What's Up Wednesday

I'm linking up with Shay and Shaefer the last Wednesday of the month again for What's Up Wednesday!

What we're eating this week: 
Quinoa & black beans
Slow cooker massaman curry
Slow cooker creamy ranch porkchops
Hamburgers
King Ranch Casserole 
breakfast for dinner
What I'm reminiscing about:
David got a mosquito bite on his left eye this week and it had me reminiscing about the mosquito bite he had just two weeks ago on his right eye! This boy can't catch a break! Any suggestions for prevention/remedies?
This week:
 
Two weeks ago:

What I'm loving:
These two boys and the stages of life they are in. I don't think there is anything I've wanted more than to be a mom and I feel so blessed that I get to be their momma and spend just about every waking moment with them. I'm living my dream and I thank God every day for that! (Seriouslysoblessed rant over ;)

 
What we've been up to:
Rocket launching with neighbors:
 
Cake making/tasting:
 
Rice eating:
 
And burger eating: (David flung his spoon full of milkshake in Spencer's face :)

Bike riding and snake finding:
 
and crane watching:
 
What I'm dreading:
I am dreading that my couches are most likely going to look like this for the next decade ;)
 
What I'm working on:
I'm working up the motivation to clean out my closet, our bedroom, the boys closet, and the basement. Not actually working on any of it, just working on getting motivated :)
What I'm excited about:

I PRed in the Bix 7 mile race this weekend by over 5 minutes with a time of 57:38! It is such a hard, hilly course and such a hot and humid time of year to race but it is my favorite race to date because the environment is SO FUN. There are about 20,000 participants each year (including the Junior Bix and Quick Bix) and there is just so much energy! People are cheering and music is blasting the entire course. I think I did so much better than last year because I am 18 months out from having a baby instead of 6, because of the track workouts that I've been doing, and because I took a running friend's advice and walked 10-20 strides as I reached the top of each hill to let my body recover a bit after the inclines. Spencer did awesome and ran a minute faster than last year!
Starting line selfie:
 
The view in front of us:
 
The view behind us:
 
Aerial view that I stole from the internet:
 
I have no idea why there is a race this huge in Davenport, Iowa but I'm not complaining!
The course is seriously no joke! There is no flat part at all and that hill at the beginning is a killer!

 

What I'm watching/reading:
We finally finished Gilmore Girls and have moved on to Scandal and Duck Dynasty!
I read The Invention of Wings this month and LOVED it! I am glad I have book club and this silly blog post to keep me accountable because I usually don't make time for reading.
What I've been listening to:
The Tarzan Musical soundtrack is playing on repeat in our car and we all love it!
What I'm wearing: 
I really hate this one because I feel like I need to take an outfit selfie. Maybe I'll just tell you what I'm not wearing today as I type this (at 3:30 pm during David's nap) - I'm not wearing make-up and I'm not wearing a bra. I am wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt. I just really like taking breaks from real clothes while we're home in the afternoon.
What I'm doing this weekend:
Nothing too eventful. I'm hoping we'll make it to the farmer's market.
What I'm looking forward to next month:
Jack starting preschool! He's going to love it
Bonus Question: What will you miss most about summer?

Watermelon and swimming outside and being able to leave the house without putting socks and boots and coats and mittens and hats on two kids. 

What's up with you?!

Things I'm Loving

•  Ice cream! It's been hot this week and we have a new Midwestern favorite - Whiteys. (I love the Swiss Almond Chocolate Malt, Spencer loves Graham Central Station Shake (graham cracker flavored ice cream) with Twix and the boys love the cotton candy ice cream cones)

You can never go wrong with McDonald's ice cream cones either
 

• This quote from this blog post:

"Just like Satan—if we get too caught up in our own plan—our pride will keep us from the true plan of happiness. It wasn’t the goal of the end result that got Satan to fall . . . it was his love for his own plan. (A temptation he tries to use on me often.) His initial goal was just like ours: to get to live with God forever . . . but because of his stubbornness in his own plan, he gave up the end goal all together...

...So those moments—when you want to run to your closet and scream, “Uncle . . . I give up, I can’t take any more. Can’t I just get one break? Can’t I just have it easy this one time? What is so wrong with MY plan?”—those are the defining moments for each of us. The plan was always for us to be tested often to make sure we remembered Him. It is not because we aren’t grateful or we are unworthy—but because He loves us that much. As we show Him we choose His plan—even when presented with an excuse not to—He sees that we love Him. He loves us so much He gives us opportunities to remember Him and rely on his grace. He loves us enough to make sure we are among the crowd gathered at His feet—praising His plan and the ability it gave us to strive to not only be like Him . . . but to be with Him forever."

• Packages from family - this package had David's swimsuit that we left in Arizona, a cute book, and this homemade snow kit - Jack loved making snow! 

 

• Bike rides and worm digging almost every day - summer entertainment is a thousand times easier and happier than winter entertainment :) 

 
 

•  David's hair!!! I can't get over it!

 

• I'm not sure if this is something that I am loving but I can't seem to write a blog post without bullet points - the only time our coach cushions are actually on the couch are when the boys are in bed. They rip them off and start making nests, building forts, and jumping on them the second they wake up in the morning. 

 

•  Free Chic-fil-A for Cow Appreciation Day. We had a crazy day that day but I managed to color a bunch of garbage bags with a sharpie and convince Spencer to put one on for our free meals :)

 

• Stake Nauvoo Day this last Saturday. We had a catered lunch and devotional, we went on a carriage ride, we played pioneer games, we went to the county fair, and we watched the Nauvoo Pageant. It was a crazy exhausting day and night but we had a good time.

 The end of the Trail of Hope
 
 Horse ride
 
 
 
 
The county fair was so cute! They gave beads out at every station and once you collected ten, you earned the big bead. Jack really got into collecting the beads and he said that his favorite part about Nauvoo was sawing the wood.
 
 
 
 
 
 Jack and David surprisingly (and unfortunately) stayed awake for the entire pageant (they were INSANE and slap happy because they were so tired) but we were glad we stayed for it. I am grateful for my pioneer heritage.
 

•  And this: 

           

More Confessions

1. Last week, I dropped my kids off at the gym, told the child center workers that I was going to be outside on the track (I have to leave my phone number with them if I run on the track and they call me if they need me to come back), parked at the closest parking space to the track, and took a nap in my car.

2. This is happening more than I would like to admit:
(I blame it on not having a bathroom on our main floor)
 
3. Today, I unknowingly shopped at Target and Sams Club with David's poop smeared all over the front of my shirt.

4th of July and Things I'm Loving

We had a great Independence Day weekend! On Friday morning, we rode bikes to the library and park. That afternoon, we attempted to go to the zoo but it closed early so we ended up at the "tractor" mall in Moline. So epic ;)
 
 
 
On Saturday morning, we had a flag ceremony and breakfast at our church and in the afternoon, a backyard BBQ with friends. We are so grateful for our friends in Iowa!
 
 
 
I know this is extremely hard to believe, but I didn't even use pinterest to make these one-of-a-kind cookies. They were supposed to be patriotic but I think that they looked more like scary three-eyed birds and my mom thought that they looked more like melted snowmen :)
 
 
 One of our friends brought fireworks and all the kids LOVED it!
 
 
 
After everyone went home, we changed Jack and David into their pajamas and headed out to see fireworks over the Mississippi River. Right before I put Jack into the car, he threw up all over me. We tried to stay home but he threw a huge tantrum because he wanted to see the "big" fireworks that we had promised all day. So barf bowl in hand, we took our chances and luckily had a great barf-less time!

The happiest sick kid I know :)
 
Jack threw up all that night, recovered all Sunday, and is thankfully back to his healthy self today!
I love Dennis Prager's American Trinity video - watch it, it's good!

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Other things I'm loving:

• David's poor mosquito bitten eye is finally better. The poor guy has the WORST puffy and pussy reactions to mosquito bites. 

 
 

• I loved this interview of Josie Thompson, who suffers from severe depression and bipolor, and just finished her third 444 Project in the Philippines. 

"I have come to learn that joy is real, even if you can't feel it in the moment... Even if I can't feel it, I know it's there because I look around me and I know my life is enveloped in blessings, and therefore I am then able to give light to others... I want people to realize that they do not need to be healed to help. No matter where you are in life, no matter what your situation is, you are in a position to serve and help others."

• Summer reading at the library! Jack is really into it and wants to read all the time! Jack's favorite book right now is his snail book that Grandma Annie gave him for his third birthday - we have to read the note she wrote in the cover about her snails in the snow before we start :) David unfortunately found Brown Bear Brown Bear, which I had hid because I thought my brain would explode or shut down or melt if I ever had to read that darn book one more time but we are back at it again, at least 10 times a day. He can say every animal in the book now.

• Tractors outside of our front door. David held still for 30 minutes straight watching it, a personal record!

 

• This article that made me laugh and cry. I am one year into my church calling that I really didn't want and it has ended up being my favorite calling ever.