One Proud Mommy!

Today was the day for the monthly Field Trip at Little Learners. Oh how I dreaded it! Any of you that know little Jaker, you know he doesn't exactly thrive on new environments. He isn't one to love being in a HUGE crowd of people, with lots of noise and commotion. Usually the field trip days end up in a conversation something like this...
J: Mom... where you goin?
Me: We are going to your Field trip.
J: But I don't WANNA GO! (in the whiney voice, hence the italics)
Me: Jaker this will be so much fun you will love it!
J: No, I wanna go to preschool.
Me: This is preschool.
J: Can we go home now?
Me: We haven't even gotten there yet.
J: But I don't WANNA GO! (now with the water works included.)
And on and on it goes!
This month the preschool was learning about the solar system. This struck some interest in my little dude. He loved learning about the planets, and rockets. He will even inform you (very politely of course) that the sun is not a planet, it is a REALLY HOT star. He also likes to tell you that we live on earth, and that Mercury is too hot to live on....Yeah tell me my kid doesn't like to learn!
So today was the day. Destination: Clark Planetarium.
I decided to get smart, and invite Gramma Sue. She's amazing and for some reason if she is around my kids are angels. Jaker was so excited! He was happy that a.) Gramma was coming with, b.) he got to see the planets, and c.) really happy that Gramma was coming along.
We got to the Clark Planetarium, opened the doors, and holy cow talk about massive amounts of PEOPLE! I was expecting a MELTDOWN! A FIT! A "I wanna go home right now!" conversation. But... IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! Jaker did FANTASTIC! We even went into the theater room where they do the shows, perfect scenario for a meltdown with Jaker, and you know what... IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! I was so proud of him! He was happy as can be! He was happy to be with all of his friends from school... Boy, my kid is really growing up on me! He is such a little superstar!
After our fieldtrip adventure, it was off to swimming lessons. Both the boys were ZONKED in the car. I contemplated just taking them home to snooze, but decided Jaker would be very angry if he missed his time in the pool... So off to swimming. Jaker did great! He has passed TOTS I and is starting TOTS II next Monday! What FUN!

Thanks Mumsy for joining me on the adventure! You made the adventure so much fun for the boys!

Thoughts on Thirty...

I hit a landmark in life this past week. Okay... maybe not a landmark, but I definitely entered into the next decade of life... So long to my twenties, hold on for the thirties. I have thought recently about everything I have done in the past ten years. My first thought was, did I accomplish enough in the past ten years of life? Did I help enough people, am I mature enough to be 30??? Thinking back, I have done quite a bit in the past ten years...

• married my sweetheart, Thats a big one.
• Graduated from College... another big one.
• Bought a house... okay that's an accomplishment
• Brought two beautiful children into the world... THAT'S HUGE!
• Worked in a career I loved.
• Made lasting friendships that I am so grateful for...
• Learned a great deal about the importance of family

So what's next? I hope the next ten years bring much more knowledge. I hope to learn and develop new talents. I hope to be more kind, more genuine, and definitely more compassionate to others. I hope to be more in tune with other people and be able to help when needed. I hope to be a good mother to my little ones, and good wife to my sweetheart. I don't know how I will accomplish this, but I am giving myself kuddos for thinking about it.

I thought my birthday would be a depressing day. I thought... oh man, I am turning thirty... BLEH! Honestly, it was a fantastic day. Turtle, my sons, my parents, and my in-laws made sure that my day was uplifting and positive. It all started the night before the big day when my mom and friend threw a party for me. It was great to visit with my friends. What was great about the evening too, was that it was all done in the theme of Breast Cancer awareness. I run in the Race for the Cure each year (okay this is only my third year) and it's something I really care about! Thanks to my girlfriends that donated to the research. I hope we can kick this disease out of the park.

The day of my birthday... I was awakened by Breakfast in bed. The boys helped Turtle make waffles with Fresh Cut Strawberries! DELISH! Loved every bite! Then we headed off to church meetings... the boys were unbelievably well behaved (compared to the norm.) We came home and headed off to my parents for some yummy supper and gift giving! I was given my DREAM MACHINE! Everyone pitched in and purchased a Bernina Activa 240 for me! I busted it out of the box yesterday, oh my... I AM IN LOVE!!!!!

I am so grateful for my family and my friends. What would life be without you all in it! I am so grateful, so happy, and I feel so SPOILED!!!

A tidbit about Magellan...

This Dog has it rough. REALLY ROUGH! I figured to commemorate my fiftieth post on the blog... I should do a little something to honor the family pooch.

Magellan has been in the fam for about 3 1/2 years. After multiple near death experiences, falling down the stairs a few times, and staring at his reflection in the glass everyday (he finds himself absolutely GORGEOUS), he is finally a true member of the family... okay maybe not, but it sounded good.

Today, little Gellan (as the boys like to call him) had a bath. It's unfortunate that I have to say this, but the dog has POOR PERSONAL HYGEINE. Today he was so stinky, even Jokester told him, "Go Way, you STINKY!" I took that as a hint that our hairy canine needed some help. What is sad about the situation, is Jokester is the one who aids Magellan in his "stinkiness" the most. It's not as if Magellan rolls around in Captain Crunch or the milk left over from the cereal, nor does he opt for Spaghetti-O's for his daily cologne. Granted he does sit right beneath the children as they eat their meals, but I want to believe this is solely for the purpose of assisting me in keeping the floors neat & tidy.

I wanted to post a picture of Magellan in his clean form, his Sunday best if you will. This was taken a few minutes ago, as he has just stopped sulking from having to take a bath... boy it must be tough to be a dog!

*I have tried to pose him in a fashion that would draw the least attention to his "fluffy" mid-section. He's a little self concious about that. Although not enough to stop eating PB&J's given to him by the children.*

My Big Race....

I had a fabulous experience yesterday running the Half Marathon in Salt Lake City!
Personal Favorites:
1. Warming up at 6 am when it was only 40 degrees outside (that's a guess, but wow it was cold!)
2. Getting up at 4:4oam to get ready... I was so nervous!
3. The Baptist choir that sang as we were warming up. They were really good. I loved how they sang the National Anthem. Made me feel like a real athelete!
4. I loved running along the streets of Salt Lake and seeing all the posters people were holding, or had staked in their front yard... personal fave said "Run Happy!"
5. I loved the spectators. It was amazing how many people were out cheering on the runners. It really did boost my energy!
6. Seeing the little kids sitting on the side of the road holding their hands out for the runners to give them a High Five!
7. Beautiful dogs on the side of the road. Big Golden Retrievers(personal fave) german shepherds, border collies, so many dogs! I love animals can you tell!
8. I loved getting towards the end of the race and realizing... Oh my goodness... it's almost over already???
9. I loved that the runners came in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors... truly a very open sport... I think I ran half the race along side a kid that was no older than my nephew Kyle. I would get ahead of him, but he always seemed to catch up to me!
10. Crossing that finish line. Amazing feeling came through me. It was AMAZING! Such a sense of accomplishment! I can't express it! I loved calling Turtle to see where he was at, and he was still parking the car! I finished "earlier" than we planned! SUCH A GREAT FEELING! I finished in 2 hours 2 minutes and some change... do the math, about 9 and 1/2 minute miles!!!
Here are some pictures of my big day! Courtesy of my awesome sister in law Joni:

Party time...

Last night I had the opportunity to celebrate my big 30 with the Nadaulds! Here are some pictures of the party!

Ahoy Mateys!!!!

Saturday we had a big party for little Jaker. He looked so cute in the costume Gramma made him! He was so proud of his outfit, we have fought him for the past two days to let it rest! He wants to wear it EVERYWHERE he goes! We had lots of family and friends come over to help celebrate Jaker's day! He was so happy! It meant the world to us! He loved having his buddies and cousins all around him to play with him! Our theme for this year was Pirates!
My good friend Kristi helped me create his pirate ship cake... (THANKS SO MUCH!). Gramma Sue was the seamstress for the costumes, everyone helped out with the Grub! I really feel the party was successful! I think Jaker will remember this one for years to come! Thank you to all of you who made this day special for him!

The Big FIVE!!!

Yep, it's true... Jaker is FIVE! I am still in denial! He is growing up WAY TOO FAST! Here are some facts about my little man...
1. His all time favorite movies are Transformers, Spiderman, & Cars.
2. His Favorite food is Chicken Nuggets & Fries from McDonalds... A root beer must be included. *Has to be McDonalds too...no substitutes!*
3. His favorite friends are his cousins, Ethan, & Ashton, as well as Jokester most days.
4. He loves to ride his bike "Bumblebee" & the big wheel he has had for 4 years!
5. He loves to say prayers & insists that he does it at every supper time.
6. He loves preschool & likes to sing all the new songs he learns.
7. He is a performer & loves to be in the spotlight. Whether it be singing a song, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, or just being a turkey... he is thrilled to have an audience.
8. His favorite heroes in the world are his daddy, Grampas, Grammas, Uncle Todd, & Aunt Joni.
9. He loves to help mom & Dad drive by instructing us that the lights are green, yellow, red, as well as whether or not we need the Arrow.
10. He is a very compassionate little boy with lots of love for everyone... he is protective of his little Jokester, even if he is the one who picks on him the most!

Busy couple of weeks ahead!

I am so excited... Jaker is turning FIVE next week! Can you believe it??? If you can, good for you because I certainly CANNOT! He is getting so big! I am so happy for him! He loves to write his name, and he does such a good job! He likes to write other names too, like Jokers name. Yesterday I sent an Easter Card to my brother, and Jaker insisted on writing his name in the card along with my brother's name and Joker's... pretty funny! Turtle came home and looked at it and was so surprised at the progress our little man is making! He loves to ask what letter a words starts with... he already knows the answer most of the time, but he loves to do it, and it makes me so happy! He is drawing different bugs at preschool. It is amazing how accurate he is too... he has drawn a Grasshopper, Bumblebee, and a Ladybug. I attribute all of his progress to his preschool Little Learners Academy. Seriously, they work wonders! He loves it there! Which brings me to my next point... I am happy to announce through many blessings and much generousity, Jaker will be attending Private Kindergarten at Little Learners Academy. I am so relieved. The thought of sending him to a big Elementary school scares me. I don't think he would do too well. I fear he would fall behind again, and get lost in the school... It was a big decision for us to make, but we are happy with the decision. The teachers at Little Learners are so excited to keep him for another year!
So here's a question for all of you that read this, what is the process from here? Do I have to notify the school district? Do I have to provide proof that he has completed Kindergarten? I have no clue, OBVIOUSLY!
The following week (April 18th) is a big day for me! It's my half marathon! I am so STOKED! I can't express how excited I am to complete this race... Just the accomplishment will mean the world to me... If I can do this... the next big step is... FULL MARATHON! I owe a big shout to my running partner Mindurs! I just love running with her... and I have gotten to know her quite a bit! It's amazing what you talk about when you run at 6am!
The following weekend I am volunteering for the Race for the Cure! I am interested to see if anyone wants to run this with me... If there's enough people, I would love to create a team! It is such a humbling experience... It really is neat! It's a race full of emotion... you see people from all different angles... lots of people run for someone they know that has either passed away from the disease, fought the disease, or is currently fighting... If you are interested, know that you don't have to run! You can walk! It is amazing either way! Let me know if you are interested!