the kids to gymnastics.

11:15am- Phone rings. Josiah fell on the trampoline. Can't stand up, in pain, going to the hospital. What? Will they even let my sick ass in the hospital? I am like a walking vaccine. Regardless, I jumped up with more adrenaline and speed than I had in over 24 hours and raced to Mission. My poor little boy had broken his right tibia. It is the hardest thing ever to see your children in pain, especially Josiah. He isn't just a regular whimpy kid. He may be the toughest, fastest, most awesome kid of all time. He can't have a broken leg! But he did and we would have to figure out what the heck we were gonna do with him for the next 3 weeks. Here he is at the orthopedist, with his new green cast, and living out all of his fantasies of watching movies all day long.

Anyway, we have been overwhelmed by all of the love and support that we have received from friends, family, Josiah's preschool and the ladies at the YMCA. From daily visits, to care packages and lots of special treatment, I think even little Oliver has started looking for ways to break his leg too. Thank heavens that the fracture will heal so fast (well, 18 days is kind of an eternity to a mom with a 1 year old and the inability to sit down, but you know what I mean) and that Josiah still has the ability to win the Boston Marathon one day. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us smile over the course of a really crappy weekend followed by a lovely week.

Shredding Powder Dude

2011-01-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

This past weekend marked our seventh MLK day in the mountains and the seventh year in a row that my mom has come to visit. It is just the sunny burst of joy we need in the coldest, grayest month of the year and I look forward to it every time. It used to be a solo trip for Mama and we would go do girl stuff like shopping and pedicures but ever since birthing out their grandbabies it has been impossible to leave my dad at home so he has been tagging along for the last couple of years too. Which is great, but he has a schedule that we all need to work around and usually means no pedicures.

So this year, a couple of days before their visit and a week into snow apocalypse 2011, I got an email from my Mom saying that she wanted to give Jaime and I the day off. She would keep the boys and treat us to a day of snowboarding on Sunday. Seriously? Like the whole day? I was so happy I could cry. She could have said she was keeping the kids and sending us to the library for the day and I would have still been ecstatic... but snowbording? How Fun!

They arrived on Saturday and we all had a nice dinner at Doc Chey's where I mentioned something about the following day and my Dad says, "What? Where are you going?" and my mom kinda nods and is like, "Their going snowboarding, we're keeping the kids." His face registered minor panic but he kept his cool and went along with it and the next day we were outta there with the sun.

I have really tried to share Jaime's love of snowboarding over the past few years and feel like I have put up a good effort ( Note: I would still rather be on a beach, book in hand, anyday). I am pretty good in the sense that I can go to the top of the mountain and make it all the way down without falling. I take it nice and easy with no tricks or anything outrageous, but I do ok. Jaime, on the other hand is crazy good, almost too good for any mountain around here. So good in fact that a man in a full hunting suit that was doubling as a ski suit called him a show-off this weekend ( but then laughed and was like, "har har, I wish I could do that...") I guess that's what happens when you delay college for a while and move to Colorado. Anyway, I like having him as my date, he makes me look good.With the exception of one seriously gnarly fall off the chair lift and a semi injured rotator cuff it was an awesome day. And I am even happier to report the the grandparents survived as well and the boys were extra charming and wonderful.

It is so nice to remember who Jaime and I are together when we aren't chasing, feeding or carrying a toddler. Granted, we talked about them most of the time (and even looked at a couple of pictures on the cell phone) but it was great to have that alone time and remember why we fell in love in the first place.

Thanks Mom and Dad, you're the best!

Wait A Sec, Is It 2008 again?

2011-01-17T13:07:00.001-08:00

Josiah has always been persistent. He has a will made of steel and one day he will hopefully use this perseverance to win ultramarathon titles or graduate summa cum laude from medical school. We first noticed his reluctance to give up around 6 months old when he began to scream all night. And by all night I mean he went to bed at 7:30pm, was up by 10pm and screamed until 5am when he finally got up for the day. Also, he didn't take naps. And I know this seems unbelievable, really I do, because even my pediatrician told me he had never heard of such a thing. "So, he just doesn't sleep? No cat napping in the car?" he would ask incredulously. "Never." I would reply. "Ok, I'll get him sleeping," he tells me to "go buy Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber. Read the whole thing, then do exactly as he says." He says that it takes most kids around 3 days to sleep through the night, some a week. Ok, so what he was saying is that my kid will be sleeping in 3 days or at worst a week? For real? I wondered into Barnes~n~ Nobel in a zombie state and immediately bought the book. Thus began Josiah's first will and testament to persistence... he screamed all night, every night, for a month. He banged his head on the side of his crib and 100% FREAKED out. I know to a Sears mama this may sound like the cruelest, craziest thing you have ever heard but we were desperate and delirious. Did I mention I was pregnant? It was hands down one of the hardest times of my life. Things just don't make sense when you aren't sleeping. And then magically, one day, he stopped crying. It was a miracle and an even bigger miracle when baby number two began sleeping through the night on his own accord at just 3 months old. No crying it out required. We payed our dues as parents and finally were able to enjoy putting both kids to bed and having 12 uninterrupted hours to ourselves . Ah, normalcy.

Enter 3 months ago. Josiah no longer sleeps through the night and has been settling with a one hour nap that usually requires some sort of bribe to get him to even lay down. "If you take a nap I'll give you a cookie when you get up." I tell him. You can see the his two year old brain pondering such a request. "What kind of cookie?" He asks. "Whatever you want, we'll take you out for a cookie. Just please, please take a nap." I beg. "Ok, fine. Night, night". 1 hour later from Josiah's room: "I NEEEEED Cooookie!" And having been on the side of no naps I will deal with this one hour nap and try not to complain too much but seriously this nighttime madness has me wanting to yell out a great big WTF??? I thought we were done with this! I need help. I despise not sleeping. I honestly don't know what to do. He is too old to cry it out and is seriously scared so I can't just ignore him. However, his 3am requests border on annoying. Josiah: "Mommy I see something." Me: "What?" Josiah: "Take something out of here." Me: "What?" Josiah: "I don't know just something." I grab a book and walk out. He is quite. 3 hours later, Josiah: "MOMMMMMY!" Me: 'What is it" Josiah: "I need some ki ki (ice)" Me: "Ok, but this is it, ok?" Josiah "Ok." I get him the Ki Ki. And so on and so on... and then I can never fall back asleep and lay there thinking about how I am never having a baby again and never dealing this no sleeping nonsense again and praying that Oliver doesn't suddenly start not sleeping and then just as I fall asleep, "MommmmmY! Yeah, you get it.

When does it end? At least this way he is denying me sleep as a sweet, scared little boy. 15 years from now he will be keeping me awake with worry. I guess as a parent you have to give a lot and take a lot. Because it is all worth it, right? Right? (Deep yoga breath, ommmmm).

Cheers to a New Year

2011-01-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Every January as we say say goodbye to another year most of us resolve to usher in the new one with a new found zest, or for some, restraint for life. Commercials overtake the television for weight loss products and shape up shoes. Research shows that while almost 50 percent of Americans make a New Years Resolution only 46% are still maintaining such resolution after 6 months. So 64% percent give up... I wonder why? Or I suppose more importantly, what is the successful group doing differently? With all of the case study experience that comes along with the prestigious degree of a bachelors in psychology I can only theorize on what is happening here. I guess what can be concluded is that for a certain group of people making resolutions IS useful. So how do I know that I will be part of that group and not the other one? Um, I don't. No one knows what is going to happen at the starting line but the important thing is to join the race... because statistics also show that people who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't. SO here goes; a list of 5 things I would like to see happen in 2011. Let's check back in a year and see if I win.

-Enjoy life more. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy it plenty... What I mean is that I want to enjoy every part of it. Even the parts where I feel like I am gonna rip all of my hair out. I'd like to become one of those relaxed namaste weirdos. But I want to gain such clarity withOUT doing yoga or reading Siddhartha. Because my goodness, how short is this life, really? Way too short to sweat the small stuff.

- Read more "grown-up books". Even the hard to understand ones... maybe even some old school classics. I am going to keep this goal attainable to 6 books n 2011. One every other month. And on the off months I will keep up with US Weekly and other various gossip magazines.

- Think about how what I am doing affects others. I mean this on the grand scale of recycling and taking care of the planet or eating chickens at CFA. And on a much smaller scale of writing thank you notes, calling my grandmother more and remembering that even though I'm busy I still have to make time for those who I love. Also, to stop being so bitchy sometimes. It is unacceptable even if things are crazy!

-Spend time with Jaime doing things besides; (A.) cuddling on the couch, watching TV or (B.) sleeping or (C.) chasing a kid. The boys are getting older and easier to manage so we should vow to get the romance back in 2011. More dates and more "us" time. I love him so much.

- And what list of mine would be complete without a workout resolution. What to do this year? Really the only to do that I haven't already done is run a full marathon and I am sure as heck not resolving to do that. So I guess that I will say, swim more and run just as much.

So that's it, my fab 5 resolutions. You may have noticed that I didn't resolve to do anything with the kids? Well, that is one area of my life that I feel is already perfect. Not that I am perfect (Um, no way!) but I get to wake up to them every morning, spend all day hanging out with them and put them to bed every night. How amazing is that? I have been witness to their first words and steps and other various milestones. I haven't missed a single thing due to work or any other obligation. My children are my whole life and I wouldn't have it any other way. This time is so priceless. Come to think of it, maybe I should make a 6th and final resolution:

- Continue NOT working.

Happy New Year Y'all!

Magical Moments (Pt. 2)

2011-01-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Now that we have officially been home for 10 days I need to wrap up this Disney Blog. Since our return to Asheville so much has happened; Christmas, a blizzard and the end of a decade and the beginning of 2011. Being a blogger is a challenge when things never stop! Alas, with all of the fun stuff about my most dreaded season being over, I can only imagine that I will have the next three months to be more blog worthy. So that being said, back to Florida and our third day at Disney.

On Monday the 2oth we had a Character Breakfast scheduled in Africa of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Yes... Donald, Mickey, Minnie and Goofy would all be there dressed in safari gear. We were a little apprehensive about a fifty dollar breakfast but it was our one splurge on the trip and Josiah was adorable holding his autograph book tightly to his chest just waiting for a character to come over to his table. Oliver was totally terrified and screamed if one got too close but he did enjoy the Mickey Mouse shaped waffles and the limitless "jungle juice".
When we woke up that morning, Jaime looked outside at all the sunshine and said, " Its already 55 degrees probably, warming up super fast too...supposed to be 70 today" or something along those lines. So I grabbed my shorts, flip flops and a T-Shirt ready for a spring like day. Ha! It was freezing! I was almost in tears as we were walking to the gate. "I wanna go home." I said through chattering teeth and Jaime says, "Find somewhere that sells pants and I will buy them for you." Now, I know you are probably thinking, "What the heck kind of pants can you buy at The Animal Kingdom?" Well, in Africa you could purchase a leopard print pair of MC Hammer pants for the bargin price of $44.95 or in Asia you could buy hot pink sweat pants (with elastic in the ankles) and DISNEY WORLD written in large print across the butt. As tempted as I was to ring up a $50 bill on Jaime's card for telling me it was 70 degrees, I couldn't bring myself to wear either of these monstrosities. So I froze in the name of fashion.

We even stayed the whole day and made it to the parade. Whoever was in charge of scheduling the Disney parades each day clearly wasn't thinking of toddlers or nap times. It was impossible to stay until lunch, go home and nap and be back in a good parade location by 3pm... but on this Monday we just toughed it out, skipped nap time and caught Donald and Daisy in all their 15 minutes of glory.
Then we passed out. Literally.
The next day was Jaime's birthday and what 32 year old man doesn't want to spend it at The Magic Kingdom with 6 billion other people? He even got a button announcing his special day AND we got a private bus ride into the park in honor of this happy occasion. So cool!

On day two at the Kingdom, we hit up AdventureLand and FrontierLand and had a picnic on Tom Sawyers Island. After a quick nap we returned to TomorrowLand and danced in the street with Disney's beloved characters yet again. And no, it never gets old. We went home to the unit and had a fun birthday party with pizza, cookie cake, balloons and even taught the kids how to jump a fence when the hot tub was closed. Jaime said it was his best birthday yet and ya know what? I don't think he was just saying that.

One our 5th and last day at the parks we attended Epcot. I remembered Epcot being the most boring park from my younger years so I didn't have high hopes. But as it turns out, it is way more fun as a grown up! Looking back, I can see why I didn't like it so much as a kid. There is a science center and not very many rides. Mostly, it is set up so that you can tour the world with one trip around a lake visiting Mexico, China, Morraco, Paris, Germany and Canada. It was a very relaxing end to our trip as we pushed the boys in the stroller and finally enjoyed the 70 degree weather. And it wasn't totally dull for the kiddos...we did get to take a spaceship into the future and ride on Nemo's clam shell.
After eating dinner on Disney's boardwalk we took a little boat back into Epcot for our final show of a Christmas choir singing songs with host Brad Garret reading the Christmas story. It was a truly magical and a great end to a great vacation.

So now we are home and all experiencing the Disney crash and dreaming of summer. I am so grateful to have shared such a wonderful week with my family. It is weeks like that, that will remain embedded in my memory forever and when I think back to some the happiest moments of my life, this trip will always come to mind. The boys will never be 1 and 2 again and I will always remember the joy and magic in their eyes as such fun loving, innocent little toddlers. I am SO lucky to share my life with such a great husband and kids. Yay!

Magical Moments (Part 1)

2010-12-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since my last blog, 2 weeks ago. Currently we are enduring blizzard conditions that decided to strike Asheville on Christmas day...but that is a whole other blog. This blog will focus on a much happier subject, namely the best week of my life thus far.

On Friday December 17th at 4:45am, we loaded two toddlers, half of our house and a ton of snacks into the Vdub van and set our GPS for Lake Buena Vista, Florida- the home of the most magical place on earth, Disney World. After making only ONE stop for gas at the Florida Welcome Center we pulled into our condo 10 hours, 15 minutes and 6 Disney movies later. The trip, all things considered, really wasn't too bad. Ah, the luxuries of two DVD players, a minivan and my own private row in the back where no one can see me. The Volkswagon Routan makes certain that parents and kids get to travel in complete comfort, even for 10 hours and 15 minutes.

We made the decision after much research to stay off site at Disney. We could afford a whole week at a private condo or 4 days at a Disney Resort. The condo being only 1 mile from the Magic Kingdom seemed to be the obvious choice and all in all it worked out rather well. But let me just say this, the place was STRANGE. It looked really nice, hence the photos on the internet, fairly new and had a garage, a fun kids room, new furniture, etc... But it was totally deserted, making it feel really weird. As for the people who were there, just picture miniature JLo's and Marc Anthony's yelling in New York/Puerto Rican accents. Total divas. The kitchen was another major reason we opted for off site, aside from the cost. As I have stated before, Jaime doesn't eat meat, seafood, salad or any type of sauce or marinade and the only restaurants we can agree on are usually pizza or Mexican... and since I wasn't planning on eating pizza every day then I wanted a kitchen so I could continue making healthy meals for us and the kids. Well, after spending a ton on groceries at the local, overpriced Disney market, we realized there were no pots or pans. Dun Dun Dun Dunnnnn. But we were in luck, Giorodono's was right across the street and we could get pizzas whenever we wanted! Fantastic.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, as I said before, it was the best week of my life. But since this blog is mainly for memories we can't forget the hilarity of some situations. Here is a picture of what Jaime and I affectionately referred to as, "The Unit".Thankfully, with the happiest place on earth less than a mile away we didn't spend much time at the unit. On Saturday morning after awaking to torrential downpours and headed for the Magic Kingdom. We were NOT going to let a little weather rain on our parade and boy did we have fun. After purchasing Mickey Mouse ponchos we fit right in and were ever so grateful that it was warm. I was so excited about the 75 degree weather it could have been a hurricane and that would have been ok. Not to mention that the Magic Kingdom is, well, totally flippin magical. Even as a 27 year old mom of two, when I saw Cinderella's castle my heart literally jumped. And when I looked at Josiah looking at the castle, I almost cried. We spent the rest of the day riding all of the classic's; It's a Small World After All, Pirates of the Carribean, Snow Whites Scary Adventures, Cinderella's carousal and Josiah just barely hit the height requirement to get on his first real roller coaster. He is lucky that he is so tall, because I think he may have been the only two year old to ever go on this thing...it had the cluga cluga assent where all you can think about it the plunge you are about to take. When we got to the very top I looked over at Josiah and said, "Are you scared?" and he said, "No, I'm not scared." Then we dropped, so fast and whipped through a tunnel of darkness at the speed of light. It only lasted about 45 seconds but the whole time I was thinking, WHY did I bring my poor baby on this? When we pulled into the station and stopped he was as white as a ghost. Our bars lifted and when the worker came to help Josiah out of his car my little boy looked at him and said, "NO! I ride again." I guess it is only a matter of time until he joins his Daddy surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and jumping off mountains. What a little dare devil.

That afternoon the sun came out and we went to a block party where there is a DJ and you literally party in the street with all of Disney's beloved characters. We danced with Woody, Jesse, and Mickey. My face hurt from smiling so much.After the block party Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother came out to light her castle for Christmas. With a "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes" playing and some Bippity Boppity Boo action the castle went from looking like thisto like this,

with a simple wave of her wand. It was so much cooler live than I could ever explain. It was hypnotizing. I can't remember a day being so much fun. Ever. Even the unit looked good when we got home for the night. I LOVE Disney World.

The next day we hit up Hollywood Studios which is where all of the Toy Story Characters "live". We danced with Woody the night before but we had yet to be formally introduced and after waiting only an hour and a half we got to hang with the REAL Woody and Buzz. They were so great. The nice thing about waiting an hour and a half is that each kid gets to spend ample amount of time with the characters. We got autographs, pictures and hugs and all of this took place in Andy's room. Josiah and Oliver were in heaven. In addition to meeting their idols we also took in a prefomance of Beauty and the Beast live on Broadway, met Mater and Lightening McQueen and had dinner at the official Pizza Planet. Another great day.

All of our adventures in Disney were simply too much for one blog, so please stay tuned for the remaining days of our trip. The best is yet to come!

7 Down, 70 to Go.

2010-12-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

Seven years ago today, I was 20 years old and living on Saint Rosea Drive. I worked full-time stopping crackheads with bats from breaking into hotel rooms ( well, I never actually stopped them, I just called the police when it inevitably happened). I lived with my fiance who I only saw after midnight when we met up on the couch to watch the Cosby Show and discuss our day. He was a full-time graduate student, part-time cook and part-time accounting lab instructor. I had completed just one year of college before I decided to drop out and run away with Jaime who I would rather starve with, in a beach house with 6 foot ceilings (NO this is not and exaggeration, Jaime was 2 inches taller than our ceilings) pretty much more anything else in the world. When we met up for those couch dates in spite of the weirdness that my life had become (college to crackhead hotel bouncer) everything was right in my world. My heart stopped every time I looked at him. I couldn't believe he wanted to marry me. Everyday I would worry that he would come to his senses and bolt out the door but he never did and seven years ago today, I was getting dressed for our rehearsal dinner. We were blessed to celebrate our partnership with a grand celebration of family and friends at the Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington, NC.

Even though tomorrow may mark our 7 year anniversary it still feels like just yesterday. Whenever I need to be reminded of just how long seven years is I try to think about all that we have done since our wedding day. We backpacked through Europe for a month, Jaime received his Masters in Accounting, I got accepted to UNC-Asheville, we spent the summer in Costa Rica and moved across the state. I spent 3 years at UNCA changing majors twice. Watching Jaime review for the CPA exam for a year and passing on the first try. Working for The NC State Auditors Office and driving around in a van all over WNC for two years. Living in BFE Barnardsville, the Meadows, the projects of Deaverview and finally building our new home. Graduating from UNCA and working for the Y. Losing loved ones, going through struggles and growing more in love each day. Out of all of these memories of significance and smiles the most astounding has been the creation of our two beautiful boys, Josiah and Oliver. Yes, a lot can happen in seven years and it still can feel like just yesterday.

So where do I see us on our 14th anniversary? Some place warm, happy and together with 3 kids. I want to run a marathon and be president of the PTA. I want to spend every weekend together soaking in just how happy we are. I couldn't ask for anymore in the next 7 years than I have gotten out of the first round. Thank you so much for making all of my dreams come true. Much love to you MJCIII.

Home for the Holidays

2010-11-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is such a happy time of year and really is one of the best holidays that I can think of. It requires no commercialism or gift-giving and simply ask families to get together, appreciate one another and indulge in some of our favorite foods. While I believe that the history of Thanksgiving is a little skewd (I do not think Pilgrims and "Indians" joined hands and became fast friends.) I am still ever so thankful that the holiday still exist today and that we were able to make the trip down to Wilmington to join the extended Conley and Smith families for a raging good time.

We arrived Tuesday evening after five and a half of the longest hours I can remember in a car. The boys were F I R E D up and did not stop making sounds for our entire journey in spite of Toy Story blaring from double DVD players and snacks galore. I considered becoming an ultra marathoner after about 4 hours and running the rest of the way but Jaime wouldn't stop. He did NOT stop the whole way. Not even to pee. Here are the boys on a rare smiling moment in the backseat.

Lil and Marty were kind enough to host Thanksgiving this year and we were ever so grateful to join them in their lovely home. Wednesday, we met my dad downtown for lunch and took a walk on the waterfront.
Wednesday evening consisted of welcoming more out of towner's and enjoying some homemade veggie soup. This year Jaime's dad's family came from all over to celebrate. We got to visit with Aunt DeDe and Uncle Gearard, Uncle Mike, Aunt Jean and their 3 kids; Megan, Micheal and Lauren. Rounding out the group was Jaime's sister Sarah, her husband Matthew and Matthews sister Bethany, all from Atlanta. Matthews mom and step-dad from Aiken, SC arrived that evening as well. How cool is it that I got to marry into such an awesome, big family?

Thanksgiving morning Sarah, Matthew, Jaime and I all got up early for the Gallop for the Gravy 5K. Jaime and I had been talking a big game and it turned into quite the foot race between the Ruffner's and the Conley's. We were all so out to get one another that each of us scored a PR. Ha! I guess a little competition is good for the soul. Jaime kicked some serious butt and got a 21:09, Sarah was next with a 24:50, I had 25:04 and Matthew got a 25:30. We stuck around for the awards ceremony and while Jaime, Sarah and I were just waiting for our names to be called it turned out that Matthew was the only one to bring home a trophy. 3rd fastest male, 25-29, hooray! I think the rest of us were robbed. Wilmington people are FAST. In Asheville it is more about the journey than the destination but at the beach with no hills to speak of, it is all about sprinting. Either way, we had a blast and earned our pumpkin pie.

Later that day my family joined us for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins over at Rabbit Run. I had two very large plates along with a dessert plate. Oliver had 6 rolls and I couldn't even keep track of what Josiah was shoving in his mouth. I think we were all extremely uncomfortable for the remainder of the evening and it wasn't hard getting the boys to go to bed.
Friday, I enjoyed an entire day out with my Mama and about ten million other people braving black Friday crowds. We had so much fun and even got to eat fresh sushi for lunch since we were sans one vegetarian husband and one picky dad. I returned home at 6pm and immediately had to get ready for The Captains launch Party at The Blockade Runner that evening. A whole day kid free! WOW! The party was in celebration of the NC Flotilla which would be taking place the following evening. It was a festive affair and while we were by far the youngest people there it was still a good time with yummy food, good music and an abundance of alcohol. Yes, thank heavens these kid free evenings are few and far between. I can't hang the way I used to! Still debating if the headache I received was worth the good times we had...I'll let you know.

Saturday started out with a lot of water and ibuprofen and actually ended up pretty great. The boys and I did crafts all morning and went to a festival in the park that afternoon. We took an extra long nap (Thankfully!) and headed down to the beach to watch the Flotilla from the dock. The Ruffners and the Gorden's generously made a low country broil with sausage, potatoes, corn and shrimp. We even celebrated 2 birthdays complete with cake! The boats dazzled and the fireworks and were spectacular. It was such a great way to finish up our trip. The boys loved the lights and Josiah counted stars with his Aunt Sarah for longer than I have ever seen him sit still.

After such a great weekend with such fabulous people we weren't sure that we could get much luckier. But on the trip home, we added just one more thing to our list of thanks...the boys slept for a very, long time. Hallelujah, thanks be to God!

Brothers

2010-11-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

It has been just over 15 months since we brought baby Oliver into our family of three and needless to say, it is like he has been here all along. Throughout my pregnancy I would wonder how it would be possible to love anything as much as I loved Josiah. I secretly thought that even after I met the new baby, I still may love Josiah just a little bit more. But no, the moment I laid eyes on my youngest boy he filled a void we didn't even know was missing.... Making our family of three a family of four and somehow doubling my heart in size. My TWO boys.

It is so nice to watch them finally interacting with one another and playing together. I spent the first year as a mother of two repeating the following phrases; "Careful! Don't touch the baby! Nooooo! Bubby has to nurse, please look at your books. Josiah, he is too little! Look out!" So, it is a relief now that Oliver is a little more sturdy and able to fight his own battles (which he does rather well) and I am able to give them some space (not much).

So here's to two brothers getting to know one another. God has blessed them each with a friend for life and hopefully many good times to be had. Just be sure to take it easy on your Mom and Dad and all of the poor little girls who stand to have their hearts broken.

Kelley Kryptonite?

2010-11-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend marked the second year in a row that I participated in the Asheville Superhero 5K benefiting local law enforcement and firefighters. This was also the second year that I led a running club for novice runners through Asheville Mommies, the same organization that first introduced me to my dream team gals. Running club is always a good time...at least when we manage to show up. With jobs, kids, life, etc...sometimes at 5:30pm we really didn't feel like meeting up at Carrier Park and sometimes we didn't. But Alas, 5 of us registered and completed the 5K on Saturday and no one came in last! I am super proud of each girl, especially 3 ladies who had never run before AT ALL and could barely keep pace for a full minute when we started. Go SuperMommies!

This race is always a good time because participants dress in costume and are awarded free pizza and beer after. Who can ask for more, right? When I created my Supermommy costume last year I was feeling very super because I had a 10 week old baby and the race was my first after having little Oliver. I finished last year in 30:36 (not too bad given the circumstances) but this year I wanted to be fast. After a busy racing season with 2 half marathons and a 10 miler up Sunset, I hadn't done a 5K since the last Superhero and I was excited to see how I had improved. I had a strategy...Start fast, do the middle part fast and finish really fast. After all it was only 3.1 miles. How bad could it be? Here I am with prerace jitters just before the start.
Running in a cape is a pain in the ass on a windy day. You turn into a human sail and if you are pushing it too hard up a mountain and the string has a tight grip on your gag reflex you could find yourself in trouble. I did NOT want to puke again. That was a one time deal. I crossed the finish line in 27:23... 3 minutes and 13 seconds faster than last year. I was happy with 8:49 miles in Asheville...but it wasn't as fast as I had hoped for. So imagine my surprise when at the awards ceremony ( Which I never stick around for but happened to be there by default because I was still gulping down my free pizza and beer) when they called out my name! What? Did I win best costume? As it turns out I came in 3rd out of females ages 25-29. Wow! How many 25-29 females were there, 3? Modesty aside, It was a pretty big race, not like that time I came in fourth overall in that dirt field at that weird park. I was pretty excited to say the least and I kinda started to feel superhuman. Then I put down the free beer and went home.
A big shout out to the little fellows that make me a Supermommy... my SiSi and Ollie. They keep me healthy so that I can be around forever and ever. They are also excellent supporters and have become pro's at watchin races. Thanks guys!

Falling Back and Exploring all the Options for Toddler Time in the Dark.

2010-11-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

The majority of the US breaths a sigh of relief the second weekend in November when we are blessed with one more hour of sleep. Ah, zzzzzz. It is also the less embarrassing version of time change in America. Forget to set your clocks back? No problem, you just show up an hour early! Unlike in the spring, when you are scrambling around wondering why everyone is walking out of church and you are just walking in. Yes, the fall back is viewed by some as the beginning of shorter days, colder weather, the Holiday Season and all of the snugly goodness that sort of smells like a pumpkin spice candle.

Then you have the Conley Family... We don't dig falling back. In fact, when George W. Bush extended Daylight Savings time by 2 weeks back in 2006, I suddenly found myself liking him for the first time in 6 years. My goodness, if he had done away with it all together I may have just forgotten about all the other stupid crap he did. Go George! But alas, we joined the rest of the country last Saturday night and set our clocks back one hour. If only I was 21 and at a bar I could have drank until 3am. But, I was in bed with my book at 9pm and awoke to the sounds of two children ready to play at 6am. No! After that, we went on to have the longest day in history, followed by the longest week in history.

So my question is this; What do you do with two boys, all day, when it is cold and then for 3 hours, at night, in the dark before they have to go to bed? TV is not an option and I am sick of doing puzzles or playing with the train table. I want to go to the park or the beach. I want to build a sand castle. I don't want the sun to set until 10pm. I want to go read that blog I wrote about breaking out the bubbly because it's toasty out. Yes bloggers, I feel a bit of SAD coming on and since my doctor doesn't think it is a good idea for me to take xanax every day, all winter, I need an attitude adjustment. Yes, I know this is the south and people actually live in insane places like North Dakota but I still am at a loss.

At least it is only 16 days until Thanksgiving and one month before Disney World, followed by Christmas and New Years. After that its all about the count down to March 13th when we can spring our clocks forward. Until then, you can find me sitting by the heat lamp in the sauna at the YMCA.

Marathoners, Zombies and Trick-or-Treaters, Oh My!

2010-11-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend brought an end to October and it was only fitting that a month that has been packed with so much nonstop fun have a deserving send off. We started out the 10th month with a trip to Myrtle Beach and followed it up with a half marathon and a family reunion. I went on my very first overnight kid free trip, Josiah has made wonderful potty progress and Oliver continues to amaze us every day. Yep, it has been a pretty good month.

On Friday, the 30th, the boys got their first taste of trick or treating at The Bryan Center in Weaverville. Our friend John is a Physical Therapist at the Bryan Center and recommended that we go spend some time showing off Woody and Buzz cuteness to the crew in assisted living. Granted, no one knew who Woddy and Buzz were but they settled for a cowboy and an astronaut... and boy did we deliver on the cuteness!
Saturday morning marked exactly 5 weeks since Jaime decided he would train for and run the Greenville Spinx Marathon. It has been a bumpy road with the training process. It was short and fast and he woke up every morning for 5 weeks at 5am either to run or work. Weekends too. I was exhausted! So needless to say, as proud as I am of my marathon man of a husband I was happy when the alarm sounded at 5am Saturday for what would be the last time for a while. Race day had arrived. I never had any doubts in Jaime. I am pretty sure he could have run a marathon the day I met him if he felt like it. Some of us can run everyday and try as hard as we can and never be able to do what Jaime can do with the bare minimum of training and eating nothing but donuts and Ramen noodles. It drives me a little nuts honestly but that is just one of the reasons I love him so much. The boys and I made the drive down to cheer him on and as we got on Highway 25 a sign read- Greenville 27 miles. Just .8 further than a Marathon. The whole way down I was thinking, "Holy crap he is going to have to run this far?" Needless to say he prevailed and came in smiling in just 4 hours and 24 minutes which breaks down to almost exactly 10 minute miles for 26.2 miles. He didn't walk one time AND he beat Oprah which was his main goal all along. Go Jaime! This is a pic of him at mile 25

and another one at the finish line.

So very, very proud of him!

That night we went out for a little celebration and even got a babysitter. Our friends Anna and Eric were having a Halloween bash and we went as zombie prom king and queen. A fun time was had by all.

On Sunday we hosted a more family friendly event and let Josiah and Oliver have the times of their lives with their little friends eating yummy food and trick or treating. Josiah was adorable and really got the hang of holding out his basket and saying, "Tick or Teet". Oliver crashed pretty hard and had to be put to bed immediately. Jaime and I dressed up a marathoners, me with two of my half marathon medals and he with his prized medal from the day before. Such a great weekend with really great people. I can only hope that November brings us as many smiles!

When it All Comes Crashing Down

2010-10-19T10:23:00.001-07:00

Some days, I can really see that I am doing an ok job with my boys. They are respectful and they (sometimes) listen. Just recently I have taught Josiah to use the potty and Oliver is really advanced in his verbal skills for a 14 month old. For the most part, they are excellent boys and while I can not take all the credit for that, I like to think that by choosing to stay home with them and taking an active part in their everyday life that I am at least contributing to it.

Then, there are days like today when I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. From the moment I opened my eyes this morning things started going downhill. It was after 8am and everyone was still asleep, myself included. I never use an alarm because for two years I have had an alarm in two small children. Sleeping past eight would have been a joy on Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning but today we had to get ready for pre-school and Josiah's morning routine is so intricate that you simply can NOT skip a step. We had to get up, get dressed and use the potty. Eat breakfast and use the potty again. Get our backpack together and head to school in less than thirty minutes. And don't forget, I have to drag poor Oliver around with us step for step. He is such a champ!

So I burst into Josiah's room with extra gusto saying, "We're late, we're late, we're late, for a very important date!" (Alice in Wonderland is a big hit around here). He groans to me, "Don't wake me up Mommy." Um, when did he turn into a teenager? I looked into his crib and wouldn't you know it, he was covered in throw up. "Oh Josiah! What happened? Are you sick?" I asked him. "I throw up in my crib mama." He says.

I took off his dirty pajamas and his diaper. Then stripped his bed and threw everything into the wash. Including poor Woody who took one for the team and got his cowboy outfit completely hosed down in toddler barf. Then I came back to Josiah who was sitting patiently on his changing table. "Are you sick?" I asked again. "No, I feelin so goooood." he says. I take his temperature. 97.7. I put him in the shower and cleaned him up, combed his hair and got him dressed. "I go to school Mama. I learn the letter f. " He says. "Your sure?" I ask. 'Uhhh huhhhh." he tells me.
Ok! Must have been a fluke! We are back on track.

Skipping potty time (gasp!), I flew into Oliver's room. He sat up sleepy eyed and said, "Ma-Ma." Ah. He is such a sweetie. I barely talked to him and got him dressed all the while with Josiah yelling, "Bubby tired Mama! Put him back to bed!" We went to the kitchen and I gave each boy a banana and a cereal bar and said, "We are eating in the car today, we're late!" I felt a twinge of guilt thinking of everything that is wrong with kids nutrition and meals to go and random food like cereal bars but decided that one morning eating breakfast in the car in two years isn't that bad and continued on.

"I wanna wear my cowboy boots Mommy." Josiah tells me. "Not today. They aren't for school." I say. "I wanna WEAR EM!" he screams and starts to cry. "Ok whatever, go get them." I huff thinking how crazy they are going to look with his polo and corduroys but at this point it isn't worth the battle. He comes running down the hall carrying one boot and the other is on the wrong foot. "I neeeeeeed HELP!" he say's looking desperate. We sit down and get his boots on. I put a jacket on him and put his backpack on his back. I pick up Oliver and we walk to the front porch. I was standing next to Josiah and still holding Oliver. Then, as if I was watching an instant re-play in slow motion Josiah fell from the top step face first, onto the concrete. For a moment everything stopped and I was frozen, Josiah was frozen and there was no sound. I screamed, "JOSIAH!" and he began to cry. I ran down the stairs and lunged poor Ollie into the grass. He began to wail loudly along with Josiah and simultaneous screams were echoing down Estelle Park Drive.

I was honestly scared to move Josiah. My mind was racing thinking back to my first aid class and how you aren't supposed to move hurt people. What if his face was stuck to the sidewalk? In my two years as mother I haven't seen anything like this before. He was still face down on the concrete when I eventually lifted him up. His entire face was covered in blood and I felt my heart drop. I started crying which totally freaked Josiah out even more. I was running around holding him and looking for my phone, meanwhile Oliver was still sitting in the grass crying. If social services had been there they would have taken them away from me. I have never felt less capable of watching children in my life.

I brought both boys inside, found my phone and called Jaime. He talked to me and calmed me down, then he talked to Josiah and calmed him down. I washed the blood off his face with a warm wash cloth and asked him if he needed to go to the doctor? "NO!! I no go Doctor!! Bubby get hurt at the doctor!! (Shots.)" I took off his cowboy boots and got him his blanket. We turned on Mickey Mouse and suddenly all was right in the world. I made him real breakfast and let him eat at the dining room table. I gave Oliver a bottle and a banana and tried to give him a little love too.

Being a Mommy is the hardest job in the whole world! I seriously can't take my eyes off of either of them for a second. Crazy stuff happens even when my eyes ARE on them! Having two so young is at times, nearly impossible. I can't give either of them adequate attention and am left feeling like a total basket case. What if something happens to one of them? I can't believe pretty much anyone can have a baby and bring it home from the hospital without any prior knowledge or a basic set of instructions. I mean, I like to think I am way ahead of most people in the parenting area and if I can't even do it, what is going on at other people's houses? How do kids make it through the toddler years in one piece?

In the end, Josiah got to skip school and go have a picnic with Daddy. I remembered to teach him that FALL begins with the letter F so he wouldn't get behind. As in, "I fall down the stairs Mama." When I put him down for his nap he was seriously banged up but he was smiling. I guess I can't ask for much else. Please wish me luck the next 16 years and pray hard!

Run.

2010-10-14T10:33:00.001-07:00

I am not sure when my fascination with running began. I know when I started running...it was summer of 2005 and Jaime and I had been married two and a half years. I was only 22. Living with him was a journey and a learning process those first couple of years. One of the biggest adjustments was that he was a vegetarian. Growing up, every meal I had included a meat, a veggie and a starch. You know, homemade chicken pie, green beans and mashed potatoes. Triple Yum. I had the option of only water or milk to drink and we never had desserts or sweets unless it was someones birthday. Enter Mr. Conley.

Jaime is tall, dark and handsome. He is also super skinny which is totally unfair because he eats like a maniac. Yes, he avoids all meat products but likes to replace them with pizza, ramen noodles, french fries and cinnamon rolls. It was a BLAST cooking with Jaime in the beginning. I had never actually purchased mozzarella sticks from the frozen food section and now I could. It was awesome! Also, he worked nights at David's Deli and would call me around 9pm to ask if I wanted anything. Um, duh! Oh and did I mention my drink of choice was beer and lots of it? I got away with this for about one year with no visible weight gain. I was tall, skinny and young. It never occurred to me to workout. Then, two and a half years in I saw this picture of myself.

That picture would crack me up if it wasn't so terrifying! Another wake up call? On a trip to the OB/GYN she suggested that I switch birth control because the super low estrogen kind wasn't as effective for someone at my weight. AH! What had happened to me?And I am not gonna tell you how much I weighed, but I will say that is was just 3 pounds less than when I delivered Josiah (Who I gained 35 pounds with). I had to do something. So, I went for a run.

In the beginning, I was running to lose weight. That's it. I didn't really like it but I just wanted to be skinny again. I could run 8 minutes without stopping and I remember the day I ran my first whole mile. I signed up for my first 5K and did it in 31 minutes. I started to talk about running more and feeling like I was such an athlete. I did lose weight but suddenly it was about much more than that. I was doing something that I really cared about. I started exercising more and more and over 2 years I lost all of that weight only to get pregnant with Josiah and gain it all back.
After I had Josiah I jumped back in, full swing ahead. I even signed up for a half marathon when he was just 5 months old. I think this is the point where I went from trying to be skinny to a real runner. I started logging my miles and doing more than I ever thought I could. Now working out had the added benefit of dropping off the baby in childwatch. Woohoo! I went everyday! I did the Wilmington half in 2 hours and 17 minutes.And when it was over I said, "I am never running again." It nearly killed me and when I got to the finish line I had to take off my stinky sports bra and nurse a baby. Whew!

Again, I lost all of the weight only in time to find out, surprise, I was pregnant again! What??? I gained 40 pounds with Oliver and was starting to feel a little like Oprah with all of the fluctuating. Still, I can't look at this picture and not think it possibly the prettiest I have ever looked.

So here we are 14 months after this picture was taken and I have had an amazing year. Running has become like my best girlfriend. I have my two ( well, 3) precious boys who consume 90% of my time and then I have running. It is always there and always makes me feel better. I am currently in the best shape of my whole life and had a record year for races. I started out the season with the Shamrock 10K in March, followed by the Cooper River Bridge run, Sunset Stampede 10 miler, The Asheville Citizen Time's Half Marathon and most recently The Bethal Half Marathon.

After the Asheville Half I again stated that, "I am never running again." but that never lasts long. For 3 weeks I relaxed, hit the pool, went to cycling class and only logged 1 run over 5 miles. I was in fall mode. Then I saw an ad in the Citizen Times for the Bethal Half Marathon saying that it was, "a relatively (its all relaitive right?) flat, beautiful 13.1 mile course with homemade soup at the finish line. I decided to sign up on Th ursday night and the race was on Saturday which left me no time to train since I had to rest on Friday. I didn't know what was going to happen on race day but had to trust in myself that I could do it.

So last Saturday morning I drove to Waynesville though numerous cow pastures and rolling hills. I bumped into Jim, my pacer from the ACT Half and we decided to run together. He told me that I was a great runner and if I did the Asheville course in 2:10 then I could this "flat one (ha.)" in 1:55. "Um, are you sure?" I asked him. 'Oh yeah." he says. I didn't mention that I hadn't been running for 3 weeks and took off with him at the gun. We had a nice 7 miles together where we talked about running and how he can't wait to turn 65 so that can qualify for Boston. (Note: Qualifying times go up to 4:30 when you are 65). Jim is very small. Like, 5 feet and 130 pounds. He is grandfatherly and truly awesome. He is wise and say's all the right things. He is also a major pain the ass. This is Jim.
When I get excited and a good song comes on the ipod I have a tendency to take off. Jim will bring me back saying something like, "You're going too fast, for every minute you race in the beginning you'll lose a minute in the end." And I'm all like, 'but Timebomb is on the Ipod!" and he's like, "Slow down."

So around mile 7 he says, " How ya feelin." and I say, "Ugh, ok." and he says, "You should be feeling like you could do this all day. You should be extremely comfortable." I wanted to tell Jim that I wasn't extremely comfortable b/c we were running 8:50 miles on a course that was NOT flat and I like to run a little slower than that. Instead I just said, "I'll slow down if I need to." We kept on until mile 10 which we reached in 1:29 (holy crap!). I told Jim to race it out for the both of us and I put on the breaks. Around 1:41, I got to mile 11 and decided it would be a good time to walk. The very second I began to walk , with no warning what so ever, I puked. Like out of my nose and all over myself. It was an out of body, humiliating experience. Having never puked from running before I guess you could say it was a milestone. As I was puking an overweight woman in a knee brace passed me. I wanted to strangle Jim.

By my watch I could do just under 15 minute miles for the last 2 miles and still beat my Asheville time, which is all I wanted to do anyway. I made it to the finish in 2:08 and once again said, "I am never running again."

Pre once said, "You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." And in the spirit of this quote, something tell's me this break from running won't last either.

Conversations With My Two Year Old

2010-09-30T10:37:00.001-07:00

Josiah has been making noise since he the day he was born. Before he could speak he would babble and before he could babble he would scream. If for some reason he is quite stop what you are doing immediately and go find him, because he is up to something.

Lately he has begun speaking so clearly and in sentences. This can be very entertaining and you have to take what he says with a grain of salt. Like most toddlers he is a little confused at times.

I thought I would share some of his sweeter moments of late with you all. Forgive me if you don't find them as cute as a mother does. I just love him so much.

Yesterday at lunch he says to me, "Lets talk about school mama " and I said, "Okay, what did you do at school today?" to which he replied, " I had bapple (Apple) sauce at school today mama." Me: "Oh you did? Cool, which of your friends were at school today?" Josiah:"Baminamn (Benjamin), Henry, Hayden- Oooooh Hayden can pee pee in the potty." Me: "Wow! Did you pee pee in the potty?" Josiah:"Uh huh." Me: "Did Henry pee pee in the potty?" Josiah: "NO! He got changed into an Elmo di di (diaper.)" After this I get up and go back into the kitchen where I finish making my sandwich. I can hear him mumbling in the dining room saying, "Shhhhh! Nemo tired. Shhhhh! I share my cozy blanket with Nemo. Ohhh he is soooo tired. Night Night Nemo." When I realized what he was doing I grabbed my camera because it was just to adorable to miss. Here he is;

He was covering his goldfish with his turkey and putting them to bed! How cute is that?

I can't believe my first born, little 7 lb baby is so grown up. I love him so much more every single day. I am so grateful to my husband for making it possible for me to stay home every day with them and share these special moments. I am a lucky lady to have such great boys in my life.

Finally, Fall

2010-09-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

With the first harvest moon high in the sky and the calender reading September 23rd, I think it is safe to say that summer is officially dunzo. As much as I dread the end of summer there are a few exciting things about fall in the mountains.

The first being that I am no longer training for the Asheville Half Marathon. That's right folks, I conquered the grueling course in 2 hours and 10 minutes. A huge victory for me considering when I first moved to Asheville, 6 years ago, I was stuck in traffic for the race one morning after going out for breakfast and thinking, "How do they do that?" and "How far is a half marathon again?" I watched the runners out the window in amazement and never, ever thought I could do something like that. And I didn't just do it. I rocked it. It divided into a 10:03 split per mile with 2,225 feet gained in elevation spread out over 13.1 miles. I ran the enitre way and had so much fun. I chatted with fellow runners, made a few friends, jammed out to my music and took my headphones off for the last mile to listen to people cheering. I may as well of won the Boston Marathon. It was a perfect day pounding the pavement. A big shout out to Jaime for finishing in just over 2 hours. Nice work babe! And lets not forget that none of this would have been possible without the help of Yaya and Grandpa making sure the kiddos were happy and fully entertained ELSEWHERE! Thanks guys, you're the best :) The next nice thing about fall is the cooler temperatures. Which means we can get back to the park, Arboretum, Biltmore House and Nature Center. I love the beauty of WNC this time of year!
Josiah is back in KMO two mornings a week playing with all of his good buddy's and learning the ABC"S. This means that Oliver and I get to spend some quality time together! Now that my workouts aren't as strict, I plan on taking those days off to enjoy my now 1 year old little boy.

Hopefully with the changing of the seasons I will find more time to update this blog. We have lots of fun things planned with many photo opportunities, so stay tuned!

This blog won't make the temperature drop, but it's still pretty cool.

2010-07-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

This winter was one for the books. Seriously, Josiah cried his eyes out every time he looked outside and I saw more than a foot of snow on the ground for only the second time in my life. That little tidbit may be the only thing keeping me from losing my mind this summer. Well, that and thanking every God in heaven that I am not pregnant. Hallelujah!

The heat index has reached unfathomable, southern proportions lately and I am beginning to sound like a broken record. "Man, it's hot." "It's hotter than crap." "Whew, I am HOT!" So, that has got me thinking... I need to get creative. Just because I am, wait for it, HOT, doesn't mean that my vocabulary has to suffer. So after a little internet research I have found 10 new sayings to keep things fresh. Enjoy!

• It's hotter than two bears fighting in a forest fire.

• It's hotter than a billy goat in a pepper patch.

• It's hotter than two cats fighting in a wool sock.

• It's so hot I just saw the devil dancing buck-naked in the middle of the driveway.

• It's so hot the Popsicle time frame is down to 20 seconds.

• It's hotter than a steel playground at noon.

• It's so hot I could spit fire.

• It's hotter than a pair of sweat pants full of barbecue.

• It's so hot that it makes me want to take off my skin and sit in my bones.

• I hope you brought the champagne glasses because it is TOASTY out.

Stay cool Asheville :)

Only 35 More Days of Baby

2010-07-15T17:12:00.001-07:00

With this summer rapidly flying by it appears that somewhere in the midst of it all my little Oliver is growing up. It is hard to believe that in just a little over a month he will be a one year old. Where did the time go? I remember so vividly the looks of horror I received when I was pregnant and strangers would ask, "How far apart will they be?" and I replied, "15 months". Just make it through that first year, just make it through the first year, just make it...It became my mantra. Well, not only have we made it, but we did it with style. Oliver made it easy on us. Demanding as little as a newborn could possibly demand. He remained calm when Josiah and I were losing our minds. I think he may have even talked us through a couple of moments that were touch and go. He is a little angel and because of this I feel like sometimes he has been looked over and sat aside. So Ollie, this blog is for you and only you.

My baby Oliver with eyes so bright, so blue
I never knew I could love TWO boys so much
until I met you

You have gone from nursing ten times a day
to an unhealthy obsession with ChicFilA
Your older brother plays with you mean and way too rough
For 11 months you are extremely tough.

You love to dance and always have a twinkle in your eye
You wait until something is really wrong before you start to cry
I love the way you smell, I love your fuzzy hair
A surprise at first, but an answer to a prayer.

Thank you so much for being my boy
you have brought me so much happiness and so much joy
You're handsome, you're bright, you're clever
Everyday I wish I could keep you a baby forever.

Love you!

Summa-time and the liv-in's easy

2010-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

So, it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post and before you go thinking that I have given up my new found blogging hobby just as quickly as I found it...let me just say that we have been all over the great state of North Carolina and I have gone through 2 camera's since my last entry. We truly have been living it up Conley style this summer and haven't stopped to take a breath. Here is a little update on some of our recent adventures.

Mid-June the whole family took a trip to the raging metropolis of Greensboro, NC for 3 days of non-stop fun. Jaime was in a CPA conference (Note: Pocket protectors WERE required at this Accountant Lalapoloza) and the boys and I decided to see what the Emerald City had to offer. As it turns out there is way more to do in Greensboro then one may have expected. We hit up a water park our first day there and Josiah surprised us at how brave he was sliding down the water slides all by himself! It was so much fun and I am glad Jaime was able to share this with us.

While Jaime worked the next two days Josiah, Oliver and I hit up the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro with my cousin Maggie. In spite of the raging temperatures we still had an awesome time. The boys rode a carousal, saw Dora in 4-d and even caught a glimpse of an animal or two. I am pretty sure the polar bear had passed away from heat exhaustion but Josiah was still thrilled to see him never the less.

It is important to note that while in Greensboro we stayed at a Ho- TELL. That's right a hotel. Ask Josiah and he can tell you all about it. I think if it were up to him he would pack his bags and move asap. They had free breakfast, a pool, a big TV in his room, a little dispenser that shot out Goldfish in the lobby and an all glass elevator. Why wouldn't we live at the hotel?

Upon returning to Asheville and convincing Josiah that our house really wasn't so bad we continued our summer fun by visiting Camp Mishemokwa with the JCC. What a blast! With all of our awesome adventures this summer I can honestly say this has been our best day yet. Josiah learned to jump off the diving board solo and even went down a super fast water slide. Ollie and I had quality time in the hot tub and we all feasted on a delicious catered lunch. The Jews sure know how to party. Mozeltoff!After a great weekend at the camp, the good times continued bright and early Monday morning when my friend Brooke and I loaded up her daughter Taylor and the boys and headed to Wrightsville Beach for 4 days of sand, surf and sun. The kiddos had too much fun and even little Oliver enjoyed learning a thing or two from the big kids.

We hit up the big beach, the little beach-where I threw my little boy of the dock and made some unforgettable memories-, braved the bouncy houses at Monkey Joes and were even able to visit Mimi and Grandad for a swim in their pool. Brooke and I partied like rockstars (Well... as much as two exhausted moms, who have to wake up at 6am, can party) every night after the kids went to bed and laughed until it hurt. A great time was had by all and we were sad to see it end.

Thankfully our spirits were lifted when we returned home to an action packed Fourth of July weekend. Complete with; red white and blue waffles, a trip to the Biltmore, a parade, fireworks, a pool party, a birthday party and Shindig on the Green.

With almost two more months left of summer I don't expect the Conley Crew to slow down any, at least I hope we don't, I am having the time of my life! And while the blog posts may suffer in quantity, given all of our material, you can rest assure that they will not lack in quailty. Until next time... try and grab some sunshine!

Ode to the Sound

2010-06-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had the privilege of gathering together 20 of our closest friends and their families to engage in the traditional summer BBQ. It was outrageously fun and everyone left happy, full and exhausted. We are so fortunate to have the group of friends that we have. The girls and I have been through so much in the past few years; from the early days of trying to figure out what to do with the babies, to large family vacations, embarrassing nights on the town, surprise pregnancies(and some of them twins!), losing loved ones and jobs and gaining so much more. In just two years I feel like I have lived a lifetime with these people and they really have become like family. Love you Dream Team!!
I can not put into words the joy I feel when I see my little boys making memories and having the times of their lives. These are days I will never forget and hopefully, neither will they. I feel almost as if I am getting to live life twice, once as me and now through their eyes. Watching them experience all of the things I did as a child has got me feeling strangely sentimental.

I grew up in a picturesque setting. The type of place where movies are made (and some have been). My grandparents moved to the sound when my dad was a kid and made it home. Nestled on Whiskey Creek under a mound of oak trees and Spanish moss was their house, all brick with a detached garage and a swimming pool. If you continued up the dirt road you would pass a barn, a pasture, a shed-complete with picnic tables, a pig cooker and oyster roaster- and then an open area that would one day become my home. We moved to the Sound in the summer of '87 just before I turned 4 years old.
Every memory I ever made has this place in it. Even before we moved there. We would drive down from Raleigh every Memorial day, Labor day and July Fourth to grill hamburgers on the side porch and fight with each other in typical family style debauchery. My Grandpa, Baa, would shoot firecrackers out over the water and my cousins and sister would ignore me while I tried so hard to play with them. We would go for tractor rides and make the craziest Oreo cookie sundae's you have ever seen. Nana would always stock up and get everybody their favorite junk food. Justin always got a case of Mellow Yellow,Maggie got Coke, Johnny got Miller Highlife and my Dad got a pack of Vantage cigarettes stuck in the sterling silver tea pot. Baa would tell us stories of Indian Joe and how he lost his head somewhere on our dirt road... A story that haunted me until I finally moved out when I was 20. I never walked down that road at night. Even the times that were bad were good. I remember one time in particular where my dad was supremely pissed off because we all wanted to go to the Piney Woods Festival. For whatever reason he did not want to go. Probably because he hates crap like that. Anyway, being the type of guy that he is, he took one for the team and went anyway but was complaining the whole way. He had just gotten out of the car at Hugh MaCrea Park, when another car sped by and hosed, I mean COVERED, him in mud. We all had to return home immediately. But I remember thinking it was the funniest thing ever. Another laugh at his expense, sorry Dad, was when we were cruising along the Intercostal in our john boat and my mom and I turned around to find that he had flipped out a few seconds back.

He wasn't the only one who made me laugh, everyone had their moments. I especially, had mine. From the time where I stuffed a popcorn kerrnal so far up my nose that Nana was forced to drive over 100 mph (just on the dirt road) in Baa's bullet to get me to the doctor , to catching Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever with her in the woods.

Everyone drove my go cart like a bat outta hell. One girl ended up with a broken arm, Sabrina smashed into a tree and even Baa put us in the ditch one time. Once, I almost lost my finger to a snake at the shed. I ran to Nana's house and told her and she promptly grabbed a hoe and smashed it to bits. Gotta love how tough she was.

I was payed a penny per pinecone every fall and wouldn't be able to touch anything for a week after I collected my 4 dollars because my hands hurt so bad. Basic math will tell you that 4 dollars is equal to 400 pine cones. And 400 pine cones is a LOT of pine cones.

As a teen my memories, while less innocent and a little more blurry, always come back to one thing: The never ending love. Yes, we are a dysfunctional bunch, but you will never meet anyone more loyal then a Smith. When I crashed my car, my 75 year old grandmother took me everywhere I needed to go. I hated it at the time and would walk a mile so no one would see her dropping me off, but thank God for her. She was my savior. And when I ended up seeing what the downtown jail looked like from the inside, my mom and dad were their to pick me up. Both literally and figuratively.

With July 4th approaching I wish so much that I could go back and do it all over. But life goes on...even in the Western part of the state. I am so grateful for the memories and can only hope that Josiah and Oliver will one day look back with as much appreciation and gratitude for their own childhoods.

Stamina on Sunset

2010-06-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I joined 74 other runners in a 10 mile foot race over Sunset and Town Mountains. Yes, only 75 of us signed up and that little number is a reflection of just how difficult the course was, even for hardcore Ashevillians. I don't really know why I chose to spend my Saturday morning sustaining prolonged stressful efforts up the side of a cliff. Maybe it is because Theodore Roosevelt once said, "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Or who knows? Maybe I just enjoy a challenge.

Standing at the start I line I glanced around at the other 74 participants and their huge quadriceps. The girl next to me said, "This is like, all real runners." I told her, "We are real runners too! We wouldn't have signed up for this if we weren't." That, was at least what I said out loud. Silently, I was thinking this may be the first time I finish a race in last place. Here we are,

The gun went off and I hit play on my Ipod. I had carefully crafted an excellent playlist. Starting off with The Distance by Cake. I listened to the lyrics, "Reluctantly crouched at the starting line,engines pumping and thumping in time. The green light flashes, the flags go up, churning and burning, they yearn for the cup. They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank, fuel burning fast on an empty tank."

We hit our first hill 1/2 a mile in and continued up hill the next 5 miles. Here is an elevation map of the course,
I was completely in the zone heading up that 5 mile assent into the clouds. I thought about all sorts of things and listened to the music. I chugged along at an easy pace and felt completely fine. One by one the people around me began walking and I continued on. My brain started playing mental tricks on me. I began thinking," If they are walking I must be tired, maybe I should walk? What if they are all resting and I am wearing myself out over here? " Running is so mental. Once you are beat mentally you may as well sit down and call a cab. I started telling my brain to stop it. The reason I wasn't tired yet is because I run these hills all the time, I swim, I bike, I work-out 6-7 days a week! I DESERVE to be here and I am gonna keep going. And that's what I did for about 4 more miles. When I reached Crowning Way I felt like I had been climbing forever and I didn't know when it would end. My legs couldn't take it anymore, so I walked. And honestly, I didn't care. I gave it everything I had and didn't walk one second before I had to. I was enjoying the view and catching my breath when a group of firemen came running up beside me. One of the guys started walking and the other 4 continued on. About 10 seconds later the firemen came running back and grabbed the walkers arm. He said to them, "Go ahead" and they replied, "Not without you." and he started to run. I began to run too, choking back tears. Maybe it was the adrenaline or the rush of endorphins but I felt like I had just witnessed real life heros being, well, heros. It was the highlight of the race for me.

I hit the 5 mile mark and the dirt road 58 minutes in. It occurred to me that this was the time the guy won the race in last year. I imagined someone 5 miles down the road breaking the tape and I was still so far away on the dirt road of death. Thankfully, we had begun our descent back into Asheville. I enjoyed the downhill and literally took off. I past mile six and mile seven in 16 minutes 20 seconds, an 8:10 mile. From miles seven to nine I chatted with Cindy, the girl who made the comment about "real runners" in the beginning. She told me about running the NYC marathon and living in San Fransisco. She was really cool and thankfully made me forget I was running for a short time. At mile 9 she left and I cranked up Time Bomb on my Ipod. I only had one mile left and I was going to enjoy it. My legs were slightly numb, but my lungs and head felt fine. How amazing that I just ran 9, soon to be 10 miles! AND I have had 2 babies in the past 2 years!!! One that I am currently breast-feeding!! I am woman hear me roar! That last mile I was having a party the whole way to the finish line-with myself. Runners high? Maybe. I felt great. This lady was trying to pass me at on the final stretch,
But I did NOT let that happen. I finished in 1:43:01. Meaning I ran the last 5 miles in 45 minutes. That's pretty good. I averaged 10:05 pace for the race and I am extremely happy with that. My high eventually wore off leaving me with a hurt body and an empty stomach. But I will put the stampede down as one of my greatest days out for a run so far... It is days like that, that make you go back for more.

Splash!

2010-06-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

This summer will mark my sixth year away from the beach. Thinking back to those summer vacations with my parents where I almost didn't survive 6 DAYS away from the beach this is to say the very least, a total shock. Yes, I am the one who wanted to move to the mountains and go for long hikes and play in mountain streams and enjoy the seasons. But as it it turns out hiking with two children usually consists of packing up the entire house and driving somewhere that is kid friendly. Therefore, making it the most popular spot in WNC for all the other parents looking for kid friendly. We are usually 150 steps away from the car when someone starts crying and another 25 steps when someone else needs a diaper change. We then head back to the car and promptly drive home. This happens all the time, almost every time. But very rarely, we will have the most perfect day imaginable. The type of day that we dream about, so against all odds we keep trying. Jaime say's that is what separates US from the other parents.

Back to those mountain streams that I wanted to play in... They are actually around 5 degrees, year round. You can literally feel the ice hit your bone by merely sticking in one foot. I still have nightmares and get goosebumps thinking about my trip down sliding rock. The change of the seasons IS nice. At least in the fall. The leaves are beautiful for about 2 weeks and then they all fall off leaving you to freeze your ass off for the next 4 months. If your ass does manage to stay intact during the winter season rest assured it will burn off when summer comes. Don't get me wrong. I love hot. I love the sun-on Masonboro Island. I don't however, love sitting on Patton Ave in the hot sun. The past 6 years we have had no escape. But that is all going to change this summer. Yes bloggers, the rumors are true, the Conley family has joined a pool!

Never in my lifetime did I think I would pay actual money (and a lot of it) to swim in a pool. But desperate times call for desperate measures and I can't keep waiting for Global Warming to melt the polar ice caps and bring the beach to Asheville. No, it is time to suck it up, jump in some chlorine and chill out. Here we are on opening weekend, a few days ago... And let me tell you, it truly was, a little slice of heaven.

,

Two Years Later...

2010-06-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are. Nearly 3 years since I first discovered I was having my first little boy. Life as we know it has been flipped upside down and turned completely around. It has become a life worth living and cherishing. Those two boys have become my heart. Jaime and I have gone from life in the fast lane:
(Circa 2006)... To life in the family lane. Complete with two kids, a mortgage, a dog and a minivan.

I retired exactly 10 months after graduating from college and probably never even earned one semester's tuition. I am now a full-time, stay at home mommy and love every second of it. Some days I may find myself online browsing jobs when the kids are really letting me have it, but most days I wouldn't trade my life for anything else in the world. I get to work out every morning and come home to eat fun kid food, ala chicken nuggets or PbJ's and strawberries. Then, there is the blissful "nap-time". I take a shower, read US Weekly and then take a nap. Then I get to wake up to two smiling boys who wanna go eat snacks on the porch. Sound's like a ferry tale right? Well, for the most part it is.
I LOVE my life.
Okay, now that THAT disclaimer has been posted I must say, raising two boys who are only 15 short months apart does not come without it's challenges. Sometimes I feel as if my brain is imploding and if I ever do decide to go back to work I think I should look into become a Military bomb disposal expert. I can literally keep my cool and continue cooking a three course meal while being screamed at, punched and dodging flying objects. I can change a diaper of a toddler running down the hall. I can walk two dogs, carrying a baby and pushing a stroller. I can nurse a baby while holding a two year old and singing a song. Yep, Super Mom.

Challenges aside, our days are filled with an abundance of hilarity that I never want to forget. That, is the reason for this blog. Everyone tells you time goes by so fast and I want to remember every second. Hope you enjoy!

Another boy name? I'm fresh out!

2010-04-15T10:22:00.001-07:00

20 weeks into pregnancy number two Jaime, Josiah and I headed into the doctor for the ultrasound we had been waiting for. I left my pink shirt at home this time and tried to remain calm. The head, the brain, the heart, yada yada... lets check for club foot, wait! "I just saw a penis" I thought silently. Ten minutes later I saw it again and this time she confirmed what I knew all along, boy number 2! Surprisingly, I wasn't disappointed. Josiah had taught me how cool boys can be. We decided his name would be Oliver Grey. Oliver because it's classic and awesome and Grey after his mama, great-grandmother and great grandfather. I had been saving it for a girl but yeah, you get it.

Now, I just had to make it twenty more weeks through blazing heat and the in's and out's of an almost one year old. I continued running about 15 miles a week. Here I am just after completing the Sunset Stampede 5K, 7 months preggers and in 33 minutes 40 seconds!
Around 9 months it started to hurt, so I went for hikes, danced,
hung out with Josiah
and waited, and waited... I was ready around 36 weeks. I stopped going to bars and letting Jaime drink as much as he wanted. This time I was ready! Why was it taking so long?

After too much spicy food, expensive raspberry tea and one false trip into the hospital, nothing appeared to be working and my doctor scheduled an eviction date for little Ollie. He would be born August 21st. However, on the morning of the 19th I didn't feel good and was refusing to go back to the hospital after getting kicked out one time already. So, I cleaned my whole house and mopped the floors. Eventually, as I was holding onto the side of the counter I began thinking, "Oh my god, I have to get out of here!" I dropped Josiah off at my neighbors house and told her I would probably be right back. I went into my doctors office and was 6 centimeters dilated. She said, "How did you get here?" and I said, "I drove." She informed me that she was writing up orders to send me into the hospital and I needed to call someone to come pick me up. Okay. I was off to have baby boy number two!

I wanted my water to break on it's own so when I got checked into the hospital I literally started running laps. I passed other pregnant women waddling around the hall again and again. One grandpa stared at me amazed. I heard him whisper to his wife, "This girl, she's a runner. But she's slowing down with every lap. I think the baby will be here soon." The anesthesiologist came in for a pre-interview. I told him I felt ok and kinda thought it would be cool to experience natural childbirth. He said he had seen me in the hall and thought if anyone could do it, I could do it. Then he left. I went out for more laps.
Then things started to get ugly. I couldn't run anymore and I felt an unfathomable amount of pain. Oh the pain! It was like nothing anyone could have prepared me for. I had the epidural at 2 centimeters with Josiah so I really had no idea. I went to another place. I started to think, "I have to get out of this hospital!" If only I could get away from the hospital the pain would go away. Talk about fight or flight! I beeped the nurse and told her I needed the man with the drugs back immediately. She called him. No luck, He would be in a C-section for the next 20-30 minutes. I sat there as quietly as I could. I refused to be one of those screaming fools I had seen on TV and remarked, "Is it really that bad? Come on!"

In that 20-30 minutes I learned a lot about myself. One, that I hated to be in pain. Two, that I wasn't nearly as tough as I thought. Third, it really WAS that bad, and fourth, probably most importantly, that I would never, ever, send away the epidural should I decide to do this again (not likely!). Finally he showed up and thankfully didn't say anything about my failed attempt at natural childbirth and gave me what I needed. Here I am blissfully happy, around 10 centimeters and getting ready to push.

After just 10 minutes of pushing, Little Oliver Grey made his way into this world, 8lbs and 7ozs.

My doctor, Dr. Harrington, who also delivered Josiah said to me after Oliver's birth, "It is a shame you're done having babies, because you are really good at it. You make my job easy." Here she is with him,

Stop crying kids-Mommy is trying to create a blog!

2010-02-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to wonder if my 21 month old son, Josiah, has had any effect of the worlds supply of banana's in the past year. He has the yellow fruit with every meal and often stands around, swaying side to side, saying, "Nana...Nana..Nana..?" He will stare up at me with huge blue eyes that seem to scream," What are you doing woman? Can't you see I need a banana! I haven't had one since breakfast and my levels of potassium are deteriorating!"It is no coincidence that the banana is his favorite fruit. It just so happens our life together is a little bananas.

Way back in the summer of 2007 my husband Jaime and I had been married almost 4 years and I had recently graduated from The University of North Carolina at Asheville ( Yes, I was only 20 when we got married but don't worry, I knew what I was doing). What to do next? Humm...maybe a baby? I mean, I knew all about them already having been a nanny for so long. We could totally handle one, tiny little baby, right? Maybe I would just quit taking my birth control pills and see what happens. Well, 2 weeks later a baby happened. Wow! I hadn't even had time to get used to the idea. Did this mean I was going to get fat? I was NOT going to spend the next 9 ( no wait, 10?) months walking around in elastic pants and long, overlyflowered shirts. Was I supposed to give up my love of raw fish and daily turkey sandwich? Why did I feel so crappy so fast? OMG...life was changing...but it would all be worth it when I had a beautiful little girl come spring.

Fast forward 20 weeks to the ultrasound Jaime and I had been waiting for. I was wearing my favorite long sleeved pink shirt ready to hear the doc confirm what I already knew; I was carrying baby Ella in my surprisingly and thank God, cute little tummy. Here I am January 15th, 5 days before the ultrasound:

Back to the morning of January 2oth. I was so excited I could barely stand it. The doctor put all sorts of goo on my belly and began looking around. The head, the hands (which were flashing a peace sign!), the heart, toes, the penis- hold up! What??? But I am having a girl baby! See my pink shirt? A Girl. Not a boy. I don't know anything about boys and I have already picked out beautiful girl bedding in pink flowers! I have a pink room! What would we even name a boy? I don't like ANY boy names. Oh well. As long as it's healthy right?
Here he is:

Time passed on and I got bigger and bigger. I continued with my daily workouts, running all the way until the 9th month. I found some semi-cute bedding with fishes on it. I started thinking about boy names...I wanted something that was cool but not too weird. I definitely didn't want Jacob, Aiden or any name ending in such (i.e. Jadyen, Bradyen, Haydin, etc...) It seemed like every kid I met bared one of these names. Eventually we settled on Josiah Lennon. Josiah because of its awesome biblical roots and Lennon for the great John. "All you need is love, love, love is all you need."

Enter Mothers Day 2008. Jaime surprised me with my very first Mother's Day present. A trip to Chimney Rock. I was due in about 4 weeks and it would be a while before we would be able to take a long hike together. Maybe it was knowing this or excitement over the beautiful spring weather but for some reason that day we decided rather than parking in the lot at the top of the mountain we would just park at the bottom and hike up...and back down. I think it was somewhere in the ballpark of 7-8 miles. And maybe around 200+ steps. The people we passed all commented on how I was a "go-getter" or said something to the effect that I must be finding it all so challenging.

Maybe now is a good time to mention my exercise addiction. Considering my previous addictions and my current sugar obsession an exercise addiction isn't only healthy, but necessary. I run, bike and swim 6 days a week. Sometimes 7 if I get bored on a Sunday. I have supreme endurance and most days feel that I could keep going forever but inevitably the kids end up needing something and to them I must go...

So anyway, I was really begining to find the comments at Chimney Rock rather irritating. "Jaime, do I look handicap or pregnant?" I would ask my husband, who would say," Tine, most people take the elevator to the top and they aren't even pregnant. Definitely not 9 months pregnant." Why do people talk to pregnant women so much? I have never in my life gone up to a complete stranger and said something like, "Wow, you must feel like crap, because you look like crap. So...." I mean, really.

Thankfully, we made it off the mountain that day and went to home to cookout with neighbors and friends. I was a little bit tired but we had plans to head out downtown and hear a band play. I put on my red dress and we headed out. Here we are are earlier in the evening.

I was driving and told Jaime to have as much fun as he wanted. I knew that it would be a very long time before we would be able to go out again. Our lives were going to change forever very soon and it only seemed appropriate to give the old Kelley and Jaime a deserving send off. Well, really just Jaime but you know I'm saying. I was extremely thirsty and had about 9 soda waters with lime. Jaime had a few beers and decided it would be fun to take a shot of tequila. Hey, why not right? The band wasn't great and I said to Jaime, "I want to be home in my PJS by 11." We were just getting ready to leave and suddenly my shoes were soaked. OMG, I thought..! I just peed on myself! Okay don't panic. I very discretely went to the restroom and tried to repair the damage so hopefully no one would notice. No such luck, I was really wet. Greattt. I would have to tell Jaime and we could try to sneak out without anyone seeing. As I walked to find him more and more liquid just kept coming out. What the hell? What is this? I am in a bar, my hubby is drunk, I am not due for 4 weeks...This can't be, could it? WOW! Officially panicking. I go back into the restroom, stand there a minute. Pace in circles. Think, think...what to do now? Shit. I gotta make a run for it. Maybe they can make it stop. I don't feel ready to have a baby yet!!

I run out of the restroom grab Jaime's arm and beginning dragging him outside saying all the while, " We have to get out f here immediatley. NOW. Hurry!" Finally outside I say, "I think my water broke." He glances down at my wet dress and then looks at me with glassy eyes that suddenly glaze over with tears. He looked terrified! We walk up the street a bit and more water is dripping down my leg. Each person we pass is eying the ginormous pregnant lady in the wet dress with serious curiosity. "I can't drive like this!!!!" I can't even walk all the way to the car!!"
Jaime says to me, "I can't drive either!" We sit on a bench. I begin to cry. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. I didn't even have my hospital bag, or the car seat or anything!! I was positive the baby would be late. Everyone says that babies are late right??

Suddenly a nice looking, drunk, older gentleman is in front of me. "Is this your first baby?" he asks. "Yes." I tell him. "It's all good" he says,"I've got three. You have plenty of time. Don't freak out." "My husband can't drive! I am not ready yet." Slight laugh..."Well, I think you are gonna have a baby. So get ready." He hails over a cab and tells the driver to take us to the hospital. I get in, grateful but yet embarrassed. Who in the world shows up to labor and delivery in a party dress and a cab? As we are pulling away, I look back and see the guy in the street dancing and yelling, "You're gonna have a baby!! Waaahoooo!! Yeah!"

Walking into the ER I pass a little girl. I am practically in tears and covered in liquid. She comes up to me and looks at me with the biggest smile, " You look so pretty!" she says. Wow, that may be the one acceptable thing anyone could have said in that moment. I got upstairs and they confirmed the obvious. It appeared I was gonna have a baby. Here we are getting checked in.

I saw my doctor at 11pm and she said that I had 24 hours to deliver since my water had broken. So no matter what, I would have my baby boy on Mothers Day. 20 hours later(Thank goodness because Jaime had ample time to eat, sleep and get sober!) , Josiah arrived;

And thus began our journey into parenthood.

6 months later I would find out that we were expecting yet another baby. Nothing can prepare a new mother for that kind of shock and I must admit I didnt handle it well. But then something occurred to me.... maybe this one would be a girl!

Stay tuned...