Sweet Boy

Helped mom with some yardwork yesterday- here I am obtaining some "free" limestone rock! It was just like a biggest loser challenge. HARD!
Me and my sweet sweet guy. He wanted puppy in the picture. He's so cute.
Can't stand it, can you? He loves his puppy girl so much!

All day Every day.

More playing outside- I decided to have G wear his swim shirt- I think it's going to be a must every time we're out. I have learned with my children, if I waver even one time, there will be a fight from then on....
We also got the sprinkler out- they had a great time with it as well. I really like this sprinkler- it doesn't go all that high, but connects to the hose really well.
This pool is just really too small. I need to get a better one soon!

Our friends Sheryl and Kowen came over- Kowen will be one this weekend. He was really cute playing in the water- I got the little toddler pool out and the kids thought it was great playing with him!

Man, It was HOT. I went on a jog after the sun started going down, but it was still nearly 90. SO HOT. I guess that's what it's going to happen all summer. I'm going to have to get the kids a pool big enough for me to get into because sitting out there with them is torturous. The are finally big enough this year for me to take them to the pool by myself though, so I'm excited for it to open!

On another note- G is using the potty sometimes!!! It's really not consistent- I don't really have the energy to tackle it quite yet, but he's figured out how to make it come out when he wants it to! It's super cute- the first time I set him on there and he peed he said in a really exciting way, "IT CAMED OUT!" I'm going to get him some Thomas and Lightning underpants today!

KC Triathlon 2010

No pics today as I never take my camera to my own events....just a story.

So today was the first triathlon day of 2010. I say first because now I feel the need to do more before the season is over. Today was eventful. My friends Erica and Kellie did the race with me. They started a little late- as the first waves of swimmers entered the water, the clouds started rolling in and the wind started blowing :( It was CRAZY wind. I didn't think much of the choppy water until I was actually in it. It was a ton of waiting until my group went- probably about 45 minutes. So we stood around and chatted and tried not to get too anxious. The water temp was about 60- lots of people wore wetsuits but I toughed it out! So finally when we got into the water and started swimming the first thing was the piercing cold but that feeling quickly got pushed to the back of my mind as waves started hitting my face with every single breath. I was gulping water and air like crazy. It was pretty scary actually- I've never swam in waves like that before. In a triathlon with people of this caliber it's pretty rare to see many swim strokes other than freestyle ("crawl") but everyone was breast stroking, side stroking and even back stroking trying to figure out how to swim with the current and the waves. I tried side, but I felt really out of control. I finally settled on back stroking occasionally to get me past the first leg. At the turn for the swim the waves were actually working with you so it was easier to settle in. I was still gulping air and reeling from the feeling of impending doom on the 2nd leg, so I didn't really do very well there. The 3rd leg was when I was finally able to hit my stride and just swim. I started catching up to the pack. There were a ton of swimmers that freaked out from the cold and the waves and just quit. It was crazy!!! I finally made it to shore and ran up the beach. Running in is always the strangest feeling. You are trying to run hard but SO out of breath.

I got my shoes on, not drying my feet as much as I should have and got my helmet and glasses. The bike seemed ok for about 10 seconds, and then we started riding directly into the crazy wind. :( I guess that's why God gave me all that wind to train in! I really had a terrible bike- my average speed was awful and I felt so weak. My stomach was still completely full of air from the swim and I was really uncomfortable. I lost a lot of time. On the way back to transition right before you get off the bike, I totally flipped my bike and flew over the handle bars....I've never bike wrecked (since childhood) so it was pretty weird. I just kind of freaked out for whatever reason and my hand clenched the brake on accident. Awful. I was totally embarrassed but not hurt- just scraped palms and right knee (the bad one, of course). I went back to put my bike and helmet up and headed out to run.

Talk about WEAK. My run was awful. SO SLOW. I was actually looking forward to the run this year because I've really been running all winter, but I was so worn out from everything else that I did really awful. All I could think about was quitting and walking.

BUT- I finished. I am still proud of my accomplishment. I truly only trained for 3 weeks for this race. There were only 300 finishers for a race that had over 1000 people signed up....interesting. A triathlon takes every ounce of everything you have in your body and soul. I will say though, after that swim, if I hadn't ever done one before, I don't think I'd be doing another. It was terrible. Now I need to find another to improve!!

I rode down with our next door neighbors who had paid extra for the "experience" tent. It included private bathrooms and a tent with free beer and food! HA! We ate a little and drank some beer and then headed home. I felt awful for most of the day, but I think now I am rehydrated and doing better. My arms are killing me= probably from catching myself....oh well!

Fun in the Sun!

Got the pool out today!! WOOT! It was fun!! Look at my ghost of a son! I put 85 SPF on him.
G and his girlfriend Addison from next door. So cute!
Watering!
Mira coloring with chalk. Man- this is the life! We will be doing this probably every single day this summer!

The Lone Sightseer

I left the conference skipping the final session. There wasn't one I really wanted to attend and I hadn't had any time to go see any of the sights. So my last session was over at about 11:15 and I headed out. Took the metro to a good starting point and walked to the National Mall. Started out in the sculpture garden and looked at this nice tree.
Then I started walking toward the Washington Monument. Shortly after this picture I ripped my headphones apart, so the rest of my day was largely silent (which helped my ipod's battery life to last through my flight home).
Up close!
White house from up on the hill by the monument. I didn't get any closer. You can't get overly close anyway, and there is a big fence around.
Right at the monument!
I then headed down the street and across to see the WWII memorial. Very pretty.
And made by GW!
Missourian Dork.
My feet were getting tired, so I stopped to reflect...(it IS the pool of reflection, you know...)
And watched some baby ducks.And smiled.
You can see what an awesome day it was! I was so HOT in my NTI shirt, but it had been barely 50 the 3 days before, so I didn't know what to expect, except that I needed to wear tennis shoes. Pretty.
Honest Abe!
At the Lincoln Memorial. So crowded and loud.
Korean war memorial.
Reverence.
Jefferson Memorial. It was a million mile walk as I went the long way around the lake. Dumb. Probably at least 2 miles.
Doesn't he look cool?? This is my favorite memorial by far. It's just so cool!
Standing by!
I walked around the lake the "short" way this time. Here's a pic from across the lake. Thought about paddleboating, but then thought better of it.
Reverence at the Holocaust museum. I would have had time to do the tour, but they didn't have tickets available until 4:15. Bummer. I just looked around a bit at some other exhibits and was on my way!
Capitol. I was tired at this point and didn't go any closer.
I was spent at the end. I walked from about 11:30 until 3:30....I walk pretty fast, so at a slow pace I probably averaged about 12 miles. Should have brought my nike+ipod! My knee is totally swollen today :( It was fun going all around. A bit lonely, but I didn't have to wait on anyone! I met up with my roomie Becca after this to give my subway pass to her husband to use for the weekend. Then I went to a place called Harry's and had a huge cheeseburger and fries and some cookies. I was tired and hungry! After that I went back to the hotel and chilled in the lobby until time to catch a cab to the airport.

After I ARRIVED at the airport my cabbie tells me he only takes cash and I only have 10 bucks. Woops. I had to go inside, down three floors and find an ATM to pay him. No wait, the story gets better. So I go get my boarding pass and head to the security check. I go through and of course, forgot to pour the water out of my camelbak from the day before. So I have to get my bag checked and go back out through the exit so I can pour it out. Then as I go BACK through security I get randomly selected for a pat down. Nice. I waited a couple of hours for my flight. We ended up being about 3o mins early getting home!!!

Well, that's my day!

The end!

I can't believe today is the last day and I come home tonight!!! The celebration dinner was really fun and the food was good. That was the first time we really spent any time with the people we came with from CMH. I WAS able to have a bloody mary and it hit the spot!!

Yesterday was sleep-in day as we didn't have anything until 9. I ended up being late because the shuttle bus was stuck in traffic forever. I should have walked. We had Keith Harrell for a speaker and he was amazing. I ended up buying his book I liked it so much! The other speakers of my day were terrible. I didn't enjoy a single lecture I attended. Disappointing. I left one of them early and came back to the hotel to change and work out for a bit. I ellipticaled (yes I know not a word) for about 30 mins, changed clothes, and WALKED back for the second bad lecture of the day.

After that we left to go out to eat at a place called Tappas. We went with our friends from CMH. It was a good time but quite an expensive dinner!!! We then had nurses night out at the Smithsonian. It was pretty terrible- we had 3 hours to see 3 museums, but they are pretty far apart, so I spent about an hour of it walking. I didn't have time to actually SEE anything in the museums except a show in the planetarium. Disappointing, but I got a shirt, got B a shirt, and picked up a book for the kids. We were BEAT when we got back but had to pack up.

Our lectures start at 745 this morning. We have to check out before we go and leave our stuff in the luggage room. Makes me a little nervous. I am leaving the lectures early- at 1115 so I can go see monuments. I have loved the conference, but really, it could have been in KC for all I know- I haven't really seen any of DC. My plane doesn't leave until 8, so that should give me a good part of a day to go and see some things. I am planning to get a cab to the airport at around 6. If anyone reads this and thinks I won't have time to make it- CALL ME AND TELL ME so I can leave earlier! heh. At this point I am wondering if I'll be standing at 10 when I get home tonight. I'm already exhausted!

Enjoying the time.

So I haven't taken any pictures yet, I probably will tonight. The lectures we have been attending today and yesterday have, for the most part, been superb. There is always the occasional bad/boring one, but most are excellent and enjoyable. I have been taking notes at each one to keep my attention! As I said, there are SO many nurses here that when you stand up and look out at the floor when we're all together it's astonishing.

Last night when we finished we met my friend Emily (the one who's wedding I attended on Saturday) for dinner. It was delicious!! It was a place of chineseish appetizers so we got quite an assortment and shared. Perfect. I still couldn't have a coctail as I just wasn't quite right yet.

This morning we got up early to attend a Sunrise Session about Army nursing- expecting to hear about experiences and such, but alas, it didn't live up to expectations. It was more about managing and running army nursing stations and about quality improvement, etc. Awful- I could care less about that!

They opened the exhibits today- lots of exciting new products and info to look at as well as things to purchase. There's a nail/cuticle kit that I don't think I'll be able to ultimately resist (if you know my chewing issues you might understand) and there are scrubs, shoes, lotions, etc. I'm proud of myself because I've only spent 3 dollars today (on ONE diet coke). Yesterday I spent a lot because the food situation was messed up and we went out.... :(

So now we're tired from getting up early and we have our certification celebration dinner tonight. It should be fun. We have a free drink ticket- a glass of wine sounds good in theory, but I'm not sure I can handle it yet......so sad.

Tomorrow is more of the same- the afternoon is nurses night out at the Smithsonian where there are 3 of the museums that will stay open until 10:30 just for us. It starts at 4:30 but we will not go until about 5:30 because there's a lecture on Pediatric Echo's for the bedside nurse that I refuse to miss! It will be fun to finally have some time to sight see a bit. We will sleep in tomorrow to be ready! We could always skip classes to sight see, but the CEU's are pretty important as I have to renew my certification this year. PLUS, the weather has been horrendous- COLD and rainy. I had to buy an umbrella last night for 14.99 at CVS. Terrible. But it has proved a necessary investment. Even if I wanted to go out and walk around, I wouldn't because I'd be drenched and I didn't bring a jacket.

More later!

Hello from DC!

Well, I am at the National Teaching Institute for Critical Care Nursing conference this week in Washington DC. I will update some from here. I want to get a few pictures of how huge the conference center is and the set up. It's pretty amazing. We flew in yesterday, had anatomy lab with cadavers, and then ate dinner with the KC chapter of AACN (after walking at least 3 miles to get there and getting lost!). The city is amazing- it's been so long since I was here before I didn't remember much. So many awesome churches and buildings.

Yesterday was rough. I went to a friend's wedding on Saturday night and drank quite a lot. I totally puked after we had been here for awhile. I can't even remember when I felt so bad from drinking! AH! Let's just say cadaver lab was difficult when I felt like puking the whole time. It was still really amazing. I can't believe how awesome it is that those people would let us learn from them like that.

Today we are off to start our conference sessions. There are apparently 7,000 nurses coming! Isn't it amazing! I'll update later on!

Getting Big.

My guy is getting so big. He's looking so much like a little man now. It's terrible. I cherish being able to rock him and cuddle with him. He still lets us hold and rock him before bed and nap and he loves to sit with me and watch cartoons. I'll never let those go if I don't have to. Here he is riding on the back of his tractor. Silly.
He likes to color. Doesn't he look big here!?
The other night some friends came over and talked G into putting stickers on his face.
He thought it was pretty funny.
I was a terrible daughter/daughter-in-law for mother's day. I had intended to do some things and didn't get them done at all. Later on in the month I'm helping my mom with some yard work and getting her some flowers, but for Lana, this is what I had intended, but didn't get it done until yesterday!
Yes, it was necessary to take off all clothing.
Aren't they so cute?!

Playing my bluff...

So lots of people have asked for an update on Operation GE. Here it is!

I think we are pretty much at the typical 2 year old stage now. He consistently eats chicken nuggets, pizza, fruits, cheese, yogurt, crackers, cereals, peanut butter and jelly, and a few other random things. He doesn't like much meat, but neither does his father. So I am pretty satisfied with where we are. If he eats a good lunch I offer him a carnation instant breakfast before nap. It gives him 300 calories and lots of vitamins. If her refuses his lunch he gets water only. Maybe that doesn't make much sense, but I don't want him depending on the milk so he thinks he doesn't have to eat. If he eats a good supper I offer him a pediasure before bed. It offers 240 cals. So far that's been working ok. Of course, we have good days and bad days and there are still many that he eats very little, but I feel this is normal. I have gotten a little bit lax with our routine in the last week because we made such quick progress. Well, here's a little story from today:

I got them McDonalds on the way home- healthy, right? So all the way home he sits in the back saying, "No kicken nuggets. I no eat." Whatever....

We get home and I cut them up and put them on his plate with his french fries and apples and give him a juice box (4 oz). He downs the juice.

G, "I no kicken nuggets. Juice all gone, it's all gone, it's all gone."
Me, "Well, if you'd like something else to drink you need to eat your lunch."
G, "I no kicken nuggets. I no like it." Shakes head and eats a french fry.
ME, "Then no more to drink."

Mira then throws a fit about how she's going to die if she doesn't have something to drink, so I fill some sippys with water.

G, "I no water. Milk. I no kicken nuggets. I no eat it." Pushes plate and cup away.
Me, "Drink your water or eat your lunch. Nothing else." I offer to help him but it doesn't work.

This continues for about 10 minutes when he finally gets down after eating about 5 french fries. He goes over to his cars to play.

Me, "Get your puppy, it's time for bed."
G, "I no nappy. I no bed."

I carry him upstairs and we sit down in his rocker.

G,"I milk."
Me, "No milk. You have to eat to have milk, buddy."
G.....sigh....."I supper. I eat."
Me, "What?"
G, "I eat my supper."
Me, "You want to go downstairs and eat your lunch now?"
G, "Uh huh."

He ate every single bite of his chicken, more fries and some apples. Damn that kid....he was calling my bluff......GUESS WHO WON?!!! That's right. I did.