Christmas in Photos

While I was away..

While I was away, doing a little bit of running, a lot happened! Lily was in her very first ballet recital! Isn't she adorable!!! ;)

Super cute! I am so proud of her!


Meanwhile... Gavin turned 8 years old AND got one of the leads in the school play! He got to play the role of "Dr. Molar". My very handsome boy is growing up!


While Gavin did have one major role in the play, I think that Dean stole the show! (Watch the video to the end for some comedy).

I am very glad everyone had such a great time while I was away.

26.2 people

Running a marathon is like... well, I hear its difficult. Have you heard about the "Wall" that some people face during a marathon? Basically, running for that long of a time period can get pretty intense. I have learned of a little mental trick to help me get through any road blocks that I may face during my very first marathon. The "trick" is that for every mile that I am about to run, I am supposed to think about, or dedicate that mile to a specific person, and therefore I can't give up on that mile and let that person down. Get it? This is my list, written down for accountability purposes.. (there is no way I am going to let any of you down):



1. The first mile is dedicated to my dad, because he is going to be there at the start with me.

2. Mile 2 is for ... I am stuck already! .. I don't want to put anyone in mile 2 because I know that my adrenaline is going to be pumping, and I am not even warmed up yet, let alone about to give up. Ok- mile 2 if for ... my dog, Frankie.

3. Mile 3 is for Sweet Lily who is now 3 years old!

4. During mile 4 I will be thinking about my SIL, Audrey, who has 4 kiddos, and who has just started running herself.

5. Since I am thinking about SIL's, the fifth mile is for my other SIL, Jessica, who also has picked up on running!

6. Ok, so moving on to my sister, Shelly. Hopefully I will be able to stay with her and do the Virginia Beach marathon for my birthday.

7. Lucky 7 is for FRC's Lucy. Always bubbly and kind.

8. This mile is for my dear son, Gavin, who turns 8 just 2 days before I run!

9. Of course I can't leave out my other son, Dean. Mile 9 is for my handsome baby boy!

10. First 10 Done!!! Mom in law, Chris.

11. My mom

12. TC

13. Half-Way point! Ready to turn around and come back where I started! I will be thinking about coming home to my babies!

14. Papa, and heaven.

15. Next is my big Brother.

16. Then Randy

17. And of obviously next comes Marcie

18. I think mile 18 will be dedicated to FRC president Bruce, who just completed his very first marathon, and qualified for Boston during it!

19. My mile 19 is supposed to be for this happy old man I saw walking around the airfield on my last long run. I passed him a few times and he was just so happy and was cheering me on.. he just makes me smile.

20. Almost done! Just a 10k left (maybe just over an hour to go) I will be thinking about FRC vp, Candi, who is one tough cookie, and just took 45 mins off of her last marathon.

21. Keeping with the FRC theme, Tamera is next. She pushed me through my very first 13 mile run, and always told dirty stories up hills to make me not think about the climb.

22. My old high school friend Pia is next. I saw a picture of her doing the Disneyland marathon a year or two ago, and I was so inspired that I started racing myself.

23. I will be thinking about my neighbor, Susan, who is the ultimate super-mom. PTO, FRG leader, up for the "family of the year", Yard of the month winner. It seems like everything she does is 110%!

24. Next I will be thinking about my (former) neighbors; the Smiths and their unending generosity, Amy Texas who is one tough cookie, and all of the other good friends that have come and gone so fast in this army community.

25. This maybe one of the most difficult and challenging miles, I will be imagining squirrels, and my good friend, Eileen, who just completed an ultra-marathon! (50 miles!)

26. Big #26 is for Sylvia, who should be waiting at the finish line for me.

0.2 This last 2 tenths of a mile is for my finishers medal, and for the Mai Tai I am about to drink! So I guess, more or less, the last little bit I am running for me.

Christmas Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak at our Christmas card photos!http://lgphotography09.blogspot.com/2009/11/m-family.html

On a lighter note

I am so super glad that this is the last week of school for me (for a while). All of this marathon training on top of the school work and the whole 'being a supermom' thing is just starting to be a little too much. Dean isn't feeling 100%, and Lily doesn't really like him right now (see my previous blog: "Biting"). Gavin is awesome as always, but without football he is a little bored.
School starts up right after Thanksgiving week, and even though it's only a week off of school, it's a much needed break. Oh yeah, and did you know that I leave for the marathon in like 18 days! OMG! Just a lot of craziness, but I do love it all. And I really appreciate having a few days away from Accounting!

Biting

It's a problem. It's a problem that I thought was dealt with and that we had moved passed weeks ago. I mean really, you would think that the first time your sister bites you, you would learn not to let her teeth come anywhere near you. But, alas, Dean loves his big sister so much that any interaction, whether it be hugs and kisses or pushes and bites, is better than no attention from her.

And wouldn't you think that the older child with the larger vocabulary would be the one NOT to bite? I thought children used physical force only when they didn't have the words to express what they wanted to say. So much for that psychology class..proved them all wrong.

Sister

The kiddos and I took a 5 hour long car ride to go see Shelly and her kiddos, Amanda and Nathan, over the weekend.
We played at the park.. Here is Nathan 'throwing' the ball to me:
We watched lots of Disney movies. Lily and Amanda are too cute!

My toddlers had a lot of energy, so we were back and forth to the parks throughout the entire weekend.

Amanda and Deano became BFF's

Ha! Gotcha Shelly! I snuck in a pic of my sis:

The cousins and I had a blast! It was nice to see my sister after a few years break.

You should too!

I have joined the national donor registry, so that if someone is in need, and I can help, I will.

Why is it?

Why is it that after the mountain of laundry has (finally) been conquered, and neatly flip-folded, and as I proudly put away as many towels as my arms can hold, I come downstairs to see piles of clothes strewn about the room? As I think, "Sabotage!", a giggling little toddler jumps up and says, "Peek-a-boo!" so sweetly that I have to laugh as well.
Oh the "Peek-a-boo" years, just you wait little Dean, the years where you have to fold your own laundry are coming up soon.... revenge will be mine. ....Muahhahahaha....

Spirit Week

This week is "spirit week" at McNair elementary school. Here is Gavin today for "Tacky Day".
He's got the messy hair, two different shoes, and a loud miss-matched shirt and shorts. :)

And this is the very handsome Gavin on "Dress for Success" day. What a lady killer!

Gotta love the too small, clip-on tie!

He's growing up

Dean now has a "big boy bed". He's just not all that used to it yet.
Adorable.

Guess who's coming over for dinner tonight!

It's my big brother, Steve.

Flag Football

Well these aren't the best photos, but I really wanted to show you all Gavin and his flag football team, the "Fort Bragg Cowboys".

As of right now the team is undefeated with only one game left in the season! Good job Cowboys!

The Baby Weave

This is Lily. Sweet precious baby with the "Foster Curse"... aka so little hair on such an adorable cutie pie.
This is the "baby weave". A gorgeous accessory that I learned about talking to other moms in Lily's ballet class. We bought this hair piece for her ballet recital, but it looks so good that I think she might be wearing it until some thick locks actually grow in.

And, BTW, she loves it! It's like her little tiara. Oh my sweet bald baby girl. I love you, and your inability to grow hair.

Lily's Pink Party

Happy Birthday to our sweet little Lily. 3 years old, and more entertaining by the day. We didn't do too much for her birthday, Lily's biggest request was that she had a "pink party". Easy enough, we did pink streamers, balloons and of course a cake the same shade as Pepto-Bismol.

My lovely running buddy, Eileen, painted kiddo's faces, while her daughter, Abby, directed sock puppet making.

I even got into the spirit of things. Aren't we gorgeous?
A great birthday with great friends and neighbors. Happy #3 sweet Lily.

Feeling blue

I can't understand why, but these last couple of days have just been "yuck" for me. I miss "home" and I miss the rest of the family, and I just want to get on a plane and go to California. Everything is going great here, Lily is loving ballet (finally); Gavin is doing great in school and won an award in football for being the best defensive player; Dean is really just too funny and sweet and is always learning something new. ... but still I feel like I just need a big hug. I want to go to Wednesday night dinners at Marcie's house, I want to show the family just how big they've gotten. I miss running into people that I actually knew more than 2 yrs ago, and who aren't about to P.C.S. at any moment. (P.C.S. = move to a new base).
In other word *WAaHHH* I'm a big baby, and I think I'm homesick.

Autumnal Equinox

Happy Fall Everyone! Today is the official very first day of Fall, as well as the Autumnal Equinox. Which means what? Well, for one, it means that today is one of the only days in the year that we can stand an egg up on its end without it falling. It also means that the leaves are about to change.. something that I never really took an interest in until we moved out here to North Carolina. Gorgeous stuff; will be taking lots o'pics for you all!

Speaking of pulling teeth..

I went for an orthodontic consultation today to see what it would take to straighten out my lower teeth. After seeing a super-tan and very fast talking orthodontist I realized that my smile is perfect for me.. a little crooked and unique. Of course taking a look at the "estimate of charges" did make my heart stop a little. I also began to wonder about the wisdom teeth I have scheduled to be removed in mid October. Not only will the surgery slow down the marathon training, the cost is going to dig into our Christmas funds. Ugh.. maybe I will wait until after tax return season. Sometimes I hate being a grown-up.

Ballet

Let's talk about Ballet. How many of you have ever been to a ballet class for 2-3 year-olds before? Wow. It was a lot more hectic than I had imagined. It really didn't make for good pics, but I did get a nice before class picture of Lily the ballerina.

Next month Lily will move up to the three year old class; which, I am hoping, will have a lot less tears and children with better listening skills.

Lily will have her very first recital December 5... for now you will just have to enjoy some of her dress-up/pretend ballerina pics:

Family visit!

It is always nice to see family (hint, hint to anyone who hasn't come for a visit), but we know that living way on the other side of the country makes it a little difficult for visits to actually happen. Lucky for us, Marice and her hubby Harlan (please correct me if the spelling is wrong) have been traveling around and happened to be in our area! Yay for a visit and for a lovely dinner.

He are the newlyweds at dinner:

Two gorgeous ladies, who both look very young for their ages:

Thanks again for taking the time to see us! We love you guys!

BTW

BTW, I am still alive and around! We have been getting into the swing of this back to school/back to actually having a schedule thing, and it has put my leisurely blogging on the back burner. So here are just a few things for you (my one or two readers out near the pacific) to look forward to:

*Gavin has officially begun his voyage into the 2nd grade.. and is totally loving it

*Lily starts (pre)Ballet on 9-9-09

*Dean is counting to 15, skipping 16 and then continuing on to 20 (You should hear the way he says eleven! I MUST record it!)

*Gavin has begun flag-football, the opening ceremonies should be in 2 weeks

*Lily will turn 3 in less than a month, some sort of pink party is in the planning stages

*Dean doesn't want to hold my hand in public anymore *sigh*-- well I think it's because he wants to chase after the big kids, and I am trying not to take it personally

Run for the Red

Gavin ran in his very first "official" 5k today! The "Run for the Red" aka "Rockin' Red" is a race here in Fayetteville, with all of the proceeds going to the American Red Cross. Gavin ran 3.1 miles in 33 mins!! The course is very hilly, and incredibly challenging... and guess who won the bronze medal for his age group!!! Great job Gavin!!


We are so proud of him!

Of course, Gavin didn't run it alone. I pushed the babies up that same hilly, challenging course too. Everyone of us was registered for the run, and guess who won the silver in her age group! No, not me.. I'm a slow poke with that stroller... Lily won the silver medal in her age group! She had a time of 34 mins! Great job to Lily too!

New Talents

New talents are emerging all over the place! Gavin with the piano, Dean with his abc's and counting to 15!... and now Lily:

What an awesome trick! Good job Lil!

The big blue couch

I have a real love for antiques and funky pieces of furniture, but definitely not the money for it. I am always looking out for antique shops, yard sales, and my absolute favorite.. the estate sale.
A lucky happening upon an estate sale united us with this lovely big blue couch for only $50! A beautiful piece of craftsmanship, gorgeous material, and of course, nice legs.
 Countless moves, a cat with uncut claws, and three adorable yet destructive children has made it necessary to say goodbye to the big blue couch.

As you can see from the picture above, there is a spring coming out of the bottom (under Dean). And you can see in the picture below some of the beautiful detailing that most people don't have on their furniture.
We have said our last goodbye's to the blue beast and now have a replacement brown/grey love seat in the house. How very "Rooms-To-Go". Nothing special or unique in or living room now, but also nothing falling apart either.

(yes, that is Gavin outside on trash night with no shoes on again! Oh, how quickly we forget about stitches on the bottom of our feet!)