Monday Maddness

After breakfast on Monday morning, we packed all our stuff up, checked out of the hotel and headed to Downtown Disney to kill some time before our flights. Neither one of us had been there before. But we had heard from a few people that we should go there. It was free to get in and had free parking for the first two hours. Double bonus.



 

 My little prince in his chariot with his blanket and "fishy cackerz". What more could a 2 year old ask for?

 Love this little man. I was feeling a little bit bad when he figured out that we weren't in Disney Land. He thought we were going there when he heard Downtown Disney. It's kinda torturous that we were THAT close to Disneyland, but couldn't go. Sorry Dude, we'll have to go another time. It would be ideal if daddy could join us.

 Downtown Disney was pretty much like an outside mall. There were really nice restaurants and cool stores. Rykers favorite was the Lego Store.

 It's really quite amazing how they can construct these huge figures all out of Lego's. It would be cool to watch it be done from start to finish.

 We only had time for a light lunch and to walk around for a bit before we left for the airport. When we arrived we returned the rental car and checked in our luggage. By this point my mom was texting me the info on the available seats and what number the boys and I were on the list. It wasn't looking good, but we had to try anyway and just hope there'd be some no-shows.

Going through security was quite comical. All of the stuff Manda and I had took up the entire row on the belt before going through the scanner. We were just laughing at each other. I was glad the TSA workers were in a good mood and were patient with our slowness.

In a nutshell, the boys and I didn't make it on our flight. BUMMER. But Manda did. So the three of us rolled over to the morning flight, which makes us a higher priority.

The question then was "Do we get another hotel? Or call Jesse's cousins (Jon and Sarah Guinn who live in Costa Mesa) and ask if we could stay a night with them?

I decided to text Sarah to see if she'd let us stay there. And of course she is so sweet and was very happy to let us stay there AND take us to and from the airport.

The flight the next morning was super early. We had to be back to the airport by 5;30am. The boys were such troopers. They handled this whole fiasco adventure just perfectly. Ryker was such a big help and Cy was being a good little boy and staying by me (being strapped in the stroller didn't allow him to go anywhere, but he was fine being in there).

We finally make it on the plane. We are all excited to get home. Especially me. Our luggage was sent on the flight the night before, so I was wearing the same clothes, underwear and makeup from the day before. Wanted a shower badly.

Everyone gets boarded on the plane and the pilot comes on over the intercom informing us the temperature gage wasn't working. He said it would be a minute before we could take off.

We sat on the runway for an hour and a half before we could take off. But thankfully I had my laptop with me and Wreck it Ralph to save the day. Cyrus could watch that show all day if I let him. So he was totally happy chilling in his car seat watching Wreck it Ralph. Ryker watched the TV on the back of the seat.

Best part is right before we took off, Cy fell asleep in his chair AND he slept the entire flight. Bonus. Once again, another smooth flight. The boys were gems.

We made it home and nothing sounded more sweet than my own shower. After which I went grocery shopping and then we all went up to the fire station to visit daddy. We missed him terribly and couldn't wait until the morning to see him.

Jesse was in charge of dinner and we were able to eat with the crew. It was a great ending to the day.

Sunday Beach Bums

The main thing we wanted to do on our little weekend getaway was to spend the day at the beach. With the help from the hotel workers, we decided on Huntington Beach. And thanks to GPS on my cellphone we had no problem getting there. The only tricky thing was finding a place to park that wasn't super expensive or illegal. We were able to park on the street and just pay the meter with all the silver change I had in my wallet.

 

Walking down to the beach was quite the joke. We first went to Subway to get Lunch for later, then when we got to the sand Manda and I had to carry the stroller across it. Talk about a workout. Phew.

 

Then it was play time....

 Manda was the brave one. She took both Ryker and Cy out into the water to play. It was too cold for me, so I stayed back to take photos and watch Max.

 Cy was giggling the whole time. Even when he took a spill under a small wave he came up laughing and saying "again".

 Not exactly sure why... but Max wouldn't stop eating the sand. He's at that age where everything goes into his mouth. But wet sand? Haha.

 After the Beach we went to dinner. Then headed back to the hotel to bathe the boys and get them in bed. When I took their shirts off I was totally shocked by the sight of their backs. I had only put sunscreen on the faces and shoulders, thinking that would be fine. It was only about 73 degrees that day and the beach even felt a bit chilly. So I thought the boys wouldn't get THAT sunburned. The guilt I had once I discovered their burnt backs was just killing me. I knew better, but I chalked it up to them being fine. I should have been better about it. Talk about a terrible mom moment.

Thank Heavens I brought Aloe Vera with me. I lathered them both in it over and over again before they went to bed. Through out the night I woke up to Cy fussing in his sleep and saying "ouchie". Oh man, I was feeling awful about the whole thing.

In the morning I ran to the nearest store to pick up some Motrin. I had read that it would help them with the pain. So I tried my best to keep them covered in aloe and dosed with Motrin to keep them feeling better.

Oregon? Oh wait California...

About a month ago I scheduled with Amanda to go visit her in Oregon. We made a plan to spend a day in Portland by going to the zoo with the kiddos. Sleep over there and then drive to her house in Eugene the next day.

 

On my end I was planning on flying into Long Beach Friday night to spend the night. Then to take the morning flight to Portland. Well would luck have it, we didn't make it on the Friday night flight. My mom was so gracious to volunteer her assistance while I flew with two busy boys. So after we didn't make it on the flight we just went back home. We were rolled over to the morning flight then would have to spend a 6 hour layover in Long Beach before we could leave for Portland. Ugh. Not really looking forward to that. I'd have to do that two times and really only get to see Manda for 2 days.

 

I was feeling conflicted. The thought of a 6 hour layover two times with two rambunctious boys sounded very daunting. Where on the other hand I really wanted to see my sister.

 

After a long time of thinking and talking it over with Jesse and Manda. We came up with the idea that Manda would meet me in Long Beach the next morning and we could spend the weekend there instead of Oregon. Sweet. Cuts down on the travel time by meeting in the middle. It was perfect.

 

So the next morning we get to the airport and my mom sends us on our way. Ryker and Cy were thrilled that they'd get to see Manda and Little Max.

 Cy is now to the age where he requires a seat himself. No more lap sitting for him. Which is actually a relief. I was able to bring the car seat on board and have him sit in that instead. It was FANTASTIC! He was very content staying there watching a show.

On my other side of me, Ryker too was very content watching his show. I had a moment where I thought I should have brought a book to read, because I was sitting there with two pleasant and content boys. I hadn't brought one because I didn't think I'd even have the chance to read considering having to mind the boys 24/7. But they were so great. And what a relief for me.

 Once we landed, Manda was there waiting for us by the baggage claim. Oh it was so great to see her. And it was kinda fun that we were getting this opportunity to spend the weekend together with our boys.

We picked up the rental car and squeezed every last bit of luggage in the trunk. Thankfully all three car seats fit in the backseat and luckily both strollers and all our luggage was able to fit in the trunk.

We found a four star hotel on hotwire.com for a really low price. When we arrived we were excited that it was so nice. We almost didn't feel like we fit in. There were several people dressed up and here Manda and I are with our kiddos and all our belongings. It was very comical. The guy a the main desk was very nice to us super helpful with the kids. The provided a crib for Cy, gave all three boys a little welcome treat bag and some beach towels, beach balls and a map to get there.

While we were checking in, I happen to look down at Cy and see that he was sound asleep in his stroller. He stayed asleep while I pushed him to our room and put him in the corner for a quiet quick nap.

Once Cy woke up we went to check out the pool.

Thank goodness there were two of us to watch the boys. We both were really tired. Especially Manda since she had to wake up early early to drive two hours from Eugene to Portland to catch her flight. So by the end of the day we were wishing that we had some of the boys energy.

After the pool, we went across the street to the mall. We thought it would be a good place to find a quick meal. We discovered a restaurant called Corner Bakery Cafe. It was AMAZING! They had everything from Salads to Pasta to Breakfast. And everything had healthy options. Which was a big deal for me. I don't eat out much because it's healthier to eat at home. So I was happy to find a place that was quick, healthy and close to the hotel.

Splash N Sprint Triathlon

Been training and looking forward to this day for a few months now. Originally I was really nervous about the swim. So that kept me encouraged to get in the pool more. Which in return helped me feel more comfortable. Friends from work who have done triathlons before were getting me mentally prepared for the swim. So I felt ready for it on the day of.

A few days before the race Top Gear had some free registrations they could provide the team if they wanted. Since I was already registered he went to Timalee (who also is on the Top Gear Team) and signed her up. She was a good sport to do it on such short notice.

This is Timalee and I bright and early in the 6am morning setting up our transition area.

 I had a whole check list at home to make sure I wouldn't forget anything.

 Top Gear was there to help us (and others) out if we needed a quick fix.

 Timalee's husband, Rolynn was there being our cheerleader. He was so nice to take my camera and take pictures of me and Timalee.

So here is the start of the race. Everyone is all lined up along the pool in the times that they can swim the 350m in. I stood in the 7 minute area. When the buzzer went off we all watched as the swimmers jumped in one by one, every 10 seconds. I wasn't feeling nervous, but my adrenaline was sure was going. I was grateful to a guy that I was standing by (who I had met earlier that morning by the Top Gear Tent) who we chatted while we were waiting our turn to go. We both were feeling the same way anxious-adrenalin-shake. As each person was getting in the pool we'd pick up on some techniques.

Then my turn came. With my swim cap and goggles on and ear plugs in (I know this is dorky but it helps me TONS) I was ready to go. Once I jumped in I felt great. Just stayed focused on breathing and staying calm. The 350m is 14 laps. Once I got to one end I had to go under the lane dividers and swim the opposite direction. And repeat that, weaving back and forth through the whole length of the pool.

Near the middle I got stuck with this one guy. We had the same pace. So I just kept right on his heals. Literally I would hit his heals with every stroke I took. I wasn't doing it on purpose. I just was there. Couldn't go any faster to pass him and I didn't want to go any slower. I later talked to Brett (who is the manager of Top Gear and has done several Tri's himself) about getting stuck behind that guy, and he said that actually it was good that I was there because I was kinda drafting off of him. So that worked out to be a accidental strategy.

 I get out of the pool and run to the transition area. I was feeling awesome with how well the swim went. I was so worried about people swimming over me. But it worked out. I had a few pass me but it wasn't a big deal.

 Here I am getting into my biking stuff. Brett taught me a trick how to put my socks on over my wet sticky feet which helped out the transition much better.

 Then I was off. The bike ride was probably my favorite part. It was a really easy 12 mile ride. My bike felt great, Thanks to Top Gear. They tuned it up for me and have been working on getting my bike fit perfectly to me. We have a few more kinks to smooth out, but my ride is feeling so much better than it was before.

 It's kind of hard to see, but this picture is of me transitioning into running.

 And I head off to the 3.34 mile run. Before the race I wasn't at all worried about the running, but this leg turned out to be the hardest one for me. I don't know if it's because by this point I am just gassed, or if my legs are just not used to the transition for biking motion to running. Because the whole time my legs felt very heavy and were cramping. But I didn't let myself stop. I had to fight through it. Talk about a mind over matter moment I had with myself. It took everything I had to just keep moving and to keep a fast pace. It didn't help that the last 2.0 miles were uphill. A kind of hill that I like to call a false flat. It's deceiving because it looks flat, but really you are pushing against a slight incline.

 Right before the end...probably about 0.3 left is when it came to a downhill right into the finish line. Oh man I was a thrilled when I hit that hill. I tried to push it as much as I could. Then I see my dear friend Harmoni with a poster screaming at me "GO GO GO" and that just gave me this push to floor it to the finish line. I gave it everything I had left. My legs were screaming at me but I barrel through.

 We all got a finishing medal that they gave me right as I crossed the finish line. The coolest part about the medal is my brother Tyson designed it. He does the graphic designing for the race posters, t-shirts and medals. So I was excited that I got to have one of his medals.

 Jesse made it there with the boys ten minutes before I finished. He got off a shift in Ogden that morning and made it just in time. When the boys saw me they came running up to me with such proud smiles. It made me feel really good to know I'll always have my boys as my fan club.

 We finished! And it was great!

Jesse and the boys hung around for a bit to find out my time. I finished with a time of 1:16:12 which put me in second place in my age division. I was totally stoked. My goals for this race were to finish, have fun and get a baseline time to improve on. So to place for my first triatholon felt really good.

Happy 8th to Us!!!

This year our anniversary celebration was very low key due to our busy schedule. Our anniversary is on Tuesday May 7 and Jesse has shifts both Monday and Wednesday, with School on Tuesday night. So we decided to go out the weekend before. I made dinner reservations at Market Street Grill. I hadn't been there before and it had been years for Jesse. Since I love fish now and so does Jesse, I thought it would be good to try it out. Plus I had a gift card, so why not?

Everything we ordered was really yummy. And what I loved was that all the portions weren't HUGE. And fish isn't super heavy on my stomach. So we left feeling perfectly full.

Over dinner I gave Jesse a letter that I wrote him and ANOTHER wedding ring. Ring #5. Haha. At this point giving him another ring was more of a joke. When I pushed the box across the table and placed it in front of Jesse, he just started to laugh. This one I had our names Etched into it. From far away it just looks like a design, but up close it reads "Ashley & Jesse". 

It was opening weekend of Iron Man 3. Funny thing, the past two Iron Man movies have come out on our anniversary weekend and we saw them for our anniversary date. And when I heard the third one was coming out again on our anniversary weekend we just had to go. It's Tradition Now!

It was a very simple night, but it was just nice to be together. With how things are lately it's hard to go out on a date. So I was just grateful for the chance to be together.

In the letter I gave Jesse I wrote 8 reasons I love him to go along with the 8 years of marriage we have under our belts.

Eight Things I love about you…

1.   Sarcastic, Comical and Easy-Going Attitude

You have the ability to make everyone around you laugh and feel comfortable. Very few people can do that and because you are like that people are drawn to you and like you.

2.  Tall, Dark and Handsome

This may seem worldly, but I love your handsome face, strong muscles and your gentle hands. I feel safe when I’m with you.

3. Hardworking/Never Give up

You are probably one of the hardest working men I know. Not just at work, but in the yard, in school, with the boys, with me. You put your mind to something and you do it. You have the endurance and fire that most people don’t.  

4.Great Daddy

There is nothing that brings me more love and happiness when I see our boys climbing on top of you, wrestling with you and just having so much fun with you. The giggles and smiles that come to their faces when you are with them is priceless. They love you so much and look up to you a great deal. I’m grateful they have you to be that man figure in their lives.

5.  Handy Man

Seriously so grateful that I can ask you to fix something and you will know how to do it, or at least figure it out. It’s a reassuring feeling when I have clients talk about having to hire someone to fix the smallest things around the house. You are my man for hire.

6.  Very Patient

This one is HUGE for me. And I honestly don’t know how you do it. The many times you have put up with my crazy girl moments and haven’t thrown in the towel, make me so grateful for your Patience. The many times the boys are driving me mad, you step in and calm the situation and help me feel better. You are amazing. I need to learn the more and be like you.

7.  Team Player

I love that you are at my side and as a team we can tackle anything that is thrown at us. You are ALWAYS there for me. And it is such a comforting feeling to know that I will have you there for the rest of eternity.

8. Family is Everything to You

One of the biggest things that I fell in love with you at the beginning was your love for Family. You talked about your mom with such admiration and love. She was a big example to you and the fact that you knew that and wanted someone in your life just like her, frankly scared me to death because I didn’t know if I could live up to that. So I hope that I have and will forever to better myself for you and our boys.

Our Future Firefighters

Today I finally got the pictures of the boys at the Fire Station. They turned out pretty cute. Here are a few of my favorite ones....

I think this is my absolute favorite. You can just see how excited they were being there.

They are certainly two very sweet boys that can give me so much joy and frustration in one mix. I love them so dearly. The more I look at their cheesy grins and mischievous eyes, my heart can't help but swell with LOVE for them. I get that motherly urge to want to squeeze and bite them (I never understood that when I was younger, but now I do). They keep the desire in me to always better myself as a mother. I pray that I can be all that they need me to be.