Welcome to the World Grace

Uncle Mike has long held a special place in our boys' hearts.  He is that super fun uncle who is willing to get on the floor and wrestle, head into the backyard and play sports or to dress up like a villian for your superhero birthday party and let 16 kids spray him with silly string at the same time.

Mike also won the award for "Best Brother-in-law Ever" several years ago when he babysit all 3 of our little guys so that Jon could surprise me with a dinner and show in the city for my birthday.  At the time, all three boys were in diapers and under the age of 3 so it was very impressive to me that Mike would willingly sign up for it.  I know a lot of men who would easily find an excuse to get out of that request!  

In June 2011, Mike improved his rankings in our family by marrying Sonja. Here is our family at their wedding.

I'm about 37 weeks pregnant with Caleb here if you're wondering about the large belly and swollen face.

 The boys were smitten with Sonja when they first met her at Aaron's 2nd birthday party.

They counted down the days until they could officially call her Aunt Sonja.  At their wedding, Aaron cried when his turn to dance with her was over.  Apparently, three-year-olds do not understand the concept of the dollar dance and that it is short-lived.

I'll never forget this look that Aaron gave Sonja: complete love.

Earlier this year, we found out that Uncle Mike & Aunt Sonja were expecting a baby.  They didn't find out if it was a boy or girl ahead of time, so we were anxiously awaiting the news of Baby Shogren's arrival.  You may remember her baby shower (http://outnumbered-ls.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-will-it-bee.html).  The boys, especially Aaron, were really hoping for a girl since our family has none.

On October 21st, Grace LaVon arrived weighing 6 pounds 13 ounces.  She is gorgeous--a petite, sweet, darling baby girl!!!  The boys literally jumped up and down when we told them that she was here and a GIRL.  James cried when he heard that Jon & I were going to the hospital to visit Grace and that he couldn't come.

I will never, ever tire of the miracle of a newborn life and getting to hold a day old baby.  There is nothing like it!

So, we promised that we'd take them to meet Grace as soon as Mike and Sonja were home and up to it.  Yesterday, we finally delivered on that promise.  Since we are a lot of people, noise and commotion, we stopped by for a very short visit and didn't bring our wildest little one (Caleb) along this time.  Here are a few pictures from the boys meeting Grace for the first time. 

Proud Daddy showing off his baby girl.

Grace in a crowd of boys.

Then the boys took turns holding her (with some help from mom).

Aaron and baby Grace.

Andrew checking her out. 

James' turn.

Next they whispered secrets to her like "You're super cute" (James), "I knew you'd be a girl" (Aaron) and "You're even tinier than Harvey" (Andrew).

Before we left, Uncle Mike gave the boys a few minutes of wrestling.  I cannot imagine why they like him so much?!?!

We are so thankful that Grace is here and healthy.  The fact that she is adorable and sweet is just icing on the cake.  God is good!  We look forward to watching her grow over the coming years.  She is one blessed little girl with a set of awesome parents who love her more than words can say.  We also hope to finally repay Uncle Mike & Aunt Sonja (with babysitting services) for the many, many hours of babysitting help that they've given our family over the years.

My Marathon Top Ten List

Its been two weeks since 'Marathon Weekend' and I finally have some pictures from the day (thanks to my mom) as well as some random thoughts about the experience.

Spectators and runners together after the race.  We met up at the Congress Hotel Lobby where we could stay warm while everyone slowly trickled in after finishing.

Here, in no particular order, are my ten favorite memories from doing the Chicago Marathon.

1.  My family.  My parents and three siblings all live in different states from me (TX, PA, MN and DE).  Its difficult for us to get together logistically.  All of us were together for this weekend because of the marathon.  I got to run this race with my husband and brothers.  And my parents, sister, brother- in-law and some of the kids were our superfans.  They trekked into the city, rode the "L", stood in the cold in order to see us at 11 miles and 21 miles.  It was awesome!  I didn't realize how much I'd look forward to them being at mile 21....it was so special.  Just the encouragement I needed.  While it may seem silly to some people to come see adults run a marathon, to me, its just one more example of how family loves each other by showing up (despite crazy logistics), encouraging each other, and celebrating when you meet a goal.

2.  Somewhere on the northside of Chicago, there was a retirement home that we ran past.  I think it was around mile 5.  The residents were on the second floor, which appeared to be a common area.  They were pushed up to the windows, some in their wheelchairs, and were all waving at the runners.  This was my favorite spectator moment from the race.  I cannot tell you how cool it was to wave to them, make eye contact and see them waving/smiling back at you.  Loved it!

3. I didn't lose any toenails during my six months of training or on race day.  If you aren't a runner or don't know one, you may not realize it, but its fairly common to lose toenails.  Its the worst.  I've had it happen in the past when I was training for a half marathon and I did not like it.  Thankfully they do make press-on toenails as I learned a few years ago.  However, I'm even more grateful that I didn't have to sport any this summer.  Yay!

4. I didn't have to stop to use the porti-potty at all during the race.  If you've ever ventured into a porti-pot on race day, you realize why this is so awesome.  It is not somewhere you want to go unless its an emergency. That's all I have to say about that.

5. The signs.  People had all sorts of signs that they held up to encourage the runners.  My favorite was "Worst Parade Ever."   I saw it many times and always liked it.  There were also inspirational ones like "Someday you won't be able to do this, today is NOT that day."  And some current event references like "Don't worry, the race will be measured in Paul Ryan time" or "This race lasts longer than Kim Kardashian's marriage."  Bottom line:  I spent a lot of time reading signs along the way.  Some made me chuckle, some made me cringe and cheesy as it may be, some of them inspired me to keep running.

6.  The smell of chocolate.  I'm not sure what it was, but several times when we crossed through downtown, there was a smell of hot chocolate.  I'm not sure if it was a factory or bakery or what.  It was strong, delicious, and made downing my chocolate energy gels even more enjoyable. Yum!

7.  Good friends being at mile 23 and one jumping in and running with me for a minute or two.  I was starting to get sore and thinking that I might not have enough left to keep running at a good pace (at least a good pace for me).  When I turned the corner at 35th street to head north towards the finish line, I saw a group of friends and my brother-in-law & sister-in-law.  As soon as I saw them, I started screaming.  I was so excited to see them!  And the short conversation I had with Claire as I kept running was just the little "extra" I needed.  I also had another surprise at mile 26 when I saw my a former (notice how I didn't call her "old") coworker there.  It was right at the base of a tiny hill.  At this point, my hips and knees were really tight.  She leaned over and yelled "Go Leslie, Go, GO" and so I attacked that last little hill.  Thanks Wendy!

8.  I actually talked out loud to myself from mile 25 to 26.  Not continuously, but thoughts here and there.  I'm not sure what all I said as it really was a blur that last mile or so.  "This is starting to hurt" and a few pep talks like "you can do this" or "come one Leslie" were the main things.  I looked around me and there were people who were running with relative easy, some in lots of pain with grimaces on their faces and some who were struggling to walk.  That last mile is etched in my mind.  People struggling, spectators yelling "finish strong" and willing myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  It kinda makes me wish we could translate this into other parts of our lives more easily...the cheering others on from the sidelines when they are struggling.  At a big race like this, its easy.  You're there to cheer them on.  Its not complicated, there are no string attached.  People want you to do well.  They want you to finish strong.  They cheer for anyone, not just their loved ones. 

9.  I called my my mom around mile 10 and left her a voicemail letting her know we just passed mile 10 all while continuing to run.  I wasn't sure where exactly my family would be and if they knew when we'd be passing them.  It was a surreal moment as I was still in a sea of thousands of runners and I was leaving a casual message for my mom just like any other day.

10.  Finishing!  A finish line has never looked so good.  After months of training, coming back from an injury, and scheduling our lives around our mid-week and long runs, it felt awesome to cross the finish line.  On a sidenote, I was able to watch the marathon on demand a few days later and actually watch myself cross the finish line as they had a camera running for several hours at the finish line.  It was kinda strange to see myself cross.  I was running and I did have a smile on my face.  At the time, I felt a bit in a daze so I wasn't sure how I actually looked.  Now I know.

All bundled up and waiting in our Coral.  We shed all the extra sweatshirts and pants when there was only five minutes left.  I think its so cool that all the extra clothing is taken to Goodwill.  It would have been nice though if more people had piled their clothing on the sides instead of in the middle of the street.  It was a bit dicey the first mile or so with discarded clothing here and there and trying not to trip.

My brother Dan at mile 11.  This was his 20th marathon.  He is all smiles.  Clearly, he knows that he can do this without a problem.

My big bro Travis at mile 11.  Again, this is not his first marathon, so he is feeling confident and good.

Jon & I leaning down to talk to James at mile 11.

Leaving mile 11 and waving to my niece Lauren. 

Jon doing great at 21 miles.

The cheering squad.  Our youngest fan, Harvey, was just 5 weeks old and next to him was one of our oldest fans, Pa Lynn.  We will skip talking about his age.

After the race with James. 

We did it.  All those running dates paid off and we were well trained.

Me and my daddy

The four runners.

We did it!  Time to recover and start training to do it again in Memphis on Dec 1st.

The One Mile Race

Today was finally the day that James & Andrew got to run their one mile race.  It was a gorgeous fall day, especially for Chicago which is not known to have the fall season.  We usually go straight from summer into winter.  It was a bit chilly first thing this morning, so we arrived all bundled up. 

We pulled out some new superhero hats & gloves which they are showing off.

We had about an hour to kill between packet pickup and the kid races.  Thankfully, the race was based out of the Prospect Heights park district center so there was a baseball field with a few kid activities and plenty of space to run around. The three big boys all got their faces painted with superhero masks. 

Caleb entertained himself by running around dragging hula hoops behind him.  I'm sure the hula hoops were meant for some type of game, but no one was playing it.  And, it kept him happy for a good 20 minutes, so we didn't interfere.

James and Andrew lined up for the one mile race and it seemed to me that there was only one kid younger/smaller than them.  An older girl who ran her first 5k today gave them a little pep talk before the race.  The race director gave them directions about the course and then they were off. 

They paid close attention, but I was still worried that they'd make a wrong turn.

And they're off to a super speedy start.  Seriously, the kids were all sprinting right away.

I walked partway down the course and was able to see them pass by about halfway through the race.  Andrew was so focused & determined and James was all smiles and happy when they passed by me. 

Aaron and I hightailed it to the finish line and cheered them both on.  Andrew finished in 9:02 minutes and James finished in 9:58.  They both did a good 90 seconds faster than our last practice run.

Andrew coming down the finish line.  Afterwards I asked him if he heard us cheering, but he was concentrating too much and didn't really hear or see us.

James ran past and gave Aaron, Andrew & I high fives on his way to the finish line.

They were definitely tired and both went for their water bottles right away.  After they caught their breath, they were super excited and proud of their race.  They are already talking about doing it again next year, or maybe even the 5k.  These guys amaze me.  I'm pretty sure there is no way that I could have or would have been interested in running for 10 minutes straight when I was six-years-old. 

Finished...time for water!

Next up, Aaron got to do a 50 yard dash.  He was the youngest by far.  It was for kids 9 and under, but everyone else was over 7 years old. 

Kids lining up at the start.  Aaron is in the middle.

 Before the race, he informed me that he wasn't going to get sad or cry at all this race (unlike the race last month where he was confused about the start).  He kept his word.  And he got a finisher's ribbon (which both of his brothers were slightly jealous of). 

So proud of his finisher's ribbon.

Here is a quick picture of my three speedy racers before we got back in the car and headed home.

Pumpkin Party

Our boys LOVE to party.  It might have something to do with the fact that both Jon & I love to host and go to parties.  So, we're always looking for excuses to have parties.

A few years back, we started having an annual "pumpkin" party with friends.  Its a mix of Halloween and Fall themed activities.  Back when we had our first party, we had 5-6 families part of it but that was when most people had 1-2 children.  Now, many of our family friends have 3 to 4 children and busy schedules, so we can't have that many families at once.  So, sometimes we have two parties.

All week the boys were counting down the days until Friday afternoon when we would have our official Pumpkin Party Playdate.  As soon as we got home from picking the twins up from school, they all got into their costumes and anxiously awaited the arrival of their friends.

It was hard to get the lion to hold still and keep his costume on.  I did manage to get a few quick shots of him before our guests arrived.  Its a good thing because he quickly fell apart and basically screamed nonstop during our party activities unless I was holding him.  He did take a short break from screaming to wow my friend Melissa with his amazing climbing skills (on top of the plastic desk in the kitchen that he scooted over to the railing to make it extra dangerous and up/down the stairs).  It was almost like a dinner show. 

Our party ended up being a little smaller since our good friends the Cordells got a flat tire on the way to our house and couldn't come.  And by smaller, I mean 7 children rather than 11 (all 6 years old & younger).  Since we have 4 kids, I don't even begin to worry about space until we get to the point where we are over triple our family's number of kids (12 or more).

First, we had a pumpkin hunt in the toyroom.  There were 2 mini pumpkins for each child to find. I hid them in a hurry and didn't pay attention to where I put them.  Big mistake!  Orange pumpkins don't stick out that easily among all these colorful plastic toys.  Thankfully my friend Melissa helped James find the last pumpkin which had fallen to the bottom of the superhero bin.

Then we decorated the pumpkins.  In the past we've done stickers, modpodge with tissue paper squares, and painting with paintbrushes. This year, I saw something on pinterest on how to make them into "Monster Pumpkins."  We covered the stems with pipe cleaners, squeezed on crayola paint pens (washable of course!), and then put google eyes on them. 

After that, we went downstairs and played Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin.  I saw this game at the Target Dollar Spot, so I bought it.  The mask broke immediately (big surprise), so we improvised and had Melissa cover their eyes with her hands.  I think the kids actually liked it more this way since they thought it was sillier.

Next up was a gourmet dinner of Little Caesar's Pizza, breadsticks and grapes. I did put forth some effort and make a grilled chicken salad for the moms so we didn't have to subject ourselves to hour old Little Caesar's pizza.

We played some more and then decorated pumpkin and leaf shaped sugar cookies that I had made earlier in the day.  Note to self: next year, do NOT put out shredded coconut out as a decorating/topping option as your children will manage to spray coconut shreds ALL over the entire kitchen.  Seriously, I've vacuumed twice and I'm still finding it.  However, I did discover that James & Aaron love coconut.  Who knew?

Earlier in the day, I had made the cookies while the big boys were all at school.  We had leaf and pumpkin shapes.   Caleb "helped" by banging measuring spoons and mixing bowls in the other room.

We got a quick shot of everyone together before the wheels came off and the kids were ready for bed.  If you're wondering why James is making that face, he apparently got poked in the eye right before we got everyone to sit down.  Despite taking  at least seven different pictures, I was unable to get one where he actually had both eyes open.  As soon as I was done taking the pictures, his eye was fine and he had it open.  Of course!

As usual, my boys had a blast.  It doesn't take much to make it a "party" for them...a simple craft, some friends, one or two games and voila....Pumpkin Party.  They are already asking me about when our next party will be.  Here is a parting shot of their pumpkins, which after 24 hours are still not completely dry (oops..maybe should have used different paint) but turned out pretty great.