I wish we had more 3 day weekends...

They were painting our office today so we all got to go home and work. It was pretty stinky and I was getting a headache, so I was glad. Plus then I got to go to lunch with Tad and I always love that. We went to Toscano and Sons which has the best panini and is really an Italian store, so it’s terrible for kids so we can’t go often so it was fun to escape for a quick lunch. We had a busy weekend. We ran as a family twice at the Silver Comet Trail. I always try to get out of pushing the double stroller. My excuse is he runs faster than me. SM gets out at the end and runs with me too, but he seems to get so distracted with the bikes and everything else going on. I got a lot of the garden together and the rest of my seeds bought, but I see after the rain today, I am going to have to start all over, its too slanted and it was under 3 inches of water on one side. I moved the herbs to a window box, but I am not sure if the cilantro is going to pull through. He had a random reaction to some rice-a-roni that left his face in hives. I don’t think it was eggs though, it seemed to be just a skin reaction and there was nothing listed in the ingredients. Poor kid though, you can’t see so well in the picture, but he had hives on his lips!

Memorial Day was fun, we got a kiddie pool and it was a hit, though GJ wouldn't go in because the water was cold. I wish we would have had time to do more that day, but the kids weren't cooperating naptimes. They of course fell asleep in the car at the end of our evening.

Get ready to run.

Order in the Court

So I was downtown at the courthouse Tuesday through Thursday. We stayed till 7:45 Thursday night to deliberate. It was a very long day. MARTA worked out fairly well though, Five Points Station is just around the corner.
So Tuesday they herd everyone through long lines to go through the metal detectors and then to check in. you watch this lovely video about the GA justice system. Its getting close to about 10 (you have to be there at 8am) and they still aren't calling any groups back, though they said there was 29 cases that all had to be tried so it would be busy. Great. So I see they actually have a special lactation room (always better than the bathroom) so as I am walking over to try to find someone who will give me a key, they of course start calling names. I am in the first group. They take 36 of us down. I told the bailiff I needed like a 20 minute break and I couldn't wait too long (of course after an awkward conversation about lactation that he wasn't quite catching on to.) So I was #22, they took the first 14 people, put them in the jury box, do some general questions with everyone, we just raise our numbers. Then the individual questions start (I finally got a break at this point) and you can tell the case is about contracting because they ask everyone about their past experience with contractors. And their whole schooling and current job, past if it had to do with contractors or lawyers. This is taking forever. We get a lunch break and then its our groups turn, 14 more people being asked many questions. This is taking hours folks. They say thats enough questions and they go back to decide. Luckily I have a book, which I have read about half of to this point. Finally at about 2:30pm, they come back, dismiss the last group of 14, they never got asked any questions and just had to sit there the whole time, poor folks. But at least they get to go home at this point. My name is of course called. They show us to the jury room, we get to go potty really quick and then it begins. Opening statements. Now I actually love all this lawyer talk. They aren't the greatest lawyers ever (one of them was the mayor of Roswell!) but basically a contractor was suing a couple for about $63,000 of work they did at his house. He had fired them midway through the job and refused to pay them. He had already paid them over $50,000 though. It was all kind of shady, you could tell both parties were not telling the complete truth. Partly was because this happened 4 years ago. The family had a tree rip open their house during the storm here for Hurricane Francis. Insurance covered the damage, but he added all these upgrades and remodels and extended his bedroom and changed the plans 3 times, after they had framed. It was ugly business. Wednesday was testimony all day. There was so many pieces of evidence, pictures, checks, copies of estimates and plans, which no one ever signed! Come on people, lets sign and date documents here. One lawyer kept getting the papers and the numbers they assign to them mixed up, or he would call them 'defense exhibit' instead of 'plaintiff.' Or he would lose them all together and we would have to recess till he found them. Judge was not very paitent with them. But she was great and really snappy which made if funny. It was just all very long. The judge would as if they were getting close to a stopping point (so we could take a break and I could take care of business) and he would say like "just another hour of questioning." An hour! My jury was great though, there were 2 FBI agents, and a court reporter and everyone had a college education, so when it came down to decision time, everyone was pretty smart and it wasn't too bad. It was just 5 o'clock by the time we started and no one wanted to come back Friday. We all were on the side of the contractor, so at least that was easy, but we had to decide on how much he got for the repair work, how much for the remodel work, and if he got attorney fees ($200 an hour!) because the defendant was the cause of all this trouble. I was very vocal of course about how much he should get and after a couple hours or so it was all decided. We put defendant instead of defendants so when we went out the the courtroom, we had to go back to the jury room and get it just right. Its amazing how many details have to go into everything. It all has to be just right. My mother said I should have been a lawyer, but I don't think I could handle it, but I do love to watch. I just wished it moved at Law and Order pace.

SMisms

Winnie: Hurry, we need to get in the car so we can go to the temple.
SM: Mama, I don't want to get married.


Winnie: Can you see what GJ is doing over there, he just coughed weird.
SM: He's just chokin' a little.

Winnie: What goes on the road?
SM: Cars.
Winnie: And the tracks?
SM: Trains.
Winnie: And in the air?
SM: Airplanes and helicopters.
Winnie: And in the water?
SM: Dolphins and crabs. We don't eat crabs. Mama, do babies go in the water?


Winnie: We are going to drive home to pick up Daddy and GJ so we can go to Costco.
SM: We don't need to take GJ, just Mama, Daddy and SM can go to Costco.
Winnie: What about your brother, he's too little to stay home alone.
SM: Just don't worry about it. (this is his favorite new phrase)

Jury Duty

I have to go downtown tomorrow to do my civil duty. Though I like being on an actual jury, I am not happy about having to go downtown and since there is a Braves game, we can't park in the lot, so I am pretty much stuck and am making myself very nervous. I hope it all works out and its only a one day ordeal.

UPDATE:
Even though I tried to pull the "I'm a nursing mother and I need breaks to pump" card, they still selected me and I will be on the trial for another 2-5 days!!! I'll let you know how it goes.

Race, Mother's Day, Brothers

We just can't seem to take a decent family picture with these to bugs.

Well its been a busy week! The Grandparents left, I had a nice mother's day. I know it sounds funny, but the highlight for me was making pancakes that all of us could eat for the very first time. The egg replacer works great in those and I can't wait to experiment in more recipes.
The 5K seemed so nice compared to 13 miles, that I loved it. Thanks for running with me, it was perfect weather and we got some great things afterwards. I love races and the freebies afterwards!
The boys are finally starting to get to the stage where they can play together. GJ is still a bit young, but he is copying more and more of what his brother does. He can walk now with his push toy, but I still think it will be a while before he can balance all that chub and get around on his own. Can't believe he is 11 months old!
I went and had lunch with SM today. He wasn't to thrilled about nuggets without ketchup, but he dipped them in his mashed potatoes, so it all worked out. He is kind of bossy though, he told another little girl, "Go wash your hands. Germs are not for sharing."

Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa came this week to visit and meet GJ for the first time. We are sad they flew out this morning, but we had a great time hanging out, hosting a party, going to the World of Coke and Atlanta History Center, doing yard work and cleaning the house, and eating some real southern food at Carver's (I can't believe we drive by it twice a day and we had never been there, it was delicious).

Do you want to run/walk with me?

Next Saturday at Atlantic Station (hello, that is so close) there is race for a great cause! Check it out, Race for the Cure for breast cancer. Check out my site and sign up! I am currently on the team Hero's for Hope and you can sign up on that team or by yourself. You can even just walk one mile, or run/walk a 5K. This is definitely not a competitive race, so if you are have been too timid to try, this is the one for you! So go for it.

I ran 13.1 miles!

Half Marathon Winners-we got Medals (okay, everyone got a medal)

Country Music Marathon 4/26/2008
I was awake since about 3am, but I guess Laura slept even less. We had some toast and got in the van about 5:15 am and had to go about 7 miles to the LP field in Nashville. That was the where the finish line was and the last bus was leaving to the start line at 6am for the 7am start. We sat in traffic for over an hour. We were totally freaking out. We finally get to the field thinking we have missed the race, and luckily there is still a bus to take us to the starting line. They dropped us off where there were no people and we were starting to think we were going to race by ourselves, but then we saw the masses of people. Our corral hadn't even started yet, so we technically weren't even late. It was a fun race, the hardest and longest run I have done so far, but I am pretty pleased with how we did. I finished with a time of 2:10 which is just barely under 10 minute miles, so I was pretty happy. There was about 30,000 people running, so it created a lot of energy, but also it was hard to run in some places with so many people, but we got to see a lot of downtown Nashville and overall it felt great (though my legs were jello for the rest of the day). Thats all I can write now, but if you want a better more detailed version, check this out.

Here is the fam at TGIFridays before we drove home (two potty breaks, one stop at Wendy's with a change of pants, and one baby with a fever later)

Day Out with Thomas

We stopped by Chattanooga this weekend to visit Thomas the Tank Engine. SM loved every minute and won't stop talking about it and sleeps with his new Thomas train. They had lots of fun activities, mini-golf, Sir Topham Hat, tattoos, train tables, bubbles, bounce house, and a little animal farm. Even GJ had a good time. It rained a little, but overall it was a great afternoon and I wish we would have had a little more time. In other news, we came home tonight to a street full of cops with flashlights. Apparently some kind of drug bust and they ditched the drugs out the window, so cops were looking for the goods. I promise our street is relatively safe and this is really one of the last 'questionable' houses on the street, so hopefully that is the end of that.
Everyone is pretty much sick today, but I am by far the healthiest, so I have been trying to wipe noses, but its been hard with traveling and being so tired!
Also, Tad got put in as 2nd counselor today in the bishopric in our church. Kind of a shocker, but we'll see how it goes.

The Chicken or the Egg?

So we got the results from GJ's blood work for the allergist and he is officially allergic to eggs just like his brother. This will make my life easier in some ways as they can't eat the same foods. Probably better they can't eat cake or cookies, as that is what I want to make all the time. I am mostly just glad he is not allergic to milk, wheat, or peanuts which all had effect on his skin test. It does appear that his skin is highly sensitive to lots of foods, and he will probably continue to have outbreaks of hives, but that will all be external reactions and won't stop his breathing (just eggs will). Fun times. So after the allergist, we went to his pediatrician and he has a double ear infection and pink eye. More fun times for all. But the week can't be dampened by the wonderful news that SM (according to my definition) is officially potty trained. Plus it's a beautful day : high 70's and no humidity, so I am really looking forward to getting off early, and a nice run tomorrow and a Sat full of crazy.

More of not much..

I haven't been such a great blogger lately, been pretty busy, but then I can't really think of anything to blog about, as not much is going on. Here is Tad reading books, its our favorite part of the bedtime routine. We did have another quick scare yesterday (okay, I obviously usually overreact, but hello, this is my child here!) GJ grabbed some of SM's cheerios out of his bowl and of course broke out in hives all over his face and hand after about 5 minutes. Benadryl saved us again, I debated whether or not he was going to stop breathing and was freaking out on the phone to Tad, but he was okay and eventually it went down, though his face was swollen all day. Poor kid. I had really convinced myself it wasn't a milk allergy, but that kind of confirmed it. Tomorrow we officially go to the allergist though with the blood test results, so I am glad we will just finally find out.
As much as I am not a fan of commercialism, I just love hearing him say "cheeky." He goes around the house ALL day long singing this song. Its the theme to Thomas the Train. I didn't realize he was so hard to understand, but he's my kid, so I don't have too much trouble, but if you don't know the song, you probably won't get it.

Not much

Not much going on this week, so here are some random pictures. SM went all day yesterday without an accident. He stayed home with me as he had some kind of stomach bug Thursday. We went to his first movie at the theatre, Horton Hears a Who. He got up a few times and like running down the theater hall, but overall he had a good experience, its a cute move. We got in the car afterwards and went to go pick up GJ and just before we got there, barfed all over in the car so it was quite an adventure. We got him cleaned up at school, luckily I had a pair of Rhett's jammies in the trunk that we put on. He did it again right before we got home, but that was it, so hopefully his is on the mend, he seems to have most of his energy back.

Easter

I have finally made it to the computer to download pictures for the week. It has been busy!

Tuesday night, my sister-in-law Stephanie came over. Hopefully she had fun entertaining the boys! It was nice as Tad was in class all night and I always need the help. She lives and NC and was coming from FL where they just found a townhome where my brother will be stationed after he comes home from Iraq next month. I am glad we will have a warm place to visit! GJ and dad chilling on Easter Sunday.
The search for eggs. Swinging. Ethan taught him how to do it on his belly. GJ loves playing with the eggs.

First Haircut

Wow, three posts in one day, its nice to have the day off! I should be cleaning, but instead I am blogging. We finally cut GJ's hair for the first time. He mostly screamed so you don't have to watch the video because its just him crying, but we sure think he is cute! He may look back and think this is cruel and unusual punishment.

If you notice the clothes pins on my shirt, SM's new thing is going around hooking them onto things.

Hilton Head

Tad went to Hilton Head last week for a conference. Last year he was able to take us, which was really nice. The whole time I kept looking for alligators in the water and never saw one, but of course when he goes back alone, he gets to see one. Can you see his eyes just popping out of the water?

He's gonna shoot 'em

That is was SM keeps saying he's gonna do with that gun. Every night SM says 'please bless JJ in the war' though he doesn't remember who he is, he only saw him once when he was less than one. But here he is, finally sending a picture so we know he is alive.
How can I not support the war when you have a brother over there doing so much?
He is not great at keeping up, especially with me and seems to have lost our phone numbers, which is class LB (li'l bro). When asked about this, he responded: "Sometimes you lose things when you're busy doing stuff, like defending freedom."
We love JJ and can't wait till you come home (and move to Florida so we can come visit!)

911

So today was the first time I have ever called 911. GJ had a new flavor of baby food (vegtable beef) and he broke out in hives and started breathing weird so I totally freaked. I actually forced him to drink some Benadryl so by the time the paramedics actually got there, he was breathing much bettter. They checked him out and he seemed to be fine, just said to watch him and call back if the hives came back after the Benadryl wore off. Super scary moment for me though. Why do these things always happen when Tad is out of town? I was supposed to babysit but went to go pick up Rhett, but they ended up not going out due to storms and no parking at Tech, so I just hung out there with Megan's mom till I wasn't so freaked out and watched the kids while she ran to the store and then she made me cookies. I can see where Megan gets it. Who is going to take care of me when they move?

Back from Puerto Rico! (caution-lots of pictures)

We went to Puerto Rico to visit my sister Lisa and her 4 week old baby and left dad and SM at home. We had a lovely time. GJ did great on the flights and even the 4 hour layover in Florida wasn't that bad. We got back late last night though and I had been up since 5am with GJ and his new front tooth so am very tired.

Since you can't do a lot with 2 babies, we didn't get out too much, but we still had a great time. I can't wait till we can go back next year (hopefully) with the whole family. Cousins. No, though Lisa was weary of it, GJ never made an attempt to eat her. Please compare thighs here.

Hermanas We went on a stroller walk in Quebradillas that overlooked the ocean and beach. It was pretty windy though when we weren't in the trees. Palm fronds kept attacking me. After church with Amelia's favorite Aunt. Abuelo holding her for the first time. I had to force him, he was afraid he was going to break her.All bundled up. Getting wet and not sure how he really felt about that. New little family, first time at church. She has the cutest little dresses. Almost makes me want to have a girl! Who wouldn't love to walk out of church to this. GJ chilling at the beach.
GJ and Lisa. He had quadrupled in size since she was with us all summer when he was born.

Playa

Though we miss SM and Tad a lot, GJ and I are still managing to have a magnificent time in Puerto Rico.