Busy Times

Seems like the month of April is going to be pretty busy for our family.  I'll pick up blogging again some time after Easter.  Hope you all have a wonderful spring!

United States Quesadilla

My son created this while eating his lunch today after church.  He proudly exclaimed, "Look Mom!  It's a United States quesadilla!".  :)

Few Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our TN trip!  Much fun was had by all!

Happy Birthday Aunt L.!

My tired girl fell asleep on the floor after a fun filled day playing with her cousins.

My rough and tumble toddler had a blast playing airplane with Papa

My boys and their cousin sharing the chair to watch a movie

Grammy and my boys

Playing catch with Dadaji

My girl and Nanima

Dadaji with his granddaughter

My daughter, who loves to cook, is learning some tricks of the trade from a pro, my mom! :)

My grandfather (Bhai) and 66% of his great grandkids

All Signed Up!

Completed lots of sign-ups this week.  I signed my two older kids up for a pre-swim team this summer along with our new country club membership.  Can't wait for June when practices start!  As for me, I signed up for my first Olympic distance triathlon today!  It's not until the end of September so I have lots of time to prepare.  Distances are a 1500m open water swim, 40K (26 mile) bike, and a 10 K run.  I could survive each individual distance right now, but putting them together is an entirely different thing.  My estimated finish time is over 3 hours.  This race will be the most grueling one I've done since running a marathon in 2002.  What a fun new challenge!

The item that my husband and I "signed-up" for most recently that has me VERY excited is a trip to Hawaii!  Although it's not really a "sign-up", we're committed b/c we bought our plane tickets last night!  I cannot wait!!!  My husband and I have been away together on a trip of this magnitude since before my oldest was born.  We try to get away by ourselves for a few days at least once a year and have decided to up those to some longer trips now that our kids are a little older.  My husband's parents have graciously offered to watch the kids for us - we are so thankful to them!    

48 Hours & a GREAT recipe

The last 48 hour have been fairly busy.  Below is a recount of our activities.  Whew!

6/17/11

6:30pm: arrived home

7:00pm: grocery store for basics

7:15-8:30: dinner/bath/kids bedtime

9:00 - fell asleep catching up on work

6/18/11

6:00am - wake up.  Yikes, slept late!

6:30am - made lunch, fed 1 kid breakfast - hopped on the bike for workout

7:00am - younger 2 kids still sleep - THANK GOODNESS!  Got in shower

8:00am - nanny arrives, other 2 kids fed, grocery list made - head to work

8:30-12:30 - work - then leave for parent teacher conference

2:00 - return from conference back to office - try to catch up on as much as I can

4:00 - leave the office - taking LOTS of work home with me - head to the grocery store

5:00 - home with full groceries, chit chat with nanny while putting them away and getting things out for dinner

6:00: dinner

6:30 kitchen closed - family movie night!

8:00 - kids in bed

9:00 - mommy falls asleep reading

6/19/11

6:00am - woke up - got to sleep in!  (6 is WAY better than 5!), fed oldest, started sorting laundry

7:30am - BRICK day (running/biking back-to-back - legs very tired!)

8:45am - get in shower after workout

9:00 - ready to head out - got daughter dressed for ballet, packed snacks

9:30 - arrived at dance class to discover that there is no class today b/c of spring break.  Head back to the store (trip #3 in 36 hours) getting gas on the way to pick up a prescription

10:30 arrived - home, started additional loads of laundry - fed kids early lunch 

11:15- headed to soccer with the whole family

12:45 done w/soccer (we lost), received email notifying me that small group is at our house tomorrow - totally forgot,YIKES!

1:15 - back at grocery store for the 4th time in 48 hours to pick up snacks for small group

2:00 - home, put kids down for a nap/room time, made rice krispie treats, brownies, & taco dip for small group, unloaded dish washer, transferred & started more laundry

3:00 - sat down and folded laundry(felt good to sit down), then got up, refilled dishwasher, kids got up, took them for a bike ride

5:00 cooked dinner (awesome chicken recipe - below and baked sweet potatoes), family dinner time.

7:00 - chocolate covered strawberries for a treat, laundry time

What's next for today: bedtime for kids, work for me, taxes for my husband...maybe enough time to read a chapter in a book (wouldn't that be a treat!)

Whew!  Talk about a busy 48 hours!  Below is the recipe of the week - sauteed chicken & zucchini with parsley chervil pan sauce!  Enjoy!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000107407

Addendum
7:30- poop filled potty upstairs overflows due to excessive use of TP by a 3 yr old as we're getting the kids ready for their baths - mess EVERYWHERE!  Husband deals with toilet while I bathe kids.
7:45 - 18 month old poops in bathtub - everyone out, bathtub & toddler cleaned up and sanitized.
8:15 - all kids in bed - all poop/toilets cleaned up.
8:50 - mommy & daddy exhausted.  No energy for work/taxes -  we're watching a movie and going to sleep!

Back Home!

We arrived home this evening after spending a week in Tennessee with our families.  I had forgotten how beautiful spring is in the southeast with flowers blooming everywhere and mild sunny days (we had a few rainy days as well, but since we don't get much rain here I loved them).

It was a wonderful week full of family time with grandparents & cousins, long bike rides & runs, eating WAY too much, and visiting with friends.  My kids had a wonderful time playing with their cousins and grandparents.  My husband and I had dinner at a restaurant where our high school pal is the executive chef - such a treat!  Of course, my husband and I loved spending time with our parents.  We really enjoy the time we spend with each set.  We did not get to see everyone we wanted to though b/c my youngest got sick half way through the trip.  We had planned to see some dear friends who now live in Alabama but were unable to due to tired/sick kids. :-(  We miss them so much!

I have 2 camera cards full of pictures that I hope to upload sometime soon.  There are such good memories and so much love associated with our trips back to Tennessee.  It will be a while until we can head that way again but both sets of grandparents have already made plans to come out here sometime in the next few months - hooray!  Our families are such a blessing!

Update on Us

Well, after a few weeks of trying to fit in cleaning around everything else, I've thrown in the towel and decided to keep my house cleaner.  However, I think I may see if we can back off to once a month rather than every 2 weeks.  What changed my mind was the fact that she does all the deep/extra things that tend to get pushed to the wayside - polishing silver, cleaning the blinds, pruning the houseplants, etc.  I can handle the usual scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, etc - but fitting time in for the extras is tough.

Of the professional side of things, I'm studying for a specialist certification that I've wanted for a while.  The exam is in October so I have seven months to prepare - and I will need them all!  I made a study schedule and have formed a study group with some colleagues who are studying for the same test.  I'm excited about this new challenge and really really hope I pass the test - it's been a while since I've taken a test of that magnitude so I'm nervous!

As far as triathlon training, I'm working it in to the family schedule.  Unfortunately, I am little off schedule this week b/c of a cold, but after resting today hope to be back on it tomorrow.  This has been a hard winter in our house as far as viruses (I blame my sweet, germy 18 month old  - he usually brings them home) so I'm very glad to see the start of spring. We are about to head out for a trip to visit family.  It will be great to catch up with them and get to see some old friends!    

A Wow Moment

Last Sunday morning, a few of our elders at church asked my husband if they could visit our small group to share some of their ideas about the future.  Our small group is comprised mostly of couples with younger/school age children.  We were all shocked when they told us that on the following Sunday they would be announcing that they were removing any gender restrictions in our church life together.   It truly was a WOW moment!

In our church's history, restrictions have been placed on women's participation in the church.  The issue of women's roles has been tiptoed around and brushed under the rug because it is such a controversial topic.  My husband and I have known elderships who studied the issue but then when the going got tough abandoned the study.  What we have seen from our current church elders recently has been very different from our past experiences.  This group of men along with their wives and the church staff have studied and prayed about this subject for 2-3 years now.  Their goal was not only to discern the truth, but also to apply it.

This morning, they presented the news to the congregation and held a "question and answer" meeting this afternoon.  It was a rough meeting and there will probably be much additional discussion over the next couple of months.  Despite the high emotions displayed today our elders truly encouraged me.  They did what no other eldership I've seen was willing to do - lead their flock down the path that will bring them closer to Jesus despite the divergence from tradition and possibility of backlash.  It was a WOW moment to witness the courage that stemmed from a deep desire to do God's will.  It strengthens my desire to glorify God, imitate Christ, and make Him known.  I pray for blessings on our elders and on our church.

Back in the Saddle (and water) Again.

Tuesday I registered for my first triathlon of the season!  I have about 2 months to get ready so I'm back in the saddle - bike saddle that is, and back in the water (well, I will be after tomorrow) again.  I'm really looking forward to the tri season this year because it will be the first summer in years when I have not been in the midst of one or several of the following: pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or caring for a baby.  While my body has mostly recovered from the expanding and retracting caused by 3 pregnancies in 5 years, my kids' schedules have become a little more hectic with activities so getting in the training will still be a challenge

Overall, I'm hoping to get better at the tri sport - get faster, more efficient, and hopefully tackle an Olympic distance by the end of the summer.  My goals are to improve my speed and endurance in each leg.  This morning I started some running speed work, tomorrow is swimming, Saturday is a distance run.  Training is never boring when working towards the tri sport!  I love it and am so excited about the upcoming season! :)