I run for the fallen.

Friday I will run my third race with the hopes of running many more. This past Saturday my long run included a decent size hill and 8 miles. After about mile 4 when I was halfway through my run as well as halfway up the monster hill I started to think "oh lord how am I ever going to complete this run let alone the races I have coming up!" And then I started thinking about all of those people out there who used to run and no longer can or the people that would love to experience the joy of even walking let alone running but have never and will never be able. This propelled me forward. At this point in my run my ipod also died due to the pouring rain which freed my mind to wander and I began to think of all our troops, those still with us and the fallen. Fast forward to this morning. I spent the better part of a half hour talking with a Vietnam Veteran after I donated to a veteran's cause. At this point it occurred to me, why am I running all of these races? Obviously they all benefit charities of some form; my first 5k - skin cancer, my 2nd 5k - youth sports, the Ragnar Relay this weekend - youth mentorship. All of these are wonderful causes but I want to run for something that hits a little closer to home, something I feel very passionate about. Which has led me to start researching what kind of events are out there that benefit our troops and their families. I've found several and plan on scheduling them into my 12 month race calendar and I welcome all fellow runners to join me! This weekend I will be running all three of my Ragnar legs for the fallen, those still fighting for our freedom and those who used to run and no longer can. To our troops, thank you for fighting for us!

Getting a little perspective

Friday is usually one of the best days of the week as you know the weekend is approaching! However on this particular Friday I found myself having "that" morning. You know the one i'm referring to, the one where from the minute you get up things just seem to go wrong.... THAT day. Let's re-cap....went to make coffee and spilled the pot full of water all over the counter then in the process of trying to clean that up spilled half the container of coffee all over the floor, stubbed my toe, went to get in the car (which I had started to get it cooled down for the kiddos) to find i'd not only locked my keys in the running car but i'd also locked myself and the kiddos out of the house....(thank goodness for a hidden spare key!!) Finally get on the road to LaCrosse to meet my mom at Sams Club. Cashier rings up purchases wrong so I have to then wait in line behind 10 other customers for 2 items, then go to Caribou (which doesn't have a drive thru.... :(), unload both kids go in to get my coffe and they give me the wrong one but don't have time to fix it because of 2 screaming kids. Keep in mind it's barely 10:00 at this point..... NOW, I have a decision to make at this juncture; I can either sulk and let these many unfortunate irritating things ruin the rest of my day (and there's a lot of day left!) or I can laugh at this and choose to start over! So that is what I did! Not to say i'm above sulking, i've done that a time or two (and who hasn't!). But on my drive home as Lucas was talking to Gavin in the backseat and Gavin was laughing and cooing at his big brother I realized there just isn't enough time or energy in my life to waste on negative things.
I found myself thinking about a friend who had to say goodbye to her babies after just an hour on this earth and my eyes teared up. If I chose to let these minor things ruin my day how could I face that friend or others who are truly taking on lifes most difficult challenges? My perspective on the day immediately changed. I looked at my babies in the backseat and smiled remembering that I get to go home to an air conditioned house with two healthy children, a wonderful husband, food in our cupboards and clothes in our closets. My life is truly blessed and i'm thankful everyday for everything and everyone I have in my life.
This is life, you roll with the punches and you pick your battles. To those of you that are dealing with genuine struggles, my heart aches for you, be strong and I love you!

Where has the summer gone?!?!

I can't believe we are already into August! We have had such a busy summer and our fall calendar is quickly filling up as well! Ri starts football in a week and a half, I have the Ragnar Relay coming up in two weeks, Lucas starts PRESCHOOL!! in 2 weeks and Gavin will start daycare when I go back to work on the 29th. I can't believe there are only a few short weeks left of our busy summer! A quick update on our "little" family. Gavin is now nearly 5 months old, smiles, coos, rolls over and loves to watch his big brother run around like the energizer bunny! He's a very strong little guy and thankfully has been sleeping through the night since about 3 months! (yes, we realize how fortunate we are for this!!) Lucas is, as always, as active as toddler boys come! We're working diligently on potty training....somedays it goes really well and others I feel like Gavin will be potty trained before him!! ha ha But we'll get there! He has healed wonderfully from his surgery and within a week we could tell a big difference in his speech. The week of the 22nd he moves into the preschool room at daycare....where did my baby go??? I can't believe he is old enough for preschool already! He throws epic tantrums just like any toddler and his favorite saying during these tantrums lately is "don't talk me!!" Oh the drama of toddlerhood. ;) Ri has been really busy with mowing, hasn't had to many slumps this year like we have in the summers past but I really don't know how he works in this heat and humidity! He's been playing in two softball leagues this summer. One wrapped up last night and the other plays for the league championship on Monday night. Cash has been doing great adjusting to both boys and is as usual a great pup and very protective of all of us. As for me, i've been training quite a bit this summer. I have a 200 mile team relay this month, a 10k in September and a half marathon in early October. I'm also considering signing up for another half marathon in May. I've found that running helps keep my anxiety in check and I absolutely LOVE the runners high afterwards! Well, that's about all for the Stejskal's at this point. I'll post again in a few weeks after my race (if I survive!) with pictures! :) Love to all.

Superman!

Lucas is such a trooper! He had surgery yesterday, double surgery actually. His tubes came out in October and since February he has had 4 double ear infections. SO, in talking with his ENT specialist we decided a second set of tubes were needed as well as removing his adnoids. So we checked in to the hospital at 8:00 yesterday morning. He was taken back for surgery at 9:20 and was back in the room with Gavin and I by 10:20. He struggled when he first came out of the anesthesia and was kicking, screaming and trying to pull his IV out. After rubbing his back for about five minutes while trying to keep him from pulling his IV out he fell back to sleep. Once he woke up the second time he ate a popsicle and was ready to go home. We were home by shortly after 1pm and by 3 you'd never have guessed he'd had anything done! We kept him home from daycare for the week not really knowing what to expect with the addition of having his adnoids removed. Today it's as if he didn't have anything done. Poor Cash thought he was going to get a break....no such luck! :) We are so thankful he doesn't seem to be having any pain (other than when we have to put his eardrops in). Hopefully this will be the last time he has to have this type of procedure. His first set of tubes were in for nearly 2 years so if this set stay in that long we are hoping he will be old enough that he will have grown out of this issue. And having his adnoids removed should help with the draining of his ears/sinus as well. Here's hoping!!

I'll chalk it up to lessons learned.....

Growing up I never understood why my mom NEVER seemed to stop moving. She'd get home from work and immediately start doing something around the house; laundry, cleaning, mowing the lawn, you name it. Now, as a working mom, I completely understand!! Had she sat down she would have promptly fallen asleep!! I find myself hitting a wall promptly at 6pm every night. Other lessons I find myself learning as a mom.... my house may look like a tornado hit it by 8pm every night, dinner may not be served right at 5:30 every night and the laundry may pile up until there are 6 or more loads to do..... BUT...... my kids are loved, they are happy and healthy and they go to bed with full bellies, clean faces, clean sheets and clothes to wear. So I may not be nominated for mother of the year or "super mom" anytime soon but that's just fine. I don't think a mom who never needs a break or always has a sparkling house while having toddlers exists; but if she's out there, good for her.
I take pride in being a good mom and a good wife. I love taking care of my family. I enjoy cooking for them (and according to my hubs, sometimes baking to much.... he he). I love hearing my children laugh and seeing them smile. But I also need time for me. I need time out of the house to do something other than being a mom. I need my job, I enjoy my job, it gives me another purpose. And yes, I may be selfish, but I need the occassional tanning appointment or hair appointment. And I believe my husband can attest to this, I NEED running. Running sets me free, it gives me time to think but to not have to solve anything, it gives me time away from screaming babies, tantrum throwing toddlers and attention seeking pups. So in closing, I say this to all my mom friends and my mom..... we're human and there is nothing wrong with asking for what we need, calling it a day when there is still laundry to be done or dishes to be washed, and handing the kids off to the husbands and saying "i'll be back in 5!" (even if you really need 25). :) To all you super moms out there, I salute you and to all you daycare moms who deal with numerous toddlers at a time, you deserve a freakin medal!!

Truly Blessed.

This morning as I sit at my desk and take a minute to reflect on my life, I feel truly blessed. I may not have everything in the world and I may still want for many things, but when it comes right down to it, I have more than I need and everything that is important to me. What brings me to think these things? In short, Memorial Day. This weekend we went to my parents cabin. At the cabin I was surrounded by my amazing family; my husband, two kiddos, mom, dad, and both of my brothers. You see, we were fortunate this Memorial Day to not have an empty chair at our family table like we have in years past and like many families currently do. Each and every day I am thankful my dad is stateside and less than an hour from me. Being a self proclaimed daddy's girl I couldn't ask for anything else.
So as I listened to my brothers bicker with my dad over yardwork and watched my husband role his eyes at the shenanigans the Krause's sometimes pull, I couldn't help but smile. As my son ran around the cabin playing karate man and sat in the truck with his Boppa it almost brought me to tears just to see the joy on his little face. Knowing that I am blessed to be part of such an amazing and supportive family is quite overwhelming at times and I don't think I reflect on how lucky I am enough.
I know I am thankful every day, not just Memorial Day and Veterans Day, for the sacrifices our troops and their families make. But I also ask that all of you remember any and ALL servicemen and women and their families every day. Not just those in our armed forces, but also our police officers, fire fighters, EMT's, etc. They also take care of us everyday and some do not make it home to their loved ones at night.
I also spent a great deal of time this weekend reflecting on friendships and love and second chances. To all the loves of my life (Tara this means you to), keep your heads up! There is a plan for all of us. It may not make sense right now and we may struggle through it, but that's the important part to remember, we will get through it!! Love to you all and here's to an amazing summer!!

Where does the time go?

Gavin is 6 weeks already! He's weighing in at 9lbs 6ozs and is filling out nicely. :) Lucas is playing the role of big brother wonderfully. He makes sure to let me know anytime G is crying (not like we can't hear him.... ha ha) and loves to give him kisses. He also loves to share his toys, for now, i'm guessing in another 8 or 9 months when G can and wants to play with Lucas' toys we'll have a whole different situation. So far Lucas isn't showing any jealousy towards Gavin but we're working hard on making sure Lucas gets one on one time with each of us.
Riley Started his mowing season today....May 2nd and he froze his butt off! That is just not ok in my world!! We should not be worrying about snow and frost in MAY! Who can help me convince my hubby to move out of this godforsaken tundra?!?!?!?! He will also be playing softball two nights a week this summer. I'm very excited that he's going back to softball after taking several seasons off. He's also given up coaching baseball (gasp!). But we're all very excited about the extra family time that will give us.
As for me, I jumped right back into running about 3 weeks after G was born. I am running my first 5k this month, another 5k in June, the Ragnar Relay in August and a half marathon in October.... yes, i'm begining to realize I may be slightly crazy (but I like it). :) Unfortunately with G arriving 6 weeks early I will have to go back to work before the end of the school year. SO, May 24th I'll head back to work for three short weeks before summer break. I'm excited to see my students and be able to wrap up with my 8th graders before they move on to high school but sad that i'll have to leave my little peanut. Oh well, it's only for 3 weeks and there are only 4 days of work each of those weeks for me (i'll take it!).

Keep an eye on your mailboxes, pictures of G being sent out SOON! :)