Wall ideas

I'd really like to make a few things that my kids can see on a daily basis to show them love, and encouragment. I have things on my fridge and pictures of them around the house to show I'm proud but I'd really like to make something like this. I read the blog and it doesn't look hard, they used adobe illustrator and then printed it as a 11x14 at costco, how cool is that!! Anyone have Adobe Ill and the knowledge to use it??

Title picture

OK the picture at the top of my blog is old, maybe 6 years or so. But I love it so much, and it's so a classic, I really think I should just leave it. Granted the children are older and I have cute pictures but isn't a classic picture good? I would miss that picture.

Numbers are low 2012

Wow I was just looking up how long I've been blogging and I noticed that the past 3 years I have done over 100 posts during the year but this year was only in the 40's. Thats kinda of a disappointment!! I will try to do better next year!!Perhaps I was a bit of a hermit this year, keeping everything in and to myself instead of sharing with anyone who stumbles across my blog!! This has been a fun way to share all the good, the bad and the totally desperate! Plus it's kinda of a cheater way to journal since I completely stink at it!

Kiawah Island Half Marathon

Before the race, gorgeous morning!!

Just after we finished with our beautiful blue beach glasses medals!!

This is the ultimate ice bath! We froze in the water then basked in the 70 degree weather on the sand!! Heaven!!

I've been wanting to run this race since I started racing 4 years ago, but it's always on the weekend of Kirks work party and since it's 6 hours away it would be hard to get back in time for a black tie event! But this year the party was cancelled and so off to South Carolina mom and I went!! The race is on Kiawah Island, one of the many little islands off of Charelston. Spanish moss, huge Oak trees and palm trees everywhere! We had the best weather ever at a balmy 71!! We even splurged and stayed in a condo with a beach view!! The down side?? I had a fever and was really sick. I don't actually remember very much of the race, I was concentrating really hard to not cough, because every time I did it felt like I was severing a lung. usually mom and I talk to each other and all the volunteers we pass, but we ran  pretty much in silence. It just shows how crazy we are!! I do remember finishing and getting to rest on the beach! The food and the race end was amazing, they had white bean soup, 3 types of pasta, muffins, brownies, hot chocolate, lemonade it was amazing!! We had a little bit of energy to walk around down town Charleston but not a lot, I wish I had more but that what it is. All in all a good time!!

Family photos

I wore pink to match Elle, what a mistake. Color wise it's great but the sweater and my slouch makes me look so bloated in this picture!! I knew I shouldn't sit down, but my vertigo was so bad that day, which also helped cause my total Utah mom hair style!! UGH

Love LOVE this one! Maybe I don't need a family photo just a kid shot??

Love this one

These are from the photographers site, so the quality will be better when we order.

Johnston's run the Atlanta Thanksgiving 5K

This is Matts I hate you picture, but as you can see it can't dim my excitment!! Wahoo!! Thats Turner field behind us.

See how the smiles changed!! Everyone is happy now!

In the summer Kirk, Elle and I sometimes go and run a mile or 2 on the greenway, it's usually when Kirk has time and is trying to work out and then Elle enjoys going with him. So i thought it would be super fun to sign the 3 of us up for a 5k in Atlanta on Thanks giving. I asked Kirk when he was really busy so he vaguely approved it :) then I discovered if I signed up by a certain day, that day, we got our names printed on our race bibs! So that excitement morphed into why not have the whole family run!! I thought we could train together and it would help everyone get out of the house. But with Kirk schedule and the kids crazy schedule the only person who trained was me. But that didn't stop me!! They complained but were ok sports when we went downtown to get the race bibs, but once we got there my 2 oldest hated the expo and ruined it for me. And by the end of the day they were saying there was no way they were getting up in the morning. But I ignored them. However when I woke them up at 6am in the pitch black of the cold morning they tried their best to kill my enthusiasm. But I was too excited to stop! It took a lot of talking and threatening to get my oldest in the car. Kirks version of helping was to say things like, none of us are happy about it but we paid the money so lets go. While in the car Matt then said he wasn't going to get out of the car. I thought well I guess if he sits in the car like a dud thats his loss. But I just couldn't let it go, so again with some yelling and threatening I got him out of the car, it really wasn't THAT cold, it was like 50, thats the kind of temperature that you get warm when you're running in. Finally he got out of the car but refused to put his race bib on, wouldn't get in pictures until I asked a professional and then he stood there grudginly. There were 3000 runner in the 5k, even more in the 1/2 and full marathon so it was pretty crowded. Once I got them in the race corral Kirk began to look pretty nervous and then I saw Matt quietly putting on his bib. We agreed I would stay with Aj and Elle since those 2 are in the best shape and might be fast, but once the race started Matt and Connor took off! Kirk ran a steady 10:30 pace mile and Elle needed to stop for water and then Aj needed to tie his shoes twice, so we lost Kirk. Who continued to run looking for us and we couldn't catch up! Elle kept wanting to walk and I was the meanest mom I said no!!! Lol. Connor meanwhile who skipped dinner and hadn't eaten anything this morning ran really slow poor guy. So Matt came in first for our family at 550 out of 3000 people! Kirk was 2nd, then me , Aj and Elle followed by Connor 5 minutes later. Everyone looked really happy after and I think they had fun. I told them we will be better trained for the Peachtree 10K on July 4!! But all I got was groans. I am a smart mom however and I know how to get on their good sides and we ate waffle house on the way home. Best Thanksgiving Ever.

Memories, all alone in the moonlight

You know kids grow up and think whatever they are going to think about us as parents.  I grew up with really fond memories of my formative years, and I've perhaps chosen to forget somethings :) Some kids grow up remembering only the bad things that they remember and perhaps sometimes it was bad but sometimes the bad memory is flavored by how it felt to the child at the time. For instance Matt is going to grow up thinking I was a terrible insensitive jerk for a mother. I know I am not, but because he pushes so many buttons of mine he gets to see the strict parent side of me more than I would like. Matt who I love with all my heart, is a undiagnosed hypocondriact. Everyday, EVERYDAY, there is something medically wrong with him. His current favorite is that he has IBS. Oh and a growth he has diagnosed by the internet that he is sure he needs to have surgically removed. My favorite is when he comes out of a long trip to the bathroom where he was clearly searching medical sites on his phone while using the facilities and he comes out with another medical problem that i've neglected to have treated on him. So I am just bracing myself for him as an adult, I know he is going to joke at dinner and with his (heaven help her) future wife at what a terrible uncaring mother he had, who never got him medical treatment. When I know this is not the case. I've taken him to Drs to have blood drawn and tested, I taken him to poop in vials and then drive that poop 25 minutes each way to be tested. I've paid a fortune in prescriptions that sometimes has caused WAY more trouble then it was every worth.

Sigh.

We'll see if I leave this post up, it's a little negative.