Running

OK...this topic has been on my mind for some time and I just gotta get it out there. What's up with all the running? I get on Facebook and everyone is doing it! I feel like it's the new trend...the new "gotta have it"...the new "gotta try it"! Everyone I know is doing it! They talk about going 12 miles...7 miles...10 miles. Hello, Facebook friends! I have a hard time going 1 mile let alone 10! So what's up with it? When did this get to be such a hot topic? I think God must have skipped me over when he was handing out the running gene cause I know I definately ain't got it. It's not something that I desire to do, want to try to do, or even sounds appealing to do. There is no peer pressure there and I can certainly tell you that I'm not jumping at the chance to find me some new running kicks! So again I ask...what's up with running?

I was just talking with Nate about it in the car and he laughed at me the whole trip home as I was trying to get him to see my side of why I ain't got it! I told him that even if I did run and got down to my goal weight, there is no chance that I would ever want to do this on my own with nothing to gain from it. Maybe this is more of a weight issue than anything and something that I'm still trying to figure out in the obyss of the many folds in my brain. Seriously though...if you lose weight...maybe like BIggest Loser style and you're down to your goal weight, what in the sam hill is going to keep you going back to running or back to the gym? If I hit my goal weight, the last thing I'd want to do is work out! I'm there...I've finally arrived...I'm done! I don't think the word "maintain" is in my vocabulary cause I don't know how to do it...never had to really do it, in regards to weight. Who knows...I've gone off a tangent again :) Back to running >

So what is it about running? Am I missing something? I keep asking myself why I keep getting bothered by it and I've thought that maybe God's convicting me and that maybe I need to do it. I hope and pray that's not the case :) I remember thinking when I was in middle school and high school when it came time to run "the mile" about how I will be so happy when I graduate because I will never have to run this thing again and dag on if it doesn't haunt me! Secretly in the back of my mind, I'm laughing now because the weather is changing and all the runners will have to come in because it's too cold to run. The devilish side comes out and I can hear the Dracula in my voice saying, "Ha ha ha...take that!" Call me crazy...call me what ever you like but I'm clueless! OK...enough about that. I'll jump off my soap box cause friends...I gotta run! No really, I'm actually maybe more walking away. Sorry...I had to!

MPM

Thank God it's a short week :)

Tuesday -Baked Potatoes
Wednesday - Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes
Thursday - Chicken Divan
Friday - Pizza

MPM

Here we are again :) I'm totally excited to get back on board with a ROUTINE! I thrive on structure and organization so I MUST keep up with things like this to simplify my life and my family! Somtimes this drived my family crazy but hey...it helps us save money and time. Two things which I LOVE and don't have enough of! Here we go:

Monday: Roast & Potatoes
Tuesday: Taco's and Spanish Rice
Wednesday: Speghetti
Thursday: Tortilla Soup
Friday: CiCi's PIZZA :)

Hello

It's been three long months since I've blogged. It was a well deserved hiatus. Much has changed but much is still the same. The summer was long but good. We spend many days at the pool and the zoo and just thinking about summer makes me wish it were still here. As I sit and type, both girls are in bed and fast asleep, not much to their liking. The house is quiet and there was nothing better to do than to write. I left everything from my to-do list at work so here I sit. For the past few days I've thought about writing my thoughts down but something always came up that required attention. It's nice to have a few quiet moments to myself. Doesn't happen much and it almost seems foreign. One day that will change though and I'm trying to soak up these "interruptions" and think of them as blessings. Aiva is turning into quite the young lady although she tries to act older than her 7 years. It must be that 8 is lurking close and she's about to turn another year ....wiser is what I'd like to say but "challenging" is what comes to mind. She's definitely more of a challenge than Ana but day by day we make it through. She has such a powerful personality that it's been difficult for her and Nate to communicate. They end up arguing and it's not pretty. I've been the peacemaker and try to mediate between them both but more times then none, they both end up crossing their arms and parting ways, frustrated. I pray that she learns how to use her personality for the good and realize the damage that it could do if she uses it the wrong way. She's the sweetest thing if you know how to talk to her and build her up. I've researched this and it's taken me awhile but I think I know some key phrases that don't cause friction and we seem to have done better.

Ana my playful child is always hard at play with her friend Riley. They're always side by side although not for long. Riley is about to start kindergarten while Ana is still in preschool. Fun as it seems, Ana looks like she should be the one in second grade. She's about ready to pass up her sister in height. She definitely takes after her daddy. The trait she's taken on is that of whining. Not the best one, but we're dealing with it. She's been whining since the day she was born and she continues to do so. One of these days she will tell us what she wants or what is wrong without whining. When that happens we all will celebrate! She does still have an infectious smile and I can't help to not smile when she's in the room.

We're looking forward to a new year and new things. So much is in store for us and I can't wait to see how things unfolds. Since I'm "back" get used to seeing me on here. I do miss seeing and hearing my updates. I look back at my blogs from time to time and it helps to see how I've grown or what we've experienced. Not just me, but it's amazing to see how the girls have grown and how they've changed. Kids grow so quick and I'm sure soon I'll look back on this and think "where did the time go". Until then, I'm enjoying each moment...hope you can enjoy it with me!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Spaghetti & Salad
Tuesday - Chicken Cesar Salad

Wednesday - Blueberry Pancakes

Thursday - Tortilla Soup

Friday - PIZZA

Saturday - Ice Cream Festival :)

Sunday - Hot dogs on the fire...camping :)

Five Star Friday

I totally give this week 5 stars...although it seems like Mother's Day was such a long time ago it was a great week. Here we go...

#1 This week after Ana was done with karate, just me and the girls went to Cream Corner. It was so great to sit in the sun for a bit and take our time eating ice cream. Even though I'm not a fan of bees (who really is) it was a welcomed sight to see some buzzing around.

#2 We got some summer clothes out this week in anticipation that it's REALLY spring and summer. I feel like every year I jump the gun and put the winter clothes away and then before we know it we need them again.

#3 I took the girls to the thrift store to get some dresses. They're not so much for shorts lately so we had to grab some dresses to improvise. They got three each so we should be set other than shoes. Tonight we had a fashion show to celebrate. Once dad gets home we'll do it again so he can see!

#4 For the past three days I've had straight hair. I guess that means that I haven't had to wash my hair for three days! May seem weird but I LOVE not to wash my hair every day. When it's curly I always wash so these three days have given me a break! Yeah for breaks!

#5 My co-worker Lorien made my day today :) I'm so glad I get to share the office with her! I am so lucky that we get to work with a great bunch of people. I LOVE Fridays at WCC! Despite the fact that we were all busy we were able to get in a few laughs! Guys, thanks for making work fun!

Catch-up

Everything seems like somewhat of a blur since Aiva had her tonsils out. She did absolutely great. The night before her surgery we went to her favorite restaurant, Max & Erma’s, and we let her eat whatever she wanted. Of course she wanted ice cream so that was first on the list. Here’s her creation!
She was mighty proud and I must confess, I loved helping her eat the whipped cream. The next morning we woke up incredible early (see the previous blog post) and since I couldn’t sleep, I made a trip to the Red Box to grab some of the video’s she had picked out that she wanted to see. I got 4 for her and one for me. After all this worry and anxiety, I needed something to take my mind off the “surgery. So, we got there and waited our turn. Aiva was a champ…she wasn’t really nervous and I think it helped having my dad there. My dad joked around with her and made the atmosphere very light and jovial. When they came to take Aiva to surgery, my eyes filled with tears and I couldn’t talk so the only thing that I could do was lean down to her ear and whispered that I loved her and that it’s gonna be OK. Even typing this now I’m sobbing! I’m a mama…what can I say. That was a tough morning! The nurse looked over at me, as I have tears streaming down my face, and she said, “I’ll take good care of her…she’s going to be fine.” As I tearfully walked away with Nate holding me close, there was nothing that I could do but pray…and go to the bathroom to bring my red eyes and checks back to a normal shade with the help of some slashes of water! As I walked out I felt like all eyes were on me and my Rudolph nose. My dad took my mind off of what was happening in the other room by talking about his bible study and work. Before we knew it, they were calling us back to give us an update. The doctor told us that Aiva’s tonsils were very big and that she was going to have a hard time. GREAT…that’s what every parent wants to hear! After awhile, the nurse came to get us and as I rounded the corner I saw her…my baby girls laying in a hospital bed. She was rubbing her nose sucking on a popsicle. This is the moment that I had feared since we heard she was having all this done. I did not want to see her eyes and feel them saying, “Mom, why did you let this happen?” It was OK though. She cried a little but we got her calmed down. My dad rubbed my back to make sure I was OK while I comforted Aiva. This was a shot that I got shortly after we walked in to see Aiva.My heart just breaks as I look at it now. It was the most precious thing…Nate was so awesome thru all this! Can you believe that Aiva actually ate potato chips and drank water in recovery? She actually did so well that they let us leave early! On the way home, Aiva wanted to call Grammy to tell her about her surgery! Who is this kid? I totally couldn’t believe it! Big kudos to my dad for being there with us and for his moral support! Aiva was held up for about a week but after that she’s been great. A little swimmers ear but she had her tube out so that’s normal. I’m hoping this is the start of all of us being a lot healthier!

So, after all that we’ve been trying to be outside as much as possible.We ride bikes a lot and it’s been great. The girls are at a perfect age for this and I am so enjoying this age. Ana is finally at an age where she can keep up and we all enjoy it so much more. We typically go to Aiva’s school to play at the playgroud. Usually there’s someone there who she knows so it works out great for the kids. We sometimes see some friends from church too so it’s great. We love living in Sunbury!

Aiva has been doing great at art. She truly loves it and she’s so good. Here are a few of her creations. The first is her project for Mother’s Day…isn’t it great?! She so surprised me! The second is a picture so designed and brought home this week. Check out the detail!Ana has been doing well with karate but I think she’s caught on to the fact that she’s the only girl. All the other kids in class are boys. The funny part is that she’s the tallest one in the class despite the fact that she’s the youngest! Not only that but she’s kicking all the boys butt when they spar! This is something that they just started and she loves the part when they “fight”! It takes an extra push to get her there but once she’s there she loves it!I went to Ana’s school for a Mother’s Day Tea and we had a great time. She is such a little princess. We had cookies and Kool-Aid and the teacher read the stories that the kids had written about their mom. Ana’s story was about me. She wrote that I was 14 and that she loves when I make pasghetti, especially when it’s cheesy! She also mentioned that when I was young, I played in a box…not sure where that one came from but she got it from somewhere…maybe sandbox??Nate has been doing a lot of fishing and working at his grandpa’s. The other night, when I came home from work, this is what I found in my sink.Not one of my favorite moments, but made me realize that we’ve made it to spring and summer! We don’t see Nate when the weather warms up but he loves being outside and working back at the lakes. He’s in his element back there so I kind of let him be! One of these days the lakes will look amazing and Nate will be so proud…so will I. All that time away from family will be worth it!

That’s about it for the Jacobus clan. Sorry it’s been so long, to all you faithful readers. We’ve had a busy couple of weeks. Hard to believe it’s been almost a month since my last blog. I’m ready to get back into the swing of things and back to blogging. The break was nice but I’m excited for what’s to come. Hope you’ve all been well.