slowing down

We are throwing in the towel! Ben and I surrender to the madness and have put a stop to all things "crazy" this Summer. Thats right no sports, no volunteering, no having to attend every function under the moon and back and no more filling up the calendar months ahead of time. I (we) are so tired of living 2 months ahead, I just want a clear schedule and live in today!!!!

We love having our kids active and we love all things sports. But there comes a time when we just need a break. Yes it is only day one and I already miss seeing everyone at the fields, park, arena or school. But it was SO nice sititng down chatting with my husband at the dinner table and having a normal family dinner tonight <3

Noah has a new adventure in Soccer that will start this July so until then we are free as birds!!!!!

Sugar Shacking

Or should I say Suga Shacking. Last weekend was NH big Sugar Shack weekend. Hundreds ventured out and visited different Shacks all over the state. Of course most of these people went on Saturday when it was actually nice out. Well not us, Saturdays are still filled with Soccer and by the time we are done with Soccer there is no time for anything else. So we went out on Sunday, it was wet and cold but we had a blast!!! I was a little (okay a lot) unsure of what to expect. Ben was beyond excited to hit the road and the kids just wanted food. Before we even hit the 1st Shack we soon realised this was going to be a GREAT family day and we were all excited!!!! We had so much fun looking and exploring the shacks and tasting the different syrups they had. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever to just be able to drink maple syrup. We had a great time.

After we ended up at a local smoke house that Ben has been wanting to try. We went, we tried, we cried. It was awful....no seriously it was bad. But we still left with huge smiles knowing that Dad was still the best BBQ'er ever! Another reason we feel he should open his own smoke house. I mean with the prices they charge how could we go wrong?

All in all it was a great weekend! Both boys won their games, both boys were stars on the field. They both came home with a few goals, some awesome goalie stops, and great assists. I got a girls night out (happy dance) family time and dinner with awesome friends. I was not ready for Monday morning to come

Beach day

Yes it is March still here in NE and Chloe and I have spent 2 days in a row down at the beach. We are having some pretty warm weather right now and we LOVE it! Chloe loves the beach, loves the sand, loves the water, loves the rocks, loves the sand filled snacks, loves it all but the bugs. Yesterday we took a little picnic just us girls down to the beach. We left both red and sweaty, its still too cold to go in the water for us. Today we went down the "main" beach in Hampton with some friends. It was so nice just visiting while the babies played. I forgot how easy it is with one child and when that one child just sits right in front of you and plays its wonderful! The boys would have never let me get away with sitting down at the beach at this age....heck they still don't let me sit down.

Chloe is now home napping before round 2. Yes the bags and truck and re-packed and we will be picking up the boys from school to head back down. They were both so sad yesterday when they found out Chloe went to the beach. Not only are they going today but with some "surprise" guests as well ;)

Hopefully everyone sits still long enough to snap a few photos :)

A helping hand

This has been a crazy off schedule week not only because Dad is gone but the kids have after school activities all week at the school. Its TV free (electronics too) at school. Noah started a new soccer class at Seacoast. This is great for him and he loves it however the timing couldn't be worse. His class goes till 5:30pm. Dinner is served here in the Molnar house around 5:15 on school days. I didn't get to showers and baths till 7pm last night..........I was a bit edgy. I feel like I have more errands then normal to get done this week after being gone all last week. And if I step foot into the grocery store one more time this week I might just scream. I refuse to eat out this week "just cause Dads gone." We are doing much better and eating healthier and I am really trying to stay on track but the odds are stacked against me right now. Chloe is a bit of a mess with the change in schedule and Dad not being here. The boys are great but remember that TV free week......well the 1st few days were an adjustment we will leave it at that. The tears have stopped and things are looking up. And please don't even get me started on the amount of homework that is stacking up on my table.

Is it Friday yet?

We are back

So many new things going on I can't believe its only been a week. Bryce got better but not before passing his illness onto Noah. Who is still not feeling better (it came back for round 2) We (the kids and I) spend the week at the Cape. Got a wonderful surprise visit from Aunt Amanda. We left and had no snow came home and have tons of it. Last session of indoor Soccer is almost here and Baseball is coming up fast. My big Zoo Fundraiser is right around the corner (ahhhhh). Kids have TV free week coming up at school which is only a big deal because that means a week full of after school activities. Noah starts ANOTHER soccer class this week going for the next 8 weeks. Which happens to fall right in time for bus drop off and ends about the start of dinner. So I have to plan that day out better. Plus trying to plan a few family vacations.

I just got home from a week away and I'm ready to leave it all behind again.

Feeling better

The past few weeks have been interesting around here. Bryce has been having stomach pains for the past almost 2 weeks. They started very sporadic and we really didn't give them much attention till Saturday. He spent most the day doubled over in pain and in tears. Finally about 4pm after calls back and forth with the Doctor we ( I ) loaded him up and headed for the ER. We by-passed the whole check in part and went straight to the back, he was in pretty bad shape. The doctors thought something was going on that was going to need surgery that night. I was holding it together but also scared to death. Ben was at home sick with Noah and Chloe so I was solo. They put poor Bryce threw the ringer with test after test after test. All came up with nothing, after some serious pain meds he started to get relief. Everyone was left scratching their heads, the call to keep him or release him was still up in the air when after 4 hours his pain starting coming back. There he was again starting to curl up and double over in pain but trying so hard not to say anything. With no serious medical condition and Bryce wanting to come home we all decided it was time for him to get home. The next few nights/days were awful. We spent a lot of time on the phone with his doctor and in the office. In the end we learned that he was having severe complications due to the Norovirus. Then it became a waiting game to see if he could get better at home or was he going to be admitted.

Fast forward to today.....HE IS AT SCHOOL!!! We both did the happy dance all morning getting ready. He was so excited to be going back to school today and I was so excited to be sending him. I can promise that he will never ever want to step foot into another ER or doctor office again and I am okay with that. I expect him to be very tired and grouchy when he gets home. He is on "light duty" if you will but he is there.

Tomorrow C and I will be headed back to the gym and resume our weekday routine. I can't wait to get back to it!!!!

Happy Valentines Day

We hope that everyone is having a lovely Valentines Day <3 Here is Chloe showing off her love of hearts and Daddy <3 Bryce is still under the weather so getting him in a Valentines Day shirt then to smile for a picture wasn't happening. Noah is still at school but turns out when you are 8 and a boy its just not as cool for Mom to dress you up in Valentines Day attire anymore :( So this is all you get of the Molnar's on Valentines Day. But we are enjoying our day of love together as a family <3

Sneak Peak

As stated below, tomorrow is Chloes Birthday Party. I will be baking an Elmo cake along with cupcakes in honor of the big day. However, my totally talented friend makes these amazing cookies and she agreed to do some for Chloe's big day!!! I don't know how she does it but everytime her cookies come out even better then before. She totally rocks and just happens to do mail orders!!!!!!

Here is a little sneak of whats to come tomorrow <3

When I close my eyes

this is who I see!!! Tomorrow is the big Birthday party for Chloe. Chloe has nothing but love for this big red guy and his little pink friend. This house will be filled with everything Elmo, Abby, Cookie and Big Bird come tomorrow.

This and That

The running goal is still going strong. Ben is a machine at running and I need to get my but on that treadmill. In all fairness I haven't stopped going to the gym, in fact I have up'd my time and workouts. But unfortunately it doesn't count in our miles :(. Today I am taking a much needed day off from the gym. It feels weird, I have been going everyday for the past 3 weeks. I feel like I am cheating or something, like I need to pull the shades and hide so nobody knows I am really home sitting on my ass doing nothing. But then I go to lift my arms or walk the stairs and the pain sets in and I remember that I totally kicked ass yesterday. So a day off is much needed here.

I wish I could stay home and be lazy with my little peanut the day before her BIG day but we can't. Chloe and I along with another friend have a lot of work to get done today. At the beginning of the year I signed up to co-chair fundraising for the PTA with my friend. It has been an adventure and very eye opening. We have been working on our newest fundraiser "Wild Life Encounters" its actually a very cool program and the easiest way to explain it is its a traveling zoo. We are getting very excited and nervous as the date gets closer. This has the potential to be a HUGE event and we are praying that it all goes off smoothly. So today we are doing some leg work and visiting all the Preschools in the neighboring towns to spread the word. We have lots of flyer's to hang and lots of speaking to do. Hopefully Chloe is in a great mood for all this fun stuff today!!! She is usually very good with these kind of things and just loves our meetings ;)

The boys are doing great! School and Soccer as usual. We are at our max with soccer right now but they want more. Last Saturday we spent about 5 hours at Seacoast and that was more then enough for me. At 815pm I couldn't hit the door fast enough. Both boys teams are undefeated at 6-0. They are pretty amazing. Noah's team is on FIRE and getting a pretty good name for themselves. They kids are all amazing and such great kids, the parents rock as well. We are super lucky that Ben has such an amazing team to coach. And Noah is turning into a pretty amazing goalie, he loves it! He was on fire last weekend with some amazing saves! It was so awesome to watch his little face light up with every stop and goal. Bryce is doing awesome as well. He is by far the youngest on his team and working on learning positions and the game and he does great with it. He turns it up on Wed. when he gets to practice with Noah's team. He can really hold his own out there with those 8 year olds and doesn't back down. Of course it makes me very nervous. But we are already starting to talk about Baseball!!!! That's right Baseball season is right around the corner and looks like Dad will be coaching both boys this year!!! This makes me very happy :D

Ben is busy busy busy as usual. Lots of studying to do, miles to run and schools to attend. Along with being Husband, Daddy, Coach, Sports star and saving lives. I don't know how he does it. He is amazing and I am a super lucky gal!

Chloe is growing up way too fast! Tomorrow she will be 2!!!!!! She acts like she is 5 and ready for school. We had to graduate her to a toddler bed a few weeks ago. She loves it. I have tossed around the "potty training" word as well. She does go on the big potty here and there and I think she is ready but I am not. She is one lucky little girl growing up here in Hampton with such amazing people. She has so many people that just love her to pieces its amazing.

496 miles to go.................

If you notice we added a new little ticker to the side of our blog. Ben and I talked yesterday and we have decided to set a goal together. We want to run 500 miles this year but really we are hoping for a little more then that ;). No reason really, not getting ready for a big race or anything. Just something we can track and do together to stay healthy. I'm super excited to see how far we can run together in a year!!!

~Rules~

• We don't have to run at the same time for miles to count. Any miles at the gym or on the street count. You have to be actually running not playing a sport then estimating how many miles you "think" you ran.
• Lashelle's training classes at the gym do NOT count. Even if I bust my ass in that gym for 2 hours! Unless I am on the treadmill or elliptical they will not count. (eye roll, Bens rule)
• We will track our miles together as a team as long as it's fair. I (Lashelle) will not allow Ben to carry my weight. Of course he will run more miles, he has more experience running and more time to run ;). If I start to slack we will create 2 tickers to keep me honest.

So there it is. We will both try to long in every few days to update our miles. And who knows maybe I will actually pass Ben in miles ;) A girl can hope right.

Stronger

A few months ago I made the plunge and joined a gym. Yes me, Lashelle not Ben. Lashelle has NEVER joined a gym before and working out in a room full of strangers watching you was never really something that I was into. Turns out I was completely wrong about the whole gym thing. It has actually (to my surprise) been a wonderful experience. I was a ball full of nerves at 1st, always watching to see if people were watching me, hiding on the corner machine and staying FAR far away from that group class area. I even think I may have promised that you would never find me in "that" room. Here we are almost 2 months later and if you need me I will be in "that" room or on the machine right smack in the middle of it all. I no longer hang out in the daycare as long as possible secretly hoping Chloe will cling onto me to give me a reason to leave. Which she never did by the way, she is killing it in daycare!!! Finally a child of mine that likes daycare!

I love sports and miss being able to head to the field or court after work. But lets be honest I haven't worked in almost 8 years (yeah for stay at home mommies) and I have been living in the "past." Sure I go with Ben every now and then to play volleyball but nothing to write home about. Newport was different we played in a league and had a kick ass sitter so I was able to go all the time. I knew the only way I was going to get this body into shape was drag my ass to the gym and work for it.

Gym is hard work and I really struggled to find the fun in it. You go in kick your own ass on the machine, group class, weights, or if you are really lucky your trainer will work you extra hard that day just for fun. I have a love/hate relationship with him still. But today I think I may have turned the chapter. I actually ENJOYED every lunge, plank, side plank with leg lifts, kettle bells, jump rope, rabbit kicks, squat, and medicine ball and the rest of the stuff I blacked out for ;). I did all these things without the violent shakes and in control of my own body. What a GREAT feeling!!!! So turns out this gym thing is working out and I am getting stronger and on my way to a better me :D

Now if only I could get the diet thing under control I may be on to something. Baby steps, baby steps

Discipline, time outs and following through

There is something to be said about having your children close in age. The boys are 2 1/2 years apart and while disciplining them may not have always been easy it came natural. I was so used to following through and time outs with Bryce because I was still being challenged daily with Noah. Somedays it seemed like someone was ALWAYS in time out or that every minute and every breath was used to repeat what you just said. I learned the art of 2nd chances, when to let things go and I was pretty awesome at picking my battles. There were nights when nothing would help but Daddy and a good bottle of wine and there were nights when you just needed to cry in defeat. But it was all worth it because I think we raised two pretty awesome little guys!

Then almost 4 years later came Chloe. This little adorable toddler we have gets away with murder around here! No really she does. Partly because her Dad and Brothers think everything she does is adorable and laugh their heads off. Yes even her Dad! But mostly because I am lazy at home and do not do very much discipline or time outs with her and forgot following through on anything I say, she knows I am not going to at this point and THAT'S a problem. I noticed this at the dinner table last week, she rules the table. Sings songs, plays with her food, puts her feet on the back of the chair making a plank with the table and chair as her prop, she yells over the boys talking, bangs her fork on the plate and just gets down when she wants. No joke its out of control. Then I started to noticed she just yells and gets her way, takes things from her brothers (which they totally let her), and is super impatient.

So today we are turning over a new leaf. I/We will take more time to follow through and put her in time outs. We will start to teach her discipline and what is right and wrong. She may only be 2 but I know she understands. We must start this now because this Summer is coming and fast and with an out of control toddler there will be NO fun.

Where is the snow?

That is the question I get daily in this house. Noah and Bryce are DYING for some snow to play in. Not just a dusting here and there no these boys want some serious snow. You know the snow that's so deep you almost lose a child walking across the lawn kinda snow. This is the 1st year we hired a plow guy and have yet to need his services. While I am super excited for the day I can sit inside with all 3 children with a warm cup of coffee and watch someone else clear my driveway and walkway I can also wait :) Ben and I are loving the no snow factor that we have going on here in NE this winter, us CA kids like to be able to see the grass ;). But my poor, poor kids are being tortured.

Last night we finally got some snow. And by some I mean very little but just enough to put a smile on the boys faces. No need to call in the plow trucks or anything but snow gear was in order this am. Noah loved every minute of walking down to the bus stop in his snow boots kicking the snow. Bryce however got to stay cuddled up in bed as he was up again last night sick. Chloe touched the snow this morning and quickly said "no snow hands freezing mama" love her!

Noah was hoping for it to stick around so he could play in it after school. Unfortunately, it is already melting and I can see the grass again.

What a difference a year makes!

Noah turns 8

8! Seriously?!? We have been parents for 8 years now and we couldn't imagine having a more amazing little guy. Noah was such a happy baby, toddler and now big kid. He amazes us everyday with everything he does. Not to mention he sets the bar pretty high for the best BIG brother EVER!

We celebrated Noah for the whole weekend and it was a blast! Friday was his Birthday and he was off to school with a smile to celebrate with his class. While he was at school our dear friends Erik, Shae and Liam came up from the Cape. This was very special to Noah as he calls Erik "his 1st buddy" The Watson's have pretty much been there for all of Noah's 1st and a steady part of his life. He loves them dearly and couldn't wait to get home to see them all. We then loaded up with more friends and headed out to Birthday dinner. Saturday was Soccer as usual (with the exception of Bryce as he ended up with a stomach virus and was down for the count, yes that was LOTS of fun) Noahs team had a huge win that day and he scored a few goals himself :) I wasn't there as I was still holding up the puke bucket ;(. After the game he had a sleepover at a buddys house then Sunday was the party. What better way to say Happy Birthday then to take 8 boys to the movies. Our friends helped us chaperone and it was a blast! The kids were amazing and everyone had a great time.

Motivation

Today was Bryce's 12th trip to the ENT in the past 5 weeks. Okay that number might be inflated a little bit but seriously not that much. Last month he ended up with a double ear infection, pneumonia and strep throat. What can I say the boy knows how to do it right. Due to the mass amounts of drainage coming from his ear we were not able to get a hearing test done until today. All we knew is that from the pressure and drainage he was having troubles with hearing from his one ear.

Of course Chloe didn't sleep well last night and I had to skip the gym to make this appt so we were all a little edgy. All Bryce could think about was getting back in time for Library. All these little things on my mind I completely forgot how much fun hearing tests are with a tired toddler and an edgy Bryce. By the grace of God we made it threw the test and he passed his hearing test.

After we left Mom needed some motivation to get me through the day

this is my motivation. There is nothing better then a Starbucks Double Shot over ice on days like these. Most of you know how much coffee means to me and my life and THIS drink right here IS my lifeline.

Transfer season or the lack thereof.......

It's that time of year again for us. Time to put your picks in, patiently wait (or in my case not so patiently) for Mr. Detailer to tell you what the next 4 years of your life will look like. Pack your boxes, ship your cars, make travel plans and start a new adventure....or is it?

Ben received orders a few months back and it turns out we will NOT be moving this year!!! We are all very excited to stay here in NE and in Hampton. Ben will be moving units but just "up the road" to Station Portsmouth Harbor. While he will have a new job with new adventures the kids and I get to enjoy life in Hampton. This is VERY exciting for us, we love our house, our neighborhood, our schools, our sports and most of all OUR FRIENDS! As most of you military families understand this is VERY hard to LOVE all these things. And yes the day will come and we will have to say goodbye but that day is not now :)

So cheers to another 3 years in Hampton, NH <3

Did I mention how absolutely GORGEOUS the new station is?

Happy New Year

Happy 2012!!! 2011 was an amazing year and we have little complaints here in the Molnar household but we are all looking forward to an amazing 2012. We kicked off the New Year right with a little adult/kid party at our friends house. No better way to ring in the New Year with some pretty amazing people! The kids (yes all 3) made it till midnight and we all watched the ball drop together &lt;3 The next day we had our annual Marland house brunch. Which was a blast as always. The kids are all getting so big now..tear...but it allows us adults to sit and relax while they play. Of course it helped that it was almost 50 outside on January 1st!!!!

Noah's Birthday is a few weeks away *more tears* followed closely by Chloe and Mom. Lets not forget Valentines Day, my favorite. No better way to start the New Year then with celebrating.

I know I have been HORRIBLE at updating pictures and blogging. I blame it all on Facebook ;) I am not one for New Year resolutions but maybe this year I will try and blog more. Here are some pictures from 2011 &lt;3