New ways to love...

All the mom's out there will know what I'm talking about in this blog. Last night I got home from the Leadership Hamilton Alumni mixer and came home to two kids bathed and ready to go to bed. Damon had sat outside with them in the front yard and had them playing in a small kiddie pool Grandma Pod had bought. As I was trying to get them to venture toward their beds, Emma hopped on Damon who was sitting in the floor. She started squealing as Daddy' picked her up and had her "high in the sky." Then of course Landon had to get in on the fun and soon they were all in the floor playing and giggling. There is nothing in the world like the sound of a kid laughing.

I realized again just how much I love my husband. I remember reading in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book and one line struck me and I think of it. It says "You'll fall in love with your husband again after you have kids." It is so true. You fall in love with your kids father and the qualities that being a great dad bring out in men. The way they hold a newborn baby, the first time their kid smiles at them and the look on their face, or the sound of "Daddy do it again!"

I have a wonderful husband who also happens to be a GREAT father. I told him that last night too, that I love watching him with the kids and it makes me fall in love with my husband all over again.

Oh my goodness...

Can't believe it's this hard getting back in the groove. With everything that happened last week and then going to the river this weekend, I hadn't been to the gym in 5 days. Well I went to Step Class yesterday at the fitness center, and I was sweatin and huffin & puffin like it was my first time. And then today when we did circuit training, it was the same thing again. I sweated through my clothes and I swear you'd think it was my first time. I can't imagine how it's going to be for someone who worked out for awhile, took a couple of months off (wink...you know who you are) and then they may come back later. You're body forgets quickly what it's supposed to do. I'm going to be really sore tomorrow. Uggg...

So much to tell...

With all that has happened over the past few days even weeks, I can't believe I have time to write this. Last Monday, we went up to the ICU in the VA in Temple to go check on Damon's dad. He wasn't doing so well. He had sepsis of the blood, pnuemonia, and a UTI infection. Well, on Wednesday, Damon, Derrell, & Lonnie went up there because the doctors wanted to discuss his prognosis. They wanted to pull the ventilator off. It wasn't 30 minutes after they took him off the breathing machine and he was gone. On Thursday I went to work for about an hour and then went with Mom Thompson to the funeral home to make arrangements. And then I went with her to go pick out some clothes for Tom to wear. Then Friday we had the full military funeral at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetary in Killeen.

The military funeral was awe-inspiring. They had a chaplain say a few words and then they played taps. I bawled...they folded the flag...I bawled...one of the men leaned down to give the flag to Lonnie and thank her for her husband's service...I bawled. Then they were ushering us out because they basically squeezed us in and there was another funeral coming in. About that time, our friend, Zack and his brother-in-law Mike got there just as they were loading Tom in the van to take him to where he would be buried. Zack stopped them so he could pay his respects. And Mike walked up beside him. I turned around and Mike, who's in the army, was saluting Tom as they loaded him in the van..I bawled. Then Mike presented Lonnie with a gold star pin...I bawled some more. I won't speak ill of Tom now that he's gone, but he and his family had some issues that were mainly his problems he took out on them. Their relationships were strained to say the least. But after he was diagnosed with dementia, I think it was easier for Damon to excuse some of his Dad's behavior because he really wasn't himself. Damon's been fishing with Zack the Thursday before the funeral and their out now, so I imagine he's getting his time in with his friends talking it out.

We left after the memorial to go floating down the Guadalupe river with some friends of ours. It was a blast, and for once Damon got sunburned worse than me, Snow White. We drank a lot of beer, ate, and spent some much needed time with friends.

When we got home, it was so nice to be home with our kids, Landon's fixing to go to bed. He's finishing up Mythbuster's, one of his favorite tv shows, and Emma's in bed. She's not happy about it, but she's in bed. I'm fixing to wrap this up, load the dishwasher, put Landon to bed, take a quick shower, and then lay in bed. Awww...my bed sounds really good. I'm going to try and finish Twilight tonight and start on New Moon. Friday is my last day at work for a month!! Yay!!!! Not that I don't love my job..but a break will be good.

New Ambition & Addiction

Ok- At one point in time in my life, I smoked cigarrettes. I know, shame on me, but I was young and dumb. I haven't smoked them in about seven years. When I gave up smoking, I picked up a new addiction, magazines. I subscribe to Parenting, Parents, Self, Shape, Redbook, Working Mother, Cosmo and Glamour. I'm dropping a few because I don't read all of them. But I've found a new addiction to get hooked on...exercise..particularly jogging. My mom bought me a membership to the gym here in town for Christmas. I worked out on my own for awhile before getting talked into some classes the gym offered by some of my co-workers. I go to step class two days a week, circuit class two days, and now the instructor has us doing Water aerobics on Fridays. But I find myself on the treadmill jogging and having some fun..not saying it's on par with hanging out with Lisa, Bev, and Kimberly at the Toad talking and drinking...but fun and stress relief still. And better for my waistline..wink..

My instructor Kim had us run outside last Monday when no one was at class. We jogged 2.4 miles, jogging 3 minutes and then walking 1 minute. I didn't quit. Yes me the person that said the only way she would run is if a knife-wielding psycho was chasing her. I was red, out of breath, and had a stitch in my side, but by darn-it I didn't quit.

So working out is my new addiction...now onto my new ambition. My big thing is to run the 5k in September and then train to run the 10k at the Cowtown Races in Ft. Worth in February. I printed out the training for the 5k and I started it today. I ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill. My plan is to go forward with the training and then the month of August run the actual course.

I'm hoping training for the 5k will help me lose the last 15 to 17 pounds to my goal weight. Plus having Kim and the other girls in my class push me helps out a lot.

Tomorrow my mom and I are going shopping for my birthday. Now, technically my birthday isn't for 2 weeks, but I wanted clothes for my birthday and I figured we could hit the memorial day sales. My husband says we're crazy for braving the crazy people. But I doubt it will be as bad as Black Friday. I shiver just thinking about it.

Landon has finished t-ball and we are so proud of him!! It was a great season and I couldn't have asked for a better coach than the team he had. He's growing and just amazes me with the stuff he picks up.

Emma's saying bye-bye and hi. It takes forever to get through the grocery store because she has to tell EVERYONE hi and of course, who can just walk by and not talk to the cute curly haired baby waving hi??

We are blessed with two beautiful, smart, and healthy kids. Thank God for that!!