Random thought

Okay, so I've been running now for about three months now, putting in around 25 miles a week to prepare for my half-marathon. But what I would like to know is why when I have the body type of "Olive Oil" from Pop-eye do I still have a jiggly butt? Seriously, I hardly have any junk in the trunk and yet my butt is still flabby! And I am not just being hard on myself either because Allison even comes up behind me after I get out of the shower and has a great time smacking my bum to watch it jiggle! "Mom your bummy is so wiggly! Cool!"

One of lifes many mysteries I suppose....

My baby is four now! WAAA!

I'm THIS many!

So I cannot believe that my little Al Pal is now a four year old! She made the transition on Sunday, September 21st (and ironically shares the same birthday with my brother's daughter who turned two) She had a "princess party" and cupcakes instead of cake (works for me!). Had I given Allison the choice she probably would have wanted all her friends over to but I just invited family because that still put us around twenty people! But what a GORGEOUS day it was! September can be hit or miss but man was it dead on! So we spend the afternoon outside, hanging out, eating, playing, and watching Al open her gifts.

Before her birthday I did try to convince Allie to stay a three year old and NOT have a birthday but to no avail. She always claims that if she can only get big like me, THEN she will be bigger than her sister! Well good luck to her but I'm pretty sure she won't ever catch up to her sister (who by the way, is almost four years older!) But alas, there is nothing like a good ole' sister rivalry!

I will say this a hundred more times, but I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BABY IS FOUR NOW!!! Oh, why do they have to grow up?

STALLING.....................still stalling

This 1/2 marathon thing is now pretty much staring me in the face. And it has been quite some time now since I've gone out for a longer run than 5 miles. So tonight I am going to lace up my shoes and attempt to go for a 6 -7 mile run. I am losing my drive for training for this race which is NOT a good thing. Now is NOT the time.

Ugh. I will be fine once I'm going but right now I just want to find an excuse NOT to go....BUT if I don't then I will be dogging it the entire race....Oh but I'd really rather sit on the couch and eat some of the yummy candy I got for my birthday.... But, if I don't go out then my much older sister Lisa (haha, j/k) will completely kick my butt in this race...But shoot, I really should spend the time here cleaning up the kitchen I destroyed while making soup a.k.a. dinner for the next 3 weeks or so....No, no, no if I don't go then I will regret it and I don't when my next opportunity to run will be....

Okay, okay I'll end this lame post and go for a stinkin run! Crap!

I will go with what I know

When facing a difficult situation, often it is hard to see how there could ever be a positive outcome. It is during these times when I need to stand on God’s many promises and “go with what I know, not with what I feel” The situation may look impossible but I know my God is bigger than any obstacle out there and he has a perfect plan!

The enemy is so good with trying to fill our minds with thoughts of hopelessness and feelings of defeat but I am equipped with a weapon far more powerful and I know that by speaking God’s word, I can reaveal wrong thinking and it will quickly lose its power. The word of God is sharper than any two edged sword! God’s word is just full of His awesome promises. And so, even on days where I am tempted to give up on my hopes because the situation seems hopeless and things are not happening in "my" time, I will I just keep praying for a miracle, but I will leave the outcome in God’s hands and in His time….

*Lord, help me to always be "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, and continuing steadfastly in prayer" Romans 12:12*

Garbage Disposal Withdrawls

So I forgot again that since moving to our new house we no longer have a garbage disposal! And scooping soggy Cinnamon Toast Crunch out of the sink with my bare hand first thing in the morning is not my favorite way to start the day. I hope I can get used to not having one. What do people do with left over cereal in the morning (not to mention dinner scrapes) if you don't have a garbage disposal to feed? And don't say "uh, the garbage" because that doesn't work! Then the milk will leave the garbage smelling even less than peachy and god forbid the bag springs a leak! I've tried holding the cereal back with spoon and letting the milk drain into the sink but without fail there are always some mushy boogers that sneak out. HOWEVER, if a garbage disposal-or lack thereof-is the biggest of my woes then I should be dancing a jig, not complaining on my blog. Moving on....

Note to self: **Repeat three times** "I no longer have a garbage disposal, I no longer have a garbage disposal, I no longer have a garbage disposal."

Pet Peeve

Juliet brought this home from her first day of school. Click on the picture and check out #3. Allison's whining is not her pet peeve, nor her hitting, or swiping her belongings - just Allison-as a whole-is Juliet's pet peeve. Said just like a true sister. Some days I can relate.

#11 is also note worthy. Though if I had $100 and could actually purchase a house with that amount of money then I too would "by a house". I'm no dummy either.

Blueberry picking

Ready to start picking!

I figured a good ole' country blueberry picking with good friends and beautiful weather is blog worthy! Jen, Karell, and I went to a place in Glastonbury to pick before the season was over and there was still really good picking! The kids did great and were great "helpers"! I ended up picking over 10 pounds! So far I have made blueberry muffins, pancakes, and two pies with the berries. The rest I froze on cookie sheets and then threw them in a ziplock bag so I can use them as needed. Hmm, what should I make next?

School Update

Well Juliet is doing GREAT with school. The first day she came home just BOUNDING off the bus and the first thing she said was "I LOVE riding the bus!" She also told me she made three friends and likes this school better than Washington because "they explain things better". I am just thrilled and this is truly an answer to prayer!

Fast forward to this morning and this was the reaction I got upon telling Juliet it was time to get ready for school. "I don't want to go to school. Do I have to ride the bus? Can't you just drive me?" Oh for goodness sake! Already?! In her defense though, she did snap out of it pretty quickly and got off to school without a hitch!

Does this look painful to you?

Here is Allison's attemp to put on her underwear by herself. She was so proud of herself that I didn't have the heart to fix them. So they looked super uncomfortable - she didn't seem to mind! I am just happy that she's finally interested in dressing herself. I am realizing that I do FAR too much for my girls. Come on, a seven year old can't get a drink by herself?? It's time to make some changes around here. They are old enough now to start doing some simple chores and tasks on their own, even if it does mean they have to walk around with a nasty frontal wedgie all day!

The "lucky" tooth has fallen out

Well, the "lucky" tooth is no more! Juliet's crooked, yellowed tooth has fallen out and she is happy, though I think I'm even more thrilled about it! She's had the crooked tooth since she was two years old and decided to do a not-so-graceful ballerina spin at my mom's house in her socks and landed straight onto the hardword floor, face first. Her tooth actually chipped the floor and she didn't have time to break her fall with her hands. The worst part was that I watched the whole thing but wasn't able to do anything about it in time. There was blood everywhere and thank goodness Chris was there because I just lost my mind and any logic that was supposed to go with it!

Anyway, she's called it her "lucky" tooth since that time. That name comes from the movie Finding Nemo because Nemo has the messed up fin that he calls his "lucky fin". Hey, whatever works! Though I'm not sure how "lucky" it really was because the tooth fairy still only left her a buck! Cheapskate!

Fenway the hot dog

My Boys!

Some of you may not have "met" the new addition to our family yet. He is a 1/2 Dachshund 1/2 Carin Terrier mix. I got him this past Mother's Day when he was 7 weeks old. Trooper and him are good buddies and are working out great. He is a pretty cool little guy and just lives to have his belly rubbed and for food in any form he can get his paws on. He is a little mischievous little booger. If something goes missing I know longer automatically blame Allison - I know Fenway probably had something to do with it!

First Day of 2nd Grade!

There she goes!

Juliet is officially a 2nd grader now! She got off to school with a no tears and a smile on her face - what more could you ask for? She's not home yet and I can't wait to hear how her day went!

Check out Allison's face in the background! Too funny!

Gus is Rescued!

Gus safely back home

After two very thorough searches throughout my entire house, I had almost decided to give up looking for Gus. This is gross, but I figured worse case scenario I would be able to sniff him out in a few days and put his little body to his final resting place (a.k.a. a shoe box buried in our backyard). I tried everything I knew how to find this little guy. I even put Trooper on a leash and thought he'd magically have the capabilities of a police dog and sniff him out. But much to our dismay, we discovered that Trooper does not have a future as a K-9 cop.

However, since the girls kept insisting that we just had to find him, I thought we'd search one last time. This time I decided to look behind our washer and dryer all the way down stairs. At first, all I saw was a giant lint ball but then it moved! There was fluffy old Gus, hanging out behind our dryer. I estimate he could have been there for up to 3 entire days, based on my investigation with the kids as to "Who done it". Juliet admitted that on Tuesday when her friends were over, perhaps she didn't quite close his cage all the way.

But what I can't believe is that little dude fell from his cage about 4 feet, went all the way down stairs, and into the farthest room possible in my house, behind the dryer no less. And yet, he didn't break any bones (um, I think), starve to death, or get eaten by a dog on his journey. All I know is this hamster must have 9 lives.

Hartford Half Marathon

Well, I'm finally going to do it! I have not run a single race since cross country in high school, when I actually swore that I would never run again. Running was always a love-hate relationship with me. But now since running is sometimes the only chance I get to get a break from working and being a mom and wife, I am now in love. It is such an awesome, constructive outlet for me. So I decided to do a half marathon (aka 13.1 miles) and my eldest sister, Lisa, will join me. And we've actually been good about training. So I may be crazy, but I'm going for it on October 11th!

The Case of the Missing Hamster

Oh crap, Gus is mia again! Unfortunately the girls know about it and they are freaking out because they adore this darn hamster. Apparently hamsters life expectancy is only about 2 1/2 - 3 years and Gus is already 3 1/2. So he is really pushing his luck by pulling this disappearing act at such an old age. He's gone missing before but I have always successfully found him and Trooper, our Rottweiler, has always successfully NOT found him. So he's been one lucky hamster thus far but this is officially the longest he has gone without being found. I am praying I don't find a Gus carcass in a couple days - or worse a couple weeks or months! Ewww, just the thought. Oh Gus, please show your fat, fluffy self really soon!!

We Moved!

We purchased a home in Coventry and have been here for about 2 weeks now. We absolutely love it! We now have an awesome neighborhood (the kind of neighborhood where people actually indroduce themselves and welcome you to the neighborhood) and a great school system. The girls have been loving riding their scooters on our (looong) driveway to pick blackberries and discovering what the "country" has to offer. They love it, we love it, the dogs even love it. What more can you ask for?

"Acorn" and Tinkerbell

Here is Allison decided that she is pretty much through with having her picture taken for the night! Well, after decided that pulling off the "Gabriella look" for Halloween on a three year old would be more challenging than originally thought, I was able to talk Allison into being something else. She chose an "acorn" costume as she calls it, though I'm not really sure why, and thankfully my mom was able to make it for her in record time. Of course I am partial, but I think she is the cutest little candy corn ever. And Juliet made a gorgeous Tinkerbell. The girls ended up having a great time that night!

Tinkerbell and Gabriella?

Okay, so it's that time of year again-time to figure out what the kids want to be for "Hallelujah Night"! This is a huge event we at our church on Halloween night as an alternative to the traditional Halloween, which for obvious reasons we don't really celebrate. So instead they hold a celebration at the church with different game stations where the kids can win small prizes and then at the end of the night they go home with a bag of candy. They also rent two huge bouncy things which they put in the sanctuary, then of course they have cookie decorating, face painting, so on and so fourth.

Well, so far Juliet thinks she wants to be either Hannah Montana or Tinkerbell, though she is leaning toward the latter, and Allison will be either Belle or "Gabriella", from High School Musical. Problem is, she's got it in her head that her dear old dad will be willing to stand in as "Troy Bolton"! This child is in love with High School Musical. It is a riot, especially for her being so little. She has the dolls that sing which she got for her birthday and now has a "Troy Bolton ipod."

Last year Juliet was a pirate and Allie was the cutest little Raggedy Ann ever. It'll be interesting to see what they decide, and even more interested to see how I'll pull off turning Allison into Gabriella!

Flower Girl...Sort of

I just came across some photos of Allison that I just had to share. As many of you know, Allison was supposed to be the cutest little flower girl there ever was in her Uncle's wedding the beginning of last month. She decided however, about an hour before the wedding that she wanted to remain completely naked rather than wear her beautiful flower girl dress that she originally loved so much in the store that it was hard to get off her. Well, after much coaxing, a sore bum, you name it, Allison still refused to get her dress on and now 5 minutes before the wedding was to start my shirt is what she ended up wearing for the entire day! At the reception I found her curled up in a ball looking like a homeless orphan. She never did walk down the isle but she still looked adorable that day in a way that only Allie could pull off! Now, for the next two weeks Allie continued to defy us in every way possible but I would like to report that, praise God, Allie is doing much, much better! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all your prayers for Allison! God is so good! And who knows, now maybe Allie will be a big sister some day after all!

My Baptism

It was over a year ago now that I was baptized and I had drafted this whole post awhile back but somehow it never got posted. Even though it's well after, I'd still like to share....

I decided to share my baptism experience on my blog because while it is very personal I decided to share it because God did not ask it to be a "private" confession - it is supposed to be a public confession! I was so blessed that night I got baptized, from start to finish.

While I was waiting in the wings for the baptisimal portion of the service to begin, I was able to pray with a woman I met that night who was also getting baptized and had unsaved family come watch, including her mother and daughter. We prayed that God would use her testimony to reach them and the holy spirit was so strong while we prayed we were both overcome. I believe that God will use that experience and prayer somehow.My baptismal experience was one of the most profound spiritual experiences I've ever had. It was long overdue, but I keep putting it off because I was afraid of being so accountable to God. How ridiculous is that?! But the whole thing was amazing! Too bad you can only do it once!This is the testimony I wrote and was read aloud to the congergation just before the dunking. Be blessed!

Bethany Groves-Telling My Story
I was raised in a Christian home and received Christ at the age of five. I remember even at such a young age that I wanted and needed Jesus in my life. Then as I hit adolescence, my family became very broken. I started making bad decisions and rebelling. I started drinking and partying to dull the pain. At the age of eighteen I became pregnant and fell into severe depression. The depression overwhelmed me. I began drinking more heavily and isolated myself; going out in the daytime was next to impossible for me. I began to injury myself and became very suicidal. I saw no way out of my self-destructive lifestyle. I felt abandonment, betrayal, hopelessness, and I no longer saw any reason to be alive. I was so frustrated that no medication, counselors, or even psychiatrists seemed to be able to help me. It even felt like God himself had forgotten and abandoned me.Then when I was at the end of my rope, God, with his perfect timing, showed me that he had never left me. He was just waiting for me to call upon Him. He showed me that my life had a purpose and that I was “fearfully and wonderfully” made by Him. God’s healing power and grace became so real to me at such a desperate time. Through it all God had a perfect plan for my life and I am now so blessed with my loving, godly husband and two beautiful girls. God has blessed me with more than I ever could have thought for myself. God continues to help me through some of my past issues and hurts, but I know my life has been forever changed by his mercy and grace. He is so faithful.