Pre-School! Glorious Pre-School!

I am so happy that Asa has started pre-school! He needs time away from me to interact with other kids and be stimulated in new ways. He is attending a pre-school here in Farmington that was recommended to us by a friend and so far he is having a great time. Not to mention, the two and a half hours he is at pre-school overlaps with Hazel's nap, so I get a good hour and half to myself to get things done. Amazing what you can accomplish in so little time when you can focus only on the task at hand. Here is a picture of my handsome Asa on his first day on pre-school.

"Asa's 1st day of Pre-school. When I grow up, I want to be a DINOSAUR!!"

SLC Half Marathon

This morning I ran my first half marathon! I have been really into running for the last 7 months or so, but I never thought I would be able to push my body into running more than 5 miles. About 5 weeks ago, my good friend Lisa (Bradley) Drollinger told me she and her sisters were running the half marathon and she invited me to join. I decided to print off the training schedule and stick to it and then decide. Well, after a few long runs, I registered and decided to go for it. I'm so glad I did. It has been so much fun to train and then actually be able to run 13.2 miles! The race was great. The first 4 miles were entirely uphill and that was rough but thankfully the next 6 mile stretch was steady downhill. The last few miles were flat and I found the last mile to be fairly difficult which surprised me because I thought at that point adrenaline would just carry me to the finish. Yeah, not the case for me. The only time I walked was for about 15 seconds during the last mile of the race. It was a gorgeous run down Emigration Canyon and the weather was amazing. It had been raining hard all morning and we were afraid we might get rained on or that the race would be cancelled due to lightning. Luckily, by the time we got to the start line, the rain had subsided and it was just overcast and cool the rest of the race. I had a great experience and I'm so glad I did it.

Before the race began.

The kids waiting for Lisa and I at the finish.

The finish line finally in sight!

Almost done!

I was able to keep all my miles under 10 minutes so my finish time ended up being 2 hours 9 min. I am happy with that time, especially since it was my first half marathon.

Me and the Bradley sisters! Lisa, Jenny and Natalie.

I love this picture because I had only been across the finish line for 2 minutes and my kids were already wrapped around my legs! I sure love them.

My 3 year old + Soccer = Tear Inducing Laughter

Here is a clip from Asa's first ever soccer game. As you will see, he was completely uninterested in playing soccer in any way, shape or form. He was also crazy tired as it had been a full day with no nap. I just sat there and died laughing for the entire 30 minutes they "played". Hopefully over time, and with a well-rested boy, we might see our little dude kick the ball...or maybe run with the group...or maybe stand near the group. Hmmm...we'll see. Until then, enjoy your laugh for the day!!!

Oh Mom!

My mom has a smart phone. It has tiny, itty bitty keys. Texting is hard on those itty bitty keys. Instead she does voice command texting which can can turn out equally hazardous. Here is the latest text message I received from my mom. She was trying to work out the details of a lunch we were planning together for a day at the cabin. Well...just read...and crack up at this hilarity!

"Annie, we have been assigned to lunch for Sunday at the park. If what is the pick up a package of cheese and a large package Sorry. If we each get a large package of lunch meat and a loaf of bread is a package I buy a new set of photos of some kind I hate you. I'm going to my kindlem. Better yet just call me."

Yeah...I did just call her and the lunch we planned turned out great. Also, she doesn't hate me.

Sweet Play Time

This summer has been awesome and will continue to be awesome for two more weeks! Since Berkeley got back from Greece, he has not been working and has been going back to school. That's one great thing about the military. The education benefits make it possible for Berkeley to go to school full time not have to work. During the summer, he has only taken two classes, so the kids and I have been in Heaven having him around most of the time. He took his final on Friday, so now he doesn't even have school for the next weeks. It is amazing to wake up and say, "What fun things should we do today?!" I know the glory of this little phase is going to end fast when the next semester gets here, but I am going to soak it up while I can. Berkeley and I always say that life would be near perfect if no one ever had to work and could just spend time together as families.
As for me, I had my 28th birthday and it was awesome! I went on a mommy/son date with Asa in the morning. I took him mini-golfing for the first time. He pretty much bagged the club and did a lot of throwing/kicking/placing the golf ball into the hole. When he wasn't making holes in 100, he was doing a lot of climbing around/on/over the course decor. It was great. After that, my mom came over and babysat our kids while Berk and I spent 3 glorious hours playing like kids at Cherry Hill. We must have gone down the water slides 50 times. We cruised on tubes on the lazy river and played in the pool. It was super relaxing and so much fun. In other news, I have been training for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. It's in three weeks and I'm super excited about it. It's funny to think that just a year ago I totally loathed running, especially distance running, and now I am out running no less that 4 miles and on Saturday I ran 9 miles. I am running 4 days a week and I just love it. I love tuning out everything except for the awesome music I have compiled on my playlist. I will be training up to 11 miles, so hopefully the extra two miles of the half marathon won't do me in! Pictures to come.
The kids are awesome and so much fun. Asa is now 3.5 years old and he is highly imaginative. He has moved out of the dinosaur obsession and is now all about superheroes. It is always sad to see the end of a phase. The dinosaur phase was a HUGE part of our lives for so long, so now it is sad for me to see his "dino bucket" go untouched most of the time. He is growing up so fast. He loves helping me in the garden and is always asking to go "check on the veggies". He is best friends with his cousin, Summer, who is also 3. They play so hard all day. He is very loving and always gives hugs and snuggles and kisses. He is a cautious little guy and is hyper careful. He doesn't much like swimming or being in the bike trailer or doing anything that's fast or can cause injury. That pretty much rules out a lot of little boy activities! Berkeley and I are hoping he will outgrow some of his fears and be willing to enjoy many more activities. Hazel, on the other hand, throws all caution to the wind and is completely fearless! She LOVES water and anything fast and anything potentially dangerous. I honestly pat myself on the back every night for keeping Hazel alive for another day! She is beginning to say quite a few words and signs some as well. She loves to spin in circles, dance and stomp her feet. She is always dirty and usually gets two baths a day unless I keep her inside! She likes watching Signing Time and Baby Einstein shows. She loves to eat and will try (and like) most everything we give to her. She still only has 4 teeth (at 15 months old!) and is slowly getting a 5th. She has 1 tooth on top, three on bottom and one more is coming in on top. She makes this hilarious "cheese face" where she gives a silly huge smile and breathes loudly through her nose. We love our two little ones.
I will sum up this post (and the summer so far) with some pictures taken the last couple months.

Wonderful Summer Time!

To me, these pictures encapsulate the feeling of summer. Half naked baby on a warm day chowing down on watermelon with no concern about the juice dripping all over her. LOVE it. Pure joy.

I Will Survive After All.

Today is Saturday. Berkeley gets home Thursday. Even though it is only 5 days away, it feels like there is still a year left in this deployment. The more excited you are for something, the LOOOOONGER each approaching day tends to feel. Right now the kids are both in bed and I'm dead tired. This is my blog so I am going to take a paragraph to brag about myself. I deserve that, right?! Berkeley has been gone nearly 4 months and during that time, I have managed two young kids 24 hours a day, survived on minimal sleep, maintained a clean(ish) home, tilled and weeded and maintained a large garden area, planted my own veggie starters, exercised 6 days per week, lost 19 pounds, and I am still alive! This experience has once again shown me that I am much more capable than I think I am. I am so proud of myself but nothing compares to my excitement for Berkeley to be home with us again. I'm tired and totally burned out. I honestly have the deepest respect for single parents. I think about doing this routine forever and it makes me want to run away and hide. Deployment for Berkeley has gone well. He was given the "Best Damn Cop" award. No joke, that's what it's called, and he received another Air Force coin for his service. He completed his semester of school online while in Greece. He was able to do some cool hikes, go rock climbing, eat good food, go to a spa where fish ate the dead skin off his legs and feet, see some super old monasteries, work out a lot, and Skype with us! Although it sounds fun, he is super ready to come home. Before Berkeley left, he have me a Priesthood blessing in which I was blessed to be able to find much joy in spending time with our kids. I can honestly say that this blessing came to fruition. As exhausting as it has been, watching the kids learn and grow the last 4 months has been so fun. I want to write a little bit about each of them.
Asa. Oh, Asa. He is quite a character. He has a personality way to big for his little 3 year old body. He is so energetic, animated and charismatic. He has a huge vocabulary and sometimes amazes me with his intellect. He has become quite inquisitive and has begun asking me tough questions that I have not been prepared for such as: Where is Heaven? How can Jesus hear us if he is far away? Is Jesus magic like Santa Clause? Etc. When he finds something he is interested in, he gets totally absorbed. Right now dinosaurs are his whole world. He knows most of their names and it is adorable to hear him say Carnotaurus, Brachiosaurus, Parasaurolophus, T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Velocoraptor,  Triceratops, Spineasaurus, and more! It's amazing the things a 3 year old's mind can retain. We play dinosaurs ALL DAY. If we aren't playing dinosaurs, then we are playing with the playground ball. He loves for me to roll it to him kick ball style to he can kick it back to me. He is learning to catch and also to hit balls with a bat or racket. I think we may have an athlete on our hands if he sticks to it. He loves for me to sing and tell him stories. He loves my music. His favorite songs are "Jessie's Girl", "Marry You", "Love Like Woe",  "Rolling in the Deep", and many others. He picks up lyrics quickly and sings them often. He has also started to make up his own songs which totally cracks me up. He loves to watch TV. I have to really be careful because it is easy to let him watch too much. His absolute favorite show right now is Busytown Mysteries. He also loves Dinosaur Train, Bob the Builder, Curious George, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, and Backyardigans. He is great bike rider and still absolutely loves his battery powered tractor. (Thanks again Curtis and Becca Ward!) He loves to talk to people. He always asks strangers what their name is and shows them whatever toy he happens to be carrying around with him. I love his sweet little face and love his voice. I love how often he says "I love you" and wants cuddles. I could go on all day about him.
Hazel. I can't get enough of this little girl. I love her to pieces and my heart swells just thinking about her. She is a happy, independent, BUSY little girl. She is into EVERYTHING. She is perfectly content to wander the house and explore. She walks perfectly (started at 9 months), climbs up on everything she can,  makes huge messes whenever possible, gives me heart attacks with how daring she is, and fills our home with smiles and giggles. She is learning to sign and talk simultaneously! She signs "Eat", "More" and "All Done". She says mama, dada, ba-ba (bottle), baaaa(bath), poo poo. She has started dancing when she hears music. She LOVES food but has no teeth, so she is still limited in her options. She gets so mad when we have food that she can't have. Actually, she did just cut her first tooth TODAY so hopefully more will come through soon. She knows how to throw tantrums and knows how to bug her brother. They already quarrel. She loves to lug around her soft blanket and I think she may develop quite an attachment to it because Asa was this way with his little stuffed puppy and he STILL loves that thing. I love going in to get Hazel after she naps because she is extra smiley and so excited to see me when I open the door. She plays peek a boo with her blanket. She will pull it over her face, wait for me to say "Where is Hazel" and then pull it down super fast. She is an easy, happy-go-lucky baby. I love life with her in it. She is so beautiful and so sweet.
OK, now I really need to go to bed. When I get a chance, most likely after Berkeley gets home, I will sit down and upload pics and videos. Till next time...