Thanksgiving and a Look inside my Heart

I love having people over! I love cooking even though I have issues with cooking popular things so my food is usually wacked. WHICH makes me even so more THANKFUL that I have wonderful friends who humor me with a smile on their faces!!!

For me, Thanksgiving is about PEOPLE and SHARING FOOD. My Thanksgiving memories are being in a house FULL of aunts, uncles, and cousins. I love lots of people around!  I love different conversations as you go from room to room, lots of kids, lots of stories, etc. Everyone brings different dishes and there is a plethora of foods to try. Unfortunately we don't travel for Thanksgiving and I don't see much of that. I wanted to try to create it on my own. I was getting really excited, starting things the day before, thinking about LOTS OF PEOPLE in our house! But then one (larger) family got sick and I was bummed. So we didn't have a houseful of people or a plethora of food, but it was still great to have guests, to let the kids run around having fun, to have some games with families we are getting to know.

Rychen was warming things up just before guests came, and he had a pot of mashed potatoes going when unknowingly, he got a hotpad stuck on the bottom of the pot and put the pot on the burner! So the kitchen went up in smoke, the hotpad caught fire...and then the doorbell rang! Such fun adventures...

To involve the kids in preparation, we made a big board with a tree drawing, where we pasted various leaf cut-outs, with things we are thankful for written down. We also made pilgrim hats for the kids and native american headbands for the adults! I love my fall tablecloth too. It's fun to host and get creative with decorating (even though I usually don't buy much for decorating)

Anyhow, I have much to be thankful for in my life.

During these turbulent times when we are anxious for the future of our nation, I am so grateful for the peace we have through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We truly do have comfort in times of uncertainty. I can have bad days and be upset over something but really, it never keeps me up at night. I never worry. I can be upset with another person, but through Christ's example of love and forgiveness, it really doesn't get to me THAT much. I can feel frustrated with my kids or with having things not go my way, but then I say "Thy will be done" and know I can shrug it off and continue in faith, just trusting my Father in Heaven.

The second thing I am feeling gratitude for is my family. And I am not just saying that! I had a huge epiphany last week at Rychen's piano recital. I was sitting there grinning, so proud of his piano playing. When I am proud of my kids, I feel like grinning from ear to ear, but I force myself to hide it so I don't look like a serial killer. And it occured to me, when I do something exciting in my personal life like get a new running PR or something, I feel excitement inside but do I grin from ear to ear? No, not really! Its a different feeling. More like excitement in the moment. But with my kids, I feel SO HAPPY AND JOYFUL!!!! I feel fulfilled because something I brought forth and have been put in charge of rearing (so I fear that I might mess up) is acutally turning out like a dignified human being! It amazes me.

A LOT of times Rychen and I feel like throwing our hands up, we have no control over our kids. (Right? Can you relate?) They have potty mouths. They are way too loud and crazy. They usually have food on their faces and can't keep their clothes clean--yes unkempt would be a good word. You have to ask repeatedly to get a simple job done, and then it will only get done half way! Taylor is the worst sleeper imagineable and it just drives us loony. But when I stop and just watch my kids and see how imaginative and intelligent they are, or when I hear them bear a simple testimony and I see the gospel is actually taking root, or when I just watch them and see how adorable and perfect and innocent they are... I am filled with a sweet peace. I tell Rychen, "We have GOOD kids!" We have little to complain about, really. I love my sweeties.

Primary Spotlight!

I was recently released from playing piano in primary, but have been helping still since nobody has been called to take my place (funny how that works....)  Anyhow I asked the primary secretary to please do my kids for spotlight soon so I can see it! 

Spotlight is a little activity where you tell things about a kid and they guess who it is.

So I was pretty excited... I was wanting to watch their faces and see how they would act when they figured out it was about them! 

Elisabeth is very vocal in primary. So she was standing with the kids, all very enthused and attentive. "This person is good at dancing, drawing, and reading" was the first clue. She shouts out, "ME!" and then the second clue, and so on... Every time she would say "ME!"  and after 3 or 4, she turned to her friend and said, "It might be me!!!" Then at the end when they say "who is it??" She was sure to exclaim, "ME!!!"  (basically I breathed a sigh of relief that apparently I answered all the questions correctly...what if my kid didn't even recognize themselves?? eek)

When they did Rychen he responded, well... quite a bit differently.   You never know with this kid. Sometimes he is very serious and reserved; other times he is a goofball of the worst variety. The first clue was a drop-dead GIVEAWAY... "This person is good at piano, basketball, and Story of the World" But he had a total poker face!! What the heck? More give-away clues. But he wasn't letting ANYTHING on!! Finally at the end when they ask who it is, He started grinning and nodding and pointing to himself. It was very cute. 

I am just a silly Mom, getting my kicks from stuff like this. I think watching my kids as a 3rd party is even better than interacting with them personally.  I love seeing what they do in situations... and usually I am just Beaming :)

Sky-ence

I just overheard this from Rychen and Elisabeth: "1-2-3- Go Science!!" I had nothing to do with it. Seriously! What brought this on? Well let me tell you.

I ordered a new science textbook from Amazon and it came in the mail today. Just to be funny I threw the box to Rychen P. and said "Here, a present for you." Well he took me seriously and got all excited and opened it up. I was waiting for the disappointed, "Oh, it's just a science book." ... But it never came! He was thrilled to get a science book. 

Elisabeth's comment was, "Is it Sky-ence?"

They opened it right up and began the first chapter by themselves. They told me they are going to sprout beans in various conditions. Light/darkness, moist/dry - all 4 combinations, maybe more. They ran outside in the dark to get dirt!

I love seeing them so excited about learning. It almost makes it OK that I have been slacking teaching them lately. (hey, why teach them when they can teach themselves... ha, ha)

Crazy Taylor

Wow, Taylor is such a big boy lately. He is quickly advancing into toddlerhood. He can get up the flight of stairs in sixty seconds! You gotta watch this kid. Also he is talking already....yeah yeah yeah you might not believe me but I am serious! He has repeated "DaDa" when we say "Daddy" several times. He has been doing that for a couple weeks but I didn't believe it myself at first because dada was already his babble word. But this week when he came up to me and said "mama" I knew it was for real because he has Never babbled that before! And he has done that a few times now, saying it without a prompt, when he wants me to pick him up. Also he said "kitty" once, waving at the cat.

He has only two teeth, and he just got those less than a month ago. The day of the primary program he was sitting with grandma Jones and she was the first to notice his teeth coming in.

Also he is pretty much down to one nap a day. (Darn.)

It's getting impossible to change his diaper. You literally have to wrestle him down. It's a big pain in the neck!  

Running Goals and Achievements

I've been trying new ideas lately, trying to run in ways I never have before. Maybe call it my "ultra" training or substitute (because I am not planning on any ultras any time soon). But I have been increasing my mileage and you have to have interesting ways to make 40 miles in one week, and might as well throw in some fun challenges in there.

For instance, two weeks ago I did a half marathon race in the morning and then came home and ran 10 more miles. It was my first double (2 runs in one day). I really wanted to do another half marathon distance but didn't quite make it that far! So that remains on my bucket list.

Then the next weekend I did 10 on Friday and 20 on Saturday - my first time doing 30 miles in an appx 24 hour window. So there's potential there to increase that distance. Maybe one day doing 20 milers two days in a row.

My next goal I have set to accomplish by the end of the year is running 3 half marathons, 3 days in a row. I was scheduled to do it this past week but Taylor got sick! So I wasn't able to leave him to do much running until Saturday so I just did a regular long run of 18.5 miles. Even that is pretty cool since I have never done 4 weekends in a row of long runs.

My week-day runs are usually one hour and I have been doing this without walk breaks usually. Another goal of mine is to get to 10 miles without walking this year. and hopefully next spring I will be ready for a half marathon even with no walking. (Wow! that sounds really amazing right now)

Once I get up to (and max out at) 50 miles per week, another cool "ultra" idea for me is to run 10 miles, 5 days in a row.

So those are my distance goals. My speed goals are to improve times in 5K, 10K and half marathon. I need to be more dilligent about doing speedwork every week. There are so many ways to approach that, and I just want to try them all! This will keep me busy for a while. I can run 5K anaerobically the whole way, and I think I am about ready to do that on the 10K (meaning, going fast and breathing hard). The half marathon I need to learn to do without a slow 2 mile warm-up as is my routine on all my longer runs. 

I think I can do a mile in 7 minutes but haven't done so yet. 

I have been sprinting 1/2 miles on the treadmill though, and my record is 3 minutes, 25 seconds which includes the ten seconds of slow jogging as the treadmill starts from zero (that's the only way I have thought to time it... I guess I could run with a stopwatch).

My 5K record is 23:09 which I will aim to beat next time I am in a measured race. My 10K measured race was 50:30 but I have done it on my own at 49 minutes. My half marathon PR on a measured course was 1:52 but that was a more difficult course and it was the only half I did all year, so I am waiting for a good flat road race to try for a sub-1:50 time.

Anyhow - December 15 Hoover Dam marathon is coming up!! It's a course with long gradual hills and switchbacks! I have been training for this, even to an exact mile-by-mile simulation. Looks like I can do it in 4 hrs, 10 minutes depending on how hard those switchbacks actually turn out to be. I am hoping with all my long runs, the distance won't be an issue. My endurance is great but my stamina is what I am working on, meaning running at a higher threshold. There is a big psychological component in there, and I think the way for me to beat it is to do what I am doing here, measuring all my progress and gaining confidence that I am capable of it. Doing gradual goals so I know I can run anerobically for longer periods, etc.

Piano Recital Video

Congratulations Rychen Parker! Fall 2012 piano recital - he played "Allegro" without any mess-ups! (I told him I will take him out to eat if he gets no mess-ups)  This video is funny, I was trying not to laugh at him sticking out his tongue. He gets that from my Dad! I guess its a good thing he was concentrating so hard :)
 There were only a few children performing and several high schoolers -  WOW - Concert Pianists! It's inspiring to watch them; I think very helpful for Rychen P. to see them perform and visualize doing that himself in a few more years. (I actually took a video of one of these students but decided not to post it for her privacy--her Sonata was literally 5 minutes long)

 Elisabeth was invited to play Mary had a Little Lamb but she doesn't play in public--not even for lessons! She soaks up all the good technique lessons and goes home to practice. So after the recital she wanted to go home and do her own recital to earn a ribbon and treat. Rychen wrote her program and she played the 2 songs she knows.

She says maybe when she is 5, she will play at a real recital. Funny girl. Here is your special access to her private recital!

Kitties and Other Mischief

Here's some cute pictures I took the other day. It's funny to see Taylor follow the cats around and try to play with them. Taylor's latest thing is crawling into cupboards. Sometimes I can't find him until I realize it. Also one day last week I went looking for him in all the rooms downstairs and couldn't find him. Turned out he was UPSTAIRS - he had climbed the stairs all by himself for the first time without us knowing he was even able to do that! Uh oh. I sound like a really neglectful parent but this is like a matter of 10 minutes, the time it takes to feed the other 2 kids. It's hard to keep track of everybody around here... Taylor is one of those kids who proverbially "get into everything" but which is pretty new to us. Our other kids never did that....