Olathe half marathon

Saturday was the Olathe half- marathon that i have been training for. I don't think we could have possibly asked for better weather for the race!! I shed my long sleeves by mile 4 or 5! I bought a new watch for the race and at about mile 6 the stinkin alarm started going off and wouldn't shut off so i hit a button and completely erased and started my time over! Thankfully i was always withing sight of the 2:00 hr pacer (they carry a long stick with the pace times) so i pretty much knew how i was doing on time. I wanted so bad to break the 2 hr mark but my body just wasn't agreeing no matter how much convincing my mind was trying to do to it! You know, something like "cmon Elisa, suck it up and get moving!" But the pacer inched away...i ended up finishing in 2:02:55.

waving to my family

My husband, i can't ever accuse him of not being supportive!! He got the kids out of bed early and drug them all over olathe this morning cheering me on in about 5 different spots. He lost track of me at one point and didn't make it to the finish line till right after i finished but it sounds like Raegan had quite the stroller ride with him trying to make it there in time!

mile 9...just two more miles Elisa and you will feel like barfing...oh i'm sorry, is that gross?

my mom happened to be in town for something else and came out to watch me finish! it was such an encouragement to know she was going to be at the finish line. she is where i get my love of running from! and...brian, the guy in red to the right (yea the one passing me) is from our small group. we must have been running pretty close the whole time and finished within seconds of each other

my supportive kiddos that cheered me on, i loved seeing them on the route!

my sister Julie, me and my mom who came out to cheer me on, thanks guys! (do you think i could cram any more food in my hand??)

i love this little handy thing they printed out for people like me who don't know how to run their watch so that we can know our official time and pace!

Ethan was hugging my leg after i finished, very sweet!

I'm glad it's over but i am ready to start training for the next one. I really want to focus on some shorter distances this summer and try to improve my time. I have once again got race fever!

Spring beauty

I have really been enjoying all the beautiful trees i have been seeing, so many white ones, i don't even know what kind they are because i am tree illiterate but they are gorgeous and i love this one too...

Our tree has taken a beating over the last several years. We lost half of it during an ice storm a few years ago...that made me sad. It's hanging in there, even though a little lopsided. I love when it blooms, i love driving into the driveway and seeing all the pink flowers. I wish it would stay that pretty all summer!

Deana Rose

The two little ones and i went to Deana Rose farmstead with a friend from our small group and her little guy. It was pretty chilly but was starting to warm up about the time we were heading out to go home. We didn't stay very long today because i have to take Avery to her allergy appointment this afternoon...which means naps are a big necessity! Of course because of the necessity of them, that means that more than likely the kids won't fall asleep...that's somehow just how it goes around here it seems!

Here was our morning...

I bought two bottles for them to feed the goats, ethan handed raegan the bottle and said "here's your bottle raegan" to which raegan replied "oh thanks ethan" and stuck it right in her mouth!! i yanked it out ever so quickly, but gross!!

ethan wanted to feed the baby ones and would get mad at the big ones for hogging the milk

raegan, unlike her momma as a little girl was not afraid of the goats. all three of these goats were going after her bottle and she smacked one and said "NO goat, you are not taking turns!!" she scolded them several times.

ethan loved riding the john deer tractor

We had a fun morning. It has grown quite a bit since i went last. I'm anxious to take the older kids too, i think they will really enjoy it!

Easter 2010

We had a busy Easter weekend. On Saturday we went out to Elm Grove's egg hunt. Then Sunday Johnny sang in the choir at OBC so had to leave at 6:30 am and was there for all three services so i was flying solo with the kids. Thankfully they all cooperated like little champs Sunday morning for me! After going to the 9:30 service at OBC we headed to Elm Grove, we were late but didn't miss too much. We then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's for easter lunch and egg hunt. Great day but Johnny and i were both exhausted. I had to work at 3:30, so we had to rush off again to get home. Guess who was grouchy again yesterday? My regular work weekends wear me out to begin with but when we have busy days in addition...i am just done for!

I have to add that I did not end up making Trey wear the pink tie. He agreed to wear it if Ethan wore a pink one. It ended up that i had Ethan's outfit (passed down) and i had the makings of Trey's from his Aunt and Uncles wedding, so i get to take the outfit with the pink tie back to the store. No, it was not all color coordinating, and i was actually ok with it. wow! :)

I have all week off work this week. We have something going every day...but i don't have to work, nice! I fell asleep watching the "after stuff" of the championship game last night but Johnny woke me for "one shining moment", he knows i love that! :) I was rooting for Butler!

My daughter just walked straight into the wall. Do you know how many times i kiss that poor girls head from walking into a wall?? Way too many to count!

MICHELLE, you are the winner of the flower clip. I picked your name (legitimately) You did have a 1 in 3 chance of winning :) Thanks for playing Paula and Julie! Michelle, can you message me your new address and i which color you would like and i will get it made and sent.

And last but not least, here is our weekend in pictures...

Flower time

Spring equals flowers and always seems to get me into the mood to make things that involve flowers...i was making Raegan's clip to match her Easter dress today and had bought several colors of flowers, so made a few more while i was at it.

I haven't done a clip giveaway in some time so i think it's a good day for one. I will draw a name for your choice of flower clip. For your entry just leave a comment right here on my blog. And in case you don't have a little girl, don't let that leave you out...i can also put the flower on a pin that you can attach to a bag, jacket, ect...

I will pick a name on Monday evening...

Have a super weekend. Happy Easter! I am so thankful for my Saviour and for what he did on the cross for me!

Patience

A patient kitty we do have. when Raegan picks her up she just goes limp...i think she is really just paralyzed with fear for her life! Trey loves his cat, but who was the one that bawled her blessed little head off when we took "cheeta" to the vet to get fixed? (that's right, no more kittens for us!!) I did not realize how attached Raegan was, and she panicked as we went to the car without her "mommy, cheeta!!" and then cried all the way home. Now that she is fixed, she get's to hang out outside instead of the garage as we don't have to worry about the male cats "fighting" with her like the kids say... which she loves, the being outside that is! Occasionally she will plant herself somewhere in the house and act like she is queen of the castle. And then the kids do this to her...

Cribless

After 11 years of having a crib in the house(well their were a few years in between with no crib) we have put it up for good. Happy? Yes, i am. A little bit sad? Yes, that too. Daddy got to do the honors Saturday night and put Raegan to bed. She did not get up and went right to sleep. Avery did tell me the next day that a couple of times she was sitting up on the side of the bed and Avery threatened her that she would get Daddy so she never got out of bed.

At naptime yesterday she got up twice but then learned her lesson for the day. Today, all i had to do was say "what is going to happen if you get out of bed? mommy doesn't want that and i know you don't either. "she said "i not get out of bed"...and she didn't, she went right to sleep. Yay Raegan! This picture was from Saturday night, Johnny took a picture for me...he knows me well, and that i would want one :)

no more crib in the Seaba house...see, i have started the girls room project. I am a fourth of the way done removing their border :) I despise taking down wall paper, actually it's not the taking it down...it's the mess it creates!! Getting closer to pink and brown walls!

Love, love the weather this week! I went shopping this morning for Easter clothes for the kids and hit the jackpot getting three outfits all at one store! Ethan has most of his outfit already, so i am almost done (happy dance!) I am a little obsessed with color coordination for Easter. Let me tell you, it is getting really hard, and even harder when you wait till the week of! I have a bad feeling that Trey is going to balk at the pink tie...we shall see...i just have to convince him that all the cool boys wear pink ties!

Two

Going on thirteen! Raegan changed out of her jammies while i was on the treadmill this morning she came strutting by me, casually saying"hi mommy, bye mommy" She even had panties on OVER her diaper!

Yesterday she didn't do quite as well picking out her own outfit. It wasn't what i would consider "leave the house acceptable!" They were playing school and informed me that it was "blankie day"

Coco Keys

We went to Coco Key on Tuesday afternoon after school. My sister and her family were in town on their spring break, so all 3 of my sisters and our families decided to make a night of it at a water park.

Trey cut his foot in the lazy river and after trying to get it to stop bleeding on our own for at least 20 minutes decided he needed to go to the first aid booth and get it fixed up so he didn't trail blood all over any more than he already had!

Daddy hung out in the hot tub a lot since his back was really hurting him. He decided water slides would not be a good idea. good choice!

Malia, Avery and Meryn

Raegan wanted nothing to do with water slides, even the little ones! She did on the other hand like to hang out at the top of the slides and holler at me.

Ethan loved all the slides. I didn't get any pictures of him going down the bigger slides but he did!

I had picked the kids up from school and gone straight to the water park. When we got home that night Trey's backpack was nowhere to be found. (filled with study guides, 3 text books and his expando file with all of his finished and to be finished papers)

I called the hotel yesterday to check and see if anything had been turned in...nothing. Today i was talking to my sister on the phone and just happened to mention the lost back pack. She said they had seen a back pack on the curb at Coco Key but didn't even think about it being someones from the park...they had crying kids and just didn't think much about it so didn't check it out.

I quickly called the hotel and asked again and sure enough the maintenance man had found the back pack!(sigh of relief!)

Because all of the kids got out of the same door on Tuesday, i believe that someone got into our van and snatched his back pack...and then quickly discarded it when all they found was textbooks! There is really no other explanation with where it was found. Trey prayed this morning on the way to school that he would find it and i can't wait to pick him up and see how happy he is to see that he has it again (redoing math packets was upsetting him big time)!

** edited to add- i did lock my van, we have faulty locks that sometimes unless manually locked do not always lock, so the van was not visibly broke into...and we don't know that is what happened...just the only reasonable explanation i can come up with.

Things i love

The first half of a soda...the last half is never as good!

When something goes on sale right after i buy it and i get some unexpected money back!

When i have a great run and i sweat a lot!

Having kids! Some days are so hard, frustrating & exhausting, but i wouldn't trade my four little stinkers for anything!!!

My cozy house...granted i am writing this at night when the kids are all sleeping...it is a little too cozy when everyone is awake and running around like crazy people...i often day dream about what it will be like someday to have a basement with a play room! Every time i start to complain about our house, my mind get's immediately redirected to how good we have things in comparison to so many. we just happen to live in a very wealthy county, and sometimes that tends to throw things out of perspective!

Ramen noodles...i always have, probably cause i like salt!

Flying down a pitch dark water slide with my daughter while we scream our heads off!

My husband, even though some days we drive each other crazy...we are best of friends. i love that!

Butterfinger candy bars and reeces peanut butter cups...i buy the mini ones for our snack cupboard, i just have to stop!

Hearing my two year old say "i lub you"

Seeing my oldest daughter fix her sister's hair and listen to them talk to each other...so sweet!

Laying down on the couch after i put the little ones down for their naps and dozing off!!

My Sunday morning coffee (with a ton of cream and sugar) that i have during Sunday school every Sunday. It is the only time during the week i drink coffee.

Listening to my boys play their war games with their sound effects together.

The sound of a light rain on a Spring night.

Just a few of the many things i love...

Back to school

Spring break is over, time to head back to school. Resetting alarms...time to get back to our routine.

A 16 hr workday and two days of not getting to bed till 2 am trying to keep up with the house and i hit my wall hard today, making for a cranky, teary mama! After a nice long nap this afternoon, i feel so much better!

Daddy knows just how to keep the kids entertained. When i woke up from my nap this is how i found Ethan...

I was also very happy when i headed out to work tonight that the snow is quickly disappearing! Happy Monday! Have a great week!