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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Kangaroo Zoo

When I was a kid I used to dream about a room that was filled with trampolines.  I wanted to bounce off the walls, the ceiling, the floor, everything!

Can you believe they actually have places like this now?

We went to Kangaroo Zoo in Ogden with our Hansen cousins and TeAnna where we did our best to wear the kids out.  We were unsuccessful, but we had a great time trying.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Snow Fun

Going on sleigh rides is fun to do!


Fun to do, to do, to do.

Going on sleigh rides is fun to do,

To do, to do, to do!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Motivation Backfired

Me: Annie, do you want to wear underwear to bed tonight and try to keep them clean and dry?

Annie: No. I want ducky diapers.

Me: Mommy can't have another baby until you are all finished wearing diapers. Don't you want us to have a little baby like baby John or baby Cora?

Annie: NO!! No other babies! Just Annie is your baby!!

Oh dear. So much for that idea.

And, no, we're not announcing anything. But when we do, I have a feeling we are going to have some trouble on our hands.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Chinese Dragon Run

The Midway Running Club is putting on a new series of races this year, and the first race was the Chinese Dragon Run to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  As part of the race they put on a kids race.  Will and Annie were so excited!

As they got dressed Annie kept saying, "These are my running pants, just like you, hu Mom!" or "These are my running shoes, just like you, hu Mom!"  Will and Annie were wearing black and pink converse shoes respectively- they were certain that they would make them run faster, just like Benny's made him run faster and jump higher.
Annie ran with the 0-2 year olds.  It was a close race between her and the little boy behind her, but Annie is just like her mama and ended up with a 1st place win!
Will's division was 5-8 year olds, so he was one of the youngest.  He is also just like his mama- started out really fast and then died near the end.  He still finished in 6th place and did a great job!
The adult race was 4710 meters (2.92 miles) to celebrate the year 4710 on the Chinese calendar.  Since I have been fighting off some shin pain, I took it easy and tried to enjoy myself in spite of the wind, cold, and sleet.  The race had an indoor finish- which was fun for my family to hang out in.  I finished with an over all time of 21:39.9 with a 7:24 average pace.  It was a very small race and I ended up taking 1st overall for women.
They even had a dragon and everyone got to dance with it!
Annie and Will got chocolate dragon coins, a fortune cookie, and a party popper in their surprise Chinese box.

I won a gift card to the Canton City, and a $2 bill in my red envelope- a Chinese custom for the new year.
Is it possible that I can breed a family of runners?!  I hope so!

He can read!

Will has been reading for a few months now.  Each time he reads a new book I am amazed at how much he is growing as a little reader.  His preschool teacher started him on a set of Curious George phonics books and he was able to read the first one in the set all by himself!  We are so proud of him.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Dear Mom,

Now that I'm a little older and wiser, I feel the need to apologize for some of my more frustrating behavior.

I'm sorry that as a little child I ran around leaving trails of paper, Barbie shoes, and stuffed animals everywhere I went.  I know it was a mess and it certainly would have been easier if I had cleaned it up as I went along.

As a mother, I'm sure you didn't love seeing your little boy dressed up in a tube top made out of old sweat pants with curled hair and blush on his cheeks.  I really wanted a little sister and it was all in good fun.  Promise.

I'm sorry that James and I pestered Clay relentlessly.  I swear I didn't realize how teeth-gritting his squeals of torment were, or that James and I were bothering you at all.  We just meant to bother Clay.

I'm sorry that I would sit down on the basement floor and pee my pants, only to get back up again and continue playing.  I know 5 is a little old to be having accidents like that.  I had a hard time breaking away from my play time and I didn't want to leave my friends.

When you were in the kitchen making dinner for our family, I didn't know that it was really annoying that I would come up to you and say I was hungry and ask for a snack.  I was just telling you how I felt!  I also didn't realize that it was even more annoying that I would fill up on tortilla chips right before dinner.

When I would just disappear and head to my friend's house to play without telling you, I was unaware that it could throw you into a type of panic that is nearly unmatched.  I just assumed you would know I went to Kristie's house.

I just want you to know that now that I have kids of my own, I'm learning a lot.

And I am being paid back for any torture that I had previously inflicted because, as it would turn out, I have two kids that are just like me.

Imagine that.

Love,
Mimi with the Light Brown Hair

PS- Tell Dad I took his tic-tacs.  I really just wanted something sweet; I wasn't intending to consistently dwindle his supply of breath mints.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

My Baby

Annie loves babies.  It's the only thing she has really clung on to (besides her pink kitty and her blanket).  She doesn't play with any toys in particular for any length of time, but she loves it if I pretend that she's my baby.

She comes up to me and says, "Mom, pretend I'm your baby and that I'm crying."  Then she'll lay down with her pink fluffy pillow and her purple blanket and fuss until I give her her sippy cup (bottle), or a baby toy to play with.

The only problem is that her "baby" cry is the same as when she is whining to me when she's not pretending.  Almost instantly the game gives me anxiety because of the sound of the baby cry, but I keep it up because she loves it so.

When baby Jack comes over to play, she loves to climb inside his car seat.  You see, it's even easier to pretend like she's a baby when she is in a baby seat!  Yesterday was no different, but she spent a little more time in there than usual because this happened:
Oh Annie.  You are my baby.  You don't even need to pretend.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

New Year

A new year means it's time for reflection and fresh starts. Thank. Goodness.

Dallas and I are still living in limbo.  He is chipping away at the granite mountain that is the Mechanical Engineering degree, and I run the house... and run around the house.  We are set in routine and while it's nice and comfortable, it's hard not to look out the window and want more.

We have lots of sentences that start with, "When you're done with school..."

I don't want to say that anymore!  Because when Dallas is done with school, my son will be almost old enough to be baptized and my daughter will be walking through the front doors of an elementary school, and I'm just not ready for any of that yet.

This year, it's time to enjoy what life is right now.  School schedules, babysitting and all!

I did pick some small, measurable goals that will help us enjoy life a little more.  (And or de-stress. You know, it's all in the same category anyway).

1.  Budget control!  No overspending the entertainment or grocery store budget.
2.  De-clutter one area of the house every week- be it a drawer, closet, room, file, what have you.
3.  This one's for me- ONE sugary treat per day.  I swear.  I, Amylee, am a sugar addict.  This is not news.  However, I feel that some people are in rehab for addictions that are nearly as powerful as my own- I'm just able to have better control over my actions when my veins are flowing with sugar than someone who's veins are flowing with crack might have.  Right?  Right.  It's time to rein that in and show some self control.


Along these same lines, I am doing a "Finer Life Project" with some of my closest friends, and in this project I've come up with a few "commandments" for myself, if you will.  I have them written everyplace hoping I will remember to do them.  They are:

Be Amylee
Choose the positive.
Let go.
Stay busy.
Say yes (especially to my children!)
Give people the benefit of the doubt.

More than anything, I hope to recognize and remember all of my blessings, and enjoy the time we have together- no matter the circumstances.