It seems we can't get through one vacation without at least one picture like this!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Fit for Life
So, I've been reading this nutrition book lately. It has some different ideas in it. Some might classify it as an "alternative health" book. It is called "Fit for Life". Apparently it was a huge seller in the 1980s. I just thought I would throw out some ideas that it talks about and see what everyone thinks. I would be particularly interested in any medical backup or disproving of these ideas. I have really liked some of the ideas, and I feel like all in all it is very similar to the Word of Wisdom, which is the best measure for a way of eating. Also, it just makes me believe that I can be healthier, which is encouraging. I can do it!! type attitude. (Is that PMA Todd?)
One of the main premises of the book is that there are not four food groups. There are only two. High water content food, which are fruits and veggies, and concentrated foods which are everything else, grains, dairy, protein, etc. They believe that because our bodies are 70% water that we need to eat a diet that is 70% high water content food. In other words eat lots of fruits and veggies. Hey that sounds like a good idea.
Of course it is not quite this simple. They also say there is a specific way to combine food so that it will digest better and free up more energy in your body for you to use, instead of your digestive system to use. This will also free your body from the buildup of toxins from eating food improperly. For example you are only supposed to eat one concentrated food at a time, only to be combined with vegetables. So that means only bread, or only meat, or only cheese. You couldn't have the full sandwich. Since they are different types of concentrated food it is very difficult on your body. The proteins require an acid type digestive juice to be digested and the starch require an alkaline type juice to be digested (or is it the other way around), so when you eat these things together it neutralizes the stomach juices, and then your body just keeps pumping out more and more juices and nothing is getting fully digested, and the food usually ends up leaving the stomach putrified or fermented because it has had to sit in the stomach so long. But wait ... there's more!
Apparently we have all been eating fruit the wrong way. They say fruit is the very most beneficial food to eat for your body. But, it must be consumed properly. You should only eat fruit on an empty stomach. If you don't, it ferments in your stomach while it's waiting to digest with the other food, becoming very acidic and toxic. If you eat it on an empty stomach, it gets through the stomach in about a half hour - shorter than any other food! Then it brings all it's life giving water through the intestines (isn't this entertaining?).
Well, there's much more to this program, but I'm afraid I've bored you already. I just want to know what you people think. I think there's a lot of good in this program, but it would definitely take some getting used to and you'd have to give up some of your favorite foods. Some folks think the Diamonds (the authors of this book) are quacks, but those who've tried the program (as testified to on Amazon.com!) have felt their health significantly improve and have lost weight as well. One other little tidbit if you want to look into it some more; this way of living is part of a movement called Natural Hygiene. So, let me know what you think, or if you know of something that has worked for you!
One of the main premises of the book is that there are not four food groups. There are only two. High water content food, which are fruits and veggies, and concentrated foods which are everything else, grains, dairy, protein, etc. They believe that because our bodies are 70% water that we need to eat a diet that is 70% high water content food. In other words eat lots of fruits and veggies. Hey that sounds like a good idea.
Of course it is not quite this simple. They also say there is a specific way to combine food so that it will digest better and free up more energy in your body for you to use, instead of your digestive system to use. This will also free your body from the buildup of toxins from eating food improperly. For example you are only supposed to eat one concentrated food at a time, only to be combined with vegetables. So that means only bread, or only meat, or only cheese. You couldn't have the full sandwich. Since they are different types of concentrated food it is very difficult on your body. The proteins require an acid type digestive juice to be digested and the starch require an alkaline type juice to be digested (or is it the other way around), so when you eat these things together it neutralizes the stomach juices, and then your body just keeps pumping out more and more juices and nothing is getting fully digested, and the food usually ends up leaving the stomach putrified or fermented because it has had to sit in the stomach so long. But wait ... there's more!
Apparently we have all been eating fruit the wrong way. They say fruit is the very most beneficial food to eat for your body. But, it must be consumed properly. You should only eat fruit on an empty stomach. If you don't, it ferments in your stomach while it's waiting to digest with the other food, becoming very acidic and toxic. If you eat it on an empty stomach, it gets through the stomach in about a half hour - shorter than any other food! Then it brings all it's life giving water through the intestines (isn't this entertaining?).
Well, there's much more to this program, but I'm afraid I've bored you already. I just want to know what you people think. I think there's a lot of good in this program, but it would definitely take some getting used to and you'd have to give up some of your favorite foods. Some folks think the Diamonds (the authors of this book) are quacks, but those who've tried the program (as testified to on Amazon.com!) have felt their health significantly improve and have lost weight as well. One other little tidbit if you want to look into it some more; this way of living is part of a movement called Natural Hygiene. So, let me know what you think, or if you know of something that has worked for you!
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Handcarts and Dancers
I'm sure you everyone is probably tired of hearing us talk about Nauvoo. It seems we've spent more than our share of time there this summer, but we have one last summer Nauvoo event to tell you about. One of my responsibilities at church is to oversee the youth programs and our youth council has been working for months to organize a big “Youth Nauvoo Day”. It was yesterday and turned out to be a great success - we had nearly 40 youth and leaders participating.
In the morning we split into two groups - one went to the temple, the other to the Carthage Jail. I ended up with the temple group and had a great experience. It was the first visit to the temple for a couple of the youth and all had a good time. From all reports, the Carthage group had a great experience as well.
In the afternoon, we headed out on the Nauvoo handcart trek. The trek followed a three mile course through the hills north of Nauvoo. They had told us going in to expect to spend 3 hours to do the full course. I had thought, “three hours? It’s only 3 miles – how could it possibly take three hours?” I never expected it to be as challenging as it turned out to be. About a third of the way through (only a mile in) we started questioning whether we wanted to do the whole trip or if we should take the shortcut back. We had spent almost an hour going up and muddy hills, crossing creek beds, and climbing steep ravine walls. It definitely wasn’t easy going.
We eventually finished the full three miles and made it back to the outfitting shed, but we were all exhausted. I had a chance to speak to the group after it was all over. I told them that we had just finished a three mile trek. I said, “now go and do that 4 more times today and every day from now on for the next several months. In all, you will do our little three mile walk 400 more times and then you will almost be to the Salt Lake Valley. Don’t forget to add several hundred pounds of cargo to your handcarts (ours were empty) and most of your carts won’t have steel axles or sturdy frames (like ours did). Tack on freezing temperatures, 2 feet of snow, blizzards, malnutrition, lack of modern clothing or shoes, and death of nearly a quarter of your company.” These were the conditions that some of the handcart companies traveled under in their journey west. After the experience yesterday – the suffering they experienced is something that I cannot even begin to imagine. I think all of us gained a much greater appreciation for the sacrifices of those early saints through this experience.
After we recovered from the handcart trek, we gathered for dinner and games. In the evening, we headed up to the temple and had a short fireside on the hill across from the temple. Then we went to see the BYU International Folk Dance and Music Ensemble. The performance was incredible and very entertaining. Some of our young men were quite stricken by some of the female performers. They hung around after the show to talk to the prettiest one and ended up each winning a hug from her. Talking to them later that turned out to be the highlight of the whole day for them. It was rather amusing.
Following the folk dance show, we went to one other show and finally headed home. Everyone was exhausted, but all had a great time. Working with the youth has been by far the most rewarding and enjoyable part of my calling.
In the morning we split into two groups - one went to the temple, the other to the Carthage Jail. I ended up with the temple group and had a great experience. It was the first visit to the temple for a couple of the youth and all had a good time. From all reports, the Carthage group had a great experience as well.
In the afternoon, we headed out on the Nauvoo handcart trek. The trek followed a three mile course through the hills north of Nauvoo. They had told us going in to expect to spend 3 hours to do the full course. I had thought, “three hours? It’s only 3 miles – how could it possibly take three hours?” I never expected it to be as challenging as it turned out to be. About a third of the way through (only a mile in) we started questioning whether we wanted to do the whole trip or if we should take the shortcut back. We had spent almost an hour going up and muddy hills, crossing creek beds, and climbing steep ravine walls. It definitely wasn’t easy going.
We eventually finished the full three miles and made it back to the outfitting shed, but we were all exhausted. I had a chance to speak to the group after it was all over. I told them that we had just finished a three mile trek. I said, “now go and do that 4 more times today and every day from now on for the next several months. In all, you will do our little three mile walk 400 more times and then you will almost be to the Salt Lake Valley. Don’t forget to add several hundred pounds of cargo to your handcarts (ours were empty) and most of your carts won’t have steel axles or sturdy frames (like ours did). Tack on freezing temperatures, 2 feet of snow, blizzards, malnutrition, lack of modern clothing or shoes, and death of nearly a quarter of your company.” These were the conditions that some of the handcart companies traveled under in their journey west. After the experience yesterday – the suffering they experienced is something that I cannot even begin to imagine. I think all of us gained a much greater appreciation for the sacrifices of those early saints through this experience.
After we recovered from the handcart trek, we gathered for dinner and games. In the evening, we headed up to the temple and had a short fireside on the hill across from the temple. Then we went to see the BYU International Folk Dance and Music Ensemble. The performance was incredible and very entertaining. Some of our young men were quite stricken by some of the female performers. They hung around after the show to talk to the prettiest one and ended up each winning a hug from her. Talking to them later that turned out to be the highlight of the whole day for them. It was rather amusing.
Following the folk dance show, we went to one other show and finally headed home. Everyone was exhausted, but all had a great time. Working with the youth has been by far the most rewarding and enjoyable part of my calling.
A couple 'a crazy weeks
Well, I haven't blogged in a while. Greg informed me that it was my turn, so here I am. It has been a crazy couple of weeks for us. If you can't tell from my lack of blogging, I am struggling to keep my head above water right now. It seems to take about all of my energy just to take care of the kids each day, then when you add on extra things, whoa.
Some of these extra things have included, among others, Greg's mom's visit to our home, Greg working very late every night this week and then being gone all day yesterday, and Adam starting school.
We had a great visit with Greg's mom last weekend. The kids were in heaven as their grandma played with them almost every moment that they were awake. She even squished herself into the back of our van between Lizzy's carseat and Adam and rode to Nauvoo and back, entertaining the kids all the way (or was it they who were entertaining her?). Adam didn't even fall asleep on the way home, despite the late hour, because he was enjoying talking his grandma's ear off way too much. The kids were very sad to see her go, and so were Greg and I. We hope to see her again sooner than later.
Greg is at the end of a big project and has been putting in tons of extra hours to clean up the mess of others and try to get things in order before some collaborating has to be done this coming week. I don't think he came home before 9:30 any night this week, except Friday (and that was only because I had something previously planned at our house and needed help with the kids). Then he was gone before 7 am Saturday and didn't get home until midnight for this huge youth Nauvoo day for our ward. Needless to say we are both exhausted. He assures me that his hours will not be so late this week. I know my brother has been spending tons of time at the hospital. My heart goes out to him and his wonderful wife. It is really hard not seeing your spouse much, and then when you do see them your both so tired you can hardly speak without slurring your words (which is what I am doing right now, if typing could talk). I am glad we don't have weeks like this very often. Usually Greg keeps great hours and I will look forward to those hours (and no others) this week.
The other thing that has sort of flipped things around this week, is that Adam has started back to school. I think it was harder to see him off this year than last. The summer went so much better than I thought it would, having him home all day. We really enjoyed having him around and have missed him already. He was also way nervous about starting at a new school. I felt like such a terrible mom having to put him through this. But things have gone really well. He seems to feel comfortable with the school and the routine of it all. He loves schedules and routines. It has been hard for me to get back into dropping him off and picking him up routine everyday, though. It seems I am always having to wake the baby so we can go to the school. It is also discouraging that his teacher is on maternity leave until the middle/end of September, so he has a sub until then. Then of course there is the whole ordeal of making sure the school is meeting his needs which seemed like such a challenge for me last year. I am not looking forward to that. There are more programs and teachers available to Adam at this school, because it is much bigger than our last one, but it is a matter of getting him in those programs. Already the "work" he has brought home is sooo easy for him. Sometimes, we think, now why is it we are sending him to school, he reads so much more and is so much more involved in things he is interested in at home. I guess if I had to pick a challenge for a kid though, this would be a good one to pick. He loves learning (so far) and is interested in such a variety of things. Just having to be on "school time" again changes the flow of things around here.
Anyway, enough. If you have even finished reading this posting you must have a little more time on your hands than I do! I probably wouldn't have even written this much but once you get me going it's hard to stop me. Cleanse and purge and all that.
Some of these extra things have included, among others, Greg's mom's visit to our home, Greg working very late every night this week and then being gone all day yesterday, and Adam starting school.
We had a great visit with Greg's mom last weekend. The kids were in heaven as their grandma played with them almost every moment that they were awake. She even squished herself into the back of our van between Lizzy's carseat and Adam and rode to Nauvoo and back, entertaining the kids all the way (or was it they who were entertaining her?). Adam didn't even fall asleep on the way home, despite the late hour, because he was enjoying talking his grandma's ear off way too much. The kids were very sad to see her go, and so were Greg and I. We hope to see her again sooner than later.
Greg is at the end of a big project and has been putting in tons of extra hours to clean up the mess of others and try to get things in order before some collaborating has to be done this coming week. I don't think he came home before 9:30 any night this week, except Friday (and that was only because I had something previously planned at our house and needed help with the kids). Then he was gone before 7 am Saturday and didn't get home until midnight for this huge youth Nauvoo day for our ward. Needless to say we are both exhausted. He assures me that his hours will not be so late this week. I know my brother has been spending tons of time at the hospital. My heart goes out to him and his wonderful wife. It is really hard not seeing your spouse much, and then when you do see them your both so tired you can hardly speak without slurring your words (which is what I am doing right now, if typing could talk). I am glad we don't have weeks like this very often. Usually Greg keeps great hours and I will look forward to those hours (and no others) this week.
The other thing that has sort of flipped things around this week, is that Adam has started back to school. I think it was harder to see him off this year than last. The summer went so much better than I thought it would, having him home all day. We really enjoyed having him around and have missed him already. He was also way nervous about starting at a new school. I felt like such a terrible mom having to put him through this. But things have gone really well. He seems to feel comfortable with the school and the routine of it all. He loves schedules and routines. It has been hard for me to get back into dropping him off and picking him up routine everyday, though. It seems I am always having to wake the baby so we can go to the school. It is also discouraging that his teacher is on maternity leave until the middle/end of September, so he has a sub until then. Then of course there is the whole ordeal of making sure the school is meeting his needs which seemed like such a challenge for me last year. I am not looking forward to that. There are more programs and teachers available to Adam at this school, because it is much bigger than our last one, but it is a matter of getting him in those programs. Already the "work" he has brought home is sooo easy for him. Sometimes, we think, now why is it we are sending him to school, he reads so much more and is so much more involved in things he is interested in at home. I guess if I had to pick a challenge for a kid though, this would be a good one to pick. He loves learning (so far) and is interested in such a variety of things. Just having to be on "school time" again changes the flow of things around here.
Anyway, enough. If you have even finished reading this posting you must have a little more time on your hands than I do! I probably wouldn't have even written this much but once you get me going it's hard to stop me. Cleanse and purge and all that.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Grandma's Belly Ache
Yesterday morning, Anna decided that Grandma deserved a belated birthday cake, so she set out constructing one. Pretty soon Adam and Lizzy had joined in the fun and constructed an 8 foot tall "cake". Poor Grandma had to eat it all! She had quite the bellyache by the end. (Click the picture to get a better look at it!)
Friday, August 12, 2005
Grandma Cherrie (Greg's mom) has come to visit this weekend. We decided to go out on a riverboat cruise this afternoon. The kids had earned free kids passes for finishing their summer reading programs, so we all headed out to enjoy some time on the river. Here's the crew crossing the gang plank to get on board.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
About Adam
Tammy has been writing occasionally about each of the kids, so I've decided to take a turn and write about Adam.
This week Adam passed level 1 swimming lessons. It was his third try at level 1 (can you tell we don't swim a whole lot?) but this time passed with flying colors. One of the requirements was to hold your breath underwater for at least 5 seconds. His big goal for the session was to set a new "record" of breath holding. He ended up holding it for 40 seconds - far outdistancing his previous record and the others in his class (I think the next longest was 22 seconds). If you can't tell he likes to push himself a lot.
Another big challenge he's taken on is to read the whole Book of Mormon by the end of the year. President Hinckley issued a challenge to all church members to read the whole Book of Mormon before the end of the year (about 1.5 chapters per day). That's no small task for a grown-up, let alone a six year old, but it's something he didn't even think twice about when I mentioned it to him. It's also been very good for me though - he's come in every morning this week at 6 am to drag me down to read. We each read a couple of chapters silently and then spend a few minutes talking about it. I'm always amazed at the level of comprehension that he has of this difficult scriptural language. When he was little, Tammy used to spend a lot of time with him teaching him scripture stories. I expect that helps him to better put in context what he is reading.
Adam loves to read and he's very good at it. He's spent much of his time reading this summer - he's read more than 50 chapter books since school let out in June. The library is running out of youth chapter books for him to read. He's also taken to math quite a bit this summer and astonishes me from time to time with his mental calculating. The other day we were talking about the Bix race and I told him that I was running the 7 miles at about a 10 minute per mile pace. Without a blink of an eye or a second thought, he says, "Oh, so you finished in an hour and ten minutes."
Adam is also beginning to develop a love of sports. I guess with his competitive spirit it is only natural that he would learn to love sports. He especially likes basketball (a trait he inherited from his father I think). Since we've moved to the new house, he and I have gone to the park across the street most Saturday mornings to play ball for a little while. He's not quite strong enough to get the ball up to a 10 foot hoop, but that doesn't discourage him from trying. This past Saturday, he did actually make 4 shots - three of them heaving the ball backwards over his head. The other was a frontwards shot and he was very excited when it went in. We usually play "horse" - he just has to hit the rim, I have to actually make the shot. He won every game on Saturday. Another sports related comment - a few months ago, Tammy and Adam had gone out shopping and I had stayed home with the other kids. After putting them to bed, I turned on game 7 of the NBA championship series. When Adam arrived home I told him what I was watching and mentioned that whoever won that game that night would be the world champions. His mouth literally dropped open, his face flushed, he put his hand on his heart and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness!" He was truly impressed. Tammy and I both cracked up at his expression and of course we let him stay up and watch the end of the game.
All-in-all, Adam is a pretty remarkable kid. He works hard to do well at most things he tries, especially when it involves a competition of some sort. Although he's competitive, he's usually a pretty good loser when he doesn't come out on top. He's also very considerate of his younger siblings. He encourages each of them in whatever they're doing. Lately, he's enjoyed dragging little Ben around to whereever he needs to go. He does have some "normal kid" features that can be frustrating - he doesn't like to do chores, doesn't always care much for what mom and dad have to say, will provoke his sister's to get them screaming, and so forth - but overall we're very happy to have Adam!
This week Adam passed level 1 swimming lessons. It was his third try at level 1 (can you tell we don't swim a whole lot?) but this time passed with flying colors. One of the requirements was to hold your breath underwater for at least 5 seconds. His big goal for the session was to set a new "record" of breath holding. He ended up holding it for 40 seconds - far outdistancing his previous record and the others in his class (I think the next longest was 22 seconds). If you can't tell he likes to push himself a lot.
Another big challenge he's taken on is to read the whole Book of Mormon by the end of the year. President Hinckley issued a challenge to all church members to read the whole Book of Mormon before the end of the year (about 1.5 chapters per day). That's no small task for a grown-up, let alone a six year old, but it's something he didn't even think twice about when I mentioned it to him. It's also been very good for me though - he's come in every morning this week at 6 am to drag me down to read. We each read a couple of chapters silently and then spend a few minutes talking about it. I'm always amazed at the level of comprehension that he has of this difficult scriptural language. When he was little, Tammy used to spend a lot of time with him teaching him scripture stories. I expect that helps him to better put in context what he is reading.
Adam loves to read and he's very good at it. He's spent much of his time reading this summer - he's read more than 50 chapter books since school let out in June. The library is running out of youth chapter books for him to read. He's also taken to math quite a bit this summer and astonishes me from time to time with his mental calculating. The other day we were talking about the Bix race and I told him that I was running the 7 miles at about a 10 minute per mile pace. Without a blink of an eye or a second thought, he says, "Oh, so you finished in an hour and ten minutes."
Adam is also beginning to develop a love of sports. I guess with his competitive spirit it is only natural that he would learn to love sports. He especially likes basketball (a trait he inherited from his father I think). Since we've moved to the new house, he and I have gone to the park across the street most Saturday mornings to play ball for a little while. He's not quite strong enough to get the ball up to a 10 foot hoop, but that doesn't discourage him from trying. This past Saturday, he did actually make 4 shots - three of them heaving the ball backwards over his head. The other was a frontwards shot and he was very excited when it went in. We usually play "horse" - he just has to hit the rim, I have to actually make the shot. He won every game on Saturday. Another sports related comment - a few months ago, Tammy and Adam had gone out shopping and I had stayed home with the other kids. After putting them to bed, I turned on game 7 of the NBA championship series. When Adam arrived home I told him what I was watching and mentioned that whoever won that game that night would be the world champions. His mouth literally dropped open, his face flushed, he put his hand on his heart and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness!" He was truly impressed. Tammy and I both cracked up at his expression and of course we let him stay up and watch the end of the game.
All-in-all, Adam is a pretty remarkable kid. He works hard to do well at most things he tries, especially when it involves a competition of some sort. Although he's competitive, he's usually a pretty good loser when he doesn't come out on top. He's also very considerate of his younger siblings. He encourages each of them in whatever they're doing. Lately, he's enjoyed dragging little Ben around to whereever he needs to go. He does have some "normal kid" features that can be frustrating - he doesn't like to do chores, doesn't always care much for what mom and dad have to say, will provoke his sister's to get them screaming, and so forth - but overall we're very happy to have Adam!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Release
Well, after 2 and 1/2 years in the relief society presidency, I was (finally) released today. I served as both the Enrichment and the Education counselors (they moved me to Education after Ben was born). Enrichment was a lot of hard work and it seemed like there was always something going on, but it was fulfilling when I finally felt like we got the program running as it should be. It was nice to feel like the activities and classes we provided might actually benefit somebody. Education counselor required so much less of me because we have reliable teachers and music people. I was just starting to take a look at literacy a bit closer when I was released. The relief society president that I have been serving under has been in for 4 years and she was ready to be released. I think she rubbed off on me and I was more than ready as well.
So, you say, what is your new calling? Well, I am the new Valiant 12 teacher in primary. I am so excited. The youth in that class are awesome. I visited their class today. In fact, one of them has been sitting with me in sacrament meeting since Lizzy was born, to help me out. Almost every Sunday I have to leave her with some of the kids while I deal with Ben, and sometimes Lizzy in the hall (deal with them sounds kind of harsh, but you know what I mean, take care of them, help them be quiet, keep them away from other people so they won't disturb anyone). It has the added bonus of being able to go to Relief Society once they all turn 12 because they go to YW and YM instead of primary sharing time. Yeah!! That rocks. If you can't tell, I am excited. I'll let you know in a few weeks if I am still excited, or if they have put me in my place.
Now, Greg says, "When is it my turn?" He's had his calling 4 years (and 2 months), but who's counting. Greg has just informed me that that is 5o months. I think he's ready. Should I send a link to our blog to the bishop?
So, you say, what is your new calling? Well, I am the new Valiant 12 teacher in primary. I am so excited. The youth in that class are awesome. I visited their class today. In fact, one of them has been sitting with me in sacrament meeting since Lizzy was born, to help me out. Almost every Sunday I have to leave her with some of the kids while I deal with Ben, and sometimes Lizzy in the hall (deal with them sounds kind of harsh, but you know what I mean, take care of them, help them be quiet, keep them away from other people so they won't disturb anyone). It has the added bonus of being able to go to Relief Society once they all turn 12 because they go to YW and YM instead of primary sharing time. Yeah!! That rocks. If you can't tell, I am excited. I'll let you know in a few weeks if I am still excited, or if they have put me in my place.
Now, Greg says, "When is it my turn?" He's had his calling 4 years (and 2 months), but who's counting. Greg has just informed me that that is 5o months. I think he's ready. Should I send a link to our blog to the bishop?
Bix
This is Bix weekend in the QuadCities. Bix Beiderbeck (sp?) was a famous jazz musician years ago. Davenport has hosted a jazz festival every year for a long time in honor of him. Back in the 70's a road race called the Bix7 was added to the festivities. Our family has participated in the Bix most years since we've lived here. On Friday evening was the "Jr. Bix" consisting of a bunch of shorter races for kids. Adam and the 6 year olds ran a half mile race. Anna and Lizzy each ran a 70 yard dash. (See pictures below for more details about each of their races). After the race there's a big party where they serve free hotdogs, drinks, ice cream, and other healthy stuff. There's also a carnival for the kids. I think there are somewhere around 5000 kids and their parents that participate every year. Adam and Lizzy even made it on TV during their races! We all had a very fun time!
On Saturday morning, I ran the Bix7 road race. It's a seven mile race up and down the hills of Davenport. It's a huge race and this year drew over 20,000 runners including some of the best in the world - I think there were a few Olympic medalists running this year. This is the fourth time I've run the race and I ended up with my 3rd best time. I wasn't quite in the shape I should have been in to be running seven miles, but I had a good time anyway. The first mile you practically have to walk - there are just too many people to really be able to move much. I finally got through the first mile in about 12 minutes. The second mile is usually my best one - the crowd is thinning out enough to run some and it's mostly downhill. I finished that one in a little under 8 minutes. The third mile continues downhill for about the first 3/4 mile - then comes the killer hill - it's only a 1/4 mile, but very steep. That hill always wipes me out completely. At about that point, I started sputtering along just trying to keep going. At the half way point (3.5 miles) I was at 32 minutes total (by the way - that's about exactly the time the winner was crossing the finish line). Miles 4 and 5 I was hurting so bad and moving so slowly that I might as well have been walking. They're both almost all uphill and not very fun at all. Mile six levels off for the most part and I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel so I picked up the pace a little. Mile seven is the funnest one - not only is it the end of the race, but it's a steep downhill for most of it. I was able to finish the last mile fairly strong and even remained concious when it was all over (barely). I think I came in about 5500th place.
The rest of yesterday I was kind of numb - headache, sore muscles, exhaustion, but I'm feeling quite a bit better this morning. Below are some pictures of our fun time this weekend.
On Saturday morning, I ran the Bix7 road race. It's a seven mile race up and down the hills of Davenport. It's a huge race and this year drew over 20,000 runners including some of the best in the world - I think there were a few Olympic medalists running this year. This is the fourth time I've run the race and I ended up with my 3rd best time. I wasn't quite in the shape I should have been in to be running seven miles, but I had a good time anyway. The first mile you practically have to walk - there are just too many people to really be able to move much. I finally got through the first mile in about 12 minutes. The second mile is usually my best one - the crowd is thinning out enough to run some and it's mostly downhill. I finished that one in a little under 8 minutes. The third mile continues downhill for about the first 3/4 mile - then comes the killer hill - it's only a 1/4 mile, but very steep. That hill always wipes me out completely. At about that point, I started sputtering along just trying to keep going. At the half way point (3.5 miles) I was at 32 minutes total (by the way - that's about exactly the time the winner was crossing the finish line). Miles 4 and 5 I was hurting so bad and moving so slowly that I might as well have been walking. They're both almost all uphill and not very fun at all. Mile six levels off for the most part and I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel so I picked up the pace a little. Mile seven is the funnest one - not only is it the end of the race, but it's a steep downhill for most of it. I was able to finish the last mile fairly strong and even remained concious when it was all over (barely). I think I came in about 5500th place.
The rest of yesterday I was kind of numb - headache, sore muscles, exhaustion, but I'm feeling quite a bit better this morning. Below are some pictures of our fun time this weekend.
Here's a shot of Adam after his race. He was actually looking much worse a few minutes before. This was the first long distance race Adam has ever run. The six year olds run a half mile. In case you've forgotten how far a half mile is, it's two full trips around a standard track - quite a trek for little legs. There were about 200 or 300 six year olds running this year and Adam came in around 15th or so place. He crashed around the turn around point, but picked himself up and kept going. We are pretty proud of him!
Here's Anna lining up with the other four year olds before her race. The four year old race was 70 yards. Anna dashed out of the blocks and ran fast about half way. Then she realized she was getting uncomfortably far ahead of me and slowed down so I could catch up. (The parents run with the little ones!)
Friday, July 29, 2005
Papa Power
I don't know if this is true of other's families, but it sure is the truth in our family. Greg seems to have some power over the kids that I do not possess. He often can get them to do things that I cannot. He takes them in a room and talks to them and then they do it. I always say, "What did you tell them?". He says, "I just talked to them about it." Other times he makes up a silly game or whatever. Everything with papa is exciting and fun, and everything with mom is boring and tedious.
Greg really put his persuasive powers to the test last night though. He came home a little earlier than usual because he had to go back to work in the evening after work hours to put out a new computer system. Anyway the kids were of course excited (he also has this wild and crazy effect on the kids; whenever he comes home they start running and screaming). Things were beginning to escalate and it was time to sit down for dinner. We sat down and still things weren't settling down. So, Greg says, "Shh. Shh. Tonight we are going to have a very special quiet pancake dinner (yes, we were having pancakes for dinner). " Then he began to talk in a whisper and told the kids that we could only talk like that during dinner. He even had Lizzy pray in a whisper. Amazingly the kids went right along with it. Anna is the only one who even questioned it. You know the groan and the "Why do we have to....?" . Even she went along after Lizzy, Adam, and I all were doing it. Adam talked quite a bit, but he did it all in a whisper. Amazing. If I would have made that suggestion, I am not sure anyone would have even heard what I said! Well that is the mighty power of papa.
Greg really put his persuasive powers to the test last night though. He came home a little earlier than usual because he had to go back to work in the evening after work hours to put out a new computer system. Anyway the kids were of course excited (he also has this wild and crazy effect on the kids; whenever he comes home they start running and screaming). Things were beginning to escalate and it was time to sit down for dinner. We sat down and still things weren't settling down. So, Greg says, "Shh. Shh. Tonight we are going to have a very special quiet pancake dinner (yes, we were having pancakes for dinner). " Then he began to talk in a whisper and told the kids that we could only talk like that during dinner. He even had Lizzy pray in a whisper. Amazingly the kids went right along with it. Anna is the only one who even questioned it. You know the groan and the "Why do we have to....?" . Even she went along after Lizzy, Adam, and I all were doing it. Adam talked quite a bit, but he did it all in a whisper. Amazing. If I would have made that suggestion, I am not sure anyone would have even heard what I said! Well that is the mighty power of papa.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Motherhood and Ben
Well it has been a while since I have posted. I have felt buried lately, with little to no time to myself. Greg has been busy and gone a lot which means I am also busier, and my "job" lasts a little longer each day. There really are very few breaks when you are a mom, and I must say that has been truer than ever before with four children. I expect it rings even truer with each additional child. Man, am I tired.
Motherhood also has its perks though. I know I said I wanted to post about the other children (and I will), but Ben has been so cute lately, I had to let everyone know what he is doing right now. He is still getting around with his belly crawl (the marines would be proud to have our boy) with great speed. Lately he has started to get up on his knees more, and will go a few paces on his knees before flopping to his belly. He is also pulling some, and can move along the furniture, but I wouldn't exactly say he is cruising, it is more like shuffling. His favorite pastimes include grazing under the dining room table and playing on the fireplace (is this something we should discourage?). He is so full of smiles and laughs that it makes you happy just to be around him.
In addition to these things, he has added waving bye-bye and playing peek-a-boo to his repertoire. His wave is a fast and furious whole arm wave, but he is working on opening and closing his hand. His blanket peek-a-boo is great, but he is still working on doing it with his hands. Right now he usually only covers one of his eyes, but still finds great joy in playing. His enthusiasm for the game has also rekindled Lizzy's love for it, so they can entertain each other for quite a while, if I am even half way involved.
He is working on his top four, front teeth right now, which has messed up his sleeping habits a bit (part of the reason I am so tired). It sure does change a baby's look once he or she gets teeth. All in all he is seeming really grown up right now, and really he is. He will be one year old in like 6 or 7 weeks is all. This year has flown by. We love our Benner boy, and have enjoyed watching him grow so much this last little while.
Motherhood also has its perks though. I know I said I wanted to post about the other children (and I will), but Ben has been so cute lately, I had to let everyone know what he is doing right now. He is still getting around with his belly crawl (the marines would be proud to have our boy) with great speed. Lately he has started to get up on his knees more, and will go a few paces on his knees before flopping to his belly. He is also pulling some, and can move along the furniture, but I wouldn't exactly say he is cruising, it is more like shuffling. His favorite pastimes include grazing under the dining room table and playing on the fireplace (is this something we should discourage?). He is so full of smiles and laughs that it makes you happy just to be around him.
In addition to these things, he has added waving bye-bye and playing peek-a-boo to his repertoire. His wave is a fast and furious whole arm wave, but he is working on opening and closing his hand. His blanket peek-a-boo is great, but he is still working on doing it with his hands. Right now he usually only covers one of his eyes, but still finds great joy in playing. His enthusiasm for the game has also rekindled Lizzy's love for it, so they can entertain each other for quite a while, if I am even half way involved.
He is working on his top four, front teeth right now, which has messed up his sleeping habits a bit (part of the reason I am so tired). It sure does change a baby's look once he or she gets teeth. All in all he is seeming really grown up right now, and really he is. He will be one year old in like 6 or 7 weeks is all. This year has flown by. We love our Benner boy, and have enjoyed watching him grow so much this last little while.
Monday, July 25, 2005
eBay Blues Update
Just wanted to post an update on a previous post about our troubles with an eBay puchase. We had filed a claim through eBay/PayPal (the two companies have merged and so have their complaint processes). They, like us, were unable to contact the seller and ruled in our favor. Unfortunately, the limits of the eBay Buyer Protection Program are $175, so that was all they refunded us. [Something to keep in mind next time you're shopping for big ticket items on eBay.] Fortunately, we had used our Visa check card to make the purchase and Visa has a zero-liability policy for internet shopping. So our next step was to file a complaint through our bank. They promptly refunded the rest of our money while they continue the investigation. I expect that will be the last we hear of it. The seller, meantime, after robbing about 10 or 12 of us unsuspecting eBay shoppers, was kicked out of eBay. We won't know if eBay or Visa will take any further action against them. It was kind of a pain to go through all that. We did end up buying an armoire off eBay (are we foolish for trying again?). This time it was delivered on time and in good shape - plus it was $150 cheaper than the one we had so much trouble with. So, all's well that end's well I guess.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Dog Days and Long Nights
This has been the hottest, driest summer we've known here in Iowa. I remember summers like this in Kansas, but those miserable summers hadn't really made it this far north since we've lived here. All the grass has died and everything is brown (most people don't irrigate around here - usually no need). The only bright spot in all this is that I haven't had to mow in over a month.
A few weeks ago our stake was asked to provide a bunch of volunteers to the Nauvoo pageant. Tammy volunteered to coordinate that effort for our ward and did an excellent job! She was able to round up almost 80 volunteers from our ward to work this week. I figured I better do my part, so I've spent the last two evenings in Nauvoo. Aside from the extreme heat and the late nights, I had an awesome time.
On Wednesday me and a couple of others brought a group of 14 youth down and turned them loose in the parking lots. When we arrived in Nauvoo at 5:30 p.m. it was 98 degrees and 80% humidity (heat index around 108 degrees). Couple that with all the dust in the parking lot and you'd think it would have been a miserable night, but once you got used to the sweat and dirt, it really was a lot of fun. I think the youth all had a great time - it seems like the youth of our ward are more united than we've ever had - it's really fun to be with them when they're together. I was stationed at the entrance to the parking lot waving people in. That wasn't all that exciting until the show was over and I had to direct the hundreds of cars out into the street. A new and somewhat fun experience. I got home that night around 1:50 a.m. only to get up at 6:00 for work the next day.
After working a normal work day on Thursday, I headed back to Nauvoo, this time with a bunch of friends from the ward. We were all signed up to work security. The day was just as warm (I think they said it was 99 degrees when we started at 6:00) and being security we had to wear ties. It kind of reminded me of my Arizona missionary days. My assignment was to work in the cast area behind the stage and make sure that only cast and crew members went in there. It gave me a good chance to visit with some of the cast members. They have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the pageant this year and seem like a wonderful group of people. It was also interesting to watch the show from behind the stage - gives a new perspective to what all goes on in the production. I was fortunately able to keep my eyes open while driving home and we actually arrived home by 1:30 am (I think the adults were a little easier to round up than the youth the night before when it was time to head home).
All in all, it's been a fun, albeit very hot and tiring week. We've heard the heat indexes are going to be close to 115 over the weekend, so I think I'll be staying inside and reading a book (and maybe taking a nap) this weekend (Tammy finished the new Harry Potter book, so it's my turn).
A few weeks ago our stake was asked to provide a bunch of volunteers to the Nauvoo pageant. Tammy volunteered to coordinate that effort for our ward and did an excellent job! She was able to round up almost 80 volunteers from our ward to work this week. I figured I better do my part, so I've spent the last two evenings in Nauvoo. Aside from the extreme heat and the late nights, I had an awesome time.
On Wednesday me and a couple of others brought a group of 14 youth down and turned them loose in the parking lots. When we arrived in Nauvoo at 5:30 p.m. it was 98 degrees and 80% humidity (heat index around 108 degrees). Couple that with all the dust in the parking lot and you'd think it would have been a miserable night, but once you got used to the sweat and dirt, it really was a lot of fun. I think the youth all had a great time - it seems like the youth of our ward are more united than we've ever had - it's really fun to be with them when they're together. I was stationed at the entrance to the parking lot waving people in. That wasn't all that exciting until the show was over and I had to direct the hundreds of cars out into the street. A new and somewhat fun experience. I got home that night around 1:50 a.m. only to get up at 6:00 for work the next day.
After working a normal work day on Thursday, I headed back to Nauvoo, this time with a bunch of friends from the ward. We were all signed up to work security. The day was just as warm (I think they said it was 99 degrees when we started at 6:00) and being security we had to wear ties. It kind of reminded me of my Arizona missionary days. My assignment was to work in the cast area behind the stage and make sure that only cast and crew members went in there. It gave me a good chance to visit with some of the cast members. They have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the pageant this year and seem like a wonderful group of people. It was also interesting to watch the show from behind the stage - gives a new perspective to what all goes on in the production. I was fortunately able to keep my eyes open while driving home and we actually arrived home by 1:30 am (I think the adults were a little easier to round up than the youth the night before when it was time to head home).
All in all, it's been a fun, albeit very hot and tiring week. We've heard the heat indexes are going to be close to 115 over the weekend, so I think I'll be staying inside and reading a book (and maybe taking a nap) this weekend (Tammy finished the new Harry Potter book, so it's my turn).
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Anna update
I feel like I often report on the progress of Ben, but don't often say how the other kids are doing, so I thought I would talk about my sweet Anna. She is really growing up. She finally seems to be blossoming. She understands things around her more, and is finally getting some confidence (although slight) in the shadow of her older brother. She can be shy and she definitely likes to have some alone time each day, where she can be in her own little world. She can make anything into a toy, and will improvise when needed. She is very, very sweet. She is so much more aware of people's feelings than Adam has ever been and she will often help Lizzy when she is in need of attention, love, or whatever. She also has an amazing ability to get along with people. She seems to play well even with the hardest, craziest kids, and get along just fine. She is a quiet leader in that way. She always has something in her hand, either her green blankie or a toy of some sort, ready to pretend whatever needs pretending. She is very girly (she didn't get that from me!). She loves pink and purple. She loves princesses and princess dresses. Even though she is girly, she is very low maintanence. She likes her space. She is probably the easiest of our children to parent currently because she is so agreeable and easy to get along with. We sure love her. She brings a lot of sunshine into our home.
Friday, July 15, 2005
A flood of company
We've had a flood of company visiting with us the last couple of weeks. Starting on July 4th eve, we had a friend of ours stay with us a couple of nights. Then arrived Tammy's Auntie Ann, Aunt Sue, and three cousins - Mark, Pete, and Quin. We enjoyed their visit very much!
We spent Saturday with them in Nauvoo concluding the day with a visit to the new Nauvoo Pageant. The pre-show activities started a few hours before the show with a good old-fashioned 1840's celebration. There were tons of games for the kids (and everyone else) tug-of-war, gunnysack races, stick pulls, handcart races, square dances (with a live band), live entertainers, log saw races, and so on. We had a ball. Finally we settled in for the show. The pageant itself was much less of a pageant and more of a play than the old City of Joseph pageant. The stage and the cast were smaller than previous years. The story was more serious and pretty touching - it brought out much more plainly the trials that the original citizens of Nauvoo went through. All-in-all it was very good. It's showing through August 5th for anyone that can make the trip out to see it!
Ann, Sue and the boys stayed through Wednesday and we enjoyed their company very much. Thursday (yesterday) we had a new set of visitors arrive. Our stake is hosting a tri-stake youth conference. They've brought together 375 youth (ages 14-18) from the Peoria, Iowa City, and Davenport stakes to spend the weekend. We, along with many other families in the ward, volunteered to have some of them at our house. It's been a lot of fun. We ended up with some kids from Bloomington, IL. They're very well behaved and have been very considerate of our home. They will be here until tomorrow.
So, it's been a busy couple of weeks for us, but very fun at the same time.
We spent Saturday with them in Nauvoo concluding the day with a visit to the new Nauvoo Pageant. The pre-show activities started a few hours before the show with a good old-fashioned 1840's celebration. There were tons of games for the kids (and everyone else) tug-of-war, gunnysack races, stick pulls, handcart races, square dances (with a live band), live entertainers, log saw races, and so on. We had a ball. Finally we settled in for the show. The pageant itself was much less of a pageant and more of a play than the old City of Joseph pageant. The stage and the cast were smaller than previous years. The story was more serious and pretty touching - it brought out much more plainly the trials that the original citizens of Nauvoo went through. All-in-all it was very good. It's showing through August 5th for anyone that can make the trip out to see it!
Ann, Sue and the boys stayed through Wednesday and we enjoyed their company very much. Thursday (yesterday) we had a new set of visitors arrive. Our stake is hosting a tri-stake youth conference. They've brought together 375 youth (ages 14-18) from the Peoria, Iowa City, and Davenport stakes to spend the weekend. We, along with many other families in the ward, volunteered to have some of them at our house. It's been a lot of fun. We ended up with some kids from Bloomington, IL. They're very well behaved and have been very considerate of our home. They will be here until tomorrow.
So, it's been a busy couple of weeks for us, but very fun at the same time.
Well, this shot didn't turn out so well, but I promised Ann and Sue that they would make it to the Internet and this is the only shot I got of them. They were kind enough to get the kids some toys while they were here (including Adam's long-coveted indoor basketball hoop). Here the sister's are working together to assemble it.
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