For a Limited Time

You can donate to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!! Well okay, not really. You can always donate but I am only going to run one more marathon this year (I swear) so for a limited time you can donate through me.
Clicking on THIS will get you directly to my webpage. From there all you need is a credit card and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others (laying it on kind of thick aren't I?). Seriously, Team in Training is hoping to cross the billion dollar fundraising mark this year and we need your help to do it! Thanks for considering the cause. We love you!

2 Little Mamas - Shout Out

One of my good friends, Sarah, is an amazingly creative woman. (For those of you that know Carly, she is the Atlanta version of her) :)
Sarah recently started an Etsy shop called 2 Little Mamas with her sister and you should definitely check this site out. If I can be so bold, I would also recommend that you return often to see what fun new things she has created. One of my favorite inventions is her Baby Bundle - wipes and diaper holder. It is way cute! Let me know what you think.
While I am on the subject of tres talented friends, you should also check out Carly's Etsy site - Chuckles and Grins. You will be very impressed, I have no doubt.

I'm Sheepish

I had a hard time coming up with a title for this blog. These were also contenders:

1) I Hate People Who Jump to Conclusions

2) Me Judgemental? No Way!

3) Can 2 Year Olds Really Be Considered Bad People?

If you are confused, first read this where somebody "stole" my phone. In order to create balance in the universe I knew that I had to post part 2 of the missing cell phone story. On Monday morning I decided to go to TJ Maxx one last time to see if somebody had turned in the phone before I headed to AT&T to buy a new Blackberry. On the way to the store I said a little prayer asking that my phone (or at the very least, my Sim card) would be there. As I was walking into the store a thought popped into my head. The thought was this, "Ava was holding a pink Kitty bag when you were shopping". This is very typical for me. I'll let her hold something that she wants so that she's entertained during the shopping but I have absolutely no intention of actually purchasing it. At the end of the night she pitched a huge fit about putting the bag back and I was frazzled leaving the store. Hmmm, perhaps there was a reason that she made such a fuss about having to put the bag back....

After that thought I raced to the back of store and opened the first pink Kitty bag I saw. Guess what I found inside - an empty fruit snack wrapper and my Blackberry!!! As it turns out, Ava is the "thief" of my phone but she is definitely not a bad person and she is decidedly not a litter bug. :)

PS - I have repented of all of those bad thoughts I had and said many grateful prayers of thanks. Sometimes there are happy endings. :)

Happy Easter

Is it only my children or does anybody else have kids that freak out when you try to take their picture and the sun is shining? I'm not talking about having them looking directly into the sun either, I mean if the sun happens to be out at all!

It took me about 15 minutes of cajoling and still this was the best picture that I could get of these three! Can't you see the pained look on Kate's face? For sure this wasn't our best Easter picture (we had a hair bow drama too - couldn't find any of our 8 white hair bows) but we'll have great memories nonetheless!

Looking at Ava tonight made me realize how much they've grown in the last few years. I was also telling Jackson some stories tonight about when he was a baby and it made me tear up. Perhaps that is the reason for my nostalgia but I couldn't help looking back over the past 2 years at their Easter pictures. Time goes by too quickly!

This picture was taken last year, just a few weeks before Kate was diagnosed with leukemia. Could you tell that she was sick by looking at this picture? Ava was still as bald as could be too.

And 2 years ago these were our 3 little guys. I absolutely love this picture, even though I vividly recall Kate and Jackson complaining about the sun that day too. Darn those blue eyes! :)

I Hate Bad People

So my cell phone was stolen tonight. Nope, not lost - stolen! Ava and I were in TJ Maxx this evening and I repeatedly took my Blackberry from her. At one point, I gave up and just let her hold it. Big mistake, big, huge. She left it in the dressing room and when I went back 20 minutes later to retrieve it the attendent said it was gone. Right! I also know that it was stolen because the phone was fully charged (I had just been talking to CJ on it) and yet when I call it goes straight to voice mail.
I just don't understand how somebody can take what doesn't belong to them. Who can pick up a shiny phone, which they didn't purchase, and promptly put it in their pocket? I am too mad right now because a part of me hopes that the universe repays the thief in some fitting way.
Worse than having to buy a new cell phone (as if that isn't bad enough) is having to gather everyone's phone numbers again. So basically everyone I know will need to email me their contact information again because it is all on that tiny little Sim card inside my phone which a bad person is carrying around in their pocket.
Oh, and if you get a call from my cell phone but it isn't me on the other end, please give the thief an earful from me!

A Few Bits of Writing

*Note* - This entry is mostly for the Grandmas.

Jackson's strengths are definitely math and science. Getting him to sit down and write is usually a struggle but once he gets started he does very well. I was kind of worried about his writing level until recently when his teacher told us that he is an uncommonly good writer (especially for a boy). When we told Jackson that his teacher said he was a good writer he responded, "I still like math and science better". Oh, well.

This is an example of his weekly writing assignments. Each Monday Jackson has to choose at least 10 of his spelling words and create a story. This one is titled The True Blue Hero.

This is a "persuasion" piece of writing. While at school last week he was apparently told to write about something that he wanted and to try and convince the reader to give it to him or to see his point of view. My favorite part about this story is that Jackson actually expected it to work! He very seriously handed me the letter after school and told me "Just take your time and think about it. Okay?" I had to fight to hold back a smile. When I finished reading his letter he looked at me and asked for an answer. When I told him that we didn't have any trees in our back yard that were suitable for a treehouse he responded, "All that work for nothing!" It took all I had to not laugh.

For Jason

Tru' dat! I miss you already...

Silly Ava

I am so in love with this crazy girl! She is always doing or saying something to crack me up! Here is an Ava funny from the other day. I was driving down the road and must have accelerated around the corner because I hear from the backseat, "Whoa Mommy. Slow down. Okay?" She is 99% pure joy and recently 1% stinker. I am sure that as she approaches 3 years old we'll have more of the stinker but for now, everyone is our family is enjoying her fun spirit.

Pinewood Derby

Well this year wasn't quite as successful for Jackson. He and another little boy were neck in neck for last place in their den. :( This was quite different for Jackson as last year he was one of the best in his den. Jason's idea was to let Jackson design the car and do nearly everything. Anyone who's ever been to the Pinewood Derby knows that no parents truly let the kids do all of their own work. Some of those cars are seriously professional! We offered more help last year and by the looks of things we should have offered a little bit more?

It is a difficult line to navigate if you ask me. Whether we are talking about school work, household chores or activities like this, how much do you help and how much do you let them figure out for themselves? When Jackson's car was coming in last and he was so upset, I can tell you that I wished we'd done more but only because it was hard to see my child disappointed. After the races I asked Jackson if he enjoyed making the car and he told me that he had had a lot of fun. Once he thought about that he began to recover and thankfully had a great day despite the loss. He even told me that he wanted to keep the car forever!

Horseback Riding

Our friend Marlene invited us to ride her horses last Monday and we jumped at the chance. She was so sweet with the kids! She showed them how to clean the horses, saddle them, feed them and lastly we rode for a bit.

Ava rode the little pony named Rocky. This riding hat is about the cutest thing I've ever seen. The most difficult part for her was waiting her turn to ride! That and not running around the horses. (Ummm, trying to keep a 2 year old from running for 3 hours was no small challenge for this Mom!)

Kate rode Rocky and then later had a chance to ride the bigger horse. She very quickly grasped the concepts of turning and had a blast!

Jackson was pretty natural too. He rode a bigger horse named Sheik who was very gentle and obedient. We finished the afternoon off with a picnic. What a great way to spend a day!