Black Eye?!

As I was driving away from school today I checked my messages to find one from Cy's school. Hannah, the front desk woman, called to tell me that Cy woke up from his nap with a rug burn on his eye and that they weren't exactly sure what happened. They said that he didn't cry at all and that his little friend, Able, went up to him after nap and pointed at his eye saying, "Cyrus has boo boo". Very strange. Apparently, his sheet wasn't covering the cot fully and his eye rubbed on the vinyl part... I don't know. It doesn't seem to bother him but it's definitely a shiner!

 Can I just say, my son takes the worst pictures in the world. I don't get it. His eyelid is not swollen and overlapping his eye, he just manages this face the second before I take the picture!

Poor baby:(

Little Snoozer

Cyrus decided that he was not going to nap on Sunday. I didn't push it because we have never had an issue with him falling asleep or going to bed so I figured he just really didn't need a nap. We had a fun filled day of playing and swimming and when we got home from the pool Cy went to his playroom while I went to the kitchen to make dinner. It was VERY quite so I went to find Cy and this is what I found...

He was dead asleep in the middle of the floor! I picked him up and put him on the couch and he was out. I let him sleep until dinner was ready and then made him get up to eat. I debated it because I knew he was so tired but I also knew that if he did not eat he would have woken up at 3am starving!

Bob The Builder

Cy came home from Ji Ji and Pops dressed like this. I asked him who he was and he told me "Bob The Builder". This kid cracks me up:)

Robert Earl Keen

Brad and I had the most wonderful date day on Saturday! We started off the day by heading to the climbing gym for a few hours while Doc watched Cy. We are enjoying going to Peak on the weekends a bit to get some together time and climbing in again.  We're both feeling stronger and enjoying our own little projects at the gym and it's nice to have the comfort and support of one another there as we work through these climbs.
After climbing, the boys (Doc, Todd, Brad, & Matt) had a guys lunch at Legend and Cy and I went to run some errands and grab some lunch. We were going to go to California Pizza Kitchen but the wait was about 30 minutes so we went to Fireside Grill which I have been wanting to try. The food was great but Cy was a challenge. He just doesn't want to sit still anymore and being there alone with him was tough. It's no wonder I don't see too many mamas out with their 2 year olds to lunch, it was more work than it was worth I'm afraid!!
After lunch, we headed home so Cy could nap and I could get ready for my date night with my wonderful husband. We started off the evening at Buckheads, which was fabulous. Brad, of course, thought that Buckheads was much too stuffy for him but I LOVED it. I admit it, I like stuff resturants occassionally and the wine was delicious!!

 Heading out for dinner and some good music!

 All dolled up and ready, as dolled up as you can be for a country concert anyway:)

Dinner and drinks at Buckheads before heading to the show.

From dinner, we headed downtown to The National to see Robert Earl Keen! What a great show! We had the BEST time and I enjoyed every minute of it. Cy spent the night at Ji Ji and Pops so we got to sleep in a little on Sunday before going to pick Cy up. It was so nice to have some time with just Brad and I, it's so important to do that and we go for such long stretches without taking time out for each other.

"Cookies"

So there is this mom who drops her (3) children off each morning at daycare about the same time that Cy and I arrive.  She is this dischelved and grumpy woman, not that I am judging but I do see her everyday, and I can't say that I blame her. I actually think she has 5 children but 2 are older. Either way, she drops the little ones off and the baby goes to the baby room and the slightly older one comes to Cy's room. And, every single day, this woman leaves these children with what I can assume she believes to be breakfast. Again, I try not to judge but this makes me  crazy. She leaves them each morning with some form of Little Debbie cupcake, twinkie, oatmeal pie, gummies, etc... to start their day and I just want to tell her that in the amount of time that she takes going to the pantry to grab the sugar filled crap she could be grabbing something heathly for her children to be starting the day on the right foot.
I am always on the look out for good easy recipes that are healthy and delicious for my little man. He LOVES bars and asks for them constantly but as I have said before, even the organic ones are questionable on some ingredients so I've been trying to make healthy alternatives for him on Sundays for the week. Right now, we're on the power cookie which he LOVES. It contains whole wheat flour, almond paste, an egg, oatmeal. protein powder, flax seed, unsweetened applesauce, agave nectar, brown sugar (or truvia), cinnamon, vanilla, almond extract, almond slivers and cranberries. They are not as sweet as normal cookies but he believes that they are and LOVES them, and so do I. They take 10 mins. to mix up and 15 to back and voila, you are ready for the week for breakfast or after school snacks.

The Recipe:

1.         Power Cookie: 2/3c unsweetened applesauce, 2T almond paste, 1T flaxseed oil, 1/4C brown
      sugar, ¼ C agave, 1 egg, ½ t vanilla, ¾ C whole wheat flour, ½ t baking soda, 1t cinnamon, ½ t salt,
      ¼ t pepper, ½ c vanilla whey protein powder, 2 c. oats, 1 c. dried cherries, ½ c. sliced almonds. Heat
      oven to 350*. Beat together applesauce, almond paste, flaxseed oil, truvia, and agave.  Beat in egg
      and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, baking soda, salt, pepper & whey powder. Beat thoroughly. Stir in
      oats, cherries and almonds. Mix well. Drop the batter by lg. Tblsp onto a cookie sheet previously
      sprayed with cooking oil. Should have 18 cookies. Flatten each cookies with the back of the spoon.
      Bake 16 – 18 minutes (until brown). Remove and cool. Store in plastic container.

Everybody's Love Bug

Cyrus is turning into such a cool little human! He is all "2" right now but in a way it's really great. He's got such a personality and is starting to figure out complicated things like friendships and happiness and anger, etc...I think daycare plays a huge role in this because he's able to fortify these relationships with kids his own age but they don't coddle him the way that I or his teachers do so that is interesting to him. His teachers LOVE him and tell him so and he is totally uninhibited to tell them he loves them in return which I love. And then, of course, there is his relationship with us which is all about boundry testing and limit pushing right now. At times, I find it to be very frustruating when I'm in a hurry or trying to do something (like make dinner) but if I take the moment to watch this teachable moment, I remember that he really is so amazing.

JiJi and Pop came over for dinner and I caught Cy and Pop reading in his room:) Love this.

MLK Day

Cyrus created a picture of Dr. King at school today. I thought this was awesome, for all the things that his school does that I don't like, they are always making sure the kids are aware of what is going on around them regardless of how old they are. MLK is one of my heros, hands down. The strides that he made for our country and the lengths that he went to accomplish these is unfathomable to me. He was 39 years old when he was murdered, he accomplished more in his short life span than the majority of people will ever hope to accomplish in their entire lives.

So, I thought it was special that Cy showed me the picture that he colored today with MLK. I asked him who that was and he said "Dr. King". Very awesome.

My two favorite quotes:

I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture of their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land.
— Martin Luther King Jr.

Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights.
You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in.” ~MLK

 

Wintergreen, VA

Brad and I took 8 eigth grade students from Steward to Wintergreen for the day. I had planned this trip with my Outdoor Club about a month ago and it actually took quite a bit of planning, organizing, money gathering, etc... to get it off the ground. So, when it was a torrential freezing rain downpour at midnight on Friday night I was hesitant to go to say the least but wanted to at least see the kids before bagging the whole trip.
We arrived at Steward at 6:30AM on Saturday morning, in the freezing rain. The kids, of course, were psyched about going and ready to load the bus so we said "what the heck" and decided to give it a go. I am so glad we did.
By time we arrived at Wintergreen, the skies had cleared and it turned out to be a beautiful day!! The snow was awesome and the bad weather helped to hold off the crowds so it became the most perfect day:)

I hung back with the non-skiers for the morning to give them pointers and help them get the hang of it while Brad took the more experienced kids around the mountain. We all met up for lunch at 12:30 and then split off into partners after that. Brad and I took one boy who is really good to the back side of the mountain where the "blacks" are. In Steamboat speak, these were barely "blues" but they were fun and steep and the snow was awesome regardless. So, we toured the whole mountain all afternoon before heading back to Steward at 4:00.  It was a fabulous day and I LOVED being able to ski with Brad today. It is absolutely one of our favorite things to do together and we had a blast, so did the kids!

Composting

I am reading The Omnivore's Dilemma right now and it is affirming the fact that I need to take control of the food that my family is eating. This fast pace world in which we live drives a "here and now" mentality from consumers and we demand too much food from farmers too fast and the result is food laden with chemicals and pesticides and genetically modified to be bigger and sweeter and it's enough. So, that being said. I have started my compost for the spring and plan to plant a beautiful garden this year. In Steamboat, we only had 39 frost free days so it was difficult to grow anything really. Here, I plan to grow corn, kale, spinach, tomatoes, jalapenos, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, squash, carrots and soybeans. I am going to convert a large section of our backyard for this experiment and hope that it is fruitful in all senses of the word.

Sunday Funday

I didn't get any pictures of our Sunday Funday today unfortunately but we had a Cooke Family adventure day today. We went to the pool (I know, far from the adventurous Shayna we all know and love) and to the climbing gym. Cy bailed on the climbing gym this evening and stayed with Jill and Doc for a bit while Brad and I went. We had a great time. It is so nice to be climbing again, my muscles have missed it. I'm going weekly with my school but don't get to climb very often because I'm belaying most of the time. Brad and I each did about 5 routes and were feeling good. He did really well too! Last time we went he struggled quite a bit and this time he scampered up the wall.
Next weekend we are going to take Cy and let him try. They have full body harnesses that he can climb in so we'll see how that goes. I know he's going to love it!!

Conflicted

Ok, my sweet son is going through something and I am having a hard time with it. He is obsessed with his Daddy right now. I mean obsessed. He wants to know where his Dad is all the time and when he's around he wants nothing to do with me. Here's the problem with this, everything in my world revolves around my son (and my husband) and everything I do is done to benefit him in some way. So, you can say that I am feeling slighted at the least. It really hurts my feelings. Friends have told me to expect this around 3 but I'd say we're a little early:( I talked to Mom about it and she said Shawn did the same thing when he was little, and I get it; I mean I know Dad is fun. He and Brad play and play and play all day. With me, we run errands and cook and clean but with Dad they wrestle and tickle and build forts and I can't compete with that. If I did, nothing would get done around the house. I feel like this goes back to my Resolutions and me finding a balance but things have to get done. Blah! Let's hope this new phase passes quickly!!

Back To The Capital

Friday morning I met the entire 8th grade at Steward at 6:45 and we boarded two buses and headed back to the Nation's Capital. I was just going along as a chaperone to help Chip Chapman keep the kids in line and I'm so glad I did. We had a great time. We started the day at the Holocaust Museum which is difficult to describe. It was awe inspiring and educational and infuriating and just plain sad. I had never had the pleasure to go before and was so glad that I did. There was so much about the Holocaust that I didn't know before, although I am glad that my eyes have been opened I find it sad and hard to digest. My heart is simply not big enough to handle so much hatred and pain...which is why I can't watch the news in the evenings.
After the Holocaust museum we went to the National Gallery for lunch, the Natural History Museum and the American History Museum with my small group of kids and then to the Old Post Office for dinner. We arrived home about 9:00...it was a great day.

Beach Weather?!

After an uneventful Saturday, Brad and I decided that we were going to take Cy to Virginia Beach for the day on Sunday. It's about a 2 hour trip down to the beach and it would be nice to get out of town for the day. Cy had never been to the beach so we were excited to witness his reaction!!

We loaded the car at about 830 Sunday morning and headed south. We arrived about 1030 and it was literally a ghost town. The shops were closed, the boardwalk was closed and there were very few people around for the day. It was perfect:)

Cy was intrigued but wasn't sure what to do with all the sand. He was excited but when I took his sandals off and he needed to walk barefoot on the sand he was not psyched about that. It took about 3 minutes for him to get into it however once I took all the trucks and cars out of the "fun bucket" for him. He played and played for about 3 hours non-stop. While Cy and I played, Brad hit the waves. He brought his kayak along and surfed for about 2 hours in the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean:) I had no inclination to get in that water, it was very very cold:( I just don't do cold water and that is that. I told Brad we'll come back in the Summer and I'll surf away but for our beach day I was content to hang with my little man and just enjoy the day.

Fitness Update...

We are still at it, today was day 7 and I am down (just shy) of 7 pounds! This is amazing to me. It's not easy and there are so many things I want to eat but this is good for me. I am starting to really evaluate what I eat and how much I eat and what I really need. The no sugar and the no flour part are the hardest for me but I'm getting through it. Actually, I'm having less and less cravings for these foods which I am happy about. I do wish there was more variety, especially for dinner, but the continual losing of weight is validating and helps me to stay the course. So, I have about 9 pounds to go to hit my goal weight and I am hoping that I can hit that by Spring Break! We are either planning a trip to Colorado or to the beach/islands, either way I'd love to be lighter and leaner by then:) I haven't been working out very much this week because I didn't want to become too hungry and mess everything up but today I was feeling good and strong so I went for a 3.2 mile run and swam about 600 yds. It felt great. I am going to try to start doing something for at least 30 mintues 5 days a week until I hit my goal weight. Once I can start adding a bit more food back in I can start training again...tri season is just around the corner:) Yea!

Stay tuned...

Starting Fresh...

I have been thinking about my Resolutions quite a bit since the new year began but was not prepared to put them down on paper just yet, I had some fine tuning to do and now I feel ready, so here goes:

Self:

• Drop those pesky 10 pounds that have been hanging around this year. I'm not sure how they crept up on me but they did and I want them gone. I am down 8 and have just a few more to go now. I am using the "17 Day Diet" and it's great. My problem is that I have been sneaky snacking these past few days and have halted my weight loss so I need to reign that in again a bit.
• I know this is silly but I must start putting my clothes away at the end of the evening. My house is spotless everywhere but in my bedroom and the culprit is my clothing, laying on the trunk at the end of the bed. No matter how I try I can't get myself to hang it back up.
• Focus more on my boys while I am home and less on the dust bunnies in the corner. Brad thinks I am neurotic, he's probably right. I need to find a balance between play time and snuggle time and constantly working around the house.
• Races: sign up and do them.  I only did one local triathlon in VA last year and would like to up that number to 4 - 5. I am definitely doing the Patriots in Williamsburg again this year but I'll do the sprint rather than the 1/2 Ironman. I need to find a few other sprints and Olympic distances as well as a few running races (including 1 - 2 half marathons).

Marriage

• I had originally put on here that Brad and I are doing just fine and though that is true, there is always room for improvement so, I plan to focus more on my husband in the evenings and take time to talk to him about his day. I would also like to be nicer to him on a daily basis, sweeter actually. I am generally nice but not always sweet. 
• We used to have a weekly date night and I would like to implement that again bi-weekly at least.
• Continue to do things that we enjoy together, especially outdoor activities when we are both happiest.

Financial

• Work on financial stability after many many years of instability. 
• Put some money away in savings each and every month, regardless of how much
• Stick to the budget better, we're pretty good but we could be better
• Reduce our debt to income ratio
  

So, there you have it. Pretty ambitious year I think but all worthy of my time and attention. I am hoping that writing it here will help to keep me accountable throughout this year.

Happy New Year!

Well, here it is. January 1st, 2012! Amazing, I don't know where the time goes but it sure goes fast (I'm pretty sure those are country song lyrics or something). We had a blast ringing in the New Year with the Anders and crew this year. We stayed until 1:30 in the morning and only went home because Cyrus refused to go to bed. He was not fussy in the slightest but was not interested in missing anything, so, he stayed up in his Batman PJs and partied with the rest of us:) It was such a wonderful way to end this fabulous year!