Bad bug.....

We have been sick at our house all week. I must say I cannot wait to be healthy again. It started last Thursday or Friday I can't even remember at this point. Isaac got it first, two days of fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, etc. Then I got it Sunday and Monday. Luke got a nose and cough out of it but never really ran a high fever. Tuesday Noah's scout leader called and said a boy in Noah's scout troop got the H1N1 virus the night after scouts. You can imagine how great that new was......it has been 6 days now and he is not sick yet so I am feeling much better about that one! Jason and Noah didn't get anything luckily! Jason had a big bike race this weekend and I was panicked that he would get sick on Friday. But he didn't, yipee! and he is at his race right now, hopefully doing great because I have not been able to talk to him today. I am feeling much better! Sadly, we gave our sickness to many of my friends that probably are not my friends anymore. :) Stay away from our neighborhood, highly contageous bad bugs are going around!

5K anyone......

I ran another 5K last Saturday. My friend Sally was having one for her school and since she came and ran the 5K for my boys school I decided I had better participate in her schools too! Now keep in mind I was planning a big Enrichment night for earlier that week and it took up all my time and I was super stressed about it for a couple of weeks and I had not worked out at all......nada.....
I ran the 5k, pushed Louie in the stroller and thought I might die....I take that back I was hoping I would die....ok so maybe just hoping I would pass out so I wouldn't have to run anymore. I ended up running it in 34 minutes. Pretty good for not working out for 3 weeks! When I was in my prime triathlon training I was doing a 33 minute 5K so I was pretty proud of myself.....until Sunday morning.....EVERYTHING in my body hurt, head, ribs, chest, legs, arms, nose, hair, EVERYTHING!! I willed myself to church but every time I moved it just hurt and we had stayed up late trying to catch up on Heros so I was also super tired. I ended up bailing on Relief Society and going home to bed.
It's pretty scary how quickly you can get out of shape....pretty lame....I am feeling better today thank you. I decided I'd better start training again, there is one more triathlon in November......

Noah and Isaac celebrated their birthdays this month! Noah is 9, and Isaac is 6!
Happy Birthday boys!

Nana came to celebrate their birthdays with us!

Noah blowing out his candles on his cake! (Yes, I made it....don't ask.....)

Isaac and his cake! (No I didn't make it....haa haa)
My boys are growing up.....

School started! Yeah! (yes, I know it was over a month ago, I am a little behind).....

Noah is in 3rd grade and Isaac started Kindergarten!

Look at those cheesy smiles....

Nostalgic....

I am in charge of an Enrichment Night and we are looking back through the decades starting with the forties. I got my yearbooks out and have been listening to 90's music! It is all coming back to me now.....
Those were the days huh, when we were young and thin! :) I would not go back for a million dollars but I wouldn't mind having my butt, thighs and tummy back!
I will update you after tomorrow and let you know how the night went!

Sundays....

Remember how I told you in an earlier venting session how much I love Sundays?
Here are some glimpses of my day:
I sat out in the foyer during Sacrament Meeting with Louie, Noah and Isaac....why all three you ask?
Beats me....
Our home teachers come over after church. Luke is running all over the living room. Isaac is laying on the couch putting his feet in my face. The home teachers are trying to read a story from the Friend...Luke is talking loudly, and every attempt to quiet him only leads to more noise and him running around like a crazy man. Isaac is still putting his feet in my face to I move him off the sofa, Noah comes to sit by me. Isaac comes over and wants to sit by me too. All this while the Home Teacher is trying to read a story. Then Noah kicks Isaac, who then starts to cry and hits Noah. Then they all some how end up on the floor and Isaac kicks Noah in the face and now they are both crying while Luke is running around like a crazy person......Our Home Teachers head directly for the front door wondering why they were assigned the Millers out of all the people in the ward.....
We then head to the kitchen for dinner. Here is how dinner plays out.....
Mom: Eat your dinner Luke.
Luke: No, it's gross....
He proceeds to throw his sandwich and ends up in time out. He then tears apart his room, resulting in more time out. By the time he gets out of time out we are done eating and we are having dessert. All of us except Isaac, who is still staring at his sandwich, he thinks it is gross too.
I am eating some ice cream and Luke sees the ice cream and wants some.
Mom: You need to eat your dinner before you have some ice cream.
Luke (crying): No! It's gross....
Mom: You can't have any ice cream until you eat your dinner.
Luke (screaming): I want ice cream.
He proceeds to beat the crap out of his sandwich on his plate.
Isaac is sitting at the table staring at his sandwich. He decides to eat a little.
Isaac (screaming): I keep coughing when I eat my sandwich.....cough cough
Luke (screaming): I want ice cream....
Mom laughing while looking at Jason......what else can we do.....
Isaac (crying): I keep coughing, I can't eat my dinner.
Mom and Dad now in the living room waiting for the boys to finish to watch Funniest Home Videos.
Isaac wondering in holding his sandwich (screaming): Look at my sandwich I can't eat it....
Mom looking....not seeing anything....
Luke (screaming): I want ice cream......
We finally get everyone fed and Isaac and Luke get their ice cream in the living room so we can watch our show.
Isaac (screaming): I got something on my shirt
Dad: It doesn't matter just sit down and eat your ice cream
Isaac (screaming): It's dirty, what if it gets on something...
Dad (now yelling): It doesn't matter....just deal with it
At the same time Luke comes over to me.
Luke: I no like my ice cream
Me: Laughing....
Luke (screaming): I no like my ice cream
Me: laughing harder....
Noah: Why are you laughing?
Me: laughing harder....
This is not a joke. This is a perfect example of my life. Lucky for everyone I am feeling fantastic lately so I can just laugh and roll with the punches! Thank heavens it is almost bedtime.....

Must See!

You have to go check out this You Tube video, it will make you smile!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Isaac's newest accomplishment!

Isaac has learned to ride his bike without training wheels! Yipee! He was outside with Noah and they decided to try it out. He got right on and rode away. He is so excited, he wants to ride his bike every moment of the day! Yeah for Isaac!!

We had to get some pictures of the big occasion!

Here he is showing off!

Park City

We took the boys up to Park City last week and stayed for a few days! It was perfect weather to hike and ride the Alpine slide and shop! The boys did swim but I thought it was a little chilly for the pool. We had a blast and it was nice to spend a little time together before school starts!

Noah rode on the Alpine Coaster, he was a little nervous at first but ended up having a blast!

Here we are getting ready to ride the Alpine Slide. Luke didn't know what to think but he laughed and screamed the whole way down.

Isaac remembered going on the Alpine Slide last year so he was so excited to ride it again this year.

Luke fell asleep on the lift up to the Alpine Slide.

Here is the rest of us riding the lift up to the slide!

Stuff

I was reading the Ensign last night. I read a short article and turned the page. The next article was the Question & Answer section. The question was this:
I love and am grateful for my young children, but I sometimes get distracted or discouraged by the practical details of raising a family and I struggle to remember what an important work it is. How can I better align my day-to-day actions and attitudes with gospel truths about family?
Pretty funny huh, just what I needed to read. Some of the comments were kind of funny to me but one lady said:
"As my children get older, I realize there are good and bad parts to each stage of our lives together. Many of the challenges pass with time. So do some of the joys. I try to take stock of the joys, to imprint them on my memory for the days when the long sleepless nights have passed - and with them the sweet, soft smell of a baby's warm head against my neck."
It made me want to cry, I think I am going try to have a better attitude so I don't miss those moments!!

NICU Reunion

We took the boys to the NICU Reunion tonight. They had pony rides, Life Flight, an ambulance and a fire truck there for the boys to get in and check out. Isaac was the only one that would ride the ponies. There was a camel there too???? They got tons of goodies and had a blast! It is crazy how fast they grow up! It was almost 9 years since we were in the NICU with Noah and almost 6 years since we were in there with Isaac. Things have changed so much since that time! It is always such a reminder to me of how precious our kids are, we are so lucky to get them here healthy and then to keep them healthy and happy as they grow!

Noah about 2 days into his stay at LDS!

Isaac about two weeks into his stay at LDS!

Seven Peaks!

Jason and I took the boys to Seven Peaks today! I got there and realized I left my camera at home....I was so mad! Jason took the big boys on all the big rides and I hung out at the kiddy pool with Luke! He had a blast! I think his favorite thing there was the wave pool. We spent the day together and hardly fought at all! Yipee!
We came home and had a backyard BBQ with some of our neighbors. We had steaks and our friends brought over a fryer and make homemade french fries.....ymmmm......it was a nice night, a perfect way to end a fabulous day! The boys passed out when we put them to bed, (rare if nonexistent at our house) not even one peep! sigh....what a good day.....

The Fair!

We went to the Davis County Fair on Thursday! The boys had a blast, this was the first year we didn't do the pony rides but none of the boys were interested so why wait in line? They played and I sweated and sweated some more. But come we must....it is a family tradition.....Oh, Kae and her kids just happened to be there when we got there so I got to see her too! AWESOME!
It was a good day!

What do I need???

I have been having a really bad attitude about being a mom and a housewife. I don't know how to shake it. My boys are really wild and they don't listen or obey, they can destroy the house in about 3 minutes flat. We do have our fun moments but it seems like lately they are just moments while the craziness is the norm around here. I don't seem to be able to keep up with the laundry or the dishes, if I want a clean kitchen floor I have to mop it like 4-5 times a week. The bathrooms are a joke.....those of you who have boys know what I am talking about.....I like a clean house but I go crazy TRYING to keep it clean so what is the use.
I feel like I am having a mid life crisis, I have gained a few pounds, can't lose them, I yell way to much, can't keep my house clean, my children are sassy and wild, don't even get me started about Sunday's..... I need a shrink....and a vacation....and an amazingly fast acting diet......
I realize school is about to start which should help some, but then we have homework and carpools and all the craziness that comes with school starting.......
HELP!!!!

I went to see "Julie & Julia" tonight with some gals I live by. I seriously laughed so hard, it was very cute! Just what I needed!!

Word to the wise....not a man show......

What were we thinking....

When we bought our house we were coming from a quarter acre, full sun backyard. So buying a house with a great backyard was a HUGE deal. I walked through this house to the window in the kitchen and looked out at the backyard and knew this was the house for us!
Funny how living in your house for a little while changes your perspective.....

This is our top tier, funny how you don't realize that your swingset is going to need to be stained every year....haa haa

You can't see it in this picture but this is how you get the lawn mower to the bottom tier, it is a steep little hill and is one of the reasons I don't mow the lawn.....ok... so I probably wouldn't mow the lawn even if it was just one tier....I did say ONE of the reasons....

These are the stairs that go down to the bottom tier. That vine you see grows all over the stairs and has to be cut back a couple of times a year....it's a super fun job....full of creepy spiders.....and wasps....
I think some of the problem is that we live by lots of old people that get up at 5 am and work on their yard until dark.....Jason and I aren't really work hard on your lawn type of people.....nope, not that type of people....

The basketball court is on the bottom tier. It is usually covered in toys and weeds. I.... ok we (I put the boys to work hee hee) had to sweep and weed it today....fun, fun, fun....

These are the stone stairs that go down to the bottom tier. We thought they were so quaint before we moved in........see how the stairs above are all cover in vine, oh, and the stairs are not at all kid friendly.....sadly.....

We have a wooded section of the bottom tier, I love this part of the back yard, the scrub oak is fabulous and it is shaded.

There are three tiers here....two with lilacs on them....interestingly enough Isaac is SUPER allergic to lilacs, had a really bad asthma attack this spring after playing in the back when they were in bloom....awesome.....the bottom tier has some kind of bush in it, I have not been diligent in weeding and so it gets really overgrown with weeds and it kills the bushes....hee hee, we have lost like 4 already.....

We thought the deck was so cool before we moved in, now that I live here I have nightmares of some child falling off it and dying.....it is now off limits to everyone.....everyone...... pretty sad because the view is fantastic.....
Ok, so I was having a really bad attitude about my yard until I started to blog. It looks so nice in the pictures and now it is so clean, and unweedy. I am feeling pretty lucky to have a great back yard for boys.....I think I need to be more grateful for what I have....that might last right up to the time I have to spend another day in the yard with the spiders and weeds.....

The Beach!!!

We went to the beach with Jenny and Tyler last week! Yes, Utah has beaches, totally man made but who cares??? The boys had a blast and it was fun to get to hang out with Jenny!

Louie loves his Cars goggles.....

Isaac jumping off the pier......

Noah jumping off the pier.....

Trouble......

Silence when you have a two year old is not a good thing unless they are sleeping.....

This would be an entire BOX of kleenex tissues, some soap and a hand towel...all completely wet in my bathroom sink......
I need a nanny.....and a housekeeper......

Swim, Bike, Run

We did our mini triathlon on Saturday! We drove up to Wyoming and slept over at our friends sisters house. I didn't sleep at all that night, some nerves, mostly just sleeping with Louie. We thought it was going to be a 13 mile bike ride and 300 meter swim but it ended up just being a 6 mile bike ride, 250 meter swim and 5K run. It was a perfect first triathlon! Jason finished in 52 minutes. I finished in 67 minutes and Sally and Ben came in just after that. I would have finished a little sooner but I ran the wrong way and had to turn around and come back to the right trail, aghhhh! I underestimated how hard the swim was going to be. I trained for swimming and thought it was going to be a piece of cake. When I came in after the bike ride I was already tired and breathing heavy, I didn't wear my contacts and so I was blind as I was swimming and I forgot to put my nose plugs on. I seriously thought of quitting as I was drowning in the pool but managed to finish.....whew.... I got a stress fracture in my right foot from running too much (go figure) so I hadn't run for like a month. My foot did hurt a little but amazingly I did great on the run (other than my little detour at the start). As I was racing I can truly say that the only thing I was thinking as I was biking, swimming, and running was......
What the %&#$ am I doing???

We thought this was a funny sign...don't we just look like total athletes?? I know... I should have taken my helmet off for the picture but the race was starting in like 1 minutes, people were already lining up.....

Jason decided to do the race at the last minute, he swam a week before the race and never ran one time....go figure he would come in before all of us who had been training for like 4 months.

I must say I am glad that is over. We are still training, we now have our sights set on doing another one in September!! Wish us luck!

My baby is growing up....

We put Louie's crib away! It is a sad day for me....he hopped out of his crib and we knew it was time. He was pretty excited about his big boy bed. He has given up naps, but seems to be doing pretty good at night!

Family Reunion Fun!

We went to the Miller Family Reunion this last weekend! I didn't take 1 picture? I know, what is wrong with me?? We camped and played at the lake and had tons of fun (except for the first night when it rained ALL night long....)! The boys were in HEAVEN! I personally am glad to be home, sleeping in my own bed, taking warm showers and staying clean! I only have one more load of laundry to do then I am all caught up!!! (Well, that is if you don't count that I still need to fold all the clean laundry.....blah.....) Our theme this year was the Olympics, our family took 5th place (5 familys, yep dead last....)! Wahoo.... I think they might have been rigged.... we didn't win one event.... We got home just in time to clean up and head to the neighbors for dinner and fireworks! What a fun weekend!

Fun, Fun, Fun....

We had a blast! I watched tons of chick flicks with Jamie and ate lots of good food! The boys got to play and play! I got to see all my family up there, it was great to see everyone!

Me and Louie.

Louie hanging out.

Jolie, Noah, Isaac and Abbie playing....

Pedicures...

We got pedicures while I was there. Thanks Jamie! I was in need of a pedicure in a bad way!!

Jolie and Abbie soaking their toes....

Me getting my toes done!

Swimming....Swimming....Swimming....

We got to swim every day. The boys had a blast. Isaac was so proud that he could swim without floaties. Everyone who saw him asked if he was drowning....lucky for all of us he did not drown! Noah and Isaac DID end up getting swimmers ear. Lucky for me it was on our way home, I got to listen to them cry about how much their ears hurt the entire 10 hour car ride home!

Isaac and Jolie....

All the kids and me....

Noah and Jaden.....

Louie and Abbie......

Lunch at PF Changs....

Jamie had a couple of coupons so we hit P.F. Changs after gymnastics. Our waiter was EXCELLENT, he was so good with the kids and gave us all sorts of free stuff. Jamie kept asking me why he was being so nice???? Who knows, but he did get a big tip from us that day!

Louie goofing off....

Fun with the chopsticks....

All of us together in front of the restaurant....(the nice waiter is taking our picture....haa haa)

Noah's trip to the farm....

Noah got to go spend a day at the farm with Jeremy and Jaden. He had a blast!

Here is Noah and Jaden showing how big the fish were that they caught....Jaden might be overestimating slightly.....

The boys....

Noah with one of the fish he caught!

Noah and Jaden getting ready to launch the boat.

Conquering the tractor......

Our trip to Washington....

The boys and I took a trip up to Washington. We got there just in time to celebrate my Mom and my Uncle John's birthday!

Me with my cousins.....

The birthday kids.....
Happy Birthday Mom and Uncle John!!

5K Anyone....

I ran my first 5K today! I have been wanting to run one for years I just haven't gotten my butt off the couch. My friend Sally ran it with me. It was pouring rain but we did it anyway!
Yeah for us!!!!

I need a better hat.....

Almost done....

Sally finishing up.....