Monday, February 27, 2012

Week 16


It seems right after my race, everyone decided to get sick in our house. Little G has been a trooper through the whole thing, smiling through the snot and the coughs. He was so sick that when he coughed, it would be so hard he would choke himself with his spit. We had a few scares because of this so we took him to the doctor, afraid it might be RSV, but thankfully it wasn't. Honestly he was a happy little sicky here, but he was too curious about the tree outside to give mom and her camera any attention. Here's hoping he'll recover quickly and stay his chipper self.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Ragnar

So I wanted to write down my experience running the Ragnar but it was too crazy/fun/amazing to put everything I want to down in one post, so I'll give the highlights.
This is a 200.5 mile running race across the Phoenix area divided into 36 legs. Each person has 3 separate legs they have to run. The way it works is van 1 starts at the starting line, the 6 people in their van run their first legs, and then the 2nd van (my van) starts where the 6th runner ends, we run all our legs, and then van 1 is up for their 2nd legs and so forth. Our team started at 8:00am on Friday and we all run through the night and day to end our entire race on Saturday evening at around 5:30. Now that I've explained the logistics a little, I can tell how it was for me. I've been pretty nervous about running this for a while because I haven't run since I found out I was prego with Graham and getting back into the swing of it was a little rough (Especially trying to squeeze in running with 3 kids and Kyle in school.). Don't get me wrong, I have wanted to do this race since Kyle and I were first married, but with other more competitive teammates, I was nervous about how slow I am. The fact that I had a baby a little over 3 months ago didn't help with my fitness confidence. Luckily, everyone was just in it to finish, which we did, and we had a blast in the process. All-in-all I ran 11.1 miles which was the perfect amount for me getting back into running. My first leg was in the afternoon time and was brutal. It was the hottest time of day which was like 80+ degrees and it was in the middle of the desert so the dust and the heat did not help.

After that, my second leg was @ 3:45 in the morning and it was nice. I was in the middle of nowhere, pitch black trail, van tailing and cheering me on, perfect running temps and I got quite a few kills (people I pass). Here I am marking it on our car for proof. Those aren't just mine though. It's our whole van's! I'm definitely not a fast enough runner to have that many kills on my own!

Anyway, when our whole van was done with our 2nd legs, we made it to the high school (where the last major exchange would be) to rest up and get ready for our last legs.

Our van: Melanie, Nate, Me, Sarah, Chris, and Jesica

Here I am waiting at my last exchange. I had only slept like 2 hours in the past 24 hours but I was hopped on adrenaline and gatorade and was ready to get my last leg over.

In this race, everyone meets at the end just before the finish line so we can all run across it together. And since it's such a wacky race, people dress up in costume, paint their faces, do anything funny to cross that line. For example, there was a team called Nuns on the Run who wore habits (made out of head sweatbands) and another called Babes with Babes who were obviously all moms and had kids so they all wore baby carriers (some with babies in them!) across the line. The kids loved it when a Sesame Street team came across and everyone was decked out in full costume. There was Oscar the Grouch, Count Count, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, and a ton of other characters. Anyway, Nate in our van knew how to make balloon hats so that's what we all wore. It wasn't super crazy, but just enough to show our spirit. It's hard to see where I am so the arrows are there to help you out.

My favorite part about this race was seeing my family at the finish line. They were cheering me on and even brought a sign to show their support! I love the picture that Brighton drew of me running. That's what those wobbly legs are. Little did she know that's what my legs felt like by the end of the race!


Me and my crazy kids. This was the best shot we got all together, but I guess it shows their personalities as well.

They were a little happier in this one.

And I just have to give a ton of credit to Kyle. Without him, I would have never been able to do this. He took care of the kids (including a breastfed baby), he pushed me to train, and he supported me completely in this endeavor. When I crossed the finish line I actually got pretty emotional and gave him a big hug because he really sacrificed just as much to help me do this. He is my stronghold and I am so grateful for him!
Anyway, it was a great experience and I would do it again in a heart beat. It was really fun to be a part of something bigger than me. And the fact that everyone out there was doing the same thing as me made it super unifying and fun. I guess I should plan on more Ragnar races in my future so if anyone out there is into a crazy running experience, let me know!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Finished


2 vans… 12 people… 36+ hours… 200.5 miles...
I did the Ragnar!

*More info to come!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Week 15


I did this background today in preparation for a big race that I've got at the end of the week. It's called the Ragnar relay race and is an insane running race all around Phoenix so I knew my little baby would love to support me by sporting his road race backdrop with pride. More on that later! Anyway, little Graham Cracker is 15 weeks now and is a sweet little baby. He's happy, chill, and has started establishing a nap schedule which is a good and bad thing. Good, because we can get on an actual schedule and not be as tired. Bad, because with 3 kids, 1 of them being in school, and the others still desperately needing naps, it almost makes it impossible to go anywhere. I'm either putting one down for a nap while the other one is waking or waking someone up to drive Brighton to school. Forget about grocery shopping because it just doesn't fit into the schedule! I'm sure things will balance out and when Graham turns 6 months or so I will look back and think "How did I do all that?!" but for now we're managing. I guess Kyle will have to manage things as well on come Friday because I'll Ragnarring it up! Wish me luck!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Our Boston Statue


The purpose of this post is two-fold: First, to tell you about how obsessed with the Red Sox Porter is. Everyone who actually reads my blog knows about our inherited love for the Bosox as I've posted about it many many times. So our awesome Bostonian friends gave Porter this outfit a little while ago and the second he opened it up, he started screaming and running around the house chanting "Red Sox! Red Sox!" That was a few months ago. Since then every morning when he wakes up the first thing he asks me is if his baseball clothes are ready to wear. He sometimes says that's the only way he can be a real baseball player. On the days they are dirty (every other day), after a few fits, he mellows out and settles for something else. On the days they are clean he gives me a big hug and says "Thank you mom!" like it's the first time he's ever seen them. It's gotten to the point where I seriously have to do a special load of laundry more frequently so he can wear it 5 times a week (I am not joking on that number). Luckily, with a new baby, I never seem to run out of dirty clothes that need washing so it's not a big deal. We are ever grateful to those Meegs for sending Porter basically his entire weekly wardrobe. My dad got him his hat and today on this special day he decided to put the ensemble together to be an official Red Sox player.

The second purpose of this post is to let you know about the fun craze around here called 'statue game'. Porter's new thing is to freeze like a statue. He comes up with crazy poses and won't move until you bust up laughing or you tickle him to death. His favorite thing to do is hide behind doors in a statue pose so when you find him, you get startled and then have to laugh. He gets a scream out of you, and then a giggle. He also loves to do it when I ask him to do something and he's not listening to me, so instead of yelling at him to get it done I just have to laugh and repeat myself. He's a clever little scoundrel! Anyway, I thought I'd share a few classic poses that he is fond of (and that last one Brighton clearly helped him pose). There's nothing like an actual life-sized Red Sox statue living in your home!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Shakin' It Up




Every now and again I get a good idea for family night (it is a rare occasion I must admit). Last week I had one of them. I've had this recipe for easy homemade ice cream that I've been wanting to try so I thought we could make some. The kids each got a bag full of ice, vanilla, and milk and shook until their hands were numb- which took approximately 6-8 minutes, conveniently the same time it takes the milk to turn into ice cream. We even dyed their individual bags different colors. Porter had blue ice cream and Brighton had pink. They were over the moon. They ate it up so fast that they both got brain freeze but loved every minute of it. I think I'll file that idea under the go-to family nights that will always be a success. In fact, I see a repetition of the night in the summer months to come.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Bad Boys


Yesterday was Brighton's Valentine's Party at school. She came home with all sorts of goodies in hand and juicy gossip to tell. She spouted off who wanted to marry who in her class and saved herself for last, making it a big deal for us all. Finally, she said she wanted to marry a certain boy who was known as the 'bad boy' of kindergarten. I asked her why (because she has come home on many occasions telling me that she tattled on this boy for doing something naughty) and she said,"I don't know, mom. Sometimes girls just like the bad boys." If this is a foreshadow into her teenage years, we are in trouble.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Week 14


Seeing as tomorrow is a pretty girlie holiday and Kyle would be ticked if he saw our boy anywhere near something pink, this is as Valentine-y as Graham will get. I know he's got some girlish accents going on, but I couldn't resist celebrating him turning 14 weeks basically on the 14th just a bit. Anyway if you didn't already notice in this picture, his beaming smile is all gums. That is how he smiles or giggles. In fact, he is giving me a belly laugh in this shot and it's hard to see anything else but gums. With gums like that, it's hard to imagine in a few short months there will be teeth popping out of them. I guess I'll enjoy my little gummy bear smile while I can.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Week 13


My dad's family originates from Boston so my Auntie Cyn had the great idea of putting Graham on a New England Patriots background in celebration of them making it to the Super Bowl. I had already taken week 12 pictures so I thought for sure I'll do that the day after the game to celebrate their win. Sadly, that didn't happen so there will be no Pats spirit in this house today. Brighton was even bummed after the game. She said to me "Those stinkin' Giants. I am not a fan." I guess there's always next year. But on a happier note, Graham has been a bouncing bundle of happy. Maybe it took a few days to get it out of my system, but now that I'm off of dairy, this kid is loving me and loving life. He's sweet and smiley all the time. Sometimes I actually think there's something wrong with him because he's not crying every waking minute, but I guess it just takes some getting used to when your baby changes his personality 180 degrees. I"ll take the change though because our family life has been getting happy again too. Thank you little lactose baby for making our lives sweet!