Bounce action

We checked out a place with tons of
Inflatables over spring break. It was awesome....and not just for the kids. I loved it. Fortunately for me, dad and maria watched Rhys so j could go play with Sophia. It was so much fun - and so much work. Jumping in that bounce house, I could feel my legs working hard!

This guy's favorite outdoor activity

america's pastime

Sophia is obsessed with playing
Baseball when we are outside.
She's awesome.

Sleepy boy

One evening post-dinner, Rhys sacked out in his high chair. I think it is one of the most adorable things ever. I know you do too, bc who could resist this face?

zoo

We have frequented the zoo quite a bit this spring. Sophia loves seeing all of the animals - especially the polar bear, who is her favorite.

Playin' at the park!

Rhys loves the swing! The second you set him in it, he is all smiles. Probably helps that most of the time his big sister is swinging beside him or helping him swing. She is such a great big sister, he's lucky to have her!

Artist

Sophia fingerpainted, or more so full-hand painted the other day. She was in heaven!

Snow in may?

Found this great idea online to microwave a bar of ivory soap for a minute or two. It ends up looking like below and breaks up into chunks really easily. We used it to make it "snow"
During bathtime tonight. Sophia loved it! As a bonus, the kids smelled amazing post-bath, and were extra clean!

Did it

I ran a 5K, or should say jogged one. It was the first time I've ever entered a 5K with the thought that I could actually run it instead of just planning to walk it. I was and am pretty proud of myself. Here's the picture I have to show for it--not flattering at all, but the only proof I have. Here's to keepin' on, keepin' on, and maybe a 10K in the not-so-distant future. We shall see. Official chip time was 35:35.

Life lately, according to my phone

Can you guess all the places we've been?

The Good Guys

My Uncle Bill passed away this week. He was the oldest of nine in my mom's family. He was such a good man, so great, he even got a shout-out in the Topeka paper yesterday. What a good example to me of genuine concern for others.

"We lost another one of the good guys recently. Bill McCarter’s obituary noted he had worked for the city’s engineering division for 59 years when he retired in 2010. That’s impressive, but it isn’t the first thing I think of when I think of Bill. Bill was the kind of public employee who gives bureaucrats a good name. He truly was working to help people.

That wasn’t just my experience in dealing with him as a news reporter. I often heard anecdotes from people he had helped.

In 1985, then-city engineer Earl Honigs nominated Bill for an Award of Merit from the American Public Works Association. He won.

A key factor in winning the award was the way he dealt with a woman who was upset because a project to install a sewer line across her property had destroyed several rows of irises. The city had no legal obligation to restore her flowers, but all Bill needed to know was that a citizen was unhappy. He knew of another project in the city that was causing the removal of some irises the owners didn't want replaced. He spent a Saturday — on his own time — salvaging those irises and planting them in the garden of the woman who had lost her flowers."

Source: http://cjonline.com/news/2012-03-06/mike-hall-newsroom-ahead-its-time

Three

She is so amazing, and so determined. She decided she was ready to be potty-trained (did I mention that was when Rhys was 3 weeks old-gotta love timing), and after about 3 days in, it was no longer a challenge. She does the most hilarious things and the things that make my life such a challenge, all within about two seconds of each other. I'm hoping this strong will of hers will help her as she gets older. Let's just hope it doesn't help her get to the principal's office. :)
A hilarious thing: The other day, while some people were at our house, she starts putting her hand down the back of her pants. Not an unknown phenomenon around here, but still, I ask her to stop. She moves her hand, has something in it. Walks over to me, throws said thing at me, then says, loud and crystal-clear for all to hear, "I had toilet paper stuck in my bum!" Tooo funny. I couldn't even be upset with her for throwing nasty, used toilet paper at me.
She will sit down and accomplish puzzle after puzzle. Hard puzzles. Puzzles with tons of pieces. Her daddy got her a couple of Star Wars puzzles, with a 3-d effect which makes them super difficult to do. Does that stop her? Nope.
She loves pockets. Pockets on pants or on a hoodie. I got her a shirt with a front pocked and a hoodie, and you would've thought I hung the moon. Oh, it also had glittery, girly stuff on it. (Stuff I don't normall buy, b/c I'm not a huge fan of it.) The first day she had it she wore it all day, to bed, and the next day. She did not want to let go of it.
Showing her independence by refusing to let me take a picture--she's really great at hiding.

Being a super-cheese!

Being the beautiful girl that she is!

Half a year

Love this little boy! He is (usually) a pretty relaxed, easy-going, happy kid. He loves to roll around on the floor, play in his exer-saucer, pull his sister's hair (ha!), be tickled, and talk (coo) at you. If I am talking to someone else and laugh, especially on the phone, he loves to chime in with some laughter too. He is close to sitting and to-date has tried/sucked on three foods--a banana, a strawberry, and a mango. He really liked all of them. I need to get him started on baby food because I'm pretty sure he is going to be in heaven!
His nicknames (most courtesy of his big sister): Chubba-Wubba, Rhysy-boy, Rhys Warren!! buuuuddy,

Now, please enjoy a whole bunch of adorable pictures.

Gone

That's exactly what I've been from the blogosphere. Probably because usually when I sit down behind the computer at night, I quickly fall asleep. On the couch. With the laptop on my lap. How's that for skill? But tonight, I was motivated to come check out where things stand because I was checking on my weight 1.5 years ago, when we did a weight-loss challenge with family. So, to toot my own horn, I'm about 10ish pounds lighter than when that ended. Oh, yeah, and during that year and a half I had another baby. Sometimes looking back can make a girl feel good. I've been doing this couch to 5k deal, and completed it--all on the treadmill. Today, I attempted running outside (while the kids were safely cared for at the Y). Maybe not the best idea I've ever had when today there were huge gusts of wind. I felt like I was standing still despite moving my legs at times. I also realized how many more hills there are around our local Y. The great outdoors kicked my trash tonight. Here's hope for less wind tomorrow!