I AM DEAD............

OK GUYS, SO TODAY WAS THE AKRON MARATHON THAT I SO BADLY WANTED TO DO, BUT BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN PREGNANT FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS IN A ROW, I WAS UNABLE TO TRAIN FOR IT LIKE I HAD WANTED (WELL I GUESS I COULD HAVE ANYWAYS, BUT I AM USING PREGNANCY AS MY EXCUSE :) SO I DECIDED THAT IT HAS BEEN 6 MONTHS SINCE I HAD WADE AND I LOVE TO RUN, SO I AM GOING TO DO MY OWN "JEN'S SLOW AS MOLASSES RUN" ON MY OWN. I HAVE TO SAY THAT WHEN I GOT HOME AND CHECKED HOW LONG I RAN STRAIGHT WITHOUT STOPPING IT WAS 5.11 MILES, WHICH I HAVE NOT DONE IN AT LEAST A YEAR AND A HALF, IT TOOK ME AN HOUR. FOR ANY OF YOU THAT LIKE TO RUN, HERE IS A GREAT WEBSITE THAT MY GOOD FRIEND DARBIE SHOWED ME ITS CALLED http://www.mapmyrun.com/ AND YOU CAN MAP WHERE YOU RUN AND SEE HOW LONG IT IS WHEREVER YOU LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. ITS PRETTY NEAT. SO HERE IS A PICTURE OF ME THAT JOSH TOOK WHEN I GOT IN THE DOOR DEAD ON THE FLOOR...OK, OK, SO I AM OVER DRAMATIZING A LITTLE, IT WAS HARD AND MY JOINTS FELT LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO EXPLODE, FROM OLD SHOES, RH ARTHRITIS AND A 3 WEEK OLD SPRAINED ANKLE THAT STILL HURT, BUT AT LEAST I DID IT.

OUR LITTLE JUMPER

JUMPED HIMSELF TO SLEEP...

INTO EVERYTHING....

So My big boy Justin has been 2 now for a few weeks and I guess he is in the terrible two stage...well he is not too terrible at home or when we go places (unless he has been up all night or is sick) but he sure is off exploring and getting into everything. I have been repainting our living room and kitchen and I made the mistake of leaving my painting supplies and paint out on the kitchen table while I was rushing around the house doing a few things and realized that Justin was not in the same room and he was extremely quiet so I knew he was up to something and I walked into the kitchen and there was Justin on the kitchen table, with paint all over the wall, the table and himself and the paint roller in his hand. I should have gotten a picture with him in it, but I didn't want him tracking paint through-out the whole house so I took him straight to the bath tub but here is the aftermath of his beautiful artwork :)

Do you like to read too..

So I am NOT a reader, I have had to read too many books for college the last 5 years that it has kind of burned me out, but my fabulous sister-in-law put this on her blog, so I took a look and read some of it and it's kind of good. Its a fictional novel and the author posts 2 chapters a week, so far from what I read it's a cheesy/traditional LDS novel, but I find that a lot of it sounds very familiar.....:) If some of you think it's too cheesy, then maybe it will be just a good laugh :)
Happy Reading!
http://thejellobelt.blogspot.com/

SOME CUTE PICTURES....

Wade loves playing in Justin's car he got for his birthday, he definitely can't be accused of road rage with that smile! hopefully Justin will learn to share soon, he was in bed when we put Wade in this to play :)

My dad and Daniel and Wade after his court of honor

Daniel at his court of honor last night with Rob Hull giving him his Tenderfoot badges, good job Daniel!

Here is a picture of Natilie being silly with trying to make Wade look like a girl. She put her way cute headband (that Jessie made) on him and said look, I finally have a little sister aren't we cute....

OUR LITTLE WADE

I just wanted to write a little blurb with a few little updates on Wade for anyone that is following. This last week he was 17 pounds 10 oz and is growing like a weed! I finally got him to take some soy formual and now he sucks bottles down like no other but they HAVE to be warm or he won't take them, I can't believe how much formula he goes through now. He went through 3 cans of Isomil powder in 1 week....and praise the Lord, he is finally (at 6 months old) sleeping about 5 hours at night before he wakes up to eat again whoop-whoop!!!!.He also got his 2nd tooth in this last week as well. He got his first tooth when he was almost 5 1/2 months. He turned 6 months this last week and had his 2nd one popped up, it was very hard to try to get a picture of his teeth he kept sticking his tongue out but we got one, it's so cute!. He continues to be my constant smiler and giggler, I just can't get enough of it :)

A FUN LABOR DAY WEEKEND (THANKS TO MY DAD :)

WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME AT CONNEAAUT LAKE PARK IN PA. IT IS A 2 1/2 TO 3 HOUR DRIVE, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST ORIGINAL AMUSEMENT PARKS AROUND IT WAS OPENED IN 1892. IT'S NOT LIKE CEDAR POINT, BUT IT'S FUN AND A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY....HERE IS THE WEBSITE IN CASE ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT IT http://www.conneautlakepark.com/ WE LIKE TO GO THERE BECAUSE IT'S NOT GIGANTIC SO I CAN KEEP TRACK OF MY KIDS. JUSTIN STAYED IN KIDDIE LAND WITH JOSH OR I AND DANIEL AND NATILIE RODE THE BIGGER RIDES OVER AND OVER WHILE MY DAD COULD SIT ON A BENCH AND WATCH THEM, THE RIDES ARE GROUPED TOGETHER PRETTY CLOSE, THEY AREN'T HUGE RIDES, BUT IT IS STILL FUN. AND NOW IF BY SOME MIRACLE THAT THIS LITTLE PARK IS STILL OPEN WHEN DANIEL AND NATILIE ARE MARRIED WITH KIDS THEY CAN SAY THAT "I RODE THESE RIDES WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE" WE HAD ALL HAD SUCH A FUN DAY THANKS TO MY DAD FOR FUNDING THE ACTIVITIES :) JUSTIN ON A RIDE

WE ATE AT A RESTAURANT THAT OVERLOOKED CONNEAAUT LAKE, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL VIEW. HERE ARE THE KIDS WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR OUR FOOD. (NOTICE, JUSTIN SMILING AGAIN.....WE ARE GETTING BETTER)

DANIEL, NATILIE AND PA (AKA. GRANDPA, MY DAD)

JOSH AND JUSTIN AND DANIEL.....

MY PHOTOGENIC WADE IN THE STROLLER SMILING UP AT ME WHILE WE WERE AT THE PARK DANIEL AND NATILIE GETTING READY TO GO ON BUMPER CARS.....THEY CAN FINALLY TRASH IT OUT ON THE TRACK AT EACH OTHER AND NOT GET IN TROUBLE :)

JUSTIN SPORTING A HOT PINK CAR...

ITS A RARE MOMENT WHEN WE CAN CAPTURE JUSTIN LOOKING AT THE CAMERA ACTUALLY SMILING, BUT HE HAD SO MUCH FUN RIDING RIDES OVER AND OVER...HE IS SLOWLY GETTING BETTER WITH THE CAMERA...

AND THEN JOSH PUT JUSTIN ON THE LITTLE DIPPER ROLLER COASTER WITH THEM, (YOU CAN SEE HIM FAINTLY IN THE YELLOW JACKET NEXT TO DANIEL) BUT HE WASN'T A BIG FAN OF IT.

DANIEL AND NATILIE ON THE LITTLE DIPPER IN KIDDIE LAND

JOSH AND I IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE OLDEST WOODEN ROLLER COASTERS IN THE US, THAT IS TEMPORARILY NOT RUNNING BECAUSE THEY NEED MONEY TO MAKE REPAIRS...BUT IT WAS COOL TO LOOK AT. (notice the gimpy right ankle/foot, I totally wiped out while I was at Beth's apartment on Friday and was carrying Wade and twisted my ankle stepping off of a curb, I swear the more kids I have the more clumsy I get)

ON THE DRIVE HOME IN THE VAN IN THE BACK SEAT... ( WHICH WAS FUNNY AT FIRST BECAUSE JOSH THOUGHT HE WAS BEING PULLED OVER BY A COP WHEN HE SAW THE FLASH)

THE KIDS INSISTED ON TAKING PICTURES IN THE BACK SEAT, WHEN I WAS THE LUCKY ONE TO BE STUCK IN BETWEEN THEM FOR ALMOST A 3 HOUR DRIVE. THEY WANTED TO TAKE SOME FUNNY SILLY AND COMPLETELY DORKY PICTURES AND THEN THEY INSISTED ON POSTING THEM ON THE BLOG EVEN THOUGH I WAS EMBARRASSED, BUT WHAT KIND OF MOM WOULD I BE IF I CANT BE A DORK WITH MY KIDS RIGHT :) ALL OF YOU MOMS WHO HAVE YOUNGER KIDS.....JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE OLDER AND THEN YOU WILL BE DOING THIS TOO :).....

NATILIE WAS PICKING OUR POSES AND WANTED TO KISS THE CAMERA...

DANIEL WANTED TO DO SOMETHING EXTREMELY GOOFY...I LOOK LIKE AN ALIEN....

HEY NAPOLEAN, GIVE ME SOME OF YOUR TOTS.....

I just thought this was a cute funny picture of Justin eating some tater tots for lunch, he loves, loves, loves anything potatoes, I swear he would live off of them for 3 meals a day if we would let him. He is growing so fast too! He had his physical this last week and is over 95 percentile in his length, weight and head size, he turned 2 a little over a week ago and is a solid 37 pounds (I guess he thinks he needs to try to keep up with his older brother Daniel, although Daniel was even bigger than Justin when he was a toddler.) I can't believe I actually got a picture of Justin not screaming for the camera...

MY CUTE WADE...

MY SMILEY BOY WADE!! He is so cute, I just can't get enough kisses. At around 4 1/2 months he was rolling from his stomach to his back, and at 5 1/2 months he officially rolls both ways now, he can roll his way across the floor!! I took this as soon as he rolled to his stomach, he is such a good smiler. I can't believe how soon he is doing things, he has done things quicker than any of my 3 other kids. I love every minute, and am so sad that he is growing so fast!

MY BABY GIRL'S 1ST DAY AT A NEW SCHOOL....

Natilie outside her classroom next to her name tag on the wall.

We pulled up to Natilie's school and I told her that whether she wanted it or not, that I was walking her in and getting pictures, and she said to me "Of course you are Mommy" So I parked the van, carried Wade in his carrier on one hand, Justin holding my other hand, my camera and keys hanging from my wrist and my cute Natilie walking beside. Here is her in front of the doors getting ready to go in.

Of course I had to get a mommy-daughter picture before we left...

Natilie sporting her new book bag and outfit. She was so excited about starting a new school that she actually went to bed all on her own the night before (and anyone who knows Natilie, knows that NEVER happens, she is the queen of staling 20 times before actually getting in her bed to go to sleep) I picked her up from school and she was so excited, she was rambling on and on. She loves her teacher, her class, her lunches and her school. She was telling me the names of 7 kids that she already made friends with and had so much fun playing with them. She was excited that she has 2 recesses because at her other schools there was just 1. Natilie is a smart girl, but she struggles sometimes with learning, and it almost brought tears to my eyes, when she was in the car and said "Mommy, it is going to be a great year for me, wait and see" I am so happy to see her excited and WANTING to go to school!! It was a nerve-wrecking first day at a new school (well, OK, lets be honest, the kids did great, it was ME that was a mess) but it went great, and made me ponder on how time really does go by too quickly and before we know it my sweet Daniel will be preparing for a mission and Natilie finishing high school. These are the times that are so precious in raising children!

I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE A KID IN MIDDLE SCHOOL NOW..YIKES....

Daniel getting off of the bus after anxiously waiting for 20 mins for him to come home, they were running behind schedule..

Me and Daniel on the way to the bus stop (although it is a horrible picture of me, I literally just rolled out of bed, Wade still keeps me up a ton at night)

My sweet boy Daniel's first day of 6th grade at the Copley Fairlawn Middle School (am I really that old). He was super excited all night that he hardly slept. Of course, being the mom that I am, I was bound and determined to drive him to school the first day (I swore that I would never put my kids on the bus their whole school life) but Daniel wanted to at least try it out and see if he liked it and make some friends before he got to school. So I hesitantly said ok, but was teary eyed walking him to the end of our road to the bus stop. Then after he actually got on I was having an anxiety attack and was thinking of everything imaginable that could go wrong.....Thank goodness, despite his bus being 20 mins late in arriving home from school, it went well, and Daniel liked it and said he was riding it again the next day. Today was much easier for me to deal with :) Daniel LOVED his first day of school, he said the lunches were yummy and they gave him more food than his last school and all he keeps talking about is that in the Middle school he gets slushies! He was really glad that Jared Davis from church and Maddy that was from his school last year are in his homeroom. He loves Copley so far and is very excited for the school year!