~AMMO'S AWAY~

Oddly enough, my kids are ready to go back to school now. We have had a fun summer. It went by way too fast some days...BUT, was never-ending at most times. All in all, we had a great time. No major trips for us. It is never a good time to travel because of Daddy's work.

We did have some very impromptu jaunts here and there and hung out all together most of the summer. Jaxi is ready to go back and be with his friends. Unlike Binky, Jaxi's best friends don't live next door, and most were traveling all summer so he has had a summer filled with girls...and he's done with, "all things girl!"

From quickie trips to Dairy Queen and Tempe Town Lake (that was actually a disaster but lesson learned), Wii tournaments, our first trip to the circus, dollar store days, to my birthday bash at Big Surf with my favorite little people, or a day on the lake riding jet skiis and boating, to a week without my oldest babies when they ventured to San Diego with their Granparents, our summer has been pretty well jam packed with fun.

Our last hoorah was simply, JUST FOR JAXI. Jaxi is going through a serious, "umm, where is mommy?" phase. It is killing me. I go to the store without the kids...he sneaks upstairs to call my cell phone checking to make sure I am ok. I get on the computer, he sits at the table next to me..waiting for me to be done. I literally can not goto the bathroom without a knock on the door of ..."just checking momma." I am hoping this last fun outing will get him out of his summer neediness phase. Otherwise, he is going to have a hard time in 3rd grade!!!

So onto the days excitement....We have become good friends with a military firearms training instructor and we were invited to a military shoot. Jaxi was so excited (as was MOMMY) There were tanks to shoot at and guns galore. Jax, Tommy and I shot a saw and grenade launcher. Jax was very respectful of the .50 cal gun and chose not to shoot that. (It scared the daylights out of him when we stood next to it and the blast hit us from 10 feet away) We then got the chance to shoot the training simulator and do law enforcement type shoot don't shoot scenarios. Jaxi was in a real life video game! Thankfully, my big boy walked away from the day with a new found respect and understanding of how heavy these weapons are and what kind of damage they do. He also told me that he thought it was cool his mom got in on the action. There were not any other women shooting today!!!

Binky just watched. That is what I fully expected. She was not interested in touching the guns or getting dirty. That is where her and I differ. She was the cutie in the pink talking to everyone!!! What an amazing end to summer 2008!!! It wasn't the grandest summer ever, but it was fun!

Lessons learned this summer will trickle into next with plans to keep them busier at camps, on swim teams, and at sports practices.... along with CROSSFIT for kidz.

Here's to a wonderful summer gone by and a new school year yet to come!!! A super quick thank you to Jon our wonderful friend who invited us out for a wonderful day together! A thank you also goes out to Grampie Frank for coming and spending the night with us and then baby-sitting Pudgie today!!!

P.S. For the 3 emails I have already received...YES we were shooting "live" ammo. Yes, my eight year old shot live ammo. The grenade launcher was real. No I do not think it is a bad idea for Jax to be shooting a real gun...I shot my first gun at 5. I believe that if you show your kids and teach them the truth about these kinds of things you have taken the mystery that surrounds them away and they will not want to play with them when and if the opportunity ever arises!! AND YES, WE CAN TAKE FRIENDS WITH US NEXT TIME!!!

AM I WHAT????

CRAZY....

That seemed to be the question out of everyone's mouth when I told them for my birthday I would be joining my sister Kelly, two of my friends, Shanen and Trish, along with a minimum of 14 kids at BIG SURF for the day. I guess I am crazy...because we had a blast!!!

Pudgie was terrified of the wave pool but happily sat right next to me, clutching my leg, at the end of the concrete beach waiting for the water to crash onto our toes. All the kids loved riding the waves and going down the slides. Jax was a little scared of the slides and didn't want to admit it in front of his best friend Emma. I was good with that. They got to come and go as they pleased into the pools and slides and I had a great time catching up on life with my sister!

I also got to spend a lot of time with each of my big kids today. Kelly took Pudgie into the kiddie pool, where there was plenty of shade for each of them, and I got to play in the waves with both Binx and Jaxi. It was time together we needed and with summer closing quickly, I know they liked it as well!

Maybe I am a little crazy. Today is not a day I could have gone to get my nails done or had dinner alone with Tommy. Our schedules don't accomodate special days all the time. I guess that is what makes us work so well. If Tommy had been off work... we still would have headed to Big Surf...all of us...because I would not have wanted to be anywhere else!!!! CRAZY works for me and I wouldn't trade that for the world!!!

~37~

Today is my 37th birthday. I had my entire day planned last year, based on the school calendar. My kids were going back to school on my birthday....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

And then someone changed the school calendar.

I have had all summer to come to terms with school starting a week later and not getting the only present I wanted. I nearly fainted when my neighbor told me that school was starting 5 minutes later this year and then, my head nearly exploded when she said that they were starting a week later. That was when I decided to create my own present~

I started thinking about school and life and love and family...and all I have learned in the 37 years I have been here:


Here's what I know so far....

1. Life is what you make of it.

2. I am a half-full glass kinda girl

3. Strong women are sexy and beautiful

4. Weak women don't know any better

5. God will only put on you, what you can handle

6. Sometimes that just sucks

7. Rolling down a grassy hill with your kids can make your whole week

8. Quit making excuses...You need to own it, good or bad

9. Scars are cool

10. Those who judge...well others know more about you than you think

11. Until my kids are grown, my house will never be spotless

12. The truth hurts sometimes, get over it!

13. Money does not buy happiness or time. Use it well or lose it!

14. Look past the flaws. We all have them

15. Everyone is attractive in different ways

16. The rain is sexy

17. Uniforms are sexy

18. I have awesome muscles in my arms, I work my butt off for them

19. My husband is awesome

20. Hard work is worthwhile

21. Soft kisses can fix a lot

22. Tight hugs can usually fix the rest

23. You can not change your parents minds, attitudes, or way of living and thinking so move on from whatever it is that bothers you about them

24. Time spent with your Dad counts, even when you grow up

25. Sometimes it just is not worth it to forgive again and again

26. "Me" time is important or I get mad at the world

27. I am a touchy feely kinda girl. I hug everyone (too much at times)

28. I would not be alive if there were not angels among us, a God above us, and family right next to me

29. I miss my career everyday, but I love my family a million times more

30. I believe in miracles

31. The word CAN'T does not belong in my vocabulary

32. Forgetting, after you forgive....takes a strong heart

33. There has never in my life been a goal I have set, that I did not accomplish

34. Some days I wish for another baby. The next day usually negates that wish

35. Lying to your kids comes back to bite you, twice as hard

36. I'm a gambler, in all aspects of the definition

37. I am me. I am not perfect, I am not the nicest person all the time, I am strong and can hold my own in a fight or professional conversation. I can rock babies to sleep with the best of them and knock out the worst of them. I lift weights to be able to walk and I love this life I live. I still have so much to learn. I have seen things that will haunt me the rest of my life and I have loved like there is no tomorrow. I married the one man that took my breath away and I have three amazing kids that took my sanity. They all support me, no matter what I am doing..... and that is the best present I could ever get! (ALONG WITH MY NEW FOOD SCALE!!)

C*E*L*E*B*R*A*T*E

My family decided to celebrate my birthday with me today. Sometimes, with my family, that becomes hard. Not in a bad way at all. It ruins our way of eating though.....and it tends to make Tommy and I sick.

My mom loves JUNK food. I am not talking a bag of cheetos or some chips here and there. I am talking about an all out hurricane of junk food. Chips, dips, ice cream, cake, candy, pop, pies, donuts, licorice, cookies.....the list can go on and on, like the piles of bags in my kitchen right now..........

Tommy and I have been doing very well with our new way of eating so I knew we would cheat a little today. UUUGHHH........... all it took was an ice cream cone and a cupcake for me and my stomach was already making me regret my choices. (BUT OH MAN, THEY WERE YUMMY!!!)

We had a wonderful day together! Things have been a little stressed for my sister lately. For me, to see her happy and unscathed from life has she has been living it, was the best gift ever.

A lot of Wii (and we take our Wii bowling pretty seriously around here), so much laughter, combined with swimming and chicken with BBQ'D shrimp, naptime, fresh coats of paint for fingers and toes and celebrating with a new friend that wanted to laugh and hang out as part of our family made the day P~E~R~F~E~C~T!!!!!!

Jax, Brinkley and Pudgie had Grammie and Grampie all to themselves today. We still missed our girls though!!! All in all, we had a blast and I loved celebrating today!!!!

Happy Early Birthday weekend to ME!!!!

HEAVEN AND.....

THE DECISION TO CHANGE THE NAME OF OUR WONDERFUL GYM IS PRETTY MUCH UNANIMOUS NOW.

HELL

SOMEHOW I DOUBT THAT CHAD AND JASON WILL GO FOR IT THOUGH!

HERE ARE TOMMY'S AND MY PLANS FOR THE MORNING WORKOUT:

This Workout is going to be very tough. It will rival the "Filthy Fifties" on the difficulty scale. The rep count is a total of 550 reps, done in a countdown format.The Workout is 1 Round for time:

100 Jumping Pull Ups
90 Squats
80 Sit Ups
70 Wall Ball 20m/14w
60 Back Extensions
50 KB Swings 53m/35w
40 Push Ups
30 BB Thruster 65m/35w
20 Burpees
10 Pull Ups

TODAY IS THE PERFECT DAY FOR THEIR MOTTO......

~CHECK YOUR EGOS AND THE WORD CAN'T AT THE DOOR~

I LOVE FRIDAYS FILLED WITH:

MUSCLE SEARING,

LUNG EXPANDING,

HEAD SPINNING,

SWEAT PRODUCING,

DRY HEAVE HACKING,

CHALK COVERING,

BLISTER PRODUCING,

WORK!!!!!

(LET'S HOPE I DON'T NEED THE PUKE BUCKET THIS MORNING!)

****ONCE AGAIN...ANYONE WANTING TO TRY THEIR HAND AT CROSSFIT...COME TAG ALONG WITH US! WE HAVE HAD TWO OF OUR NEIGHBORS COME, 4 PEOPLE THAT TOM WORK WITH HAVE TRIED IT AND NUMEROUS FRIENDS FROM AROUND THE VALLEY....AND THEY ARE ALL STILL ALIVE AND KICKING!!! A FEW HAVE EVEN JOINED ON TO PLAY ALL THE TIME!!!!****

***UPDATE***

We happily survived this amazingly painful workout. I was so glad I actually shave 4:24 off my Filty Fifties score and did 50 more reps on today's body killer....AND...This girl does real pull ups now!!!!!!!!!!!!

42:40 for me

45:02 for Tom

Tommy had an awesome day today. Not only did he do today's workout...he was mad that we missed Wednesday's so he added that to the end of this one and rocked that with 15 sets of shoulder presses as well. Let me clarify the presses... They were a continuous format...one in one minute, two in two minutes etc. In total, he rocked out 120 shoulder presses.

We will not be walking, talking, yelling, moving, or doing much more than sitting in our pool like piles of jello now. It IS well worth it though.

I slipped a size 6/7 skirt on last night and almost passed out. Tommy made fun of me at the gym that I was so excited it fit... I vaccuumed the house in it!

WHATEVER......CROSSFIT WORKS!!!

Does this shoe make me look PHAT?

~LIAR~

I like to think that Tommy and I are really good about explaining things to our kids. We never lie about things they question us on. There are times that we don't give out all the required information. We figure that if we give enough information to satisfy their inquiry, we are good until more is needed at a later day. For example: The one question I hate...,"Mom, how are babies born?" Well, I am not lying when I tell them that the doctor set a date with me and had me lay down and they cut my tummy open to pull out the baby. After all, Pudgie was a C-Section. They have never asked how they were born so that has satisfied them for now.

I had no idea how to answer this, this morning.

Binky asked, "Mom, why is my tooth still here?" While walking down the stairs holding her little tooth she lost yesterday morning.

My mind has not raced this fast for a long time. Binky fell asleep on the couch with us last night so I told her, "Well, you didn't put your tooth under your pillow, so the tooth fairy didn't come." Well, of course she had an answer for that. "Well, Jax remembered in the middle of the night that it was on the bar, so he went to get it for me." All I could think at that moment was....GRRRR WHAT A GREAT BROTHER YOU HAVE. AGGGGGHHHHH! Thanks so much Jaxi.

On came the lies. Or the stretched truth as I like to call it. Verbal Vomit on cue. "That was awesome of Jaxi to do that for you. You have to be the one to put your tooth under your pillow or your mommy and daddy have to, otherwise, the tooth fairy thinks someone is just trying to get money for something that is not theirs." She was completely satisfied with this answer. FOR NOW!

Dang tooth fairy! She better get her wings in gear!!!

The tooth fairy came late in the night...and left a trail of fairy dust all over Brinkley and her pillow!!!

~The hurricane that is Binky~

Binky and I have been going round and round lately. She is a smart mouth little know it all and has started a nasty look while sticking her tongue out. She also thinks she knows the best punishment for Pudgie when he is doing something wrong and promptly distributes what she feels is a fitting punishment. I then have to return the favor...

For example... today a hanger was accidently thrown at her (by Jax and not very hard) and she quickly threw it right back...100 times harder....in his "boy parts."

You would have thought I was Mommy Dearest in the "no more wire hangers" scene after that little stunt she pulled. She cried herself to sleep from her little pity party.

Later on in the night Tom and I were talking about an upcoming workout. Some crossfit RX'd workouts are named after hurricanes. Meaning, the simple dynamic force they create, the power behind them, and the massive destrution left in their wake. For example, today, we met, Helen, at the gym. I am not sure if she heard the talk or not. Or, if she even paid attention to it...Soon after the exercise talk Binky started talking about what they have been doing in the kids club while Tommy and I are training. The kidz club has started crossfit training the kids...unbeknownst to us.

The next thing I know...Jax is on the ground banging out 10 mens push ups, Brinkley is doing 15 inch box jumps in sets of 20 and Pudgie is doing air squats on our medicine ball. My jaw hit the floor.

Jax wanted to finish his yogurt so he got bored after the push ups. Pudgie is Pudgie and had to chase the cat. But out of no where...

Here comes our little Hurricane Binky.

In a matter of maybe 4 minutes this little girl did 3 rounds of:

20 box jumps on my tall leather ottoman
10 modified push ups
20 air squats

Yes that is correct.

60 box jumps

30 push ups

and 60 air squats....

and flippen fast. She was winded but didn't break a sweat! Even better..the kid smiled the whole way through and wants to do it again tomorrow.

Lucky for me it is our day off!

~Jax~

I am always proud of my kids. I may not always claim them when they act like little ... well, let's just say brats. For the most part, though, they are big hearted and loving.

Lately I have been having to, physically, rip Jax and Brinkley apart. They have been all over each other fighting. Then Pudgie gets in on the action and Binky goes nuts. She is having a hard time adjusting to Pudgie finally talking and understanding so much, that she sometimes pulls the, "pity me, I am the only girl" thing on me. It does not work.

Today, after Tommy and I trained together, he offered me the moon. He told me he would watch the baby so I could go grocery shopping. Now, in retrospect, he needed food too, so it was a win win for all of us. I rounded up Jax and Binky and off we went to Fry's, in daddy's honda.

I usually have the radio up loud enough not to listen to them since I get a break from the same movie we watch in the Excursion. For whatever reason, it was not up and I got to listen to their conversation.

Jax, "I have my money."
Binky, "How much?"
Jax, "Enough."
Binky, "What are you going to buy?"
Jax, "I don't know." "I have an idea but we will have to see."
Binky, "Oh. Maybe Mommy will let me get a new toy too."
Jax, "Don't worry about it. I will split my money."
Binky, "What? What do you mean split it?"
Jax, "I will give you half of my money and buy you a toy too. That way Mommy can buy the groceries."
Binky, "Really?"
Jax, "Yeah, of course." "What should we get?"
Binky, "I don't know. Do I have to get what you want me to?"
Jax, "No, pick out whatever you want to."

I almost melted. Once we were at Fry's they walked around the store together holding hands (so no one would steal them) looking for the toys. They no longer sell toys. I promised a trip to Target after groceries, simply because, Jax just rocked my world with his kindness towards his little sister today.

Jax even tried to buy the donuts they ate as we shopped, He said, " I just wanted to help you out Momma," as he handed me his precious dollar bill.

I AM A LUCKY MOM!

(and Jax got back every penny of his money..he just does not know it yet)

Filthy Fifties on Friday the Fourth

Today was awesome.. Poor Jaxi is sick as can be from some little bug that is lingering in his tummy after California, but taking it in stride! After a few bouts of vomit, all Jaxi wanted to do was sleep. Tommy and I (and two little munchies) tucked him back into bed and headed for the gym.

I had mentally prepared myself all week for today. I usually have from 8pm the night before, until I walk through the door at 7:15 am, to gear up for the torture of a new day. Today was different. Jason told me about the RX'd workout, for Friday, on Monday. I watched the video everyday, sometimes two and three times. I am no dummy. I know my strengths. I know my weaknesses. I know better than to admit either, in front of anyone. I knew that this workout was gonna be a killer. I was ready.

Who the heck was I kidding?

I got smashed. Like a bug to a windshield. It was brutal. I had to modify one of my exercises because I came down way too hard the 3rd time I went up the rope on Monday and my knee has been hurting since. I hate modifying.

The filthy fifties are as follows:
50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping Pull Ups
50 KB Swings 53m/35w
50 Walking Lunges (50 steps, not 50 ft)
50 Knees to Elbows
50 Push Press 45m/30w
50 Back Extensions
50 Wall Ball 20m/14w
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders


One round for time. I watched the machine we know as Kelly, rip through this...in 39:08. She is an animal. She is 40 and I want to be in the kinda shape she is in. I tend to dream big.


Funny thing is, for me, this is no longer about the workout..or the training as it is referred to at our gym. It is about inner and outer strength. I love watching the women and men push their bodies harder and faster and more than they ever thought possible. I love knowing that my kids are seeing their parents get strong and learning to push past the everday stresses and problems that so many people complain about.


I love feeling my muscles twitch, involuntarily, 20 minutes, after I have finished my last round. Seeing the sweat drip off my fingertips when I am holding a kettlebell, feeling the burning in my thighs as I throw the wallball up and praying that I catch it without my biceps giving out. To me, this is inner emotional and outer physical strength. Beautiful, ripped up strength. Waking up everyday, waiting, knowing, I can take anything someone throws my way. It is a great feeling. It is trickling over into our entire families attitudes and our physiques.


Friday's filthy fifties brought out some serious challenges for us. People almost fainted when they got to the wallball. Some had to lay down to regain focus and some ran for the bathroom. Not one single person quit. No one stopped for good and everyone cheered everyone on. We were all a team and no one was going to be left behind.


I actually did the 50 double unders at the end of this workout. I was so physically exhausted I didn't think I would be able to jump rope (it was a 10:1 ratio for single jumps) let alone double under. I did it. My time, well, to me, it wasn't so sweet. 47:01 or something like that. My time didn't matter. (In the end, I was in the top 4. Still not good enough for me though) I helped three people push themselves harder than they thought possible when they walked through the front door. I had Tommy yelling at me to get it in gear or I was going to go above his time, while double undering. I had sweat dripping off every muscle my body owns. My lungs were on fire and my legs were numb. I have never in my life felt so physically and emotionally energized like I was, when I finished this.

Today I could have taken on the world. Our kids are seeing how this is changing the way we see things. How we feel about ourselves and others and how happy feeling so fit makes us.

A long time ago, Tommy told me, "the couple that works out together, stays together." If the past 17 workouts are any indication of this statement... this man is stuck with me for a long, long time.

Home~

Binky(6) and her cousin Lexi(13)

My sweet little babies are home from California tonight.

They love California.

They love their cousins and Auntie Michelle in California.

They love the beach.

They love Grammie and Grampie for taking them.

The were sad not to see Grammie and Grampie Alkire.

Binky has not stopped crying since we picked them up from Grammie's.

She is crying because she misses Lexi so much.

We were informed that they didn't miss us.

Well, they did miss Pudgie.

The feeling is mutual. On both parts!!! Little stinkers!

Private now???

I hate the fact that we had to make our blog private. This is why...

PoliceoneTV.com did an interview with Tommy and I while we were in Las Vegas in May. At the end, the training expert asked me about our blog so that they could reference it to capture pictures. Dang it, they aired it on the website!!!

So for now, we will keep it private, at least until it all blows over!!! You can click on the link and watch the video if you are interested. I hate it personally!

By definition~

THIS

- FEAR

+ DETERMINATION

AND A LOT OF TRUST

=

SUCCESS!!

AND THE BATTLE WOUNDS TO PROVE IT!!

The ties that bind~

This is a hard week for me. Maybe even more difficult for Pudgie. This is the first time I have let my babies go out of town with someone, other than me.

Jax and Brinkley are on an impromptu adventure to San Diego with Grammie and Grampie Jensen. We are waiting to hear every single detail, day by day!!!

~Our Three Ring Circus~

We did not plan for this weekend to be jam packed with fun and exciting things like it has turned out. Tonight was planned a month and a half ago, so the lake and the rest of this coming week just came out of no where.

Tonight we surprised the kids with the circus. We made them dress somewhat nice and took them to Wendy's for dinner. Right away Jax was onto it. He just kept asking, "Why did we have to change our clothes for Wendy's, in the truck?"

Once we arrived, they still had no idea what we were doing, since there were no real signs on the east entrance!

They were definately surprised. Luckily they all behaved and even Pudgie enjoyed it as best he could for a 9:45 pm ending! Jax and Pudgie loved the motorcycles in the cage and Brinkley loved all the beautiful rope climbers costumes. My favorite was the elephants. I have no idea why, but I was just mesmerized by those giant animals laying down and pretending to go to sleep.

Jax and Brinkley are onto another great adventure now!

Pudgie can't drive 25~

It is rare that we take a serious day of rest around here. We are just like most families...going, going, going...so...

Today we took advantage of the free boat we have all summer. We were both worried about taking it out on our own so we enlisted the help of my sister and her husband. A day at Lake Pleasant is just what our family needed.

We supplied the boat and they brought on the ski's and away we went for a day over-filled with fun, family, sun, and so much laughter!

Pudgie and Brinkley were slightly afraid on the boat at first. I would qualify Brinkley as terrified and Pudgie more or less in shock, but after a few minutes... we were fine and all about smiles!

We found a spot, dropped anchor, swam, ran the jet ski's all over and just had a great time.

Pudgie finally rode with us after Tommy threw him into the lake to make the moaning cease. Uncle Scott was gracious enough to not ride at mach 3 as to not make this little guy afraid for life. I, on the other hand, was not so nice. I'm the mom, I can do this. I put Pudgie in front of me, my niece Kayleigh on the back and took my sister's ski up to 55. Not a great idea with my little clutch master of a boy in front of me. He would lean so far to the right, grab my wrist and arm, and hang on so tight, I could hardly steer or accelerate. I finally found the perfect speed for the little guy. Pudgie can't go over 25 without getting stressed. His rides were calm and he finally enjoyed them.

Tommy got to take out Brinkley and Jax. They also took out my niece Hannah while he and Jax rode. Tommy has done a lot of time on ski's so it is no suprise to me that he launched Hannah, 20 feet off the ski, during a turn.

Hannah decided she wanted to take me for a ride. My little 7 year old niece is a complete speed demon. She rides BMX and loves danger and speed. I have no idea where she gets that from. She ran us up and back, round and round that lake like she owned the place. I don't think she ever had our speed under 55 unless we were doing doughnuts.

The day ended with a little ride on the MCSO police water craft. GO FIGURE! Two wonderful deputy's were awesome enough to escort Tommy to find me, when Hannah and I were running low on fuel, then they took Jax, Hannah and I back to the boat where everyone nearly had heart failure when he hit the lights with us onboard. Pudgie loved it!

All's well that ends well. What an amazing day we had. A well deserved amazing day with our family!

~SWITCHING TEAMS~

Tommy and I did a new workout today. We always compete with each other, but against each other, if that makes any sense. Today he brought Matt and Dulce in from his squad and we did a team workout. I took Dulce on my team and Tommy took Matt. They killed us by 5 minutes on our time. Now with that being said, Matt is ginormous at 6'5" or something like that, so one of his rowing strokes is like 25 of mine. INSANE! You guys did awesome. I, on the other hand, can not walk now. You will not see a picture of me laying down though!! 150 wall balls, 150 kettle bell swings and 5000 meters on the rower. Rules were... you can only have one person resting at one time, and you can not do the same exercise at the same time. BUST IT OUT! Dang it was hard!

YOU KNOW IT IS AN AWESOME WORKOUT WHEN YOU CAN STILL DO THE THUMBS UP HOLDING THE PUKE BUCKET!!!! I LOVE IT!

Tempe Beach Park~

I was so unhappy with the splashpad at the park, right along with all three of my little ones. I fully expected that Pudgie, at least, would love it....

NOT SO MUCH!

At least we tried and got a few cute pictures in the process.

A SHIFT...

I have been feeling it for over a week now. Nothing earth shattering. It wasn't like a lightning bolt. Gradual, one might say.

The summer has been hard on me. I know my kids see it. I should say they hear it daily. I scream at them to pick-up, get-up, shut-up, clean-up, stop hitting, stop screaming (yes, I am screming as I am telling them to stop screaming.) It makes absolute no sense for me to hit them while yelling, "stop hitting," but sheer frustration had set in and my children were becoming animals and I was fried.

They fight like cats and dogs some days. They say the nastiest things to each other, they kick and yell and throw things at each other...all before 9 am most days. Planning days of things to do has not helped. They are typical little kids that are good until after the fun. Then the tired little demons were coming out to play and I was furiously screaming and threatening and constantly spanking. Then the days started appearing where they were nice to each other for longer than 8 seconds at a time. Brinkley was cleaning the toys up without being asked. Jax started helping with Pudgie and wanted to play nicely with Brinkley all day. I started wondering whose kids these were and when they arrived on my doorstep.

It hit me today while I was driving home from a very disappointing outing at Tempe's Splashpads . It was never about my kids. It was about me and my attitude towards them and myself. My attitude shifted when Tommy and I started training at the gym we now belong to. I took away my kids ability to run the house. I changed my attitude. My kids had too many choices and as bad as it sounds.... Summer would now be about ME and how I wanted to have fun. I started looking past the insignificant things and centering our family's world on some more important things. It seems funny to even talk about it. Somehow though, I can see past some things that were making me irate two weeks ago and laugh at things I was spanking my kids for.

It is still just a little shift. A little shift that made me decide to run at the gym today. I have not run in 6 and a half years because of my accident. I was told to never run..ever. I was told I shouldn't run. I was told I can't run. I believed some of this for a long time. It overflowed into other aspects of my life for so long. CAN'T, SHOULDN'T, WON'T, DON'T...... I didn't realize how those words were making things miserable around here for me.... and to top it off, I have been taking it out on my kids and Tommy all summer long.

It is amazing how good it feels to not yell at the kids because we have toys on the floor. The dishes can wait, some days, for hours on end. Someone always offers to help with this and that and in reality, when I don't yell, things gets done faster and the house is nicer to be in. Laundry is not going anywhere, so why scream about that. Summer is really almost over and then another will come and go until there are no more summers like this. Owning up to my attitude and actions is what it comes down to. There are still going to be days that I would sell my kids to the lowest bidder. Days that I don't dare blog about because it would need serious sensoring....

All in all though...it ain't so bad. And I think I may just run again!

Jaxi Bear Smarty Pants

Jax and Binky were assigned their teachers for the 2008-2009 school year. I finally got the assignments on Friday. When I opened the letters, Jax's had his results from his 2nd grade Terra Nova tests.

In AZ, our 2nd graders take Terra Novas like other parts of the country take CATS tests etc. Older kids take AIMS here.

I had heard Jax did well and was not too worried about what his scores were. Jax is extremely smart. He has a true photographic memory and the only time I ever have to really help Jax with homework is when he is sick or over-tired from a long week. Jax can also name sniper rifles by sight, not to mention their scope names and ammo they use..... not the most useful information for an 8 year old but it comes in handy when one of Tommy's SWAT guys has a question about the right gun to use, in Ranbow 6 Vegas, just for Jax.

I was not quite prepared for Jax's test results. I also could not be more proud of my smart little man. Jax scored 99% straight across the board on his tests. I am not sure I could ask for more out of him! (Well maybe cleaning his bathroom a little better... but what are you going to do?)

Jaxi, we are so proud of how hard you work... and how you do it so effortlessly! Here's to 3rd grade buddy!

COME PLAY WITH ME...

Tommy and I had a date today. I had to be up at 4:00 a.m. to paint the house I am decorating..I got a text that they will be home a month early and this house is no where near done. I hurried to finish the kitchen and dining room in a few hours so we could make it to our very important "couples therapy" as I call it these days. You see....

I am very much at home in a gym. I always have been. I am not intimidated by the hot chicks walking around aimlessly and the big jug heads that have had a few too many shots of "something" just simply amuse me. I like to lift with the boys, first, and then gab with the girls, second. Not so much anymore. I can't talk after my workouts anymore and I can't hang with the boys with the workouts we are doing. I can't do half the weight they use now. The movements are so unfamiliar to me, but amazing.

I can't remember a time when I didn't regularly go to the gym. Since my motorcycle accident I still lift 4-6 days a week and pretty heavy for a girl, but some things I have slithered far away from. I am not intimidated by the exercises... it is more that I am scared *&%#less that my spine and pelvis will crack apart at the pins and plates. I think that would just kinda suck and ruin my day. I know this will not happen. I have gotten it in writing from Ortho's and spine specialists that I will not just break in this manner.... but there is a part of me that runs from the new and reverts back to the old that I know is SAFE .

In 1996 when I started the police academy, there was always a running joke. Every morning you would see all of the cadets running for the bathrooms before our mornings began. To put it bluntly.....things were either coming up one way or going out the other. Morning Butterflies were what we called them. The fear of the daily unknown. It had you so excited you could barely contain yourself, so scared you couldn't keep your measly breakfast down and so stressed you wanted to wet your pants. If you were lucky, you only threw up.

I loved those rushes. I miss them. I have missed them for a long, long time. Until today.

They are back. Today when Tommy and I walked into our new gym...the butterflies were a flutter and I bolted for the bathroom. I hadn't eaten so I knew I wasn't going to hurl, already did the whole bathroom thing before we even got to the gym so that was out.... I just stood there thinking.. Holy crap... what if I break in two today?

I knew what our workout was already. Jason kindly posts them on the Competitive Fitness Blog every night just so we can prepare for death. I had never in my life done two of the three moves we were going to be taught and all I could do was pray...

"Dear God, please let me be able to walk out of this gym on my own two feet today because I am worried."

Needless to say, I made it through another body crushing, mind building, spirit lifting, ego boosting, muscle torturing, crossfit workout. Tommy and I did them side by side with our trainer yelling at us about form, attitude, mental preparedness, body sculpting, power and hip explosions. I wanted to quit. I wanted to throw the bar and all the weights to the floor and walk out. I knew better. I don't quit. I never have. My back survived, my pins and my plates are still intact, my shoulders are aching and seriously feel like I have hot irons poking them when I shift to pick up Pudgie and my core feels like I did 5000 sit ups.

Tommy and I are now addicted. We have quit our other two gyms. Yes, My kids love going to Competitive Fitness rather than Lifetime...the one with all the "toys and pools."

Tommy's new slogan is:

"The more you sweat off duty, the less you bleed on duty"

Since I have gotten a few comments on our blog, but 30+ personal emails, again, I am offering everyone a chance to come play with me for 10 days at our gym. Come and see how someone like me, with the severity of my injuries, can go through these workouts and feel 1000% better than when I walked into the building. Come and see how your body is supposed to lift weights with natural movements. It is not about how fit Tommy and I already are. That is not how crossfit works. We all have our own starting point. The movements are the same for everyone. The weight is adjusted for all, individually.

Come feel your body change.

Come boost your metabolism.

Come re-learn exercise.

Come compete with all of us.

Come change your way of thinking about "lifting weights"

Come feel your lungs nearly explode

Come feel your muscles burn

Come exhaust your core

Come strengthen your heart

Come build your body, mind, and spirit

Come find your own potential

Come play...... It really is fun...In a sick~mind sorta way.

It's FREE.... What have you got to lose...except the summer blahs!!!!

P.S. Check out this Crossfit Camp Pendelton You Tube Video. This is how the Marines really train. (along with Navy Seals and other Elite Special Forces) Tommy and I have done the wall ball they show and numerous other exercises. It is simply amazing what a simple exercise can do for the body. Plus, it will make you think twice about eating junk food!

10 days free.....

Anyone who knows Tommy and I, understands how much we love the gym. Unfortunately we get stuck in ruts and since I don't like change I will stay somewhere forever...even if I am not getting results.

That has changed! We joined quite the gym for Father's Day and it is kicking us up and down!

I absolutely love it. Tommy does too... you just won't hear us say that right after we are done with the workouts. This gym specializes in Crossfit training. The gym is Competitive Fitness on Warner, just west of the railroad tracks. It is absolutely amazing. It is what a gym should be!

If anyone would like to join me or Tommy in the gym one of these days, we have passes for 10 days free. I dare anyone to say, "that's all your workout is today?" Tommy tried that, ONCE!

Check out their website and see what it is all about. SUPER FUN TIMES!

Our trainer thought it would be funny to post this picture on their websites blog. This is what happened after Thursday's 20 minute workout!

~THE HEAT IS ON...~

I AM A HUGE GROUCH LATELY. JUST ASK POOR TOMMY. ERRR, MAYBE NOT. I DON'T EVEN THINK HE IS TALKING TO ME RIGHT NOW.

WHEN I TOOK OUT A BAG OF GARBAGE THIS MID-MORNING...MY FEET BURNED WITHIN 5 SECONDS OF STEPPING INTO THE SUN LIT COURTYARD. BLECH.

TEST TIME...AND THIS WAS SCARY

1 MINUTE INTO THE SUN

2 MINUTES IN THE SUN

3 MINUTES AND I AM NOW MELTING WATCHING THESE!

4 MINUTES- JAX'S RED ONE IS COMPLETELY MELTED

5 MINUTES IS ALL IT TOOK FOR ALL OF THEM TO COMPLETELY MELT.

NO WONDER I AM IN A GROUCHY HOT MOOD!

DADS AND MOMS

DADDY'S FATHER'S DAY PRESENT!

A LONG DAY SWIMMING WITH GRAMMIE AND GRAMPIE~POOR TIGGER HAS NOT RECOVERED FROM ALL THE SWIMMING AND PLAYING WITH THE 3 OTHER DEMON DOGS!!

I never got the chance to finish my Mother's Day post so I wanted to combine the two. I think it only reasonable since my parents are like peanut butter and jelly. Even though both are fabulous apart, together they just ROCK!


I have cool parents. I always have. My parents were always the ones that had fish fry's with friends and Nebraska football parties. Our's was the house that all the kids got to hang out at. There was never a time that my parents didn't hesitate to put an extra plate for the friend, or twelve, that stayed late through dinner. Don't get me started on all the parties they let my sister and I have. (Then there were the ones that I thought that we hid when they were out of town... who did we think they were kidding? They knew.) The best part about both of them was that they trusted us to make good judgements and bad ones. They let us fall flat on our faces and always picked us back up and dusted us off.


My Mom has an instant temper and fights for it all. She has always been the outspoken one and is quick to jump to anyone she loves defense. She loves sparkle and girl time.


My Dad is "Switzerland," as my sister calls him. He never judges anyone or anything outwardly. He is the rational one. He keeps the playing field even for all.


Growing up I remember thinking.... I want to be just like my Dad when I grow up. He was a cop and then became the corprate big wig. I wanted the same. Then I wanted to be just like my Mom. She had great friends and was at every single one of my softball games... no matter what part of the country I was playing in. She shopped with me, told me matter-of-factly that I was gonna regret a lot of the decisions I made in life but that was the only way to learn, we traveled together all over... Tahiti was my favorite destination, she wiped away the tears from many a broken hearts, and she was just cool.


Dad worked a lot. He is a work - a - holic. SERIOUSLY. I know this is where my work ethic came from and what I want to pass on to my children. He taught me that if you give less than 110%, then give nothing at all... because you are not really trying. If you fail when you have given that 110%, you have still won. I took that with me and never truly failed at anything I have ever tried.


Mom taught me that the world is tough on women. It still is. Statistics show this. Women are still not paid the same for all the same jobs. Some have caught up. Let's face it, people still think stay at home moms have it easy. My Mom was both. She had a great career and then stayed home with us right before I graduated high school. She taught me that there is so much life to live outside in the big world.... and to go out and chase any and every single crazy dream I could conjure up.

My Dad totally cracks me up. He is rarely impressed by anyone. Money and fame do not make him bat an eye. He thinks expensive cars are there to make up for ones short-comings and that real men cry and hug and tell you, "I Love You." My Dad will not hesistate to hug you....anywhere, anytime, in front of anyone. He proved that Thursday morning at work when Tommy's entire squad was fighting an individual at the hospital. When my Dad showed up he walked right up to Tommy, matter - o'- factly and kissed him square on the lips....in front of his entire squad and Tommy's squad as well. From what I hear, jaws hit the floor!

That's my Dad! Once he loves you...He LOVES you!!!

While we spent the day with my sister and her family and my Mom and Dad yesterday, they told us that they would be renewing their wedding vows this year. I was so excited for them. It is a rare thing in this world when two people have been married 40 years! I can not wait!

Happy Father's Day and Mother's Day Mom and Dad... and of course to you Tommy! Without you.... I wouldn't be a mom!

PS. TOMMY ~ NEW RULE...NEXT HOLIDAY IS CELEBRATED ON SATURDAY WITH MY FAMILY SO YOU CAN BE A PART OF IT!! WE MISSED YOU YESTERDAY... and every holiday that we have celebrated on Sunday this year!!!!

TAG PAYBACKS..... THX TRISH....

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog.
List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.

Tag 5 people . Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

NOTE TO SELF: DON'T READ MY COMMENTS ANYMORE!!!

3 JOYS~
SO MANY MORE THAN THREE BUT I AM NARROWING AS I TYPE~

*LONG AND SLOW KISSES THAT SEEM TO GO ON FOREVER FROM TOMMY

*THAT FEW SECONDS BEFORE PUDGIE FALLS ASLEEP. I CAN HEAR THE CHANGE IN HIS BREATHING AND WATCH HIS LITTLE EYES FIGHT THE SANDMAN AS HE STARTS TO HUM SOFTLY BEFORE HE FINALLY DRIFTS OFF

*RAINY DAYS INSIDE

*PAINTING

*THE FEELING WHEN ONE OF MY KIDS SLIPS THEIR LITTLE HAND INTO MINE AS WE ARE WALKING

*HOLDING HANDS WITH TOMMY

*BEING ALONE

*WATERING MY TREES

3 FEARS~

*ANYONE I LOVE WOULD EVER FEEL THE PAIN THAT I HAVE FELT

*LOSING MY CHILD

*TOMMY BEING HURT AT WORK AND AN SPD CAR SHOWING UP AT MY HOUSE

3 GOALS~

*WORK ON PUDGIE'S SPEECH

*WORK ON BRINKLEY'S TEMPER

*GET AWAY MORE SO I AM NOT SUCH A YELLING MOM

*EAT HEALTHIER TO GO ALONG WITH MY WORKOUTS

*SORT LAUNDRY SOONER

*WORK AT BEING BETTER AT CHANGE!

3 OBSESSIONS OR COLLECTIONS~

*I AM OBSESSED WITH NEW WORKOUTS, ESPECIALLY CROSSFIT ONES. GOOD THING NOW THAT TOMMY AND I ARE WORKING WITH A TRAINER AT A SPECIALIZED GYM. (WHICH HE IS NOW KILLING US AT)

*RUTH'S HOT SAUCE-THUS MY NEED FOR THE WORKOUTS. ANYONE ON MY STREET CAN VERIFY THAT I AM OFFICIALLY ON THE CHIPS AND HOT SAUCE DIET EVERY TIME RUTH MAKES ME A BATCH OF HOT SAUCE. I SERIOUSLY NEED AN INTERVENTION!!

*I COLLECT SHOES. THAT BEING SAID, I CAN NOT WEAR 90% OF THE SHOES AND BOOTS I OWN DUE TO THE DAMAGE DONE TO MY LEG AND FOOT.... BUT I LOVE MY SHOES. I TOUCH THEM AS I WALK BY THEM IN I MY CLOSET. I TALK TO THEM. SOMETIMES I SLIP THEM ON MY FEET AND JUST ADMIRE HOW BEAUTIFUL AND SEXY THEY ARE. I LET THEM GO ON DATES WITH FRIENDS SOME NIGHTS. I SHOW THEM OFF IN TEXT MESSAGES BUT I RARELY, IF EVER, WEAR THEM ANYWHERE FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES. THEY ARE MY SILENT FRIENDS THAT NEVER TALK BACK AND ARE ALWAYS JUST A SHELF AWAY. I LOVE MY SHOES. TOMMY HATES THEM!!!

3 RANDOM FACTS~ MAYBE SURPRISING~

*THIS IS GONNA COME BACK AND BITE ME I AM SURE BUT.....GROWING UP MY DAD USE TO CALL ME "POOH BEAR." THAT NICKNAME STUCK UNTIL I STARTED PLAYING FIRST BASE IN SOFTBALL AND IT TURNED INTO "STRETCH" BECAUSE I ALWAYS DID THE SPLITZ WHEN "STRETCHING" FOR THE BALL.

*I TURNED DOWN A FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

*I HAVE A SERIOUSLY HUGE ISSUE WITH TRUST.

*I HAVE VERY FEW FEMALE FRIENDS

*I WOULD DO ANYTHING IN THE WORLD FOR THOSE FEW FRIENDS

*I AM A GRUDGE MASTER (AS TOMMY CALLS ME) I AM A HORRIBLE FORGIVE AND FORGET-ER

*I SERIOUSLY HATE EATING HEALTHY. I LOVE SOUR CANDY AND IF I COULD, I WOULD LIVE ON IT.

I DON'T KNOW YOU...

WHY WOULD I SMILE FOR YOU?

BESIDES THE FACT THAT I CAN'T GET ONE DECENT FAMILY PHOTO OF ALL 5 OF US TO SAVE MY LIFE.. NOW I GET A GOOD LOOK AT HOW BIG MY 8 YEAR OLD JAXI REALLY IS NEXT TO ME. I KNEW HE WAS BIG, BUT DANG....NO WONDER I USE COUPONS FOR GROCERIES!!

Prayers

I rarely ask anyone for help. I usually think I can handle the weight of the world. It has always been a issue I have suffered with all my life. Not today.


Today has been one of the worst days I can remember. I got the horrible news that the second most important man, at one point he was the only man that mattered, in my life, was severely hurt in an auto accident this weekend. I am crushed. I am sure his family is devastated.


I have written about him in the past. He is as close to God as a human can get. He is my trauma surgeon that saved my life on February 27, 2002.


I am torn right now between severe anger and complete sadness. It is not fair that a man that has saved so many and given so many their lives back, is now fighting for his.


If it were not for Dr. Thomas L. Wachtel I would not be here, Tommy would not have our son Justice and life would not be what it is.


I am asking anyone who reads our blog to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for him. I don't care if you are Catholic, Mormon, Baptist or you don't believe in a God... whatever. Please include him in your prayers and his family as well. Thank You!