Ninjas and the Great Pumpkin...

Bob told them to smile [He's my joker!]...and you can actually tell that Morgan is!

Off and running...this energy ran low once their costumes were damp with the rain...
and finally, ninjas get candy from a really master.
In our home we have a tradition ~ Not unlike the Easter Bunny, we have another magical beast known in our part of the country as The Great Pumpkin. Each year the boys leave out their candy, and the next morning the candy has vanished. It the candy's place is a toy for each boy. They love it! Don't worry, we do let them keep 10 pieces and they select each piece verrrrrrrrrrrrrry carefully.

If you are wondering where the candy goes...it travels to work where I force all of my teammates to eat it.

Til next year...

Happy Halloween...

Be Safe...

Quote of the DAY...

Oh, This one is golden.

Setting: Back seat of my car
Cast: Morgan & Cade

Mumbling coming from the back seat, and then ~ a very loud voice rises up.

Morgan says, "Cut it out, Cade."

[silent pause]

Morgan says, "Mommy is not the one that gets sent to Mommy and Daddy's room."

[very pregnant pause this time]

Morgan says in a low voice, "We are the ones that are the troublemakers."

Mother's of Boys are rejoicing EVERYWHERE. I couldn't have said it better myself!

Oh wait! one more...

Cade says, "Mommy, your going to have to put that one on the blog."

[sigh] He is one smart kid...

Now, off to put my troublemakers to bed...

Jack-O-Lanterns & Jackie-O-Lanterns...

Another Year for carving... and believe it or not I actually carved a pumpkin as well. Of course I wore gloves because they are way, way, way to slimy for me.

Cade's first pumpkin...all by himself, no help from anyone. Personally I am so impressed. He handled the scopes, the guts the knives with ease. Or at least I think he did ~ I wasn't actually there when he did it.

Ahhhh...now the expert. Every year Bob does a 'collection' of jack-o-lanterns. Just like they say in the movies ~ an ensemble cast of characters. Sure they can stand on their own...but they are much better as a whole.

Now for mine [look far right...yep], mine is the one with the stupid grin. Say what you will, but I am a happy girl, therefore my Jackie-o-lantern [yes! My pumpkin is female.]has to express my personality.

I end it with the 'fireworks' setting on my camera. WHAT? Where did that little boy come from and why, why, why does he have a croquette mallet???? We may never know.

Good Night from Jack & Jackie...

Yes and No Session...

Yes ~ I did make FOUR soups this weekend, hoping to avoid cooking throughout the week. (Chicken Noodle, Chicken Tortilla [Yum!], Vegetable Beef & Chicken Taco)
No ~ I do not like all the soups I made, but luckily my husband does...

Yes ~ Sickness did hit the Rowan household in the form of a 102 fever for Morgan.
No ~ thankfully it is NOT H1N1.

Yes ~ It was a Jane Austen kind of day...ahhh, Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility.
No ~ I am not going to leave out Emma and North Hanger Abbey...I will watch those tomorrow night.

Yes ~ I folded loads of laundry while watching most of the above movies.
No ~ I do not want to fold [or look] at another load for at least a week.

Yes ~ There is no doubt this child is mine. Down to the dimple in his right cheek.
No ~ I am not denying it.

Yes ~ I have confirmed That Cade has inherited the Williams' mind for math. [Thank you Mama!]
No ~ I can not say the same about his reading and writing skills. [I still have hope!]

Enough answers...Enjoy your evening.

Pumpkin's Galore...

Oh, the yearly trip to Gordon Farms. We found ourselves headed North to the very fertile farmland know as the Skagit Valley. Yes, they are known for their tulip fields, but their apples & pumpkins are a close 2nd!

You know what was different this year?

Ummm, well the boys are a year older.

The sun was shining very, very, bright.

We actually went into the fields this year.

Morgan kept 'disappearing'.

It wasn't cold.

I just realized that Bob drank the cider and I didn't get a drink.

Our little 'secret' farm has been discovered and it was crowded.

Morgan and Cade both picked out there own pumpkins this year. Morgan's has become a security blanket of sort. He has been carrying it around the house all night. Thankfully he did not ask to sleep with it.

Now we have ahead of us pumpkin carving tomorrow, and I have enough apples to make apple bread AND apple dumplings...Nummy! My home is going to smell scrumptious!

Well, enjoy this year's photos. And if you wanted ~ click here to see last years photos...

And just like last year...Boo!

Official Race Photo...

So there were photographers everywhere along the 5K I ran last Sunday on the UW Campus...now if I had KNOWN they were going to get me crossing the line I might have at least smiled. Instead? I look like I am about to pass out.

Oh well, it gave me a good laugh...

Bib #2618 Photos!

My next race is November 28th...you better believe I will be smiling when I cross THAT line!

toodles!

Wordless Wednesday... (almost)

Morgan @ Husky Stadium

They only 'thought' that was a 'W' in the center of the field. It is actually an 'M' for 'Morgan'.

The never wordless...

Flu Shot...

So I caved and went ahead and got a flu shot...so when I come down with the flu tomorrow because they injected raw chicken eggs along with a dead flu strain into my body don't say I didn't warn myself!

Looking back on the 5 minutes it took to get the shot, I actually start to laugh at myself! Read on, and you will see my meaning...

One of my MALE co-workers asked me if I was scared to get the shot...I stopped and looked him in the eye ~ my not so delicate response..."I birthed two boys, do you really think I am scared of a flu shot???"

Thought to self #1, Next time I will wait until AFTER the nurse gives me the shot before I tell her a joke...not sure what I was thinking.

Apparently I was tense...the nurse told me to relax the muscle so it wouldn't hurt so much. Thought to self #2, "Did she really just say ~wouldn't hurt SO much???"

Thought to self #3, "OOOOOOOOUCH! ~ what is she trying to do to me?" It's just a flu shot.

My goodness, she could have AT LEAST made sure the padded part of the bandage was over the gaping hole flesh wound.

Thought to self #4, back at my desk and then it hits me, "Okay why, why WHY is my arm STILL stinging?"

Next time go to the nurse NOT wearing the white medical coat. The one in the coat was only wearing it to make me THINK she had more years of experience with a jack-hammer needle.

Lastly, thought to self #5, "Was I really expecting kid gloves? I mean, come on, it was free!"

Hope your flu shot was as enjoyable as mine...

Mo's eMOticons...

As we NOW say in in our home, so 'mo'vely...

5K: The results are in...

...and I am extremely happy about them.

It did not rain.
It was not cold.
I did not finish last.
I did not walk.
I did not fall.
I never once felt my blister from this post.
Basically, I did not die...I survived!

I also did better than I anticipated.
I was passed by quite a few runners, but I did my own passing as well.
I started in the middle of the 9:00 minute pace group, and I held my own.
The course was beautiful, once I remembered to actually look around.
The University of Washington is a beautiful campus.
There were lots of inclines and hills, but they were managable.

Inclines ~ total success, I never slowed my pace.
Hills ~ total success, I did not quicken my pace.

I kept my head up, my shoulders loose...
and I even had a kick at the end.
I passed two people in the last 100 meters before the finish line!

So the Results:
Time ~ 28:41
Overall Place ~ 322 out of 1037
Division Place ~ 23 out of 160
Gender Place ~125 out of 638
Race Pace ~ 9:34 minute mile

...and now, I am ADDICTED!

I can hardly wait for my next race to create my first PR.

You may also notice that my left side bar has goal #1 struck through now!

Before the Race, Outside Huskie Stadium

Lining up at the Start/Finish Line

My Kick at the End

You can just barely see me with the Gun time of 29:14.

Me and two of my biggest fans, Cade & Morgan

One blissful runner...

Tomorrow's the day...

So I will be turning in early this evening.

Tomorrow is my first every 5K race. It means that I will have fulfilled my 1st, "Thing to do before I turn 40..." item. Check out the others I still need to do in my left hand column.

Here is where I will be tomorrow. Wish me luck, I am going to need it!

Dawg Dash

An Award...

Thank you Ace, for the award back on....ummm... October 6th! I am a little behind.

So here are 10 honest things about myself that probably only my mom and husband know...Let's be honest ~ this is going to be hard, probably embarassing, and some of the items are from almost twenty years ago!

1. When I read a book, I don't always start at the beginning...and I always know how it's going to end. Call it impatience, I am fine with that.

2. In high school I use to sneak 3-4 Schwann's strawberry fruit pops up to my room at a time...I stashed them in the waist band of my pants!

3. I love to grocery shop. I even have a pre-printed grocery list (that I made myself, and it's organized according to the rows in my store). I only have to check a box if I need to pick it up at the next visit.

4. I sneak candy, popcorn and diet pepsi into the movie theatre with me quite often.

5. I love romance novels...they are like candy and I don't have to think!

6. I ran 100m hurdles in high school and still hold some records. Best time was 14.85 seconds. I high jumped in college. That lasted 1 short year. Reason? I couldn't excel for a coach that I couldn't respect...I never realized at the time that this would by true in everything I do in life!

7. I hate to argue. Probably why my husband and I are such a good match.

8. I could never be a stay at home mom. I love my boys too much to put them through that. Some of you may disagree and I am okay with that, but for me ~ I need time away from them for myself so that when I am with them I am at my best. They need the time away from me as well.

9. My 7 year old still climbs into bed with me and Bob every night. My four year has never done this. Secretly, I am going to be sad when he no longer needs his mommy.

10. I moved to Denver, CO in 1996 without knowing anyone except my husband (boyfriend at the time & attending University of Colorado-Boulder). On my trip to interview for jobs I was honked at and flipped off by another car. I was so shaken I had to pull over and I started crying. I knew right then I had to be tougher...Now, in 2009 ~ I can let ANYTHING roll off my back. Is this good? maybe not, but if I cry its for something serious and never trivial...

Honestly speaking...

Conversation of the Afternoon...

Setting:
My car, driving to soccer in the rain, but the sun is shining at the same time. The glare is tremendous off the road and I am having a hard time seeing anything through the windshield.

Players:
Me & Morgan

Conversation:
Me: "Uuuugh! I can't see a thing through the windshield!"

Mojo: "Mommy, don't be a bully. It's not the windows fault."

Me: Now I am laughing uncontrollably and STILL able to see nothing!

Apparently all our anger management discussions are starting to get through his thick skull!

I am soooo smart...

...literally, I am brilliant!

I have been training for my 5K now for about 6 weeks. I can hardly wait! You can smell the anticipation in my home, well...you can certainly smell the sweat from all the workouts...

So let's get to my braininess. My lovely, adorable friend ~ we will call her 'C' to protect the innocent ~ liked me soooo much that she gave my these pair of shoes (look down)

I I I I I I I

VVVVVVV

Aren't they lovely? Yes, I know. To bad they turned my feet into pulverized beef. (Are human's considered beef? Anywho...) I would show you, but that would be quite tasteless. Let me stress the damage by mentioning that I had TEN bandaids on my feet.

Good News? I was at least able to make it home without crying.

Bad News? Well, I now have to run on these feet in two days!

Now, please go out and prove that you are smarter than me! Shouldn't be that difficult this week.
Tata...

I love October...

There are so many things to love about this month!

candy and fake spiders...

lots of fun costumes...

The only day during the year my door bell rings and I am NOT afraid to answer it (is anyone else like this???)

decorations and fun baked goods...

HALLOWEEN...

Reading Spookly, the Square Pumpkin and Pumpkin Soup...

Cooler Weather...

Jumping into piles of fallen leaves...

Apple Desserts and Apple Cider...

Pumpkin Patches..

Bob's JACK-O-LANTERNS...

You can't tell me all of the above doesn't get you excited for the start of the Holiday Season! (Well, except for the whole door thing...that my issue and I am working on it.)

It's coming fast so hold on tight and enjoy it while it lasts!

2009 HeartWalk...

I did something on Saturday that made me feel a wide range of emotions...

I was happy,

sad,

proud,

angry,

weepy,

smiley,

tired,

frustrated,

hopeful...

you name it.

Mojo and I participated in the 2009 Heartwalk and I am so glad we did it. It was a 5K Walk that helped raise money and bring awareness to the #1 killer in this country.

and not only did I walk the 3.1 miles to the finish line...

I got to carry a 40 pound child on my shoulders for half of it.

(hence the 'tired' description above)

happy~to be running after Mojo, my energizer bunny, the whole time

sad~to see all the names of those who have passed this year

Proud~to be a part of this large group

angry~well, only because Morgan left his listening ears at home

weepy~to see all the pictures of those who are no longer here

smiley~to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end

tired~as mentioned above thanks to Mojo

frustrated~that I did not do more

hopeful~because next year, I will do more!

If you have never done a charity event I highly urge you to try just one.

It is very fullfilling and energizes you to do more...

to do better...

to make a difference...

even if it is small...

it is something.