Update

I always forget to 'get' anybody for April Fools until about 9:00 that night, so I dished up some 'ice cream' for the kids & poured chocolate sauce on top. The 'ice cream' was really garlic mashed potatoes!! Emily had a friend over to spend the night & his reaction was so funny! Eric got mad at me for 'making' him eat it & Emily kept taking bites. I think she ate 5 or 6 bites of it!!! She kept saying "that's yucky!", but kept eating it. She was licking the spoon!! Silly girl. Here's a pic of the 'ice cream'

Jessica enjoying her peas. LOVES peas!!!

Adam got up from the breakfast table the other morning & started doing the dishes!! Without me asking him!!! This is so rare, it was picture worthy!!! You can tell he's not thrilled about my reaction. I thought it was great!!

Ok, this picture was taken at the Zoo with some friends of Emily. Do you see her all nuzzled up to the little boy? That is Justus. They have already told us that they are getting married & they call each other boyfriend & girlfriend. Doesn't this picture look like an engagement photo? Oh, brother!!Already!!The other little girls couldn't care less. LOL

We've been bowling a few times lately. We have a great time! We're actually getting pretty good. NO, you DO NOT see bumpers up on our lane!! Ok, so maybe we're only good with the bumpers up, so what!!

Triathlon Training

Well, I decided to do a triathlon in September. Yes, me. Lisa. I know, I'm crazy! I am so excited though! It consists of a 1/2 mile swim, 14 mile bike ride & 3 mile run. Our family has a membership at the YMCA in our area & there is a trainer there that is in charge of the training. So, how could I NOT do it? The training's available & I feel like I need a good challenge.

First of all, if you don't know me too well, I don't put my face in the water.....at all. I got swimmers ear a lot growing up, so it's just a habit. So, I don't know how to keep the water out of my nose. I know, it's a learning thing. I'll get it, eventually.

Also, I haven't owned a bike since I was like 12. Never had my own helmet.

And I HATE running!! I would rather do ANYTHING than run.

So, you ask, Why are you doing a Triathlon???? Crazy. Right?

I have been about the same weight since my 12 year old was born!! Yes, Eric is 12 today!! I am just so sick of being stuck at the same weight!!! So, my ultimate goal is to finish the Triathlon, but I'd also like to lose some weight along the way. I don' t care what place I come in. Second to last with a 90 year old man behind me is just fine with me. Just not last place!! LOL

Our first swim lesson/class was 3 weeks ago. It was an hour long. I thought I was going to drown! I looked up & saw the lifeguard right above me. I'm sure she was thinking "just stand up lady!" LOL I was pathetic!! The thing is, I didn't think swimming would be that hard so I went to the Y early & did the elliptical for 30 minutes before I went to swim class to get a good a 'good' work out. Yeah, whatever!! We swam probably 30 laps in the pool that day! I was so tired!

Then, last week was a lot better. I felt like "I can actually do this! I'm NOT going to die in this water!!" Craig bought me THE best goggles he could find along with ear plugs & a nose plug for the next class. So, the next class, which was yesterday, I actually did pretty well. It was so much easier than the weeks before! Our swim coach told us that we swam over 1/2 mile yesterday too. I was pleased! I did a half mile!

The biking I find easier. NOT easy, just easier. Now, I need to buy a bike! We do an hour long spinning class for now, but we'd like to get out on the open road & ride 'for real'. I need a 'hybrid' bike & the one I found that I like that 'fits' me is $550!! Yikes. I guess that alone makes up for not owning a bike for 20 some years.

I haven't done enough running. I need to. I feel like I'll get better at it & faster, I just need to try harder at that. I only have a single jog stroller & 2 kids cannot fit in that. LOL So, I need to get a sitter or something so I can go run. Hopefully tonight after Craig is home.

Anyway, we started the training a month ago & I've lost 8 lbs. So, I am really excited! I've lost 20 total since the new year. I find myself wanting to eat healthier after all those intense workouts. Why waste what I just put my body through for junk food!!!

It's hard work, but I know It'll feel SO good once I cross that finish line!!

Wish me luck!!!

Update

Ok, so it's been 3 months since I posted anything. I am so lame!! Sorry!

Here's a quick update.

Jessica is now 8 months old. She is such a cutie pie!!
She now sleeps through the night!! Yippee!!! 10 hrs!! I am feeling so much better. As you can imagine. She loves her crib & will pretty much cry until we put her in it so she can sleep.

She loves food. Imagine that! She eats anything & everything. She loves ritz crackers, graham crackers, any veggies, any fruit, mashed potatoes, spaghetti. Yeah, she likes it all!

She crawls!! Yes, she is crawling! Crazy! Then a few days ago she started standing up to things like the couch & letting go & just standing there! Yesterday she waved bye-bye too. All in one week. This is too fast for me!!

She also has 2 bottom teeth & one of her top ones just poked through today & the other one is close behind.

Emily is doing good. She has had alot of ear infections in the last few months. She goes in to the Dr. next week to talk about our options for that. She won't be going to Kindergarten next year, so she'll go to preschool for the 3rd year!! She loves it though.

The boys are playing baseball. Well, Eric & Matthew are. Adam could play, but the games in his division are played on Sundays, so he won't play for 2 years. Sad. Anyway, the games haven't even started for the boys yet & it's already crazy!! Pracitce 4-5 days a week is a little much, I mean, It's little league for pete's sake!! Needless to say, we have 'skipped' a few practices. We DO have other things to do than get our kids to practice EVERY night. Oh well.

Next week is Spring Break for us. Trying to plan something fun to do. Or somewhere to go that won't be totally packed full of people. Any ideas? I love it when we can sleep in!! I'm so excited for that!! Wish me luck with everyone home all week!!

Disney on Ice 'Princess Classics'

Emily & I went with some friends to Rochester to see 'Princesses on Ice'. We went with 7 other little girls & their mommies. We had so much fun! It was so cute to see their faces. They were so mesmerized with it all. They all dressed up like princesses & most of them brought their own magic wands (so we wouldn't be sucked into buying one for $25 once we got there)

They told the stories of the 7 Disney princesses: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Ariel, Jasmine, Belle & Cinderella. They all loved the show & we recommend you see it if you have a chance. They gave us the group rate, so if you get some people together, you can save some $.

During Cinderella, when the man goes around trying the glass slipper on the townspeople, he went around the rink to the little girls in the front row trying it on them. So cute! I bet they loved that! We tried to get front row seats, but they were sold out & a lot more money.

Here are some pics that I took:

Little Princesses

Emily as Snow White


Snow White biting 'the apple'

Aladdin on the Elephant

Sleeping Beauty with the 3 good fairies

Cinderella's stagecoach

So Behind

Wow, do you ever feel so behind that you don't think you'll ever be caught up? Oh my. So much has gone on, I don't even know where to start.

We are doing well. Business is going great & we are healthy & happy! Craig & I are looking into buying some property to build a house on in the future. It's actually 100 acres. We call it the 'Hundred-Acre Woods'. It's just down the road from our house. We're pretty excited about it! We'll update any progress on that.

Our BABY, Jessica, is now 5 months old!! Crazy! She weighs about 19 lbs & is so healthy & happy now. She really likes mom though. She smiles ear to ear when she sees Craig, but doesn't want anything to do with him at bedtime. I'm still trying to get her in a bedtime routine. I think it's finally starting to work. She is still up at least once during the night, but she goes right back to sleep, so she's doing better. She's such a cutie!

Jessica-5 months

Emily is 4 years old & in preschool 3 days a week & will start 'Kindermusik' at the end of January. It's a music class where they do singing, dancing & finger puppets & such. She will love it! She will be in there with one of her friends from church, Jack. She is like a little whirlwind!! She is so busy all the time. She is a HUGE help with Jessica. As soon as I start changing Jessica she's got a diaper & the wipes right there for me. She's such a great 'mom'.

Emily's snowman

Matthew just turned 8 & was baptized on his birthday. He is such a sweet boy! I love that kid. He is so happy & helpful!! He's in the 2nd grade & is doing great! I love his laugh! He's a little self-conscious about his teeth right now. You know how adult teeth don't exactly grow in straight all the time, well, his aren't straight & he doesn't like it. He goes to the Orthodontist next month to check that out. He also plays basketball this year & is liking that. He likes the games, not the practices so much.

Matthew's baptism day

Eric is 11 1/2 & is in the 6th grade. He isn't playing basketball this year. He's kind of regretting that. He is really good at basketball, so I think next year he'll play. He really enjoys our new air hockey table we got for Christmas & his nerf blaster gun!! He's such a boy! He is so good with Jessica & is the only one besides me that can get her to sleep. He has been known to put diapers on backwards, but other than that, he's a great helper!!

Eric

Adam plays basketball & is in the 7th grade. He's a good boy! He's very good at getting his homework done as soon as he gets home from school & is getting great grades too. It's hard being the oldest & having more responsibility, but he does a good job at keeping up. He got an ipod for his birthday from his uncle Chad, so he's playing around on that quite a bit. I can't believe I have a 13 year old!

Adam's first basketball game #22

Merry Christmas

I just realized that this post never got posted! Oops! Merry Late Christmas! Hehe


Well, I'm really bad about updating my blog. I feel like such a slacker!!! The past 2 months have been really tiring, but fun. Jess is such a cutie pie. She has started sleeping better & has tried rice cereal a few times. She 'coos' a lot & sometimes screams (happy screams) & looks surprised like 'what was that loud noise?' It's really cute! She was sick the whole month of November. First, she had another ear infection. Then, it was a runny nose that made it hard for her to nurse & breathe at the same time. Then, she got a cough that lasted 4 weeks!! Just about every time she coughed she would choke & barf all over. I felt like we carried an ice cream bucket around with us for a month! It was pretty bad. Then she got over that & went in for a check up & her ear infection isn't cleared up yet! So, the poor girl has really had a rough start! It's very frustrating to only get 3 hrs of sleep at a time, but it isn't her fault. Poor thing!

We are doing well! We hope all of you are too. We probably won't be sending Christmas cards out this year. I know, we are so lame. I'm too tired & busy for that. So, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Can you say Procrastination?

I am horrible at keeping this up lately!! Wow, I just looked at my last post & just about started laughing!! After that last post our lives have been sleepless & hectic!!

A week after that post I took Jess in for a routine weight check, (which she had gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks!) & found out she had an ear infection!! Yes, at 2 weeks old! So, they put her on Ammoxicillin. Well, a week later I realized she had what looked like 'Thrush' in her mouth, so set an appointment & sure enough it was Thrush & a yeast infection on her bum!! I couldn't believe it. No wonder she'd been so fussy! They wanted to see her back in 10 days to check her ear, so we went back in & I told the Dr. how she was acting & she thought she had reflux. She doesn't ever spit up, but it comes up in her throat & goes back down, so it burns twice as bad!! So, she is on Zantac for that.

Poor girl. She has had a rough start & mom hasn't gotten much sleep! I have taken a nap almost every day since she's been born! I feel like I'm sleeping her life away!! I can't believe she's almost 3 months old! Crazy. Now, she is doing good. She weighs about 14 lbs already! Yes, she nurses well!! She is so much happier too. She is such a sweetie!

My parents & sister (Amy) came out at the end of September for Jessica's blessing. I was so glad they could come. We had a good time together. Amy was a great baby holder!! She would just take Jess for me so I could nap & even offered to take her in the middle of the night for me!! She never had to, but it was nice of her. I showed her where the 'bottle making' stuff was, just in case!! Amy left after a week & my parents stayed another week. My dad did a few projects for us around the house & fished a lot with Craig. I think they had a good time. They were probably glad to get back to their 'quiet' home! I miss them already.

My mom made Jessica's blessing dress which was beautiful!!! Here are some pictures of it:

Isn't she a cutie pie? She's so YUMMY!!