65.5 plus 31

That’s how many miles I’ve run total in the five half marathons I’ve done since 2007. I did the Laguna Hills Half Marathon again this Memorial Day. This race really is beautiful, I think this will be my regular race on Memorial Day. I finished in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I was a little disappointed with that time because I was trying to beat my last time of 2:14 from January’s Carlsbad Half. Unfortunately, I had a hip injury that I wasn’t able to treat completely before the race. Oh well. Hopefully next time I can hang with the 2:10 crowd. My sister Evelyn decided to run with me just two days before the race! She didn’t train at all and still ran right by my side. She’s a stud, what can I say?

Finish time

Avg Pace of 10:09 and 1599 calories burned! Sweeeeeet!

Ev and I after crossing the finish line.

Luke did his own race today, the Sonora Elementary Jog-a-thon! He ran and ran and ran! Go Luke!

And sometimes he walked too.

When it was all over he had completed 31 laps, way to go!!

Then it was time to sit and sip some water and, like any good runner, eat a banana. But boys can’t help being a little goofy too, especially when its Luke, Matthew (his best bud) and Aaron. Its always more fun to run a race with friends.

I am a fan.

Am a fan of outdoor movie night at the Back Bay.

Am a fan of lunch dates with my hubs (and just one child).

Am a fan of moonlit walks on clear nights.

Am a fan of Mother’s Day cards from little boys (Luke), even if they wrote my age as 57 when I’m really 32.

Am a fan of little girls who want their babies buckled in the car in the seat next to them.

Am a fan of Saturday morning runs powered by a fantastic play list and no pushing a stroller.

Am a fan of seven year old boys (Ethan) who want to be scientists and soldiers and dads.

Am a fan of weight watchers weigh ins when I’ve lost 4 lbs.!

Am a fan of reading Conference talks by men of God that fill me with the warmth of the Holy Spirit and give me an extra push to move forward.

Am a fan of great country songs.

Am a fan of little league games and watching five year old legs (Luke) run the bases, throw the ball, and swing at bat.

Am a fan of taking over the kitchen so I can bake up tasty treats to give away…even if they don’t always turn out the way I envision in my head.

Am a fan of this little life of mine.

(idea for this post from marta writes)

Spring break ends with a birthday!

The last day of Spring break was extra fun…especially for Ethan. He celebrated his 7th birthday! Ethan was crossing off the days on the calendar leading up to his birthday. And when a package from his Tennessee cousins came in the mail, then a card from Bisa, he was REALLY anxious to party! We said good night to our six year old on Thursday and woke up to one happy seven year old. He chose Cookie Crisp cereal for his birthday breakfast. We gave him some Heely’s and a scuba set. So naturally, he wanted to go swimming! It was the perfect day for a swim. We gathered the cousins and dove in the water. After some R&R at home for lunch we headed out to Downtown Disney for dinner, Lego store for his last present (thank you Bisa for chipping in) and face painting!

I was literally shocked that Sadie sat through the entire face painting. I couldn’t believe it. She’s getting so grown up

Dragon masks for the boys and hearts (everyone picked their own design) for Sadie. When the lady told me how much I owed her my jaw dropped! Wow…that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Ethan got to have a second party on Saturday with all his aunts and uncles and cousins from the Powers side of the family (we wish we could have all the Rasmussens too!). He chose pizza for dinner. I made a new one, pesto chicken, that is my new favorite! Then we cut into his Star Wars cake (which I am too embarrassed to post pictures of) and had ice cream.

We love you, Ethan! To the moon and back…and more.

Silly & Fun

Ethan titled today’s post for me and I think it fits.

Fun is when your great-grandmother comes to visit (in march) and wants to take a picture with all the cousins. Actually, it doesn’t look so fun for Ezra and Eva but they’ll get there one day. Bisa (pronounced bee-za) is loads of fun because she’s so good at spoiling them. Amo Bisa!

According to Ethan this next picture is silly because he’s looking down at the water. I would say its also fun. He gets to try “surfing” at the end of each swim lesson and that looks fun to me!

Ethan says this one is fun because he’s holding hands with Sadie on his way into school. Maybe its more fun in how much I enjoyed editing it with my groovy camera app.

Silly Sadie. She was napping with her dad but after a while got off his lap and decided to do this. Personally, I think the snoring got to her but you didn’t hear that from me. It made for a cute picture though.

Fun is for flowers and spring-erizing our front yard! I’m crossing my fingers and toes that I can keep them all alive.

Silly (and fun) is our Sadie who loves to wear the most random outfits sometimes. Cinderella dress over her pajamas and her hand-me-down rain boots. But don’t forget to accessorize with a back pack! I love Sadie’s fashion sense. I know I’ll be taking some pointers from her sooner than later.

Silly for podiums who scream, stand on me and take a picture! Se were at the Skirball museum in Los Angeles for an awesome Noah’s ark exhibit over spring break and Sadie saw these “steps” and said “take picture, momma!” so I did, I’m an obedient mom that way.

Silly is all about spring break. Ethan and Luke got to go spend the night with grandma in Oceanside during spring break and true to form they had a blast! Sadie was pretty upset to be left behind at first so I consoled her and took her down. She was in heaven playing at the beach, going swimming, playing on the playground and getting to do big kid stuff at the “hotel.” We noticed so many Utah visitors at the timeshare I almost felt like I was in Provo again…kinda got me homesick.

15

:: no matter what mood i'm in, i can always go for a: walk. a nice walk sometimes makes everything better.

:: my favorite go-to outfit would have to be:  my pink maxi dress with black shirt under, a silver necklace, and my greek sandals

:: a good source of inspiration is: a sunset. there’s something about watching the sun go down that fills me with purpose and hope in what’s to come tomorrow.

:: am so glad my parents taught me: truth. I often look around and notice so much that isn’t true. sometimes its hard to find the truth but I know where to look.

:: a song i like to dance to is: we can’t get enough of the Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feelin’” and Pink’s “So What” at our house right now.

:: i wish everyone knew about: not wasting. it breaks my heart when I see someone’s sprinklers running the morning after a good rain storm.

:: the best thing in my makeup bag is: I’m far from a makeup expert but I think mascara and some eyeliner does wonders for me. now, if only I could figure out foundation…

:: my dream spring break vacation spot is: italy

:: this may be a surprise, but i am passionate about: so many things. you’re not surprised are you? I seem to be passionate about cake right now…trying to shake it.

:: a favorite book that changed me for the better: c.s. lewis’ mere christianity. I love c.s. lewis and practically anything he writes but that book has left a permanent impression.

:: one of my pet peeves is: smokers…why do they think its ok to just throw their buts everywhere? I hate when I take my kids to the park and they find a cigarette but!

:: my favorite daily ritual would have to be: checking facebook, my email, and my favorite blogs. I love seeing what everyone else is up to.

:: i am trying to be better at: one thing? sheesh…um, gardening. I actually planted some basil, cilantro and a couple flower seeds. I hate planting seeds, I’m too impatient. I want immediate results. but I’m trying to be better at watering and waiting. hopefully it will pay off.

:: the most recent rad thing i found online was: blurb blog publishing…I need to do it.

:: i can't live without: my iphone, I’ll admit it. and I can’t wait to upgrade it this summer….yippee!

A Thursday in the Life of Sadie

Every Thursday Sadie and I go to “school.” I enrolled (after being persuaded by my sister…it’s a good thing!) in a class at a local community college and its kind of a mommy and me preschool. Sadie LOVES it. The first hour is all free play for her. Her favorite spot lately has been the dress up area. She takes after me.

Here she is acting out one of the many real life situations she finds herself in the other days of the week – strapped in a shopping cart while I push her around.

Pit stop at the tool table. She’s most likely paying homage to the memory of her brothers. She doesn’t want to let them down.

Back to the dress up area to freshen up her makeup. She’s gorgeous!

Craft time is always fun. This week was a wood and glue project. She had fun “painting” on the glue and choosing the different colored shapes to put on.

Then we head outside for some play.

Story time! Sadie hardly sits with everyone, if she decides to go at all. She’s sitting next to her cousin here but she got up right after I took this picture and sat on my lap for the rest of the time.

Snack time!

And the day ends with some fun good bye songs.

I’m really glad we have this class to get me out of my to-do list mode. I’m just sad I didn’t take it with the older kidlets.

Things I’ve noticed.

1. I’m actually starting to like avocados. I’ve been eating a lot more salads lately (trying to shed some poundage) and I look forward to adding some avocados to them. I still remember meeting Steve’s cousin Jared and his fiance (or were they already married, I don’t remember) Mychael-Ann for the first time. They came over to my apartment to have dinner and they brought a truly BEAUTIFUL salad of avocados and tomatoes. I wouldn’t eat it. Lame huh? Mychael-Ann must have thought I was a snob. I would have thought I was a snob. But that is how much I didn’t like avocados at the time. I was strictly a guacamole girl. But now all that has changed. I would not be afraid to eat Mychael-Ann’s salad anymore. I would probably really love it now. So there’s still hope for my kids to over come their hate of potatoes right? One day…

2. Boot addiction is in full swing. My Valentine’s gift from my hubs. I finally got them and I don’t want to take them off.

3. Drawing during sacrament meeting. Ok, don’t judge me for taking pictures during sacrament meeting. I just HAD to capture how intent he was. And then he saw my camera/phone out and needed me to take a picture of his masterpiece and wanted me to text it to his dad! It was too funny. I promise I didn’t do anything else non-church related on my phone the rest of the time I was at church!

4. When I was training for the Carlsbad Half Marathon Steve and the kids would follow me on my long runs. They were on their bikes, of course. When I got to the 9 and 10 mile runs they would stop at a park part way through and wait for me to get some more mileage done then we’d run home. It really was a great way to spend our Saturday mornings. And it helped me stay motivated. One of the biggest challenges, for me, when I train for half marathons is feeling bad about leaving my family behind.  I don’t think Sadie really is thrilled about being in the trailer but really, it’s the best seat in the house! She has her uncle Clay to thank for documenting this picture for her. Time for half marathon number 5!

5. "Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best ... Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment and shame.  It's a shield.  Perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it's the thing that's really preventing us from taking flight." ~ Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

I got this quote off a daily email chain I’ve been receiving. I really love this. I’ve never thought of myself as a perfectionist. Perfectionists have to have sparkling clean houses ALL the time, perfect food ALL the time, perfect bodies ALL the time, kids who behave perfectly ALL the time…etc. I’m not like that (although I wouldn’t mind the perfect body one…ha!) But I’m slowly realizing that some of my expectations in life have a “perfect” stigma to them and its bringing me down. So when I read this quote and it separated perfectionism from striving to be your best I had an aha moment. I can drop the perfectionism. I want to strive to be the best mom I can be but some days I’m not. I want to strive to be the best wife I can be but some days I’m not. I want to strive to be the best version of me I can be but some days I’m just not. Each day is a perfect opportunity to try again, even if I don’t succeed its still worth the try. And thank goodness for another day to strive.

My Four Loves

My four loves are glorious, beautiful, and captivating. They enjoy the sweet things in life with me (especially after a day at Disneyland).

We dance together (I gotta feeling and So What are the current favorites).

We pray together (I know I cheated and opened my eyes but I just had to capture this wonderous moment).

We teach each other (Luke’s turn teaching us about bullets, the Nerf variety. Ethan has taught us about guns. Luke taught once about swords. I’m up next) important lessons on life.

We eat together. Especially standing on a chair, at the counter, with our hands on our hips. It makes the cheerios taste so much better.

We sleep together. Ethan is just like me, it needs to be somewhat dark in the room in order to completely relax.

And then we go out and have more fun!

Someone once said, love is not love unless you give it away. I have given my heart away four times. Each of my loves carries a piece of me with them and I am not whole without them. Happy Valentine’s Day, my loves!

It’s a catch up, yo! Not catsup.

Ok, how did a month ALREADY go by since the last time I blogged? Seriously? Whuuuut. You may have noticed that I’m giving non-privacy a chance right now. Honestly, I’m kind of sick of logging into my own blog to see where I left off so I’m going to give it a try. But don’t be bugged if I go private again, the next time I get spooked by a show on child predators or something of the sort. On to better topics…

Sadie. My darling little girl. Sometimes she likes wearing her sunglasses. Its adorable.

And so are her feet. How could you NOT like little feet like this. It makes me want to bite those little toes.

I got this conditioner for Christmas from one of my fantastical seeeeesters. Its amazing. My chemically processed, over-heated hair loves it.

My other Christmas present from the Hubs came a few weeks ago and I was thrilled. I immediately put it around my neck and took this picture with my phone so I could text it to my Hubs.

The Hubs…he’s so nice to me. He got me these boots. My first pair of boots. I really LOVE them. I know its bad to LOVE things but I really do LOVE these. I plan my church outfits around them, most of the time. Its so fun.

Again, my Sadie. She’s silly. She’s been making these faces and it cracks me up. I can’t capture the true hilarity of them on my iphone but I had to put them up here.

Ethan wanted to take a picture with my phone the other day. We’ll work on his photog skills.

I truly think the transformation from non-reader to reader is kind of magical. Ethan was reading this book on the way to church this morning and it gave me warm fuzzies. I’m so glad to be a mom.

Last, but not least, the Carlsbad Half Marathon. It was January 23rd. Training for this bad boy was not easy. I decided I don’t like training in the winter much, especially over the holidays. But I must have done something right because I ran the fastest time yet! I finished in 2 hours and 14 minutes (not counting my potty break at mile 12.5). My official finish time was 2:16. Throughout the race I would check my pace on my watch and I was constantly thinking, “this is crazy. I’m flying! Any moment now I’ll settle into my usual pace.”

My sister in law, Anna, actually convinced some of her family members to run with us. They drove down from Vegas for the race. This is us, freezing, pre-race. I was really impressed by Anna’s parents, who both finished the race. Way to go Christensens!

I was under a bit of a time crunch the day of the race so I couldn’t stay very long. There were so many people in this race that I never did find any of my group afterwards but I heard they all did a great job! Anna even finished while nursing an injury!

So that’s my catch up. Hope you liked it. I really am going to try not to wait another month before I blog. Really.