Visit with friends

We rounded out the year with a visit to our friends house up near my hometown. We vacation with the P family every year and try to spend as much time as possible with them :). The kids had their very first "sleep over" that evening. Didn't go over well (Little J actually ended up falling asleep) but we had trouble with Miss C. I think they just stayed up too late and then it was pretty much game over trying to get her to settle down after that. We ended up having to pull her out and she slept in our room that night. But the kiddos sure did have fun while it lasted! I'm sure we'll try again next time we visit...

And with that, I can finally start 2011....only 6 or 7 weeks late! 2010 was a great year and so far 2011 is off to a good start!

Did I already blog this?

Who the heck knows! Because I'm too lazy to actually look through the archives coupled with the fact that I have less than 30 minutes before the natives get restless, I'm going to blog it (probably again).

I'm really far behind in the blogging. I'm not going to lie, I'm disappointed in myself. I want so much to keep up with this because I feel it's so important. It's important for me, to chronicle the precious time I have with my kids because they are growing up way too fast. Important to my kids, to have something to look back on one day because in all honesty, they probably won't really have many memories from this time. So with the new year, I'm going to try to be better. To be better at blogging and to more importantly be better at editing photos! I have so many photos sitting in folders that have never been touched. Memories waiting to make the light of day. So for this year at least, I'm going to try to make this the priority that I think it is. But before I can move on to the new, I have to catch up on the old!

This little gems are from back in August when Little J and I were treated to daily dance recitals....sometimes several times a day.

And these are from her dance "parent observation" class. Twice a year, the parents get a treat and are allowed to watch during class. The girls are just learning their recital routines.

And these are all the way back from the end of July. We had a great summer at the pool this year and the kids did swim lessons through the summer and fall. Their swimming abilities have dramatically improved over the past 6 months that I almost can't believe it! Miss C is pretty much swimming on her own now and can do the crawl and back stroke. She's even learned how to do the side breathing. I can't wait for the pool next summer, it should be a lot of fun. Little J is *almost* ready to start "swimming" on this own. He's learning the techniques of the crawl stroke, but pretty much reverts to doggy paddling when the instructor lets him go in the water. He only feels comfortable swimming on his own for about 2-3 seconds, but it's progress! We're going to be taking a month of two off during January/February and then we'll start back up again. The kids got a little exhausted from all the activities this fall and a break during the freezing months is certainly welcomed by all.

Here are a few from lessons over the summer/fall.

And a few of Miss C

Nana's house

The day after Christmas we headed to Nana's house to celebrate with my family. Santa managed to make a stop there as well and the kids enjoyed opening presents for a second time.

The kiddos enjoyed the visit with their cousin. Little baby D got a kick out of the kids. He and Little J had fun "chasing" each other (and the dogs too). The funny thing is that they each thought they were the one being chased.

It was a great visit!

Christmas Day!

We had a great Christmas this year. I'm pretty sure the kids got way more than they needed, but definitely everything that they wanted. The biggest item they asked for was a scooter. Santa was happy to oblige. Other than that, there really weren't too many requests for toys. My kids are certainly hard to shop for because they usually don't have something specific that they really want. But we certainly made do.

Miss C on Christmas morning. She was the first of the two of them up. Of course, they decided to sleep in until a little after 7 (we were all up around 6:15 waiting for them). Figures that the one day we actually get up early they would decide to get up later than usual.

Yes, they had matching pajamas this year :)

I think he really liked his gifts! His favorite was the General Grievous from Star Wars and the Iron Man that Santa brought him.

Little J also got a new dino helmet to go along with his new scooter

Miss C showing her scooter skills. She was a total crack up that morning. She had to wear this outfit while riding. I guess in her mind, this is a "workout" outfit that you wear when exercising. She got it last summer when she attended a sports camp....so she associates it with physical activity. Kind of funny. I've been going to the gym a lot lately (and was running a lot while training for my half marathon) so she's very in tune with workout attire. That's my girl! You've got to look cute while exercising :)

Christmas Eve

So we're getting close! Almost to the end of the year :)

On Christmas Eve the kids decorated cookies for Santa and then wrote him a letter. The decorating went as expected, a huge mess everywhere. But the cookies turned out great and that is all that mattered.

They spent most of the time "accidentally" getting icing on their fingers....

Then I brought out the sprinkles. Big mistake. Huge. Can you guess what happened about 3 seconds after this picture was taken? If you guessed that he dumped the entire container of green sprinkles on the cookie, then you would be correct! Sure hope Santa likes sprinkles on his cookies.

I put this pic in here because this is the face I get about 95% of the time these days. I'm waiting patiently for the day that he starts to cooperate again (which was about 4 for Miss C). Until then, this is what I get. I love it though because as I was looking through these pictures today, I had a few good laughs :)

Along the lines of funny photos, anyone care to guess what the hell he's doing in this picture? I actually don't even have an answer for that one.

The finished product

After cookies, we wrote letters to Santa

He did this all by himself. It's a picture of him with Santa. The dots on the top are snow falling down.

And here is Miss C's (again, totally done all by herself)

It says:

"Dear Santa,

I am a gud grl. I wud like a big grl scotr for cristmis. Here r sum milc and cukes for you and your rander."

Pretty good if you ask me!

ginger bread houses

I'm not going to lie. I hate these things. You should have seen the mess trying to get the roof on these suckers. It sucked. Period.

But it made them oh-so-happy. So suck or not, it will probably be an annual thing. Next year I'll probably try to be a little smarter about it. Maybe by the time they don't want to do it anymore, I'll finally have it nailed.

i.did.it

Check this one off the bucket list....I ran a half marathon! I wish I would have chronicled my journey to get there because 6 months ago I never would have thought I'd actually do it. But I did and I'm so glad it's over! Before I ran it, I had fleeting thoughts of a full. But now that's it over, I can't imagine running another 13.1 miles on top of the 13.1 I had already run. Those people are nuts! I'm happy with the half, and who knows, maybe I'll do it again next year. I'd like to keep up with the running....it's done wonders for me. Sick to kind of say it, but I actually like it. It's my little break away from the chaos of daily life.

My friend J and I started running together about 5/6 months ago. When we first started, we struggled to do 30 minutes. I mean struggled. We were at about a 10:30 minute mile and once we hit 25 minutes, the excuses started. We generally pushed through to hit the 30 minute mark, but more often than not, we "convinced" ourselves that 28 minutes was close to 30 and we could go ahead and stop. I'm fairly athletic (in an average way), but running has never been my strong suit. Right about then, my friend "suggested" we sign up for a half marathon. She's done several over the past couple of years and thought I might be able to do it too. After the look of horror on my face subsided, I agreed. She had just had a baby 4 months prior to us starting to run and I thought, heck, if she can do it, I can do it. I mean, it had been over 3 years since I had a baby, and the excuses were not really valid any longer.

Over the next couple of weeks and months, that 30 minutes turned into 40 and then 50 minutes. That 10:30 mile became more of a 10 minute mile and we continually saw progress. I remember the morning I did 7 miles....a personal best for me. I think once about 10 years ago I ran 6+ miles at one time. But never more than that. That 7 was huge and it was one of the first times I actually thought I could do it.

That 7 miles became 8, then 9 and finally 10 (well officially 9.6) two weeks before the race (and I felt good after that long run). Our "short" runs were 5 miles (which I would NEVER have considered a short run before) and I was able to easily do those 3 times a week. About a month before the race, we were consistently doing sub-10 minute miles too. Heck, on flat surfaces, we were hitting 9 and 9:15 minute miles.

The morning of the race was nerve wracking. The most I had ever run was 9.6, so I still had over 3 miles to add to that to complete the 13.1. Everyone told me that if I could run 10, I could certainly do 13. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

Here we are the morning of the race:

The first 4 miles were good. Our first mile, a 9:15. We tried to slow it down a bit as to not burn ourselves out and had a 9:50 for mile 2, a 9:30ish for mile 3 and I can't remember mile 4. About 5 miles into it, my friend J wasn't doing well. She was a bit nauseated and was having knee problems and wanted to drop back. It happened so fast, I didn't have time to think. I had always planned on completing the race with her...no man left behind. But I knew she would be upset if I stopped with her....she wanted me to complete the race. So I left her at the 5 mile mark and kept going. I knew this was going to make the race that much more difficult. I got used to running with her, and runs without her were so painfully boring. I kind of come to count on her to keep me going and we have come to be great running partners. After the race I learned that she stopped for a few minutes but didn't want to let me down either and picked herself up and kept going. I'm so proud of her! I just wish we could have finished together.

I did well through about mile 8. Mile 9 was pretty rough (and hilly) and I was allowing thoughts of needing to stop enter my mind. I had kind of said all along that I didn't want to walk, no matter what. But this race was much more difficult than I had expected (especially since I felt so good during the 10 miles I had run 2 weeks prior). Right before 10, the family was waiting to cheer me on. I'm smiling in this photo, but at that point, I felt like hell. I'm glad they were there then, because I was starting to lose steam.

Mile 11, 12, and 13 were total bitches. I'm not going to lie. They were tough and I did everything I could to just keep one foot in front of the other. My legs were starting to get sore (and they had never done this in training) and it became harder and harder for me to keep going. But I did, and I finished (without walking, no less!). I only wish I was kissing the medal in this one :)

Official time, 2:07:17 for an average of 9:40(ish) minute miles. I'm so proud of that time. I *think* every mile was sub-10. Although I can't be 100% for those last few miles. I was pretty much delirious the last 30 minutes!

A little celebratory pic with the family :)

Definitely one of my biggest physical achievements!

Bottom Left

Houston, we have lost a tooth! The bottom left tooth finally fell out after being wiggly for several months now. I think Miss C had a little something to do with how wiggly it got over the past couple of weeks....she just couldn't leave it alone! I guess when you are 5 and have a loose tooth, it's pretty fun to play with.

Over the past week, it really started getting loose. It had been bothering her when she ate, so I knew it was going to be coming out soon. The past 2 or 3 days it was so loose that it kind of started to freak me out. It was also started to slant to the side and looked out of place. I wasn't sure if we should pull it out or let it come out on it's own. I didn't want to risk pulling it out too early and having it hurt, but I also didn't want her to accidentally swallow it.

So today we were at a birthday party and one of other parents and I started talking about loose teeth. He convinced me that the tooth was really ready to come out and if I gave it a gentle tug, it would probably come right out. Well, Miss C wasn't going to let me anywhere near it once she heard "yank it out". So after a little gentle coaxing, I convinced her to pull it out herself. She attempted (weakly) about 4 or 5 times before I had her "practice" on my finger. I told her to pull the tooth like she had just pulled my finger and low and behold, it came right out! I couldn't believe she just pulled her own tooth. She was so surprised that it came out too. You should have seen the look on her face. That look was quickly replaced with a huge grin and an excited, "It's so little!" She was so proud of herself! Thank goodness we weren't near a mirror, but it did bleed a little bit. I knew if she saw the blood, she would freak out. So I tried to get it to stop without having her notice (which she never did).

She couldn't stop telling (and showing) everyone at the party. We called Mee-maw and Nana and told them the good news. She's upstairs sleeping right now probably dreaming of what the tooth fairy is going to leave her. For the record, it was 5 $1 bills (yes, I caved to the peer pressure) and her very own tooth fairy certificate. The tooth fairy probably won't be as generous next time, but hey, it's her first tooth and it deserves something a little special.

Here she is with the tooth fairy pillow that Nana made for her. It came last week just in time! It has her name on it, but I blocked that out to protect the innocent. She loves it!

getting our christmas tree

Hmmm....second week and February and I'm up to getting our christmas tree from last year....I'm probably going to post the rest of the year pretty quickly because I have a groupon for a blurb book (which I'm using to print this blog into book format) and the groupon expires next week. Eeek! Better get on it! I also had hopes of moving this blog to another host, but that has also taken a back seat. So much for resolutions!

Anyway, we got our tree this year the weekend of Thanksgiving (which is about 1-2 weeks earlier than normal for us). The kids were really into Christmas this year, so I wanted to go ahead and get our tree so we could enjoy it. We went to the same mom and pop store that we have gone to for the past 6 years....the only disappointment was that they don't have the huge red rocking chair anymore. We've taken pictures on that thing for the past couple of years and it's going to be missed. Wonder what happened to it.

Anyway, here we are selecting the perfect tree:

After "naps" we decorated it

Miss C hugging the tree

Celebrating with the family

Since we were away for her actual birthday, we celebrated with Mee Maw and Goompa when we got back. Just a quiet dinner (of mac and cheese) with the family....and of course cake afterwards. Notice the Aura dress. I think she wore that for 2 weeks straight.

Disney and the birthday

Over Miss C's birthday, we took a trip to the most magical place on earth....no, not Napa....Disney! We kind of had some concerns going this year because Little J is only 3 1/2 and we didn't know how well the both of them would do going all day long for 6 long days. We actually had planned on coming back to the room mid-day each day so they could "rest". Well, you know what happens to the best laid plans don't you? Despite going everyday, all day long, they did great! J and I were very surprised and in all, we had a fun vacation! I think it's definitely something we will do again this year (but I think we might add the cruise in too).

Here we are on the way!

The first afternoon we were there, we checked out Downtown Disney and then finished the day off by having dinner with Mickey and his friends. What a treat that was! It was a great way to start the week. The kids got so excited every time one of the characters came out to greet the tables. Definitely a big hit!

On our first afternoon out...

Meeting Minnie Mouse

The next day we ventured over to the Magic Kingdom. Disney tip #1: Don't go to the Magic Kingdom on a Monday. I guess that is the first place everyone wants to go when they arrive over the weekend. It was crowded (but actually not too bad) but the kids had a blast.

We spent the day riding all the rides, watching parades, and having a good time.

One of their favorite parts of the parade at Magic Kingdom.....Malificent!

That night, we were able to catch the electrical parade. I kind of remember the parade from when I was a kid. It was my favorite part of the whole day. The parade didn't start until 7ish (which is their bed time) but we had made the decision to stay for that and the fireworks after and pray the kids would be in decent moods the next day. It was the first time the kids had actually seen a fireworks show, and they loved it. At the start of the fire works, Tinkerbell came out of the castle and zip lined across the sky. The kids were in heaven. Leaving the park that night was not too fun, but it was well worth it!

The following day the boys played golf in the morning and we hung around the hotel slowly taking our time and recovering from the late night. We also bought the kids these autograph books that you take with you everyday and get signatures of all the characters. In my opinion, it's kind of lame, but the kids loved it. Every time we spotted one of the characters, we had to stop to get their autograph.

After the boys finished up, we headed to Epcot. We decided to only spend a 1/2 day there, but in hindsight, I wish we would have made it a full day. There aren't a lot of rides for the little ones, but they have fun things to see and do in each of the "countries" represented there. We didn't even make it through half of them before dinner and ended up missing a big chunk of the park. The highlight of the day was dinner with the princesses that evening. Miss C was in heaven. She's all about Sleeping Beauty right now, and it was fun for her to be able to meet her in person :)

Wednesday we hit the Animal Kingdom. That was another fun day filled with a safari ride, a jam session with African drummers, and dino land (by far one of their favorites).

Thursday was the big birthday and started off with opening a few presents at the hotel.

After breakfast, we headed back to the Magic Kindgom.

We rode a bunch of rides (Tomorrow land was one of their favorites) and had lunch at Cinderella's castle with all of the princesses. What a treat!

After lunch, we headed to one of the dress boutiques and let Miss C pick out an outfit. Doesn't she look like a princess?!

And one of Little J

Friday we headed to Hollywood Studios. Miss C insisted on wearing her Sleeping Beauty dress for the second day in a row. Who were we to stand in her way?

By far, they had the best ride there....the Toy Story ride. If you ever go, you must get on that ride! Little J also got a chance to meet Lightning McQueen. I will have to say, couldn't Disney step it up a little and make him more interactive? He didn't do anything...

Finally Saturday we did a 1/2 day at the Magic Kingdom to re-ride all of our favorites and then headed home that afternoon.

It was a great vacation!