Several things I've thought of blogging about but haven't

We live in the lower half of this and are very grateful for it.

"Okay guys, I'm ready to play in the snow!"

Me going for a run in the blizzard last weekend. I think I went about 3 miles and it took 35 minutes. It was SLOW going. And painfully windy.

Brandt the cutie pie bundled up for the elements.

Me after my run.

Here we are in the land of cold, Sioux City, Iowa.  It is also the land of some of the most friendly, genuinely kind and helpful people I have every been around. We have felt very warmly welcomed by new friends,  new neighbors, and total strangers.  We are in temporary housing awaiting the sell of our home in Alabama, and though we miss having more room, we are very happy to be together, especially during the Christmas Season.


Interesting things we've discovered so far in Sioux City:

• We travel out of state almost daily. Several families at church live in South Dakota (to avoid income tax). South Sioux City, Nebraska, is about 10 minutes away and is where we go for one of the library storytimes I take Asher to and the YMCA.
• LOTS of deer and wild turkey roam the neighborhoods. One house we have looked at and like had 3 big wild turkey in the backyard when we took the boys to see it. We hoped they were a good omen that we would be able to get that house.
• Sioux City is home to Palmer Candy Company, creators of the Twin Bing. If you don't know what this is, you are missing out. They are delicious, and the Palmer store is a confectionery wonderland.
• They don't have a TJ Maxx. Or a Marshall's. Or a Ross. This discovery kinda burst my bubble. I guess I'll live.
• When I run at 5:30 am in 5 degree temps on snowy streets, I do see other runners. Almost as many runners as deer. I'm not the only crazy here.
• On a more personal note, I've discovered that my skin responds well to the cold weather--the skin on my face, anyway. I've been moisturizing regularly and don't look all sweaty at the end of the day, like I did in AL. 
• A recent discovery that has nothing to do with Iowa: Biotin (the dietary supplement) WORKS for keeping your hair from falling out. I started taking it just before we moved b/c I was losing so much hair since Finley's birth. Now my brush and the shower drain are much cleaner, and new little hairs are coming in. And my eyebrows are filling in nicely, too.  I'll probably take it the rest of my life!

So much

Many changes happening here:
Eric accepted a new job in Sioux City, Iowa. He will be leaving soon to start work there and I will be here waiting on our house to sell. Hopefully the wait will be short. Prayers are appreciated.

Finley is growing and becoming quite a little social baby. She loves to talk and look from person to person smiling and making eye-contact. She still wakes up about once a night, which I hope to break her of soon since I'll be a semi-single mom.

Asher is still Asher. When he is good, he is very, very good, and when he is bad...well you know the rhyme. He tells everyone he meets about moving to Iowa. I wonder how he will adjust when we actually do move.

Brandt broke his arm in a bike wreck. He had a terrific soccer season, and scored his first goal in a game the morning before the bike wreck. I wish I had been able to record his excitement when he scored. He jumped up and down with hands in the air and a huge grin across his face. Definitely a scene I will always remember.

Eli's football season is still underway. His team just made the play-offs, which will occur next Thursday. If they win their game then, they'll play Saturday in the Championship. Thankfully, Eric will still be here for all of that. Eli has improved alot since last year, and his understanding of the game has increased immensely. He is also doing really well in school. He made straight A's on his first report card of the year. Brandt is also making good grades and loving school. One of Eric's tasks while in Sioux City without us is to check out the schools. There seem to be many good elementary schools, but the scores drop off dramatically for middle and high schools. Hopefully we can feel as good about our children's education there as we do here.

We feel very thankful for Eric's new job. It is just what he was hoping for professionally and is what we needed financially. We weren't aiming anywhere near Sioux City in our search, but it is a good-sized city (about 90,000 people), with a low cost of living and an airport. So much of what was on our minds for the past year can be put to rest, but now a new chapter of selling our home and buying a new one. SO MANY unknowns that we really have very little power over.

A typical day for Asher

Today he...

• Lit a stick on fire in our garage
  
• Decided to take the plunge and do a #2 in the backyard--just peeing has become too commonplace, I suppose
• Announced, while holding a kitchen knife, "I'm not a kid anymore!"
• Peed in the middle of the field during Eli's football practice

But he also...

• Took turns nicely with Mommy during a game of Animal Bingo
• Worked steadily and put every wooden bead on two shoestrings, then successfully tied the two strings together to make a long, beaded masterpiece
• Didn't overflow the kitchen sink, barely.
• Didn't pour the ENTIRE bottle of dishsoap into the afore mentioned sink
• Threw away one of Finley's dirty diapers for Mommy
• Saved Mommy the trouble of putting the soap in the dishwasher the next time it's ready to be run
• Slept in until 8:30am
• Complemented his brother on his Lego creation, "That's really cool, Brandt."
  

Getting there...

A little workout update--
I've been running 50 min to an hour Monday, Wed, and Friday, then doing a longer (60-80 min) run on Saturdays. I ride the stationary bike Tuesday and Thursday for 50-60 minutes and do weights. I have been recording my workouts--but just on a piece of cardstock. Maybe I'll scan it so I have a digital record.
Today I had a little personal victory. I didn't get speedwork in last week (Jessica, my running partner, and I have been doing it on Fridays, but we did a killer hill workout instead), and this morning I got started a little later and was alone AND the temperature was perfect--I think about 55 degrees--so I decided to do a tempo run. I jogged a 10 minute warm up, then I pushed the pace for 24:40. I wanted to end at an exact spot (hence the reason I ended 20 seconds shy of 25:00) so I could map it afterward, because I didn't wear my Garmin. I went 3.48 miles in that amount of time--a 7:05 pace. I'm planning to run in the Vulcan 10k in November. Training runs like this one give me hope of a good performance at that!

Growing Finley

She had her one month check-up yesterday and has gained 2 lbs since birth. She is now 9 lb 9 oz and 21 inches long. Still a tiny woman, though.

Sweat Ride

If you step outside right now in Alabama, you drip sweat. If you are moving while outside, you gush sweat. Such was the story of our outing this morning to the sports complex to ride bikes. I pushed Finley in the stroller for a while, just walking. Thankfully, I already ran this morning. But my shirt was still very wet just from a leisurely stroll in this humidity. Finley's hair was in cute little wet curls, and the boys were drenched. They biked for an hour.
I fed Finley under a pavilion while they were riding, and I loved watching them ride. Eli likes to try out all the little places he can jump and go down something steep. Brandt just consistently cruises around. He still has training wheels on his bike, but doesn't need them. They are so bent upward, that the only time they touch is when he takes a sharp turn. Asher thinks he is on some big, full-suspension bmx or something, and I have to remind him to brake and not try out the same things Eli does. Look at his little facial expression in the pictures; this is how he looks when he is flying down a slope or between bleachers--cute and kinda unnerving to a momma.

Karate Baby

Eric thought Finley looked like a little baby black belt when he came home to find her looking like this, so he took pictures. Her little hair band's bow had moved to the back of her head, which added to her 80's aerobics-instructor look.

Life Cereal Energy Bars

Mix these together in a large bowl:
3 cups Life Cereal (Publix now has an a generic for Life)
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup raisins
2 cups chopped peanuts

On the stove in a medium saucepan, heat the following on medium, stirring until smooth:

3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup Agave Nectar (or light corn syrup)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Remove from heat. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour over dry mixture and stir until evenly coated. Press firmly into 9x13 dish and let cool 1 hour. Cut into bars and wrap tightly with plastic wrap to store.

Internet TV!!

So, a few weeks ago we cancelled our dish service. Eric hooked a computer up to the tv we watch most in the house and put a bunch of our kids' movies on the hard drive (he used a shrinking software called Handbrake, if you're interested). It's SO nice to just open a folder and choose a movie for the kids instead of taking dvd's in and out of a player. But, the only "tv" we have to watch now is what is available on the internet. Though I miss a few things about satellite, I have found some new shows, thanks to Hulu, that I like enough to recommend.

Burn Notice--Freelance spies who don't have the government's blessing, but can't say no to someone in trouble or to the chance to use a trunkfull of C-4 to scare away bad guys. And as viewers we learn a few tricks we can store away for our futures in covert ops.

Lie to Me--British wit (think House minus cynicism and drugs) + the brilliant ability to "read" a person's intentions based on facial expression and body language. All of this is, of course, used to solve or prevent crimes.

White Collar--I have only watched 3 episodes of this one, but can't wait for more. Team one of the best con-men around (who is still on probation, complete with an ankle-band tracker) with the FBI agent who caught him to track and stop white collar heists. The con-man, Neal Caffrey (played by Matt Bomer) is easy on the eyes, which is a bonus in this already smart, original storyline.

I've watched my fair share of Matlock, CSI, and Law & Order-type shows. They are all entertaining, but none is really original. They start with a crime (usually murder), and the balance of the show is spent solving the crime. With these three shows, each episode has a new fresh order to how the plot unfolds. The only real uniformity is that they are solving a problem each time--but without that element, who would watch? And every one of these shows is laugh-out-loud funny. I love "24" as much as anyone, but it lacks the humor element, for sure. These shows don't. So pop some corn, fire up the 'puter, and enjoy!

Workout log for last two weeks

Last week I ran Monday (30 min), Tues (32 min), Thurs (35 min ) and Fri (41 min). This week I ran Mon (45 min) and Wed (43 min). I biked Tuesday and today (46 min each time) and did upper-body weights. My run on Monday felt pretty good, but my run Wed. felt terrible, although the weather was much more pleasant than the usual thick humidity. I was just tired all day, so I took Thursday off (and subsequently ate too much--weird how exercise suppresses my appetite). Tomorrow a morning run is on the agenda.

Exercising Postpartum

I've been itchin' for a switchin' and now I'll probably be hurtin' for certain.

I tried running last Thursday. It didn't go so well. I went about 1.5 minutes on the treadmill and had to stop because my lower abs hurt so badly. I got on the bike and felt pretty good riding, though I sweated like a hog--even more like a hog than usual, if you can believe that. I went less than 20 minutes total. I've been sneaking in stomach crunches and push-ups, and though I'm weak, it feels SO good to work my muscles some. I've had to mentally coach myself into why resting after giving birth is so important. I worked out hard for my entire pregnancy, had less than 2 hours of labor, gave birth (ouch!), and after a day or two mentally felt like I should be right back out there hitting the pavement. But what I have had to come to grips with is the fact that I'm not just recovering from the day I gave birth; I'm recovering from 9 months of major change in my body. Everything has to get put back together, so to speak. And it doesn't happen over-night.

Today, I tried running again. I loaded up Eli, Asher, and Finley in the van (Brandt is at the farm with my parents) along with the jogging stroller and Asher and Eli's bikes and drove to a big parking lot in the sports complex. While the boys rode around, I pushed Finley in the stroller. She was perfectly content as long as I was moving. I ran 30 minutes total and felt very good. We'll see how I feel tomorrow...

Finley's Photo Shoot

Grethel Van Epps (http://www.gvephotography.com/) and Ashley Warren's (http://www.ashleywarrenstudios.com/) photo shoot yesterday with Finley was amazing. They were so patient and gentle working with such a fragile--and somewhat temperamental-- subject. And it was a MUGGY day. But they didn't rush things to get to the comforts of air-conditioning. And their work paid off with some incredible shots.

Pictures of Finley Coming

I haven't yet posted pics of our new little sweetness because I am waiting to post the ones taken by my friend, Grethel Van Epps. She kindly offered to photograph Finley as part of a photography workshop she is teaming up with another Birmingham photographer to do. Finley's first modelling job!! (and her dad says her last :)--already so protective))

I first met Grethel about 5 yrs ago. I came to swim at her pool with someone I had met who was a mutual friend. At the time, Grethel hadn't started her photography career. She also only had one child. Now she has 3 beautiful children who are probably the most photographed kids on earth--and every picture is a masterpiece! She is seriously an INCREDIBLE artist who is constantly improving.
And being a marketing consultant myself, I have been impressed at Grethel's marketing skills. She fully utilizes all the marketing media to advertise and promote her business in a way that draws her target audience in (Advertising 101: Babies sell.), and in ways that are, I'm sure, cost-effective (facebook, blogs, charities).
I had the opportunity to see some of her very first sessions a few years ago. They were impressive. I would have recommended her to a friend back then. However, she has improved 10-fold since then. Now I would insist that anyone looking for a lifestyle photographer for their family use Grethel--she is just THAT good. See for yourself :
Her website: www.gvephotography.com
Her blog: www.gvephotography.com/blog
Enjoy! And look for little Finley pics to come soon!!

What you get when you cross an Artist and an Engineer

Uncle Winston

We visited Uncle Winston and Aunt Dorothy a few weeks ago to surprise Uncle Winston on his 94th birthday. Eli and I were the only ones who came from our family (we came with my parents and Melyssa and her girls), and Eli and Uncle Winston really had a nice time chatting. Eli favors (for you Northerners and Westerners, that means he looks like) Uncle Winston, and it was fun to see the two of them spending time chatting. He told Eli stories about when he swam across the Mississippi River, about being a golden-gloves boxer, and about being in the war. Eli had heard that Uncle Winston was a welder, so he soldered a creation for him for his birthday present.

Preggo me

I know I'm late in posting a picture of me pregnant, but better late than never. This was a week or so before Finley's birth.

Eli on Tacky Day

I'M BA-ACK!!!

(That title sounds a bit like what some horror movie character would say in a demented sing-song voice in a sequel performance. heehee)

So here is a quick recap of what's been going on since I last posted many months ago:
I'm pregnant--30 weeks today.
It's a GIRL!!
Eli and Brandt played basketball in the winter and all three boys just finished up track season.
Track was ALOT of work this year--we had 100 kids register. But thanks to excellent support, it turned out to be a great season.
Eric is running more and ALOT faster than me. And he does it early in the morning--go Eric!
I am still running, though. Not sure at what point I'll stop. I've never run this far into a pregnancy--but I still feel good. I usually go 3-4 days a week for 5-6 miles.
It's a GIRL!
I've had quite a bit of marketing work to do, which has kept me busy at the computer and is my excuse for not blogging. We have felt blessed to have another source of income. Though not a huge amount, with the economy negatively impacting the construction industry so much and Eric's job being so closely tied to construction, we have been grateful for every little bit extra.

Here are some notable pics from the last few months:

Eli showing off some of his race bling

Brandt getting some air in the long jumpBrandt tearing up the track

Eric and Eli at a scout campout at The Farm

Asher feeling baby girl kicks

Asher the shot-putter

Asher asleep--I found several similar pictures of him dozing in this position but decided to just post one.