Halloween 2015

Yee haw! Halloween was a success this year!

Layla wanted to be a cowgirl, and Marcus is still young enough that he was willing to go along with anything, so he was a cowboy.

We had lots of festivities this year! Layla had a party at school where she wore her costume and I volunteered to help with the Bingo game. It was fun to see Layla in her classroom, speaking Chinese, and partying with her friends.

We went to the ward party. Mitch and I were on the committee and it was actually fun to help put that together. The decorations were awesome and the kids had a blast playing the games and the food was good too! My mom came to the party with us since Mitch was out of town. He actually flew in that night, so he made it to the tail end of the party. I even dressed up in Katie's Cleopatra costume that night since Layla had been begging me to dress up. I guess I should be more festive for my kid's sake!

We had fun at Mammey and Papa Bott's house on Sunday with a Halloween dinner. The kids wore their costumes, decorated sugar cookies and pumpkins, and made pizza. They loved it!

Today we're going to my parent's and get to see Evelyn in her costume. She's going to be a hedgehog. Soooooooooo cute! I can't wait to squeeze her! I have no doubt that our dinner will be yummy and we will have fun playing Halloween Bingo. :)


Mitch took the kids trick-or-treating. They were out for two hours and had SO much fun! Marcus rode in the stroller in between houses and carried him up and down the stairs to speed up the process. Their buckets were full when they got back and they made me laugh because the first thing they decided to eat was a bag of Cheetos! Ha! After each house, Marcus would say, "Next house!" And when he got home, he told me in his cute little voice, "Trick or treat is fun, Mom!" Layla had a great time and was able to see some of her friends. She looked cute and is great at remembering to say thank you at each house. I loved her excitement the whole afternoon leading up to trick or treating; she literally could not hold still! She made me laugh and reminded me what it was like to be a kid.

We had a great Halloween! Until next year!

Potty Training

Maybe that title is deceiving. I haven't officially started potty training Marcus yet, but we have made some minor attempts. We bought him a potty since Layla's old princess one didn't quite have the splash guard that a boy needs when sitting down. Ha! He picked out some Mickey Mouse underwear, we've watched movies and read books on the subject, and talked about it a lot. He has sat on the potty several times, but usually nothing happens.

The other day he was successful and went pee in the potty. As Layla, Mitch, and I were clapping for him and cheering, he said, "I proud you, Mom, Dad!" It was so sweet and funny! He really is a sweet, loving little guy! He was proud of himself too, of course, and clapped to celebrate his success.

Anyways, I'm determined to try an official potty training week this month and make a good effort. I think he is ready, he just needs a little push. We'll see what happens.

*UPDATE NOV 2015: We spent five full days attempting to potty train Marcus. The first day was rough, the second and third days were amazing, and the last two days were hell. Let's just say that he is physically capable of being potty trained, but he has zero interest. If your kid couldn't care less whether he pees in the toilet or in his underwear, is it really worth the effort? I say NO. So, we put him back in diapers and are much happier now. I will try again in a few months. Maybe he'll be more into then. We did get a few priceless pictures though:

 

 

On another note, we're learning more and more that Marcus is shaping up to be a smarty pants just like his sister. Now that he can talk (and he also talks incessantly!), it's easy to see that he is a bright kid. And creative! I think Layla's creativity is limited by her perfectionist, literal, everything-goes-a-certain-way personality, which can be good and bad. When she has the right creative outlet, she can be very imaginative! Marcus does not seem to have the perfectionist, literal, everything-goes-a-certain-way personality that usually dominates the Bott genes, so his creativity comes out a lot more. And he is HILARIOUS! I love listening to him when he is engaged in imaginary play. He is such a boy! He keeps me laughing, that's for sure!

Parental Right of Passage

Layla had her first parent teacher conference last month. I felt like we had passed through a parental milestone. To say that we are proud of Layla is an understatement. She is amazing.

Things are different with Chinese Immersion, so I wasn't sure what to expect with the conference, but it was very well done. We first met with her English teacher, Mrs. Byers, and discussed Layla's reading, writing, social skills, etc. Mrs. Byers said that Layla reads at a very high level, and knows everything that they are learning (like for the entire school year, and it's only October), so she recommended that we start her on some spelling words. She sends home one set at a time and Layla has to pass them off orally and through a written test. There are twelve in the set, she started on set two and is already (just three weeks later) on set six. I was thankful for the teacher's suggestion. She is a great teacher and keeps Layla challenged, which I am grateful for.

Next we met with Xeng Laoshi, the Chinese teacher. Her personality is more cold, and less fun, though overall she is nice. She just isn't the most bubbly, smiley person I've ever met. But Layla seems to like her okay. She didn't speak to us, but had papers on the desk that we read through. Then she asked Layla several questions in Chinese (which were also written on the paper so we knew what she was saying) and then Layla would answer her in Chinese. I took a video of the whole thing and it was amazing! Layla can count to 100 in Chinese and answer all sorts of questions about her name, age, her family, etc. It was definitely a proud parent moment and made me grateful that we decided to put her in the program.

I don't know why it is so amazing or surprising to me that she can pick up Chinese so fast when I took several classes on how kids learn to read and speak foreign languages when I was in college. I know that they pick it up so fast and well. I know how good it is for them and the advantages of learning when they're young. But it still blows my mind because it's my daughter and she's speaking a language that I don't know. Maybe if she spoke Russian like I do, or Cambodian like Mitch, it would be less of a shock.

Anyways, we got her report card and it is no longer an A,B,C,D, or F system. It is based on number points in over 25 different areas. Again, I don't know why I was surprised when I saw that Layla got every point possible in every single area. 100% you could say. She's a smarty pants!!!  I'm grateful, amazed, and proud of our daughter!

GG Bott

Mitch's paternal grandmother, Verda Bott, passed away last month. She was so special to our family and we miss her greatly! From the very first time I met Verda, to the last time I saw her, she made me feel special and loved. She truly emanates that Christlike love that we talk about at church and all strive to possess and share with others. Love came naturally to her and anyone who has spent time with her has been blessed by her gift of being able to love everyone without regard. I look up to her in many ways: her never-ending patience, her undying faith, her contagious optimism, but most of all for the love that she radiated to all who were blessed to be in her presence.

We visited her for the last time about a week and a half before she passed. I knew as we left that it would be the last time we saw her in this life. I don't know why, but when my grandpa passed, I also knew a few days before that he would pass away that week. With Verda I had the same feeling, though I was not able to share my thoughts with anyone. Perhaps I didn't want to worry Mitch, especially if I happened to be wrong. But looking back, I feel that the Holy Ghost was able to comfort me during both deaths by gently letting me know ahead of time.

We were kneeling around Layla's bed for family prayer when we told Layla that GG Bott had passed away. Layla immediately broke down into sobs, crawled onto her bed and laid in fetal position, and between sobs choked out the words, "I loved her! I loved visiting her!" It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. I know my kids felt the unconditional, unsolicited love that Verda had for them and they had for her in return. And the loads of candy she always gave them probably played a part too. ;)

The funeral was very nice and we enjoyed spending time with the extended Bott family; we don't see them often enough anymore. Verda is buried with her husband and other relatives in a cemetery in Ogden. We did not take the kids. Marcus would have been fine, but I didn't want Layla to have that experience yet. Especially when she was so close to GG Bott. I would rather her remember the good visits we had, and not the funeral and people crying (though it was happy crying; the kind that we will miss her but are happy for her to be reunited with her husband).

I was grateful that we could explain to Layla what happens after this life. It is comforting to know that life goes on, and that we will see GG Bott again, and that she is happy and no longer in pain or disabled. It's still sad because we miss her, but it is a peaceful, happy type of sad (if that makes any sense at all). I know that we will see Verda again and I would love to do a little jig with her since the whole time I knew her she was confined to her recliner chair. It makes me smile to think of dancing with her! She will be missed, but not forgotten!

October 2015

Here are a few more things that happened in October:
-Layla and I went to St. George with Oakley and Nicole for our second annual girls trip. It's a wonderful tradition! We saw the play "When You Wish" at Tuachan, went shopping, and ate good food. We stayed at Nicole's grandma's new house and it was nice. We have a great time with Nicole and Oakley and the drive to and from St. George flies by! Can't wait until next year!

 
 

-The kids rode their bikes a lot! We had great weather in October and spent a lot of time outside.

-And roughhousing and horsey rides with Dad.

-I went to the Garth Brooks concert! It was incredible! Seriously, I still haven't gotten over how good it was and I'm pretty sure Mitch is sick of hearing about it. Ha! Garth played all his old stuff and was on stage for 2.5 hours. The arena was completely full, top to bottom, every single seat. I've never seen it that full and the energy was contagious! I went with my mom and her friend, Amber. It was such a neat, fun, exciting experience and I will never forget it! 

-And of course, the every day things of getting ready in the mornings, making meals, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, breaking up fights between the kids, praising them when they play nicely together which they do for the most part, going to the park, Mitch doing school, visiting family, kids sleeping over at my parents, going to the temple, going to church, watching TV, etc. etc. etc. Life is great!

General Conference

We had General Conference last month and it was uplifting, as always. I had a few great take aways. The first was that I should teach my children the stories of Jesus. I can't remember who gave the talk, but he said that it is our job to teach our kids of the events and miracles that occurred in our Savior's life. I've always thought that and believed that, but how much have I actually done that? We've made it a point since to focus our family home evening lessons on the life of our Savior. The Church has release some beautiful videos of the life of Jesus that we have been enjoying.

The second point was to take our kids aside periodically as they get older and tell them the following: I have been where you are before, and I know what it's like. I can help you when you're in a tough spot, and I can tell you what comes next. (Or something to that effect.) The point was to let your kids know that they can have open communication with you and trust you to help them in good times and bad. I thought it was wonderful parenting advice, though again, I can't remember who said it.

The third was to pray and ask God to show you how you can improve. Not just the big, obvious things, but the little ones too. Some examples he gave were: speed less when driving, clean up my language, exercise daily, eat more fruits and veggies, call my loved ones to say hi more often, etc. That was eye opening to me because I think those little things add up to big things and change us into more Christlike people, and mold us into who we're supposed to become in this life. Everyone has something little they can change or improve, and we can pick one and work on it until we've changed in that area, and then add another, and another, just one at a time, so we are continuously improving and growing. I love that idea!

These things remind me of one of my favorite quotes: "The whole idea of Mormonism is improvement: mentally, physically, morally, and spiritually." -President Lorenzo Snow
Amen!

In between sessions on Sunday we went for a family bike ride. Marcus rode in the bike trailer behind Mitch's bike and Layla rode her own bike, without training wheels. We went nearly two miles, which is the farthest she's ever rode on her own and I was so proud of her! She LOVES riding her bike and rides it to school most days. She looks like such a big girl riding down the street with her helmet and backpack on. She'll be so sad when the weather is bad enough that she can't ride it until spring.

I Ran a Marathon

I ran a marathon. Most likely I will never run another one. But at least I did it once. I don't know why, but "run a marathon" was on my bucket list. I think it all started when I ran my first half and saw the marathoners and was inspired by them. Every half I ran after that made me think of what an accomplishment it would be to run a full. When I turned 30 I figured I'd better think about the marathon soon because it would only be harder the older I got (I know, depressing thought, but true). I wasn't feeling up to it that summer though (stupid postpartum depression!) and so this year, my 31st year, was it.

I signed up and posted on Facebook that I was going to run a marathon this year. I figured by making it public it would be harder to back out. And it worked! I stuck to my four and a half month training plan and actually ran the entire 26.2 miles. But not without some set backs.

The first time I ran 15 miles I got injured. Shin splints and they were brutal! I took the next two weeks off, skipping my 16 mile long run and my 10 mile recovery long run. When I started running again, I still had horrible shin splints. At the end of the week I decided to cut my planned 18 mile run back to 8 miles. After that I ran a 20 mile long run on Labor Day. The next three weeks were my "taper" weeks and boy did I taper! As in, I only ran twice. My shin splints were so bad it hurt just to stand in the shower! I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to run the marathon at all.

Thankfully my neighbor let me borrow her calf sleeves that are specifically designed for shin splints and they saved my legs!

But here's the irony of it all: while my legs felt great throughout the race, the rest of me did not. When I got off the bus at the start line, I realized that it was already much hotter than I had planned. I knew by the time I finished that it would be at least 80 degrees out and that meant bad new for me.

When Mitch and I first got married I went through a series of tests that ruled out everything except a condition called Cardiogenic Syncopy. Basically, I overheat and dehydrate really fast, and that year (2007) it caused me to get severe bloody noses and pass out several times. Since then I have learned to manage it primarily by avoiding exerting myself in the heat and staying hydrated.

So, back to the marathon. I got up to the start line and had a neat experience. It was so beautiful up there and the atmosphere was energetic and happy. I had a thought enter my mind that brought me to tears as I was standing there with 500 other crazy runners. The thought was how amazing it was that I was born 12 weeks premature, not expected to live, and yet now I am standing here waiting to run 26.2 miles. What a miracle! I cried thinking of how good Heavenly Father has been to me, how I was meant to be here, and how grateful I am for it all. It was a spiritually uplifting moment for me, one that reminded me how real God is and how involved He is in my life.

At the start line.

Since I knew it would be hot I decided to run the first half as fast as I could without overdoing it and try to get as far as I could before it got too hot. I ran the first half in 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is good for me since I'm a slow runner. I was excited at this point because at that pace it meant I would meet my goal which was to finish in under 5 hours. I was thinking I would finish in 4.5 or even 4 hours and 45 minutes, so I  was happy. I was drinking water and/or Gatorade at every single aid station, as well as GU and whatever else they offered me.

Fast forward to mile 17 and I was worried. It was hot and I was feeling it! I went in a port a potty, sat down, and instantly everything started spinning. You know how you can have several thoughts in rapid succession in a very short amount of time? Well my thoughts were, "I'm going to pass out in the port a potty with the door locked!" and "No one will know I'm in here" and "What if I fall in the poop? Sick!" and "I've got to get out of here, NOW!"

After that I realized that I could either take it WAY easy and actually finish the race, or I could push myself to meet my goal and probably end up passing out and being picked up in an ambulance and never finish the race at all. That seemed a bit dramatic, so I kept trying to run. I got to mile 20.5 before I realized I wasn't being dramatic, but that I indeed was on the verge of passing out. I would stop and put my head down often, and then feel better for a bit, but I really started to worry about myself and decided I better just walk the last 6 miles. I wanted to cross the finish line, regardless of how long it took me, and I did not want to end up on an ambulance. So I walked the last 6 miles.

That sucked! It really did. It was almost 90 degrees by this point, and while my legs felt fine, my feet did not and every step hurt. I passed an aid station run by a dental office with a sign that said, "Make your teeth happy, happy happy!" and I thought to myself. "You know, my teeth are the only things on my body that don't hurt right now." Okay, so that was dramatic, but you get my point: I hurt, I was hot, and I just wanted to be done. The last 6 miles felt like they would never end.

Eventually I did cross the finish line. When I saw the 26 miles sign, I cried. Mitch and my friend Liz Whitesides were waiting for me at the finish line (the kids had slept over at my parents' which I was grateful for). I cried again when I saw them, and I did actually run across the finish line, then went straight to first aid where I sat and they put ice packs on me. By this point I was physically sick and felt very much like I did in 2007 when I would pass out or at least get faint and sick to my stomach.

It was a weird feeling to be done. I started out the morning so grateful and excited for the experience. Towards the end I was so sad that I had worked so hard, and due to something out of my control, the weather, I would not be able to meet my goal. It helped so much to see Mitch and Liz. Mitch was so sweet. He brought me a protein drink, ice packs, Kit Kats, Skittles, and water. He thought of everything! Liz gave me a nice gift of Great Harvest treats and a bath bomb. She is such a sweet friend and helped me stay motivated during my training.

Now that it's all over, I'm glad I did it. I learned a lot about myself during this whole process, and I actually stuck to something, even when it got hard. I could have quite halfway through when I got injured, but I kept going. I think I found a new level of perseverance within myself that I didn't know existed.

The recovery was hilarious. I looked absolutely ridiculous trying to hobble around, and stairs were a complete joke. Layla didn't practice piano for a couple days because I couldn't bring myself to walk up or down the stairs. Also, I had a stomach ache for several days after and felt lightheaded with headaches that came and went until the following Wednesday. It was not fun. I feel 98% recovered now, but I do not feel like running again, so I've been doing the elliptical and that feels fine.

However, now that it's all over, I can truthfully say that I will never run another full marathon. I'll stick to half marathons and 5Ks. Kudos to all those who can easily run that distance, and perhaps on a cooler day I could do it too, but the training takes SO long and it is hard on my body, so I'll stick to shorter distances, thank you very much. :)