Family Day

Last weekend we decided to drive to another town and visit a science museum. They were having a dinosaur baby exhibit and MissyMiss still loves dinosaurs. So we packed up the kids and headed out in the morning. The pic below is one that I took from the car on the way there. It was a very rural and beautiful drive.




We got to the museum just as it opened. They had a very cute dinosaur egg exhibit that both kids liked. They both had great fun digging through the rubber chips to find the eggs. That is Daddy with Bubby.


Inside the museum there were a lot of interesting displays. MissyMiss was very interested in having the display cards read to her and watching the little videos that accompanied the displays. Bubby was not so interested in that. Daddy and I took turns...one of us did the educational things with MissyMiss and the other kept Bubby from destroying the place. The museum had a cute dinosaur room with little toy dinosaurs that kept Bubby busy for a while. They also had bins in which to dig for fossils. Once you found a fossil you could put it under the microscope to look at it. You were also allowed to take it home. They looked like little rocks, but if you looked very close you could see markings on them. They also had dinosaur dig sandboxes outside. Here is MissyMiss uncovering the fossils.


Once we were done at the museum, we headed to the downtown area to browse the shops. They also had a little playground there...here is one of the kids together. I love how MissyMiss has her arm around Bubby and he has his hand resting on her leg. :)


We also stopped for lunch at a local mexican restaurant. The food was very fresh and delicious! Here is a pic of Daddy's burrito. They made a neat design with the sauce and sour cream.


It was almost too pretty to eat...almost. :)

Fun Giveaway

Hey All! Whitney over at http://glamlifehousewife.blogspot.com/ is having a fun giveaway for a great cause. Check it out!

Mission Accomplished!

So...today I completed my first 10-miler! Yes! I am thrilled to have that under my belt. I did 9.5 2 weeks ago, but 10 just seems like a big number. I am so happy to have cleared that hurdle.
It rained all morning. At lunch time I was getting ready for my run and it was still pouring. I decided that I had a better chance of completing 10 miles in the rain, rather than on the treadmill in the basement. I threw my water-resistant windbreaker on over my clothes, grabbed an extra shirt and took off for the trail. The trail that I like to run at used to be a railroad track that was paved over. It is usually full of other runner, walkers, bikers, etc. It is usually very busy and all of the people/scenery keep things interesting. When I got to the parking lot, which is usually completely full, there was only 1 other car. But, as I got out of the car the rain stopped. I was lucky that it didn't rain at all my entire run.
The run took me 2 hours, 4 minutes and 32 seconds. My legs feel very tired now, but not painful. I am taking tomorrow off and then will do an easy run on Monday. My 10K is Saturday, so this will be an easy week for me. After the 10K my racing season is over for the year. I hope to do my first half-marathon this spring. Only a few months ago that seemed like an impossible task. As of May, my longest run was 4 miles. It is amazing what can be accomplished in just a few months.

Fall has...sprung?

Well..whatever the phrase is...fall is here! It is my favorite time of the year! I have been decorating the house for the season. Below is our family room mantel. It is my first time having a mantel and I had fun arranging everything.



Below is the treasured candy corn pumpkin. We have had this since before the kids. We all LOVE candy corn. It never seems to stay full for very long. :)




Below is our front door. I found the mums at Sam's Club and the wreath and scarecrow at Michaels. It was Missymiss's idea to put the scarecrow in the flower pot. I like the way it turned out.


This is the view down the hill from our front yard. I can't wait for a few weeks when the foliage is at its peak...it will be gorgeous.



This one is our powder room. I was not sure what to do with it, but wanted to do something fall-ish. I had the little pumpkins from a few years ago and found the towel at Target. I LOVE Target. I am there at least once or twice a week. I usually can gets lots of shopping done there. They have great soft pretzels and as soon as we walk in the door, Bubby says "soft pretzel please" If I get him one he is nice and quiet for the whole excursion...I usually end up spending too much at Target. :)


So...those are my decorations. How do you like to decorate for fall??

Precious Moments

Sometimes my kiddos are so cute together, it just makes my day. Whether MissyMiss is reading Bubby a book, they are working together with blocks, or sharing a snack, it just makes my heart happy. Below is a picture from one of those moments. They were snuggled up on the couch together watching a movie. After taking the picture, I went back into the kitchen to make dinner, smiling at what great kids at have.




That said, I am also a firm believer of keeping it real. So, it is only right that I should also mention what happened next. As I was chopping vegetables I heard a LOT of laughing coming from the family room...the kind of laughing that usually means that someone is doing something that they should not be doing. As I walked into the room, I watched Bubby, who was standing on the end table, do a belly-flop onto his sister on the couch. He quickly remounted the table to prepare for Round 2...it was a scene straight out of WWE. (His sister was laughing very hard and enjoying this as well.) For a brief moment I considered if I should take a picture or remove him from the table...safety won out and I removed him from the table. I was not able to capture the moment. I would bet money that he will attempt that maneuver again. Maybe I can get a picture next time...

Our race report

Here we are below. :) Today was a 5K for me and MissyMiss's first ever race...a Kids Fun Run! This is a pic of us before the start of the race. It was a beautiful day...sunny and right around 70 degrees.



My 5K started at 1 p.m. It was one of the larger local races and it was my first year running it. The race seemed to be a mix of serious runners and those doing it mainly as a charity event. I was feeling pretty good. I was well-hydrated and had a prerace meal of peanut butter on whole wheat and half of a fruit flat. I ended up running a PR for my adult career....yee-haw! I finished at 28:20. My fastest time before that was 29:15, which was from last month's 5K. My first mile was my slowest, but once I got into a groove I ran fairly well. In high school was fastest was 23:59...so it is something to work towards. Last October, I ran my first 5K after a 12 year break and finished in 33:11. So...I have taken almost 5 minutes off my time , in less than a year...I am definitely happy with that. Below is a pic of me just before the finish line. I was hot and tired (and wet...I can never seem to get the water in my mouth while running... :) ) I have no idea why I am holding my hands like that....I am gonna have to work on that one.



Now...onto the fun run. MissyMiss's race started at 2 p.m. She was a bit bored and tired of waiting, as we had already been there for 2 hours at that point. But, once we got to the starting line she was all business. She had her starting position all practiced. Below is a picture of her during the race. (Note the cute pigtails flying in the wind.) Look at that form!!




At the end of the race, she received a medal that said "awesome" on it and a goody bag. She was very proud of herself and we were proud of her. She then grabbed a banana and an orange juice from the post-race refreshments and we were ready to hit the road. Below is a picture of us at the end of the day. It was a great day for everyone...a PR for me, a first time race for Missymiss and Daddy got to watch both of his girls run.

My Rugrats

Well...these are my kiddos. I have decided to call them by their nicknames on this blog. Below is my little girl, MissyMiss. She is my first-born and I call her "little girlfriend." Don't you just love how her hair sticks out the vents on her helmet. :) She is trying to grow her hair down to her butt. Every time we go to the salon she tells the hairdresser "Just a trim". She is wise beyond her years. She was trying to tell me how her little brother got hurt and she started by saying "Well...apparently he fell off the bed." Ya gotta love it when little kids use big words.




This handsome guy is my baby, Bubby. We used to call him "Buddy", but once he started talking he called himself "Bubby", so that has stuck. He is your typical active and very curious 2-year-old. But, he is VERY affectionate and lovey. He will come over to me and say "Kiss Mama". He is sensitive, and I love it. When he is about to cry his little lower lip sticks out a bit and quivers...it is almost enough to get him out of a time-out...but not quite.




These 2 are quite the pair. They get along well, most of the time. There are 2 more things to note about these pictures:
1. Those are pine cones that they are holding. We recently moved into this house and just today discovered that pine cones are falling from the tree in the backyard. They were thrilled. "We have a pine corn tree!" (Yes, my missymiss calls pine cones "pine corns". We think it is so cute that we just can't correct her) The bad news is that the pine cones have a lot of sap on them! Both kids were very sticky when we went inside. Missymiss even got it in her hair. Even after a bath she still smells like a Christmas tree.
2. Do you notice that the kids are wearing helmets, yet don't have bikes? My kids are strange that way. They had gotten off their bikes and went to the backyard to play...but left their helmets on. They left them on the rest of the time we were outside. My neighbors must think we have issues.

See this picture here? Well...this is a shot of the very tall and mature trees in my backyard. When we moved into the house MissyMiss said "Wow...we will have lots of leaves to rake! It will be a huge pile!" She is thrilled about it. Me?....not so much.

My inspiration

I ran a 5K back in July and did well, as far as my personal time is concerned. My 5K last year was 32:40 and this July I ran 30:40. It is still rather slow, but I was happy with the 2 minute improvement. I left before the awards, since I had to get home to the kiddies. Then a few weeks later, this arrived in the mail:



It seems that I placed 3rd in my age group. I was really happy to receive the medal, but the response from my 5-year-old daughter was priceless...something that I will never forget. I showed her the medal and she said "See...I told you that you would finally win something!" Before each of my races, she asks me if I will win. I reply "No, I just run because I love it." We have also had discussions about fitness, exercise and health. She definitely understood the benefits of running, but felt I should have something to show for all my work. She was completely in awe of the medal.

That day became "my day". She called me "medal girl" for the rest of the day. She sang "Happy Medal Day to You" to the tune of Happy Birthday. She made me a plastic cake from her play kitchen. She told everyone we saw that day that I won a medal. I was her hero for the day...I will never forget that day. Her reaction meant more to me than any medal I could have received. To be a hero to my own daughter is a feeling like no other. That reaction keeps me motivated on the tough days. That reaction got me through 9.5 miles in the rain on Saturday.

She has decided that she wants to be a runner too. It makes me so proud. We bought her these running shoes:






She has her first race this Sunday....a kids Fun Run after my 5K. I can't wait to see her run in it. She has a very competitive spirit...won't be long before she is passing me in a race.

Red Velvet Cupcakes!!!

Yes, I am a runner who LOVES to bake! I think that the 2 different activities cancel each other out, calorie-wise. This week's experiment was red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting...yummo!!! My mini-baker helped me to bake the cupcakes in the afternoon and then I made the frosting after the kiddies went to bed. It took every last bit of willpower that I had to not like the bowl clean (although I did lick the beater :) ) Here is the finished product:

I was very happy with the final cupcake...a moist cake and creamy, but not too sweet, frosting. These got a big seal of approval from the kids, who both eat from the frosting down.

Welcome to my blog!!

O.k....it will probably take me a while to get this all set up...but this is a start. A fellow forum member on a running forum that I belong to had suggested that I start a blog to chronicle my come-back to running. I ran competitively in high school, but then got away from it due to school, career and children. I am now back! I ran my first 5K in 13 years last summer and quickly became addicted! I have run a few more this summer and have my first 10K in October.
However, as I pondered the idea of a blog...I realized that there is a lot more to me than running, and this way I would have more "material". First and foremost, I am a stay-at-home mom of 2 and grateful every day for my children and the fact that I can be home raising them. I also love to quilt, bake and read, among other things. So...this blog will be about my life and everything and everyone in it. Welcome!