Useless!

In anticipation of Jeremy's R&R, I have acquired a bad case of uselessness. I'm restless and moody and I can't seem to accomplish anything. He should be home in about a month (and I can hardly stand the wait at this point). I'm starting to think that June will be a very unproductive month for me.

So, in honor of this, I am undertaking a new project. One my cousins got me started on mapmyrun.com (thanks, Alexis!). She has undertaken a challenge to run 50 miles in 30 days. So, I'm going to do the same in the month of June. Hopefully this will be a good activity for when I think "what am I going to do to get my mind off of time passing?". I want to load up on the miles at the beginning of the month, as I do have a rather long to do list for R&R (all those preparation activities need to wait until closer to the time Jeremy is coming home). I also want to work on my pace. I had thought I was running about 10 minute miles. WRONG! I've been running a pitiful 12 - 13 minute mile. So, I have a short course (2.2 miles) mapped out that I want to run once or twice a week until I get my pace to where I want it, which my initial goal is 10 minutes. I'd love to get to the point where I can easily do an 8 minute mile, but I know that is a long way off for me.

Hmmm....I may need to pick up a new pair of running shoes before the month is over! Dont' you love the way I can twist just about any situation into an excuse to shop?!

Hmmmm...

...wondering why the post I made on Wednesday, 5/27, says it was made on Tuesday, 5/26. Interesting...must be because I started it on Tuesday. But, really, who the heck cares when it was started?

Reminiscing

Today my baby boy turned 4 years old. Four!!! It hardly seems possible. Seriously, the last four years have just flown by.

This morning I took his official 4 year photos (something I started doing myself about a year ago). These were two of my favorites, partly because he reminds me so much of Jeremy in them.

And, well, this one was just too funny. This morning I walked into the living room to discover that Reid had stolen Lucy's bow and had put it to good use...

I also spent the day doing a little reminiscing, so I pulled out a few old photos of Reid to share with you.

This was at 3 years:

This was at 2 years, when we celebrated his birthday at Aunt Deb's Ocean (what the kids have taken to calling the Atlantic Ocean):

This was at one year:

And the next couple are from when he was just itty bitty and still at the hospital (the OSU Medical Center -- he's been a Buckeye since the very beginning, just like his daddy). I love the picture of the three of us, because Jeremy & I look so happy (in spite of my terribly swollen face). There are moments from that day that stand out very very clearly in my memory and I'm sure they always will. And, no, not the ones you would think (though I remember that stuff, too, but I'm not going to bore you with those). I remember very clearly driving down 670 in the dark. It was completely deserted and the lights were on under the bridges -- something I normally didn't see on my drive into work. I remember that the feast of Wendy's after Reid was born tasted like the best thing I had ever eaten. And the absolutely gorgeous diamond earrings Jeremy gave me -- the ones I take out only a few times a year -- when I told him they were too much and he should take them back he responded "but you puked for three months, you earned them" (which is why I like to call them my "puke present", as opposed to the super popular "push presents" of today).

Happy Birthday, Reid! I love you just the way you are -- ornery, stubborn, willful, defiant, funny, silly, smart and absolutely perfect just the way you are!

So very proud...

...of my husband and those he serves with and so very grateful for all those who have served and sacrificed all for this great nation, for our freedoms and for our future.

Four!

I can hardly believe it, but Reid will be turning four on Wednesday. Today we had small party in honor of this occasion. It was a nice day with Grandma, Grandpa and couple of good friends, though the weather didn't cooperate and was a bit cool for swimming (but that didn't stop Reid).

I made Reid's cake with fondant. I think it turned out pretty well, though I was regretting my decision to use it this morning after an hour of decorating. I still couldn't get the sides perfectly smooth, but it was pretty decent and better than the last one. Maybe a few more cakes will perfect my technique (though the sugar might kill me -- the buttercream is wicked and hard to resist -- just ask me what I've been putting it on). Reid was totally pleased with the cake, though, so that made it totally worth it!

Reid was so tired, though, that after dinner he fell asleep on Grandma's shoulder! It took quite a bit to get him thoroughly awake for cake. He did manage to wake up enough to eat two cupcakes, though.

I didn't manage to get any good pictures of the present opening, but he was thoroughly pleased with the crane for the train set that he got from our friends. In fact, he was totally disinterested in the domino set that Jeremy & I got him. Oh well...Jeremy & I saved his big gift for Wednesday. Hopefully it will get his attention!

And, what you probably really want to see, the pictures:

Our weekend fun!

So, the kids had a really nice time this weekend. Hannah had spent the previous week at Camp Palmer, so she was a bit tired, though it didn't seem to get in the way of the fun. The weekend was filled with outdoor playing and lots of dirt, which is to be expected when visiting a farm I suppose.

Their favorite thing all weekend? My Aunt & Uncle lent my parents their go-kart and the kids spent hours on end in it. The only downside was that Ross burnt his hands on the motor, which he had been repeatedly warned not to touch (nothing major, though he did have a couple decent sized blisters). After that, he made sure to tell me every time I got near it that I should not touch the engine because I would get hurt, which I thought was cute. I'm not sure who had more fun on it -- Hannah or the boys.







We got to visit with both my Aunt & Uncle and my Great Aunt & Great Uncle on my dad's side. My aunt taught the boys how to race, which was a hoot to watch.





Lucy enjoyed the outdoors, too.

And she and Grandpa had a good time playing. I thought this picture was hilarious (hope you don't mind me posting it, Dad) -- note Lucy is wearing Grandpa's hat. I love the fact that it is cockeyed and backwards.

The trip home went really well. Except for the last two hours, the kids really didn't complain much. In fact, we made it half way home before anyone complained about anything. The kids were exhausted from the weekend, which I think was really helpful -- they slept a good portion of the day while traveling, which is the best way to travel with kids!

Do you know what today is?

Today marks six months of deployment for Jeremy. And it relieves me to say this is a milestone that finally makes me feel like we're getting somewhere. There are now fewer days in front of us than behind us. I've already done six months of this, so I know I can do six more, right?

And R&R is coming soon -- only about 6 weeks until he's home for that. My to-do list to get ready for R&R is long, so I'm hoping time will just fly by as I keep myself occupied with cleaning and organizing and carting the kids to and from their activities. I'm so excited about it that I can hardly stand it -- I can only imagine what kind of a state I will be in by the end of June!