Happy Birthday, Angel Abbey!

Happy Birthday, Abbey! Today would have been Abbey's 8th birthday. I can't believe she was born 8 years ago today. It seems like another lifetime. She was so tiny when she was born. This would have been a big birthday for her. She would actually be getting baptized a week from today. That's a bittersweet thought. I know she's perfect and never needed to be baptized, yet I would have loved to be there for the occasion.

I can't help but watch the kids in primary whose class she would be in. I wonder whom she would be friends with. She would probably be one of the tiniest 8 year-olds ever. My girls would possibly be handing their clothes up to her. (lol)

We usually do something to commemorate her special day, but today I just don't have it in me. I know there's no etiquette on how long you can celebrate your late child's birthday, yet it seems like we need to get past that at some point. We'll probably just do something fun with our girls today. They'd like that.

I just thought I'd share a few photos of Abbey with you all. Thanks to all of you who loved her as much as we do.

Abbey and Daddy in Minnesota

Mommy and Abbey

Abbey in her cheerleader costume from Build-A-Bear Workshop (so cute!)


Happy Birthday, Angel Abbey!

Find me if you can.

Okay, please tell me I'm not the only one who does this.

Hi, my name is Brandi, and I daily hide from my kids - sometimes several times. I even have designated hiding spots.

No, this is not a game. We are not playing hide and seek. Yeah, I'm hiding, but I don't tell anyone I'm hiding. I sneak off hoping that no one finds me for a few minutes. Does that make me a bad mom? Nah, just one who's about to blow a gasket at any moment sometimes. We all feel like that occasionally, right? So, hear me out. Here's the scenario: both kids (both 2 year-olds) are playing. Suddenly, someone starts crying and whining over something they want but can't have. The other one is taunting her sister. They both start running for mom to rescue them. I calm them down, only to have them start up the drama again about 14 seconds later. So, instead of yelling and screaming myself, I decide to go hide for a couple minutes. Usually, by the time I come out of my hiding spot, the girls are happily playing again. No harm, no foul. Come on, will someone else please admit to me that they hide from their kids at times, too? Please.

Okay, so I actually have a couple of hiding spots. My favorite one is in our walk-in closet. I hide on Greg's side next to his dress shirts and the gun safe (don't worry, it's a small gun safe). Anyway, I can stand up back there and no one can see me. Sure, I have to tilt my head to the side to fit standing up, but the girls haven't been able to find me yet. (lol) Another spot I use is on the side of the couches in the front room. If I'm really quiet, they usually don't look for me there. Last night I even hid behind the island in the kitchen when I heard some whining coming my way.

I want to set the record straight. I don't hide from hurt or scared children. I only hide when the whining has gotten to me that day. I have to say that having two 2 year-olds can be somewhat of a trial at times. One minute I want to run screaming down the road (picture Phoebe from "Friends" with her crazy run), and the next minute I can't get enough of them. I just love those little girls!

And, I wanted to add that hiding is a way to be alone for a few minutes sans children without ever having to leave the house. Strangely enough, I also look forward to going out to get the mail each day as well. I really need to get out more.

Just a little thought...

Is the uterus a "homing device" of sorts? Now, stay with me on this, and you'll understand what I mean.

Does your husband seem to casually misplace things? Does he tend to ask you where his wallet, phone, keys, etc., are? And, you're expected to know right where everything is, right? Funny thing is, we usually do know where these things are. What is it about men that makes them seem to think that their lovely wives know where everything is? For some reason, I think that we women must either have a sixth sense of sorts, or the uterus acts as a homing device. What do you think? And, what are some of the crazy things you have been asked to help find before?

Missing Abbey

(This is one of my favorite pictures of Abbey.)

It's been almost 4 years since Abbey passed away. The 4-year anniversary of her passing is October 14. I've been missing her a lot lately, and I'm sure it's due in part to the time of year. But, I can't help but wonder what she would be doing now.

I feel like we are in a totally different phase of life than most people our age. Most people our age have school-aged kids. Their kids are playing sports, going to school activities, playing with friends, getting baptized, and doing other "big kid" things. Those are the types of things Abbey should be doing now. Instead, we're here to wonder what life would have been like if she were still here. Would she be taking dance lessons? Would she be the littlest soccer player ever? Would she like school? Would she be excited to be baptized? I guess I just feel a little "out of the loop" because I don't know what it's like having to tote kids all over town, or try to get to 3 different games on a Saturday afternoon. I often feel like we don't have a lot in common when it comes to parenting. (I know, it's totally silly.)

Don't get me wrong, I am so happy for our friends and their kids, but I can't help but envy their stage in life just a little. I am so totally in love with Hannah and Brooklyn. They are the light of our lives, and make us incredibly happy. But, we're just not to the place where we were supposed to be. I know that the time will go by so quickly between now and then, and I'm not trying to wish it away, but I am definitely looking forward to getting our girls into some extracurricular activities. I can't wait to watch them grow up and get interested in some activities. Hannah and Brooklyn are going to be going to a weekly playgroup starting on Wednesday. That will be something we can all enjoy together. I will definitely have to update about that.

Sorry for the downer. I just had to get that off my chest.

Lotoja 2008

Well, Greg and Chris rode in Lotoja again this year. They did great, although it wasn't without incident.

You see, about 10 miles into the 206-mile ride, some riders crashed in front of Greg, and he landed funny on his left arm. He called me and asked me to bring along the tool kit and some ibuprofen. I, being the mean person I am, was secretly hoping that someone besides Greg or Chris was the one who needed help. Well, unfortunately, the injured party was Greg. His left arm was swollen around the elbow, and he wasn't sure whether he'd broken it or not. However, after all the training, he decided to forge onward. Jenn and I hurried over to a pharmacy in Preston just as it opened, and I bought all the elbow support I could find. At the next stop, I put a tennis elbow strap on his arm, and off he went. Greg rode the rest of the 196 miles on an injured arm. What a trooper!

Greg and Chris finished the race in 12:40, which includes stop times. They did great!! Here are some pics:

Greg and his "baby"

Greg and Chris ready to race

On the road

Coming in for a food break

At the finish line!

Every letter makes a sound!

My girls LOVE this video. (Did I just say video? What is a video? I don't think those even exist anymore. LOL) In case the picture is too small, it's the Leap Frog DVD called "Letter Factory." It's a great teaching tool for little ones to learn the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.

Hannah and Brooklyn have watched this about a gazillion times, but they are learning so much from it. They can usually tell you the sound that every letter of the alphabet makes. And, now they're even starting to recognize the letters and point them out. Tonight, Greg had a shirt on that says "Maine" on it. Hannah pointed to the letter "A" and said, "The A says aah." I am totally blown away by what sponges young kids are. You go to teach them something new and they soak it up like crazy. If only our brains would work so well as adults. (hehehehe) Because of their new-found interest in the alphabet, I went and bought some alphabet posters to put on the walls of their playroom so we can start helping them recognize all the letters better.

Oh, on another note, my girls really do love each other. Tonight, Brooklyn went over to Hannah and said, "I love you!" and gave her a big old hug. Aw, how sweet! Then they wrestled around on the ground and giggled at each other. I love to watch the interaction and friendship between the two of them. Wherever one goes, the other is sure to follow. Most of the time when one of them asks for a snack, she asks for a snack for her sister, too. They really look out for each other.

I'll post later on about Lotoja. We had a good weekend up in Jackson. Let me just say that I'm so proud of Greg for finishing the 206-mile bike ride for the second year in a row. What a champ!

A rainy day 5K

Well, this is about what we looked like running the Hooper 5K yesterday. (All except for the fact that I'm not a middle-aged balding man.) :)

So, the 5K was set to start at 8 AM. When we got there around 7:30, the weather was pretty clear. I thought that we would be just fine. The weather stayed clear for the start of the race. Yay!!

Well, I started off pretty well. I did my first mile in 8 minutes, so I was ahead of schedule. About halfway through the race, I was running against a fierce head wind, which I hated. About 2/3 through the race, it started raining. Hard. I kept pushing and pushing to get through the race. I finished in 27:23, which ironically is my best time ever. (lol) Thankfully, I was safely in my car before the hail started. Yikes! Funny enough, I actually finished in 3rd place for my age division. It was a pretty fun race all around.

After the race, we went to the Hipwells for a waffle party. They were super yummy! (Thanks, Jamie.)

Now, the rest of this week will be focused on getting Greg ready for Lotoja which is on Saturday. I'm trying to carb-load him up for the big race. A biker burns approximately 40 calories per mile on average. So, I figure that Greg will be burning about 8,000 calories on Saturday alone!! We need to bulk that boy up with some major carbs before the race. I'm pretty excited to go up and follow along with Jenn again. At least this year we have a better idea of what we're doing as their support crew. Plus, we get a little weekend getaway in Jackson Hole. Shopping, here I come!!