What we've been up to

It is Sunday- what is supposed to be my official blog posting day. :-) I am going to do some catchup. After all, this is my digital scrapbooking attempt! (This summer I want to try the real digiscrapping, so if you're a pro, let me know!)

For about 6 weeks, I was extra tired, low energy, and just didn't feel well. I attributed it to getting older and training for a marathon. I finally went to a doctor and discovered I had an ulcer. Well, that definitely explained it! And no, ulcers aren't caused by stress! It is caused by a bacteria, and once they put me on antibiotics, it was like night and day. My energy came back- woo hoo!! My stomach still isn't 100% so I am just taking it a day at a time. I have been focused on playing with my kids and getting my home in order. (2 things that don't always work together!)

Our weather has been hit or miss. There have been some beautiful days where we really enjoy the sun, and the yucky days I have stayed home and cleaned, cleaned cleaned! I think my spring cleaning party was a success.

Here are some pics:

Dallin's first baseball season! We are lucky enough to be on a team with many friends. Dallin is really enjoying learning a new sport. I grew up loving baseball and softball and have so many good memories with my dad and the rest of my family. I love passing this on to Dallin. I just hope he has more skill than I did.


My aunt Brenda and cousin Tasha came down for a quick visit. I love seeing Tasha as a mom. She is so cute with her baby boy. My kids love spending time with them. We went out for 31 cent ice cream night at Baskin Robbins and just had a great time together

My cute sister in law Kristyn came to visit over Mother's Day Weekend. She trained for her first half marathon and came to Portland to run the race. We had a great time together and I am so proud of her and her hard work! The night before the race, we met up with some of my good friends and running partners for dinner.

Besides me being sick, my angel daughter also had a rough couple of days. She loves to go out and collect bugs. One day when it was rainy and wet, she slipped and bruised her tailbone. She wouldn't walk for 2 days and I carried her everywhere in the house. The third day she woke up and was fine. It was just crazy! She was a good sport about it. It is so hard to watch your children and pain. I am sure I will learn this often.

Jeff and I have been able to go on some fun dates this month. First we went to a glow in the dark bowling party for a friend who was celebrating his 40th birthday. (I don't have any pics of this one. ) Then, last night we were able to go to a concert together. 2 friends of mine founded a choir and put on a performance last night. We went with good friends and enjoyed the music. (I even helped with the lights-that's a little scary!) We had some time to walk around downtown Portland and just talk and be together. What a beautiful city we live in. It was a great night. (We also had a fantastic parking spot! That is what the second picture is.)

My mother's day was a little hectic as I had Sharing Time and a talk for Emily (her first one and she did great!), but I was able to enjoy time with my kids. I am grateful for each one of them. They are so unique and I love learning the little things about each of them. I hope they know how much I love and cherish them. I am humbled at the opportunity to raise them. I am grateful for a wonderful husband and friend to be on the journey with.A few more things I am grateful for:

Beautiful weather for my kids to play outside.Tulips. (that weren't cut early this year like they were last year. )

40 Reasons Jadie is 40 and Fabulous

It is my good friend, Jadie's 40th birthday today. If you don't know her, you are missing out. I hope she is not too mad at me for doing this. Have an awesome day!
1. She is gorgeous!
2. She is intelligent.
3. She has strong opinions and is not afraid to share them.
4. She stands up for what she believes in.
5. She is crafty.
6. She is not afraid to admit when she is wrong.
7. She is kind.
8. She is loyal.
9. She has a quick wit.
10. She is a great mom.
11. She loves her kids unconditionally.
12. She doesn't judge others.
13. She doesn't gossip.
14. She is fun to play games with.
15. She is competitive.
16. She is great at word games.
17. She is a literary genius.
18. She has awesome hair.
19. She is always smiling.
20. She has a positive attitude.
21. She has great ideas.
22. She is a fantastic listener.
23. She is very active.
24. She is not afraid to try new things.
25. She doesn't make excuses.
26. She is a great friend.
27. She is not a sore loser.
28. She loves her family.
29. She is exactly who she says she is.
30. She keeps her promises.
31. She has a fantastic blog. (but it's annonymous so don't tell anyone who she really is...)
32. She is an outstanding writer.
33. She "gets" me.
34. She accepts me for who I am.
35. She appreciates fine food. (even though I don't.)
36. She supports her husband, friends, and kids in all they do.
37. She puts others first and is always serving.
39. She is extremely humble and would not say these things about herself.
39 again. She looks amazing and can stay 39! :-)

Happy Birthday, Jadie!! I have known you for 8 years and feel privileged to have you as a friend! I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the next decade! You make 40 look fabulous! Love you! Let me know what you need this week.

Come Party with Me

Sorry, not that kind of party! I am signing up for a Spring Cleaning Party with simplemom.net. I love challenges and knowing other people are working on the same thing. I love having a checklist and someone else telling me what to do.

Let me know if you are interested in doing this too. I will be starting tomorrow morning, along with my Monday Laundry. :-) If you don't want to join in, feel free to give me a call for encouragement or stop by and chat with me while I am cleaning.

Wish me luck!

Updates

Day 1- Good start! Laundry done, all obvious clutter decluttered! Tomorrow will be a big day.

Day 2- A little bit ADD with my cleaning and detailed decluttering. I cleaned out and dusted the TV and computer armoires and got rid of things such as floppy disks. :-) I also took all the DVDs out of cases and put them in a big CD holder that just goes in the playroom. I thought this would leave room for all our VHS, but we have too many. So, this project is not finished. I then needed to do one coat of primer for my bathroom. It took much longer than I thought it would. I am still having a hard time deciding what to get rid of.

Day 3- Almost finished painting the bathroom- thanks Jeff! Got rid of some of our VHS movies- can still get rid of more. Looking forward to a good day of cleaning on Thursday. Ready for the kitchen!