A Peek at the Poulsens

Guys, I need to get internet. This whole no-blogging thing is no bueno. I feel like I’m not capturing important moments that I want to remember! (And I'm at the library currently and the internet is the WORST and I can't upload any pictures. UGHHHHH. At least I'm posting something . Pretend there are pictures and I will add them later.) WHAT NATALIE HAS BEEN UP TO LATELY: +loving dresses +the movie Hairspray +reading everything – I love when she asks to read more books, probably the only bedtime procrastination technique that we will gladly allow +pretending to catch the snitch like Harry Potter (her mouth never quite remembers how to say it: switch, squish, snish, smitch are all frequent substitutes) +playing in her kitchen – she loves using my real kitchen tools to flip “pancakes,” make “soup,” put “eggs” in the pan, and fill up her cup with “water.” I LOVE that she plays pretend already. anyone have any tips to continue encouraging her in this kind of play...

So a volcano erupted in Lincoln last night (in my dream), sending the city into turmoil and destruction.  With hot magma spraying hundreds of feet into the sky in a mushroom cloud formation and splashing ever closer to our home, all we had time for was to grab our children and the 72-hour kits in the basement and race away in our car to safety. It all felt very Dante’s Peak (look it up). The dream wasn’t super scary because I knew it was a dream, and we noticed the volcano early enough that even though we had to hurry we were able to escape. The scary part was, when I hurtled downstairs to grab our food storage supplies, WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY, and that part is true in real life. It was the most helpless, doomed feeling. I woke up and rolled over and told Austin at 4:35 in the morning that we needed to make 72-hour kits and work on our food storage. He groggily asked why and I told him a volcano erupted. But he was already asleep. So, I’m starting slow, but I’m taking steps to...

Our little buddy turned one (two months ago) and we had a happy celebration! He seems so much less one than Natalie did, somehow. Part of it is that he isn’t walking yet (especially on his actual birthday, now he is a lot closer), but I think the biggest reason is that with Natalie we were always looking forward to the next big milestone, and turning one was HUGE for us as first-time parents. With Stockton, we’ve been more content to enjoy each stage as it comes and goes, so our birthday radar wasn’t flashing as brightly. We had cake, family time, a trip to the zoo, playing outside, and more of our little boy’s favorite things. It’s nice to take out the “almost” when someone asks us how old he is – now he is a whole, full, entire ONE and we love him so much!

Once upon a time, I thought it would be a great idea to run a half marathon. We signed up for it three and a half months prior and started training. Then we stopped. Then the date of the race came and we had clocked maaaaybe 12 miles each. In one-two mile increments. BUT! We showed up bright and early and did our determined, albeit wimpy, best, and finished! Our goals: 1) finish. 2) bonus if we finish in under the mandatory 6 hours. And we succeeded! I think our time was like 3 hours 20 minutes or something hilariously bad like that (16 minute miles, y'all) and we were dead, but we were so proud of ourselves! Actually Austin was mostly just super ticked haha, he was sore and charlie-horsing and so done that he was just scowling for the next hour, ha! It was extra funny because he's normally so mild-mannered. The rest of us (Austin's mom, my dad, and our friends the Birdsalls) were feeling accomplished and satisfied but Austin was uncharacteristically crabby. Love y...

September flew by (I feel like I say that every post, with a different month. But it's true!) I've really enjoyed walking group with the other friends in our ward - we go every Monday/Thursday in the mornings and walk to the park. I always feel boosted and enjoy spending time with everyone. The kids love it too, and get nice and tired for their naps! A note about naps: aren't they sacred? I guard the two hours of actual nap time and the hour before/after like my life depends on it. Sometimes, it does. You can't be in the car too close to nap time because then they fall asleep en route, potentially earning you a shorter nap. You can't plan anything too close to wake up time because waking up a sleeping child is an international infraction, plus the children (at least mine) need some nap recovery time. You can't have anyone over during nap time - you need that for YOU time, and you definitely can't schedule any appointments or activities during nap time. S...

We've taken quite the break from the blog sphere the past month or two - I've missed it! I am ready to get rid of the nagging guilt of my accumulating pictures and events. It's always frustrating to fall behind on the blog because I never feel like you can quite catch up and do it justice.  BIG HAPPENINGS:  ~we said goodbye to apartment living and are now happy residents of 331 S 54th Street - notice the lack of apartment number! first time in our marriage! it was a relatively easy move and we are very content with our new situation. more on that later.  ~Stockton turned ONE! what!? more on that later. ~Natalie started stringing words together first into phrases and now into sentences. She's such a big girl! ~Austin and I ran a half marathon together! I use the word "ran" loosely - more like "gently jogged and walked." more on that later.  ~my dad started his new job as the JROTC instructor at Lincoln Northeast High School, and he live...

Fact: Every important man in history has had a beard. Evidence: Qui-Gon Jinn Obi-Wan Kenobi Gandalf Dumbledore Uncle Si Fact: Evil men are more likely to be clean-shaven. Evidence: Emperor Palpatine Sauron Voldemort Conclusion: Heroes have beards, and sadistic psychopathic murderers shave everyday. So, after reaching this conclusion a little over a month ago, I decided I needed a beard. It was the only obvious choice I could make after uncovering such overwhelming evidence. So I grew a beard. Pretty heroic, right? But, alas, it grew uncomfortable, and itchy, and Jessie wasn't fond of kissing me anymore, so I decided that it was time to chop it. I wanted to have a little fun doing it, though. I have wanted to do the sideburns-to-mustache combo since eighth grade when we learned about General Ambrose Burnside in the Civil War. I'd say the resemblance is pretty striking. The Hulk Hogan I think I pull it off a litt...