Lucky

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. 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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:

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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...

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...and 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 such 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

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?

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 I 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 (our 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 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

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

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 it usually means no pedicures.

So this year, a couple of days before their visit and a week into snowpocalypse 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!