Halloween Party for the Bigs

This was our second year of going to the most epic Halloween party we've ever. I've been asked to explain why it's so amazing and I just can't put it into words accurately enough to give it justice. Massive house, several different bars (with hired tenders), dining room full of food, decorations to the nines, "Shot Wheel of Misfortune", surround sound music piped into every room, living room furniture moved out, light show moved in and the best part...a custom pole installed smack dab in the middle of it all. Epic.

You may remember my most favorite Halloween costume ever from last year. I had ever intention to wear that leotard again this year, as it transforms me into a different persona. But my husband and our neighbors wanted to do a group costume. So the leotard is waiting in my drawer for next year. Sigh. Instead, we chose to go as the Fresh B.eat Band. Don't know who that is? That's ok...you really should only know them if you have pre-school aged children. It's a group that teaches children about music, rhythm, beats and dance. It's truly one of the more tolerable shows we watch (and I know all the words to their songs and much of their dance moves). So we did it. We scavenged Goo.dwills to find the silly little details and donned our best Fre.sh Beats:

 Mike's character plays the keyboard. We don't have one. So the accordion had to make due.

 With Maggie (a Katy P.erry groupie, her best friend went as KP) and Sarah (Amy Wi.nehouse)

Of course I danced my toosh off. For 3 hours. Took several turns on the pole (have a few bruises on my legs from this). Those drumsticks transformed me even though I didn't have my coveted leotard on. I made some fun new friends. Reminisced with friends from last year ("Are you Jane Fonda?!" Um, yeah, and I wanted to be her AGAIN!). And can't wait for next year.

Pumpkin Festival Fun

 Saturday morning we loaded up the car and headed to the Zi.onsville Pumpkin Fe.stival. We had heard it was well worth the trip (and the $8/person admission!) and it surely did not disappoint. I mean, anyplace that serves fresh cinnamon donuts is tops in my book.

 We explored the many bins of pumpkins and gourds...

 Took a hayride around the acres...

 Went down the super fast slides...

 Took a ride on the "Moo Choo"...

 Went back for seconds on the slide...

 Took a few laps on a pony...

 Posed in super funky, festive mural...

 Hopped along a large row of some seriously large pumpkins...

 Took a long walk through the (pumpkin-shaped) corn maze (take note Laney's enjoyment!)...

 Posed for a Prom picture with a buddy...

 And another buddy...

 We spent about 3 hours at the festival and enjoyed a beautiful day. Laney took a 4 hour nap while Izzy headed out to her first "drop off" birthday party. Big time. She came home with a professional face painting that was just beautiful:

 Thursday night the girls' school hosted a Halloween party. Laney dressed as Minne Mouse (I donned the ears). And this picture shows how tired she was...which is always a fun time.

 Here are a few of Izzy's buddies at school. Iz dressed as Snow White...and it looked too cute on her! After all, she is a princess.

We're gearing up for a big Halloween weekend: adult party for the Bigs and trick-or-treating for the Littles. Candy has been bought. Much has already been eaten. And I'm proud to say I've only gone through one bag of candy corn this month. So what if it was the value size? It was still just one bag. Bring on the buckets filled with candy!

Marathon Relay 2011

Today I ran in Back on My Feet's 42k Marathon Relay downtown Indy on the White River. Teams of 2, 3, or 4 people could run a total of 26.2 miles on a 2.2 mile loop along the river. The day started off verrry chilly but warmed up throughout the morning. Here are Jaime and I with Betsy (Jaim's sister) trying to keep warm:

 Mike and I were on a two person team and each ran a total of 13 miles. He'd run a loop, tag me, I'd run a loop, tag him, repeat. The 26 miles went by FAST when you only have 15 minutes to recover until you have to run again. Our team name was the McMarathoners and we wore Greek laurel wreaths on our head and kilts around our waists. Was fun dressing up and even more fun seeing my husband running in the kilt!

Our marathon time was around 3:32...a time neither Mike nor myself could attain on our own. Our team pace was right at an 8:00 minute mile; Mike's average pace was 7:48 and mine was 8:35. Very proud of us, that's for sure. We came home and took 2 hour naps and are now self medicating our sore legs. Ha!

 Jaime's team kicked butt, too!

 Lindsey & Beth, who organized the entire event and did an amazing job, as we all had such a fun day!

 Kerri (friend from work and fellow 12 Tutu teammate from Ragnar this summer)

 A few Perfect Strangers also had their own teams...Bri and Meggie. Loved having them there. I even got to run lap #2 with Meggie! Speaking of which, I named each lap (as Meg has mentioned that helps the miles go by more quickly). Lap #1 was Bestie lap as I ran with Jaim. We talked about our running plans for the future and how our families are so much affected by our training. Lap #2 was New Friend lap as I met another mom that held my same pace (8:15, my fastest loop!). Corey and I talked about training with little kids and being creative about when we get our runs in while juggling family and jobs. Lap #3 was Perfect Stranger lap as I ran with Meggie. We talked about her time off from running due to an injury and then her game plan for spectating in 2 weeks at our marathon. Lap #4 was Lonely Lap as I ran alone. As I finish this lap my friends James and John (fellow BoMFers I run with every Wednesday morning) embraced me and I wept in their arms. I was getting tired and had just come off of a lonely lap. Lap #5 was John Take The Wheel lap. Previously mentioned friend who just hugged me and gave me a pep talk caught up to me on this lap and gave me the motivation to get through the painful miles. I freaking adore the guys I run with and LOVE that they are now pushing ME to go faster and be stronger. Lap #6 was The Heat Is On lap as it warmed up and I was re-energized to finish my final lap. My gloves came off and I gave those last few miles all I had. Finishing with friends cheering me on was the BEST. In fact, the 2 mile loop relay was just a perfect idea. Each lap you could come back to your home base and be cheered on by friends. Love, love, loved it.

 My buddies James & John

 Our team name strewn across our bums

 We're done! Let's just say Mike's kilt came off as soon as we got back to our chairs. He was such a trooper, dressing up for our team's sake. In a skirt. In public. He got a lot of attention :)

We did it! So looking forward to our marathon in 2 weeks, this trio will be running 26.2 miles together!

Sick, sick, sick...

Yep, you read that right: three sicks. It's been a sad state of affairs around our house for more than a week. It started two weeks ago when Izzy started getting sick with a cough. Then fever. Then worse cough. She was put on antibiotics for an ear infection. Then the weekend of Izzy's birthday Laney started feeling crummy. Same story...cough, fever, irritable. Turns out they both had a form of croup. That was fun. Then early last week I started getting a sore throat, cough, head pressure.

Took the entire week off from running to let the cold run through my system. Told myself I'd attempt my last (of 3) 20 miler Saturday morning with Jaime. I should have stayed in bed. I thought I would be fine, as I had no congestion in my chest or sinuses. I could breathe (although I could barely talk, my voice was so raspy Jaime said I sounded like a 3-pack-a-day smoker!). If I could breathe I could run. Um, not so much. Jaime and I got half way through our run and we were both miserable. My calf was shooting with pain, her hip was grinding, my head was fuzzy and I felt like I was in a haze, her knee was shooting with pain. We did a lot of walk/running those last 5 miles. I don't remember much from the run, but I do remember at one point Jaime looking at me and saying, "Do NOT blog about this!" But I had to...I have to remember the pain and the suffering we go through to cross that finish line. The end wouldn't be as sweet if it was easy.

I went home to a shower, a quick birthday party for Izzy's buddy, and then jammies for the rest of the day. I was spent. Woke Sunday morning and counted the hours until the clinic opened. My voice was now so deep and so raspy that I couldn't talk any longer. The amazing, incredible, prompt nurse saw me (I was the first in line) and diagnosed me with a double ear infection. Guess that explains why I felt off kilter the last 10 miles of my run the day before...my equilibrium was off! A large dose of antibiotics later...I started feeling relief in the first 24 hours. Amen.

Since I started to feel somewhat better, we ventured out to a park for an hour to get some much needed fresh air.

  Miss Priss is always posing

 And Bug...always smiling

 Everyone loved the park, even daddy Mike

 Lots of climbing

 Jill sent me this adorable picture of Bug and Sammy. This was the day of Izzy's birthday brunch and Laney was feeling horrible. She wouldn't let me put her down. But just once she crawled out of my arms and into Sammy's. These two...they are thick as thieves. Melts my heart...

Here's to healthier days ahead. And three weeks of tapering before my marathon!

Izzy turned 4...

Little Miss Iz turned 4 last Friday and she had quite the princess-themed week of birthday celebrations! We now are the proud owners of every single D.isney princess costume. And matching shoes. And crowns. And jewelry. And doll. Oh my does our play room now resemble a dressing room! Had to get rid of some toys to make room for all the dress-up! All girl. All the time.

Grandma Laura & Bobo stopped in town for a birthday celebration of (princess) cake and Cinderella presents.

Mike & I got Izzy a (princess) bike complete with training wheels

She's still learning how to pedal...that darn back-pedal break gets her every time!

Annual birthday shirts...complete with crowns, of course

So excited to put up 4 fingers now instead of 3

We started off the birthday morning with a trip to the Pediatrician (I'm such a mean mommy). This visit was so very different from previous visits: show me hopping on one foot, draw a circle for me, how high can you count, do you look both ways when crossing the street, etc. I was just choked up throughout Izzy's check-up seeing how proud she was to show our favorite pediatrician how big she was. Here were her 4 year old stats:

Weight 30 lbs (10-25%)

Height 38 inches (10-25%)

Laney had her 2 year check-up and here are her stats:

Weight 25 lbs (25%)

Height 33 3/4 inches (50%)

Head 49 cm (75%)

Friday night Nanny Natalie stopped in with her parents to spend some time with the girls and celebrate Izzy's birthday. Was SO special to finally meet Mr. Dave & Granny Panties (Natalie's parents). The girls spent a lot of time with them this summer and grew to love them as if they were another set of grandparents. I now understand why they loved them so...they are some very special people. So happy to have all of the family in our lives. Also learned that Natalie will be able to nanny for us again next summer. Of course I cried and am over the moon. Natalie is like my little sister and the girls adore her. We are so, so lucky!

Saturday morning we had a birthday brunch for Izzy, complete with two large bounce houses in the backyard. Can you guess the theme? Duh!

Izzy's best bud Luke

And my best buds: Lori, Jill, Katie & Jaime

Completely off subject, but here's a pic of Jen, Jaime and I from Saturday night. We had so much fun in Chicago and laughed so hard...just love my girl time!

I Would Walk 500 Miles...

We did it. We pulled it off. After about 6 weeks of planning, Jaime and I surprised our running buddies at the Chicago Marathon. My voice is hoarse today to prove how much fun we had. And I'm pretty sure it's safe to say yesterday was one of my most favorite days ever. Believe it.

Jaime and I drove up to Chicago Saturday afternoon and stayed with my high school bestie Jen. We had a fabulously fun time Saturday night, hitting the sack at midnight (gasp!). Both Jaime and I woke before our alarm clocks on Sunday morning because we were so excited for the day to begin. To pull off an exciting surprise. We quickly got ready and headed out, parking just blocks from the race at a friend's house. Finding the course was easy. Waiting for the runners was not. Jaime and I wanted to get there in time to see the elite Kenyans run and we were successful in this (we literally got dizzy watching them run, as they were so fast). We also saw the wheelchair racers and were choked up watching their strength, their will, their truly incredible abilities.

What felt like hours went by before we started seeing non-elite runners. We positioned ourselves around mile 3 perched on top of a center/median landscaping wall so we were able to see both sides of the street and scan every face in hopes of seeing our girls. We did not travel all this way to miss them. Let's just say our anxiety was sky-high trying to find these girls. Purple shirt. Wh.eaties hat. Everyone starts to look the same. Oh no, did we miss them? I think we missed them. You looking on that side? I've got this side. I'm shaking. Wait! BRI! MEGGIE! CHRISTI!!! They scream. They jump. They cry. We saw them. We surprised them. We cry and embrace. So happy to see our girls running and happy. But we couldn't bask in this glory for too long, we had two more to find. Within 4 minutes we spotted Amy & Sarah. More shock. More kisses blown. Pure and utter relief and elation. Phew.

Jaim and I realized we needed to eat to fuel ourselves for the long day. We picked up food then walked a block to mile 12. Saw more elite runners (and Meggie's husband!) and began to start cheering for the runners instead of scanning like we did at mile 3. Name on your shirt? We yelled for you. Cute? We gave you a whoo hoo. Time ticked away. I was in communication with Meggies bff (who was also in on our surprise) the entire day...where did you see them and what time? Great, we're on track to see her. As my watched neared when they should approach mile 12 we stopped cheering so much and started scanning. Is that them? Did we miss them? I hope they keep running on the left side. Wait...CHRISTI, MEGGIE, BRI!!! More screaming. More I love you's. More cowbell. Or whatever. We were on top of the moon again, proud to have found them a 2nd time. Now for Sarah and Amy. About 10 minutes later we saw these two girls and they were bouncing up and down screaming (and wasting precious energy) when they saw us. Check and check.

Our next adventure (which we called this entire day, as it was the biggest scavenger hunt of our lives...next to Ragn.ar!) was getting to mile 20 to find the girls. We were at mile 12. Running wasn't an option for us (yet). We jumped on the red line. The trains were jam packed. Like sardines. And it was horrifying. We finally got off of that ride to jump onto the orange line. We made it to mile 20. Jaim and I stood post and started cheering on very tired, very ragged runners. We kept trying to recall what we'd want to hear at this point if we were running. Keep it up! Great job! You've come so far, you're almost there! We're so proud of you! You're running a marathon!!! There were no words for some. We just kept hoping we would see our girls. Wait...CHRISTI!!! Christi is an emotional runner. Jaim and I are emotional too. We jump in with her and we all kind of choke up. And then quickly turn to the important topics: how do you feel? What's your pace? Where are the other girls? We ran with Christi for 1 mile through Chinatown. Then left her to finish her marathon where she'd score herself a new PR.

After leaving her we turned back and started walking and scanning the crowd. BRI!!! She was a minute behind Christi and happy. Chipper. Amazingly upbeat for her first marathon. No pains but a few blisters. Girl was rocking it and clearly didn't need us. After a mile with her I received a text from Meggie's bff that she was at mile 21 and hurting. Time to leave Bri.

Jaime and I turn back and start looking for Meggie. Faces now were of that of desperation. It was completely devastating to see some of these runners in this condition. Which made finding Meggie even more important to us. Five minutes pass and we see Meggie. She is looking tired but in typical Meggie form, she sported a smile. We walked. She described her aches and pains. Jaim and I told her how much of a rockstar she was for making it as far as she had injured and untrained for 4 weeks. Um, not just anyone can whip out a marathon under just one of those conditions and she was kicking it's butt. We started running, only to stop for liquids and ice ("You know where I like it"). Meggie was keeping a great pace and did minimal walking. I kept telling her how incredible she was...and how at that point in my marathon last year I was doing a LOT of walking. She truly was rocking it. We ran with Meggie from 22 to 25 and did some dancing and game playing to pass the time (awesomely cool names of kids born in the 70's...Misty and Pam are great ones!). Right before we left Meggie at mile 25 we saw Amy pass us. AMY!!! She was smiling. And happy. And sped off to finish her first marathon. We smooched Meg goodbye and wished her well.

Now that we had run several of our friends in, Jaime and I had to get back to our car. On the map I thought it was 2ish miles. Turns out it was more like 4-5. We ran the entire way. On empty bellies. And drained energy. But we made it. And were relieved to be heading home. The day was emotionally and physically draining (and we didn't even run the marathon!). We were so proud of our girls and that we were able to support them. It was an incredible day. One I will never forget.

Jaime and I at mile 3, long before the race ever started

Second group of elite Kenyans...running so fast their feet were blurry!

Seeing Bri and Christi at mile 12

Meg & Jaim around mile 23

Last few miles on Michigan Avenue

Seeing Amy around mile 25

I am so happy to be a part of these womens' lives. Running together. Bonding together. Making memories together. And I strongly believe that training for a marathon with friends is 110 times easier than training alone. If you are a beginner running or a runner looking for a group to train with, I urge you to seek a group out or come run with us. We won't disappoint. The amount of strength, will, determination and stamina these women have will motivate you to kick some serious marathon butt.

And also, if you have never been a spectator at a marathon? Do it. It will move you witnessing the heart in these runners. If you're looking for a race to come spectate at...our next marathon is in just 26 days here in Indy. Would love to see you there. And a poster idea to bring? "This marathon is your b*tch!" One of my all time faves from yesterday's marathon.

Here's to walking (or running) 500 miles for your best friends.