Zoo-tacular

Yesterday we went to the zoo with some playgroup girls. I was... wary of the trip. It was supposed to be HOT and very humid. Not to mention the fact that I never really know exactly how Micah is going behave on any given outing. Well, it was awesome :) It was hot and humid, but most of the morning had significant cloud cover that made it feel much more bearable. Micah was in an extraordinary mood and willingly held my hand, and never ran away or had a meltdown. Devon's wagon certainly helped keep him happy ~

Liz liked being outside but had NO IDEA that we were at a zoo or that there were animals to look at~

Micah, Abby and Caroline checking out the elephants~

Abby is such a little performer!

Did I mention that Liz had no idea what was going on around her?

He was a seriously sweet boy yesterday~

He screamed "CANDY CORN!!!!" and ran to it and tried to give it a big old hug~

"A monkey!!"

This just makes me laugh~

This was the view Lillie and I had much of the morning as we chased down our boys. At one point I yelled to Micah to slow down... he went from running to slow motion shuffling his feet like a 98 yr old man. He walked that way for at least a minute and kept looking back at me and laughing... he knew he was being funny :)

We had a great day! I just wish I had gotten pictures of the other mommies and kiddos that were there.... Annalee, Aimee, Kimberly and Courtney we had a great time with you and your kids too!

Dueling Lizzie

There is a reason why I call this little chica "Sunshine"~

Walk This Way

Sooo, it has officially been 2 weeks since I quit quitting the half marathon. It's going well so far! In two weeks, I have walked 21.5 miles with this last Saturday being the longest walk at 5 miles and a pace of 14:35 per mile! For those thinking I have supersonic walking skills, I have been throwing in some short sprints to get ready to be able to run part of the race. Well, that and I have supersonic walking skills ;-)

Graham Theft Cracker

and Lizzie was none the wiser.

Pumpkin Patch

While in San Antonio a week ago for our nephew Evan's 3rd birthday, we took the kids to the pumpkin patch to try to get some good cousin shots. Welllllll.... we have 5 kiddos aged 4 and under so it's no surprise that the group pictures were less than stellar ;-)

Micah decided that Asher was looking a little light on top~

Lizzie is generally ok as long as she has a snack... and to a baby, anything is a snack. No seriously, anything.... she tried to eat a fly today. But don't worry, I got it out... mostly ;-)

There are actually several great ones of Nate with the kids... I thought this one was sweet~

Liz is thrilled :P

Elizabeth likes to stare at her Pa... a lot :)

Running on Empty, Walking on Full

Soooo, awhile ago I announced that I was going to be doing a half marathon in January. I was really excited to get going on my training and then.... surgery. An ingrown toenail. Bad news~ I couldn't run. Good news~ I couldn't run... it was July and August and super hot. Anyhoo, I picked up my training again about a month ago and even as I continued to run and push myself, I saw very little improvement. I was having dizzy spells that were making it hard to run in a straight line or even stay on my feet. I also got a little present when the cool weather moved in...a mini asthma attack. My first one in 12 years. All things considered, I decided to throw in the towel.

And then a revelation. My dad asked me "What pace do you have to keep again?". I answered "a 16 minute mile." and he said "Well, you could walk that."

Hmmmmm, well now there is an idea. I come from a family of fast walkers who naturally walk just a little over a 16 minute mile pace. That's normal to me. So yesterday I was able to walk 2.5 miles at a 15 min 43 second average pace. I need to strengthen my hips and ankles, but this is VERY doable. My plan for January is to try to run a half mile, walk a mile the whole time so as to finish a little faster if possible. Anyhoo, I'm excited! I feel like this is something I can really do :)

Friends

We've known for quite some time that Micah adored his older cousins, Evan and Elena. They play really well together and are always excited to see each other. What we didn't know was how tight Elizabeth and Asher would become~


What? You can't tell from that picture? How 'bout this one?

At only 2 months apart, I'm so excited to see them really starting to have fun together! Even when one of them crosses a line, the other seems to find it hilarious :) ~

and no... she didn't cry after the picture was taken :) It's so fun to have our kids grow up with family nearby!

8 Months

Miss Liz is 8 months old today! She is so much fun to have around :) She is such a cuddle bug and will just wrap her arms around your neck or lay her head on your shoulder and chill with you. She loves to talk, especially while she is crawling on all fours, and makes it a point to tell you when she is excited, unhappy, curious, hungry or just when she is loving on you. Her favorite foods are applesauce, puffs and graham crackers and she does LOVE to eat. Our little Boo can pull herself up to a standing position now and particularly likes to pull herself up until her legs are straight, bend her top half over until her body makes a 90 degree angle and shake her booty in the air. Happy 8 months baby girl!!

Sew Comfy

Pajama pants!! I made clothing.... that fits..... and looks cute.... and professional.... I still can't believe it :) These are so comfortable and since I made them myself I was able to make them lightweight so that I don't suffocate down here in the good old south. The best thing about these is that I can take a picture of them without having to also display my perpetually under-styled hair ;-)

Reaching New Heights

Ok, so I have my final sewing project to show y'all but I keep forgetting to take pictures before the sun goes down and I majorly dislike flash photography. Soooooo, you'll have to wait :) Hopefully I remember to get the pics tomorrow... we'll see.

Anyhoo, when you have kids it feels like just when you get used to a stage of life they mix it all up on you. On Monday, Lizzie hit the blend button once again. I went in to get her up on Monday and she was standing in her crib... OH.MY.GOODNESS. Today she did it again and also pulled up on the couch... things are about to get just a little more crazy around here :)

Mommy WOW!!

Micah's a big kid now! Micah has been asking to use his potty recently and has been doing well! We aren't officially potty training him yet, but he is learning slowly and using the potty up to three times a day now... Life might be getting a bit more... Ummmm, messy ;-)