Updates...sorry, it's a bit wordy

It feels like it's been a long time since I last posted, but I guess it's only been four days...funny. Anyway, I just thought I'd throw on some updates for all of you people who, I know, are just dying for more:

Training
I've been chugging along, mostly running (3 miles) everyday. But, I was able to bike again yesterday for about 8 miles, followed by a quick one mile run. It's going...it's going. I'm swimming tonight, so that's good. It's always something I look forward to. I'm hoping to up my running even more. I haven't felt too tired when I'm done with the three miles, so that's good. I'm probably not going super fast, but I hope to keep getting better and better.

Nate
Tomorrow is Nate's surgery. Yes, in case you didn't already know, he's having surgery to fix an umbilical hernia. It's not strangulated or anything, but it should be fixed none-the-less, so he's going ahead. He's never been "put under" so he's a little nervous about it. Or, he was. I think he's feeling better about it now. I'm just hoping everything goes smoothly, he reacts well to the anesthesia, and recovers quickly. He's also been triathlon training, but he'll have to put that on hold for about a month or so. He's super bummed about that. I told him not to worry, he'd get right back to where he is now in no time at all...as long as he's recovered all the way. He's been a big help to me, already having one triathlon under his belt. He's so supportive and I really appreciate him.

The kids
Just some funny things that I've been wanting to post.

The other day, Julia and Liliana came up with a fun "game" to play while I was working on dinner. You see, I'd left a load of clothes I was folding in the living room and they came up with costumes. They were an interesting new breed of super hero. Let's suffice it to say, it was fu-nny!

Presenting to you for the first time...
"The Pantie People"
Nate thought it was super funny when he was greeted at the door by the girls, in these costumes.

Also, Liliana has some funny things to say sometimes. What I love is when she talks about someone having a nickname. Because she says, "Naked-name." Isn't that just too cute?! What else...of course, when I sit to write it, I can't think of it right away. I'll keep thinking. Oh, I know one. Today in the car (waiting in the school pick-up line for Julia), we were talking about Lime (you know, our dear parakeet who died). She said, "that boy will help us see him again." I said, "which boy?" She said, "You know, he lives with Heavenly Father." I said, "Jesus?" To which she replied, enthusiastically, "Yeah!" You see, I am her Sunbeam teacher at church, so I have the background knowledge to understand that statement a little better. This past Sunday, we talked about how Jesus Christ is God's son. We talked about him as a baby and as a little boy, as well as an adult. Anyway, I understood her reference perfectly. I thought it was so profound, innocent and sweet.

Our friend, Zachary, just turned one yesterday. Happy birthday little guy! It has me thinking quite a bit about cute little Simon. He'll be turning one in six more weeks and I just can't even believe it. I've been trying to post some video for quite some time of him and it hasn't been working! That's frustrating, you know? Anyway, I had wanted to post some video I got of him signing. That's right! He can sign a few words: "more," "all done," "milk," and "hungry." We are just so proud of our little genius! :) No, I am most certainly not biased at all, why do you ask?

And here are just a few more pictures, because I think they're cute:

Nate had to go out of town recently. I put the kids to bed in their beds that night, but in the early morning hours the kids all ended up in bed with me. Can you tell where I was lying?

{I love that Julia and Simon both have their arms up by their heads...so cute!}


A cute shot of Liliana playing with playdough.

Simon...happy boy!

Texas weather
Boy, have we ever had some ups and downs lately! Last week we experienced some pretty cold 20-degree lows! Earlier this week, however, it was in the low 80s! We planned a trip to the park with our friends and had a lot of fun, all the while wondering to ourselves, "is it really February?"




There you have it. An update that is probably way too much for one post. Oh well. That's me. I tend to ramble at times. What can I say? I hope you enjoyed the "novel."