To Choose or Not to Choose

I need some opinions... which do you like best for me? I am thinking of getting sweeping bangs. And possibly going a little shorter. They are all very similar but each with it's own difference.
So Which do you like?

A: B:
C: D:

She Says it Best

: Where is Nick's sock
: He ate it
: I don't think that's true
: Check his teeth

: Why did you do this? (unroll an entire new roll of toilet paper)
: I couldn't get out (of the bathroom)
: Why were you in the bathroom?
: uuuummmmm - I don't know (walks out)

: I need O's
: I don't think you do
: I do... I'm reary hungry
: Nope
: Please
: Mommy said no
: But I'm starbing, I NEED O's!
: ok if you are starbing

Triumph!

Over the hump - W2 done! That was a rough one.. couldn't find the motivation to get out there. But that's behind me now, a new week- a new workout :) What are you doing to get motivated?

Run baby Run

Claire told me today that if we did the last two runs a little closer together we could get to the park sooner... she was riding in the stroller and not running.... I think I'd have the same opinion if I were riding instead of running..

sorry to my 'readership' (always wanted to write that) who are not running along with me... I need to keep posting about the runs because then when I get the urge to stop running someone may call me out on it.. and even if none of you care enough to do such a thing; I torment myself with the thought and it makes me run on days when I don't feel like it.


W2D2 done!

Thanks

I just wanted to say thank you to my parents for staying together. I know you each have flaws... mom you leave those cups of soda 'just laying around' and dad you get 'weak from hunger' easily ;) but you have toughed it out. That makes me more able to make my marriage work because I have a great marriage to model mine after. And there's something to be said for knowing that you'll love me no mater what, for as long as we are here, because you have a good track record of love over long periods. I appreciate that and I hope that my kids have the same reassurance when they look at my marriage. I love you both. a lot.

plus I like that holidays are easy. One location. both of you there. no squabbling.. ok there may be squabbling but it's NOT over where my kids eat.

Progress

Still moving toward a healthier me. Today was beautiful. Finally no rain. Ran W2D1 today, I didn't even look at the times but I did every run. During the 4th one I thought about cutting it short but then Claire said, "Go mommy run"... how do you not wanna run after that? Keep moving running buddies. :)
Glad to see Miss Brenda pulling ahead. How are you doing Miss Meg?
Thinking about buying scale, also leaning heavily toward buying one like Ami's that doesn't actually tell you your weight. :)

In other news I got my stitches out today. but I still have to 'baby it' (Dr's exact words; I swear). This injury is more involved than I thought it should be.. I guess the lesson is 'don't cut yourself with a knife'.

W1D3

W1 done!! yay! ran again today... miss Brenda, how was your run in the clouds the other day? It was really foggy again today, and cold. We added lap blankets for both kids and earmuffs and gloves for mommy to our list of things you should have if you run. I could see my breath this morning but told myself that I had to do it (even Jim was impressed I think). I was thinking about skipping the final run but then "I feel good" came over the headphones and I knew I wouldn't feel good if I skipped out on the last run, I was right... and I feel good :)

Hide and Seek

What the kids do while I am on the phone and cooking dinner:

W1D2

W1D2 half-3/4 done. We started out in a foggy mist knowing that it was prolly gonna rain on us, but we figured we could get it all in. So my program just told me that I was 'half way done' and it started to rain.. I don't have rain covers for the kids so we ran the rest of the way home... so I'm prolly going to do 3/4 of the workout again tomorrow if it isn't raining again... I feel great...running in the rain, not so bad... cold but not so bad.
Additionally for anyone thinking of doing this with me; first you better get up off that couch and get your feet moving..it's not that bad, the second day is easier (maybe cause I didn't finish)... and second, I would look into a podcast or an app for your runs, it's nice to have someone to tell you when to walk or run, it makes the time fly :)
Gotta get breakfast for kids and a shower for myself... happy running

Two Firsts for mommy

Two days ago I was making cabbage soup... it was great! but when I was cutting my cabbage, there was more than cabbage under the knife... I sliced my thumb and the nail.. thanks goes to my mother-in-law who bought me the super sharp knives. (I do love them) Passed out, bleed on the floor, called my husband, reassured Claire that I would clean the blood off the floor. Then I slept on it after talking to my mother and the next morning I went in for stitches. 4 of them. i have no pictures because they took my phone before they gave me the Novocaine and after that I wasn't allowed to get up (yes only my thumb as numb). It was not as painful as I imagined it to be. The stitches hurt about as much as the tetnis shot they made me get. (silly because the knives are new and stainless steel) I get them out in 10 days.

Additionally this morning I ran my first day of the C25K. It went well, to be fully honest, I did skip half of one of the runs, but that's offset by pushing about 60lbs during the other runs. If anyone stumbles upon any 'running with a stroller' advice I'm in the market... I learned today that snacks are a must for Claire and Nick needs some sunglasses. They were troopers. I am doing time not distance and was surprised that it took me just about the same amount of time to recover from the run as it did to actually run it...I'm worse than I thought... there's always tomorrow...ok not tomorrow, probably Tuesday... If you wanna join me check out the stuff on C25K HERE. I'd love the running buddies :)

Facebook not Face to Face

Yesterday was my birthday... nothing special, mostly just a regular Monday. I got flowers that brightened my day from my lovely husband as well as a date to go pick out a new couch! :) I got enthusiastic hugs from my little girl and snuggles from my adorable son. Cake from my mother-in-law, songs from my best friend and even a peek of sunshine from my God. 25 is shaping up to be a good year. In addition to all that I got a lot of facebook notifications. But what was missing? my mother, the reason for the celebration... She didn't call (in her defense I did see on fb that she lost her phone)(then found it by 7pm). She did post on my wall on fb so I know she didn't forget or mix my bday up with my sister's (ami's is coming up, send your card now). I just feel like fb should not be a replacement for actual contact with people you love. So I will call her today, to remind her that she gave birth to me one day and 25 years ago... Love you mom. :)
neither of my sisters called either :(

Hair Cuts!

The kids went for their first haircut together today. We took them to the same guy that cuts Jimmy's dad's hair and Jimmy's hair and now he cuts Nick's hair... it's a family thing. :) They did really well, only a little screaming and squirming from Nick near the end and Claire got an A+ for sitting still and doing everything that they asked her to do. It was hard to see those hairs go, they have been with us from the beginning...

But for these little faces I'll give up Claire's long curls and Nick's wings

Birthday Fiesta!

Yesterday I went into Manhattan to celebrate my birthday! I went with my friend Sarah to see Emerill (the cooking guy). I really only know who he is because he was on Jon and Kate plus 8 but going to a taping was on my list of New Yorky things to do and it sounded like fun so I got a sitter :) I even go to have lunch with my hubby before the show :)
We knew the sound guy so we were VIP even (making it seem more fancy to me than it really was). The guest star was Sammy Hagar from Vanhalen! Him I was sure I could not pick out of a line up but hey, I didn't know they had guest stars on cooking shows anyway before yesterday so the fact that I didn't know him was not a big deal. We got to sing with Sammy, clap (a lot!), and sit for a really long time. It was fun and definitely an experience. Afterward we got to taste some of the food (that was the VIP part I guess) They made Mexican! Yummy! Definitely put me in the mood to make some. I was planning on taking some pictures with my phone (especially cause we got to hang out afterward with the crew and guest star) but my phone went kaput for no reason as we sat down :( Jimmy met us afterward and fixed my phone cause he's so good to me :) So I could take some pictures... but Sammy was gone, and just as I opened the camera app they shut off the bright stage lights :( So here is one of me frantically trying to take a picture while the lights are on...

Nice floor huh? and here is one of the set with the lights turned out...

Emerill stood right there and... well surprisingly Emerill did not cook.. Sammy cooked, the guys that help Emerill cook, but Emerill, he mostly just drank margaritas. He's got the life. And so do I... what a great birthday :)

ps it airs in Mid May, I'll keep you posted, I'm near the front on and aisle so you can see me :) i got to shake Emerill's hand

Help!

When I was still at home and Alex was still small; he went through a phase of 'awake-mares'. He saw bees... lots of bees in his room and it freaked him out. Of course there were no bees it was all made up in his head but it really got to him.
Claire is having similar experiences, only her nemesis isn't a bike or bees; it's snails. and hermit crabs. she is afraid that they are in her bed and on the floor around her bed. Her 'hallucinations' are not as vivid as AlMeads but all the same she wakes up screaming and crying and won't walk on the floor. Its scary for me as a mom since I can't do anything concrete. We have tried 'blowing them away' but that doesn't seem to work. With the ghosts a month back (thank you preschool television programing for introducing us to that lovely) we were able to simply clap three times and 'scare them away'. I am at a loss. It doesn't happen often but often enough to make my heart sad.
I know that during the day she oscillates between loving and hating to look into our large saltwater tank where the snails and hermit crabs live. Sometimes a snail or two will get out... we have an open top tank. They slime their way to the floor or onto the computer desk every once in a while. but we rarely see them moving, we usually find them just sitting on the floor, not moving and toss them back in.
I don't know what to do, so I'm asking for suggestions, even if you have no experience but have an idea, I am open. I just don't want her to be scared anymore.

The Mad Hatter

Things we learned during high tea today:
1. the more sugar the better
2. always stir first
3. wait for the host (Claire) to drink her tea first
4. little bothers are not good at having tea
5. ice cream + tea = delicious (that means in your tea like a float)
6. if your grandmother from WY says she is coming to tea via play phone rush around like crazy trying to find another cup immediately!
7. the more the merrier
8. always wear a hat

Milestones

It is so true what they say about the second child having less pictures taken of them. When Claire was born we bought a new camera. I took pictures of EvErYtHiNg!

Like just laying in the grass... and other randomness.... With Nick I have photographed the most 'important' milestones or tried at least but most of the moments in his thus far short little life are cataloged only in my memory.
The latest milestone that we DID capture on camera is solid table food. Eggs, bread (his favorite), cheerios... He is so funny when he sees food. He gets really aggressive grunting and tensing his whole body up in ... anticipation?.. we can't tell but he gets all excited and it's so cute.

Also another throwback of Claire at Nick's age eating bread.

Have you had your Adventure Today?

Today we went to the museum, Claire, Nick and I. We ended up by the midtown tunnel, which is not where the museum is. On the way back toward the museum Claire threw up (Motion sickness I think) and decided she did not want to go to the 'special surprise museum' and she would like to go home.... But we were all out, we had battled rush hour traffic because no matter that I have lived here for over 2 years now I still can not get it into my head that 9:30 is not a good time to be headed toward Manhattan... We were going to the museum.... and we did.... there are no pictures because hey I had two little ones to watch and I forgot my uncharged camera in the car. Claire had a blast shopping in their mini-market and checking out the food at the cash register and conveyor belt. We spent 4 hours there, mostly shopping and putting food away and then shopping for it again... who knew the market could be so much fun, next time we go we may explore past that point, or maybe we will be in dire need of broccoli again...
Where did your adventure take you today?

Curious-er and Curious-er

Could it really be that I did not learn my lesson last time I was eyeball deep in laundry.... the lesson of doing it regularly and folding it right away.... nope and NOPE.

Spoke too Soon

We had our first fight over a toy today. tears, screaming, crying... the works. :(
Nick wanted it and big, mean Claire took it from him.
It was Claire's toy and Nick was too little for it so she took it from him.
Nick proceeded to chase after Claire crying and screaming. What a sight... And yet, it was so cute at the same time. I can say that because neither of them can read.

A Moment in Time

Tonight I looked over from my perch on the couch next to my husband and saw my little ones playing nicely by themselves and thought to myself, 'how did we luck out and get these two?' Then I wondered if every mother has a moment like that, if every 'demon child' has a moment when their mom feels lucky to have them. Maybe there is nothing I can do to preserve this moment, nothing I can do to ensure that I have the same moment tomorrow night so I'll just enjoy every moment as it comes and make the most of them.

Who am I kidding; look at these kids; they are angels.

Happy New Year!

Ok, we weren't ready to come back from vacation so soon, so we extended it by vacationing in our backyard. We went into China Town yesterday with Mary and Bill to celebrate the Chinese New Year. One of our family friends has an exchange student from China and she was really down about not being home for the celebration so we all headed into China Town to cheer her up. It was fun, definitely something we will only do once, it was crowded and a bit cold but fun!

Flying South

to warmer climates.

Like Rabbits!

Recently Ami posted her kitchen after making soup.... It definitely qualified her as a Havener. Although semi-legally I am no longer a Havener in name, I recently realized that another qualification is that when you have people over you rush around like crazy people trying to get your piles of stuff that should have been sorted through hidden. In some cases this may render an entire room unusable. (usually a bedroom)
Digging out is proving more challenging than initially anticipated. My mayhem and foolishness do not give up easily. And little hands have gotten a time out for aiding an abetting said clutter in it's escape to other rooms of the house.
This is how we know we are related... Clutter follows and multiplies around us.

Laundry ... Bah!

I would be interested to see who is also experiencing this laundry burst? I know I have not been able to do laundry for about a week, but I spent the better part of two days at my father-in-laws house last week monopolizing their washer/dryer. And now that I am starting up again at home I realized it could take me until we leave for vacation to get caught up! We are only three and a half people. Most days I don't get dressed, cause no one will see me and apparently my desire to impress and seduce my husband has taken a downturn. Claire did revisit bed wetting but only once a night and she isn't having accidents during the day. Nick, well he changes when he feels like it, usually once a day. He's not too messy yet. Jim wears, well he's the wild card, but I don't launder his work pants, But he does wear about two 'outfits' a day, work and pj type comfy clothes.... So how is it that every available space in this (I give it small) apartment is full of laundry!?
Boo hiss, I hope I win the lottery, then I will donate all my dirty clothes to the needy and buy all new stuff that doesn't need washed. I may also get a massage and something nice for my husband. (if he's nice to me)

Kisses

Cat and Mouse

Claire and Nick have been working on co-existing in our little space. Claire has discovered that by moving Nick's hands when he is pulled up on something- he falls down. And Nick has discovered that crying will save him from all situations uncomfortable especially those involving little sisters. So we have a great cycle of crying and falling... Nick is getting the short end of this arrangement mostly.
Yesterday evening we got a glimpse of what life will/would be like when/if they get along with each other. And it was Reeeeeeeaaaallly cute :)

Mommy Look What I Can Do!

All by his stinkin' self. What a shame we have to lower his crib mattress before he even got to really use it.

And Claire wanted to share this with you...

Need a Smile?

Notice that the Ingas have diapers on....

Home Again

We are home!

Ok not that home, but home enough, away from Gram's house. While we love her, she was glad to see us go. She looked like this in the beginning,

and I did not feel safe photographing her near the end. ;P
Santa came to Gram and Pap's, bringing giant smiles and a present for everyone.

We love Santa. Claire is sad to see the tree come down and even more upset about the stockings missing from the bookshelf. I guess she understands that means no more presents for a while.

Snow Babies

Yesterday was our first snow of the season and boy did it do it right. about 6.9 inches of white goodness fell overnight greeting us this morning clean and fresh. And we couldn't wait to get into it and mess it up! We bundled up and hit the 'front yard' to make some snow angels and tromp around in our new snow-pants. Nick liked it OK for about 3 min. and Claire loved it. I can't get over how much more she is able to enjoy things as she gets older. She really is our little angel.

Psalms 91:7

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

On The Move And Chatting all the Way

9 Days!? Can it Be True

Today we went to play group and we met Santa! We didn't sit on his lap, we sat with the less scary elf-lady. But we got a teddy bear for effort and even smiled a little (not that I caught that on camera....

We also made it on the news, well they were filming when we were there, but I don't know if we will be on the news or not, watch for us at 5 and 11! apparently they are low on news since our little playgroup holiday party made the cut... Overall our first Santa experience ended with no tears and two new teddy bears...
Can there really only be 9 days left till Christmas?!

Hang-Over-Day-Off

Yesterday on 'hang-over-day-off' we went to get a tree. It was bitter cold as Claire's face will tell you, but we picked what we believe to be the best tree on the lot. ('Big as Daddy and fat as Mommy' just like Claire wanted)

We got it home, stood it up and opened our much awaited train! Claire and daddy tried to figure it out, and when they did we were all smiles :) Thank you GB and Pappi!

Then of course after about an hour of messing around with the train (I forgot how much time you spend lining up little wheels as opposed to actually running the thing) We had to decorate it, the tree of course.

And take our picture in front of it.

It was a good day.

Holiday Cheer

This past weekend, the kids and I hit the road. We went to Aunt Ami's!
While there we did lots of fun stuff, like going to see a three story house shaped like a shoe and baking cookies... none of which I have pictures of. Those are on Ami's camera.
I do have pictures of our Sunday. We went to see Aunt Laurie! We helped her put up her Christmas tree.

She was THRILLED to have us...

once we figured out that she is always so jazzed we were no longer scared by her overt enthusiasm

We helped with everything, the nativity

the ornaments (ok, we let Annie put on her own)

We even made some handmade crafts to decorate our own homes with.

It was a great day of family and fun, exactly what we needed to get us in the holiday spirit.

Thanksgiving

thankful for sisters, all sorts
thankful for cookies
thankful for aunts and uncles
thankful for christmas trees
thankful for no traffic in NYC
thankful for family :)