my amazing family

Andy and I just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, and at first I didn’t really think too much about it, but honestly it is starting to sink in and I really really REALLY love him!!  We have had 4 amazing happy years, and each one gets better and better.  Add in Jackson and its like a dream life come true!  So apparently my dream life is a little family in a little house in Arroyo Grande, a hardworking and fun husband, and a little boy that mostly drives me nuts but I can’t stop thinking about him every second of every day!  I am so happy to be meeting new friends and wandering the village with Jack.  Every single day I am waiting and waiting for Andy to come home from work. 

So here’s to dream life’s coming true!  AND all my seeds sprouted this year- ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!  Thank you to everyone I love and get to share my wonderful happy life with!!!

Oh AND Andy has this cowboy hat- dorky and strange at first, and now I totally dig it.  He looks goooooood.  :)

i want a baby!

major baby fever, they are everywhere.  Andy and I have decided to try for another little person, and I can’t be more excited.  Jack is almost 2, so he will be just under 3 when the new one comes along.  I think this will be a good gap for Jackson to be an older toddler but they can still play together in a couple years. 

It is crazy to think of having 2 little ones, but people do it all the time so I know it is possible!  Sometimes I am so tired or have to put in alot of time for work it almost seems irrational for me to want another baby, but in my heart I know that I want just one more… and Jackson will have so much fun with a little baby.  It is more important for me to have a happy family than stress myself over working too much just to have more play money. Work has been getting busier and busier, and I have been doing less and less advertising, so I am in the process of re-organizing my business process to be more efficient and profitable so I can spend more time with Andy, Jack, and another tiny.  It’s what I want, and I have been going back and forth between family and work-family-work-family-work- family- work.  And the answer is….. FAMILY!!! YAY!

So hopefully there will be a little tiny in my near future to squish and love and kiss.  Jackson has been so much fun and has changed my whole outlook on life and what is important.  It’s kinda weird to think so much about another person…. I still stare at him and am obsessed with how cute and perfect he his… even when he is throwing mud on me, or jumping off the couch, or waking me up way too early, or not eating his veggies, or dumping sand in my kitchen, or ripping my ranunculas out of the ground.  He is fun and loves his family and grandparents and aunts and uncles and has so many little quirks.  I can’t wait for another one to obsess over. 

the new year.. 2011

it has taken me awhile now to think of a resolution.  of course there is running more, but i want to do that anyways so i don’t think that counts. 

so i came up with… be better mommy and do more fun stuff with Jackson.

he’s growing so fast it’s unbelievable and I want him to have as much fun as possible.  so to achieve my resolution, we will have a schedule (go figure i would do that) of super fun things that we need to do everyday.  i am thinking each day will be start with breakfast, then something outdoors.  running or walking, learning to ride his bike, or digging in the dirt.  after that we will come in a do something artistic and learning-related like painting, drawing, gluing, etc.

after that is lunch and then naps.  once he wakes up it usually late afternoon, but there is still time to go into town.  we can get shopping done or stop by the park before its too late. 

i think we will have fun!!! so now i just need to do it….

WHY AM I SO BLLAAAHHHH

Seriously I feel like this happens every winter- no I know this happens every winter.. I need to be outdoors or I get nutty. And by nutty I mean MEAN to my husband!! and just regular nutty too.  And its only been a few days/weeks of coldness!  So I just read Erin’s blog about needing to get out running again and it’s funny because just last night as I huffed and puffed (for no reason) while climbing into bed and Andy asked what wrong I said ‘I am mad, and I don’t know why, but I really need to run and maybe we should buy a treadmill or do SOMETHING because I’m crazy.’ 

so at least I’m not the only one!  I’ve been trying to do weird kickboxing and running in place and the Wii during naptime but it’s not the same as being out in the world where however far you go… you still have to make your way back! and you’re not in your living room, you’re out in the world with fresh air!!

the less I am active the less motivated I am to be active- so its time to SUCK IT UP and quit bitching and just do it. geeez

my 12k trail run

i had the best time ever!!! i was very nervous about if i could do it (just remembering miracle miles and DYING!) and this was longer than that.  but i’ve been running awhile now and felt much more prepared and informed and it definately paid off.  i’ve never thought that it is that important- all the prep and things that people do to prepare for these runs.  i never was into the gel things and shoes and clothes and water bottles, hey this is running right? don’t you just run?  but obviously i was wrong!  it does matter once you get into longer distances! 

so all week i tried to drink plenty of water, eat kinda ok (although noelle your bridal shower did me in with all those sweets!)  but mostly i’ve been running as often as i couldwhich reallly isnt much, i got the cool waist water bottle thing, ate a proper breakfast, and had the gel electrolite snack things, and slept good.  (weird that taking care of your body makes you perform better! ;)

but i felt great and really liked the trail part of it!  the first half was more like hiking, and I liked that so many people were not running.  you really couldnt run it was too steep.  but it’s a different kind of energy that you use, so when it came time to go back down the hill, i was bookin it!  i pretty much just let my hips go and made sure my feet kept up with my momentum.  so it took hardly any energy to do the last 3 miles.  and 3 miles is alot!! when i got to the finish line i honestly think i could have done the whole thing over again. 

this was a great ego booster for me too.  i honestly did not think that i could do long distance running.  AND FOR THE RECORD… i still think that a 12k is long distance- just cuz you crazies run marathons and ultra marathons has been making me feel like 8 miles is crappy!! but its not!! its far!!  so now i know i can do it and maybe once wedding season slows down i can try for something a little longer.  i still dont know if thats where i want to focus my time. for now i am very excited that i can do a 12k trail run. yay!

i love little jack-jack

Last week was wild!! 3 weddings, a sick husband, that’s enough to vouch for a crazy mama right?!  No matter what, I can just look at jack and be ok.  He has given me a reason to slow down, focus, and try to enjoy life- regardless how busy i get.  The workload is still there and will be for the rest of summer and into fall.  I love my work and I love my job and can’t imagine doing anything else, but wont lie… it is a lot of work!! and a lot of organizing and planning and coordinating. 

 

One thing that I don’t ever want is for that to come between me and my family.  So Andy, you usually get brushed aside but I’m working on it!!  And Jackson, you will never get brushed aside no matter what, it’s impossible for me to do that.  I will always stop and let you show me things, I will stop to read you a book, I will stop to make you a real lunch.  You are the best thing that ever happened to me and daddy.

 

So now is the time that I have to make sure that the work gets done, and the family gets the attention that they deserve.  Jackson makes it easy cuz he’s so cute and squishy and silly.  Although he can be a real piece of crap sometimes, it’s still cute right now and Andy and myself try hard not to laugh when he’s naughty!  (example- he threw a dinner mint across the table at a restraunt last night and it just so happened to land in my glass of wine :) nice shot jack!)  In a couple years I might have a very different blog about that!  it wont be cute or funny anymore so live it up little dude! haha! 

 

Jack is just so great and is making Andy and me really make a special effort to do ‘family’ things, and I love that.  So thank you jack for being so radical! 

body image issues

i want to know WHO the jerk is who invented negative body images because i’m going to kick his fanny.  i have been thinking about this for over a week now.. why do women think they are fat/flabby/ugly/whatever????  it is driving me nuts!!!

i have decided that there are two reasons-

1.  society has programmed into our brains the supermodel image (totally unrealistic, but probably leads to the latter…)

2.  society has programmed that loving your body is not normal and only megasluts show their stuff off. and to be respectable you need to hide it.

now don’t get me wrong- i don’t think that i am some model hottie and perfectly toned lady- but i don’t think i’m fat or ugly!  and in no way am i saying that we all should be walking around the supermarket with a gnarly mid-drift or bootie shorts.  but what about the times when it is appropriate??? at the beach, the lake, your own backyard- or running 3 miles up and down hills in 90 degree heat.  even then its still not ‘ok’ to skimp on the clothes. 

all (all of you, every single one) of my friends are gorgeous and have their own beautiful traits and should be so proud of how they look and know that NONE OF US would look at them weird or think less of them in any way if they went to the beach in a bikini.  if anything most would be jealous that one had the guts to do it.  NEWSFLASH it shouldn’t take guts!! YOU LOOK GOOD DONT BE SCARED! so you’re not perfect- but you are all damn close!  so take off your shirts!!

one day, that will be here sooner than we all know… we will be 70 years old, and really will be flabby and totally should not let it all hang out- and you will look back at pictures and think- “i was sooooo beautiful, and didn’t even know.  everybody told me and i didn’t listen.  I did have a perfect body! damn i looked good!”

I don’t have a perfect body image and struggle too, but i am comfortable with who i am.  i eat ok (not perfect but i kinda try) i get exercise (not as much as i should but i try), i have a life and i want to enjoy it!  so live it up ladies- none of us are gross in anyway and i just want you to love yourselves as much as I love you. :)