Peoria Trip - 2010!

To keep our tradition, the kids, Spencer and I piled into the car early Friday morning and headed north to Peoria. Things started off great....we left at 6:15 AM, kids were quiet, stopped only for gas and to eat lunch, no major traffic, and we were on track to arrive early to surprise my mother on her 65th birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!). That was until we got to the construction area south of Champaign on I57 where the traffic was stop and go for about 15 miles. I had just entered the construction area and was rear-ended. Thankfully no one was hurt and only minor (very minor, really) damage was done to my car. I probably should have just shrugged it off, but I waited 30 minutes for a cop to arrive and another 30 minutes for him to write up an accident report, putting me an hour behind schedule and in a bad mood.

We finally arrived shortly before dinner and decided to just grab hotdogs instead of our birthday dinner out like we had planned (what a special 65th birthday mom, huh?). The kids immediately hugged their Nene and Poppy and started burning off energy that they had stored

up all day. Pres really enjoyed the little car my dad has, and Bennett was eager to play "catch" with my parents. I sat back and enjoyed a cold one and caught up with Steve on the phone since my cell phone died on the way up.

Saturday we headed to the pool. Surprisingly there was nobody there! We had the baby pool to ourselves and almost the whole big pool. The kids loved playing with toys we borrowed from the lost and found, and running under the large water mushroom. When the tears wouldn't stop, we knew it was time to hit the road and put these kids down for naps.

After some nice naps, everyone was recharged and feeling happy enough to enjoy a great dinner out at the CCP Terrace (always one of my favorites). Today we had planned to return to the pool, but the overcast weather put a damper on our plans so we hit the zoo instead. It ended up being a little cooler and was the perfect day to stroll around and check out the animals.

They got to see all of the animals, and both kids walked the zoo by themselves which really tuckered them out. My parents told me a couple of weeks ago one of the giraffes got their head/neck caught in a tree while eating and broke its neck right there in broad daylight (with children watching). So tragic.... The surviving giraffe was not out in the large Africa exhibit, but rather in a very tall and large kennel (with windows for viewing). I imagine he is suffering from some loneliness.

The kids enjoyed posing on all of the animals as you can see, and just taking in their surroundings. It was a perfect way to spend a couple of hours.

As we left, we saw people in the park eating their lunch. Bennett wanted to have a "picnic" too, so she ate her lunch outside when we got home and all was good.

So far our trip is going pretty well (on day 3), even though the little fender-bender put a slight twist in our plans. Let's just hope the rest of our time in Peoria is as fun, followed by our week in Avalon with everyone! The kids have never been away from home for this long (2.5 wks), so I am

hoping they adjust to the changes okay, but I will keep you posted!

4th of July!

What a gorgeous long weekend we had here in Birmingham! For the first time in weeks, the humidity wasn't ridiculous, and I could actually be outside for a short bit without sweating. I was able to walk everyday with Spencer and Preston (Bennett stayed behind with Steve two of the days), hang with my family all weekend and spend some time with friends.

Friday night we kicked off our weekend with a yummy dinner at Dave's Pizza (one of my favorite pizza places) with a group of friends and all of our kiddos! We sat outside on their patio and let the kids run wild. We made it an early night because we made last minute plans to go to a nearby lake with some friends the following day.

Saturday I awoke bright and early and got my walk in before we packed our cooler and snacks and drove to Highland Lake. It was a short 45 minute drive and the kids had a ball with their buddies. There was a great set-up with a large pool for the kids, and the lake for the adults. Our hosts, Brian and Shanon Jarmon, provided a feast for us with all of the typical holiday fare: ribs, chicken, burgers, hotdogs, baked beans, slaw and watermelon! We each brought something to share too, so you can imagine how stuffed we were!

The kids had a blast splashing around in the pool, chasing bubbles and fishing. And the adults had fun talking and jumping off the dock like teenagers! Typically both of our kids take an afternoon nap, but it took us awhile to get Preston settled, and Bennett didn't want to miss out on any of the fun (she was the youngest of the girls there), so she skipped her nap. We knew a meltdown was inevitable, but we let her hang in there as long as she could. After Pres awoke and took a toy that she was playing with and she had a come apart, we knew it was time to hit the road. She fell asleep within minutes and slept until we woke her up to eat dinner and shower. Then she asked to go to bed at 7:15....and she slept until 6:45 (should I be revamping my routine for results like this?). Since we put Preston down on time, Steve and I were able to hop in bed before 9pm and get a wonderful night of sleep (which we needed)!

On the 4th, we had some friends over to eat and then we walked up into town to watch the fireworks. Of course we ran into more friends, so we all sat together! Downtown Homewood has one of the best views of Birmingham's fireworks, and this was the first year that we were in town to take our kids. Initially Bennett was a little scared, but once she got past the sound and focused on the beauty in the sky...she was fine. It also helped that one of other moms brought glow sticks for all of the little ones! Preston grew bored within a few minutes, and decided that running around the parking lot like a banshee was much more fun. He must have been delirious, because he usually isn't even awake at 9pm, let alone happy and running crazy! He is funny little boy...always running everywhere he goes, jumping off curbs and making silly faces. He puts a smile on our faces everyday with his antics.

Today was much more relaxing....another walk for me, some pool time as a family and then we all took naps. It was a nice relaxing way to wrap up the weekend! Aren't we blessed!

Wonder Woman!

Today is "Super Hero Day" at Bennett's summer school. Since we didn't have anything fitting, we borrowed the perfect costume from a friend....Wonder Woman! The costume is made in Bennett's two favorite colors, pink and purple, so she immediately loved it! The only thing she didn't want to wear were the deflecting bracelets (darn).

For you people my age, you probably recall Lynda Carter in her red, white and blue outfit....but times have changed people! There is no more invisible plane, bracelets that deflect bullets and shiny red knee high boots. Oh well, at this age she doesn't know what she is missing.

Swimming at Pine Tree

This past weekend we went swimming with Brian and Shannon and the kids. It was fun (as it always is) with all of the children together. The set-up at their pool caters to families with young kids. They have a baby pool, a large pool with a large shallow area and a playground right off the pool area....all of which is fenced in so the little ones can't run off. In addition, they allow kids less than 5 yrs old to eat for free....which is a heck of a deal.

Preston loved going back and forth between the baby pool and big pool, and Bennett just hung out wherever everyone else was. It was a fun way to spend the morning.

Thanks Brian and Shannon for inviting us!

Bugs, Bugs and More Bugs!

Now that Bennett is 3 yrs old, she will be starting 3K Preschool in the fall. Since both of the kids also attend summer school, I could elect to keep her in her previous class, or move her to her new "big school." The two year olds only go Monday and Wednesday, but the three year olds can attend Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I hemmed and hawed about it, but finally decided to send her to her new school now so I could spend some alone time with Preston on Friday mornings.

It has worked out great, and turned out to be one of the best decisions I made for Bennett. She absolutely loves her new "big school." She loves the change in curriculum, her new teachers, and her new classmates. Each week of summer school they have a theme, and last week was bugs. I sent her to school with an empty mayonnaise jar and she decorated it with stickers. Her teacher told them all about different bugs, and gave them each a cricket last Wednesday. Bennett was so excited with her new pet, and she never left him out of her site. She would carry him (we assumed it was a boy....don't ask me why) to her bedroom when she took a nap or went to bed, take him with her in car when we ran errands, held him in her lap when she watched movies on the sofa, etc. Preston was enthralled with him too, always looking at him and saying "bug."

Ms Celia (her teacher) put a little slice of an apple in there, and this cricket managed to survive on this food for 10 days. He was still alive, though he was missing one leg, when I let him go last night in our yard. That poor thing had been startled so much in the past 10 days with the kids dropping his "home" and him rolling around on the kitchen counter, I honestly was shocked to hear him chirp each day. Bennett had lost interest in him the past few days, so I decided to put him out of his misery and let him go.

However, both kids are still fascinated with bugs, so when we saw this HUGE green bug crawling on our car after church, we drove home very slowly so he wouldn't blow off and the kids could get an up close look at him. Does anyone know what he is? He is the largest insect I have ever seen, probably measuring 1 inch thick and a few inches long. When we were staring at him, I could see his little yellow eyes looking back at us with his extra long antennas blowing in the wind.

Anyway, summer is in full force here, so we will have plenty of opportunities to explore more. One night I will have to help the kids catch lightening bugs - that was always a fun time for me as a kid.

Just Do It!

At the beginning of this year Steve received a pedometer from his company for a competition that they were holding. KBR wants to encourage a healthier lifestyle and wanted to see how many people could reach 1 million steps by the end of September. He got off to a great start, and has been extremely diligent about moving his pedometer to any shoe he is wearing (running shoes, work shoes, even flip-flops). Initially he was coming home and telling me how many steps he was averaging each day and week, which was making me so upset that I couldn't be apart of it.

For those that know me, you won't be surprised to know that I wanted a pedometer too so I could compete against him! With Valentine's Day right around the corner...guess what I got for my gift? Yep, my very own pedometer. Unfortunately mine is not as user-friendly as Steve's. It requires a special watch and the pedometer needs to be tied on to a shoe (not clipped). So it doesn't work for my standard uniform of shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops.

Though I can only use it when I am working out, I must admit it has made me work out more often. Back in January I decided I needed to get off my duff, and start exercising again. It started off slow, but after I got my pedometer things started to build. Then I started walking with my friend, Allyson a few days a week. We started off walking a couple of miles, and then it grew to 4-6 miles, with us averaging 5-5.5 miles several times a week now.

A few months ago, I learned to set goals on the Nike website for myself, and I am happy to say that I have successfully met two now. My most recent goal was to walk/run 100 miles in 4 weeks (averaging 25 miles/week). Allyson and I had easily been averaging that several weeks ago, so I didn't think it was unreasonable when I set it. However, with my weekend away and the temperatures averaging 95 degrees for the past two weeks, it has been more difficult to exercise outside. So I really had to press myself to get up early and do it, or go to the gym.

I am happy to say I am back at the gym, running and walking on the treadmill and now lifting weights several days a week. I feel SOOO much better and have definitely seen a change in my mental health and my body! Steve is doing great with his million step challenge, and shouldn't have a problem reaching it. He is even making it to the gym a couple days a week. We are both bound and determined to be more fit, and we learned that it wasn't going to happen with us sitting on the sofa.

So people...get off your duffs and JUST DO IT!!