Sunday Funday

After a run on the treadmill (my first run since the half marathon), the kids and I headed down to Canal Park. It's usually colder down there, so I brought coats. To my surprise, it was about the same temperature as up the hill. The kids got on their bikes, and off we went.












When did they both get big enough to ride bikes?! I saw a mom pushing a girl and had a moby wrap with an infant inside...oh, the memories!




My big girl!




Isaac wanted to go across the bridge...but when we got on it, he was pretty nervous. This was the best picture I was going to get!




After a great morning, we went to Grandma Judi's birthday party. And after that, we came home to put our suits on and pick up W to go to Papa and Grandma's pool. They got a new one this year--18 ft x 48in!!




Another day with no nap, and here's how I found Piper shortly after getting home.




It was a great day...

Had to edit this post, as my neighbor just sent me this picture. Kids got to go to W's house for s'mores...and it's WAY past their bedtime!

Another Great Day!

Today we had friends over for a noon BBQ. The kids and I had picked up some yummy brats from the meat store, and I made a fruit salad and another salad I found on Pinterest. Unfortunately, I completely burned the brats, but our friends were awesome and made due...luckily everything else turned out! J and C had a meeting at 2, so they left their two kids here to play. And of course, W came over!
The kids had a picnic lunch.


And after playing in the little pool, biking, playing with walkie talkies, and whatever else they were doing, I had them play a game I made with sidewalk chalk (thanks again, Pinterest!).


The girls had C trace their body's with chalk, and then they wanted C to take a turn. Such a good sport!


Then Papa came over to mow the lawn and had a little fun when he was done!





It was another great day!

My Life at 6:15am

In the middle of the night, Isaac came into my room crying, saying he could hear a big buzzing by his ear (my kids have been VERY afraid of bugs lately). In my sleepy fog, I told him he could sleep on the floor in my room. I quickly fell back to sleep. Then at 6:15am, Piper crawls into bed with me. And soon after, she's sleeping. So just before I decided to try to fall back asleep, I snapped these two pictures.

Day Off!

Before the new job came, I had planned on taking the kids to Eau Claire to see Eddy and watching a couple of games, which meant I took today off. But then he came home. And I still took the day off. It was GREAT!!

Our school district offers free breakfast AND lunch Monday through Friday, so we met some friends/family for both meals that day! We picked up our neighbor, W, and he came with us for lunch. Then the kids played on the playground. It was awesome!

My sister in law holding her son and her daughter next to her, Piper, and a friend's daughter, I.


Lunch with friends!


I's three older brothers...


Piper and her cousins...


They played, and played, and played at the playground!





With all that playing, we skipped Piper's nap. And as soon after we got home, this is how I found her.


An that night, this is how you would've found me if you stopped over!


It was a busy day, but it was awesome!

Home For 36 Hours

Eddy had Monday off (the first day off since he left on May 24). His dad and Isaac went to the game in Madison and brought him back on Sunday night and then drove him to Eau Claire on Tuesday at noon...a whole 36 hours at home. The time went by too quickly.

But, while he was here, he got to watch one of Isaac's baseball games.


Isaac was so excited to play first base, like his favorite Chinooks' player, Ryan Krill! But I think he was more excited to have Eddy watching him. He also got a chance at catcher.


After the game we snapped a picture with friends.


And since we didn't plan for supper, we hit up Eddy's favorite restaurant, Bridgeman's.


And a silly face one...


Tuesday before Eddy headed out, he played catch with the kids and our neighbor, W.


It still doesn't seem real that Eddy is done at UWS. He got his stuff out of his office and turned in his keys and iPad. All of our UWS apparel is being turfed out to those more appropriate (can't really wear the old emplyer's stuff when you're working for a new place, right?). I'm so proud of all he has accomplished. When I was pregnant with Isaac, we had a whole plan for Eddy taking time off of work. And then within a two week time period, he had a new job. He was supposed to start the day Isaac ended up being born. So much for a few weeks off! And now again, he gets a phone call about a job, doesn't actually have to apply, and in two weeks, has a new job...all while putting in a ton of effort to meet the expectations of the Chinooks' owners group. So when I get frustrated that I'm doing SO MUCH on my own, I need to remember that he has a lot on his plate too.

Bittersweet Weekend

It was awesome to have my parents and sister and her family here this weekend...for many reasons. First, having something to look forward to (amongst all this craziness), has been good for me. My sister, her hubby, and son were able to get on the road sooner than planned, so I had everyone here for dinner Friday night, which was awesome.




Second, I knew they would be able to get the kids ready in the morning to come watch me run. Third, when we got back, they helped me prep the house, as we had a house showing mid-afternoon. Third, they were SO understanding about needing to be gone for an hour while the house was being shown. Fourth, my Mom made lasagna for dinner. So yummy! Fifth, my Dad patched and painted holes in the walls where pictures had been and fixed a downspout. Sixth, my brother in law did whatever we needed (mostly hanging out with my kids and Jason), so we could pack. Seventh, my Mom and Lindsey helped pack 15 boxes...good china, glasses, vases, tabletop decorations, pictures, frames art. No way I'd be able to get nearly as much done by myself.

Eighth, we were able to celebrate Paul's upcoming 30th birthday!



Ninth, as if I didn't know this already, I am so lucky to have Lindsey as my sister. Church on Sunday was hard--likely the last time I'd have family with me at this church. This church played a big part in Eddy's decision to become Catholic. My kids were baptized here. It feels like I'm coming home when I come to church. And Lindsey sat next to me, and comforted me as the tears came. She lets me be sad, happy, mad, excited...and is there with me through it all. The tears came again as she and her family left--likely the last time they would visit me in this house. And as I turned into a puddle, waving goodbye, my Mom was there to hold me up.

Eleventh, my parents are able to pull me out of the sadness I feel. As they were preparing to leave, they kept smiles on their faces and stayed positive. That was what I needed. I have two kids who need me. I can't fall apart very often, which definitely could have happened when they left.

In my sadness about moving, I know we have much to be grateful for. We are moving because of a great opportunity--not because we lost our jobs or can't afford our house. We are moving further away from family, but still within driving distance. My heart aches, thinking about leaving my friends, but I am reassured because I know these friendships are strong enlightening to withstand distance.

And as I list the positives, my brain understands it, but my heart still hurts.

Half Marathon!

I ran my third half-marathon today! And to top it off, I got a PR of 1:54:27, a full 4 minutes and 30 seconds faster than last year! There was talk of high humidity during the week, which would not have been good for me. But race day morning it was cool, overcast, and a breeze off the lake. I remember my legs feeling heavy around mile 7, but calmed myself down and felt good. My parents, kids, and sister and her family were at the 11.5 mark, which kept me going!

My Dad found Courtney and I as we were done. She was smart an had packed a change of clothes. The wind and drizzle picked up as time passed.


And then I saw the rest of my family! It meant so much to have them here!!








With Eddy leaving and then rather unexpectedly getting a new job, and having two kids to care for, get the house on the market, and start packing, I wasn't sure how the last few weeks of training would go. I am happy that I have up the gym membership and got a treadmill.

#3 under my belt!!

Busy Day

The first full day we were home, we were full throttle all day! Piper started a class at the aquarium, so Isaac and I went to the Lakewalk with a friend and her kids. The boys had a blast biking!








After class we picked up balloons and cake for Piper's birthday party, which was going to be later that day. Then came lunch, nap and then off to Piper's 4 year well child check. After dinner it was time to celebrate! She decided on a princess cake, but said when she turns five, she wants a Justin Beiber cake. Oh my!




She got a new tutu...




And Grandma Judi made her a princess pillow case....




And her favorite neighbor, 14-year old Weston have her a bunch of goodies!




So many kids! It was a beautiful night to have friends and family over to celebrate our big girl.

Day 8--Heading Home

Piper looks so peaceful when she sleeps. And with the morning sun coming through the window, she looks so cute (even if she slid off her air mattress)!




Eddy had a meeting in the morning, so it was a good time to head home. The kids, especially Isaac, didn't want to leave. He got pretty tearful. We explained that this is a big reason why we are moving; to be together more. It was tough watching him be upset.
After our goodbyes, the kids settled in for the 7 hour trip. They did great. We stopped at a Super Target on Eau Claire to use the bathroom and get some lunch. Them it was back in the car to eat and get home. I was pretty happy with our on the go lunch!




We for back in town with just enough time for me to put a few things away and get Isaac to put his baseball jersey on. We had a house showing while we had Isaac's game, so that worked out well.




After Eddy had been leaching with him, you could definitely see an improvement in his skills.
Our trip to visit Eddy was MUCH different than I thought it was be 3 months ago. But it was still good. This is a huge summer of change and I need to take one dY at a time.

Day 7

Saturday morning, after my run, two Chinooks interns came over to watch the kids so Eddy and I could drive around some neighborhoods, to try to get a sense of where we might want to live. We got some good ideas and it helped me more to visualize our future.

Piper wore one of her new "running outfits" she got from Lindsey and Paul. So sassy!


Concordia offered to put us up in a hotel for a night, so the kids could swim and have a fun time. We decided to take them up on their offer! We ran into a couple of things that slowed us down, but eventually the kids and I got to the hotel. We barely got into the room and they were yelling for their suits!

My swimmer!


Handstands!!


Floating with water wings!


The plan was to swim and then head to the game for the last half. But when I asked the kids of they wanted to keep swimming or go to the game, Isaac instantly said he wanted to swim. Ok then! We ended up eating a late dinner in the hotel restaurant and then swam AGAIN.

Eddy got to the hotel late that night. In the morning, we said happy Father's Day, and swam again.


I had sent Eddy videos of Isaac swimming, but it was fun for him to see Isaac swim in person.

Isaac had gotten a specially made Chinooks bat boy jersey, which he absolutely loved. Eddy decided that Isaac could go to the field with him when he left for the pre-game stuff. And when Piper and I got there a few hours later, Eddy said Isaac could stay in the dugout during the game.


I was nervous. For a lot of reasons. But he was quiet, paid attention, and wore a helmet the whole time. His job was to bring the ump balls whenever he called for more. There was another (older) bat boy who would get the balls and bats (very glad Isaac wasn't doing that). Eddy gets interviewed during the "manager's minute" after the second inning, that is played on the scoreboard (and the Internet)...and Isaac got to be interviewed too! It was pretty cool. He ended up staying in the dugout until the 6th inning. Eddy was very impressed how well he did. He even got to stand with Eddy during the anthem (the first kid on the left)!


And my kiddo, doing his job!


The promotion of the night was that they have the first 1000 fans an umbrella, which the kids tried to use for shade.


And I let them get an ice cream treat.





Happy Father's Day to a great Dad!!