The Marathon...

I'm just warning you...this might be the longest post ever!!! I've had quite a lot of ideas for blogging...just haven't been able to... So, to explain...and to catch you all up... Here it goes!

PART 1: TEETHING
I know...I know...They look soooo cute playing here together!!!

But, what would you say if I told you that they were all teething together too!?! YIKES! The boys each have their two bottom teeth. And I think Asia is trying to get her two year molars. Leif started us out...by getting one...then, Slater got both of his...and after quite a bit of waiting and screaming and lack of sleep...Leif finally got his second one. Still waiting on Asia's...but I think it will be a while.

PART 2: Minnesota

Did I mention that while this was going on...we got this fabulous idea to go to Minnesota for a family wedding reception?!? We(by that I mean Brian) drove through the night to get there... The kids slept one of the nights that we were there...and didn't sleep the other two. Then, Brian drove through the night to get us home. The kiddos still aren't back to sleeping through the night from that trip...which was three weeks ago. The kiddos with the newlyweds.

Asia on the carousel @ the Mall of America.

The kiddos with the great grandparents on Brian's side.

Asia having lunch with "Cousin" Ethan.

PART 3: Father's Day

Daddy and his Princess

Daddy and the boys...this was their very first time in the Lake.

PART 4: Pool Time

We had about 1 1/2 weeks of typical Missouri type weather...96+ degrees...and VERY humid. The kids spent a whole lot of time in the pool. They really loved it.

I took about 50 shots to get one in which they were all looking at the camera.

My precious Goofball!!!

Slater

Leif

PART 5: PAPERWORK!!!

As many of you know...We're planning on moving to the Philippines. So, I've been trying to get paperwork in order... Holy Cow! What a fiasco! First, I was told to fill out the wrong forms!!! Then, I was told that I first had to send various documents to three different Secretary of States. Then, send them to two different embassys/consulates. Oh, and also I had to get new birth certificates/marriage licenses because they couldn't be more than a year old. haha Laugh or Cry. I choose to laugh!!

PART 6: Waiting to Exhale

Or should I say waiting on Leif to exhale...

And the latest craziness!!! Our darling Leif had been strangely turning blue. As in not breathing and turning blue. So, to make a LONG story short...after going to my pediatrician and finding out he has a heart murmur. Then, being sent to a pediatric cardiologist... We found out that Leif has an "innocent" murmur... it's actually quite "normal" and he should out grow it by the time that he's three or so. However, that is not what is causing him to turn blue. That is actually caused by something called "Breath Holding Spells" (BHS). It's his body's reflex to being scared, frustrated, in pain, etc. He holds his breath and starts to turn blue... Some kids even pass out. Thankfully, he hasn't done that yet. However, BHS tends to peek at about 18 months to 2 years...and can last as long as 8 years...but they do out grow it. Anyway, I'm just learning about BHS...and it's kind of crazy. But nothing to be overly concerned about...

I guess I'll end this marathon blog on this...

My boys...they are both pulling themselves up to standing now...and keeping me VERY busy. And Asia just made the exciting discovery that she can climb out of her bed by herself, so life is changing very quickly. The boys are crying...gotta go.

I Scream...You Scream...We All Scream

Anyway...as promised...pictures from our ice cream truck adventure. Now Asia keeps asking me if we can go to the ice cream truck. :)
I scream. You scream. We all scream. For ICE CREAM!
My dad taught me that when I was a kid.

Asia checking out her Dora the Explorer ice cream...or as she calls her...Dora Bora. Bri and I really can't stand that cartoon. I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'M THE MAP! But, I think that could be a post all on it's own.

The cheeseball!

Two cheeseballs!

Apparently, she also wanted some of mine!

Ok...now she's sharing. Yes, my mouth is almost all the way around it. :) By the way, hers was really, really disgusting. Strawberry-banana. GROSS! But she liked it and that is what matters.

She was quite devastated when it melted off the stick!

And, yes, we know we should have taken her dress off!

Phantom Hair & The Biggest Loser

I got my hair chopped off on Saturday...and now, I'm suffering from what the girl who cuts my hair calls "Phantom Hair". If you've ever had a drastic haircut you know what I'm talking about. When you go to fling your hair behind your shoulder...only you don't have any. Or being startled...when you go to wash your hair...and there is nothing there to wash.
BEFORE!
AFTER!

I really like it...and so does my hubby. He, actually, likes my hair better short. Weird! :) I hated it long...and was definitely ready for a change.

And, for those of you that knew that I was in a Biggest Loser type competition with my mom, hubby, and Micah for the last 12 weeks. I won! I am the Biggest Loser!!!! Yay!

I lost 9.6 pounds...which seems quite measly...but it was actually, quite difficult. It's hard to get out and exercise with all the kiddos(I don't have a triple stroller)...and by evening...I'm completely exhausted.

My mom says the struggle to lose weight has to do with my age. :) I'm approaching the big 30. I'll be 28 next month.

With Asia, I dropped pregnancy weight sooo fast...without any work at all. This time around...I gained about twice as much weight...and I'm struggling to lose it. I have to be careful not to lose weight to quickly also...because I'm nursing. I believe only about a pound a week is the recommended.

Anyway...I have about 10 more pounds to lose to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight...so, I'm still working at it.

Sedentary Sunday

Enjoying the beautiful afternoon outside!

We try not to do much on Sunday. It's supposed to be our day of rest.

I mean we go to church and all...which those of you with more than one kid knows...that's a joke...definitely doesn't start our day of rest...with resting. :) It's completely hectic...trying to get everyone fed, dressed, into carseats, etc. Also, trying to figure out the best schedule for feeding the boys...do I feed them before we go...or just feed them at church. If I feed them at church...what's the point in going...since, I'll spend a good 30 to 40 minutes out...feeding, changing diapers, etc. Now that they are eating solids too...how do I feed them when I'm out at a place without high chairs. I can't hold them and feed them at the same time...which is what I did with Asia. (Any tips would be appreciated.)

Ok...before I go completely off subject here...

This morning Brian headed out the door with the kids...and I was right behind...locking the door. I turned around...wondering why he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk...since we were running a little late! To make a long story short...there was a snake right by our van. I HATE SNAKES!!! We had nothing to kill it with. So, I ended up getting around and getting in the van...I then, proceeded to run over it MULTIPLE times. I went a little Psycho Mommy on it. :) Brian tried to convince me that it was dead...but it was definitely still moving. Let's just say...when I was done...It definitely wasn't wiggling at all. Sorry...to those of you that like snakes...but in my book...the ONLY good snake is a DEAD snake. I DO NOT try to figure out if it's posionous or not!!!

We made it to church...LATE! Which by the way...the kids did really well in. Asia was very wiggly but quiet. Leif slept. And Slater, just chilled out.

After lunch, I went to Walmart...to do my grocery shopping for the week. Now I remember why I do not shop on Sundays!!!

The big high light of the afternoon...was the ice cream truck came by. I told Asia we would get ice cream from it some day... So, we finally did. It was a big hit... I'll post some pics soon.

After supper, baths, etc. I decided to run out to Target, etc (about 30 minutes away)...cuz we needed some gifts for a bunch of people. While I was there...Brian called... He NEVER calls. The boys were screaming their full heads off. Asia was still awake. I finished up & hurried home... The kiddos finally went to bed around 9:30. The boys usually go down at around 7 and Asia at 8. So, maybe...they'll sleep in. HA! What a joke!

Anyway...I've been rambling on and on! So, I didn't have the "Sedentary Sunday" that I planned... But, I'm not complaining. It could have been worse.

The End of the Hike

So, we finished our 45-miler. We were Tired, but it was fun.

Ozark Highlands Trail--- definitely worth the hike.

Don't like SPAM on your Computer? Don't Watch.

As we continued our trek, it was nice to realize that if we had to go and live out in the wilds, we would be doing pretty well. That is, if we had a steady supply of Spam, waterproof matches and peanut butter.

And for all you SPAM lovers out there, here is more than you ever wanted to know about that special meat:


o By World War II, Hormel had sold twenty thousand tons of Spam. Then, during the wartime meat rationing, Spam got popular...

o If all the cans of Spam ever eaten were put end-to-end, they would circle the globe at least ten times.

o Senator Robert Byrd of West Viginia eats a sandwich of SPAM and mayonnaise on white bread three times a week.

o Residents of Hawai'i eat an average of four cans of SPAM per person per year, more than in any other place on Earth (Elsewhere in the Universe, who knows?).

o In Korea, SPAM is sold in stylish presentation gift boxes of nine cans each. SPAM stolen from army PXs can be found on the Korean black market. And there are Korean imitations called Lo-Spam, Dak, Plumrose, and Tulip, to ensure that no one need go without.

o Nikita Krushchev once credited SPAM with the survival of the WWII Russian army. ''Without SPAM, we wouldn't have been able to feed our army,'' he said.

o In 1989, the U.S. armed forces bought 3.3 million pounds of SPAM.

o Over 141 million cans of SPAM are sold worldwide each year.

Isn't that exciting?
Taken from: http://www.cusd.claremont.edu/~mrosenbl/spamfacts.html

The Call of the Mild

Do you hear that sound? That unmistakable sound of cars, appliances, an air conditioner, and if you’re lucky, an espresso maker?

Yes. It’s the Call of the Mild.

Ok, so civilization can be a good thing. But every once in a while, it’s natural to want to go back to a simpler time. When men were men and they looked a lot like a young Daniel Day-Lewis in buckskin clothing carrying a really long black powder rifle and sporting impossibly well-kept shoulder-length hair.

Sometimes you just want to, as my brother-in-law says, “throw off the IKEA nesting instinct.” Which apparently is a line from a movie I’ve never seen in which the only good thing about the movie was that line.

So, my two brother-in-laws and I decided to go into the wilds of Arkansas on the Ozark Highlands Trail.
Don’t laugh. It can get pretty wild. Hey, it even has its own National Geographic article, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/10/ozark-trail/white-text .
So there.
We decided to do about 45 miles in just over three days. Didn’t sound too hard.
We were wrong.

Hydrate or die.