Dam to Dam

I started "running" about a year ago. My friend Laura had been running and I decided to try the "Couch to 5k" to both lose weight and get healthier.  I started the program last year around Memorial Day and my goal was to runa local 5k for my birthday at the end of August.  I made it, and ran the 5k with a time of 41:something.  I was happy with that.  :)  I ran another 5k at the end of October and had a time of 38:something.

Sometime later I decided to try something crazy.  Try to run Dam to Dam.  A 20k.  Crazy.  I bit off a little more than I could chew, but I finished and they gave me a medal! (They actually gave us 4 medals when they saw how many kids came to cheer for me :) 

My final time ended up being 2:33:something which was slower than I practiced and slower than I wanted.  I'm already planning to give it another go next year with Joel's sister Emily.  I can't wait!

After the race:

 A picture of me with my "coach," Laura :)

 My big regret is that I didn't get a picture of my cheering section!  I think I had the most fans of anyone!! Thank you guys all so much for coming down to DSM and for encouraging me!  I needed you and I'm so grateful for all your love and encouragement :)

Home on the Range

A few weeks ago, we had a kids "clothing swap" at our church.  You bring in however many items you want to swap, you get a ticket for each item and then you come back later to "shop" with your tickets.  Really - a fantastic idea.

So I took the three youngest kids with me to drop off our stuff one Friday morning.  While I was putting our stuff on the assigned tables, Grant and Riley were shopping the toy selection...  I never really went over and supervised them, I just told them not to make a mess. 

After we left and for the rest of the day, Grant asked me if he could use one of the tickets to get the "cow-in-the-box".  "I really want to get the cow in the box.  Please, Mom?  Please?"  I was vague and unpromising - "yeah, we'll see."  (And I was sort of curious what he was talking about.)

It turns out this was actually a "Horse-In-The-Box" (this ones for you, Em!) and was straight from The Land of the Misfit Toys. I let him get it and it was worth it because every time "Home on the Range" finished playing and the horse popped out, Grant's giggle was hysterical - over and over and over and over again...  :)

"Twin" Day

The kids think its fun to match so one Sunday they were all "twins".  :)

Reagan's last night of AWANA

Reagan has been going to AWANA on Wednesdays this year.   This is a video from their awards' night.  Reagan is in the middle with the khaki capris and her friend Sofie is to the right of Reagan (there's one blonde girl between them. :)  I love this program because Reagan has learned a lot of scripture and a lot about God.

One day she told me, "Mom, I know the Holy Spirit lives in me."  I said, "Really? Tell me about that." She said she was reading at night before she went to sleep and we had told her she could read two chapters and then turn off the light.  When she finished her two chapters she really wanted to read more.  She said she debated with herself - "I knew it would be wrong to disobey you, but I really, really wanted to read one more chapter. So I laid there and thought about it and the Holy Spirit was telling me to obey my parents, but I really wanted to read more.  I fell asleep while I was thinking about it and that's how I know the Holy Spirit lives in me - He was helping me."  :)  

I Love My Kids

But I HATE potty training. AAAHHHHHHH. I. HATE. IT.

I hate that the baby tries to touch everything and gets in the way. I hate cleaning up mess, after mess, after mess, after mess. And I can't show anything but encouragement to the tiny, (trying) mess-maker when all I feel like doing is screaming!

Between the baby getting molars and the potty training puddles (and worse), I'm totally losing it. Totally.

I need to go outside and scream out loud, but my neighbors are all home from work, so I'm experimenting with yelling on a blog as therapy. Thanks for your help.

And now I have some laundry to do.

Our Bartlett Family Wish List:

Reagan is wishing for her two front teeth this Christmas. She is six and is looking very much like a first grader right now! Her favorite parts of school are recess and ELP and she has read more fairy books than I can count. Besides reading, she loves singing, making crafts, and helping to cook. She goes to AWANA on Wednesday nights and has started a cheerleading program called Upward at our church this winter.

Grant is wishing for food this Christmas – any type of food - because “he is always hungry”. Grant is four and started preschool two days a week this fall. He is a chatterbox when Reagan is not around and like I said, he loves to eat! Grant will tell you he loves “sports” but what he really likes is throwing things, tackling things, jumping on things and running around.

Riley is wishing for anything Reagan and Grant have. She is nearly three and keeps up with the older two like it’s her job. She will not eat vegetables or spaghetti sauce for anything and loves Elmo, Dora, and the color purple. She is as cute as any little girl I’ve seen and loves back scratches and “cuddling Mommy”.

Jackson is wishing for more pacifiers, blankies and attention. He is fourteen months old and is not interested in walking. Instead of crawling, he scoots around the house on his bottom – it is a funny thing to watch! Jackson loves his brother & sisters and he’s usually a happy little guy – except at the church nursery.

I (Sally) am wishing for a little peace and quiet – emphasis on the word “little”. (Too much quiet usually means trouble around here. :) I love, love, love being able to stay home with the kids, but there are days when I could use a nap. I am trying hard to bottle up all these baby years and little kid snuggles while also trying to teach the kids to love each other and stop fighting.

Joel is wishing for world peace this year… or um… ok. I don’t actually know because I didn’t ask him. I need to finish this letter or it will become a “New Year’s Wish List” and that doesn’t work as well. This was Joel’s 6th year working as a mechanical engineer for The Baker Group in Des Moines. His co-workers seem to like him despite his habit of whistling whatever tune is in his head. We are thankful that despite the downturn in the construction industry, Joel has stayed busy again this year.

All of us are wishing for you to have a joyous and meaningful Christmas. We are celebrating with you the birth of baby Jesus “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” I wonder what He would wish for this year.

Merry Christmas!
Sally (and Joel, Reagan, Grant, Riley, and Jackson)

All I Want For Christmas...

...is my two front teeth!

Reagan on 12/6/11:

Reagan on 12/13/11:

Reagan on 12/14/11:

Reagan today 12/20/11:

(Aunt Sandy - it was exactly 6 days before her other front tooth fell out!)