Matt's first 5K

Matt ran his first 5K after less than 2 months of training. He ran in the Redbud Classic in OKC and finished in 38 minutes. The hills were brutal for him, since he had been running in our neighborhood, and it was very hot at 2 p.m. when the race started. Nathan and I went and cheered him on, we are so proud of him! Then, the next weekend he ran in his 2nd 5K, the Remember the 10 in Stillwater. He finished that one in 32 minutes, and was happy to have shaved that time off. Crazy! I am not sure I would run even if I was being chased, so I don't get the whole "runner" thing, but I am so proud of him for sticking with it, and we had a great time waiting for him to cross that finish line! Go Matty!

Bella baby

We have our puppy! We wanted to get a puppy for the kids as a birthday present, so we looked around, figured out we wanted a goldendoodle (my dream dog ever since I first saw one) because they are hypo-allergenic and very sweet and good with kids. We found a breeder we liked and a price we could afford and waited for 7 long weeks...and now our little Bella is here!

Yep, I wrote that last part 2 weeks ago...puppies are not conducive to sleep, clean houses or extra time on the computer! So anyway, here is our little girl!

Toothless grin

Meredith came home on Monday with her first loose tooth. On Thursday she was eating her chocolate bunny and said "Hey, I just lost my first tooth! But I accidentally swallowed it. Oh well, we will have to leave a note for the tooth fairy." She is so matter-of-fact about everything! So, the tooth fairy came and left her a dollar, and forgot to take the note. We figure she must not need it since it was not a tooth. And here is our toothless girl!

Easter 2010 pictures

Here is what Easter looked like this year at the Donovan house...

The kids woke up and followed their trails (a tradition the Gerstenberger Easter bunny started) to their Easter baskets. Meredith picked hers up, Nathan commented on the "num-nums" on the floor and after picking up and eating the first 5 or so on his trail, followed the trail to the pantry, found his basket and went to watch Meredith. Leaving his basket behind, of course.

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I made Easter Bunny pancakes, which were a hit, and then we went to church. The kids devoured part of their candy after church, we did a family dinner and finished the day with playtime outside and s'mores over Matt's fireplace. It was a nice, relaxing day and the kids are finally almost recovered from their sugar comas!

Always look on the bright side of life

There is an excessive amount of drama happening with the in-laws right now and I just need to vent for a second and then remind myself that there are many positives in my life.

Venting: people who bottle up every emotion, won't talk to me if they have a problem, avoid me like the plague without ever cluing me in if I have upset them, make up lies and twist things around to suit their own neurotic purposes need to grow up and not flip flop between saying mean and hateful things behind my back and then pretending nothing ever happened (but still not talking to me) so they can maintain a relationship with my daughter. In order to have a relationship with my children, you must be at least willing to talk to me civally, you cannot use other people to go around me and try to be around my daughter. That doesn't work.

Thank you for letting me get that off my chest.

Now, the positives...Matt is in such a wonderfully healthy emotional state these days, he is so patient, kind and caring, and I really am truly blessed to have him as my husband. My children are a delight to me, and I am blessed to get to be home with them most of the time. Working 2 days a week is such a privelege, and I am grateful to have a job I love and a husband to supports our family so that I don't HAVE to work full time. Our house is beautiful, we are all healthy, and I have more wonderful friends than I could ever count, so life is good.

So much love

I am feeling reflective today, as it is Good Friday. I have been thinking all day about Jesus and his sacrifice for mankind. It overwhelms and humbles me to think that there is so much love from God and Jesus for all of us, and how undeserving we are at times. The concept of forgiveness is one that has been especially strong in my thoughts this Lent, and the line "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." from the Our Father continues to echo in my mind.

As I reflect on Good Friday, sacrificial love and forgiveness today, my beautiful children are running about, showing the purity, joy and kindness that I long to emulate. While I have been sitting here writing this, Nathan ran to the pantry and grabbed a snack. He ran over with 2 packages of crackers, one for him and one for Meredith. I know it is a small thing, and not as profound as the larger meanings of today, but I am brought to tears of joy and thankfulness as I watch my not yet 2 year old take care of his sister. She is always in his thoughts, and Meredith takes care of him too, by watching over him and teaching him, calming him when he is upset, and making him laugh. I am so blessed to have the genuine example of love at work in my life every day, and I thank God for His sacrifice that allows me to raise these tremendouly amazing little people.

A League of Her Own

Meredith has started playing softball this spring, and Matt is beside himself with excitement. He is helping to coach the team, and loves to practice with her. I know that this is the stage of childhood that he envisioned when he thought of having children, so I am happy for him that we are finally here. Mere is in an 8 and under league, with 6-8 year olds, and is playing with Madelyn Frans. (Madelyn is Kyle and Rhea's daughter, Kyle and Matt went to school together from 5th grade on, and used to play baseball together, so it is fun to watch them relive their "glory days" as they teach their daughters.)

I have little to no knowledge about ANY sport, I have always found them boring, largely because they all seem to require one skill I was born without: Hand-eye coordination! Once again, this is an area where Matt and I can balance each other out, because for every game I tune out, he can tell you the final score, the last time that team won, and other random facts about them, for football, baseball and basketball. It's not a skill that I envy, but I am happy that he knows that stuff because at least our kids stand a chance of being athletic!

The team was thrown together at the last minute, and there was an aspect at the first meeting that excited me...Uniforms! The moms (and Matt and one other dad) all went shopping for them together, and we decided on cute little pleated skorts, pink t-shirts and black knee socks. Matt and Kyle are both against the decision to let the girls wear black skorts or shorts, they feel that pants and a traditional uniform are more appropriate. That's what happens when you let the moms choose the clothes! Their team chose the Wildcats as their name, and all of the girls look so cute in their uniforms! Unfortunately they are all at about the same skill level I am. It's fun to watch them when they are aware of what's happening though, they play their little hearts out. And there is still some of that childhood classic of standing in the field, playing in the dirt and admiring the grass while the game is happening, which is amusing, if not productive.

We have had 2 games this week, and we lost both of them, but I would like to see the birth certificates for the other girls, because I am pretty sure they have to be much older than our team. Our first girl up to bat was literally only a head taller than the catcher's waist! Meredith said tonight "I'm tired and just frustrated. Every time we play, the other team beats us." We talked about experience and practice and the fact that they are all trying their best, and this is just for fun. I am actually in awe of the fact that she seems to know what is going on! I am proud of her, she is starting to pay attention and I think by next year she will be taking this very seriously.

Nathan has a great time running all over the place while we are "watching" the games. He picked up handfuls of dirt and tossed them in the air, ran under the bulletin board 87 times, played cars, tried to climb the fence, ran into the dugout twice, tried to tip a trash can over once and made it over to the t-ball field behind us before I caught him because I foolishly wore flip flops. (Rookie mistake.) And all of that was in the first 30 minutes while they were warming up!

It should be a good way to introduce Meredith to competitive sports, help her bond with Matt over a common interest, and get some cute pictures, which is my favorite part! And the kids and I definitely wear ourselves out during the games, so we should all sleep well for the next few months.