Fun for the Whole Family

Is it really May 11?

Things have been going well. I really can't believe how good the kids have been lately. Sure, they have there moments, but so do I, but overall they have been doing great. The boys are getting so good at going to the potty, letting us know when they need to go and often times doing it all by themselves. Andres even has his little habit of getting out of bed at night (of course when he should be settling down and I catch him playing) of telling me that he has to go before going to sleep. They are both growing up so quickly, which is only made more evident whenever we look at pictures from a year ago.

Shirley is doing well, too. She went out last night to an Arena Football game with some friends. She was out later than normal, but that was okay. She sounded like she had a great time hanging out with some of our friends and some other kids from the neighborhood/church that went with them. She has been doing better with school and with just being a helpful daughter to us in our day to day lives. She is very excited right now because she only has five days of medicine (for her dormant TB) left! She has been so good about taking her medicine every day for the last nine months...of course it helps that we put it in ice cream, but even so, we are proud of her for sticking to it and getting it done. And she has been volunteering to read to the boys a lot, too, which is always helpful, especially when either Mami or Papi is busy with something (meetings, out with friends, etc.).

The weather has been beautiful lately, too, which has afforded us the chance to get out and go to the farm and the zoo and for walks. We hit the zoo two weeks ago on a Monday (I only worked half a day) and then we were able to walk around the farm last night. It was such a gorgeous night and the boys enjoyed being out and seeing the animals. There were even some performers singing songs and dancing on the stage at the farm; the boys enjoyed watching and performing their own little dances at the same time. It was quite fun and funny.

And, if you saw on Janine's blog, I am running. I ran my first 5K three weeks ago and posted a time of 31:50. I was pleased that, in the shape that I was in, I finished under 35:00. But a strange thing happened while I was running: I hated it. I hated the feeling of not being able to move my legs faster, that 6 year old kids were doing circles around me, that the side of my stomach felt like it was going to rip open...I hated it. And then I hit the chute at the end. There were tons of people cheering us on in a general sense, and then I heard my name being yelled.

"Yeah! Go Scott!"

I turned to see my friend Aaron, having just finished his 25 mile bike ride, cheering me on. I pumped my fist, started drifting right as I was doing so, and bumped into some guy in my wayward running. But I got pumped up and found my second wind in the last 23 yards. And I felt rubbery and weak as I crossed the line.

But I felt good. And then I didn't hate it. I kind of liked it.

So I started running a loop around our neighborhood. My friend Tom GPSed it and found it was 2.8 miles. So a few of us started running it, suffering through the chill of the morning, the heat of the afternoon or the swallowing of the bugs that flit around at night, 2.8 miles and a hill that tries to hurt us all. And it has been good.

My friends Tom, Josh and Josiah have been running, too. And we are competitive, so we keep times and compare. It has been fun. And now I need a new pair of shoes.

We ran yesterday. We ran in the Komen Race For The Cure. 17,000 people signed up. It was crowded, to say the least. There was a sea of people that covered the width of a street and the length of about six blocks. It was amazing to see, pink ribbons, dedications, people of all different backgrounds and stories who came together to support the fight against breast cancer. Janine and the kids did a one mile walk, along with Jill, Becky, Rickie and Erica, all decked out in their Sportsman's Warehouse sponsored neon green t-shirts: it was a lot of fun.

And in three weeks time I went from a 31:50 to a 26:25. And I think I am hooked. I find myself wanting to run even now as I sip my coffee and write. We have already been talking about the next race and about the possibility of a 10K at some point. I feel like a real nerd when I talk about times and training and the next race, but in many ways I am glad to have found something to do, something relatively easy, to stay in shape. It has been good.

I should note, that I think that even worse than the Krust Buster and its functions is the fact that people actually buy the Krust Buster instead of just cutting the crust off themselves. That is an even more hideous aspect of the whole thing.

AND, one of the things that Andres says that I think is hilarious is the question "Daddy, are you a man?"

I answer back, "Yes, Andres, I am a man. Are you?"

"Daddy, I'm a man!"

He's a funny guy. Sometimes you can hear Juancho in the background saying, "No you're not, you're just a boy."

COMING SOON: EQUALITY IN SERVICE

8 months down the drain

I ate at Arby's.


I am incredibly disappointed in myself.

It was gross.

under construction

there are some grumblings that I have not written in a while...

Quick Update

So we went to Cancun. It was a good trip. We had fun seeing family, watching the kids play in the pool, and getting to the beach a little bit. I think that the kids had quite a bit of fun, although by the end of it all the boys were ready to come home and sleep in their own bed and play with their toys. They all did so well, though, on the flights, with the change of scenery...we really were please with how the kids behaved and how they reacted to being out of the normal schedule that we usually keep.

That said, it was good to get home, too. It is always kind of odd to get back into the swing of things upon returning home, especially (for me) with not really wanting to return to work. But we got back into things pretty much right away. Janine got everything washed and put away in a couple of days. It seemed like she just plowed through it, doing little of anything else for those two days. I am always thankful that she is dedicated to getting all that done immediately. Literally. We put the kids to bed the night we got back and she was already washing the first load of clothes. I am not wired that way, so it is good that she gets the job done. My bags would still be packed...

Everyone got back into the flow of things pretty well here. The boys were already looking forward to their normal highlights (MOPS, Sunday School with Miss Leanne, trying to steal Joel's toys, etc.) and Shirley was mobbed by her friends at school upon her return. Of course it was nice to see all our friends, too. That is always made nicer by the fact that our kids absolutely love all our friends. They get so excited when we have our small group or when we have Kids Club dinners...they are all very social.

Anyhow. This is not a terribly informative post, but I know I needed to at least put something here to keep some people posted. Do you all want a weather report? A work report?

Anyhow, I plan on writing more soon. I'm hungry.

one year

So, as of yesterday, it has been a year since we have had our kids. Yesterday we celebrated what is called "Gotcha" Day, and it is very difficult to believe that it has already been a year. I can't really tell if it seems like it has been longer or shorter with the kids, but I can honestly say that I can't really think of being without them now. While it was once difficult to imagine having three kids, it is now impossible to imagine not having these three wonderful kids.

So we went out for steak last night, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Janine had picked up little gifts for the kids and we had some celebratory cupcakes after our meal. It was quite fun to just go out and to be together on such a special day.

Here are the kids dancing to Hammer's "U Can't Touch This."

So I have been quite sick for several days now. Whatever Janine had has hit me, too, and I have been feeling it. I have actually been able to be inside for the last couple of days of work, so that has been nice, but it still has not really helped me to heal. I most likely should have just stayed home for a couple more days this week, but I don't really like missing work for being sick. Anyhow, I got to move furniture around our office today and then spend some time bidding a small project at my old place of work (IMFT). I stayed home from kids club tonight, as I don't even really feel like talking. Fortunately the boys are playing nicely and have respected my wishes for quiter (although not toned down) playing. They are good kids.

Anyhow, I thought I would make mention of our one year anniversary with the kids. It has been incredible and we look forward to the upcoming year and getting to know and love them more and more.

Juan took a spill the other night. Notice the damage by his nose and the black eye.

He is okay. He's pretty tough.