I finally made six figures!

Yep, that’s right. After years spent in the 5 figure range, we finally got the promotion we’ve been waiting for. Six figures, baby! … or should I say six baby figures? ๐Ÿ™‚

As much as a six figure salary would be nice, if you haven’t guessed already, we welcomed our sixth child into our family last Tuesday, September 24th.

Now, before I move on, I have to give credit where credit is due; My surprisingly clever husband is the one that came up with the “six figures” thing. He Facebooked it from the hospital, and it just brought all sorts of smiles.

Weighing in at a 7 lbs 7 oz and 19″ long, our little Axel Adam Brown was born, after about 12 hours of labor. Which, by the way, is a new record.

For some weird genetic reason, all of my children have been posterior (face up), making for looooonnnnggg labors. With all of my other children, I would begin active labor early in the morning, not to have them until the next morning. This time around, I started contractions at about 11:30 pm, and had him at 11:15 the next morning. So, not so bad :).

I actually had a Dr. appt on Monday morning. I was 39 weeks along, which is the longest I have ever gone. I was feeling a little tired of being pregnant. My Dr. gave me permission to go for a run … umm, I guess he didn’t know that I had already been doing that, like, the whole pregnancy.

I took his orders, and at 8:30 that night, I ran 3 miles. It was a frustrating 3 miles, and not because I was uncomfortable. The frustrating thing was that I wasn’t uncomfortable at all! I ran the whole way without even so much as a tightness. I actually felt really good.

I got home and called my mom, who was “on call” to come up and help. I told her that I didn’t feel like anything was happening, and to wait until at least the morning to come up.

At about 11:30, I had a really painful contraction, and then they were about ever 10 minutes. I called my mom, and being the wonderful mom she is, she packed up and left at 1 am, to drive 3 hours up to my house. Can you say, best mom ever!

We left for the hospital at 4:30 am. Adam had asked me not to have another all-night labor, like I have every other time. I knew the odds were not in my favor, and I told him not to hold his breath. ๐Ÿ™‚

The funny thing about this time, was when I told the nurses this was my sixth child, they seemed to think I had it all under control, which wasn’t too far from the truth. The problem was, nobody would come and check on me … like, at all.

I had to call them every hour or so to ask them to come check on me. And because my labors are so slow, I have had to be put on pitocin to speed things up. I told the nurse this, and she never turned it on, and didn’t bother to tell me.

After being dilated at an 8 for what seemed like forever, I called for the nurse and asked her if she had turned on the pitocin. She said that she was helping another patient who was having her first child, and figured that I could wait it out a while. She didn’t want to turn it on because she didn’t have time to help me. What??!

I asked her nicely to turn it on, and she begrugdgingly did, and then went to help the other patient. Almost as soon as she did, I felt the epidural wearing off. I had remembered the Anethstesiologist telling me there was a button to push, but I forgot where it was.

Immediately, I began to feel everything on my right side, and a lot of it on my left (I had a one-sided block). I felt his head drop down, called for the nurse, and he was born 15 minutes later, with me feeling IT!

It was the first time that I had actually felt things, and it was really neat.

When he was born, I had this “I’ve seen that baby before” thought. He looks very much like his brothers!

We are so happy he is here. He is a perfect little baby, and we couldn’t be happier.

Here are some pics:

axelmomazure

Handsome boy

Handsome boy

Ace

Ace

Anderson

Anderson

Aspen

Aspen

Aussie

Aussie

Azure

Azure

the boys) :

the boys) :

a very tired dad

a very tired dad

grandpa darrell

grandpa darrell

all of us :)

all of us ๐Ÿ™‚

My mom

My mom

My youngest brother, Kett

My youngest brother, Kett

Grandma Holly, AKA "Golly"

Grandma Holly, AKA “Golly”

 

 

Posted in born to run, exercise, family exercise, health | 11 Comments

Family of Lake Powell boating victim holds 5K to honor a life of service

A few weeks ago, I was asked to write an article, helping to spread the word about a 5k that would benefit a girl by the name of Valerie Rae Bradshaw, who was killed in a boating accident at Lake Powell, back in June.

Immediately, I knew the story. Having gone to Lake Powell nearly every year since I was a child, when I hear about tragedies there, ย it really hits home. I remember the way I felt when I heard about it, and exactly where I was; it was just one of those things.

Being asked to write about it was such an honor, and I was so glad to help spread the word.

As I studied up on Valerie, I learned so much more about her that I didn’t know. As was written in the article, Valerie led a life of service, specifically having spent time as a full-time missionary for the LDS church. This, and other missionary callings is what the 5K is intended for: Raising money for the General Mission Fund for the LDS Church, so that other missionaries are able to serve.

As I learned more about her family, I felt a connection to her. She, too came from a large family (9 kids, with 2 sisters and 6 brothers). There are 10 kids in my family; I have ย 2 sisters and 7 brothers.

The thing that touched me the most, was a ย picture of Val and her two sisters that was taken not long before her death. Her twin sister is expecting, and they all look so happy.

Valerie is on the left with her two other sisters.

Valerie is on the left with her two other sisters.

I have a picture of me and my two sisters shortly before my older sister’s death. I was expecting my third child at the time. I remember it being a good day spending time with family. If I remember right, it was the day of my younger brother, Rand’s mission farewell to Singapore.

Me and my sisters Megan and Molly not long before Megan passed.

Me and my sisters Megan and Molly not long before Megan passed.

At that time, ย we had no idea that it would be the last family photo we would take together.ย Looking at the picture of Val and her sisters, I’m sure holds a very similar feeling.

And when I think of her sister who was expecting, I am reminded of the feelings and questions I had following my sister’s passing. I wanted to know if Megan was able to meet my son, Ace before he came to earth. Without saying too much, I know without a doubt that they were able to meet. I know the same can be said for Val’s sister.

If you want to read the story and learn more about the family’s cause, here is the link to the article.

Posted in family exercise, Lake Powell, running | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A 5k with my daughter

This past Saturday, I ran a 5k with my 8-year-old daughter, Aspen. It was such an amazing experience that I can’t wait to do, again. I learned so much from those 31 minutes (which is flying for a tiny, 3’6″, (maybe) 4o lb little girl). ย She inspired me in so many ways.

The two of us right before. 8 is great! She's 8 year's old; I'm 8 months prego!

The two of us right before. 8 is great! She’s 8 year’s old; I’m 8 months prego!

aspen5k

Aspen after having run the entire 5k (without walking or stopping) in 31 minutes! Those little legs can move!

Here are two articles I wrote that were all about this 5k … yeah, it was that awesome, that I got two whole articles out of it! Crazy!

Lessons learned on a run with my daughter (Spectrum article)

5k changed my relationship with my daughter (Des News)

 

Posted in born to run, exercise, family exercise, health, running | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

An article I was scared out of my mind to publish

As you may or may not know, I write a lot of columns dedicated to being a mother. As a mother of 5 (almost 6) kids, it is what I live, so it is something that comes naturally for me to write about.

I have written about all sorts of experiences and lessons I have learned. In all of my articles, I do my very best to be very sensitive to all mothers and all situations, and I rarely complain. If I ever do, it is in a joking manner. I am really so, so grateful to be able to be a mother.

However, each time I write a column that is even remotely on the complaining side, I get a flood of emails from women who are unable to bear children, telling me that I am ungrateful and that I should never complain about having children. I have even been told that I need to write about infertility; something I am not experienced enough to write about.

I always feel bad when I get emails like this, and second guess what I am doing as a mother. I wonder if I am a bad mom, or if I am not being grateful. Still, ย as rewarding as it is, being a mom is a difficult job.

Last November, my family had a very difficult thing happen to us. I had a miscarriage. Next to losing my older sister nearly 7 years ago, this was really one of the most difficult things I ever went through.

I wrote about it here. I got overwhelming support from women, and it really helped me to get through it. However, I did have some people who I was close to, who knew that I already had 5 healthy children, say things like, “looks like it’s your turn,” or “welcome to the club.” Those remarks never helped, and really made me feel like there was a “club” and that there was a definite line drawn between fertile women and those who had difficulty.

So, I had the thought that I would write about the flip side of infertility. This was probably my most stressful article yet and one I have read over and over again. I submitted it and got good encouragement from my editor.

Today, however, I felt sick to my stomach. I knew it was set to publish today, and even went as far as to see if I could have it removed before it went on line. Well, it is up, and I am so scared to read the comments.

I want all readers to know that I took careful consideration with it, and meant no offense. My hope was to bring all of us together. I hope I was able to do that.

Here is the article. I welcome any thoughts.

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Pregnancy, albeit hard, is all worth it

Whelp, I am about 34 weeks along, and I am feeling it. Don’t get me wrong; I love being pregnant. I have had relatively easy pregnancies. I have never had morning sickness, although nights are not a whole lot of fun, especially during the first and third trimesters.

I rarely complain about being pregnant; you can ask my husband. To be honest, I think he often forgets my “condition” because I don’t complain. In fact, we took the kids to a condo the other week for a couple of days, and he got tired of waiting for the elevator. We were both lugging heavy bags and he said that we should just take the stairs (up to our 4th floor room). I didn’t think anything of it, and just followed he and the kids up.

When I got to the top, I felt a little tightness in my stomach (nothing bad). It was then that I also realized my condition. I laughed about it and then told him that not many 8 month pregnant women would stand for their husband suggesting that she lug baggage up 4 flights of stairs. He felt bad, but it is just the way it is. I don’t complain much.

However, there are times, even in my easy pregnancies, that I will make mention of things that are not-so-fun. For instance, when the baby kicks and you get an immediate jab in your pelvic or rib area, it kinda’ hurts … a lot. There is also the fact that I can’t sit up very well, due to the lack of stomach muscles and the constant flipping and turning inside of you, would make anyone dizzy. Pregnancy also makes you tired.

Then, there is the actual labor and delivery. I have to admit, I have had an epidural each time, but I have had some really brutal contractions where I have found myself burying my head in my pillow and screaming. ย There was one time that the epidural only worked on one side, making it so that I felt it all on one side, but couldn’t move the other side. At the same time, I was slouching down in the bed, couldn’t do anything about it, and the medicine moved into my lungs, making me cough and have a difficult time breathing.

Needless to say, pregnancy is not all fun and games.

However, it is ALL worth it. Every. Single. Bit. I would go through it and more to be able to have my children.

Here are my little monkeys on our trip last week :)

Here are my little monkeys on our trip last week ๐Ÿ™‚

And here is a our soon-to-be, Axel, all crammed in my belly :). I bet we're equally as uncomfortable.

And here is a our soon-to-be, Axel, all crammed in my belly :). I bet we’re equally as uncomfortable.

This was the topic of my last ksl.com artilce, titled, “Pregnancy: Men will never know what it feels like, and that’s too bad.

I admit, the title, although attention-grabbing, maybe didn’t advertise my intended message … which is probably why it brought about a good number of comments from men about women being men-haters … yada, yada, yada.

However, the point of the article was to validate women in their (uncomfortableness), while at the same time, encouraging them to be grateful for the ability to take a huge part in the miracle of life.

I am really so, so excited to meed this little guy. He is already following in the footsteps of his older brothers by the many, Many footsteps I feel moving across my belly … all. day. long :).

For more recent articles, you can like my facebook page. FYI, I get no monetary gain from this; it is just a place to post my articles to those who are interested in reading them :).

Posted in born to run, exercise, family exercise, health, running, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Lake Powell 2013

Just about a week ago, we got back from our favorite trip of the year: Lake Powell. I have been going here nearly every year since I was little, and it is my favorite place on earth … by far. Here is a link to my post about last year’s trip. I am so grateful to my grandparents for allowing for such an amazing experience that I have been able to pass on to my kids.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

FAMILY

One of the great things about LP is it wears the little ones out :)

One of the great things about LP is it wears the little ones out ๐Ÿ™‚

Everyone wanted a chance to go tubing with Azure. Here she is with Ace.

Everyone wanted a chance to go tubing with Azure. Here she is with Ace.

aceazuretube2

Ace jumping off the back of the house boat. By the end of the week, he got confident enough in his swimming, that he did it w/o his life jacket ... with Adam or I waiting at the bottom :)

Ace jumping off the back of the house boat. By the end of the week, he got confident enough in his swimming, that he did it w/o his life jacket … with Adam or I waiting at the bottom ๐Ÿ™‚

Being buried by "The Uncles"

Being buried by “The Uncles”

Ace filling up the water toy, getting ready for war.

Ace filling up the water toy, getting ready for war.

adamanderaspen

Not sure what Adam is doing here ...?

Not sure what Adam is doing here …?

He was getting hot so he put a towel on his head?

He was getting hot so he put a towel on his head?

Adam wake boarding.

Adam wake boarding.

adamwakeboard2

Hanging out on the turtle.

Hanging out on the turtle.

Anderson and my 2 youngest brothers.

Anderson and my 2 youngest brothers.

Anderson jumping off the back of the houseboat. He was such a big kid this year!

Anderson jumping off the back of the houseboat. He was such a big kid this year!

andersonsand

Walking back from the hike. My belly serves as a good little resting place for tired legs :)

Walking back from the hike. My belly serves as a good little resting place for tired legs ๐Ÿ™‚

Ace and Aspen tubing. She was a little stressed. She gets it from me. I don't like tubing.

Ace and Aspen tubing. She was a little stressed. She gets it from me. I don’t like tubing.

Aspen and I

Aspen and I

She had a good time making sand shapes.

She had a good time making sand shapes.

aspenheart2

Azure carefully going down the slide.

Azure carefully going down the slide.

We had to take a houseboat trip to the pump-out station. Leave it to my family to make pumping waste a fun activity!

We had to take a houseboat trip to the pump-out station. Leave it to my family to make pumping waste a fun activity!

Even Azure was running to get a turn!

Even Azure was running to get a turn!

aussiecrab

Aussie fishing with a pole Uncle David made.

Aussie fishing with a pole Uncle David made.

Mu mom and Aussie had a good time looking for "treasures."

Mu mom and Aussie had a good time looking for “treasures.”

Shivering on the top of the boat.

Shivering on the top of the boat.

Aussie and his many treasures he found.

Aussie and his many treasures he found.

azureausseitube

Azure just loved my cousin, Emily!

Azure just loved my cousin, Emily!

Coy and my boys sitting on the water weenie ... backwards!

Coy and my boys sitting on the water weenie … backwards!

Our campsite.

Our campsite.

My bro, Court and Anderson, way yo high on the sandstone.

My bro, Court and Anderson, way yo high on the sandstone.

Going crazy with Uncle, Coy.

Going crazy with Uncle, Coy.

Having a conversation with my dad :)

Having a conversation with my dad ๐Ÿ™‚

dadazure

Adam and Azure ... so cute.

Adam and Azure … so cute.

Uncle, David teaching swim lessons.

Uncle, David teaching swim lessons.

Looking for treasures. One of the OK things about a low-water year.

Looking for treasures. One of the OK things about a low-water year.

girlsandemily

The whole crew!

The whole crew!

Beautiful place ... love.

Beautiful place … love.

Can you believe my phone took this pic?!

Can you believe my phone took this pic?!

Another great shot with my Droid. Beautiful place.

Another great shot with my Droid. Beautiful place.

There was some great sandstone that we had fun carving with the shells we found. Here are 2 of my feet.

There was some great sandstone that we had fun carving with the shells we found. Here are 2 of my feet.

It isn't Lake Powell without sand sculptures. Very therapeutic, I might add ...

It isn’t Lake Powell without sand sculptures. Very therapeutic, I might add …

sandplay2

I got them the same swimsuit for $4 each at Old Navy. Quite the find. Aren't they cute?

I got them the same swimsuit for $4 each at Old Navy. Quite the find. Aren’t they cute?

Aussie swimming at the back of the boat.

Aussie swimming at the back of the boat.

Hanging out with Uncle, David.

Hanging out with Uncle, David.

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‘Sweet’ 5K race to benefit Utah County mom battling rare disease

This week, I was privileged to be able to do an article on ksl.com about a friend of mine who is battling a rare autoimmune disease. ย She is the mother of one of my preschool students from last year.

I knew she was sick, but I had no idea the extent of it. Her son would come to class and was just as good and sweet as can be. She is a wonderful mom, and I just can’t imagine going through what she is.

To help her family cover some of her medical costs, my community is holding a 5k, family fun run with a kid’s race, as well as a little carnival to go along with it. It is being put on by our local Cupcake Charity.

They always put on a fantastic race.

Here is the link to the article with all of the info on the race. If you are in Northern Utah, it would be a great little race to stop by and run!

Posted in exercise, family exercise, running | 1 Comment

Finally, a family vacation

For the past, well … forever, we have never had a vacation that has just been our family.

We have gone to family reunions, gone on trips to see extended family. All of these are good things, but sometimes you just gotta’ be your own selves.

The past few summers have been difficult to do this for a couple of reasons: first, Adam has been coaching, making for time away to be very minimal. Second, I don’t teach preschool during the summer, so things get pretty tight around here during the summer months.

We really wanted to get out, and had saved a little money so that we could do this. We thought about going out of state, but didn’t really feel up to the drive. So, we decided to go to St. George. It is about 4 hours south of us, and a place we are familiar with.

Adam and I spent the first 4 years of our marriage down there, where he worked as a patrol officer for the SGPD, and I commuted to college, and then taught kindergarten. We actually had our first 2 kids here! We really liked it down there.

Here are pictures of 2 of our houses that we lived in and the school I worked in:

The first house we ever owned. We put in the landscaping and painted around the windows. Still looks good!

The first house we ever owned. We put in the landscaping and painted around the windows. Still looks good!

Our first house we built. Loved this house!

Our first house we built. Loved this house!

Coral Cliffs Elem.

Coral Cliffs Elem.

Although, it isn’t on the top lists of vacation get-aways, especially in the dead of summer, but for us, it was perfect.

We were able to get a condo for a week, courtesy of my mom’s side of the family, who has some fantastic time shares. My aunt, Julie has taken over my late grandpa’s job of booking the condos, and has done a great job!

All we asked for was a place to sleep, shower and if there was a swimming pool, we would be oh, so happy!

The place we got was above and beyond! We had 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a fully-stocked (speaking of utensils and utilities) kitchen and a pool just a 2 min walk from the house. It was at the Canyon Villas at Coral Canyon Resort. It was fantastic!

Our little escapee immediately located all the exits. I snapped this right as she was about to head out and find some friends.

Our little escapee immediately located all the exits. I snapped this right as she was about to head out and find some friends.

We wouldn’t know how glad we were that we asked for a pool until we got there. As luck would have it, this just so happened to be a week that the entire state of Utah had a massive heat wave. Northern Utah was at 100 degrees, so St. George was right about 115. SO HOT!

We ended up going to the pool 2-3 times a day. They all got to be such good swimmers!

Here is a youtube video of the kids playing an flipping at the pool :).

Rides on Dad's back were a must!

Rides on Dad’s back were a must!

sum20136 sum20139 sum201310 sum201312 sum201313 sum201317 sum201318 sum201319 sum201320 sum201321 sum201322

They had the coolest little waterfall/cave!

They had the coolest little waterfall/cave!

One of the days, my family came down to swim. The kids love them so much, and it was nice for them to play together for a night. My mom brought some new shirts for the kids, which they were very excited about.

Aspen and Uncle, Rand

Aspen and Uncle, Rand

His shirt that he left at the pool. If you want to hear more about this, feel free to read the article I wrote.

His shirt that he left at the pool. If you want to hear more about this, feel free to read the article I wrote.

Azure with grandpa! She loves him!

Azure with grandpa! She loves him!

The kids and all "The Uncles" under the waterfall.

The kids and all “The Uncles” under the waterfall.

sum20137 sum20138

I actually had a few columns due that week, and I ended up writing about a lesson learned, that had a little something to do with this. Here’s the link: Listen to children; they may surpriseย 

Speaking of writing, I was able to meet one of my editors for the first time! He was actually my first editor who took a chance on little old me to write for the Spectrum. He brought his wife and kids, and we really hit it off! It is so nice to meet couples that you have a lot in common with. I hope we get together again.

On one of the days, we did brave hiking at Zion National Park. It was fine, but it was very hot. The kids were troopers, though. There were some complaints along the way, but really, it was just fine.

A nice lady offered to take a picture.

A nice lady offered to take a picture.

zion1

Yes, there was carrying involved, as was expected :)

Yes, there was carrying involved, as was expected ๐Ÿ™‚

zion3 zion4

They were so tired, but I was so proud of them.

They were so tired, but I was so proud of them.

If you haven't been to Zion, you MUST!

If you haven’t been to Zion, you MUST!

When we were done, Adam took the kids to wade in the river. I was feeling a little heat struck and felt a little cramping in my stomach, so I sat out the river. Good thing, because who would have taken pictures?

Such a good daddy!

Such a good daddy!

zion8

I wasn’t able to get any good runs in because of the extreme heat. We did swim a lot and get a good hike in, so all is good :).

It was such a great get-away; something we plan on doing more often. I love my little family!

Posted in family exercise, health | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Husband and wife: It takes 2 to find time to exercise

In my second article to be run in the Deseret News, I wrote about the importance of couples working together to achieve their fitness ย goals.

As I’m sure I have mentioned before, Adam and I met on our college cross country/track team. We have always been physically active. However, getting married and a few years later, finishing college athletics and then jumping right into parenting and adding “real” jobs to the mix, really made finding time to exercise difficult.

However, the two of us having been in peak physical condition before, and having known how our bodies felt when when in that type of shape, we have both striven to maintain, or at the very least remain in really good shape.

We have always been very encouraging of each other in this respect, and it has been not only good for our physical health, but has been a key factor in the health of our relationship, too.

In the article, I give 4 tips to help couples find time to fit exercise in. Here is the link:

Husband and wife: it takes 2 to find time to exercise

How do you find time?

Posted in exercise, family exercise, health, running | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Time to ‘Fit’ it in

Some of you may have noticed that I changed the name of this blog.

The blog began as a way to chronicle my running adventures and hopefully inspire others to run as well.

I have really enjoyed this, but it always bothered me that my blog name had my name in it. I never really wanted it to be about me. However, I never knew how to change it. I toyed with the idea of starting a new blog, but I really like my followers and wanted to keep that as well as the content in it.

So … just the other week, I was asked by one of the biggest newspapers in Utah, Deseret News,ย to write a bi-weekly column dedicated to helping parents and really whomever else is struggling with it, to find ways to fit in exercise and fitness. I titled the column “Time to ‘Fit’ it in.”

I thought this would be a perfect time to change things up a bit. So, last night I made the bold move of changing the name of the blog and also the address to timetofititin.com … yeah, a “.com.” I feel so official, although I’m not … at all.

I feel like this title fits me a lot better, and I feel less confined to writing race reports and running logs. Although those will most likely find their way in here, I will also be posting ways/tips on how to “fit” it in.

Here is the first article that came out in the paper today. It is essentially the “Who, what, where, when, why and how” of “fit” ing it in.

I am also still writing my two columns for the Spectrum that come out bi-weekly (“The Rundown” and “(Tattle) Tales of a busy mom”) as well as my weekly articles that come out every Sunday on ksl.com.

If you don’t mind, I will post the latest articles at the bottom of each post and then “archive” them in the “Links to published articles” tab at the top of the page.

Here are the latest articles:

KSL article: My experience with a streaker/escapee child

Spectrum” (Tattle) Tales” article: You know you have a child escapee when

Here’s proof of all this madness …

azureswimwithatboots

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