November 8

One of the worst struggles for me is trying to get the kids up and running every morning.  One of the things I've tried to motivate them is a challenge.  Whoever gets up and dressed first gets to get the paper first.  Why they like this?  I have no idea - but it gets me my paper inside - and it gets David dressed, at least.  I'm afraid it doesn't work too well with Cade.   I have no idea how to get that boy up in the morning.  I think he caught my I hate morning bug.   I was like that all the time when I was growing up.  Now....as an insomniac/mother....I LOVE mornings.  I wake up quite early most of the time 4:30 or 5:00 and bask in the peace and quiet and solittude of the morning.  Maybe with time Cade will learn to relish it, too. 

November 7

Fall is easily my favorite season! I get so excited for the fall.  I decorated the banister out of our bedroom balcony with leaf garland and shimmery orange lights.  I know - lights for every October/November/ and then December?  Yes, I am officially becoming a Utahn.   I guess I caught the decoration bug - a little bit - at least.  

November 6

I was lucky enough to catch the first snow of the season on one of my runs.  It was actually quite beautiful.  It was the mid morning and Cade was in Kindergarten and David was in Preschool.   Eric was out of town, an I hit the neighborhood and the Bird Refuge place.  It was absolutely beautiful and not too cold.  I think it was my first chance realizing that this winter stuff isn't that bad after all - you CAN go out in the cold and survive!

November 5

The Star Wars people kept us entertained at the Pumpkin Walk. 

November 4

I know - I know - you can barely see these pictures....but they are from the annual pumpkin walk our city holds.  Most people waited in line to see this free display for over an hour.  We went to the end (no we didn't sneak in the back) - but we just looked from the end line at a dozen or so pumpkins.  There was nobody on the path.  Whoever runs this does a terrible job.  There a zilllions of people waiting to see the display, and they only let a few people in at a time.  The result?  Everyone ends up waiting a long time, and nobody is even on over half the path????I don't get it.  At any rate, we saw plenty of pumpkins for us, and it didn't take us all night either. 

November 3

Cade caught my reaction to David taking a nap.  Yes, it makes me happy.

November 2

On our many trips to SLC - we'd go to the hospitals, and then we'd try to stop and do something fun.. This is from a really great park - I forget the name - but it is where the Tracy Aviary is.  The boys didn't play on all the fun slides...nope...they went and found sticks for wands and leaves for dumping on my head.  I love the fall.  By far my favorite season!   

November 1

This is my way cool Davy Crockett kid.  That was his Halloween get-up, and he has taken to wearing shades around. Yay, I think he is cool too.  

October 31

I've kind of given up actually matching pictures to the actual days....I'm more just going in order of what is on my files.  So...here is a picture at the Off Broadway Theatre where I worked this summer.  We went down to see Y-light - a parody of twiglight.  Many of my friends I made this summer were in this prodcution, and we laughed a lot......
I guess I should try to recap Halloween, though...or actually the 30th....the day we celebrated Halloween in Utah land.  I woke up and had an awesome 20 mile run.  I think that was my first ever.  We ran up to the mountains and back.   The fall colors were amazing and I sure love those long run endorphins.  I finished and wasn't even that sore.  I felt fantastic.  (Oh, minus the part where I got the runs...happens to me on runs.....and I stopped to knock on a strangers door...and clogged their toilet!!! Yikes.....only me.) 
We went trick or treating at the hospital with Becky and we went to the Tracy Aviary.  The kids almost wouldn't even go to the ward trunk or treating that night because they were so worn out.  Eventually they caved - and David slept.  It was a great Halloween celebrating day.  I willl have many pictures of all of this coming up.....

October 30

What is the worst thing that could happen to an OCDesque mother?  Be blessed with a two year old who really knows how to push her buttons just the right way.  Eric traveled out of town for work quite a bit in October.  One rough night while he was gone....my dear little David was running amok.  He ran in the kitchen and opened every last door, cupboard, and drawer.  He came to get me so excited and laughing.  Yes, he knew it would irritate me beyond all belief.  It did make me laugh, though.  Pretty intuitive for a two year old to know that that was probably the best way to ruffle my feathers!!!!  This isn't the only time he has done this.  Thankfully, it hasn't become a habit....yet.  

October 29

Cade often played with my camera, and I wouldn't have survived without the Talking TomCat App on my phone for David.  We had Spencer stay with us for quite a while and the boys loved interacting with their cousin.  We made some fun family memories actually hospital visiting   It was heart renching sometimes, but well worth it.  One of the hospitals she stayed in was a long term care center/rehab for people.  Most of the people on her floor were on ventilators and most of them were children.  The ones that could talk always greeted Becky with smiles and lots of words whenever we passed them in the hall.  I met some pretty incredible little spirits with some difficult physical challenges on those visits.  Adversity sure has a way of making some people just shine.  I'm afraid it made me feel pretty weak.  I don't have the challenges of many of the people I met, and I sure don't have their courage.  It was a great reminder to me that there are many many people out there facing so many different struggles....and many many of them are just simply amazing. 

October 28

We decked out my sister's room in Halloween garb one day....complete with a basket of candy for my boys to nibble on every time they came to visit.  They were pretty good troopers about all the hospital visits. 

October 27

My Halloween decked out boys and a blurry image of my cuddly David and his hugs.  This kid is so cuddly.  He LOVES to give big hugs.  I don't really mind them.  Okay...I even love them.  It is great to have a little cuddle monster.  

October 26

In October when I wasn't running around in circles...I was spending the rest of my free time at the hospital or rather....hospitals.   My sister Becky was really really sick.  She has a pump in her back that controls her spasticity and it has been poisoning her for a while because it wasn't working right.  I don't understand all the details, but I know that she was in the hospital for several months.  We spent time with her in Bountiful, and at the UofU and at Primary Children's where she underwent surgery.  Becky is an amazing lady.  My boys had so much fun visiting their aunt.  I may not love Utah yet, but I was grateful that I got to spend some time with my sister while she was down here for extended periods of time.  

October 25

This is from some fundraiser for some sick little girl that was at the Nature Park.  Boys loved the fishing and looking at the helicopters. 

October 24

Of course my running/music/nature loving induced coma was often interrupted by things like....dead frogs and snakes and mud and smelly cows.....I still enjoyed it.  I never thought I"d come to love parts of running in the country, but count me in with Beethoven....Debby enjots long walks/runs in the country......... I never would have guessed. 

October 23

Many of my early morning runs were so serene.  I got a new phone that has Pandora radio on it and I've been happy as a clam.  Really what could be better than pounding out long runs on the pavement listening to Rachmanninoff and Shastakovich?   Oh....maybe the days where I overdosed on NPR podcasts and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.  I did listen to all four sessions of conference eventually too....I love technology.  I'm pretty sure many would find better ways to spend their time and enjoy it....but being me....this new phone/music/running thing suits me just fine.  

October 22

Oyyy.  I am determined.  It might be the most BORING last 60 plus posts, but I was determined to make a picture post every blasted day this year.  I have to finish what I started.  Even if I don't do it well, I'm determined to finish.  So here goes nothing.......One of the things I spent most of October and November doing was running.  Since I decided to run a marathon, I figured I better train for this one.  So I spent a ton of mornings running around the nature park and trails by our house.  Of course I took plenty of breaks and took plenty of pictures of the scenery with my new handy camera.   I have officially caught the running bug. 

October 21

I came out of the dark ages and got a new cell phone since my other one broke.  I LOVE it!  I even have text on it....okay and a lot more than that.  I've been snapping pictures like crazy with it though.  When I downloaded my pics it also downloaded my wallpaper.   Yes.  That is my wallpaper on my phone.  Eric liked it too. 

October 20

Our Halloween masks.  I know - scary - aren't they? 

October 19

Perhaps my favorite part of the night was when we were walking back to the car.  It was at least a mile or more, and Cade started complaining.  We decided to tell him ghost stories so that he'd be distracted from walking.  He got pretty upset.  It wasn't because they were scary.  No, he clearly told us "Rrrr.that's just dissapointing.  I don't like it."  We tried to explain that most ghost stories were disappointing.  He still wants to know what was in the box.....but only the nuns can know............

October 18

Despite hating the flash from the pictures.....I think the boys really had fun.  I'm glad I have a few pictures of this family night.  It was the perfect fall evening and we really enjoyed ourselves. 

October 17

Since our outing was somewhat impromptu - it was kind of late.  It got dark pretty fast, but we still had a great time together.  We ran down the boardwalks until Eric suggested that wasn't such a great idea since there was no railings and high soupy marsh and grassess right off the edge that David would get lost in.....I'm glad I have someone who thinks about the safety kinds of things like that.  It never would have occured to me. 

October 16

It's a bird, it's a plane.... or er.....it's Eric with the rain at a bird preserve.  For family night we went to this incredible Great Salt Lake Bird Preserve place.  I should really figure out its real name.  It is just a couple of miles away from our house.  How I've lived here two years and never discovered this place is beyone me!  It was incredible.  I ran around it on my 18 mile run, and had to go back the next Monday and show the family. 

October 15

These are my awesome piano students.  Seriously - these kids have a TON of talent and they work hard.  I think they all really enjoy music, and it makes such a difference. I've really hit the music jackpot with this group of kids.  They are insanely talented and it makes my job soooo much fun!

October 14

Of course David did not want to cooperate for the recital.  He wouldn't even wear his costume.  Poor Eric had to spend the whole time with him outside screaming about how much he wanted a candy bar like all the other kids.  (Problem....I left the candy bars at home, and ran and picked up just enough for my students - I didnt get any for my kids because hey, now they had 9 full sized candy bars at home for them.....bad mistake.)  I also forgot half my costume.  I was supposed to be decked out in binoculars and a safari hat.  Considering the kind of morning I had though, I'm just glad that I made it through.   I started running with a few girls in my neighborhood.  I had been running outside by myself for a few weeks here and there, and one morning they saw me and invited me to join them.  The next week - they invited me on a long run.  I've never run more than 13.1 miles, but I said I'd come at least that far.   I ended up going all 18 miles with them and felt fantastic!  I was even less sore than when I ran my two half marathons.  It helped I had experienced runners taking breaks every two miles, and it is amazing what a power bar can do for your system!  So I ran 18 miles, went to the church for our primary program practice, picked up 12 pizzas for the primary, and then ran to my recital.  No wonder why I forgot a few things......