Another Napping Moment

Lauryn showed no interest in napping today and I didn't fight it. In fact I was looking forward to an early bed time. Around 4:30 I realized Lauryn was being really quiet. I was sure she had fallen asleep somewhere but it took me a while to find her. She made herself a "bed" in her closet. She looks cozy but how comfortable can a wood floor really be?

I love the doll blanket pulled over her.

Side note: Apparently she was not very comfortable because she slept for only a half hour. When she got up I noticed that she was sleeping on all kinds of hard objects: books, plastic toys, and a jewelery box and its scattered contents. She was grumpy until bedtime.

What's the Use of a Water Proof Camera...

...if you forget to bring it rafting? We got to go rafting on the South Fork of the American River on Monday. Evan and Amy and Bren and Neil joined us and the Schmidts and Schulds. It was a great day and I'm bummed I left my camera in the Schuld's driveway before the trip. We took one picture at the end of the day before going our separate ways. Taylor and Lauryn stayed with Carolyn and Dallas in Knights Landing. We dropped them off just after 7AM and picked them up after 8PM. It was a long day for the Great Grands. The girls had a blast and were sad to leave.

Friday

We had a picture-friendly Friday. It started with a preschool field trip to MOCHA (Museum of Children's Art) in Oakland. We took Bart, did crafts, ate lunch and came home.

At the BART station.

Lauryn joined in the fun at MOCHA.

The kids kept playing in this fountain until someone turned it off.

After some rest at home--Lauryn napped!--we picked up Peter, who got off early, and drove to Joaquin Miller Park above the temple. This time we climbed the many stairs to the Woodminster Amphitheater. It was very scenic and the kids loved being some place new. They also loved the heart-shaped lollipops that Peter brought from work. Later we walked around the temple grounds and checked out the art display at the visitor's center. One of the missionaries there was Brother Mitchell's niece. He was our institute director at HSU and later was our Branch President. He died in a freakish accident at the Jetty in Eureka while we were living there. It was nice to get an update on his wife and youngest daughter.

Lauryn did surprisingly well on the stairs.

Taylor kept squinting so we let her wear Peter's glasses for the picture.

A great way to start the three-day weekend.

The Trouble with "No Naps"

Lauryn is outgrowing her naps. It's a bummer. I've tried lying down with her but I'm the one who falls asleep, and then she gets into trouble. I've tried "locking" her in her room but then she pees or poops in her underwear without fail. I've tried putting her in bed and leaving the door open (just in case she needs to use the potty) but then she does stuff like this:

"I painted my toenails!" she says, trying to convince me that she shouldn't be in trouble. Of course she also painted her legs, feet, the bathroom floor, toilet, wall, and sink.

Here was one of our last successful naps. It was on a super hot day last week. I fell asleep in her bed and this is how I found her when I woke up. Perhaps I should give up and accept the fact that naps are no more. Of course, I can replace naps with an early bed time right?

I do get frustrated with my kids at times but it doesn't last too long because they're so darn cute.

Here's one of Taylor's "school" pictures.

We all Scream for Ice Cream

Doug, Heidi, and Cierra were recently here for a quick visit. Although we had a fun-filled day, the only pictures I have are of us eating ice cream at Tucker's in Alameda. It was delicious.

I Can't Feel My Toes!

I went to my first spinning class this morning at 6AM. There was a woman sitting in front of me blocking my view of the instructor and my fist thought was, "Oh no, I can't see the instructor." Five minutes into the session my thoughts had changed to, "Oh good, the instructor can't see me." She'd say to "Kick it up," meaning tighten the tension and it took me just a few times to figure out that I didn't have to. Once I faked it, once I loosened it, and most of the time I just pretended like I didn't hear her. Regardless of my slacking, it was a tough workout. The hardest part for me was not knowing if I had 10 minutes left or 45; I wanted to be able to finish the workout. I was very glad to have my friend Jill, an experienced spinner, sitting next to me. She gave me pointers, kept me on track, and even brought me a towel from home to mop up my sweat. By the end of the workout I could no longer feel my toes and Jill said she couldn't feel hers either so I guess that's normal.

Nice Shot

I was pleasantly surprised today to see that my picture from the American River Parkway Half marathon was pretty good. I usually look awful in these pictures; red blotchy face, pained expression, eyes closed, etc. In fact, I've never seen a race picture of me that I liked. This picture was taken near the 10-mile mark and I'm actually smiling.

Click on this link and type my name or my bib number, 350, to see it.

Catching Up

Once again I've got some catching up to do with the blog. Here are some recent pictures. The first two are from my parents' last visit. We took the ferry over to the city and went to Golden Gate Park and Japan Town. I didn't have my camera but just got these pictures from my mom in the mail.

Lauryn traveled well in the back pack and even got in a nap.

Here is the dresser I scored for the girls at the garage sale. It's funky but it was the right price and delivered right to the room.

Today Taylor's preschool had their annual Arts and Science Fair. I got to spend three hours helping kids play with baking soda and vinegar. Fun. Lauryn enjoyed her short time there. Taylor played for hours with her friends, did every activity, and didn't want to leave when it was time to go home. Here she is getting her face painted.

I got a short hair cut yesterday. Here are some pictures I took myself for all my family who won't see it until it's longer. This is what it looked like today after almost no styling.

This is what it looked like after leaving the salon.

Race Day

Yesterday we got up at 5:30AM and were out the door by 5:45. Our destination: Carmichael, for the American River Parkway Half-Marathon. I ran it last year with Bren and had a great race. I got second place in my age group with a time of 1:47:53.


I knew I wanted to beat my time, and placing in the race would be a bonus. I told Peter, "I don't want to start out too fast and run out of energy at the end." Well...I did start out too fast; my first mile was 7:21 and my second mile was 7:30, by mile 4 I had slowed to an 8 min. mile and I just tried to hang on. By mile 8 I realized that I would most likely beat my time and this motivated me to keep my pace. I ended up with a time of 1:40:27, seven mins and twenty-six seconds faster than last year which put me in 3rd place for my age group. Yay! So, even though I was cold, wet, tired, and sore, I was happy. Did I mention it was raining for more than half the race?


The best part of the day however, was going to Knights Landing and having a Cole Taco Dinner as only Carolyn and Ron can make. Evan happened to be on his way home from Happy Camp and was able to stop by, and Bren and Neil came up for dinner and to visit. These aren't the best pictures but they're the only ones I have. Peter has been so good about supporting me in my running. When I told him how early we'd have to get up he said, "Just wake me up and I'll drive you there."

Next year these two need to run the race with me.

Lauryn did pretty well considering she only had a 20-min nap. I couldn't get her to smile for the camera though.