I'm Doing it!

Ever since my mom started running marathons years ago I have always wanted to run one with her.  Well a few weeks ago she asked my sisters and I to go to San Diego for a girls trip and she was going to run a marathon while she was out there.  One day I  thought, how cool would it be to run with my mom while we are out there.  Then I remembered a marathon was 26.2 miles and it's only 4 months away so I went to the details of the marathon and saw they had a half as well.  Perfect!  Then doubt set in and I just wasn't sure if I could do it, I brought it up to my sisters and now we are all going to go for it together! I'm excited, nervous, anxious, and terrified to fail but I think it will be an awesome experience.  I'm not sure if we will even get to run with mom since she is still doing the full marathon but we will still have a great time and get to experience the atmosphere together!

 I do have to admit I kind of tested myself yesterday before I made my final decision.  I haven't ran since probably June.  I workout generally about 5 days a week but running isn't part of my routine.  So yesterday since it wasn't freezing like today, I decided to go out and run and see what I could do.  I ran a little over 2 miles and only stopped for about 10 seconds at one point to get my breathe back. I felt like I could of done more however by the way my muscles feel today I'm glad I didn't.  Apparently you use a lot of different muscles then the ones I have been using.    Most of the training schedules I found start 3 months before the race and have you running about  2.5-4 miles per day in the first week.  With that being said since I ran a little over 2 yesterday with technically a month until training begins I know I can build up to 3 or 4 in that time.  So here goes to training for my first half marathon, The San Diego Rock and Roll!

Wish us luck!

The Things Noah Says

This morning Noah and Carson were sitting at the island having breakfast and I was just listening to Noah talk because that is just what he does now and I turned to Matthew and said "I want to freeze Noah where he his, can you help me do that".  He told me he couldn't and then he sat by the boys after getting himself a poptart.  Noah then decided he wanted a warm pop tart like daddy ( he has never had them warm before).  Matthew got him one, then gave it to him and in that short time he already decided he didn't want a warm pop tart and started whining and pushed it away.  Ahh the normal every day with a 3 year old.  They can whine a lot, throw fits, talk back, and change their mind ALL the time but they say some of the funniest stuff. I need to start writing down a lot more things since  I don't remember anything, but I did remember a few.

Last night in the bath, Carson had already gotten out like 5 minutes before and Noah was still playing.  I was trying to talk him into getting out and he said "mom, I have work at my job, there's still jobs to do." For some reason he thinks he thinks playing with his toys in the bath are his jobs.  This isn't the first time we have heard something about his jobs before.

A few nights ago when I was putting him to bed,  he told me when he gets bigger he is going to drive my car and daddy and mommy are going to sit in the little boy seats in back.  Yeah I don't think so!!

Then Noah has a slight obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine.  I think it's weird because I don't understand how any kid could love Thomas, the show is so weird and BORING!  But anyways the sayings they use have made  their way into Noah's daily language.  Scary!  We have got to change something here.  Anyways he says buckers all the time when he is talking about his engines because on the show they always say buffers, which I'm guessing they are talking about a part on the engine.  They also say Bust by buffers which we have heard quite a few times from our little guy.  Now the lastest he has added  is instead of like darnit or shoot on the show they say fizzling fireboxes and you guessed it someone is always saying fireboxes.
Then Monday was the kicker, we were driving around town and Noah saw 3 train cars sitting on the tracks and said "mom, look there's 3 buckers."  Shortly after he follows with " oh no mom, the buckers are stuck on the branch line".


My favorite other things he says are in his sweet times when he just decides to tell me, Mom, I love you.  There just isn't anything better.   He usually rubs my face or my arm or something when he says, it kills me every time.  He also can be just as sweet with Carson and he calls him buddy alot and will just rub part of him when something is wrong.  Such a blessing to see them love each other and get along so well at times.

So blessed to have my little talker enlighten every day with his complex thoughts (for a 3 year old anyway) and silly ideas!

Budgeting

I never did a New Year's Resolution post this year and I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do or how I really feel about them.  However I knew this year I wanted to focus on Budgeting, to me that means actually sticking to one,  as one of my big goals.  Last year I did well the first couple months keeping track and trying to stick to one.  Then... I don't know what happened but  I just eventually quit trying to stick to the plan.  So again this year that is at the top of my list.

I redid our spreadsheets at the beginning of January and found a neat app I put on my phone to help me out.    (more on that in a minute) Everyone has their own way of doing budgets but this is what we do/ will be trying this year.
For the areas that require checks or AFT and Income I use a spreadsheet that has the Company/ Bill date/ Amount Budgeted and then the Actual.  Then it also has spots to record budgeting income and actual income.  Now I'm fully using my spreadsheet as always but also will be doing a version of the envelopes system.  We started out last year using the envelope system but I don't like getting all that cash each month and I would always somehow get the money mixed up, forget to bring cash with me or something that would get me them thrown off.  Thus the month would be messed up and back to  the credit card  I would go.  We usually end up using our Credit card for everything and then write a big check each month paying it off.  We get rewards this way, it's easy for us, and we don't buy things we don't have the money for.  Then I was looking at budgeting apps trying to find something that would help me out and I found the perfect one and another perk it's free! It's an electronic version of envelopes.  This way we can still use our card, get rewards but use technology envelopes instead.  The app is called EEBA.  We created an account and now Matthew can log on on his phone, I can on mine, we can log on, on the Ipad, the information we need is always with us and it's simple to use.   To start all you do is set up your envelopes, fund your envelopes with your monthly budget.  Then each time you use money from that envelope record the transaction and the app keeps tracks of it all for you.

If you aren't familiar with the Envelope system watch this video by EEBA here.

If you want to find out more about EEBA go here.

If budgeting is on your goal list this year, I recommend you check it out.  I may have busted my budget already this month ( We had Noah's birthday party and bought new lights for the house)  but I do like it and will continue to use it!  It's only a few more days to a new month and I can stop looking at those darn negative signs on some of my envelope categories.

I also wanted to set a smaller goal each month to try and achieve.  This month may sound silly to some but I wanted to not buy any clothes for the boys or myself.  For me this is a big deal.  I tend to buy a lot of unnecessary clothing for all of us.  We all have plenty to wear so it shouldn't be a sacrifice but it is.  It's good for me because 1)helps those budget categories and 2) Just because we have worn it a few times doesn't mean we can't keep wearing it.  I need to work on gettting over being bored with our current clothes, especially with the boys because they definitely don't care what they wear!  I'm proud to say it's January 26th and I haven't bought anything for the boys and I haven't spent any money on clothes for myself either!  Believe it or not I actually got our statement from Old Navy and I have a $38 credit on my card.  I don't think that has ever happened in my lifetime!  Woo hoo!

No More Perfect Kids

In "No More Perfect Moms" by Jill Savage one of the first areas of a mom/woman's  life that she covers is No More Perfect Kids and this chapter sure spoke to me a lot!  Not to far in the chapter I read this:

"Their imperfections are not a reflection of you.  You can't "control" them into perfection...... The most beautiful thing you can offer them if your imperfect self who does her best to handle their imperfections with love and grace."  

Ahhhhhh, insert a huge sigh of relief.  

My one year old throws extreme temper tantrums , my 3 year old doesn't listen well and talks back a lot, and most days if I let myself I feel like I have completely failed as a mom because they don't act how I "feel" they should.  I can easily look at other moms and compare my kids to theirs and wonder how/why theirs behave so well and mine are out of control.  

Something I have learned is that I need to have expectations but I also need to expect for my boys to fail.  My boys are not perfect and never will be, it just doesn't exist.  

This chapter made me think about when the "mommy monster" comes out  and I realized so many times  I turn into the "mommy monster"  when they don't act as if I think they should, when they drop their sippy cup on the floor after I have just mopped, when Noah talks to loud while Carson is napping, when water gets out of  the tub. I expect way to much out of them and in my disappointment, I mess up and turn into someone  I don't want to be.  

This week I want to focus on those times I turn into the "mommy monster"  and to be more aware of how it happens and I'm sure the majority of the time I am going to realize the problem isn't my boys, it's my unrealistic expectations.  Then in those moments I want to show them love and grace instead of anger and yelling.  

In case you haven't signed up for the January No More Perfect Moms Email Challenge, it's not too late you can still sign up here and I highly recommend it, there have been some awesome emails!  

Here is one from January 8th on No More Perfect Kids, good, good stuff!

Day 8

“You know, motherhood has caused me to come face to face with my less-than-wonderful qualities. Sometimes my kids bring out the worst in me. However, God doesn’t waste a thing. He uses my kids to bring me to Him. When I come face to face with my shortcomings, my weaknesses, and my sin, it’s a reminder of my need for a God who wants me to be more like Him each and every day.” –Jill Savage, NO MORE PERFECT MOMS

Motherhood brings with it a wide range of emotions. It’s amazing the different feelings our kids can arouse in us in the course of one day. Joy, frustration, love, and anger can all bombard us in the span of an hour. With the wide range of emotions, it’s easy to feel like a failure when our words or actions don’t match up with the love we have for our children.

Our kids seem to learn from an early age how to push our buttons, making us want to raise the white flag of surrender and shout, “I can’t do this!” We can’t do this on our own, but things are possible with God’s help. Yes, raising kids is messy, and many times we fail, letting our emotions get the best of us. However, with God’s grace, we can learn from our failures and become more like our Creator in the process.

Challenge:  The next time you let your emotions take control, take a minute to honestly apologize to your kids. Admit that you failed and ask for their forgiveness. Not only will you be setting a positive example on how to handle imperfections, you’ll draw closer to your child and your God in the process.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32.

Noah at 3 Years

Noah at 3 years old you

-Are completely potty trained!  Finally!  So proud of you!

-Are so stinking cute, silly and funny and at the same time the biggest back talker at 3, how does that happen?
We have some work to do in that department for sure but I know you are 3 now and for some reason 3 year olds start to think they have that right already.

-You outsmart me all the time, talk and act just like me at times, my outbursts come back to bite me because I hear you say my responses all the time.  The other day you told me "mom you know better".  You also talk British a lot.  You are always saying " I not" with a pouty lip and your arms folded.

- Are so smart and I couldn't be more proud of you.  I always remember back to when we thought you had speech issues because you weren't talking.  Now if you are awake you are talking.  We can have real conversations with you.  You understand everything, never forget anything we do/say and surprise me daily with the things that come out of your mouth.

-You can count to 10, and know most of the numbers to 20 you just sometimes skip some.  You can sing your ABC's and can recognize them all.  You can now sing lots of parts of songs like Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Loves you, Row Row, This little light of mine, Old MacDonald, Head and Shoulders, and your Thomas the Train theme song.

-You can get yourself completely dressed but don't always want to.  Some days Noah wants to do it and others you want us too.  We never know what kind of day it is!

-Finally eat everything yourself.  This was a long process and we still worked on it a lot this last year
-Are a fruit lover and finally eating more foods each month.  We have been making you try a lot more lately.
Someday  I will be making the same dinner for all of us!

-Are such a little helper!

-Can be such a lover.  You love kisses and hugs from us, you tell me you love me (my heart melts every time),  and sometimes want me to rock you after you see me rocking Carson at night.  You are getting old for that but I don't care, you let me I 'm doing it!  You also have your moments with Carson.  The other day you were so loving to him.  At one point I even shed a few tears.

-Love Thomas the train anything.  You also still like Lightning McQueen and the Crew.  It amazes me how much you get into it.  I never thought I would be one to get into character stuff but seeing how happy it makes you I can't help it.

-You love puzzles, doing art stuff, making messes and all things boy.  You enjoy doing learning stuff too, which  I love!  You used to pick something and play with it alot each day but now most days you move around from toy to toy playing with all sorts of different stuff

-Can be so quirky.  I could go on and on with examples.  But we have learned once we do anything for the first time, that's how you want it done each time.  And you and Carson both ended up super scheduled.  Maybe I'm to blame for that!

Noah one day you have me wanting to walk out the door or lock myself in my room, then the next I just can't help but want to give you a big hug and kiss you all day.  You make my temper go crazy and my heart so happy!  I love you so much!  You are a true toddler, and we have ups and down but I wouldn't trade you for anything.  I love this age you are at.  We have so much fun with you, love your imagination and personality!

Love you Noee!

Noah's 3rd birthday Party

My baby is 3!

Noah turned 3 on Jan 11th and we had his party on Saturday with lots of wonderful family and none other than a Thomas the Train theme.  Noah asked me for a James Birthday, but apparently most people don't care about James so we had a Thomas, James and Percy party since  I could find lots of stuff with all the engines on it.    Of course the cheap balloons are always the favorite. And in my normal fashion didn't think about taking pictures before hand so none of the decorations.  My camera was dead, our Ipad worked for a little bit then died so we have some pictures from the beginning but nothing after that.  I really need to work on getting better about that.  

Birthday boy while we sang Happy Birthday

Don't want to get our hands dirty!

Sometimes he really gets into card opening, others not so much! 

He got to eat cake, candy, open presents, and play with his cousins.  I don't think he could of asked for a better day!  

Christmas Wrap Up, Better Late than Never

December was a month with it all. Great memories, family time, lots of food, stress, messes, fun, fun fun, toys everywhere, sickness, many trips out to look at lights and so much more.

I love the holidays so much but I was ready for January.  I needed things to slow down and ready to get this house purged and organized.  We have so much stuff and now you really notice it since we just gained a whole new army of toys.  Haven't came up with a solution for that problem yet but we will.  That's  my goal for the next few months.

This year it really started to get fun with the boys.  Both of them loved the lights and we went out many nights to look at them and took extra detours on our way to things to see some extra ones.  Noah understands so much and blessed my socks off when he pointed out baby Jesus at all the houses around town.  The way he says it too is just downright adorable!  

We started some new traditions with the boys and can't wait to keep them going as they get older and into them more!  

And I tried to just have fun!  

Here are some pictures from our month.  I'm awful at taking pictures and remembering too. I wish I could hire a full time photographer to capture all the moments  I never do.  

Carson being silly with my sunglasses at one of our doctor visits.  Looks healthy and happy, yeah he had bronchialitis.     

 Noah eating and Carson chilling.  

We usually make gingerbread houses or trees, we switched it up this year and made trains out of rice krispies treats.  I spent hours trying to shape it into the perfect train shape or I may have bought a kit from Wal-Mart because this year my theme was having fun and making things easy.  

Noah had fun, that was the important part!

 We saw Santa.  He surprised us at Papa Bob's and Nana Jill's.  The look on his face!  Priceless.  

 We had fun looking for Choo-choo the elf each day and seeing what trouble he caused.  

 One night while looking at lights Noah told me wanted to tell Santa he wanted 2 candy cane lights.  The next  night Santa surprised all of us with not just 2 but 6 candy cane lights.  Noah loved them!  

 We are so blessed to have so many family members and got to spend time with most of them at all the different Christmas get togethers.  And of course most kids favorite part, opened lots of presents.  

 Then after Christmas Noah got to go sledding for the first time in his own back yard.  Not a big hill by any means for perfect for his first experience.  He loved it and enjoyed after as well by the fire with hot chocolate. And ever since each time he goes sledding he has to come in, sit by the fire and drink hot chocolate.  My son is a creature of habit!  

What a great month!