Stinky Spring Boys

It's spring here in Texas. With the warmer weather, and the kids playing outside all of the time, the boys get stinky....really stinky! Because it's spring break, we've been outside most of the day every day this week. As we were getting up from the dinner table last night, I told the boys to go get a shower. Corbin turned around, and my sweet, sweet little boy said quite defiantly, "Three days in a row, mom???" "Why do we need a shower 3 days in a row???"
I guess I get relaxed about such "meaningless" things as showers in the winter when my boys don't stink, but when they want to sit on my lap at night and watch college basketball (I was 13 for 13 on my bracket when I went to bed last night) they better not smell like stinky, little men. Happy Spring everyone....go get a shower!

For one week only......

For one week only, I will have a 4, 5, 6, and 7 year old. Our baby, Baylor, turned 4 years old on Sunday...and next week Hudson will turn 8. All Baylor really wanted for her birthday (and she's been asking for at least 6 months now) is a pink race car. Rick and I laughed so hard as we browsed the aisles of Target in search of this pink car. Behold, Target had a pink racecar, and Baylor's day was made!

Backseat Drivers

It's a rainy day today--a good day to be cautious on the roads. As the girls and I waited at a stoplight on our way to gymnastics, they hummed away to "Are you washed in the blood." That sweet, sweet moment came to a quick halt when the light turned green, and the car in front of us didn't move instantly. The girls impatience ( a direct reflection of their mom/dad) wore thin. I start hearing, "what are you waiting for? an invitation?" and...."that's all the colors they've got" being yelled at the driver in front of me from my 2 little angels in the backseat. Oh how my sweet little sponges have soaked up all of my mean impatience.....but (if I am being totally honest) it was kinda funny, too!

BUY THE FREAKIN' CUPCAKES!

You know those laid-back days when you do random things like bake cupcakes with your kids??? Well, Sunday was one of those days for me. We went to church, and came straight home to put our pjs on. The girls convinced me that we should bake cupcakes for Baylor's birthday instead of buying them for her class party. Usually, I call in my cupcake order, pick them up in their neatly wrapped boxes and deliver them to the classroom, but due to the girls insistance to bake their own cupcakes--I gave in. There was nothing else pressing to do--except clean up all the flour and frosting that would soon cover the kitchen island.
I pulled all of the ingredients, pans, etc out as the girls tied their aprons on and got their stools to pull up to the counter. (I am getting somewhere with this story!) We FINALLY got all the ingredients in the bowl. As I went to get the mixer, I knocked the tar out of my 4th toe. I not only knocked it, stubbed it, hurt like Hades it....I BROKE IT!! And only for the love of my friend Traci, am I not putting a picture of my crooked, bruised, still hurting like Hades toe on here for all to see.
So, the moral of this story is.....BUY THE FREAKIN' CUPCAKES. (Or, maybe it's, don't be a clutz and run into the kitchen stool.) You pick your own moral, I've already picked mine.

Marathon #2....check

One of my close friends says it best....my (Claudia's) elevator doesn't go all the way up. Thus the preparation for half-marathon #2. Last week, Genevieve, Rick and I headed out in the fffffrrrreeezzinnngg cold to the Cowtown Marathon in Ft. Worth. Did I happen to mention that it was freezing? 40-50mph wind gusts, and the temp was around 35. BBRRR!!! Rick ran the full 26.2 miles (because he's crazy). Genevieve and I took the less-crazy route and went 13.1 miles. We had so much fun chit-chatting, laughing at people's outfits (just in case no one ever told you, blog readers, never wear skin-tight workout pants with a thong if you weigh 200 lbs), looking at people's flower gardens....we just had fun--along with 17,000 other runners. We finished in a respectable 2 hours and 42 minutes.
Rick's favorite part of the marathon running is the food that follows--pizza, pasta, cake.....and then an 80 minute massage. (Just as I thought I'd never do another marathon, the food and massage lures me in again. )
I never, ever in a million years thought I'd be out walking 13 miles for nearly 3 hours. It honestly sounded "easy" the first time I thought about it. I truly thought anyone could walk 13 miles and barely be winded. Well, many weeks of training proved me wrong, but I absolutely love the challenge of getting out there. Thanks for being my running buddy, Genevieve, and for encouraging me when I'd rather be sitting on the couch, Rick. Love you both!