Do you think they know what they're doing?

I should have been monitoring, I mean why hasn't Collin's queen slaughtered Talin's undefended bishop? They've both been taught better. Apparently the rules change when no one is there to tell them differently.
When I play with them I try to teach them two things:
1. I will never let them win, unless they've earned it.
2. NEVER leave a man undefended.

Valentine's Weekend

On Saturday we had the fun opportunity to host a foreign exchange student (for Disney give a day receive a day). Our student was named Theo (pronounced Tao) and was from France. To show him the valley we decided to take him hiking and found our way to the Hieroglyphics Trail in the Superstition Mountains.
Tom had hurt his back the day before (darn those yoga handstands!), so I was relegated to chasing Caleb once we arrived at the end of the trail. It was exhausting, and slippery, and exhausting.

The great thing was that it rained a lot in the valley so there was water running.

Super Tal!

He struggled with the hike and kept wishing for a robot to carry him. What???

Me and the monster.

That should be the title to my autobiography, if I ever had plans to write one.

Collin in a little cave we found.

This kid is a trooper, despite the complaining he kept up front and was the first one there.

Collin, Caleb, Tom, Talin & Theo

Theo was a sweet boy, but painfully shy. We threw so many questions his way I think he was overwhelmed. The only time he talked where he wasn't answering a question was when we went to the $2 movies, and he asked me if the movie were really that cheap. Kind of funny. And I did make him turn all shades of red when I asked him if he needed to use the restroom. I'm so not used to 16 year old boys. I'll stick with my babies.

Valentine's Day

Cyndee made us a yummy three layer chocolate cake. It was sick, in a good way.

And we had a fabulous dinner, with lots of chocolate to celebrate the day. Woo hoo.

Wesley & Talin

Talin's lucky, not very many people are born into this world with a best friend already waiting. From the time these two met in infancy, they've been the best of friends. Despite never living next to each other they've both always had a connection and a love for one another. These two cousins have a bond that I can't even explain. Saying goodbye last Christmas almost had me in tears as Talin and Wesley held each other in a vice like hug and sobbed. So it's been with much anticipation that we drove up to Utah to watch Wesley get baptized. And I'm so glad we did. We're grateful for the example Wesley has set for Talin in choosing to get baptized. I just can't believe how fast they're all growing up!

Tyler & Wesley

The Hendrix Clan: Ryder, Tyler, Wyatt, Wesley, Gina & Noah

Caleb & Collin

The day before the baptism JoDee came up with a great idea for keeping the kids and parents sane by going to the bounce house.

Talin & Wesley

Madee, Gina (going down), Noah, Ryder & Tom

Collin

Wesley & Reagan

Tyler & Gina

This was so much fun for the kids and the adults.

Crew & Caleb

Crew loved riding around with us, but I have a feeling he used us for access to the TV in the car. Oh well, we take what we get, even if it's through bribery!

Week 4 Accomplishment: Headstand

Caleb Cuddled

I managed 5x last week, which was awesome, glad I did.

Saw my dad for lunch on Saturday, it was nice.

Celebrated Davyn's fifth birthday afterwards at Amy & Jim's, then they kept Talin and Collin overnight for a sleepover and took them to church at noon with them.

I missed my boys. Jim was shocked I could have such deep rooted paternal instincts.

On the way home Saturday night Caleb fell asleep in the car.
I insisted Tom carry in the purse, the milk machine, the bag of miscellaneous stuff and three new books to read (which I'm sure he considered hiding), and I took the limp baby in my arms to the house.

I couldn't bare to put him in his crib, cuddling his little body is so rare, so instead I took him to my bed.

Tom shook his head and proclaimed it to be a bad idea.

Cyndee stared on in jealousy.

I soaked up every minute. And the best part....
He woke up and still cuddled.

And on Sunday I got my boys back, 3:20 sharp.

We put Caleb to bed early and played Sorry.

I lost.

I'm so sick of losing that game, I really thought it was my night.

Somedays I wouldn't change being a mother for anything.
Somedays...

Sick

Yesterday I skipped yoga, which means I have to do it on Saturday, which I'm not happy about.
I have a nasty head cold.
I can't breathe through my nose. It's horrible breathing through your mouth. Nose is for breathing. Mouth is for eating.
The thought of going into down dog makes me think my head might explode if I attempt it.
If you don't hear from me in the next few days it's because I've tried to do yoga and my head really did explode in down dog.

Shakin it up.

I decided to shake up my at home yoga routine by attending a power yoga class at the local rec center. It seemed like a great idea, I paid my $4 to attend and prepared my mind to absorb all the new poses I was sure to learn. Because for the most part I’m writing out my own hour long routines from a list of known yoga poses and from memory after attending so many classes for six months in Iowa, and I need new stuff, some new routines to shake my six that I’m rotating through and that are getting old quickly with yoga 5x a week.

So there I am in my class, so excited.
It went really well and I tried new things such as crow.

Which to my teachers and my own amazement I was actually able to hold for like a second or two. Pretty cool. In fact the instructor was so excited that she ignored all the other students and looked directly at me and asked, “do you want to try a headstand tonight?”

“Um…sure?”

She then invited me to join her at the front of the classroom to go up against the wall next to her and walk me through it. I glanced around the room and there are all the other students, for the most part just sitting there, except for one lady who gracefully pulled herself up into a headstand, toes pointing to the ceiling, it was beautiful. I had headstand envy and felt determined.

So I tried and failed, and failed again.

Then a man in the class came over determined to get me to do it. So awkward. He decided to hold my feet while instructing me to engage my core to straighten my back and hold my feet up on my own. I could do it, but every time he would let his finger off my feet I’d start to waver, doomed to end up as a heap on the floor. Plus all I could think about was if my feet smelled or not, or how sweaty I was, or how my head was spinning with all the blood rushing into it.
Once I came down and took my mat back to my designated place I felt exhilarated and determined to master a headstand. And when I do, I will post my headstand picture in all its glory.

For the Love of Cheetos

Caleb has started a cheetos obsession.

It has ruined my life.

There is cheetos dust everywhere.

Week 1

Accomplished yoga 5x a week successfully.
Some days sucked.
My body hurts.
Must throw in hatha yoga to survive the week.
Power yoga rocks.


Also......new dvd's come out tomorrow.
I'm showing my love and support for M.J.

Brain Lesions....

NOT on this baby.
Cause for puking? Who knows! But it's definitely not a brain lesion.
Wonder what test we'll do next to figure it out?

In the meantime my house will be well stocked with carpet cleaner and rags.

Hunting For Brain Lesions

Yesterday Tom and I took Caleb to Banner Desert for an MRI.

They had to put him to sleep since there was no possible way for him to be held still for an hour inside the machine.

He hated waking up.
I'll keep you updated on the findings inside my child's head.

Catch Up

A few weeks ago we went to the zoo with Mandi and her Grandma and her Sis-in-law. It was a lot of fun and a great way for the kids to spend their last day of Christmas break. Caleb was not cooperating for pictures, instead he decided to head butt my chest by throwing himself backwards, but Mandi was lucky to click the camera just in time when he was on his way up.

Four Generations

Tom's Grandma Chambers has come for a visit this month. We had her and his parents over for dinner last night, it was great to see her. It's been many years since Tom and I saw her last, I think even before we had kids. So it was great to sit and visit and catch up.

Back Row: Grandma Chambers, Kraig & Karen

Front Row: If you don't know who these people are you shouldn't be reading this.

And I hope she doesn't kill me.

I promised I wouldn't post this picture, but this was just the absolute funnest thing we've done in a long time. Mandi and I took the babies and rode around the zoo in this lovely bicycle contraption. And boy did we get a work out. It was exhausting, we only went for an hour, but managed to circle the zoo a few times. Every time we would get to the top of a huge hill and then go down the bottom, Mandi would say, "let's turn around and go back up!". Yeah, you can tell who's been working out and who hasn't in that relationship. Aaahhh!! I was tired.

And speaking of working out, Yoga 5x a week is going swell, probably because it's only two days in. I wrangled my husband into working out with me yesterday and gleefully kicked his trash. It was great. He even called me Jillian and I swelled with pride. And even old Paul is hanging in there, except when I dropped a laundry basket on him and he howled in pain, I might have dropped a tear myself.

Tomorrow, tomorrow!

Those two words have my mind singing with the musical Annie, one of my obsessions as a child. If Ms. Hannigan can turn nice in the end, doesn’t that mean there is hope for us all? I certainly hope so, because lately I’ve been a beast. I think I have crazy nerves about accomplishing my yoga 5x a week, starting this week. I’m feeling more determined than ever, it’s like my last chance workout, if I can’t get my act together, and start doing something, anything, than I feel like I’ll never climb past my twelve pound gain since the summer. Sure there have been some thyroid setbacks, but I can’t let that get me down. Tomorrow I will overcome with yoga. Tomorrow I will feel more peaceful with yoga, about myself, about Tom’s residency, about our future. Tomorrow, tomorrow! Can’t come soon enough.

Yoga 5X a Week

I’ve decided to challenge myself. And I’ve decided to do it publicly so my human weaknesses won’t win out and make me a failure.

You see the other day I was walking along when someone (who had been walking behind me for awhile) asked me if I was still doing yoga every day.

First of all, I’ve never been doing yoga every day, at best maybe three times a week, but never once a day, and most consistently twice a week for a very long time.

Anyway, I was all of a sudden consciously aware of my love handles that I desperately tried to pull my jean waist over in order to diminish their appearance, and my inner thighs shamelessly brushing together as I continued to walk.

Was I still doing yoga every day?

No.

Over the past six months I’ve been lucky to get in five times a month. So after months of wanting and wishing I were more active, I’ve finally deciding to start the doing of it. Now despite the obvious benefit of being a yogi, there are several reasons for this challenge, as follows:

1. Inner yoga peace?
2. A goal, any goal to get me out of my daily feeling sorry for myself that I pick up vomit all day, live with my mother and have no education slump.
3. I’ve thought long and hard that this “slump” might just be depression, and I’m so not ready to be beaten by it, and exercise always helps me with mental wellness.
4. To stop the consistent migraines and headaches that have come to plague me since my yoga absence.
5. To tone my thighs. Just had to throw that in, because seriously there has to be some physical benefit, right?

Anyway, the challenge officially starts this Monday, the 18th. It continues on until scheduled bunion surgery, which is not scheduled, but will mostly likely be in a couple of months? Hopefully Paul can hang in with yoga 5x a week until then. Paul being my bunion’s name. (Amy named it, thought my bunion needed a serious name, except it’s my Grandfathers name as well, so that doesn’t really work. So if anyone has any other bunion name suggestions, I’m all ears, but it must be a serious name, until then, said bunion will be referred to as Paul.) Paul doesn’t hurt today and I think he’s just as excited to start on Monday as I am. Woo hoo. Right?

Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve. The boys unwrapped Christmas robes and pj's. Caleb lasted a whole hour before he puked on them. Yeah.
Christmas morning. Don't they look excited?

Checking out the goods.

Caleb coming in to see his stash. He played it cool. It's always a bit overwhelming.

Tyler & Gina stayed with us for about a week and a half. So we had seven little boys all under the age of seven. Lots of fun.

Wyatt, Collin, Talin & Wesley.

The highlight was Collin getting his own leapster.

Talin showing off his didj.

Wesley with his favorite stocking stuffer.

Ryder was a little put out at opening presents, apparently he wanted to be doing something else.

Wyatt & Wesley & Tyler with the nerf guns. Christmas day was spent being hunted by little boys.

Caleb on his favorite toy, a scooter. Unfortunately he can't ride it himself, so he either is screaming at someone to help him or screaming because no one will. Stupid Santa.

This is what Collin has been doing the entire Christmas vacation. At least he's been quiet.

Tyler and Wesley with their matching shirts. Doesn't he looked thrilled to look just like his dad?

Tyler and Gina got this big rolling ball for Christmas. We took the kids down to the park and rolled them in it. It was fun.

All the kids took turns, even Gina and I got in for a turn (not at the same time).

Noah was the first one in tears. Surprisingly enough he was the only one.

Trying out my new camera that Tom got me. So needed a new one.

Christmas chaos. Mandi and Nate came over for dinner and we unwrapped more Christmas presents.

Gina & I chillin on the couch.

The house was surprisingly quiet with seven little boys, we can only thank the gameboys for that.

They were so into their games we had to remind them to eat.

Isn't he adorable? Ryder and Caleb became little buddies while he was here.

Noah, Ryder & Caleb.

Santa brought Talin & Collin new suits. Here is Talin in his. Can't believe this boy turns eight in four months!

Collin looking handsome in his.

No, they are not Hitler Youth. They are trying to mimic the pose from Saturday's Warriors. Didn't come out right.

Couldn't get Caleb to hold still to take a decent picture, but he was quite a doll himself in his Sunday outfit.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. We certainly did, and we loved spending it with all our family!