Super Aunt Julie

A package arrived today for "The Dolan Kids" from Aunt Julie... just in time for Halloween. Aunt Julie doesn't forget any holidays and we tease her that she spoils the kids rotten, but she'll never stop. That, among many other things, is one of the reasons we call her Super Aunt Julie.

Dear Aunt Julie,

We love our Bionicles. We have been battling with them ever since we put them together. They are very cool. Thank you for those, the nice card (yes, we read them!) and the gummy treats. YUM! We love you very much!!!

Love,

Alex & Josh

Dear Aunt Julie,

I love my pink, fuzzy, sparkly Princess slippers. Of course, I have been wearing them ever since I got them out of the bag. I would like to stay home from preschool tomorrow and wear them all day, but Mommy says that isn't a good idea. I love my gummy bat, too. I tried to eat it WITH my dinner, but Mommy said that wasn't a good idea either. She made me eat all my pizza first. I tried to give my pizza to Indy, but Alex told Mommy the truth. Dang it. Is that a bad word? Mommy says it isn't. I don't know how long "Batty" (that's the name I gave to my gummy bat) will last. He already lost his wings, so I have to carry him everywhere. Mommy keeps asking me if he's sticky. Anyway, thank you for sending us presents and a nice card. I really like "Tinkermouse" (that's what Mommy called her) on my card. She was so cute! Just like you and me! I can't wait to see you soon.

Love,

Mattea "Squirt"

I ain't no college kid anymore...

I just got back from doing my workout. It was brutal, but rewarding. The intervals for today were: 5 minute walking warm-up, 3 minutes of jogging, 1 1/2 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of jogging, 2 1/2 minutes of walking, 3 minutes of jogging, 1 1/2 minutes of walking and ending with a 5 minute jog. I decided to take a different route today. Unfortunately, just as I started my first 5 minutes of jogging, I was heading up a huge hill. Lovely... NOT! I started up the hill and made some progress, but my calves started feeling very sore and very tight. I didn't want to get an injury that would cause me to stop working out, so I decided to stop and stretch my calves. They felt a bit better after the stretches, but I walked up the rest of the hill to ease back into it. Once I got to the top of the hill, I was feeling good. I started jogging and decided that I would forget the workout plan and just jog until I couldn't jog any longer. At first, it was incredibly easy because... yes, you guessed it... I was jogging downhill! Piece o' cake!!! Once the path flattened out, I slowed my pace and discovered the problem. All these times, I have been jogging at a pace I jogged while in college. Hello!!! I ain't no college kid anymore!!! Slowing down my pace allowed me to steady my breathing and go the distance. I jogged for 13 straight minutes which for me is a small miracle since I haven't done much running since college. Yahoo!!! Mind you while I was out there, it was only 38 degrees (but felt like 32 degrees). YIKES!

The Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is visit the pumpkin patch with my family. While we were in the Quad Cities, we rarely went alone. Aunt Julie would go with us and we have gone a few times with the Ruff's and the Bachman's. I was sad that we wouldn't be going with anyone this year, but we still had a great time.

Alex wasn't too jazzed up about going this year, so while he and Jeff were at the archery range shooting bulls eyes, I took Josh and Mattea to May Farms Pumpkin Patch in Byers, Colorado. It was about 40 miles away, but it was a sunny 70 degree day and the trees were golden and beautiful along the way! I had a nice chat with my Mom along the way, so that was nice, too... always multi-tasking!

The kids fed the ducks & fish, we spotted a couple cats that Mattea insisted on holding, Josh navigated us through the corn maze, we petted the farm animals, we took a hay ride, the kids took a ride on the barrel train and we finally went to the patch to get our pumpkins. Every year when we go, we each pick out our own pumpkin. The rule is that you have to be able to carry it yourself. Since Jeff and Alex weren't there, we decided to get their pumpkins, too. So, just picture this... Mattea HAD to wear a dress and tights, which of course, got covered with prickly hay and later discarded... so now, she is wearing her shoes without socks and every 10 steps, something gets in them and she drops to the ground, whining, and insists they need to be cleaned out. This was happening the entire time we were in the corn maze and searching for our pumpkins. After we chose our FIVE pumpkins, Josh and I had to carry them all to the weigh station and then out to the truck. Oh, it was quite a sight, I'm sure! But, even though I ended up sweaty and a bit crabby, we had a delightful time!

Couch to 5K

For whatever reason, I have given myself the challenge of getting in shape and running a 5K. Crazy, right? Yeah, I kinda think so, too. But, with our busy lives, I don't seem to take time for myself which means I am far from being fit like I was back in college... and I miss it.

I'm not a big dieter. I would rather make exercise a part of my life and take it from there. In the past, I have gotten on exercise kicks and they never seem to "stick" much past a week or two. I'm happy to say that I just completed Week 3, Day 2 of the 9-week Couch to 5K program. It's basically a way to get a couch potato like me off the couch and out walking/jogging until I am able to run a 5K. The workouts are intervals of walking and jogging, so I bought myself a digital watch with a timer to make sure I'm sticking to the plan. I like the way that each workout pushes me and gets more difficult. I actually look forward to doing it and the fact that it's only 3 days a week fits nicely into my week. Indy goes with me most of the time, but as I increase my jogging time, he might have to stay at home. At 11 years old, he doesn't much care for that speed... he ends up lagging behind quite a bit. But, for now, it's nice to have his company while I huff & puff my way along.

I am hopeful that I can keep this up. I put an exercise ticker on our blog page, so I have visible affirmation of what I have accomplished so far. It keeps me motivated. I literally update the ticker as soon as I walk in the door from my workout!!! The weather is still nice enough to be outside, but my elliptical machine will be my backup during the winter months. I really want to get back into shape, get back out on the volleyball court and generally be more active. I CAN DO IT!!!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to me and my sweetie!!! Today, Jeff and I are celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary. WOW!!! We've been together since the 1900's. Ha ha ha!!! (Dad, I know that made you chuckle!) Unfortunately, work is getting in the way of us having any fun celebrating today, so we'll have to wait until our Friday night date.

Mattea the Computer Genius

Yesterday, I showed Mattea how to use the touch pad on our laptop. She mastered it very quickly for a 3 year old!!! She really had a great time playing her "Dora Saves the Princess" game.

All I Want For Christmas Is My One Front Tooth!

Well, Josh's tooth dangled and wiggled and he refused to let us yank it out. He lost it this morning when it literally just fell right out of his mouth. I don't need to tell you what he was doing at the time, but let's just say we were grateful it didn't land in the porcelain throne!!! It's not that gross... I'm talking #1 here, people. Sheesh!

Anyway, here's a picture of my cute boy minus his top front tooth. He looks so stinkin' cute... I can't wait for the other top one to come out! : )