I Am Thankful . . .

I am thankful for . . .

one nerdy husband,

4 nerdy children,

and boneless, skinless chicken breast!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our Last Trick-or-Treaters

When the kids asked about costumes this year for Halloween, they got the grinch face. "Go dig in the Halloween Tupperware Bin and find something to wear!" was the response they heard from their loving mother. The result was less than spectacular for Carson. He found a black leather jacket to wear and "said" he wanted me to paint his face like a skeleton. He found a picture on the Internet and I reproduced it perfectly! When he got home from school, he was in tears. "No one knew what I was! Everyone kept saying, "Who are you supposed to be?!" Nyah had a little bit better luck with her outfit. She said she was an "Egyptian" and people believed her!

It was the first year we didn't have to go trick-or-treating with the kids. Nyah went with the girls and Carson went with the boys. I stayed home and supervised my Dad! (See previous post).

Trick-or-Treaters Beware

"Strange" doesn't even begin to explain our Halloween this year.

Dad dressed up as a "witch". His body was covered by a sheet. His face was painted, he wore a 100 year old wig, his hands were stuck in boots and set on a table so he looked like a scary hobgoblin. Children walked up to the table, knowing he was going to scare them, and were terrified when he yelled things like, "Come up here you little Rats. I'm going to put you in my stew!" One child fell off our porch, knocking a pumpkin off the steps as he toppled down. Luckily, he wasn't from our neighborhood and his parents weren't with him! Parents and children alike, were both alarmed and terrified by my father. Many trick-or-treaters thought it was my husband dressed up as the scary witch. My dear husband was actually inside, hiding, as not to be embarrassed by my dad's antics.

New Baby in the Family

We had a new baby join our family over the weekend. Her name was Adri. We think it was misspelled.

Cali brought her home to stay with us for her Child Development class. Adri cried alot until Cali figured out that taping her neck in a permanent hold position with masking tape calmed her immensely. Cali got much practice taking care of a newborn and was woken up multiple times during the night. She will not be having children anytime in the near future.

The Shewee

After a fellow blogger alerted me of the existence of the Shewee, a portable urinating device for women, I immediately went to www.shewee.com and discovered that I have been peeing my pants during races for absolutely no reason. I am now going to carry a shewee with me at all times -- just in case. For only $12.25, you too can own a portable urinating device. It comes in 5 snazzy colors. I'm still trying to decide between hot pink and forest green. Read the following instructions to see if a Shewee may be right for you!
**The instructions below are copied directly from www.shewee.com

"We are confident that you’ll find it easy to Shewee, even liberating, but here are some instructions for you in case you aren’t sure....

1. Undo trousers
2. Push underwear to one side
3. Place Shewee gently against the body with the outlet pipe directed away from you
4. Aim urine to a suitable place – away from feet, into a toilet or a container
5. When finished, pull Shewee forwards to wipe and catch any drips (liquid repellent surface ensures no drips)
6. Place your reusable Shewee back into a bag or resealable container

Tip! Practice with Shewee in the shower to find the best position for you.

Shewee is washable by hand or machine and can withstand temperatures up to 120˚C"

After seeing pictures of the Shewee, I decided to run to the Dollar Tree and pick up a funnel to try instead! I'll make sure to let you all know how it goes!

Snow Canyon 1/2 Marathon

Jill, Marisa, Donna, Jeff, Clark and Vanessa . . . What a troop! We went down to St. George for a "Runner's Retreat"! We drove 4 hours, slept 3 hours, and ran a 1/2 marathon. What a vacation! :)

A few details about the race:
1) Got to starting line 20 minutes before start. No time for porta potty. Had to "go" outside. While squatting down, saw a man walking towards me. Looked up sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry." Awkward!
2) LOTS of downhill. Killer on the quads. My legs were sore before race ended.
3) Ran a race without headphones for first time. Got to listen to all the panting coming from my mouth. Very unattractive!
4) A miracle happened! 1st time I haven't had to stop for a "poo" during the race!
5) Saw 2 men on bus ride up with foil wrapped baked potatoes in their hands. Told me it was "pre-race" food. They didn't eat it on the bus. What was really inside that foil?
6) Finished the race in 1 hour 33 minutes and lots of seconds. I'm going to round down! :)
7) Peed on my sweatpants before the race. I am gross! I have terrible aim!
8) Found my red blanket after the race. I am a lucky girl!

Buckin' Bronco

Ian had his first ride on a bull! Ride 'em, Cowboy!