The Perfect Fit

I have been known to be a tight wad. I have eased up some with my spending habits, however I'm still cautious (hello unfinished basement. I hear you calling). Andrew has teased me because I sometimes talk as if we're "on the brink of bankruptcy" which has fortunately never been the case. 

I have the perfect example. This year, Andrew and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage. That means we've known each other for nearly 11 years. While we were dating, I had black Nike workout shoes. I vividly remember wearing them when I was in Spokane to meet Andrew's family for the first time. A family member asked, "Who's black men's shoes are those by the door?" They were mine. Guess what? I'm still using those black Nikes a decade later. The soles are worn out and the shoes have paint marks and other nicks all over them. Saying I'm in desperate need of a new pair of workout shoes is an understatement. Full disclosure, a few years ago I was given a pair of workout shoes my mom didn't want anymore, so I alternate using those and my Nikes. I didn't spend a dime on the handmedown shoes.

Regardless, my time for new shoes is long overdue. In fact, buying new workout shoes should probably be an annual thing, especially since working out is a regular part of my routine. Andrew being the thoughtful guy that he is, bought me some new kicks for Christmas and I was thrilled. After attending a fitness class, my feet felt like they were going to fall off. I immediately returned those suckers even though they were the perfect shade of pink. Since Christmas, I've pulled out my old black Nike's. For Mother's Day, Andrew gave me a gift card to purchase new shoes in hopes I'd finally find some. I've attempted and failed many times.

It's a fact that I have purchased and returned over 6 pairs of workout shoes with no success. Finding the right size has been the hardest part. The size seems to change drastically depending on the brand of shoe. The lady who works at the Amazon return desk knows and recognizes me at this point. I hope that I won't see her again anytime soon. I think I'm finally going to keep my latest workout shoes purchase. (fingers crossed.) It was validating to hear that the friend I workout with has had a similar experience to mine. She tried 8 different shoes before finding "the perfect fit" and even then, I think she settled for some that were a bit too big.

I'll know for sure tomorrow morning at 6:30am if my new shoes are going to cut it. I'll be in a High Fitness class and seeing how the shoes feel mid-burpee will be the perfect test. These shoes better work! At this point, even if they fail the burpee test, I think I'll keep them. They're cute. If you happen to see me strolling around our neighborhood (on our newly paved trail), please do me a favor and compliment my new workout shoes. I worked hard for these. 

Who knew finding workout shoes would be so complicated? I think next year it might be worth it to get my feet fitted at a running store and pay absurd amounts of money for the "perfect fit..."

Preschool Graduate

James graduated from preschool on Thursday, May 12. Graduation took place at Magnolia Grove Reception Center in South Jordan. Watching him perform was the highlight of my day/week/month. James gave his all to the performance. He couldn't stop smiling and kept looking at me for validation--a thumbs up or congratulations. A couple of times, James called out, "mom" in the middle. Once, he even ran over to me. In his defense, I think James thought graduation was over.

Initially, when it was time for the program to begin, James was nervous and didn't want to go up front with his classmates. He wouldn't let go of my hand either, but he finally did and from then on, his nerves transformed into the biggest grin you've ever seen. His cheeks must have hurt. It was the cutest preschool program. The kids knew the songs perfectly and had their parts memorized. I'll brag and point out that James said his part loudly and clearly. It was easy to understand him which wasn't the case for every line said.

Since the program, the song, "ABC Cha Cha Cha Cha" has been on repeat in my head. It's catchy and fun the first few times you hear it. At the end of the program, graduation procession music played and James got to walk down the staircase and have his name read. Each student told the audience what they want to be when they grow up. I was eager to hear what James would say. He announced, "I want to be a pilot when I grow up." I've never heard him say that before. Whatever James decides to do, he will succeed. He's a smartie.

At graduation, it was hard not to notice that James is the tallest in his class. He's definitely been going through a growth spurt. We just had to basically buy him a whole new wardrobe. I think James also might have a little crush on Paisley in his class. He came home one day and told me they got married. James has been asking me nonstop to get Paisley's phone number. I have it.  Maybe James and Paisley will be sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G someday. They've already held hands--she is in the blue dress below.

Since Andrew only recently started his new job, we didn't want him to have to miss work right off the bat, so I recorded the whole thing. Izzy was trying to sing along with the songs and acted like she knew them. She's too cute. My parents were able to attend which made it special. I got a little choked up while there realizing that my parents will miss out on lots of these events over the next few years. (Their mission farewell is in a week!) Afterward the program, I took the kids to celebrate at Crumbl cookies. (We had a coupon.)

This year, James has attended Sunshine Square Preschool in Riverton, UT. It's under 5 minutes from our house and I've been pleased with our experience there. His teacher is Miss Debbie and she has been outstanding. Preschool has been a positive activity for James. He especially enjoys it when it's his turn to be the "special leader" and bring the snack and lead the class. There have been some field trip opportunities and going to the fire station was definitely a highlight. James started a "Clean Team" at school. He bosses people around and gets the place looking spiffy. That's my boy.

James has been attending preschool 3 days a week and it's 2 and a half hours long. Next year, James will transition to attending half-day kindergarten which is 5 days a week and 2.5 hours long. I asked James if he is sad that preschool is ending. He said, "kind of, but I'm excited to get to be home with you more." James has severe FOMO  (fear of missing out) and likes to ask for the rundown of everything we did without him while he was at school.  "You went to the store without me again!?" Only 2 more preschool days left and then James will get to spend every second with me. James has another graduation coming up-- UPSTART graduation! We sure do love our graduate.

Job-Free

Andrew unexpectedly had a week off between his old job and his new job. We toyed with the idea of going to my parent's condo in California one last time (since they just sold it) but we decided to stick around town. We had lots going on with piano lessons and preschool. I also substitute taught a couple of afternoons. We were able to spend lots of quality time together the week of April 24th.

Yardwork--Free sod and not-so-free tree stump removal!

Proof that our week wasn't just all fun and games. We worked in our yard for several days. It must be true because not 1 but 2 neighbors mentioned it to us. "You guys are always out in the yard." I suppose our outdoor space is coming along, but we still have a ways to go. Someone in our neighborhood was giving away free sod, so we snatched that up. We now need sprinklers for the area, but one step at a time. We also had 2 stubborn tree stumps removed. Andrew dug and dug and dug and we finally decided to call it quits. He tried to get the stump out for hours. We finally just hired someone. Those stumps weren't coming out. 

The movie--"The Bad Guys"

We went on $5 Tuesday to see this movie. We finished off our first bucket of popcorn less than 5 minutes into the movie. It was the perfect dinner. I like going to movies to watch my kid's reactions and excitement throughout. We definitely had to give them a few reminders to keep their squeals and shouts to a minimum. It was a cute movie. I'm looking forward to going to more movies as a family this summer.

The Living Room Hike, Salt Lake City

I have a lengthy list of hikes I want to get to and "The Living Room Hike" aka "The Furniture Hike" has been on said list for a while. I kept going back and forth about whether or not we should attempt the hike. The hike is 2.4 miles roundtrip and several reviews mentioned it was hard. Take that, All Trails--it wasn't too hard for us. My kids are rockstar hikers. Izzy insisted on walking for a large chunk of our journey up but eventually was carried in a backpack. The kids collected rocks and sticks along the trail and we spotted colorful flowers. The temperature was perfect. There is furniture made out of rocks at the top which was James' favorite. He liked pretending he was making furniture. The view of Salt Lake was phenomenal. I didn't drift down to all the rocks on the overlook like my carefree children and husband. Go figure. There were some tears of exhaustion on the way down, but I've learned that tears and children go hand in hand. We did it and I'd call the hike a win!

I look so much bigger than Andrew in this photo. (I'm sitting on a higher rock.) I considered having a picture re-take since clearly, this bugged me, but I was genuinely worried that the kind stranger taking our pic would step off the mountain by accident and didn't want to risk it.

Notice my legs at the top of the pic. I didn't go exploring through the rocks.

The Gateway Children's Museum-- Salt Lake City

We had a coupon for this museum, so we decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad we did. This was heaven for my kids. My kids are the perfect ages for what the museum had to offer. There was so much to do-- a beehive playground you could slide and climb on, a construction area, a play kitchen, a room to do arts and crafts, water toys, a pretend grocery store, a helicopter, and so much more. I tried to capture everything, but I just couldn't and Andrew reminded me to just watch and enjoy the kids in their element. It was pretty crowded with a large field trip group.

Won't be repeating that sock/shoe/pant combo again

Josh and Paige Ditto's Wedding

We were able to go to Josh and Paige's wedding luncheon and reception. The Ditto program was out of this world. There was talk of hiring a stage manager. They put on an entire production explaining Josh and Paige's love story. Singing, fireworks, children, phantom of the opera masks, a motorized segway, and more were involved. They sang acapella and I asked if it's a prerequisite to be a good singer in order to become a Ditto. Man, they can sing. It was special to be there. Dan and Laura have a neat family. I loved catching up with everyone. It was especially fun to chat with Matt and Mandy who were in town from Atlanta. We saw so much family (Dave and Peggy, Laurie, Grandma Ditto, Andrea and her kids, Rebecca and Ben, just to name a few.) My heart was full.

It was bittersweet when our week of fun had to come to a close, but I'd definitely say we made the most of our time with Andrew not working. Here's to retirement!