Chris's Wedding, part 2

On to the wedding. Chris and Errica got married in a Greek Orthodox church. We had never been inside one before and it was a new experience for us. They had some pamphlets about their church so we read those while we waited. It was pretty interesting to read about.

The ceremony was also quite different than any we were used to, but it went o

ff without a hitch. (haha) I wish I would've had my camera handy and gotten pictures of them, along with the Aris and Strato dressed in their tuxedos. So cute! I am horrible when it comes to remembering to take pictures.

Last but not least was the reception, which was at a clubhouse...somewhere. All I know is that we went over a(yet another) big bridge to get there. Errica made the table decorations and they were gorgeous! I wish I would've gotten pictures of her handy work. She's a girl after my own heart.

This is the only shot I got of them together. Don't they look happy?!

Here is Dylan with Grandma Marsha. He is one funny little guy!

What can I say? I love to dance. :)

Chris Jacobs' Wedding part 1

David's little brother, Chris, got married on December 11th and I am finally posting about it. He was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base near Pensacola, FL, and that is where he met his wife, Errica. They seem to be perfect for each other and I am happy for them!

We flew to Pensacola on the 10th and Marsha and Aunt Sherril picked us up at the airport. We drove to Destin to find our condo. We had a three bedroom, three bath condo right on the beach that we shared with John and Marsha and Aunt Sherril. We were on the 12th floor with our balcony facing the gulf. It was so beautiful! The sand was so white! If I didn't know any better, I would think it was snow on the sides of the road. Our condo had a private beach, which would be nice in nicer weather. It was seriously cold the whole time we were there. I knew it wouldn't be hot, but I wasn't prepared for how cold it actually was. Denver was the warmest place we were all week long!

This shot was taken from the windshield, so it isn't that great. But you can see the bridge that we were about to go over. We were staying on an atoll and there are bridges that connect everything.

David and Me

John and Marsha

Oh, one (very important) thing that I forgot to mention is that the kids stayed home with my mom and dad. Woohoo! Thanks, Mom and Dad.

We had dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse with our family and Errica's family on Friday night and it was the first time that David and I got to meet Errica. She has two five year old boys, Aris and Strato, and her family is from Greece. They were all very nice and it was fun to get to know them all.

I think I'll do another post about the wedding because I hate uploading a ton of pictures at once. Stay tuned for the wedding details.

My Gorgeous Family

Thank you, Natalie, for taking these awesome photos!

Jack's Christmas Program

Last night was Jack's preschool Christmas program. Look at him in his suit. He is such a handsome little guy!

In this video, the piano starts playing "Rudolph", but the kids all start singing another song! And notice that Jack is the only one not doing the actions. And do you know what the best thing about preschool programs are? They only last fifteen minutes, start to finish.

Denver Rock n Roll Half Marathon

On October 17th, I ran the Denver Rock n Roll Half Marathon. I don't remember my exact time, but it was around 2:30. The course went all through downtown Denver. It is always fun to see a city on foot. You get to see all sorts of things that you wouldn't notice otherwise.

Since then, I've kind of scaled back on my running. My knee keeps locking up and I'm not sure what the problem actually is. I've had a physical therapist, chiropractor and regular doctor (and all of them are runners) look at it and none of them know what to think. Maybe taking it easy this winter will be good.

In other fitness related news, I started teaching indoor cycling classes in November and I love it. The classes are challenging, but fun, and are a killer leg workout. I also love having scheduled cross-training, and I love teaching classes.

Catch Up

I'm only five months behind. That's not that bad, right? I guess I'll start from about where I left off and explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. School started in August and Paige is in 5th, Jenna is in 1st, and Jack goes to preschool after lunch. The district changed to a four day school week in an effort to save money, and we are liking it so far. I am also back in school and just got done taking Anatomy & Physiology 1, Growth & Development (hate!), Nutrition, and Medical Terminology. I took all my finals this week and should get an A in everything. I have a big course load next semester, but I just keep telling myself that this is all going to pay off in the long run.

In October was Jenna's birthday and she turned seven. We had her birthday party at the park and it was seriously the best place to have it. The kids played on all the equipment so there was no having to entertain them. Best of all, my house stayed clean. She is really growing up and is such a great kid. She is funny and happy and sweet and thoughtful and friendly. She gets on these cleaning kicks lately and will quietly go about making beds for people, cleaning bathrooms, and cleaning bedrooms. She still loves ballet and she loves school.

People Watching

Today we were in Taco Bell and I saw a family come in and stand in line. There was the mom, the dad, and two girls, probably ages four and five. Mom was holding one, the five year old, and Dad was holding the other. The first thing I noticed was the five year old's dress. It had big polka dots. Then I noticed her hair. It was blong like her sister's, but it was short. It was probably an inch long all over. My heart sank as I realized that this beautiful little girl probably had cancer. I pointed her out to David and told her what I was thinking. He said that maybe she had just gotten gum in her hair.

We continued to eat our lunch and after a bit, they were closer to our table and I got a look at the five year old's face. It was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. This girl had not had gum in her hair. She had the same chemo face that Jenna had and all the other kids that we'd see in the infusion center. My heart was breaking as I watched their family and it was all I could do to keep from tearing up thinking about what they probably have had to endure. I don't know who this family is, but they will be in my prayers tonight.

Relay For Life

Does this look like a girl that kicked cancer's butt?

We went to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life last night. The event is made up of teams that fundraise for a few months and then spend an entire night walking around the track. We have been on teams before, but this year, we opted not to. The survivors wear purple shirts, because purple is the color of royalty. At the opening ceremonies, the survivors take a victory lap around the track to kick things off. Here is Jenna taking her lap.

My aunt, Kathleen, is also a cancer survivor. She had myeloma and has beat it a couple of times. The kids just love her to death and it was fun to see here there and walk the lap with her. When Jenna had a port and was still getting infusions, she liked to compare ports with Kathleen.

Here's a funny Jenna anecdote. There was a clown there last night making balloon creatures. Jeanna got a bee and Paige and Jack both got swords. This morning, Paige was playing with hers and made it into something else. Jenna said, "Wow, Paige! Are you a natural at balloons?"

Being there with all of the other cancer survivors always reminds me of how blessed we were in Jenna's situation. Her cancer was caught early and next month will be her five year anniversay of being cancer free.

There was a guy from the Jack's Market team that gave a small speech last night. He said that they fundraise all year by having bake sales. The employees are all required to bring two items to sell and some of them complain about. They tell him that they shouldn't have to because they haven't had anyone in their families with cancer. To that he replies that they should thank God that they have been so lucky and bring four items to sell. I loved it! I am thankful everyday that Jenna was able to have a complete recovery. I see an anniversary party in her near future!

The Phone Call

Summer Holiday

David's dad, John, came to visit us last weekend and when it was time to go, he took all three of the older kids back to Dallas with him. It has been weird adjusting to only have one kid at home. Where did all this time on my hands come from? I got ready for church yesterday in record time because I only had one head of hair to fix instead of three. They are having a blast swimming and doing things that only Grandma will let them do. I will be driving down there with London on Saturday the 19th. David will fly down on the 26th and then we'll all drive back together on the 5th. Yay for summer breaks!

Oh, and p.s. We found out today that David's sister, Emma, is going to be having twins! Congratulations, Emma and Justin!

Jenna the Mathematician

She came up with this all by herself this morning.

London's First Birthday!

London had her first birthday on March 29th. I know, I know. I'm way behind. We had her party the afternoon before, since it was a Sunday. We decided that we couldn't have a night time party for her because she goes to bed at 7:00! Well, she used to. She's decided in the last few weeks that she can stay up until 8:00 with the othe kids. So we grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. The cupcakes were delicious. I made vanilla with lemon curd filling and whipped cream on top, which is what London had. I also made chocolate cupcakes with whipped buttercream frosting. Yum! She thought that they made better hair mousse.

She is still tiny. I love tiny. Her one years stats are:

Height: 27.5"

Weight: 15 lbs 14 oz

At one year, she had her two bottom teeth and was working on the top ones. (She has five at this point.) She gets around by scooting on her bum instead of crawling or walking. It is hilarious. Just don't ask me what the back of her pants look like.

We love you, London!

Man, I Love That Kid!

Jack was in the bathroom with me today while I was doing my hair and make-up. Our conversation went like this:


Jack: You sure do know how to fix your hair!

Me: Thanks, Buddy!

Jack: Why do you use make-up?

Me: Because it makes me look pretty.

Jack: REALLY pretty!



And this is from yesterday:



Jack: Cowboys have dirty houses.

Me: Why don't they clean them?

Jack: Because they don't want to.

Me: Don't their mothers get mad?

Jack: No. Their mothers are cowgirls.



a little later...



Jack: Cowboys have dirty hands.

Me: Why don't they wash them?

Jack: Because there's no washing in the wild west!

The Masked Retreiver

This is a conversation that Jack and I had the other day.

Jack: When London and me go to school, you will be the only one home!

Me: Then what will I do?

Jack: You'll have to clean the bathrooms yourself!




As if I don't already.

It's The Little Things

London has been sick with a cold for the past week and a half, on top of trying to cut some new teeth, so she has not been very happy lately. Tonight, I think she was finally starting to feel better because she was in such a happy mood. After she was done nursing right before bed like she usually does, she climbed up on my chest and snuggled down. I think that was the first time that she has let me just hold her and I love it. I love my baby.

Spinning Circles

London, now ten months old, doesn't crawl or really even roll, for that matter, but she does spin in circles on the floor! This video is about two minutes long so you can see her spinning action. And she is also starting to take notice of the tv. Make sure the volume is up!

I am behind on posting her stats, so here they are for nine months.

Weight: 14 lbs, 5 oz
Height: 26.25 inches

Today we went to the doctor to check out a mysterious raw spot on the back of her head, which is visible in the video. We noticed it a couple of days ago and we thought is was a bedsore, caused from sleeping flat on her back and not rolling around. Then I started to get a little nervous about it being an infection of some kind, so I took her to get it checked out. He thought it looked like rug burn, but took a sample for a bacteria culture, specifically for staph or strep. We'll find out the results on Monday.

Student Again

It has been ten years, almost eleven, since I have been in school. I thought I was sick of school by the time I graduated high school and there really wasn't anyone pushing me to go to college. Now I wish that I would've just pushed along and gone. I don't know what I would've gone into at that point, but something would've been better than nothing.

So here I am now, twenty-eight years old and starting school again. I have decided that I want to persue getting my RN and now is as good a time as ever. My first class was on Monday and it was Math 107. It's just basic, everyday math, and I am shocked at how much I've forgotten! It's stuff like how to multiply and divide fractions, how to turn a fraction into a percent, geometry and basic algebra. Basic stuff. It is coming back to me, though, so yay for actually being smart even though I used to be lazy and never did my homework. It's amazing the motivation that actually paying for a class gives you.

It is supposed to take me seven semesters to finish with an Associates RN degree, so that puts me graduating in May of 2014. That number sounds like the future. Paige will almost be in high school. At least we won't be in college at the same time.

The Daily Jack

Me: Jack, is your room clean?

Jack: Yes.

Me: Should I go see?

Jack: Just don't look in my closet.

London at Eight Months

This was taken at the end of November, when she was almost eight months old. Listen carefully at about :16 for the funny hyper ventilating that she does. She only does it for a second, but that's what she usually does when she gets excited about something. It's hilarious.

And since I took her in for her six month check up when she was actually seven months, those are the lastest stats that I have.

Weight: 13lbs 10oz

Height: 26 inches

Still tiny! She isn't crawling at all, but she loves to sit up. I love it, too, because now she'll sit and play for a while.

I'm So Resourceful

Well, bugger.

I knew there was a reason I bought that tiny $4 crockpot at Walmart's Black Friday sale.

And then for all of this next stuff, I spent a whopping $32 and plan to repeat a bunch of it tomorrow! Yippee! I love a good coupon deal!

And do stay tuned for updates on all sorts of things. I just need to get my lazy self to type it all up.