Dodger Dog Update

In case you were wondering....

I went and bought some Dawn dish soap and used that on Dodger this afternoon.  That was after I called the groomer and they said she had to have her current rabies shot, which it turns out expired in February.  So I did the best I could with the dish soap.  She is looking better, but unfortunately she ruined a few things in the garage last night because I guess the vegetable oil I put on her last night to try and loosen the other oil was immediately licked off by her, making her sick all over the garage..... Good times!

Life's Adventures & Check In

If it's not the boys or Garrett giving me a run for my money then it's gotta be the dog.  This morning we (Dodger and I) went for a hike.  We hadn't gone on the long hike in several weeks and it was much hotter this morning than any previous morning.  I usually let Dodger off her leash after we get a little ways into the hike.  Dodger likes to find any possible water to play in and cool off but unfortunately today there was not a lot of water left in the creeks.  She found enough though to drink too much and make herself yak up all of her breakfast (goes along nicely with the dentist story, right).  She does this occasionally when we exercise too soon after breakfast or she drinks too much.  

That's not the end of my story though.  Along the trail there are natural oil springs, if you call it that, where there is oil coming up through the ground and making little puddles.  So as we continued on with the hike Dodger was getting hotter and more tired.  She ran ahead of me only to have me find her laying in the biggest puddle of oil that she could possibly find.  NICE!  So now I have a dog half covered in oil, looking more like a black lab than a chocolate one.  Poor Dodger.  She tried rinsing off in the creek near the end of the hike, but everyone know that oil doesn't just come off with water.  

I tried washing her when I got home.  I remembered those commercials about how they used Dawn to clean all of the animals after oil spills in the ocean.  We only have Palmolive though so I tried that.  Didn't do much.  I think I am going to have to bring her to a groomer tomorrow and they may have to shave her.....poor Dodger, again.  I'll keep you updated, I know you'll all be waiting to hear. :)

And of course this is what she does as soon as I let her go, rolls around in the dirt.  This is why I don't usually bother giving her a bath.

Oh, and for checking in.....

I don't have a whole lot to report for last week:

Monday: 2.5 (hike)

Tues.: 3.5

Wed. - 0

Thurs. - kickboxing class and 3.0 on the eliptical

Friday - 0

Sat. - 6. something (I didn't measure)

Total for the week: around 15 miles.....my knee and hip are feeling much better!

Barf-O-Rama

You all know of the scene from Stand By Me.  The great Barf-O-Rama.  Well, yesterday we had our own version of this, at the dentist.  I took the boys for their six month check up and cleaning.  Kevin had told me ahead of time that he didn't like the taste of the fluoride stuff they put on his teeth last time and he really didn't want to go.  But we went anyway, because it's just what we have to do.  So Kevin gets called in first.  He gets his x-rays done, no problem.  I am out in the waiting room with Zach and the hygienist come out and mumbles something to me.  I say, "What?" and she says, "Your son just threw up."  Turns out Kevin was just starting to get his teeth polished and he threw up, not a whole lot, but enough to have him not want to continue.  Maybe it was the flavoring, maybe he gagged, who knows, but he was not going to have any more of that.  Meanwhile,  I was talking to Kevin and they take Zach back for his x-rays.  A few minutes later I hear someone say, "your other son just threw up."  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  So I go in and Zach had really thrown up, luckily most of it was on the x-ray gown they put on.  I ask him if he's alright or if he wants to go home and all he wanted was the chocolate flavored toothpaste, not at all phased by what happened.  The dentist cleaned his teeth, gave him the fluoride treatment, everything was fine....as if nothing had happened.

So now I have to take Kevin back in about a month and I am not looking forward to it at all.  Once he gets it in his mind that he doesn't like something, his gag reflex sensitivity is multiplied.  I was just thankful that it was me at the dentist and not Garrett, because we just may have had a third episode right then and there!

Supersonic Mom Hearing

Most of you know by now I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, and sleep through pretty much anything.  BUT, since having Kevin and Zach I have been "blessed" with this ability to hear any little noise that either boy makes in the middle of the night.  Garrett usually comes in to bed some time after I do, and rarely do I wake up.  I don't hear him come in, I don't feel the bed move, nothing.  But, one little whimper from the other rooms and, boom, wide awake!  For the past, I don't know, 4 months or so, Zach has been coming into our room around 3 or 4.  He comes in quietly, stands by my side of the bed, and says, "I want to sleep in your bed and I have to go pee."  I know he's coming, because my supersonic hearing lets me know the second he reaches our door.  Then he gets the same answer every time from me, "Go pee, and then I will lay with you in your bed for a little bit."  EVERY NIGHT!  Well, at least he's not peeing the bed, right?  And I know that eventually he will grow out of this too.

Anyway, today is a minimum day for Kevin and then we are off to the library and then the dentist before heading back to school for Open House.  Kevin is excited to show off the things has been working on all year.  He is also in a little performance with the Spirit Team, so he's excited about that too.

And by the way, you can check out this video from Zach and Matt's parties this past weekend.  We had such a fun time!

Happy Birthday Matt!

Hope you have a great day!

Monday Check-In

I've been trying to "listen to my body" this week.  I am starting to get pains in my knee and hip and that just isn't going to work when I want to do a marathon!  So I am trying to go less distance at a slower pace.  I am having to walk more than I am used to and it's been frustrating, but I know in this case I can't just push through the pain.  

So here's the run down for the week:

Monday- 3.2

Tues. - 5.2

Wed. - 0

Thurs. - 0

Fri. - 4.0

Sat. - 8.0 (walking about half of it)

Total for the week:  20.4

So this week I am going to try and do mostly walking and maybe head to the gym to use the eliptical machine.  I am determined to do my best to do this the right way, because as much as I want to meet this goal I set for myself, I also don't want to ruin my body......I'm still young, ya' know!

Happy 4th Birthday Zachie!!

A big birthday wish to our Zachie-Zoozle!  We love you so much!!  

Garrett's Grab Bag

Garrett's decided to join in on the fun.  Go check out his new blog.

Gettin' Ready

There's nothing like having a party at your house to make you get things in order.  Zach's birthday is on Sunday and we are having his party on Saturday.  This is the first year that we've invited little kids, besides close family friends, because this is the first year Zach's been in school.  He is so excited to have his school friends coming and he asks everyday, "How many days now?"  

We are trying to have most of the party out in the garage and front yard, but I still feel the need to get the whole rest of the house ready.  Every year I go through this, putting off cleaning the house until the Friday before the party because I know if I clean it earlier it will just get dirtied up again.  Then Friday comes and I am stressing out because I've left too much to do in one day.  When will I learn that it's ok if everything is not perfect.  As soon as the first person walks in the door things get messy and dirty anyway.  It always turns out to be fun and that's what matters most!

We got an early start on birthday stuff when Zach got a package in the mail yesterday.  He also got lots of cards in the mail too, and he LOVES it!  So here's a sneak peak of what will turn out to be Zach's weekend.

Big Brother 9

So, besides my new addiction to running, I have a second addiction that I am not as proud of.  I love watching Big Brother.  There I said it....I know most of you don't watch it or never have, but Garrett and I have been watching since season 1.  This is the 9th season and Garrett has left me on my own.  It's seriously the only show that I consistently watch on t.v. and the sad thing is that they have an "afterdark" show that is on from 9-12 pm and I fall asleep to it almost every night.  That is what my life has come to, watching other people that I don't know at all, but I get a glimpse into their lives.  

I figure it goes along with my addiction to checking other peoples blogs.  I check my favorite ones several times a day and although I know I have much better things to be doing with my time, I just can't seem to stop.  I've always loved listening to people talk, even if I don't join in on the conversation, I love to be surrounded by conversation.  I guess that's why my friends have always turned out to be loud and talkers, because then I can do most of the listening and laughing while they talk away.  

Anyway, no new pictures or anything to post.  Kevin's back to school this week so we are getting back in the routine of things.  I've been upstairs typing reports while Garrett's watching Juno downstairs.  It's too late to join him now, so I guess I'll go off to bed and watch my Big Brother!

Monday Check-In

Here goes:

Monday - 3.5

Tues. - 7.0

Wed.- 0

Thurs. - 4.1

Fri. - 0

Sat. - 6.6

Sun. - 4.4

Total for the week: 25.6

Now, I want to take the time to give a big thank you to all of our family, near and far.  We are so lucky to have family that is willing to travel, just to help us out.  Not only did I have my mom come up a few weeks ago to help out while Zach was on his Spring break, but then we had multiple visitors over the past few weeks helping us out while Kevin was on his break.  Denise (Grandma Dee) came up and help a few times, taking them to IHOP, and playing games with them all day long.  Then she came up again this past Friday and not only did we have her help us with watching the boys, but then she also helped me clean out the garage (a major task in itself!)  We also had Susan and Namie come up last Tuesday evening, stay over night and watch the boys on Wednesday.  Kevin enjoyed playing a spelling game with them at the hotel and he asked Namie if he could borrow her word search book for a while.  The boys were lucky enough to get to go out to lunch at McDonalds with them too.  On Thursday we had Paula and Jeff (Grami and Papa) come up for a visit while bringing Mike up to go to Mammoth with Garrett and Matt.  They offered to watch the boys while I went out for a while.  I used my time to give blood (I know it's real exciting) since I saw the sign up for a blood drive.  Plus Grami left us some yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to enjoy after dinner!  Then to top it all off, Bob (Grandpa) came up on Saturday to watch Kevin's baseball game and offered to watch the boys while I went for a run.  Unfortunately it was about 90 degrees out and I couldn't run as far as I wanted, but I was still able to get out and the boys enjoyed going to McDonalds (again) and then to the park to play with Kevin's new "real" bat.  

I can't believe how great our family is!  It's not like these people live down the street.  All of them travel at least an hour or more just to spend time with us.  We feel very blessed and lucky.   So please know, we appreciate each and every one of you!!

Tasha the Runner

I got these pictures in my e-mail today from the race last weekend so I thought I would share them all with you.  This is what Tasha, "The Runner" looks like.

Hair Cuts

This is the only time I wish we had girls......the boys need their hair cut so often it seems.  I used to just buzz their hair here at home, but I got tired of it looking the same all the time.  So then I started taking Kevin to Super Cuts, with the incentive of going out for frozen yogurt afterwards.  I took Zach to the haircutting place that is inside our Super Walmart once (see how high class we are) and since then he has insisted that this is the only place he can get his hair cut.  Today, Kevin and I convinced him otherwise.  I took them both the Super Cuts and then we all got our frozen yogurt afterwards.  You know that is my favorite part!

Kevin Before.....

Zach Before......

Zach After!

Kevin After!

Yum!!

Natural History Museum

On our way out the door to the Museum on Tuesday Garrett says, "Have fun in the hood.  Be careful."  The Natural History Museum is right in downtown Los Angeles but during the day it is a completely fine area to be in.  I thought I didn't know where I was going, but it turned out that I had been to the exact area before to go the the Science Center about a year ago.  

The boys had fun looking at all the exhibits, although the main dinosaur exhibit was closed.  There was an area specifically for kids where they got to dig for dinosaur bones.  Kevin stayed there for at least half an hour and would have stayed longer if I didn't have Zach telling me how hungry he was.  Our year pass expires in May, so maybe we'll make another trip down there soon since we didn't even seen everything.

I thought I forgot my camera, but I found it right before we were about to leave, so I just got a few shots.

The dinosaur boys attacking each other.

Kevin just couldn't stand still.

Monday Check In

A little late getting around to this, but here it is for this last week.

Monday - 6.5

Tues. - 0

Wed. - 2.5

Thurs. - 5.5

Fri- 0

Sat. 9.3 (The Great Race)

Sun. - Disneyland - must have been a few miles around there!

Total = 23.8 (not as many as usual, but I was saving my energy for Sat.)

As you can see we made it to Disneyland again on Sunday.  We hadn't been in a few months, so I was actually ready to go again.  It was majorly crowded though!  I guess everyone is there on Spring break.   The big event for the day was Zach's first time on Space Mountain.  He has been waiting to go on this ride for months.  He's been tall enough, but I just didn't think he was "big" enough.  We went for it yesterday though and I have never seen a bigger smile on his face coming off the ride.  As soon as it stopped he yelled, "Let's go again!!"  I would have if I hadn't had a queasy stomach and a headache from the ride!  

Today Kevin and I went to Paint a Dream where Kevin painted a special something for Zach's birthday.....it's a surprise though, so don't ask him about it!  Then the boys and I spent the afternoon at the park.  Before I know it this spring break is going to be over so we are trying to make the most of it.  Tomorrow I think I am going to take the boys the the Natural History Museum and then Susan Namie are coming to visit and to watch the boys while I am at work on Wednesday.  Hopefully we will get some good pictures to share on here tomorrow.

The Great Race

This morning started at 5 am with a quick shower and I was out the door by 5:15 to head to Agoura Hills, which is about a 40 minute drive.  I was told to get there early because parking was hard to find later in the morning.  I arrived in plenty of time seeing as my first race didn't start until 7:30 and I was there at 6.  Anyway, I had signed up to run a 5K and then run a 10K after that.  After signing up I heard that the 5K was fairly flat but the 10K was "challenging" with hills.  So I was feeling nervous but I figured I would just take it slow.  Garrett and the boys stayed at home because of how early we would have had to leave and the fact that Kevin had pictures for baseball this morning followed by a game.  So I was on my own.

The 5K was fun and fast.  I ended up finishing in about 29 minutes, which was faster than I thought I would.  Knowing that I was going to run the 10K right after I thought I would save time and I put both of my timing chips on my shoes before the 5K.  I didn't realize though that both of them would start and then I couldn't use the other for the next race.  No big deal, but I just wont get an official time for the 10K.  I was back in plenty of time though to rest a little before the start of the next race.  Both races started downhill and I figured I would gain a little time on that part.  

The 10K turned out to be hard, but not as bad as I had thought it would be.  Miles one and two were a combination of downhill and flat.  Miles 2-4 were a slight uphill the whole way.  Mile 5 was a harder uphill and I had to walk during a part of it.  Not for long though.  Around mile 6 it started downhill again and I felt like yelling, "That's not running!!" and flailing my arms around while I ran, like Phoebe on Friends.  But I didn't.  I ended up finishing in 1 hour and 2 minutes, one minute more than my time in Redondo Beach, but a much harder course, and the 5K right before.  I was feeling pretty good about that!

I made it back in time to see most of Kevie's game and now we are back at home to relax the rest of the day.  I have to say I am getting addicted to this whole running thing.  I am already looking online for what I can do next.  I figure if I'm going to be addicted to anything then this is a pretty good choice.  It's fun, it's good exercise, and I can usually be back in time to spend the rest of the day doing something else.  Who wants to go with me next time?

Spring Break

I'm feeling guilty today because Kevin has asked, "Why aren't we going anywhere or doing anything on my spring break?"  So far his week off has not been ultra exciting, with the exception of spending almost all day Monday at the park, and getting to hang out with Grandma Dee on Wednesday (including going to IHOP).  Our excitement on Tuesday consisted of the boys discovering a calculator and literally fighting over who's turn it was to use it.  Seriously, Kevin got ahold of the calculator and I showed him how he could use it to add and subtract.  You would think he got the newest toy from Toys R Us.  They were both using it off and on all day.  Kevin has also been asking why he can't stay up a little later since he doesn't have school the next day.  Truth is, we need them to go to bed so that we can rest!  But tonight I let him stay up longer to work on his cross stitch he's been working on for months.  Yes, I know he's a boy, but he saw someone at school working on one when I picked him up one day and he wanted to learn how.  So he's been working on it off and on for a while now and tonight after I said he could stay up a little longer to work on it he responded with, "Now this is a vacation!"  

Needless to say, I am thinking of day trips we can do next week to make his spring break a little more exciting.  I have just been enjoying sleeping in a little and letting the boys stay in their jammies until noon.  Isn't that what a vacation is?

The Amazing Calculator

Getting in some blogging time too....another spring break activity.

Relay For Life

It's almost been a year since I joined in my first Relay for Life and I have decided to join in again this year.  It turns out that the San Diego Marathon is the same weekend as the Relay, so I have decided with all that's going on I will just stay home and help raise money for a good cause.  For those of you who have not heard about Relay for Life, it is a 24 hour event, where at least one person of your team is walking or running laps in order to help raise money for cancer research.  Last year I joined with the MOMS Club of Valencia and turned out to be a really moving experience.  Please visit the website to learn more information about this and think about possibly donating.  The relay is going to be May 31st - June 1st and I will be walking on and off whenever I am needed (in between baseball games and parties).  Last year Kevin and I stayed over night in a tent, which was kind of fun, so we may do that again this year.  Anyone interested in seeing the relay in action, come and visit me and check out all the information booths.