Morning Person

Have you ever seen a cuter smile?

Turkey Trot

We had a blast at the turkey trot, definitely a new Thanksgiving day tradition for us! We ran walked/jogged the 5K with both kids in strollers. I love that it was a nice family atmosphere, but the race itself was crazy.


I did the 10K solo last year and the start was a little intense but it seemed to ease up after the first mile or so. This year, pushing two strollers and trying to stay somewhat near each other made it even more difficult to actually run. Well, that and the 4,000 walkers lined up with the 6 minute per mile pace group.


I guess that's just the nature of us competitive runners, always trying to break free from the pack. Totally failed at that, but somehow still had a blast. Since we still don't actually even know our finish times, I guess there was really no point to signing up for the timed race.


Now we know for next year, because we will absolutely be doing this again. It was pushing it for Avery to ride in the stroller this year, so I am sure that will not happen next year, but she did so well in the kids K, she may just be ready for the 5K with us next year, I'm certain she could outrun most of those on the course.


We almost got a pic of the four of us, thanks to a fellow race participant.....I promise little Camden is in the other stroller, even if you can't see him.

see, there he is

again

our girl getting ready for her first ever race, nice stretching
and she's off
headed to the front of the packsporting the race blinggotta love that girl, her medal and the pride emanating from her face for crossing her first finish line and scoring a super cool turkey medal all her own.

You rock, little turkey!!

Weekend Fun and Stuff

It looks like I have gotten a bit behind in posting our latest weekend adventures. I'm not sure where the time goes, the hours and days just fly by, and I'm positive I am spending a good majority of them in awe of how amazing my kiddos are.

Camden had his two month appointment last week and is already 12 lb 3 oz and 23 inches. That's a lot of growing in a short time, he looks like a totally different baby. Equally as cute, just not so newborn tiny anymore!

Avery is always surprising me with the things she can do and say. She can recognize and write almost all of her letters (better than Daddy, sorry hon, but it's true) and her drawings are becoming so much more detailed.

Plus, she is just the sweetest, most polite girl around. At her dentist appointment last week, everyone was so impressed with her, they asked if she would like to come and teach the older kids how to be good dental patients. On the way home I was telling her how proud I was of her for doing so well and got a little teary-eyed (blaming it on the pregnancy hormones, but not too sure how much longer I can use that excuse). That little turkey is so perceptive, she could tell from the sound of my voice and asked why I was about to cry.

Aside from races and doctors appointments we have had some fun at the Aquarium, Disney on Ice and baking our weekly treats as of late.

Seriously....how did she win the ring toss????

Thanksgiving Smiles and Sounds

How cute is this....

HMSA 25K

Eric rocked the HMSA 25K he ran last Sunday. It was a beautiful running day, he felt great, ran fast and I think he even had fun. Check out the details of his race here.



Unfortunately I did not remember to take any pictures, but Eric looked great, as always. Great job, Eric, we're proud of you!! Can't wait to see you run the 30K next month.

Eight.

When my almost 4 year old woke up at almost 4 this morning, I made may way down the hall, rubbing my blurry eyes. What, I wondered, could be the trouble at this hour, tissue, blanket, sticker mishap, perhaps?

Wait, what hour is this?

I opened my eyes just enough to find the indigo light on my trusty Ironman Timex and was immediately fear-stricken. I hustled to right the wrong Avery was experiencing, the blankets were apparently non-compliant with her requests to cover her. Done.

Now what the heck is going on with that other kid, surely he did awake at some point last night and Eric fed him all while I slept peacefully, right?

When I made it back to our room and found Eric awake I began interrogating him about Camden's sleep schedule that night and found that no, he had not been up with him either. Wow, seriously, he went to bed at 9:00, amazing. Next came fear, well was he ok, are we sure he was breathing? Yes, Eric had already checked and while he was definitely in what we refer to as ninja mode, he was doing just fine!

Thankful that he was asleep, we were certainly anything but at this point, so it was time to begin our day, all rested and surprised. A little pumping, a 5 mile run, finishing touches on a pumpkin cheesecake for Eric's work Thanksgiving luncheon, showered and ready to blog about it before 7 a.m.


Bring it on Thursday, I'm ready for you, well-equipped with the best medicine ever. Eight blissful, peaceful, rest-filled hours of baby sleep!

Happy 8 week birthday, buddy, thanks for the gift.

Running and Writing

Over the years I have developed some serious skills to employ while running.

With the exception of the last 5 miles of a marathon, I am super good at math and running. I can calculate pace and distance and predicted finish times with uncanny accuracy.

Also, thanks to audiobooks from iTunes, I've mastered "reading" and running.

But there's something new I need some help with, running and writing. I have found that I draft the most eloquent, interesting, inspiring blog posts in my head while running. The funny thing is that as soon as I stop my Garmin, my blogging masterpieces fall right out of my head. I'm lucky if I can remember to jot down a subject or title for a post, certainly no cleverly well-crafted sentences come to mind.

So until I develop the skills to simultaneously run and write, or someone informs me of a gadget to do it for me, I guess I will just chalk it up as another benefit of running....mental clarity, even if the effect is only temporary.

Vacuum Love

If you know me, then you probably know that during a desperate, lonely moment of the law school years I made an impulsive decision that resulted in the addition of this lovely dog to our family.

Don't get me wrong, I love her. Most of the time. She's a good dog, doesn't require much, is great with the kids and always loves us. But the dog can, and does shed some serious hair. I could spend every minute of every day cleaning with my fabulous Dyson Animal and still find dog hair. Everywhere. As much as I have loved said Dyson since it was acquired, I think I am about to fall in love with Dyson all over again. Seriously. Check this out.

Dyson Groom.

And I get that my dog may not actually enjoy being vacuumed, but I think she can learn to love it, I know I will if this thing works half as good as promised.

James Dyson, I think I love you.

Wanted: Triathlete

So here's the thing. Eric and I do everything together, always have. We just don't understand the time alone concept. If we have hobbies we have them together, some may be my thing, while others are his thing, but we just don't do stuff separate. Some people may think that's crazy. We don't, we like it, LOTS. So the thing I think I am struggling with most about my triathlon obsession is the comment Eric made when he finally gaged my interst level had gone beyond just crazy-talk....

I'll NEVER do that.

Never, really, NEVER??? To put NEVER into perspective you have to understand that following our first marathon in 2005, Eric was NEVER going to run another marathon again. And I'm pretty sure those words or something very similar were also spewed from his lips following marathons 2-9. The funny thing is that he just sent me a text confirming the marathon he is registered for in January is number 10 and in the text he refers to himself as a non-runner. Hmmm, a non-runner looking for completion of his 10th marathon in a few short weeks, sounds like somewhat of a runner to me. So, I can't quite tell if this is a NEVER I can believe in or one I should challenge. Given his track record, I don't think I'm done trying for a training partner just yet.

What I do know is this, I would be a lot less afraid of the triathlon unknown if he wanted to jump into this with me. We always figure it out together, and while I'm positive he will be nothing but super supportive of me in triathlon, I just wish I had him to train with and bounce ideas off of the way I have with running!

So Eric, what do you say, do you want to be my triathlon training partner??? Anyone else interested?

I Need a Plan

So normally I have things all planned out. Races and training schedules are my speciality. This year I have participated in creating plenty of training plans for others. For myself, not so much. I did register for the Surfside Marathon immediately after the Houston lottery, so I was sure to get into a winter race. But I have done a whole lot of nothing ever since.

In my mind since my race is later than Eric's and since I 'just' gave birth, I've still got time. But my race is only 4 weeks after Eric's and the thing is, I know Eric has been training for more than 4 weeks, we made his training plan back when I was still pregnant and Camden is nearly 8 weeks old now. I guess that means I am at least two months behind schedule. Seriously, my marathon is less than 16 weeks away! It's time to get a plan, already! I have several 16 week plans, all of which assume I have a base and am not starting from taking the last 6+ months off, sigh. Well at least I have a few things going for me:

• It's finally fall weather
• I can switch to the half marathon (though I really don't want to)
• I will definitely not be trying for a PR
• I don't have a time goal, I don't have a time goal, I don't have a time goal (if I say it enough I will believe it, right?)
• I can run anytime, day or night, since I'm awake so often and have no job in the way currently
• And best of all, this is my training companion....

To Tri or not to Tri

Some time last summer in my perfectly pregnant state I had a GRAND idea.

An idea that just maybe, running in all of its greatness was not challenging enough anymore. Somehow, running Boston and my subsequent marathon PR of 3:31 in many ways felt like a plateau. I worked hard to get there and while I would LOVE to be under 3:30, I am still thrilled with my running achievements. But now, my brand new challenge in the form of this little guy means...


I have to get back into running shape. Plus, it's not like I am getting any younger, so maybe it's foolish to think I could hope for more PRs. I'm not saying thoughts of, and hopes for PRs are not still present, they just don't consume me as they have the past couple of years.

So now in the blissful mommyhood moments, such as when my little man is sleeping peacefully in my arms, my thoughts are consumed by something else, something crazy, foreign, even scary.

Triathlon.

Sure, at seven months pregnant during the height of triathlon season, these thoughts were abstract and safe, even I'm not crazy enough to take up swimming and biking at a time like that.

But now, now that pregnancy and childbirth are behind me (possibly for good - more on that in a future post), these thoughts are down-right frightening, but all the more consuming.

Swim. Bike. Run.

If you can only do one of these things, and are not even in shape to do it well right now, why consider making efforts to ramp up the level of difficulty by adding the other two?

I have asked myself that question A LOT these past few weeks, I guess because it wasn't all that long ago that I couldn't run either. And now I can. So I think it's worth a shot. I guess I'll obsess about ponder it some more and get back to you.

How Old is She?

Special Day

November 6th is a pretty great day for our family. It is both my mom's birthday and my in-laws anniversary.

I just wanted to take a minute today to say thank you to these three great people. Thanks for all you have done for Eric and me to get us to where we are today. We have a great life and great kids and none of it would be possible without all that you have done for us. Enjoy your special day, we love you!

Little Cutie

Just wanted to share a bit of the cuteness I get to spend my days admiring!

October Pictures

Here is the link to the slideshow of pictures from last month. Enjoy!

Fairies and Superheroes

Health and Cupcakes

So I've never really had to worry much about what I eat, I guess I'm just lucky like that. I don't have too many bad habits, I like a variety of healthy foods and if we're talking meals, I generally make reasonable choices.

BUT, I do have a really serious, counseling required kind of problem when it comes to sweets. Baked goods, ice cream and chocolate of all varieties are too tempting to resist. And boy can I eat, I'm talking single-handedly taking down entire batches of cookies, pans of brownies or both in record time!

Fortunately I also like to run, maybe more, but definitely equally as much. Wow, never really thought about what I liked more, treats or running, hmmm, that's a tough one, I'll have to ponder that one some more.

Anyway, as tasty as binging on desserts may be, I do realize it may not be the smartest decision from a health perspective. And as a parent I certainly can't allow that behavior in my kiddos, therefore in the name of rooting out hypocrisy, here's our new family plan. Once a week we will bake something super yummy, delicious and delectable we can all really enjoy and try to abstain from sweets for the remainder of the week. This is gonna be hard! It's funny, I've already noticed how habitual my need to feast upon sweets is, I don't think it's a true addiction, but it sure does feel like one. So to cope from withdrawals, I now spend countless hours browsing for yummy recipes. With only one shot each week, we have to be a little more selective. I have to tell you, to me dessert is always about chocolate, I can skip the fruity, savory, less rich varieties any time. So to add a twist, I only get to choose once every three weeks. It's good for me, and for my budding little baker to expand our palates.

Naturally, little A had the first pick and I just love how creative, specific and savvy she is. I thought she might like something with a Halloween theme or fall at the very least. But no, she planned in out on the spot. She wanted pink raspberry butterfly cupcakes! I agreed that sounded good, but really butterflies, I'm no pastry chef, but I knew the trusty old internet could get us to comply with all of her specifications, and we were in luck. We found a great recipe for raspberry white chocolate cupcakes complete with fresh raspberry (PINK) frosting. And for the butterflies we have to give a shout out to ol' Martha. A approved and we were ready to get to work.

Cutest little chef ever working away and having a blast...


After a nap and change of clothes we are ready for assembly,
admiration,and enjoyment!!
I'm really looking forward to what she comes up with. Somehow I don't think it will be long before I no longer need to search for recipes, she will just be making those up for us. But in the meantime, I will break from my search long enough to run out and get the ingredients for our next treat, Eric's pick, ORANGE velvet cake balls in honor of Halloween. Festive and YUMMY!

Meet BOB

After Avery confirmed there were in fact two lines on the pregnancy test just days before the Houston marathon, I knew the only big purchase I really wanted to make this time around was a BOB stroller.

Running with Avery in our old running stroller was never quite what I imagined. For one thing, she was not a big fan of riding in a stroller. Ever. So that obviously made things a little difficult. Her negotiating skills, on the other hand, are phenomenal. Despite my clear recollection of her distaste for strollers, she had us seriously considering the duallie BOB, so she could ride next to Camden. What?? Luckily we wised up and decided to bring this beauty home with us.

During the time Eric was home, we were soaking up the fall weather by taking BOB on daily walks, enjoying all the Houston trails. Now that I was given spousal approval (never mind that physician approval is still a couple weeks away) to really see what BOB can do, Camden and I wasted no time testing him out. Mind you, our walking/mothering/running 45 minute 5k isn't likely to set any records, but it is enough to know that I am very happy to welcome BOB to the family!

Kemah

We had our first official outing as a family of four this weekend in Kemah. It was a great time, complete with beautiful fall weather (well probably summer by non-Houston standards) and lots of fun!

Avery and Eric hit the rides together.

Avery was even tall enough to ride a few on her own.

And of course the outing just wouldn't be complete without running through the fountains to cool off.

I'm not sure Camden actually knew he was there, but he sure was content to nap in his stroller the entire time.

Avery's favorite part of the day was riding the tall rides with Daddy and running into her pre-school teacher, Ms. Michelle!

Love these kids!

Blogging??

After Avery was born Eric broke out some serious photography skills I was unaware he possessed. Rather than let his new found talents be enjoyed only briefly, I found Shutterfly and Avery's annual photobooks were born.

I love these books as a means to showcase the photos and recall the associated memories, and am excited to continue this tradition, but now that little Camden has arrived, I feel the need to begin something new as well.

I've never been much for journaling and while writing does not necessarily top my list of strengths, I have come to the realization that despite my exceptional memory, I can't remember everything that happens in our lives, I need some way to document it. So a blog about our kiddos and what we are up to seems like the logical solution, and with so many of our loved ones not near enough to see as often as we would like, maybe this will be a way for all of us to share in this journey.

I don't promise to inspire greatness with the words recorded here, but rather to document our journey as a family, trying to raise two great kids while working and attempting to mix in a marathon now and again. Thanks for joining us!