Rainy Zoo Trip!

The Toledo Zoo Fieldtrip, a highlight and family favorite! It marks the end of another school year and the beginning of summer vacation!! The rain tried to spoil our day, but it didn't stop us from having a great time!! We just had to be creative!!

The carousal!! Another attempt to stay dry!! Plus the kids love it. Tanner was holding on pretty tight to mom, until he realized that he was having fun.

Our creative solution to the rain. Go to the car and eat lunch a little early. Maybe the rain will stop or slow down. You should of heard the cries of resistance to this idea. We had only been at the zoo for about 1 hour. Try to explain to 5 kids that we are just going to the van to eat lunch. We are not leaving, we are just having lunch a little early. They thought we were pulling a fast one. We finally convinced them!! We made it fun!

"Daddy, I can't see! Lift me up"

Only Daddy will do!

Trying to keep the kids still long enough for mom to take some pictures. Mom sometimes overdoes it with the pictures, but I love it!! Mom and dad look tired. Emma and Tanner were having so much fun in the wagon. I wanted to get in, but Dad said no!!

Memorial Day Race!

Memorial Day, race day, was beautiful!! I could not of asked for a better day. It makes it so much more enjoyable to run when the weather cooperates with you. The race began at 9:00am, so as you can imagine, I did not sleep well. I think I woke up 4 times in the night to check the time and if the alarm was properly turned on. (I know what you are thinking, crazy) After my hard work training, I was not about to oversleep and miss the race. I got up early, too early and tried to convince myself that a morning run would feel so good, much better than a night run. I was debating!! I arrived at my friend's house and her kids were so excited. They were running in the 1 mile Fun Run and they were ready. You could not help but be excited too. Kids are contagious!! We arrived at the race and the kids got their numbers while I made a mental note of where the restrooms were. Always a good idea!! We watched and cheered as the kids ran their race. It was so fun. I will need to get my kids ready to run next year. They would love it! A few moments later, after a potty break, we headed to the start of our race. As we were waiting to race, I started looking around, and all I could see were young, really young runners. "What did I get myself into, I am going to be in last place! Oh well, no turning back now!" During the race, I felt great! I was in good rhythm and I was enjoying the beautiful homes, I mean mansions that I was running past. WOW!! They were amazing!! During the last 2 miles, I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure that there were still people behind me. "Good, I am not last!"
As I was coming down home stretch, I had friends cheering me on. It was great!! I ended up beating my time and running 49:48, under 50 minutes!! Yes!! I was happy! It is always good to beat your time! Lookin' forward to next year! Better start training for the next race.

Btw: shout out to my sister, Jess, who ran a half marathon on Memorial Day! She is amazing!! I am not quite ready, Jess, but I will get there. Maybe next year we can race together! Love ya!

What a week!

It has been one of those weeks! Every night of the week, we have plans and I feel like I am running in a million different directions. My house looks like a tornado has landed and when I have a spare minute to straighten up, all I want to do is sit, relax and take a breathe. Here is a sampling of my crazy, busy week ....

Monday: trying to get homeschool wrapped up for Hayden. I only have a few more days left of school. He will spend his last few days at school doing a variety of fun activities. One last test to study for - trying to finish this year strong! Steve has golf tonight, so mom is on her own getting the kids fed, clean and off to bed. A chore with 5 kids. ( FYI - I am glad that my husband gets to play golf once a week. He works so hard. He deserves it!)

Tuesday: Soccer games tonight! I will miss Kal's game again because Rylee's game is at the same time. Bummer!! But, Rylee did score her first goal! I was cheering like a proud momma! She flashed me a huge smile and gave me the thumbs up sign. So sad that Dad missed it. (He coaches Kal's team)

Wednesday: 11:30am take kids to Caesarland to meet Hayden's class. The kids had a blast, but mom was exhausted from watching the kids like a hawk. That place kind of creeps me out. Way too many outside doors where kids could be taken. Can we say "hand sanitizer" after an afternoon of fun. Peel the kids away from the fun and head to the store (yes, Target, what other store would I go to!) Off to pick up Kal from school. Back home so we could rest for a moment, get dinner and then head to church!

Thursday: All kids off to school or preschool, except Tanner. He hates these days. Mommy is not quite as fun as sisters and brothers. My cling on. I can't get anything done. He wants me right by his side. Workout was an adventure! He is now trying to lift weights with me. It is pretty cute! Lunchtime!! A friend brings Subway and we enjoy the beautiful day outside and talk. It was wonderful!! Soon, I put the kids to bed, and it was even more relaxing. After visiting for a while, my friend tells me she smells gas. Call DTE, to report possible gas leak. That was a fun conversation. I believe that I told her my address and name 5 times. Yikes!! The DTE man showed up and found a small leak with the dryer hook up. Fixed it and on his way! Oh good, no house fire today! After dinner, off to workout class at church. Tough! But great!

Friday: Playdate at the park with friends. The kids are lovin' this week. Nice visit with friends. Then off to Pizza Hut for lunch. I love this beautiful weather! Now, home kids in bed. I am going to try to get some stuff done and then relax. Tonight - date night!! At least that is the plan. I am so ready for date night. Let's hope it happens.

This weekend: prepare for my 8k race on Memorial Day, get flowers, plant flowers, and relax. Sort of, next project: getting ready for my garage sale! That is a lot of work!!!

Under Construction!!

Please excuse the mess, I am trying to be creative!! It is a challenge! I love, love, my new 3 column layout. It is nice to have so much more room! Many thanks to Becky my best bud who walked me through this process. Without her, I would be lost in computer codes and pulling my hair out. Thank you sweet friend!! You are the best! This computer stuff can be confusing, but I admit that I am learning more and more each day. Btw, Becky, I fixed that problem I was having with my computer screen. Yeah me!! My next project is getting a new header. If you have any suggestions, let me hear them. I want something simple, but pretty! Help a girl out!
I have an appointment with Jillian, so I must go. I am under construction too!

A conversation with a 5 year old...

My daughter Rylee woke me up this morning wanting to talk. This is how the conversation went ...

Rylee: Mom, mom get up! Dad says you have to get Kal ready for school. Come on!
Mom: ahhh, 2 more minutes!

Rylee: Mom, wake up. Why are you so tired? If you are tired, you should just lay back down.
Mom: that would be nice!

Rylee: Mom, guess what? We unlocked the punching bag game in the Wii. It is so fun! You punch like this (she is giving me a demo) left, right, left right. You do it a lot of times, very fast. Then, mom, you can win the game. I don't know who unlocked it. Oh, I know DAD unlocked it. Did Dad unlock it, mom? No, wait a minute, you unlocked it, right mom! Oh, probably it was Emma!
Mom: (totally confused, and half asleep) What? Take a breath, child! (I am listening to this as I am running around trying to get Kal ready for school, with my talking shadow!!)

Rylee: Mom, is soccer today? I love soccer! I love to play games. I want to play games everyday. How many games do we play. Is it today, mom! Mom, are we going to Landon's house today? I love Landon's house. It is so fun. I am going to show Landon my hair. I think he will laugh and think it is funny. (She has a ponytail that she slept in, hanging half in and half out of her hair. Really cute!) Mom, do I go to school today? Is this the day for school? Mom.. mom.
Mom: I walk away hoping to get Kal out the door before she is late for school.

Rylee: (seeing Emma) Oh Emma, you are gorgeous! I love you! (Big smile) (The best buds go off to play!)
Mom: Bless you, Emma! Now let's get breakfast on the table and get Kal out the door. I am so tired and that conversation has left me dazed and confused.


Rylee, I love your gift of gab. You are always making me laugh! I am sure that I was just like this as a child. Good thing we have a big family that you can share your gift with. I love you, sweet Rylee Girl!!!

My take on the Biggest Loser Finale!!

Three hours. Really!!! The "new" material in this finale could of fit into an hour time slot. I know that they must do the recap for us to remember what happen, but isn't that the point of watching the show. I already saw this stuff, I don't need to see it again! Good thing I recorded the 9:00pm to 10:00pm segment, I watched that portion in about 15 minutes. I love being able to fast forward the boring stuff. (In case you are wondering, I had to record it so that I could watch Fringe. If you don't watch Fringe you are missing out. It is my favorite show, behind Lost of course!)
Shout out to the old people!!! You guys rock!! Way to go! You made the young people look weak! I guess there is some hope for those of us who are getting older. Jerry looked amazing. I thought that guy was on his death bed and he lost 177 pounds. Wow!! He is inspiring!! I bet his grand kids are so proud of him. They will get to enjoy extra time with him because of his determination to succeed. How special is that. It makes me want to cry! Did you see the look on Bob and Jillian's face. They were shocked! How cool is that!
Helen (48) biggest loser!!! Awesome! She was playing it cool the whole time. Ron, I guess you were manipulating the wrong person. Bummer, dude! I have to say that I am a little jealous. She weighs 117 pounds. Not fair!! I want to be that small. (well, maybe not that small, but close) Did you catch that she talked about her trainers, not trainer, but trainers. What!! How many did she have? Who is paying for that? Maybe she could lend me one? She does live in Michigan. I try to tell myself that if I had trainers and 6 hours a day to devote to working out, I too could be that size!! I would be content with being 15 pounds lighter! Maybe this would only take 3 hours a day and one trainer. Something to think about! All joking aside, Helen, you look amazing. Great job! You inspire me to keep going! Enjoy the new you!

A Special Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you special mom's out there. I love being a mom. It is so rewarding! It has made me into the women that I am today. I have 5 beautiful children that love me and challenge me to be the best mom that I can be. They are a treasure and a blessing from above. Thank you Hayden, Kallie, Rylee, Emma, and Tanner for your sweet, loving hearts that inspire me each and everyday. I love being your mom!

My Mother's Day was wonderful. We went over to Grandma's house to eat and visit. The kids love going to Grandma and Papa's house! We had a wonderful meal and just got a chance to relax and spend time together as a family. We took the kids to the playground and they had a blast. At one point, I leaned over to Grandma and asked her, "how many kids do I have?" We both agreed that I had 6, because Steve (my husband) was running around the playground just like the kids. Playing chase with dad is the best. The kids were all laughing and trying to catch their breath at the same time. I love to hear them laugh and play. It makes me feel young!! When it started to rain, we went back to Grandma's house and played. What a perfect day! Thank you, Grandma for letting us come and spend the day with you.