It's time to go private...

I'm going to gather all of the email addresses given to me and then send invitations. If you'd like to be invited, but aren't sure if you already sent me your email address, either leave me a comment or send me an email at kellogg@ymail.com.

Thanks!!

Fun in the Sun

It's been cold and rainy the last couple of weeks, so I'm posting some of the fun we had a few weeks back. It was warm and beautiful. The kids just wanted to be outside all day, and so did I. I hear it rains A LOT this time of year out here, and I love the rain, especially because everything is turning green, but I am sooooo ready for some warm sunshine.

Lindy thought she was in a photo shoot. She kept running by me and saying, "CHEESE!"

This one is my favorite. Love the wind-blown hair.

Paigey LOVED just hanging out in the grass... and eating weeds.

More on the Great Race

So I failed to mention a few things...

First of all, more than just my family ran for Ginger. I know several (anyone know how many??? or at least a guesstimate?) ran for her.... many of her friends were there. Some ran the 5k, the 10k, and the half marathon. I know Ginger's husband, Jason, ran the half marathon! You're awesome, Jase! Thank you to all of the friends who showed so much care and support to our family. You are wonderful!!

Also, the red T-shirts were designed by one of Ginger's good friends. It says, "Happiness..." which was the title of Ginger's last post on her blog (the night before she passed away). I thought it was perfect idea for the T-shirt.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of the entire "Ginger" group soon. (Mother??)

The Great Race for Ginger

I love my family. Look at them. Don't they look great?? They all participated (ran or cheered) in the Great Race yesterday. This was a race that Ginger ran in just months before she passed away. She ran the 5k, which she was super proud of herself for. Her goal was to finish in under 30 minutes, and she did it! Here are her own words from her blog. She had thought she finished in exactly 30 minutes...

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let's get technical...

my NEW finish time is 29:59.55

yes!! under 30 minutes! I knew I could do it! :)

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Awesome.

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I wish I could have been there to run for her. Let's just say that it gets a little tricky with 3 little tykes and a husband in medical school gearing up for an intense week of exams. Instead I did a 50 minute Jillian Michaels work-out video and gave it my all. :) I would have like to run out here, but that gets tricky, too. Mostly I thought about my family out there in CA running, and I thought about Ginge. I miss her. She has forever changed my life and she inspires me every day to be a better person. I can often feel her unconditional love and her confidence in me.

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I saw this on my sister, Heidi's, blog... a comment that my brother, Jason, posted on Ginger's blog after she passed away. I loved it... it's beautiful.

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He said, "Ginge, you ran a great race and you finished at 30 (at least this leg of the race). You didn't let anyone hold you back, but you definitely helped countless others along your way. You broke the tape first in our family and we look forward to seeing you when we cross the line and giving you a huge Ginger-style victory hug on the other side of the finish line. Until then, we know you will be watching us, cheering us on."

Sooooo close to crawling...

This one's for Gramma...

I've been telling my Gramma for a long time now that I would send her pictures of mine and Clint's heirloom quilt. Clint's aunt, Lynnae, made it for us when we got married. It's beautiful and we love it!! She makes the most amazing quilts... I need to take lessons from her! Some of our family and friends made a square with marriage advice or thoughts, and then Lynnae put it all together... incredible. All of the advice and quotes are so great; Clint and I love looking at them again and again.

Here it is, Gramma...

This is the square that Ginger did for us. I love having it from her.

I love her cute bride & groom heart creation; it's so her.

This is one that Aunt Lynnae did... beautiful.

Here's yours, Gramma!! I love it! Great advice and I love the lips!

Thank you again, Aunt Lynnae!! I'm sure it took several hours... it is greatly appreciated!

Hair juice and flat n&ms

I posted this in my Simply Me blog journal, but thought I'd share it with you. Kaden is always making us laugh... just a few random things.

Kaden calls orange juice with pulp, "hair juice."

Today he asked for "flat n&m's" rather than the peanut m&m's we usually have.

Today while Lindy and Paige were taking naps, Kaden and I went outside to play baseball... he'd been asking all morning. We had a lot of fun (he's pretty good!), and when we came inside, I said, "That was fun!" And he said, "Yeah, it was... what do you say, Mom??" Of course I said, "Thank you." That must have been the right answer because he didn't hesitate to say, "You're welcome." He must have known I needed some fun playtime outside with him.

Just now as I was typing this I was trying to help Kaden and Lindy be nice to each other, but Kaden wasn't going for it. He had this scowl on his face, and he said, "look my elbows." Huh? ....I knew he actually meant eyebrows, but I waited. He said, "Look at my elbros.... eyebrows?" By this time he was smiling. Too cute.

Lately Kaden has had an extremely strong gag reflex... anything will make him want to "frow-up." If Lindy or Paige have a runny nose, I don't even have to ask him to get some tissue for me; he glady runs to get some, and says, "Mommy, please wipe their nose. I'm going to frow-up." Anything will make him feel queasy... like Paige's smashed up baby food... or changing Lindy's diaper... or watching parts of Planet Earth (worms, etc). Hopefully he outgrows this gagging thing soon; he has lost it a few times, and it's not very fun.

8 months of pure sweetness

Sometimes I just want to eat this girl. She is pure enjoyment for our family.

At 8 months:
She has one little (sharp!) tooth that she got at the beginning of February.
She is sooooo close to crawling she can hardly stand it.
She will eat pretty much anything she is offered.
She loves snuggling her blankets up to her face for naptime and bedtime... and she was sleeping through the night like a champ (what happened, Paigey-girl??)
She is chunkalicious!
She is completely in love with her big brother and big sister!
She loves to give and recieve loves.
She's loves to squeal like her big sister!
She's right-handed.
She's got Daddy (and Mommy) wrapped around her little finger.

She is so sweet and precious and she inspires me to be a better mother to her and to Kaden and Lindy. Sometimes when I am not being the nicest or most patient mommy with Kaden and Lindy, I'll look over at her looking at me as if she were saying, "Mom, it's okay" or "Mom, that's not the real you." She has this look of unconditional love in her eyes and smile that help me remember who I can be.

We love you Paigey-baby!

Bath-time for Paige

Paige loves bath-time! Usually I bathe her in the bathtub, but now that she's sitting up on her own, it's easier to bathe her in the sink. Ahhhh... no more breaking my back leaning over the bathtub.

Paigey-bunny... So cute!

Chasing Kaden and Lindy

Kaden and Lindy love being chased around the house. They were being so cute the other day, I had to grab my camera. These are my favorites... especially the one of Kaden holding Lindy's hand.

Bon appetite...

I can't believe Paige is already old enough to begin having solids. She started showing real interest when she was about 5 months old (now 7 months old). We are slowly but surely making progress with what she'll eat. She loves her baby oatmeal, and she's warming up to quite a few fruits and vegetables.

I think I'll have to invest in a bib for myself soon; she loves to spit and blow bubbles, and she thinks it's especially amusing when pears or cereal go flying all over Mommy's face and shirt.

Lindy loves to help with Paige. She's such a cute big sister. Today Clint and I saw her trying to clean the crusties out of Paige's nose with her fingers and then went to get some tissue to finish the job. Paige wasn't terribly pleased with it all, but Lindy (in her own little world) thought it was all very funny.

I love washable markers!

Lindy--caught red-handed by Daddy

Lindy's artwork

Washable markers are the best; all of it wiped right off!

Fun at Angie's

I have a great friend, Angie, who lives just down the street. Her husband is one of Clint's study buddies. They have a wonderful little family, and Cade is just a little older than Kaden. Kaden loves Cade; they get along amazingly well. It's really cute.

Angie took Kaden and Lindy for me for a couple of hours while I was able to get out and do some grocery shopping; it was a nice break for me, and the kids loved it. Angie sent me these pictures of this fun boat project they each got to do. How fun!

Lindy-girl

Kaden and Cade

I love this picture of Lindy. I just want to kiss those cheeks!