MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS

- I've got like 10 projects I'm doing all at once right now, and I can't seem to keep my senses about me. As I'm working on one, I'm thinking about the other and feel anxious to get started there, so I do, and then I get distracted with other projects again. Hence, the pile of baby book stuff, pictures, receipts, Good Will donations, items to return/exchange, laundry, boxes, and cleaning supplies all over my house. I'm starting to feel the pressure of our up-coming move and like I really need to organize and de-clutter. Even though I absolutely LOATHE moving, I am looking forward to the opportunity to fight my natural inclination to be a pack rat and to actually get rid of stuff.

- I nap. Do you? You should. It's fantastic. I nap almost everyday when my kids nap. However, lately, because our baby monitor broke, I've been napping in CJ's room, on the floor, so that I can hear him when we wakes up. Otherwise, if left to his own devices, he either goes into our room and wakes Mattie up, or gets into our toothpaste and floss, or just makes a mess that I'd rather not clean up, so I sleep in his room...on the floor. Maybe that's why my back's been killing me :)

- CJ is definitely NOT a morning person (he gets that from me). Every morning Bryce and I wake up to two contrasts: Mattie laughing and smiling and bouncing up and down in her bed, and CJ crying within minutes of getting up. He comes into our room every morning and asks to go down stairs. If we don't take him immediately, he starts to have a melt down. And then it just continues for the first hour of the morning. He breaks down if he doesn't get his chocolate milk (which is really chocolate Pediasure) right away, he cries if we have him go potty, he cries if we put him down, he cries if we try to give him some real food for breakfast - ugh. The other morning he was inconsolable and had the sobs for a good 10-15 minutes and there was nothing we could do. It makes for exhausting mornings but we don't really know what to do. He's getting plenty of sleep - 12 to 13 hours - and it might be because he's hungry, but he refuses to eat anything. We've tried putting him back in bed, not giving him his chocolate milk until he's eaten something, no tv, time outs, games, playing, but nothing seems to work. At this point, we're just hoping her grows out of it soon.

- Bryce gave blood for the first time last Tuesday. Can you believe that?! He's 27 and never given blood! Of course, I've only given it once. I was a senior in high school. They used to come to my school once or twice a year for the seniors and staff to donate. I decided to do it, and besides almost passing out afterwards, it wasn't a bad experience. Everytime a blood drive has come around since then, I haven't been able to do it for some reason (pregnant, nursing, etc). Bummer, 'cause I like the animal crackers they give you afterwards...

- Bryce is a bath man. I don't know if you know that, but he is. He likes to take them at night before he goes to bed, or sometimes even in the morning. It's his favorite place to read and think. Many a page has been read, many a lesson has been planned, and many a crossword has been completed by Bryce in this particular place. Last week he was taking a bath in the morning, when CJ came in and was so excited that Daddy was taking a bath. He splashed in the water, told Daddy not to take a shower, and even put some of his toys in the tub with Bryce...because who can take a bath without bath toys, right? :)

- Mattie has dicovered an affinity for scarfs, or boas, or whatever you want to call it - she loves to have things around her neck: belts, pajamas, towels, even cords. Anything that is long enough to drape around the back of her neck, she'll do it. And then she'll just go on playing as if nothing is out of the ordinary. It makes me smile everytime!

- CJ's favorite song, or at least in his top 3, HAS to be Jingle Bells. It's April and he's still singing it...like every day.

- I experienced a small miracle this week. Seriously. Our kids have been sick, and I always think it's amazing when we don't get sick after our kids have been, but not this time. I started to feel it a little bit on Saturday, felt ok Sunday and Monday, but then got totally hit with it on Tuesday. Tuesday night I had the chills, body aches all over, and a fever. And I started to kinda panic. I haven't been able to run hardly at all the last two weeks due to the weather (and I really don't want to shell out $50 for a month membership at the gym, especially when I hate running on treadmills), and I had a race coming up this weekend that would help me cover some good mileage. It was a 25k, which is a little over 15 miles. I NEEDED to run this race - I find it easier and more motivating to run long runs when it's a race. And I NEEDED to run this week to prep for this race. And since I hadn't run since Saturday, I was beginning to panic, thinking, "If I get sick now, I won't be better in time to actually run a little bit before this race, and then I won't really be able to run well, if at all, for the race, and I HAVE to run this race. I need to know that I can do this." So after a day of praying and pouring my heart out about how important this was to me, I went to bed early. When Bryce came to bed he brought me something to drink and some IBprofen to help with the fever and aches, and I remember waking up several times that night, drenched in sweat. But when I woke up the next morning it was incredible! The sun was shining for the first time in over a week, my fever was gone, and my aches had passed. I still didn't know if I could do it, but I was going to try, so I went for a run. It wasn't my fastest time, but definitely not my slowest, and the fact that I could finish my run at all was suprising. I got home from my run and just thought, "Wow! Who does this? Who's totally sick less than 12 hours ago, and then goes a run the next morning? This is a miracle!"

- Speaking of the aforementioned race - the Spokane River Run - I was able to run it (and yes, it was on a Sunday - the first race I've ever done on a Sunday, and I felt pretty bad about it. But we still made it to church, so I feel ok about that :), and it was my first trail race...and most likely, my last. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, including running a marathon and even childbirth, and I'm counting my blessings that I've only got a few sore muscles and joints, and a blood blister on my foot to show for it!

- We went to Donut Parade this morning for breakfast. I know, not the healthiest, but it was fun to go as a family - and it was Mattie's first time. Mattie pretty much had an entire cake-with-chocoloate-frosting-and-sprinkles donut, and she was so clean afterwards....it was pretty amazing. It's sad to think that this was probably the last time we'll get donuts from Donut Parade...

- Last night we had Bryce's mom and dad and sister, plus our friend Will over for dinner. And then Bryce's cousin, Lisa, who is a Freshman out at Eastern (in Cheney) drove out to join us too. CJ has met her a few times, but it was like last night was the first time he'd really seen her, he was so enamored by her! It was hilarious! We've never seen him act like that before! He had the cheesiest smile and was just staring at her. And he kept waving at her and introducing himself (pointing to himself and saying, "This CJ"). But then when it came time for everyone to leave, CJ went around hugging everyone, but was super shy about hugging Lisa. I hope he wasn't embarrassed by the fact that he was just in a tee-shirt and his undies. Of course, he was picking his nose as he stared at her, so I'm going to guess not :) 

- Tonight I was reading a book about colors to CJ. It has various pictures of objects for each color. There happens to be a yellow teapot and CJ kept calling it a "teatop." Thought that was pretty cute :)

- My allergies have decided to tag-along with all the beautiful weather we are having and they are killing me right now! My throat is constantly itchy, and my nose and eyes itch too. Here's hoping you are itch-free!

Happy Monday!