First trip up to Jordanelle - Part 1

Last weekend we headed up to Jordanelle for the first time this summer.

This is a favorite for us because it's close, and nice.

Plus every now and then Mum and I will head into the PC outlets for a little shopping.

Although not this weekend we didn't.

Mike and his kids came up with us Friday night to hang out and have dinner.

Then on Saturday Evan joined us for a little boating.

This was my first good wakeboarding water in about 2 years.

And Jeramie took I swear a hundred pictures of me.

Yay .. proof that I was there.

So many pictures though that I will have to break them into a couple posts.

For the life of me I can't figure out how Evan gets this high!

He truly is the funnest to watch wakeboard.

 Some of my favorite peeps, love this picture of Mum.

 I think Jeramie looks like he's ripped a little in this picture.

I'm a sucker for a nice looking muscle.

 Here I am contemplating the water.

It took your breath away initially.

But once you got used to it it was great.

 I've noticed that I look like I'm in pain in most of these pictures.

I'm actually really having fun though!

 LOL .. okay maybe this one below doesn't depict fun.

It was definitely an "Oh Shit!" moment.

 I like this picture because I'm holding on to the rope with one hand.

My running has made me much stronger.  I couldn't do this two years ago.

 Dad .. tearing it up on the wakeboard.

 Two of my favorite guys.  Napping.

Anyone else see a pattern here?  Jeramie naps a lot.

 Jackson had one set of swim lessons this winter and they've made him infinitely more comfortable in the water.  Here he is with my dad being encouraged to float on his back.

 And he did it.

And boy was he proud.

 Love those eyes!

 Pure little boy sweetness.

More to come .... this was just Saturday.

Run Jeramie Run

The day arrived.

Jeramie's 5K that I signed him up for.

He didn't train at all.

AT ALL.

And of course he ran just fine.

What is it with men just being able to run 3 miles?

I trained for 12 weeks prior to my first!

He didn't want his picture taken.

Because it was just the two of us there were no course pictures.

I couldn't bring myself to run with my camera.

Plus I really had slacked on my training prior to the race.

Somehow I thought since I'd done one, another would be no big deal.

Well there were hills.

It was HARD.

Enough said.

We ran together for the first mile.

He pulled slightly ahead for the second mile.

I experienced horrible knee pain during the third mile and he kept going.

The Results:

Jeramie

Division:  Men's, age 30-34

Overall Finish:  90

Division Finish:  7

Official Time:  33:20.9

Me

Division:  Women's, 35-39 (yes, I'm a whole new age group!)

Overall Finish:  99

Division Finish:  6  (yes, that would be better than Jeramie)

Official Time:  34:27.4

I'll have you know I beat 6 women in the 15-18 category.

All girls in the 12-14 category.

I feel good about both of those facts!

I also beat 7 women in the 19-24 category.

 AND 8 women in the 25-29.

Lastly 3 in the 30-34 and 4 in my own category.

I did get my ass handed to me by a lady in the 55-59 category (26 mins).

Based on all those numbers I feel pretty darn good about my run.

While technically Jeramie beat me, I maintain the man is 5 years younger and 6 foot tall.

Umm .. he should have beat me by way more than one freaking minute!!

I'm hoping to squeeze one more race in this summer.

I have convinced my friend Rebecca to start training!

We're planning to run the last Run13 event this year, Racing Cane.

She's for sure running the 5K.  I may run the 5K with her or venture out on the 10K alone.

Bonus:  Baylee is training for the 1K.  And she plans to RUN.

So family, we would love for any of you to come out and support us!!

Some randoms.

As I downloaded the MIA pictures from Wyland's birthday I came across some randoms.

Oliver has started to eat baby food, this was at least a month ago.

None of my kids have ever loved baby food so it's not something I get excited to start.

This is what time out looks like at our house.
I sit them on the stove and set the microwave timer.

Then apparently Jackson gets his DS off the shelf from above the kitchen sink and kills time.

Of course just in his underwear!

Wyland wanted his picture taken with his cute brother, "Oll-vers".
"I'n hold Oll-vers!!"

Wyland's Birthday Party

I grabbed my camera out of my purse and found I hadn't downloaded Wyland's party pictures.

To celebrate his 3rd birthday we had a little pool party and then headed to my parents house.

"W" is for Wyland

 He's obsessed with trucks with trailers.

He got this one from Mike and Amber.

 Don't worry, once it starts to get cold my boys will start wearing shirts again.

I swear they are topless all the time in summer except when outside.

They are convinced that swim shirts are a necessary part of the swimsuit.

Therefore .. farmers tans.

 Can always count on Uncle Evan.

 And there he is with his mad assembly skills.

His kids can thank me one day.  I've given him lots of practice.

 Wyland's new balance bike.

 Papa, that's Baylee's bike, not yours.

 Grandma and Papa also gave Wyland this fun BBQ kitchen.

He LOVES playing with fake food.

I'll be glad when we move it out of my living room.

 Happy Birthday Baby!

 Oliver loves being let loose on the floor where he now rolls consecutively in the same direction.

 Wyland you are definitely one of a kind.

Email from Baylee

So today I received an email from Baylee.

She is home from school for the summer and spends a great deal of time on her iPad.

She loves sending emails and watching YouTube videos. 

It reads:

To mom



What you doing tonight what you doing I am doing your mail i am doing watch tv show 30 on people having a baby in the tummy I am doing sleep on my bed at my house I am doing my work book you having my chocolate milk at your house way are you how are you your nice my friend miss you too you help me on my work book way my mom and my dad my brother and winter and Owen and xavier and mike and Amber and Evan and Rachel and papa what us having dinner love Baylee Baylee Howard Kramer


Sent from my iPad
 

 

I find it funny that she listed everyone in our family, minus Zarley.

(nothing against little Zar Zar of course)

And it never fails that she's thinking about her next meal.  (dinner)

And she always ends things with Howard Kramer now.

Maybe we should get her name changed.

 

Another highlight to my day.  Sorry Jeramie, this is too good not to share.

He and I were on the phone and it went a little like this:

 

Him:  You put a lot of dairy in my lunch today!

Me:  What do you mean?  A yogurt and a string cheese?

Him:  And BREAD ...

Me:  Bread isn't dairy.  Bread is a carb.

We both bust up laughing.

See he's been working some long ass days.  We're talking like 16 hours two days in a row.

His brain is a little fried.
Jeramie blond moment for sure.

She's my hero.

So Baylee's pediatrician requested that I bring her in on a Saturday for a blood draw when she went in for her physical last month.  We have a huge laundry list of "stuff" people want us to get done for Baylee post the fabulous clinic appointment she had last month.

I've made a list of it all and in what order I plan to work my way through this list. 

See I work well with lists.

So to start it off this Saturday we headed in for the blood draw.

Y'all know how I feel about doctors and doctor offices.

They treat you like your time is so unimportant compared to their own.

I don't dig the "god" complex.

They're human just like me.

And in my opinion most doctors offices are highly inefficient.

They fail to see their patients as customers and really we are.

Anyway ...

We arrived .. checked in and headed back to the blood draw area.

The office was dead.  Which was great for me.

The lady proceeds to ask me if I have a written order.

Umm .. no.  We weren't given one.

We were told just stop by on a Saturday for a blood draw.

Need to fast .. blah blah blah.

Well guess what?  There is no note in her file indicating that this blood draw has been requested.

And apparently there's a million ways to do it and you need to know "the kind" they want.

O.M.G.

So did we really fast for nothing?

Did I really pack these kids up here on a Saturday morning for nothing?

Did I really drive all the way up here FOR NOTHING?

Fortunately there's another doctor there.  I actually really like her.

She is who saw Oliver when he had RSV on a Saturday.

She came and talked to me and wrote up the order of what she would request if it were her.

YAY!

So we head back to the room.

And I tell the technician very specifically.  Because I've been here and I've done this.

And I quote:

"Pain isn't a problem.  She has a very high threshold for pain.

BUT everyone always tries to draw from her arm.  They dig around and can never hit the vein.

I suggest you go straight to her hand.  That's always where they end up hitting the vein."

Her answer:

"Okay, let me feel out the veins and see what I'm comfortable with."

So she feels around.

And SHE decides she can feel a vein best in her arm.

Of course.

I think:  Here we go.

Let the digging begin.

No luck.

Guess we'll try the hand now.



BINGO

I soooo wanted to say:

I

TOLD

YOU

SO

But I didn't. 

And so my opinion of these professionals is of course further cemented.

Next time I won't make it a choice.

I won't be so nice.

I think I have the right to tell them.

Baylee on the other hand is a rock star.

She didn't cry (because she never does when it comes to this shit).

She thanked the lady and we left.

I am in awe.  She's such a trooper when it comes to this stuff.

And we've been hard at work with diet and exercise.

Baylee has lost 11 lbs in 4 weeks.

And blood draw is one item checked off my list.

7 Month Comparison

Today Oliver is 7 months old.

I think that I missed the 6 month comparison .. oopsie.

 Jackson

 Wyland

 Oliver

So to me Jackson and Wyland look more alike at that age than I remember.

While Oliver obviously doesn't have the same color eyes,

I still don't think you would mistake them for brothers.

They all have those full squishy cheeks.

Total cuties.

And yet asleep I think they look a LOT alike.

That was Jackson in the bottom picture.

While Oliver still isn't sitting up .. he's close and that's okay with me.

I notice that Wyland already has two teeth and today his are the worst teeth of all.

Jackson didn't cut his first tooth until after his first birthday.

I'd be perfectly happy if Oliver waited equally as long.

Sometimes I watch Oliver watching Jackson and Wyland with such eagerness.

The reminder shocks me that I have THREE boys.

Three.

They are so much fun.

Baylee couldn't love any one of them any more than she does.
I think she feels super lucky too.