Daddy's Pretty Princesses

Today, Chris treated the girls with some Daddy and Daughter time. Chris planned the day so well. He asked Paige and Devon to dress up in pretty dresses. We bought tiaras for them to wear to top it all off. They looked so cute!

First, they went to get pizza where a couple of people asked if they were twins. They do look a lot alike, and with Devon being so tall for her age, they're pretty much the same height. Next came pumpkin picking. All three of them found some awesome pumpkins for us to paint later and decorate our porch. Lastly, but certainly not least, ice cream!

The girls were so excited all week about this date, and they were not disappointed! Both of them said they had a lot of fun. Next time, it will be Micah's turn!

Crossfit

3...2...1... GO! Five rounds of 6 Turkish Get-ups and 12 box jump-overs and breaking lots of sweat. Chris and I are participating in Crossfit, and both of us are feeling the benefits and reaping the rewards.  Chris has been doing this for almost 2 months and gained strength strength and lost weight, and I've just started, but I feel like this will be a healthy challenge for me. I need to improve my upper body strength, and I'm hoping this will do it. We work out weekdays at 5:30 except for Wednesday. We may go up to 5 days a week later, but for now, 4 days kicks our butt.

Chris and I are having so much fun working out together. And he is teaching me technique and form. I have learned a lot from him. This is what it is: healthy bonding.

Up Late

This is a late blog post. I had a hunkering to watch Inception, and I couldn't resist. So, now I'm just waiting for Chris to get home. He really enjoys doing stand-up comedy, although some sets are much better than others. But, he's learning a lot through the process and meeting new people, so I'm happy for him in that regard. I may be a little bias, but to me, he is the funniest man I know.

Grandma Rich (Chris' grandmother) is visiting our families in the Springfield area until Thursday. Tonight, we all went out to Nakato Japanese Steakhouse for dinner, and it was delicious as usual. I can never complain when we go there. Tomorrow is a family day after church. Mexican fiesta for dinner, and I'm hoping some games after that. We'll see. It's much harder for the adults to play games with curious babies, toddlers, and school-age kids in the mix.

I love Sundays. Now, it's time to sleep to prepare for my day of rest.

Laughter and Family, Usually One in the Same

Tonight, Chris is attending an Open Mic night in downtown Springfield. Sometimes they run pretty late. Tonight's Open Mic night is at 10, so he probably won't be home until 11:30 or midnight. That's way past my bedtime! Still, I'm glad he has the opportunities to do some comedy. He's a very funny man, and he's learning a lot about how to do stand-up, how to tell a story, how to create good timing, etc. He's really enjoying his improv class as well.  And, of course, he's made some new friends along the way. With this and Crossfit (his new workout regimen), the monotony of the work week becomes more tolerable.

Speaking of comedy, we witnessed in all his glory Jim Gaffigan at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall two Wednesdays ago, and he was hilarious! As father of 5, he really gets how parenting is and how I see it, even though I'm a mother of 3. He had all new material, except he did bring back his Hot Pocket bit. Chris was surprised by that, because he heard Mr. Gaffigan say on a podcast that he does not like performing those jokes anymore. If you know what your audience likes, then I guess you give them what they want. Still, I was greatly entertained, and although he may cringe if I say it, I really appreciate his clean humor. The next comedian I would love to see is Brian Regan. Hopefully, he'll come back to Springfield. That would be amazing!

Last Wednesday, my parents called and asked to come to our place on Saturday for a visit. My dad and mom are vacationing after working hard ministering to his congregation this Easter season. (My dad, if you did not know, is a Lutheran minister.) It was very nice to have them here today. We talked and talked so much that we skipped lunch and went to Shanghi Buffet for an earlier dinner. Yummy as usual! I hope we get to see my parents again soon. They live in the Jefferson City area, so their visits do not happen very often. We do not get to visit them at their place very often either. So, it's great to see them when we can.

When I'm writing, I'm only frustrated when I write...

...a dinner list. As I'm finishing up next week's list, here are my thoughts.

Why is it so difficult for me to make a dinner list? It takes what seems like forever to complete it. I rack my brain trying to think of healthy (and possibly new) recipes to plan for the next week's dinners, only to write down the same ol' stuff. Don't get me wrong; the same ol' stuff is not all unhealthy. It's just frustrating to pin point one meal for one evening. And then times that by seven to complete the entire list. I try to incorporate my children by asking them what they would like. Why would I expect them to say anything else besides "I don't know" or "spaghetti." Of course, actually eating what was planned is not so difficult. It might even be too easy.

After making the dinner list, there's the final shopping list to write out. Now, you may be thinking, "Ok, Jenn, after you know what your going to eat, it's not difficult figuring out what you need to make it." True, but now I've decided to take an extra step, price checking. (And maybe a second step if I decide to look for coupons.) So, I write down what I need and then go through all the ads to see if I can find what I need at a cheaper price. If I add in couponing to that, it takes even more time! Why do I spend so much time getting food? Would it be easier if I went back to cavewoman instincts and told my husband to go hunt? He is on the Paleo diet right now, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

My Therapy

To start my day off with a 10-mile run is amazing, and thank goodness the weather is warming up. It's really no big deal for me to run in freezing temperatures if I dress warm and keep running. Except for my hands. My hands must have very little circulation, because they are never warm and start feeling numb after a few miles of running. Even gloves aren't adequate all the time. Sometimes, warming them up actually hurts worse than when they were just cold. One time, I cried as Chris used his hands to warm up mine. Ugh. I'm such a wuss.

My run this morning went by fast. I highly recommend getting a running partner for those long training runs. The miles quickly fly behind me as I talk about life and other unrelated things with someone beside me. I have a new friend, Crystal, as my partner. The running itself is great therapy, but it's even better to have a friend listen to me as I talk or complain or rant. As of right now, we are training for a girls-only half marathon in May. This will be a great motivator for me since I am very goal-oriented. I haven't raced since my marathon last March in Little Rock. It will be nice to get back into the habit.

For the Sake of Keeping You Informed...

I'm up really late, and I really shouldn't be. Not too long ago, I finished my cleaning and balanced the checkbook. It needed to be done. I don't mind doing it, though. When I clean, I can usually go into my own world and think of silly things that make me happy.

Chris' birthday was last Thursday, but I took him out to celebrate on Friday. Date night! For a brief few hours, we felt we were rollin' in the dough. I saved some money from what I earned through child care. First, we went to Nakato's Japanese Steakhouse for dinner. Sushi! We had enough cash left over to go to Andy's for yummy frozen yogurt. We had a lot of fun as we normally do.

To do something fun for himself, Chris decided to start taking inprov classes. He really needs this to help him get through the monotony of the week. And he should do something that he is good at, too. In March, his class is scheduled to perform a show! I'm looking forward to watch him be funny. Of course, I have the pleasure of watching him do that everyday. Chris is also dabbling in stand-up comedy. He attends just about every open mic slot he can find. There aren't that many in Springfield, but at least he is still doing what he enjoys. He's had a great time getting to know other comedians as well. I think he's so brave to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Brave or crazy. Sometimes, I'm not sure which. (I'm just teasing.)

Ok, it's definitely time for bed. Good night!

Treats and My Sweets

Tonight, I did something I don't normally do. Something I haven't done in a really, really long time...

I polished my toe nails. (And blogged about it.)

As Chris likes to call it, tonight is his "birthday eve." But instead of focusing on him, I decided to treat myself and make my feet look pretty. I rummaged through my stock of nail polish. Most of them were very old and had to be thrown away. I did manage to find 5 bottles that are still good for painting. Two dark blue, one purple, and two sparkly clear polishes. I would definitely like more variety. Still, it's a start for a girl... woman... girl-woman who is still learning how to make herself look gorgeous, dahling.

Chris' parents were very generous in taking our family out to eat Mexican food tonight for Chris' birthday. El Puente! It's amazing every time. It was nice to go out to eat. Good food, no dishes or clean-up, and a fun time with my family.

I'm looking forward to Chris' birthday tomorrow and taking him out Friday. We will be having a date night! Both Chris and I are very blessed to be able to do these things. We always have lots of fun together.

Just got word that the kids will not be having school tomorrow. The weather is projected to be too severe for traveling, but it hasn't even snowed yet! Still, I had lots of fun with them last Monday when they weren't in school for President's Day. So, I'm sure we will make the best of tomorrow as well. Good night and pleasant dreams!