The McCulloch Family

Muddy Buddies...

2012-01-29T23:05:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that marathon runners are no longer the craziest people I know. It's true. There are crazier people out there. And they are called adventure racers. Back in December ~~while Mikey and I were drinking beers in Santa costumes in the warmth of a bar~~ several of my Perfect Stranger girls ran the Huff 50k. Crazy. That's 30 miles. In the mud. I was happy I was in the comfort of a warm beard and company of a cold beer. Jaime and I texted back and forth all morning how crazy the girls were and how happy we were that we weren't there. So why, oh why, did I get roped into running something similar (yet much, much more tame)? It's what we runners do; we are constantly searching for the next "runner's high." We crazy.

Christi, Bri, Amy and I ran the Planet Adventure Winter Trail Quarter Marathon last night. It consisted of a 6.55 mile loop around Eagle Creek. There was also an option to run the half and full marathon (read: 2 or 4 more laps than our 1). I have been sick for the better part of the last 2 weeks with a (self diagnosed) sinus and ear infection. This means I haven't been running much. But what's 6.5 miles? I figured I could run that mileage in my sleep and plus, I was on the mend with the help of my most favorite nurse.

I picked up Christi and we headed down to Amy's house where Bri was there waiting for us. We quickly put on our awesomely bright matching socks and headed to the race.

As soon as we got into Bri's Libby we immediately started talking about how "cray" we were to be heading into the trails. In the dark. In the cold. We all got onto our iPhones and started blasting FB with our excitement (we each were commenting on the others' status updates while we were sitting in the same car with each other...really quite comical). We parked. We got our bibs. And we noticed people staring. I mean, a lot of these runners were here to run a freaking marathon while we were here dressed up as if it were another Mo.non themed run. Let them laugh. We had a blast!

Staying warm in the car

Walking to the start

Head lamps were required (since we'd be running well into the night). Christi & Bri rocked their new knuckle lights and I have to tell you, they were BRIGHT. I mean, if I fell behind, Bri would simply flip her hand behind her and the path was lit up. Those things are powerful!

A before shot of our clean socks and shoes...

While we were waiting for 6 o'clock to arrive we listened to the pre-race instructions. We were warned of slippery stairs and places along the route that were single file only. Yada yada yada, let's get started. And we were off. Running on pavement. No big deal. Riiight.

Within a minute we were on the trails; bobbing and weaving, leaping and lunging, laughing and moaning. To say this was difficult is a severe understatement. The hills, oh the hills! The mud. The icy stairs (and the many bridges we laughingly power walked over). And that was just the first 5 minutes. For reals. Christi soon took off (being the bad a$$ that she is) and the three of us stuck together for the remaining 6 miles.

We took in the scenery (as best we could, as trail running requires ALL your focus on your very next step) as the sun was setting over the reservoir. We got plenty of comments on our socks (reminded me of our tutus from last year's R.agnar). And within the first 2 miles I thought to myself, "How in the eff am I going to finish this?!?" My thighs were burning and my lungs were tight. Screwed. But I powered on. Sometimes taking walking breaks. Was happy to see the slippery stairs, as that meant a rester for my lungs while I slowly watched my step.

We crossed over the reservoir on a narrow gravel trail (or as Bri likes to put it, on an isthmus), with water on both sides of us. This terrain allowed us to take a mental break and take in the scenery. The serene water. The beautiful sunset. As we got to the other side, the sun was down and we looked both ahead and behind us at the trail of headlamps. Was such an amazing moment. And we all relished in it.

Two miles in and we encountered our first aid station. Trail mix anyone?

From what I remember, miles 2-4 were hilly as all get out. There was a LOT of going up and not so much going down. We then remembered we went down a good amount of stairs in the first few miles. Awesome. My legs were en fuego. Aid station #2 offered us the most amazing mini potato I've ever eaten. We fueled up while the volunteers said, "See you next time around!" To which Amy replied, "We'll be at the bar the next time around!" Which got us all to talking...we were so happy we were only doing one lap. And we all agreed we'd do this race again next year while vowing to not ever be talked into more than the quarter. Pinky swear.

Miles 4-6.5 were muddy. I'm talking peanut butter mud. Amy almost lost her shoe because the mud was so thick and unforgiving. I heard her shoe being suctioned from her foot and winced, not wanting to see her argyle sock bare. Thankfully she recovered; however, the worst was yet to come. We tried running on the outskirts of the mud only to find the bare brush contained thorns. Many, many sharp thorns (my thighs have the scratches to prove it!). There was no getting around the mud. I kept on thinking of a book I read to the girls We're Going On A Bear Hunt: "Oh no, mud! Thick, oozy mud! We can't go over it, we can't go under it...oh, no! We'll have to go through it! Squelch, squirt, squelch, squirt." And there was a lot of squelching and squirting. For miles. Uphill. And we paid money to do it.

We finally could hear the announcer's voice at the finish line through the woods and it seemed like forever until we reached him. But we did. All of us finished. Christi rocked it out with a 1:12...

While Amy, Bri and I locked arms and ran through the shoot in (very frozen) smiles. I had predicted we'd finish in 1:30 and we came in just shy of that:

A quick picture of our muddied tooters

We stopped for food at the heated recovery (hello PB&J sammies, chili and hot chocolate!) and we were ready to get out of dodge

After a quick change at Amy's house we headed to the bar in our matching PS sweatshirts (jealous?)

Before drinks arrived we passed around our awesomely random finisher's medals to be signed yearbook style by our teammates

We toasted, we drank, we ate, we moaned. We shared many laughs and lots of heart to hearts. I may have even cried (I know, you're not surprised). But to think that a year ago I had one bestie and we felt so alone (yet together) with our addiction to running. That no one in our lives truly understood why we ran. And here we are, one year later, with a lot of closies (Jaim's term) that get us. I mean, Amy & Bri are running one race every month this year, while Christi ran just shy of 100 miles this month. Incredible we all found each other. So very happy, I am.

My ~~beer~~ cup runneth over.

We should be somewhere tropical...

2012-01-22T21:52:00.000-05:00

For reals. It's gotten cold here. Quick. Went from 50 degree weather a few weeks ago to the teens and twenties. No thanks. I suppose I have to suffer through this in order to get my coveted summer & fall. I'll make it through. Just will complain a touch.

This weekend was the annual trip when my high school girls travel down from Chicago. They come to Indy in the winter and I travel to them in the summer. Not sure how we got on that schedule but it's been about 8 years that we've done it and we're not stopping any time soon.

Great weekend to travel down to Indy from Chicago you say? Not so much. Chicago got hit with a massive winter storm Friday afternoon, just in time for Mary to leave the 'burbs. Took her a whopping 3 hours to get to Jenny downtown. Then another 7 to get to Indy. By the time they got here it was 2am and they were hoping since they'd been in the car that long that they would've ended up somewhere tropical. Not so much. I'm continually amazed at the lengths my girlfriends go to see me (and the girls and Mikey). Although they didn't end up in Florida, we still managed to have a fun weekend together.

I'm pretty sure I only got 4 hours of sleep Friday night (we're dealing with some sleep issues from Laney - don't even get me started...but tonight we're on crack-down, Healthy Sleep Habit style), which made for a long day Saturday. But there was no way I was going to nap while my girls were here. Made some monkey break and waited for the ooey-gooey cinnamon aroma to wake Jen & Mary to come down and play. Several hours of playing later, we packed up and headed to Izzy's gymnastics class.

During nap time we went out for lunch and a little shopping...and picked up some craft supplies (it wouldn't be a girls' weekend without a little crafting).

My friend, Bri, introduced me to the timer feature on my camera that takes 10 picture (rapid-fire style) in a row. I'll spare you the crazy antics that went on but trust me, they are priceless. Note Jenny's awesome belt around her waist; this is a $200 ab "contour belt" purchased from a late-night infomercial by Mary. It was pure comedy to watch her use it (every day they were here) and of course Jenny and then Mike had to try it out (I'm dumb, but not that dumb).

Saturday we collectively decided to stay in; we ordered pizza, played games, and stayed up way too late. Perfect. We crafted for several more hours this morning before the girls left for home. Thankfully the roads were clear and the weather cooperated so they didn't have another 10 hour trek. Loved having them here. Already planning my summer trip to Chicago. Thinking Lolla.palooza in August.

And because these are just so darn cute, I have to share:

Here's to being somewhere tropical in less than 11 weeks. But who's counting?

Just another run in the snow...

2012-01-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

I'm running the Carmel Half Marathon in April, which is 14 weeks away. My typical 12 week training program hasn't begun yet but I'm doing something a little differently this winter season; I haven't stopped running since my marathon in November. Gasp! Imagine that, I'm running for fun, not just for training! I figure having a solid, strong base level of physical fitness can only help me for my next training program. Novel idea, I know.

Many of the Perfect Strangers are running Spring marathons so this means they are knee deep into their training. Which translates into Saturday morning runs are back on the regular. Giddy up.

Jaime ran a few (very early) miles before meeting me at the Monon. Her first words when she ran up to me were, "I hope you don't want to run faster than 10 minute miles because I can't go one second faster. I have so many layers on that I'm thankful not to be carrying any extra baby weight!" And there she had me laughing at the crack of dawn. And I could totally relate. I was wearing two layers of pants, 4 layers of tops, a very warm winter hat, ultra warm mittens and a neck gaiter. We joked that we felt like Ralphie's little brother, not being able to put our limbs all the way down as we were bundled so heavily. Turns out all those extra layers paid off because not one of us complained of being cold.

Headlamps on a brisk 17 degree January morning

Jaim and I ran a few miles to meet Karie, who thought we were nuts before this morning and then after seeing the 3 inches of snow on the ground I'm sure she thought we were insane in the membrizzle. Jaime tried to drink some of her fuel only to realize it was slushy. And off we went to meet the next group.

We found the footing on the trail to be very fresh powder, more slippery in some parts than others. Jaime had a near wipe out but recovered like the graceful dancer that she is. At one point, just as it was becoming light out, we started talking about our Ragnar team and how we changed our name from last year to Perfect Strangers this year. We had just passed a guy and he must have overheard us talking because he chimed in, "Are you girls the Perfect Strangers running group?" Why yes. Yes we are. I must have been beaming because my cheeks hurt (or maybe that was from the frigid temps). Was so proud. And mostly thrilled. Turns out the guy was one of Meggie's very first running partners (they dubbed themselves the "Negative Splits"). Small world.

We soon noticed a large group of women running towards us and as we got closer (and nearly passed them) we realized it was the gals we were to pick up closer to the BRipp. Funny, we were all so bundled up that we were nearly unrecognizable! We took pictures (this is customary in our group) and turned back around, as it was Jaime's halfway point. A few miles back and we dropped Karie back off at her stop then quickly ran into our last few gals closer to Carmel. We all had different mileage that we needed to run and morning commitments to meet, so this is why there were so many varying starting and stopping points throughout the morning.

Another mile or so and we were at my stopping point. I hugged the girls goodbye and had headed indoors to warm up (and greet my fellow Carmel Runners Club peeps).

Christi, Bri and I warming up in our rockin' winter gear. I was talking to a fellow CRC member and he asked about my mileage...I explained to him that I just finished my run with my normal Saturday morning girls. He said, "Oh yeah, are you guys called the Strangers or something?" Yep! That's us! We're kind of a big deal. Ha! So proud to be associated with such strong, beautiful, and compassionate women. I hugged the last of the girls goodbye and drove home with a huge smile on my face. It's amazing that just a year or two ago 8 miles in 3 inches of snow sounded dreadful, yet today it was the highlight of my weekend.

And on a completely different note, I have to add a few pics of the girls from the weekend. Recently Laney has been getting out of her bed on her own (Izzy has never once done this so it's still pretty new to us). We'll wake up hearing scratching on our door, or see her standing outside our door. I went upstairs yesterday afternoon to grab something (during nap time) and this is what I saw at the top of my stairs. She's never crying. Never playing. Just hanging out. Freaky!

And this is how Izzy sleeps every night. She sets up every one of her 500 lovies in her bed then falls asleep herself. We routinely "clean up" her bed of all her buddies but somehow they all end up back up in her bed. It's like the E.T. movie...can you find Izzy among all the stuffed animals? Love her. So much.

Testing 1, 2, 3...

2012-01-15T11:21:00.001-05:00

Laney's EEG was scheduled on Friday afternoon. At nap time. I told Mike he didn't have to come with us, as I was under the impression that only one parent could be in the room with Lane at a time. Boy, was I wrong. I wish Mike had been there with me because not only was the test traumatizing & tumultuous, but it was also exhausting. Physically and emotionally. We were only at the office for 1.5 hours but it felt like days.

Upon picking up Bug from school she had a present awaiting her from her best buddy, Sammy. We had been preparing her for several days that she'd be going to the "fun" doctor (they gave her a quilt and had a waiting room full of interactive, state of the art toys...so it was as fun as a doctor's office can be) to take a nap. That she'd be getting magic buttons on her head with a magic hat over them. No big deal. We just packed a bag full of her lovies and a fan for white noise (Jaime was cracking up when I told her Bug would have to take a nap, "I'd love to see the size of the bag you carry into that office with your jet-engine fan!").

Still happy waiting to be called

We thought we had prepared Laney (and ourselves) for what was to be an hour and a half nap (so we thought). But no amount of reading materials and personal accounts could prepare us for what was to come.

Apparently the entire process was to take 1.5 hours. Thirty to forty five minutes of prep time consisted of the most horrifying 45 minutes of my life. I had to lay Laney on a hospital bed, on top of a white sheet. The nurse then swaddled (I called it a straight-jacket) Laney and I was told to put my entire body on top of her to hold her down to ensure her arms don't come out. Oh, and at the same time hold her head still so the nurse could meausre all the spots the electrodes were to be placed.

Turns out Laney wasn't a fan of being wrapped up, having her mom on top of her, and being marked with a black crayon. Go figure. The screaming ensued immediately. Blood curdling screaming & crying. Her eyes staring into mine (as I was just inches from her face) begging for this all to end. No words I could say, no songs I could sing would calm her. Laney is a finger sucker; she self soothes and was unable to do so as her arms were tied down (by me). Hurt so much knowing I was inflicting all of this pain on my baby. But all the while the nurse said this was completely normal. Wow, sure am glad I don't have her job.

Once all of the markers were placed on her head, the nurse then told me that she will now have to glue all twenty seven electrodes to Laney's head. Excuse me, did you say twenty seven? Those 30 minutes of measuring and gluing were the worst 30 minutes of my life. Pretty sure of it. The nurse wrapped a large bandage around Lane's head, put two more electrodes on her chest (for an EKG) and turned the lights off. By now Laney had worked her hand out and her fingers found her mouth. She was calm and content now. Drifting off into a slumber. One minute later and the nurse said one of the electrodes wasn't working; she'll have to replace it. Are. You. Serious?!

Lights on. Unwrap bandage. Try to get aforementioned glued-on electrode off and replaced. Laney was now woken up by her hair being tugged and her screaming quickly started again. By now my arms were extremely sore from the 30 minute wrestling match we'd already had. Anyway, the electrode was replaced and the lights were again off. All set. Or not...

Since Laney sucks her fingers to fall asleep, as soon as she'd drift off her fingers would fall out of her mouth and she'd quickly jerk them back into her mouth. I didn't notice any of this, but the nurse said she could tell based on her brain patterns on the computer she was monitoring. She suggested we prop Laney's arm up so the fingers don't fall out (and so she could get this testing underway). Propping worked.

This test was not only monitored on a fancy computer, but it was also video & audio recorded. I walked over to the monitor and was blown away at how much was going on. Brain patterns, heart rate, video of my sweet girl sleeping. Was intense. And anyone that knows me knows that I'm a question asker. I was chomping at the bit to ask the nurse what it all meant, but didn't want to wake Lane. Here's what she looked like in the dark testing room:

Fifteen minutes after Laney fell asleep the nurse said to me, "Ok, we can wake her up now." Um, what? I was prepared for Laney to get a good nap in. And now we have to wake her up? Mmkay. And the kicker? She had to be woken up with a strobe light one foot from her face (flashing lights sometime bring on seizures). I once again had to lay on top of Laney and hold her head straight so as to keep her staring at the light. When was this torture going to end? Here's how Laney looked once the strobe light stopped:

Finally it was time to take everything off, which I thought would be the easy part. Not so much. Remember, these 27 electrodes were glued. Onto a head of hair.

Warm washcloth compresses and lots of combing and tugging later, a few electrodes were removed. Laney was less than thrilled with all of this as you can tell from her sad little face:

Finally all 27 electrodes were removed (with much glue still left in her hair for me to take care of at home) and Laney was back to her happy self (with the help of a sucker). We were elated to be walking out of that office.

We were told we'll get the results in the next week. Good news (normal EEG) and we'll get something in the mail. Bad news (abnormal EEG) and we'll get a phone call from the doctor. Either way, we're glad this test is behind us and are just ready to get some answers.

Absent. Yet Here.

2012-01-11T12:02:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about some concerns we've been having with little Laney Bug and I want to take this time to update you. And also to document everything we're going through so as not to forget any of it.

First things first: Laney is going to be just fine. Want to get that out of the way before anyone's heart skips a beat.

The week before Christmas the girls were invited to a fancy tea party at Nanny Natalie's house with Miss Kay (Natalie’s mom). Everyone had a great time. Tea was had. Cookies were frosted. Pictures were taken. The girls came home with stories. I was sent pictures from Natalie. As far as I was concerned, everything was right with the world. Until.

Miss Kay (aka Granny Panties) called that same evening to tell me how much they loved having the girls. How special they are. And probably other things I forgot. Miss Kay had never called me, but after such an eventful morning, I didn't think anything of it. Until.

Kay went on to say, "I noticed some behavior today that is a little concerning and I'd be remiss to not tell you. Mother to mother." I thought she'd say something about how Laney bit Izzy or one of the girls mouthed off. Nope. Not even close. Kay said that as they were sitting down to eat lunch Laney zoned out. They took a picture and Laney didn't look. Didn't move. Kay and Natalie called her name. Nothing. They made noises, clapped, to no avail. Bottom line, Bug was unresponsive.

I immediately thought, "Oh, Lane is just a stubborn little girl and often times ignores us!" But couldn't utter these words, as Kay kept going. She was very thorough in her description and talked to me so slowly I felt the world was going to stop. Kay knew this was going to be hard to hear and she spoke to me so softly. So kindly. I asked her what this meant. The answer was more than I could wrap my brain around.

Kay said that what she thought she witnessed was a petit mal seizure. A WHAT?!?! (Back story on Miss Kay: she sold pharmaceuticals for over 20 years. At one point in her career she sold a drug for seizures to pediatric neurologists.) She explained that a petit mal seizure is when a child basically zones out for anywhere from 10-45 seconds, unresponsive to any stimulus (which is the opposite of a grand mal seizure where convulsions are present). Kay said she wasn't diagnosing but she had and idea of what may be wrong. She once sold a drug for just this behavior (read: when you sell pharma, you are trained extensively on the drug you are selling, as you have to be able to talk-the-talk with the physicians). Bottom line: Kay knew what she was talking about. And the name for it is absence epilepsy.

All I heard was epilepsy and I lost it.

I took notes. Copious notes. I didn't want to miss a thing. I could barely read what I was writing, as the tears were just flowing. They wouldn't stop. I had no idea what epilepsy meant or entailed, but I feared the worst.

Kay said that most times this type of epilepsy/seizure goes undiagnosed until elementary school, when the teacher calls home to tell the parent their child is a day dreamer. Not focused. Also that children grow out of this form of epilepsy by their teens and in the meantime there are great drugs to help stop the seizures. What Kay was doing was trying to settle me. Reassure me. Yet I still cried.

I cried because I was uneducated on epilepsy. But more, I cried because I didn't notice it first. I mean, I did. But I ignored it. Thinking she was being a terrible two and ignoring us. Tuning us out. Both Mike and I had witnessed her “zoning out” but simply thought she was being her stubborn little self. Nope. Not the case. But how were we supposed to know it was anything but ignoring us since we didn’t know what we didn’t know?

My guilt for being a full time working-outside-of-the-house-mom hit me. Hard. I’ve never really had any of that guilt, as I simply love my job and know that I need the structure, achievement, acknowledgement, and personal development I gain with working full time. But during this phone call? I was floored. Why do I work 40 hours a week, only spending 2-3 hours with my girls each evening, and miss something so big? I should have been the one to call this out.

Kay understood my tears and went on to tell me what amazing parents we are, what a great role model I am to the girls, how lucky our girls are to have us as parents. She truly is the sweetest woman and so caring and compassionate.

As I collected myself at the end of the call, I wrote down Kay’s suggestion to get Laney checked out at our Pediatrician followed by a referral to the best pediatric neurologist in town.

Hung up the phone and Mike and I just stared at each other. Both of us in denial that what Laney was enduring were really seizures. But both of us realizing the occurrences are very strange and worth getting checked out. We were both a little (or a lot) stunned.

I immediately texted Jaime. Then her husband. To no avail. What’s a girl to do without her bestie to talk her down from a ledge? Somehow I fell asleep and woke up the next morning to a text that Jaime was awake. I called her at 6am, retold the story, cried my eyes out, then listened as she talked me down from the ledge. Jaim reviewed the pros, the cons, personal stories she knew about epilepsy and then she reminded me that she, too, had a horrible scare when Jacob was born. So she got it. She knew what I was going through. Hearing that from Jaim made all right in my world.

I scheduled a pediatrician appointment for the next day. The doctor checked Laney out (as best as he could, given he’s a general practitioner not a specialist) and listened to us recounting the stories of all the times we’d seen her “zone out.” He referred us to the same ped neuro that Kay did and was able to get us an appointment on January 7th. In the meantime, our ped told us to pay special attention over the next two weeks of vacation to any of these episodes. If possible, to record them for the neuro. Roger that. We had a plan. And almost two weeks of family time together. Really was perfect timing (if there is such a thing when it comes to something wrong with your child).

Now that we were in tune with what may be happening, I was ultra aware of Laney’s behavior. And the sad part is that we witnessed the “zone outs” multiple times over the course of the break. Our parents saw them. My sister saw them. It was now clear that this wasn’t just zoning out. We saw Laney have these episodes at the dinner table, while baking cookies, mid-dance party, you name it. My mom even poked her cheek (gently) and spread some frosting on her lips while she stared off. Not even a blink of an eye from Bug. Each time one of these episodes happened I just watched her, called her name and teared up. Looking at whoever else was in the room witnessing the same thing, saying with my eyes, “See? That was it. Isn’t that sad?” I was sad because now others were witnessing it. No turning back now. Something was amiss.

And not one time did I record any of them via video. Because all I could do was look at my baby and feel so helpless.

Last week I was finally able to tell my neighbor, Jill, about what was going on with Laney and her possible seizures. Jill’s immediate response, “I’ve seen them!” Heart. Breaking. Now even more people noticed her behavior pre-Kay phone call.

Just yesterday Jaime told me that the day I called her at 6am, after she dropped her boys off at school, she watched Laney in her classroom for a while. And even Jaime saw Laney zone out. In the middle of play time. Again, another person validating what we are all concerned about.

In fact, Nanny Natalie sent a picture from the day of the tea party that was taken at the beginning of the episode that Kay called about. Natalie and Izzy are looking at the camera and poor Buggy is staring in the opposite direction, head down. In true form to all the episodes we have been seeing on our own. Was tough to look at.

Finally January 7th arrived and we met our amazing ped neuro. He came not only highly recommended by my pediatrician and Kay (she called on him during her pharma days) but also from our neighbor. Jill has siblings that are quads and one of them has an extreme case of cerebral palsy. Dr. P is her sister’s neuro and Jill’s family adores him. Anyway, we described the episodes in full detail: stares into space, unresponsive to her name or loud noises, sometimes blinks but never moves, comes out of them as if nothing has happened and they last about 10-20 seconds. A few in-office tests were performed by Dr. P then he suggested we get an EEG (brain scan) to verify if it truly is epilepsy.

But there’s a catch. Fifty percent of patients with epilepsy have normal EEGs. What Dr. P suggested was for us to do a pinch test on Laney. Next time we see her in one of these episodes we gently pinch her. If she doesn’t react, then it is a seizure (because he said a lot of children are very good at tuning out their parents!). He wants us to do something to her that would cause a reaction. I mentioned the frosting my mom put on Laney’s lips without even a blink of her eyes. He nodded and agreed that was a big one; most kids will react to sugar.

So we have a game plan: this Friday Laney is going to have an EEG during her nap time. Dr. P said the brain is most active while sleeping and gives the best results for the scan. He also mentioned that most seizures happen while the patient is tired. This makes sense, as we have seen a lot of them right before naps and right before bedtime.

We’ll see what comes next. If Laney truly is having seizures there are several very safe & effective medications that will reduce/eliminate the seizures. Breaks my heart that a two year old may have to be on serious medication. But on the flip side of that coin, there’s a treatment. That works. And this is something children grow out of. However, if left untreated, the seizures can become more frequent and possibly worse.

My perspective on everything we’re going through is becoming more in check as the days go by. At first I was scared. Then sad. Then thankful. Thankful for Kay’s training in this specific field to be able to recognize it. Thankful for close friends and family that love our girls enough to tell us that they, too, have witnessed this behavior in Laney. Thankful for the phone calls, emails and texts supporting us. And most important, thankful this may only be epilepsy. It’s not life threatening. It’s treatable. It doesn’t last forever. It causes no pain.

Laney may be zoning out. But she is still here. Our Laney Bug is full of life and spunk and cuddles.

A weekend of firsts...

2012-01-08T18:20:00.001-05:00

After ballet ended last June, we decided to take a break from scheduled activities for a while. We swam all summer and then the holidays rolled around and before I knew it I had forgotten to sign Izzy back up in anything. Izzy asked to try gymnastics again so I looked into going to a new gym. After researching a bit, I decided on a place that focused on skills and tricks instead of playtime for kids that stayed home all day. The moment I walked into the new gym I knew it was the right place to be. Izzy's new class is for 4 & 5 year olds and she was a bit intimidated by the older (taller) kids and the new teacher and environment. But after 5-10 minutes of being shy, Iz warmed up and started learning some very new skills (back bends, backward rolls, head stands and even hand stands). I was enamored by the caliber of gymnasts at this new gym, as I witnessed 5 year olds doing some tricks that I couldn't do until I was 10, and then teenagers doing what I see at the Olympics. And then I remembered why I chose the place...this gym churns out collegiate athletes by the dozens and even sends kids to the Olympics. It's not only fun to watch my little girl learn some basic tumbling skills, it's a blast to watch all the other talented little people. I have a feeling we're going to have fun here (as long as this lasts until Iz wants to go back to ballet!).

Back bends (and even a walk-over)

Forward rolls and balance beams

Another first, this weekend was the Carmel Runners Club inaugural Saturday run. I helped sign in the almost 100 members and then we took some photos for the local paper then were off on our run. The Carmel Marathon is about 15 weeks away and we have training programs for both the full and the half. I'm only running the half, so my mileage was 4 miles. Was fun to meet new people and run on a beautifully mild January morning. I missed running with my regular girls, but I was able to spend time with them later in the day.

Signing in a new member and smiling for the newspaper

Yet another new adventure I had this past weekend was going out with all my favorite running girls in the evening (as opposed to the 6am long runs on Saturday mornings dressed in spandex and visors). We have been planning this night for months and every single one of us were as giddy as school girls awaiting the coveted January 7th evening.

(You can see I also did something else for the first time this weekend; I went dark with my hair. REAL dark. I'd been thinking about doing this for several months and finally pulled the trigger. Also got my eyebrows darkened, another first. I was super nervous about seeing the end results but am happy to say I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I came home and Mike said I need a new name as I look so different! That's what I was going for: drastic.)

We headed down to Bro.adripple to have drinks and a gift exchange at Karen's, exchanging some of our "favorite things," Oprah style.

And then we took a bunch of silly pics that cracked us all up. Was so fun to pretend we were models in front of a fancy camera spitting off flashes like we were on the runway. Great start to a fun night out.

We had dinner at U.sual Suspects and spent several hours there singing, laughing, crying and sharing. My table talked endlessly about how fiercely protective we are of our girls' running group. We want to know who you are and what your story is to determine if we're going to let yo into our inner circle. Rather, let you into our hearts. We hold our little group sacred, as we've seen each other at the lowest of our lows and the highest of our highs. You can't find bonds like this just anywhere. That's why we covet what we have. What we share. What we love. Each other.

To get the full run-down of the night's events, check out Bri's recap and Meggie's recap.

We toasted to all that we accomplished in 2011 and what we have to look forward to in 2012. We danced the night away; sang into large fans to cool off; laughed till we peed (maybe that was just me). We may not all come from the same walks of life and to some we may be a group of mis-matched girls. But to us, we are the perfect storm. The perfect culmination of woman that share a passion for running, but also women that share a passion for bonding. Making connections in the most unassuming of places. We, my friends, are the Perfect Strangers. And I adore what we've built and will cherish all the dance parties and miles along the Mon.on to come.

It's a New Day...

2012-01-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

Those were the first words Izzy said to me this morning, "Mommy, it's a new day!" Pretty sure she meant a new year, but I suppose it's all the same. A new day, a new year, a fresh start.

My mom has been in town since Wednesday and the girls have been having so much fun with their Grand Roo.

Last night we all headed over to our favorite neighbors' house for dinner; mom and the girls stayed for a few hours then walked home while the rest of us played poker and continued the ever-evolving who's-in-your-hot-tub discussion. Never a dull moment, I tell you, when you put a lawyer, a writer, a banker and a planner together in the same room!

Mike wanted to pretend we were at Prom...

While I wanted to pretend we were at our wedding. We're so mature, I know.

When the clock struck midnight we smooched, drank (more) champagne and set off fireworks that Matt has been wanting to set off for months. Loud fireworks. Ones that I didn't care if they woke up our girls across the street. Everyone played with sparklers while Jill and I tried to master our cameras in capturing the moment with a very slow shutter speed. Was fun experimenting!

Above is Eva and below is Mike (take note of his 8 year old excited face)

Matt trying his hand at it

Mom and the girls baked cookies, finger jello and mini pizzas while she was here. The girls love being in the kitchen with their Roo. They are wearing the smocks my sister and I wore when we were their age!

This loooong break we've been on has given me a lot of time with the littles, time needed especially to monitor some of Laney's behavior that we are concerned about. It's a long story, and I promise to blog about it soon, but until then we are seeing a specialist (pediatric neurologist) in the upcoming week and can't wait to find some answers to our questions.

Yesterday morning, NYE, I was able to join my most favorite girls, the Perfect Strangers for our final run of 2011. You can read Meggie's recap of it here. I'm going to go ahead and say meeting these women and training with them this year has been one of the most special things that has happened to me in 2011. To run with women that truly understand my passion and share in my crazy obsession in running long miles has been an amazing experience. To think, last summer (2010) I was running with Meggie on the trail, just the two of us. And here were are wrapping up 2011 with 13 of us tearing it up out there. I mean, we're not the fastest. But I know we're having the most fun out there. What other running group will dress up in their 80's apparel for a long run (in public)?! I donned a leotard for said run and these girls didn't even bat an eye (although many passerbyers did, trust me). I just love that I have formed a new group of friends that cheer each other on, lift each other up, listen to stories that last for miles, and love each other so much. So special.

The past year has been up, down and all around. I've found love (again), I've suffered loss, I've discovered a new group of friends, I've witnessed my two girls grow up into 4 and 2 year olds and I've learned a handful of life lessons along the way. I'm not perfect, far from it, but I've been doing a lot of self reflection this year and realize I'm just embarking on my journey through life. Lots to learn. Miles to go. Life to live.

Here's to a happy & healthy year ahead! Bring it on, 2012, bring it.

Christmas Adventures 2011

2011-12-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

I don't even know where to start with this blog entry, as the past week has been such a whirlwind of travel, family, eating and being merry.The festivities were kick-started early last week when Nanny Natalie picked the girls up from school for a Christmas Tea Party:

The girls made cookies,

Drank real tea and a special meal,

And even shared the tea party with their baby dolls. Apparently this is a family tradition with Natty to have a fancy tea party for the littles every year. So special that they wanted to pass that on to our girls.

Miss Kay (and also Mr. Dave) have a special bond with the girls, which I talk about fondly often. They are almost like another set of grandparents. I simply adore how close all of them are. In fact, I shared the end-of-the-summer DVD Natalie made the girls with my mom and sister yesterday and everyone was in tears. The pictures and videos are evidence that they have such a special bond.

We packed up the car last Friday for a few days in Ft. Wayne with Mike's dad. As soon as we enter their doors we sigh a breath of relief, as it's just so relaxing to be there and so at home. It's hard to explain, but we just all love being there. Every year Bob & Laura have all the family over for dinner, drinks and games. You never know who will pop in that night. And there are lots of us coming and going, as we all go to different church services. Just fun to have the constant ebb and flow of friends and family.

Speaking of church, every time the minister said the word "Jesus" during service, Laney would blurt out rather loudly, "JESUS!" Not really sure why, but none the less, it was comical. She and I had to leave the service near the end so we ran through the hallways back and forth. Until Laney discovered the life-sized nativity scene and wanted nothing more than to touch baby Jesus (I can't blame her, I mean, she is into babies this year). So that was fun trying to play baby Jesus' defensive line so as to not dismantle the entire scene. Talk about sweaty armpits!

Laney has taken a strong liking to being in the kitchen whenever anyone is cooking (Mike is happy that one of the ladies in the house has an interest!). Here she is helping Grandma Laura with some appetizers:

A sister picture before church (yes, the girls wore these dresses last year, but we had another size up and they were just too cute not to wear again).

One of the biggest tradition at Bob & Laura's house at Christmas is making pizzas. Bob makes the dough from scratch then we all make our own personal pizzas. The kids love it (and have their very own personalized chef's hats).

The adults always do a white elephant exchange on xmas eve and we just laugh so hard at what we open. I'm sorry to say I didn't get a picture of the twins tee-peeing the house with the 5 rolls of register tape Mike gifted from his bank days. Too funny.

The girls made some reindeer food and put it outside, all while Mike made up some hilariously ridiculous chant about how the reindeer will find the food and Santa will deliver his presents. We all laughed so hard and the girls were in heaven doing their little reindeer food dance.

I also taught Izzy the art of present snooping & guessing. My Aunt Gail and I did this every year since I could remember: shaking, squeezing, guessing every present under the tree, even if it wasn't ours. Laura finds it funny that I do this and even has an ornament on the lower part of the tree that senses motion and goes off every time I get near the presents. Love it. Izzy and I both got a few of the presents correct...and Iz even got a little carried away and started opening one of her presents. Oops! And Kim reminded me of the year when we were kids that when our mom was gone we opened each others' presents then re-wrapped them. Guess the impatience in me has always been in my nature!

Another tradition (can you tell I LOVE traditions?!?!) we have during this holiday is Santa waking up everyone in the house on Christmas morning. I grew up with this same tradition: every family member sleeping at my grandparents' house in Michigan and Santa waking every one of us up with his jingle bells, sitting on his lap and getting a gift, snapping a few pictures then off he went to the other houses. My mom told me Grandpa Bruhn started this when Kim was a baby and continued it through my college years, even dressing up on the off years my sister and I spent xmas morning at my dad's house. The best memories of my childhood were these and I am elated that I can pass this tradition on to my girls.

This year I wizened up and took video of the wake-up call, as I never want to lose the magical memories. Anyways, as soon as Santa came into our room I turned to Laney said, "Santa's here, do you know what that means?" Thinking she'd reply with PRESENTS! But her response was, "I NICE!" Guess we've been drilling that into her all month with the Elf and all. Ha! Laney also kept asking where Bobo (Bob) was...so I had to keep diverting her to the mayhem that was ensuing in the living room with Santa.

Izzy got exactly what she wanted from Santa, the entire set of Princess B.arbies!

And Laney got a very special, restored antique bunk bed for her babies:

With 15 people in the house it takes quite some time to get through presents. We take our time, taking breaks for breakfast and then open gifts one at a time in order of age. Love that it is drawn out and takes up half the day. Just special family time. Laney got tuckered out and had to watch a movie mid-way through to have some quiet time of her own:

Another of the girls' favorite presents was a large doll house. They play with Natalie's and Bobo's doll houses so we knew this would be a hit!

Some of my favorite gifts this year were a Ni.ke running hat (below), running mittens, new running tops and jackets, and several other marathon accessories. Like I said on FB, it's been a very marathon xmas for me and I LOVE it.

Monday we drove up to Michigan to spend with my family (the Keels). One of Izzy's favorite presents was a "Merry-oke" that you sing into and it changes your voice into an elf's voice. So funny, even the adults have been using it!

Think we like stripes?

Tuesday evening my Grandfather, Aunt & Uncle joined us for dinner and we sat for hours reminiscing and chatting up a storm. My grandfather's long term memory is impeccable and I love asking him questions, having him recount his young adult life, young married life, new parent life and much more. Since his short term memory often fails him, I take advantage of the long term that I love hearing about. We found ourselves choked up at times and laughing at others. I simply love him so much and cherish our time together.

Reading a book with Grandpa Tom

Making cookies with Grandma Anna

We drove back home to Indy on Wednesday in time to pick up my mom from the airport. Was a day of unpacking 6 days' worth of laundry and presents...I loathe that day, as I can't sit down until it's all washed and organized. Phew, glad that's behind me! Anyway, my sister and her kids also joined us and we have been baking (another 150 cake balls), playing games, going to the movies and creating obstacle courses in the living room for the girls. It's been a fun visit and I'm fairly certain the girls are having fun:

Izzy & Taylor sporting their double french braids. These cousins are so close!

And these sisters have taken to hugging and holding hands. But don't get me wrong, they still can wrestle with the best of them. We witnesses several of these matches over the last few days and I'm not kidding when I say that Laney wins. Every. Time. Hilarious.

That's all I have for now. Which was a lot. But I simply have to document the mundane details, as I have a horrible memory, and I want to remember everything. Every. Single. Thing. Still have off until Tuesday, and boy am I ready for more of this quality time. Next up? A long run with my running sisters and NYE with good friends. I'm loving this long vaca!

ps-Don't worry, I have already cleared it with Santa and he will definitely be coming to Florida with us next year. And so will all the pizza fixin's. Hear that? That's me sighing in relief :)

A trip to the dentist & Running in beards...

2011-12-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

Izzy has been to the dentist twice before. Both times she was too scared to sit in the "big girl" chair to have her teeth examined & cleaned. This time? She hopped right up into that chair, was lifted up, put on her sunnies, and allowed the hygienist to apply "fairy dust" to her teeth. She even got a few x-rays. All without a whine or a tear. She didn't need me. At all. I was so impressed with her bravery and I didn't even have to give her a pep-talk beforehand. She did it. All by herself. Maybe it was the help of her 6 accessories she chose that morning:

Notice the garter belt she's donning on her wrist. Thanks to a particular Bridal Bunny she received last year when she was a flower girl in cousin Tim's wedding, she now thinks that is a bracelet. I do get some funny looks. But most moms of daughters look at me and smile. We know you cannot argue with a 4 year old who wants to accessorize. You just can't harness that creativity.

Saturday morning (after a 7am sleep-in, which I feel is comparable to a noon o'clock wake up!) we had babysitters at our door at 7:30 while Mike and I trekked downtown for a festive Santa Hu.stle 5k with my Back on My Fe.et buddies. This wasn't any ordinary 5k. Rather, with our registration came a technical Santa shirt, a Santa hat and a Santa beard. Sounds like fun, right? You bet it was!

Typically wearing the race shirt on race day is a bit of a runner faux pas; however, it was required at this race and made for an interesting time finding your party or your friend. Everyone looked alike. And everyone was having just as much fun as we were. The beards initially were a bit awkward, I was getting the pieces of "hair" in my mouth. Beth found that she was going to have a hard time spitting with it on. But we all quickly learned that it was keeping us warm! I had mine on until about a mile in and needed to cool off.

We lined up along the White River and the scene was awesome...thousands of Santas ready to run!

This was such a fun race and one I can see doing every year. Along the course were Elves manning water stations and candy stations. Cookies, candy canes and M&Ms were part of our fuel being handed out. Holiday music was piped in at the start and finish. Two reindeer were on hand. And we could get our pictures taken on Santa's sleigh. So much fun. Post race Mike and I took advantage of the sitters at home and spent a few hours at a pub to warm up. We didn't even get funny looks wearing our costumes into the bar (our sitters, on the other hand, did).

I did some holiday baking over the weekend; made a large batch of my favorite Scotcharoos and a double batch (150) of cake balls. Ready for our travels so I can stop eating these in the house and start sharing them with family!

We left the warm cozy of our house to enjoy a few hours of swimming...

It's going to be a busy week - holiday parties, a special tea party with Natty & Granny Panties, traveling to the Fort and Michigan, and coming home with my mom and sister in tow. Let the fun begin!

Little of this, little of that...

2011-12-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

Not too much is new in the McCulloch house these days. Busy with last minute shopping, crafting, wrapping, and baking. My body is so run down from the past 8 weeks (read: ear infection, marathon, wisdom teeth removal, and now the holidays) that I'm sick. Yet again. So that makes for a fun December.

Both girls are getting very excited for Santa's arrival next week. However. Laney has been a touch naughty. Or a lot. Let's just say it was perfect timing when my cousin sent me this to help get Bug back onto Santa's nice list. If you have small children, you must sign up for this. Izzy was on the nice list and Laney was on the naughty list. Judge away. I'm not mean. I could have checked every. Single. Reason for her to be on that list. Unfortunately they only allowed me to select one. Hmph.

On a lighter note, we saw this outside our back yard last weekend:

Some of our close friends invited us over for breakfast and we decided it would be more fun if we were in our jammers. Turns out we had so much fun that we want to make a tradition of it. If you hadn't already caught on, I'm a freak for traditions.

All jammed out

Mike was at a business meeting tonight, so the girls and I did some baking followed up with some dancing by the light of the tree. Slow dancing to Dave Ma.thews' Crash with my girls on my hips was enough to make my cup run over. That is, until the girls actually touched ("She's touching me!") and then it turned into bedtime.

A few phone pictures...this one I felt like Izzy looked so grown up:

We did some bouncing at Mo.nkey Joe's to celebrate a classmate's birthday. I flew solo with both girls and promise I will never do that again. Izzy nearly broke her neck coming off of a bouncer. Then she peed in her pants. Thankfully there was a pair of spare undies in the diaper bag (thank you baby Minnie Mouse for coming to the rescue!). Laney kept on asking for Natty (she brought them there several times over the summer) and cried when I told her Natty was at IU. That trip wore me out and I'll be happy if I never go back. For reals.

The daily dress-up. I could make an entire photo book out of the pictures I have like this.

And a self portrait before we started baking. Izzy insisted on wearing our aprons. I obliged. Only to realize she had worn hers several times before and mine still had creases in it from being folded up in its package. Maybe that just means I don't mind getting messy in the kitchen. Yeah, I don't buy that one either.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...

2011-12-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

I remember when my best friends (Erin, Mary, Jenny, Ange) and I were growing up (junior high school days) we would take endless pictures of our crazy faces. I know every one of my girlfriends' crazy faces by heart. And I love that we can all be so silly and laugh at each other still, to this day.

We get together at least once a year for a weekend of gossiping, crafting, going out, and making silly faces while taking pictures. I vividly remember visiting Ange in California in 2005. We visited her older sister Paula (who is the queen of silly faces and taught us most of what we know) and met her husband and kids. We sat down for dinner with her and I'll never forget how fun it was. Dinner ended with everyone showing their silly faces like they were sharing what they did at school that day. I laughed so hard that I made a mental note to teach my future children this very dinner routine (I had just gone through a pretty horrendous miscarriage, so the laughter was much needed, maybe that's why it stood out so much). Think all of this is on my brain because we are in the middle of planning our next visit/girls' weekend and I have them all on my mind.

This is a classic - was taken under the (closed) bed of Dino's truck sometime in 2005? But it clearly shows you how silly we get. Pretty sure we did the splits outside of the bar we were at this night, just before we hopped into the truck.

Same weekend, showing support for our favorite singer, Jen

2006 with Jen

Erin's Bachelorette party 2006

Erin's wedding weekend in Vegas 2006

Drag show in Chicago 2007

The girls surprised me for my 30th birthday party in 2007 (I was 5 weeks prego with Iz here)

Celebrating my baby shower at the lake in 2007

Visiting Indy 2008

The girls supporting me at a half marathon in 2010

Go Cubs Go 2010

Erin ran the last few miles of the Ch.icago Marathon 2010 with me

Another Indy visit 2011

Epic

Given the amount of silliness I grew up with in these girls, I wanted to make sure to pass that quality on to my own girls. So I was tickled to see all the pictures the nanny took with the girls over the summer:

Making faces with Nanny Natalie is second nature to them, and I freaking love it.

And I've carried on the tradition of making funny faces at all times at home. Sure, we also talk about our favorite part of our day and what we did at school. However, we also share our favorite funny faces. "Oooh, that's a good one!" is said a lot in our house. Laney will bust out a silly face at any given moment and one of us is sure to comment on how awesome it is. We nurture silly in our house. Here's a few:

I'm so thankful for my girlfriends that I grew up with...for MANY reasons. But one of my favorite things my girlfriends taught me was how to have fun.

Gobble Gobble 2011

2011-11-29T21:13:00.001-05:00

Goodness last week was a whirlwind for us and I loved every moment of it. Three day work week. Family and friends. Lots of visiting and eating and laughing. Yes, please.

The week started with Nanny Natalie spending the afternoon and evening with the girls on Monday. She took them to her house and Granny Panties (Miss Kay) and Mr. Dave spoiled them with a dinner and lots of play time. My girls adore Natty and her family and it simply makes my heart warm to know they love the girls just as much. Natalie also attended Izzy's Thanksgiving Feast at school, as Mike and I weren't able to attend. Izzy came home with an awesomely cool painted macaroni necklace while Laney came home with a card saying what she was thankful for: Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Ben & Dave. Not sure who Ben & Dave are...but Lane claims they are chipmunks. Mmmkay then.

My dad & step mom arrive Wednesday afternoon to spend a few days with us. Mike took dad to his first Butler basketball game against Gardener Webb (who? doesn't matter...turns out it was quite an amazing game). Dad came home telling us how much fun they had. Anna and I were sharing a bottle of vino. That's my idea of a relaxing evening.

Thursday morning we trekked down to Br.oadripple for the Dru.mstick Dash 4.5 miler. There were about 15,000 runners in attendance (a record) and needless to say the course was jam-packed. Not going to lie, I did enjoy a nice (slow) run with my husband and best friend; however, I will not be running this race anytime in the near future. Too crowded. Poorly managed. I'll stick with the smaller, less swamped races on turkey morning. Dad & Anna walked with the girls along the shorter course and we finished about the same time. Felt good to get my legs moving in preparation for a day of eating and drinking!

Jaime and I ran with our BoMF buddy Eric

When I turned my watch on I noticed I hadn't worn it since my marathon. As we all know that I'm not proud of my time, I'm pretty proud of my mileage. It was bittersweet to delete. No matter my finish time, I'm thankful for my health and for the two kiddos in the background of this picture. I run for them. Not for time.

We came back to warm showers, naps and Mike cooking up a delicious meal. The day turned out to be beautiful so I had to take advantage with a few pics outside.

Jaime and I have a habit of dressing alike. For a run or for a dinner out you can bet we're matchy-matchy. Love the stripes and polka dots. Love her! (And if any of our Perfect Stranger buddies are reading this, we are sporting the "skarm" in this picture versus the dreaded "farm." We talk about deep stuff on our runs. Or rather, when we take pictures during our runs!)

Dad!!!

Kiddos eating turkey

Feller fam

We headed up to the Fort after a late breakfast to spend the weekend with Mike's dad & step mom. As soon as we arrived we found out that Laura's dad passed away. Grandpa Cliff was 93 years old and led a full life: he was a WWII pilot and Captain, SVP at Linc.oln Life, father of 7, grandfather of 18 and great grandfather to another 18. We loved seeing Grandpa Cliff at the holidays and he simply adored the girls, always telling us how beautiful they were and how blessed we were. He will forever live as a legacy in our house, as Laney has some wickedly crazy hair that we dub "Grandpa Cliff" hair. Too funny. He will be missed!

We were able to spend a few hours with Bob, and the girls helped him decorate his mini tree upstairs in the loft. They both got a kick out of it...

And the silly faces never end

We cut the weekend up north short, for obvious reasons, and were able to get a quick visit in with Mike's mom before we left. Upon our return home I was excited for a little surprise I had in store for Miss Iz. I bought tickets for a local theater's rendition of Annie several months ago and told Izzy we were going to see the M.uppet movie. We got all dressed up (Izzy's favorite part of the day), met up with our neighbors Jill & Sam, and headed out to the theater.

This adorable dress was a hand-me-down from the Tynan family and ever since Izzy saw it over a year ago she's been asking constantly when she could wear it. Was holding out for Christmas service this year, but she begged and pleaded and I just couldn't tell her no one more time. I did talk her out of her dress up beads and into her "wedding" pearls...ha!

Izzy still thought we were at the movies when we got into our seats. She didn't really realize what we were doing until the curtain went up. And oh boy did she giggle and wiggle and dance and sing. She kept on looking at me and telling me it was the best day ever! The first half of the show was an hour and 20 minutes and by that time the kids had already taken 1-2 potty breaks. Jill and I attempted to go back in for the second part..until we heard Izzy say, "I don't want to watch the movie anymore." Done. We booked it out of there and chalked it up to a great attempt.

lf on our Shelf. Coca. Tonight after the girls found Coca I overheard Izzy say, "Please tell Santa I'd like a castle. And that I took a nap today." Followed by a blown kiss. Laney asked me to bring her to Coca to tell him, "We don't hit our friends. I'm sorry." I couldn't help from laughing out loud. I'm one lucky mama to be these girls' parents!

And in the spirit of thanking, I'm thankful for: my devoted and ever-present husband, my silly and loving daughters, my patient and forgiving family, my awesomely amazing girlfriends (old ones, new ones, running ones, best ones), my job that I love and my health. And my foam roller :)

Doctor, Doctor!

2011-11-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

The last week of our lives has been a touch crazy. Started with a bloody nose from me last Sunday evening. Lasted almost 2 hours. After trying everything G.oogle & my favorite Nurse suggested we ended up in the emergency room. At 11pm. Not fun. A little nitric oxide to my nose and we were home by midnight. Great way to start the week.

Then Mike woke Monday with a hunched back (to the left, not forward) and could barely walk without pain. Turns out he should have asked for help moving that mammoth-sized tv in the basement a few weeks ago (what initially tweaked his back). And 3 hours in the yard exacerbated the tweak. Let's just say he saw our coveted chiropractor every day last week. He's no longer walking like an old man, thankfully, and on the mend.

We finished out the week with a little procedure I had been putting off for 10 years; I had all four of my (fully-grown-in-and-plenty-of-room-in-my-mouth) wisdom teeth removed. I was extremely apprehensive, as I've heard horror stories from many friends. But I had zero pain post op. Zero swelling. And lots of milkshakes (eaten from a spoon, not a straw). It's been almost 4 days and my sockets are healing well so far. I'm ready to not eat like a 90 year old again. Mashed potatoes, apple sauce, yogurt, pudding. Gag. Mama wants a burger and fries!!!

As I entered the kitchen Friday night to get fresh ice packs I walked into this scene:

Laney has never been awake when Mike has brewed beer with his buddies. That didn't stop her from jumping in to help filter a very pale ale. She was so proud (think Mike was, too).

Little snug time with daddy before he left for the ND game Saturday morning

I hadn't made any plans for the weekend, as I thought I'd be laid out. Wasn't the case. After spending the entirety of Friday on the couch I was ready to get out and go. And go we did...right to the Chil.dren's Museum. Of course our first stop was the B.arbie exhibit.

Then a little digging for dinosaur fossils

After naps Izzy got out all of her sweets and made a cupcake shop (she loves herself some cupcakes, just ask Nanny Natalie!)

The girls playing a little dress up

Don't let Laney fool you, she is not the one into princesses (she just dresses up because that's what her big sis is doing). Ask her what she wants for xmas and it's "A BABY DOLL!" Of course we have 10 already. So there's that.

And this little princess of course wants all things princess for xmas. As if Disn.ey hasn't already thrown up in our play room.

Here's to a week not at an ER or doctor's office! Gobble gobble!

Lazy weekend & Craft night...

2011-11-13T20:04:00.001-05:00

This weekend we did a lot of jammie time around here. We left the house approximately 3 times: to meet Jaim for a run with the littles, to meet the same fam for dinner, and to grab donuts this morning. Don't be jealous of our exciting life. Sometimes, however, this is just the kind of weekend we need. Lots of snuggling.

Playing around with hair curlers

Jaim and I attempted a long run Saturday morning with our double joggers. We were excited to get our legs moving back on our favorite trail. Even more excited to attempt to involve our kiddos with our passion for running. Let's just say our attempted 10 miles was only 3 miles. However, it was gusting winds over 20 mph so I'm counting it as double. Yeah, I said it. Pushing 50+ pounds into the wind is not easy. I dare you to try it. Double dog dare you. Jaime and I were laughing so hard at times, as I'm not sure we ran even a 1/2 mile without stopping to feed fishy crackers, sippy cups, sunnies, blankets...it just never stopped. We laughed about it almost the whole time. Luke kept on asking if they were "winning." Jaime and I made sure to cheer the kids on at the finish. We won, dude.

Friday it was my turn to host craft night again. We made jute covered door wreaths. Love how they turned out:

Already hung mine and am very happy with it!

Short work week for me as I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed. Been putting this off for 10 years. Think I should have mine out before my kids do. Ugh...

Indianapolis Monument Marathon 2011

2011-11-06T20:19:00.002-05:00

Last year at my first marathon I vowed I would never do another one. Ever. It was painful. My body failed me. And the training was long and grueling (18 weeks). But then a few months had passed and so did the memories of the pain. Kind of like childbirth. You forget how hard it was and want to do it again. February rolled around. Time for Chicago sign-up. I couldn't do it. But wait, maybe I could do it. I talked to my husband for hours about the pros and cons. Pros: it'd give me a great reason to stay in shape. Cons: it'd take a lot of time away from my family. Decision time and on February 13th I signed up for the Indianapolis Mon.umental M.arathon. Told Jaime I did it. She had a similar conversation with her husband. Then she signed up. It was official, we were going to run our second marathons in November.

We started training for the Min.i Marathon in February, ran the Mini in May, continued to train for R.agnar which was in June, then marathon training started in July. We've basically been training for 9 of the last 10 months. Phew. If you've been following my blog, you know that this 2nd marathon of mine was going to be my last. I am just ready to slow down my training. Ready to relax and enjoy sleeping in on Saturday mornings. Snuggling my family instead of bundling up at 5am for a 20 miler. I went into this marathon knowing this was my last.

Jaime picked me up Friday afternoon to head downtown to the marathon expo to pick up our packets and buy last minute necessities for the 26.2 miles. The anticipation and excitement (and nerves) started setting in. Did we carb load enough? Did we train enough? Did we sleep enough? Are we ready?!? Jaim dropped me off at home where I tried to keep my mind off of the race and remain calm. Easier said than done. I was a ball of nerves.

Marathon morning was finally here and it was chilly willy. I ate my typical pre-race bagel and banana, took a shower, and packed gear for all types of weather. Jaime and her sister picked me up and we were off. We shared stories of pre-race nightmares, last minute fears and the game plan for the day. Quickly parked and found our way to the convention center to meet our running group, the Perfect Strangers. We put layers on, took layers off, used the potty, downed salt packets & last minute Gu, slapped on the BioF.reeze, checked our bags and took some final pictures:

I swear by the end of this weekend I felt like I was one of their sisters. Jaime, Amy & Betsy...love these girls!

Summer Perfect Strangers team (minus Meggie, Sarah & Meghan)

It was 15 minutes until the race started so we all made a bee line out the doors and into the cold. Walking to the start we all were laughing and in great spirits. Got into our starting corral and we gave last minute hugs, pace plans, and finally all of our gps watches got the coveted signals. It was time to start...and we were off.

Jaime, Betsy, Meghan and myself stayed together pretty much the entire first 13 miles. Was unbelievable to have friends to run with, as last year's marathon was a solo experience and painfully dreadful (and boring). I love, love, loved that this was a hometown race, as I saw SO MANY friends along the course (both in the race and on the sidelines):

Shortly after the start we saw our BoMF friend James running his first marathon. He had been featured on the news the day before and we joked about how he's become a local celebrity.

Next we saw fellow 12 Tutu/24 Tata R.agnar teammate Karie cheering us on in front of L.ucas Oil Stadium (go Colts).

Mile 1 we ran into our BoMF friend Danielle...she ran with us for a few miles.

Mile 2 we saw Meggie with her awesome Perfect Strangers sign right at the Monument.

Mile 3 we saw my good friend Lori cheering us on.

Soon after we saw Rob (fellow BoMFer) rocking his first half marathon.

Then we met a woman of 54 years old running her 191st marathon (11th this year!). She started running when she was 34 - she and her husband set the world record for the first married couple to run a marathon in each state in one year. Amazing. Truly inspirational.

Around mile 7 we saw Lori again and then Jaime's husband cheering us on.

Miles 8 through 10 were uneventful until we saw Meggie running through the middle of the road cheering us on (and nearly ran over!). My fingers were frozen sold at this point and I commissioned Meg to open a Gu packet for me and complaining how tight my hips were. So. Tight. Which wasn't a good sign so early on in the race. I knew I just had to make it to mile 12 where I knew Mike and the girls were waiting for me.

Mile 12 greeted me with my family. When I got there I gave some kisses to the littles and thanked my friends Lori, Katie & Rick for joining my family for the support.

Mile 13 we were approaching Br.oadripple and I saw 5 sorority sisters that I hadn't seen since college - I gave each of them a hug then kept going.

This next mile I saw the Moosbruggers chilling on their street corner cheering me on.

Around mile 14 is where I knew something was really starting to go wrong. My hips were so tight that I think my gait started to change. My calves started to cramp up so badly that I had to start walking. We ran into Beth from BoMF and her running crew here where I shared my pain with them. Told Jaime and Betsy to keep going, run their own race, I couldn't keep going at the pace we were at. So on they ran. They'd run about a mile then wait for me.

Got to mile 15 where I saw my family again, this time with our neighbors Matt, Jill & Sammy cheering me on as well. Mike gave me a quick calf massage and we were off again.

Miles 16-18 Jaime and Betsy continued to run, wait, run, wait and I was starting to feel guilty about them taking care of me. A medic rode by on his bike and I told him to keep an eye on me. I knew my calf pain was bad enough to be crippling, debilitating. I was worried. But I ran on when he said he'd keep checking back in on me.

Mile 19 was the last time I saw Jaim and Bets. And it was the mile that the medic learned my name instead of just my number. He fed me a mustard packet (he claims it helped with cramping). He could have handed me a bolgna sandwich and told me it would help...I would have taken it! I had tried bananas, Gu, chews, and water...nothing was helping. So I gladly downed his mustard pack. Shortly after this, I remember the one word that kept running through my head: deflated. I simply felt beat. I kept putting my head down and saying to myself I was deflated. And then I remember what my cycling coach in college told us all the time, "Do NOT put your head down! As soon as you put your head down you have given up!" So I kept my head up (thanks, Siri).

Mile 20 and 21 repeat above with medic. At one point he asked if I wanted to be taken away. I seriously contemplated it. Cried with him. Then decided I was going to finish this race even if it meant the sag wagon was going to pick me up after 6 hours on the course. I was going to do this. This was my last marathon. I could do it. (And thanks to Beth's husband Jeff for giving me some much needed pain meds somewhere near the IMA.)

Around mile 22 a man passed me who was also struggling but I could hear his mantra over and over, "I am strong. I am built to last." After listening to this I decided I needed a mantra. I repeated for the entire next mile, "I have two legs. They are strong. I have a beating heart. It is strong. I can do this."

I knew I had to make it to mile 23 where my good friend Karie awaited me to run a few miles together. See, Karie and I grew up together in elementary school. Sleepovers. Birthdays. You get the idea. We went to high school together and parted ways come college time. When the Facebook era came around we reconnected. We saw how close we lived to each other and I started following her blog. Knew she started running marathons and struggled with some similar issues and I just knew it was meant to be that she and I reunited. She ran R.agnar with us and ever since I've just loved having her as a friend. She is so special to me (she sent Jaime and I care packages last week and I wept reading her inspirational messages). So when I spotted from a distance her pink and purple tutu I immediately put my face in my hands and sobbed. It meant so much to me that she met me at such a hard mile. That she put on a tutu to run with me. I still get choked up at how good of a friend she has become and all that she gave me yesterday on that course. I did a lot of swearing. I did a lot of venting. We hugged numerous times. She told me stories...until she said, "Isn't that girl your friend? I read her blog!" I was near delierious at this point and had no idea what she was talking about until I heard a cyclist jump off their bike, letting it crash to the ground, and then realized it was Meggie.

Oh, Meggie. She had G.atorade for me. She had stories of all the other runners in our group for me. She had funny stories. She swore with me. She pumped me up. She ran along side us for 1/2 mile until she hugged me to let me go. I freaking adore her.

Karie ran a little more with me when James (my BoMF running buddy) came up behind us and gave me one last hug. I was so proud to see him finishing his first marathonn so happily. My, how much he has overcome in the last few years. If he could do it, so could I. Karie soon hugged me to let me finish my last mile alone.

Around mile 25 I saw aforementioned sorority sisters screaming "GO KEEL!!!" Gave me enough to keep going.

Then right before mile 26 I saw fellow Perfect Stranger Amy. She jumped in, pepped me up, shook me up (literally) and told me to finish strong.

I rounded the corner. Saw the 26 mile marker. Heard Danielle scream my name and shuffled my weak legs into the finishers' shute.

As soon as I crossed (and turned my watch off to a disappointing time of 4:38) I was wrapped in a foil blanket and greeted by my buddy James. He was smiling. Which made me smile. We embraced and that was all I needed at that moment. His hug told me all I needed to know. I finished.

I walked very slowly to bag check where I was greeted by Jaime and her sisters and our good friend Eric from BoMF (who just finished his first marathon!). Both were smiling and all I could do was smile for a few pictures, give a few hugs, then sit. I was proud of both of them. But I just needed to rest my legs. Called to tell my husband I survived. Then we changed our clothes and headed out to celebrate with our friends.

The next few hours are hazy. Actually, the entire remainder of the day was hazy. I fluctuated between awake and sleeping for several hours. Went to bed at 8:30 and slept for 11 hours. I. Was. Exhausted.

I woke this morning well rested and to a quiet home (thanks to my children who didn't even care about the time change...we all got an extra hour!). I reflected on the previous day and can only sum it up to this: I finished a marathon. And now I can breathe (and limp).

Thank you to Sandi & Katie for your amazing signs!

Mike massaging my calf cramps

Hugging my close friend Jill

Love Chris' sign..."Hot Legs"

So happy to see James!

Mile 15

Happy to see James again at the finish

Finishers: Betsy, me, Eric, Jaime & Amy

Thanking my body for being so strong and not giving up. Thanking all my friends & family for their amazing support. I. Am. Done.

Halloween with a Princess & a Mouse...

2011-11-06T13:25:00.001-05:00

We started Halloween evening off this year at our neighbors' house with some delicious corn chowder. The kids were chomping at the bit to trick or treat so we quickly packed it up and moved it on out to the streets of Cool Creek. Izzy was Cinderella, Laney was Minnie Mouse and Sam was Batman.

As soon as we said the word, the kiddos took off down the street...

This year was a lot of fun, as it was Laney's first time trick or treating independently. She didn't need our help getting from house to house. And she left every single house telling us, "Look how many trick or treats I have in my bucket mommy!" She was thrilled to be out there among the big kids, scoring herself some loot.

Here's how we roll...wagon full of coolers :)

So excited...

Batman!

When we got home both girls immediately dumped their pumpkins and went through their candy sheer excitement. Reminded me of when my sister and I would come home and comb through our treats, sort them, and then trade. I think this innate to all children, right?

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

Where I belong...

2011-11-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Before I started running seriously back in 1999 I didn't even know what the word taper meant. Now as a seasoned veteran of the sport it is a word I use quite often. Sometimes tapering is highly anticipated, "I can't wait to have a long run less than 20 miles!" And sometimes tapering is dreaded, "My body just wants to GO but my training schedule says to rest." or "How can I run 26.2 miles if I'm resting and not putting in miles?!"

I am now on my 18th week of marathon training, with my 2nd marathon just 4 short days away. This is my third week of tapering. And just today I started to panic. See, I've been sick. And I can't seem to fight whatever it is I have. So that's part of my panic. The other part is simply the mind games that tapering gives us runners. Gotta love that. Going to try some visualization tonight. Have to get my mind where it needs to be. Calm. Confident. Secure in the fact that I have trained much harder this year than last and am better prepared. Last year I only ran 20 miles one time. This year I've run 22 once and 20 twice. I'm more than ready.

Remember my taper post last year? I'm super nostalgic about my journey once again. Last year it was about me. Could I do it alone....as I trained alone. This year it's different. This year it's about friendship...as I trained with many girlfriends. And a very best friend. I blogged last year about how she and I both ran our first marathons alone, even though we wanted (and needed) the other by our side. This year the stars aligned (and our husbands reluctantly gave us the go-ahead) and we are going to be running the same marathon this year. Together.

Jaime and I have made a pact to stay together no matter what. Time isn't a goal. We're not trying to qualify for anything. When I expressed my nerves to Jaim this afternoon she said this, "We’ll do it. Promise. We just have to pace ourselves. We are not competing to win. We are competing for a prize for ourselves to show off how strong our bodies are. Whether we run it in 3 hours or 13 hours, we’re still running a marathon. I don’t care who you are, you can’t just go out and take on 26.2 without some serious training." And that, my friends, is the best thing anyone could have said to me in this taper madness I'm knee deep in right now.

I have a ton of other friends running it, too: Bac.k On My Feet buddies, Perfect Stranger buddies, and Ragnar Relay buddies. It's a local race and I'm excited to see familiar faces along the course (I've commissioned every person I know in a 20 mile radius to come out and cheer us on, nudge nudge).

This will most likely be my last marathon for a while. The training takes up a very large chunk of time and I'm realizing I need to shift my energy and focus on my family. My girls will only be 4 and 2 for a short time. My husband has been great; he's put up with me to going to bed at 9pm only to wake at 4:30am to get in a long run, taking the girls to and from school every day, making smoothies for the girls every Saturday morning when I'm out running, the list goes on. I couldn't train for a marathon without his support. However, it's time for me to find better balance.

Trust me, this is not the end of my running. I will still race. All year long. Just not 26.2 miles. Half marathons are still fun and challenging...so maybe I'll just stick with those. Running is a part of me and always will be. It's where I relax, where I sort my thoughts, where I belong.

In the meantime, I'll be focusing on kicking this marathon's butt on Saturday.

Halloween Party for the Bigs

2011-10-30T16:22:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-27T17:56:00.000-05:00

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

2011-10-23T18:46:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-10-18T19:43:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-10-11T06:27:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-10-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

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.

Twenty Miles & Day Drinking...

2011-10-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning Jaime and I met at 5am (which meant for a 4 o'clock-ish wake up time, not fun) to run 20 miles. We had headlamps, gloves (it was 41 degrees), hats/ear warmers, fuel and M.ace. Oh, and our blue crew attire (this week's theme was Colts). All in all, we were ready. Purposefully we saved up many stories from the last few weeks to fill the 3+ hours we'd be running together. We ran in the dark for 2.5 hours of our 3.5 hour run...not the most fun but it's the sacrifice we make in order to keep our long runs in and still have quality family time on the weekends. We run to stay sane and without these runs I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be pretty. Our husbands can attest to that, I'm sure.

One hour into the run and 6 miles later, we picked up Amy along the trail. Still dark. Still cold. But it was refreshing to have a warm body join us for fresh conversation and renewed energy. Amy is running Chicago next weekend and only had 8 tapered miles; she was thrilled to not have to wear a fuel belt for the first time in months! We talked about her excitement to run her first marathon and her taper madness she's going through. We ran three-wide on a dark and empty trail and I loved our chatter and pace.

Thirty minutes and 3 miles later we picked up Christi, Karen and Meghan in Bro.adripple. After a quick McD's pit stop for the potty, water and hand blowers to warm us up we were off. Initially we ran two by two, three deep and once it got light out we ran three wide and I was wishing I had a camera to capture the fall leaves and my good friends doing what I love. The girls then brought up the recent passing of Mono.n Bob...conversation quickly became an homage to him by sharing fond memories. Our tears turned into laughter when we decided the COG we see each week running with his jeans pulled chest high should be groomed to take over where MB left off. No more than 2 miles later we saw the COG and we hollered our hellos. We love him and we want him to know it. Heart. Melts.

We hugged Amy & Christi and then Meghan & Karen goodbye, wishing everyone luck. Then it was back to Jaime and I for the final 2 miles. Alone. Heavy legs. Counting down the quarter miles, then the tenth miles until we reached our finish. I would liken my last mile to a 20-mile-shuffle, barely making forward progress. My mood brightened when Jaime recalled how we used to sprint the last quarter mile or so during half marathon training. I smiled. Then groaned. There was no sprint left in me. I'm truly hoping we have some friends out there that can run with Jaime and I for miles 20-25, when we need support the most. So if there are any takers out there...consider this my begging. We'll buy you a drink at the finish. Because the Perfect Strangers will be doing some serious day drinking after we finish in just 5 short weeks.

Speaking of day drinking...Mike and I left two napping girls with our gracious neighbors so we could partake in a little day drinking at the Rat.hskellar for Ale Yeah. We ran into many friends (including fellow Perfect Stranger runner Meghan who was a generous beer pourer!) and enjoyed several hours of drinking in the sunny beer garden.

Me with BoMFers Beth & Lindsey

This rainbow was in our backyard and I've never seen a more perfect rainbow in my life. The girls got a kick out of it.

Just one more week until Izzy's birthday and a super secret trip with a super bestie. Stay tuned!

Now that's cookin'...

2011-09-30T10:25:00.000-05:00

I have gone back to previous posts in the past to edit misspelling (I spelled this word incorrectly the first time, good old spell check saved me again!) or grammar and will more than likely do it again. However. This time my mistake warrants a full posting. You see, I write my family's blog. And my listening skills are lackluster. So when I'm trying to update about something I heard...it may get mixed up. And boy did it ever get mixed incorrectly.

Last week I posted that Mike ran a 5k in 27 minutes. Then said he was cookin'. Um, pretty sure 9 minute miles is not cooking and you guys thought, "Wow, your husband is slow!" I have to correct myself.

My husband, yes he ran in a 5k...but he finished in 21 minutes (that's just shy of a 7 minute mile). Now that's cookin'!

Sorry, babe. But I'm still proud of you!

(The pic above is from the 2005 Ch.icago Marathon that Mike finished in 3:55. I figure if I'm tooting his horn I better go all out.)

Leotards and Lazin' Around...

2011-09-25T14:22:00.003-05:00

This week in my running schedule was a step-back week. Last week I ran a total of 44 miles and this week I only ran 28...and my body felt it. My Saturday morning long run was just 12, a far cry from last week's 22 miles.

I woke up ready to rock those 12 miles, excited to join my girlfriends on our themed run: the 80's. I don't own any neon, but I do own a leotard. If any of you remember my Jane Fonda Halloween 2010 you'll know why I try to find any excuse to wear this...I turn into Jane once the leo is on! I channel my mom doing the Jane Fonda workout on vinyl when I was a kid. Pretty awesome.

Where was I? Oh, I sported the leo over my running capris and top, wore a braided head band and matching wrist sweat bands. I thought I looked great. Until I got to the parking lot to meet a few gals and didn't want to get out of my car unless I saw them. That should have been my first clue that I over did it. I then saw Amy pull in and quickly got out of my car and ran to hers. She, too, sported a side pony and an awesome head band. We waited (what seemed like forever) for the gals running from Broa.dripple to make it to our mile marker. When we finally noticed the neon gang heading our way we jumped into the center of the trail and started cheering and doing our best get-in-shape-girl moves (you know you're a child of the 80's when you tromped around your house as a kid with those sweatbands while waving your rhythmic ribbon!). We took lots of pictures, including this one with our jazz hands (and a fan we found doing jazz hands):

We all laughed at how ridiculous we looked yet how fun it was to have something to sidetrack our thoughts while running. Most of these gals are running Chicago in 2 weeks and are smack dab in the middle of tapering. My step-back week coincided with their mileage and so did my aching, awful run. Their tapering explains their ickiness. I had no excuse, which was frustrating especially after last week's amazing 22 miler.

Anyway, as the morning got brighter and brighter with the sun rising...so, too, did our looks and reactions from fellow trail runners. Some laughed, some gave dirty looks and some just smiled. At first it was funny...until we noticed a HOT guy running our way. I started to become slightly embarrassed of said leotard over my clothes. He smiled at me, which was nice. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I'm cute and more because I donned a side pony and blue eye shadow. Oh yeah, and a leotard on. Let's just say I started running behind the girls to get some coverage. I was never happier a run was over...partially because I had a lackluster run and mostly because I couldn't wait to get that sweaty leo off. Was definitely a run I won't forget anytime soon.

It's been pretty dreary here all weekend, Fall is so here. We spent a lot of time watching movies and playing in the yard:

The girls playing the "popcorn" game on Sammy's trampoline:

Spent the morning at the indoor pool. We had it to ourselves, which was great. But that also meant that the lifeguard had nothing to look at but us. And my top that Laney pulled down. That was fun.

It's candy corn and peanut time in our house. Which is basically the reason I spend so much money at the dentist each winter. It's so darn addicting, you should try it. Tastes like a Pa.yday candy bar.

Laney has been going potty on the big girl potty for a few weeks. That girl will do anything for an M&M. And her big sister's praise, "Laney, I'm so proud of you!"

Now that it's staying dark in the mornings longer the girls have started sleeping in later. I slept in until 7am this morning and I felt like it was noon! Hoping this lasts for a long, long time.

And finally, Mike ran in Indy's Cor.porate Challenge yesterday and his 5K time was 27:05. Um, that's less than a 7 minute split. Incredible!

Twenty two, a Birthday & Funsters in Cincy

2011-09-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

Like most of my weekends, this one started with a long run with my girls (dubbed Perfect Strangers, or Pi Sigma on the Mon.on). This weekend was twenty miles...which equates into many hours running side by side. We have many stories, inside jokes and fun memories after spending so much time together and I couldn't imagine a long run without these women. To add a little fun to our runs we have started theming our runs (last week was American flags and this week was Survivor). You can read all about our run (details only fellow runners can appreciate) here.

I initially set out to do twenty miles but I ended up feeling so good that I ran two extra. Not for my body, but for my mind. The marathon is about 75% mind and 25% body, in my opinion. Mile 19 I felt so good that I wanted to open it up and sprint the last mile (I had no takers to join me). Instead, I decided to stick with Bri & Karen for 2 extra miles. As a runner, there are so many factors that go into having a good run: fuel, bowels, aching body parts, blisters, I could go on. Yesterday the science experiment I call running was spot on. I was feeling the ultimate runner's high. If I feel that good at mile 20 come race day I will be one happy mama.

Dressed in black with camo headbands. We were proud. And excited to start our adventure. We did learn the Mo.non goes all the way up to Hwy 32. That's darn near Michigan. Just sayin'. Where the trail turns into gravel. And twists and turns. Who knew?

Came home to quickly get ready and head across the street for a 4th birthday party...

...for this little guy:

The pony rides were a big hit

And so was the face painting

After blowing out candles and devouring cupcakes, we packed the car and took off for Cincy. For a Funster weekend. With kids. Brandi & Brian were gracious enough to open up their home to all of us and we took over their house from the get-go. Here the kiddos were watching a movie:

If any of you have spent time with Laney Bug you know she adores her baby dolls. There were two babies (Ava & Neve) and Laney couldn't keep her hands and eyes off of them. She wanted to hold them, feed them, cover them with her lovies...oh it was precious.

After the kiddos went to sleep we enjoyed a delicious meal, lots of beverages and some seriously deep conversations with good friends. We decided it was the perfect Funster culmination, as we didn't have to hire babysitters or keep a sober driver. It was so much fun and we should definitely make a family overnight an annual Funster event.

Of course with all of us together it just wouldn't be complete without some crazy stories (which are now piling up and more laughable each time we recount them). Looking forward to our next event to keep building fun memories.

Backyard Again, Perfect Strangers and a new Toy Store in Town...

2011-09-11T17:23:00.000-05:00

The weather has changed here in the last week. Weather in the 50's and 60's. Abnormal for this time of year in Indiana, but a welcome reprieve from the 100 degree temps of late. With the change in season has come a change in outdoor activities; no more pool time yet more backyard play time. We've found ourselves on the playset or across the street bouncing almost every night. And the girls love it.

We have a tree swing that the bigs are only now strong enough to swing on

Saturday I rose early to meet a group of four women (we dub ourselves the Perfect Strangers) to run 18 miles. We dedicated our run in remembrance of 9/11 and wore flags on our chests (and in our pony tails):

I believe there are a total of about 10 of us in our running group and this particular morning 6 of us ran. We are all training for either the Chicago Marath.on or the Mon.umental Marathon here in Indy. It's the tail end of training for the Chicagoans and the mid-way point for us Monumentalists. Yet somehow our training plans have started to collide and we're at the same mileage. Next week every single one of us will be running 20 miles. Together. And I never believe I'd utter these words about running 20 miles, but I cannot wait. I'm serious, if you are thinking about training for a marathon, you MUST join a running group or club (if you are a woman, we'd love to have you join us!). Makes the miles so much easier and tolerable. We share some pretty intimate stories and also share in our aches and pains. I've grown to lean on and love these women more than I could imagine.

After a quick shower Mike and I packed the girls up to head on over to a new Toy Store in town called My Toy Garden that one of his clients has been working hard to open. We ran into several friends and even met some new ones in the beautifully creative store. We spent over an hour playing, exploring and watching magic...

Can you guess what kind of magic we witnessed?

This man arrived and wooed every little (and big) kid in the store with his balloon magic

Izzy asked for a flower

Mike and Jason have continued to brew their own beer all summer long. Their current batches include a Phat Tire and an Octo.berfest. Both are delicious (and potent!). However, now they've upped the ante to creating whiskey. Yikes. They scored a large bag of corn from a friend up north and it's been sitting in a burlap bag inside of a plastic tub for several weeks. Stinky. The stink meant it was time to shed the corn kernels of their newly sprouted roots and add yeast to create a "sour mash." Sour indeed. While the boys were elbow-deep in said mash, the kiddos played outside. Only coming in for snacks. Here are Ben, Iz and Elaina:

Unfortunately our Col.ts lost today. But fortunately for me, game time meant Mike and Iz went to Jason's house for 3 hours while Laney napped and mommy read. Perfect, relaxing Sunday! As I write the temps are back into the 70's and beautiful. Guess all that closet-switch-out work I did last week was fruitless. Need to find all those stowed away shorts and tees. Whoops!

Labor Day Staycation

2011-09-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

We had four long, glorious days off for Labor Day weekend and instead of taking off we stayed home. Staycation. It's the new thing. Well maybe not, but it was exactly what we needed. Nothing monumental to report, just flying by the seat of our pants. We started the weekend with a Friday morning pool trip:

After naps we ran across the street for swinging on Sammy's playset. Sammy loves our set and the girls love his set...so it works out well. Plus, Sammy's trampoline was just resurrected and that equals some serious bouncing!

When the kids get tuckered out they head inside to watch music videos (Sam prefers Bi.eber and the girls prefer dance tunes such as Kesha). They are enthralled. Whereas Jill says a little piece of her dies inside each time she hears "Baby, Baby, Baby" (of which Sam knows every single word).

Then of course it's time for more swinging

We also tested the waters back at gymnastics. Because, you see, three year olds are entitled to change their minds. No more ballet. Good thing I bought those ballet shoes, tapping shoes, leotard/tights, tutu and recital costume. Maybe Laney will want to dance? Doubtful. She'll be the one in soccer, our rough-and-tumble she is.

In her favor, Izzy is quite good at beam and has a knack for the bars. She must get her upper body strength from me. Ha!

This was the final weekend the outdoor pool was open for the summer, so we just had to take advantage. Saturday the temps were near 100 degrees and we cooled off by playing with buddies:

These are a few of Izzy's friends from school and they thought it was so neat that they were all playing in the water together and not in their classroom. I swear, all of Izzy's closest friends are boys! She wants a princess party for her birthday and I'm afraid that might not happen with the only people she wants to invite are boys. Still brainstorming on that one...

Sunday arrived with much cooler temps, too cold to brave the pool. Off to the Chi.ldren's Mus.eum we went. The girls had been countless times with Nanny Natalie over the summer but Mikey and I hadn't been there in a long time. Of course we spent the majority of our time at the B.arbie exhibit:

Laney loved the dress-up and the beauty station

She also got a kick out of me taking a picture of her taking a picture

Daddy and the girls on the carousel. Can you feel Mike's excitement? He actually hopped on his own horse and joined the girls. Too cute.

Our staycation also consisted of Katie & Rick joining us for dinner. This is the cheesiest photo, but I had to get a picture of the dessert they brought; frozen sorbet in half shelled fruit (orange, coconut, pineapple & lemon). We opened one of every flavor up and just devoured them. Yum!

I changed out the girls' wardrobes from summer to winter. This is probably my least favorite household chore. But the one thing that I love about it is I get to see clothes Iz once wore and now Laney gets to wear. LOVE having two girls. This is how Laney helped me with the clothing organization...Laney in her big girl bed, can you find her?

One of the days during nap time I finished a long overdue craft for Buggy's room:

Remember the butterfly Lori made for Izzy's big girl room (a PBK knock-off)? Well I loved it so much I had to make one for Lane's room. Lori helped me get the shaping of the bird and then I took off with the gluing. I absolutely adore how it turned out. It's 24x24 and is over her dresser.

Hope you had a relaxing holiday weekend, too!

Izzy the Explorer...

2011-08-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

As the days of summer are rapidly diminishing (I know there are many more 90 degree days in our near future, but it's dark out when I leave the house in the morning...that's the tell tale sign it's coming to a close), we're trying to take advantage of the outdoors as much as possible. Izzy asked if we could go on a "boardwalk" tonight and I had my shoes on faster than you could shake a princess wand. We loaded the girls into the jogger and off we went. Only this time, we ventured off the boardwalk...

...and down into Cool Creek! We always walk over it but today I felt adventurous (and so did Mike with the jogger!). Today we went off the beaten path. And boy did we ever strike gold!

The water wasn't deep but it was quite cool (pun intended). Izzy and I trekked up and down the rocky creek's bed and explored. Izzy splashed, jumped and even fell...and we loved every minute of it.

The bridge behind Izzy is Main Street and it's just gorgeous down there. Who knew we lived so close to such a beautiful creek? I'm pretty sure we'll be visiting this a lot in the future.

In case you were wondering, Bug did not care for the cold waters. Instead, daddy Mike carried her along the edge of the creek alongside Izzy and I playing. I realize it's not the best picture, but it tells the story just fine.

Thinking next time we'll wear our Ke.ens instead of the C.rocs to gain more traction on all those rocks.

We'll be back down there for more. And soon. We have lots more adventures to seek in that creek!

Happy 2nd Birthday Delaney!

2011-08-30T06:58:00.001-05:00

Laney Bug turned 2 last Saturday and she is ALL two. Fits. Hitting. Biting. But boy oh boy is she a snuggler! She'll tear you up but she will melt your heart. And she can hold her own when it comes to her big sister. Laney can tackle like a linebacker and giggle the entire time. Mike says one day she'll be the one sticking up for her big sister at school instead of the other way around. We have always said that Izzy is our delicate flower, whereas Laney is our rough-and-tumble. And how lucky that she is ours!

Thanks to our neighbors for letting us celebrate Bug with a cake, candles and a birthday song.

Dress-up is still the #1 activity to do in our house. If ever you should swing in, don't be surprised to see Mike or myself in costume. It's par for the course with 2 girls. And it's always, "Mommy help me with this Minnie dress," or "Mommy help me with these long gloves," or "Mommy can I have make-up for this costume?" It's never ending and a constant form of entertainment.

Izzy kept calling Laney on her birthday "Birthday Girl" all day long. It was so endearing.

Cousin Steve drove down for a day/night to go to the Co.lts / P.ackers game with Mike. Can you tell the girls adore him? He's the closest thing to an uncle they have...so even though he's Cousin Steve, we call him Uncle Steve. And have you seen him with kids? Melts. Your. Heart.

The girls sported their new tutu dresses from Roo...they loved them and are so cute!

With summer coming to an end, we've been trying to spend as much time as possible at the pool. Spent Friday and Sunday there and both girls are getting more brave in the water as the months pass.

Daddy Mike is always under the water, being pulled through the water or tossing the girls...it goes on and on. Daddy is fun in the pool!

This little almost 4 year old (let's call her Cheeks here) is jumping into the pool unassisted and going under water (without swallowing any water!). She asked if she could swim the entire length of the pool (it's a 50 meter lap pool) by herself. Um, ok sister. I recorded this 2 minute display of independence, as it was quite an accomplishment for her. As soon as she got to the other side I asked her if she wanted to take the floaties off. She said SURE! She and Mike practiced swimming without the floaties for a while and she was so excited. It truly was a monumental moment for her and I can't wait to see her continued progress. She's growing up so fast!

Bobo & Grandma came down on Sunday for a few hours to celebrate Buggy's birthday. And of course Bobo's truck couldn't sit in our driveway without the Littles climbing in for an adventure:

Last week was a busy concert week, as I saw Britney Spears with my girlfriends (judge away, I've been a fan since seeing her on the cover of Rolling Sto.ne magazine in 1998). She lip synced all but one song and her dancing was lackluster. But it was Brit Brit. Live. Ok, previously recorded, whatever. Enough said.

Mike and I also went to see Jimmy Buffett with some friends. I hadn't been in 3 years so my Fin to the Left was a little rusty, but I managed to dance the night away like I hadn't missed a year. So much fun. But I need a rester from concerts for a while, that's for sure!

Kim's Graduation 2011

2011-08-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we packed up and headed to Chicago to celebrate my sister's graduation with her Bachelor's degree. Kim has been working full time, raising two kids full time and going to school for the past 6+ years. Needless to say, this was quite the accomplishment for Kim and we are all so proud of her!

Mom flew in from Lake Tahoe and Aunt Gail & Uncle Thomas from Austin

Kim's boyfriend, Carlos, hosted a party and 50 of Kim's friends and family celebrated on a beautiful day. Catered by one of my faves, Ro.satti's and Carlos even had a legit bartender set up at his house. Was a very special day and so much fun!

Kim & Carlos

Sisters

Bottoms up!

Do you think Izzalicious likes cake?

Mom and Bug snuggling

Kim was all about the shots...she was in rare form!

Mikey and I

Dad & Anna

As the evening wound down, Mike and I tucked the girls into bed at Carlos' house and we took off to visit with my high school girls, Jen & Mary. We had the most fun, per our usual shenanigans. I'm pretty sure we have enough stories from this night to last us a LONG time. There are also some pretty incriminating photos from the evening as well...so it's pretty safe to say none of us will ever be able to run for office. Enough said. We always have a good time together and I'm so fortunate to have these girls in my life.

Sunday morning we met for breakfast to celebrate Laney Bug's 2nd birthday and then we all headed home

Congratulations, Kim, we're so proud of all you have accomplished and are proud to call you family!

Saying Goodbye to our Summer Girl...

2011-08-21T20:09:00.002-05:00

A good friend of mine (Court from the Mpls) grew up with what she called "Summer Girls" nannying for her. Her parents lined up said summer girl to take care of her and explore and seek new adventures. She became very close with her summer girl over the years and is still friends with her to this day. In fact, they are the best of friends. This is how I envision my girls growing up with their Summer Girl, Nanny Natalie (as they call her, Natty).

When my VP at work referred me to her friends' daughter as a summer nanny I called her within minutes of receiving her phone number. I heard this young lady was responsible, hard working and fun loving. I was able to meet and interview Natalie this past Spring and knew she immediately had the qualities we were looking for in a nanny; adventurous, enthusiastic (she was a cheerleader, girl after my own heart) and extremely responsible. I hired her within days. And then we waited for the summer to roll around.

The girls left school and began their summer with Natty. As the days and weeks went on, the activities and explorations were new and fun and the threesome we left at home each day fell into an amazing summer routine. Pools, parks, museum, zoo, fairs, feeding ducks, tie dying, the list goes on and on. Early on Natalie introduced the girls to her parents and the girls would rave about how much they loved Natty's mom and dad (Granny Panties and Mr. Dave respectfully). I was more than thrilled that Natalie had parents that loved my girls and welcomed them into their lives (office visits, lunch dates, garage saling, playing with Natty's childhood toys at their house). Felt like the girls had a new set of grandparents to love on them.

Over the course of the summer we could see new "Natty-isms" in our girls; they learned how to say "IU" with the coordinating arm movements, whenever they smell a dirty diaper they now say "PU Purdue!", they have many new facial expressions including the "attitude" face and they also can sing almost every song on the pop / top 40 radio stations. The three girls spent so much time together and fell so much in love that it seemed as if Natalie had been a part of our lives for much longer than 3 months. And we knew saying goodbye to her would be difficult.

Attitude face (this is now as popular in our house as the excited face used to be):

Another lunch date with Granny Panties (Miss Kay) & Mr. Dave. Love.

Picking blueberries

Natalie's last week went out with a bang: a huge trip to the Fair with her mom, the girls' first manicure among all their normal shenanigans. Natty's last day she shared with us a 30 minute video of the 400-ish photos and many home videos she captured over the summer. I was laughing and crying...and so was Natalie. The video meant so much to me...and was so touching that she took the time every day to capture their moments. And then to turn those moments into an amazing montage for Mike and I to watch (and the girls to relive). The goodbye was bittersweet; we had an amazing time with her all summer but we know we'll see her again. Real soon. We plan to visit Natalie down at IU and we know she'll be back often to visit her parents. The goodbye was just a "see you later" in my opinion. We will miss her dearly, but the girls are excited to get back to their buddies at school and this is a big year for Natalie at school too (she turns 21 this year!!!). Good times ahead.

Thank you, Natalie, for a summer better than we all could have imagined. Thank you for loving our girls and welcoming them into your own family. You far surpassed our expectations and we were so fortunate to have found you! Best of luck at IU and we'll see you sooooon! xoxo

Summer Vacation 2011...

2011-08-13T21:06:00.000-05:00

My summer vacation started last weekend...with a Saturday morning long run with 6 other women. Last summer when I was marathon training I was running with Meggie. Just she and I at 6am alone on the Monon week after week. Pushing each other. This summer, we have gathered a group of women that run together each Saturday morning training for different marathons. Our duo turned into a group. How cool is that?! I have found all these amazing women that start planning for their weekend long runs on Monday. Talk about ladies after my own heart. Yes. Please. Here we are bright and early:

Once I got home from the run we packed the car up and headed north for Lake Tippy for 7 glorious, relaxing nights. And I did not pack a blow dryer. Now that's a vacation!

We hadn't taken a vacation since Florida Spring Break and we were more than ready to get away to the lake. We had several families that were going to come stay with us, but all-in-all we had 3 nights alone and 4 nights with guests. Was the perfect mix to our vacation.

The cottage we rent belongs to our dear friends the Tynans and they were more than generous throughout our stay at the lake. We entered the cottage to find my all time favorite lake treat: bagels, cream cheese, homemade pesto and fresh tomatoes. Oh my, does Nancy know me or what?! They also let us borrow a ton of toys for the girls to play with, a pack-n-play, their tube and their boat. Their boat. How generous are they? To know them is to love them, that's for sure.

Our first guests were Mike's mom Cathy and Larry. The girls did some serious swimming with them:

After his parents left, several of our friends showed up:

The Morses and the Fechtmans arrived on Sunday afternoon and we didn't waste any time...bathing suits were on before bags were put into rooms. We know better than to mess around at the lake. When the sun is up - we are outside, on the water. Boat rides, swimming, jet skiing and tubing were in our imminent future.

You could tell Sandi is an amazing stay at home mom (who works the night shift as a nurse!), as she whipped out crafts every time we turned around. If it wasn't making a tree imprint with crayons, it was painting or making jewelry. Talk about keeping the kids occupied!

And it isn't lake living if you don't bathe in the lake...

Matt & Jill (Matt grew up in California, on the coast, surfing. Lake living was out of his vocabulary but I'm pretty sure we've turned him on to it.)

Tubing!!!

Sunday night was a riot: listening to the big kids in the dorm room of 4 twin beds trying to fall asleep. Again, this is a rite of passage of lake life...sharing a room with a bunch of your best buddies singing, talking, laughing. It was so much fun to listen to. We adults stayed up late chatting and by midnight the boys were on a boat ride that lasted late into the night. Good times with great friends. And making memories along the way. Wouldn' have it any other way.

There was a watermelon eating contest (Ben won)

Water balloons...

Everyone left on Tuesday, which left a few days to ourselves before more guests arrived. Fortunately, the weather turned and the humidity left us (which made for some very cool & comfortable runs in the country for me). We turned the a/c off and opened all the windows. Decided the mornings were too cold to swim so we set off for Shi.pshewana's notorious flea market. Land of the Amish. Yet everything sold there is made in China. Go figure. The girls loved the new environment and adventure:

We bought a rainbow of nail polishes for Izzy, jibbits for their crocs, a princess ring for Mizz Iz and some fresh produce.

And then some more swimming and boat time

The view from our deck

Thursday we were invited to go turtle hunting with Big Joe & Aunt Nance...

Mike caught a little turtle whom we named Yertle the Turtle and one large-ish turtle whom Iz called Yertle's mommy.

Nance & Big Joe have been turtle hunting for years. Years. And tradition is we catch them, take them home for a night or two, leave them in a cooler/bucket over night with a rock to rest on and leaf to nibble on, then we return them to where we found them to go back to their homes (so they don't have to come home with us!). Simple, right? Well, we woke up the next morning and discovered Yertle wasn't in the cooler. Or anywhere on the deck. Seems as if an animal must have taken him as a snack during night. We told the girls Yertle went home to be with his parents, that he missed them. Izzy cried. I cried. Then I immediately called Nancy. She laughed. Then realized there were kids involved and said, "Oh dear! This has never happened to us, ever!" So we had that to deal with. RIP Yertle.

Mike's dad and Laura arrived on Thursday just in time for dinner and an evening boat ride...

Bob brought his fishing gear and he, Mike and Iz fished for a while on Friday morning. Izzy actually is very good at casting off...she has quite the natural arm!

Morning boat ride snuggle

We swam at least twice a day, which allowed plenty of time for Izzy and Mike to learn new circus tricks:

Do some serious Izzy tossing...

And relaxing during naptime. This was my FAVORITE time of vacation, as I would grab my book and the monitor to spend 2-3 hours in the sun!

This might be one of my favorite pics...Izzy is always asking to take pictures and this is one of her shots:

By the end of the week Izzy became brave enough to jump into the lake without any help. And would submerge herself under the water. Big time. She's kind of a big kid now.

And she's proud. We are, too!

Self timer at its best:

We had an amazingly relaxing and fun vacation. Thanks to the Tynans for their generosity and our friends and family that were able to join us to compound our enjoyment!

Package...

2011-08-05T16:34:00.000-05:00

I received a package in the mail today. I saw it was from a company I just ordered a wedding gift from so I didn't open it right away. As I was moving the box I realized it was much heavier than I thought...my curiousity got the best of me so I opened it. And my heart was torn from my chest when I saw this:

A memorial stone for the Bax and the sweetest message that opened the flood gates once again:

I know in my heart that Baxter had an amazing 2 years with his adoptive family...and that he was loved more than even I could love him. Their thinking of me while going through their own grief has blown me away. I seriously couldn't have asked for a happier ending to his life.

Remembering how I dressed him up every year for the Bulldog Beauty contest at B.utler

And how he let Izzy climb all over him

And his love for swimming. Bet you'll never meet another bulldog that can run several miles then get into water and swim all day. He was one special dog and he brought more joy to me than I ever thought a pet could give. Love you, bub....lots of people loved you, you were one special bully!

R.I.P. Baxter...

2011-08-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

For those of you that knew Baxter (and even if you didn't I suppose) this email will be a tear jerker & is quite long. Consider yourselves warned, especially if you're a dog lover.

See, I never was a dog person. Ever. It was always cats that I owned. Until Baxter. It wasn't my idea to get a dog. But I went with it. It was a very lonely time in my life and I was grasping for anything to rescue me. And Baxter was it.

When I was most sad and lonely in my adult life, Baxter entered my life. We played together, slept together, ran miles together and even cried together. Believe it or not, he was my rock during some dark hours. Let's just say Baxter was the only thing I wanted from my failed relationship. The other guy kept the couches. I kept the dog. He was all I wanted (the dog that is, not the guy).

So we started our new life together and almost immediately Mikey and Katie dog entered the picture. Baxter now had to share me. But I still loved on him. We still walked, played, cuddled. Fast forward through years of infertility and we now have a toddler that climbed all over Bax and a baby on the way. Our house was quickly becoming crowded and Baxter's needs were becoming greater than what we could provide him. The day finally came to find him a new home. You may remember this sad day.

I asked for no correspondence. I didn't want to know if his new family wasn't working out. Or worse, if they fell in love with him. My heart simply couldn't take any news, good or bad. I received one email a week after Bax left saying he was living the dream: long walks, lots of snuggling and tugging and so much love. That was all I needed.

Over the years I have often wondered how he was doing and if he was still alive (Bullies don't have a long life span and he was born in 2001). Friends and family have inquired about him. But I had no answers...only hoping he was happy and loved.

I found out today that he was exactly that. Here is the email I received from his adopted family:

"With an extremely heavy heart, I wanted to let you know that Baxter passed away very peacefully yesterday evening. I thought you would want to know.

Last week, Baxter started to develop a very runny nose and it seemed as though he had something upper respiratory going on. He also developed a knot on his forehead above his left eye. I took him to the vet on Thursday and it wasn't good news. The knot was a tumor in his skull that was also going into his sinuses, hence the congestion. We talked about our options, and with Baxter's age, we thought that pain management would be the best route. We left the vet with various medicines to keep him comfortable and pain free, thinking that we would have 2 weeks to 2 months of time to give him the happiest time possible.

By Saturday, Brandon and I knew that we didn't have that much time left with him. Baxter began to have a red tint to his runny nose from the tumor invading the sinuses, his breathing became more labored, and you could tell that he was ready to go. That Baxter spark was gone and he was spending a great deal of time trying to console me rather than the other way around. The last thing we wanted was to let him suffer because of our own selfish needs and our not wanting to let him go when he was so ready.

On Monday evening, the vet graciously came to our home and helped us to let him go. Know that it was very peaceful and quick. He stretched out on his bed with his head in my hands. We told him how much we loved him and what a good boy he was and he then he fell asleep very quickly. The doctor said that as quickly as he let go, that he was more than ready and that he probably would have gone on his own in a matter of days.

I want you to know that Baxter's last few days were very happy and very comfortable. He wasn't alone, ever, and enjoyed constant belly rubs and ear scratches. We slept with him in our bed every night. I switched him to a soft food immediately so chewing wouldn't be painful for him. He absolutely loved the soft food. Popcorn was his favorite bedtime snack so we enjoyed a lot of that together. Baxter and I went for a long car ride on Sunday - he loved car rides in the front seat where he could watch all of the cars. On Monday, I made a steak for him for his last dinner and that made him very happy.

We buried Baxter in our backyard where his favorite place to nap in the sun is with his bed, blanky, and of course, his woobie. I want you to know that he was so greatly loved here and ridiculously spoiled. Even though we only had a few years with him, we will miss him so much. It seems as though he had always been a part of our family and there is a huge hole in his spot."

I read the email over and over again through streaming tears. My cup runneth over with the evident love he was given over the years and in his final hours. How fortunate Baxter was to be so loved, so spoiled, so happy. I'm forever grateful for this family that has opened their home and their heart to a dog that meant so much to me. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Maybe all these tears mean I'm a dog lover after all.

Never Grow Up...

2011-07-31T15:02:00.000-05:00

The summer is going by so quickly. Too quickly. We are spending many hours outside but recluse back into the air conditioning when it gets too much to bear. I've been waking before 5am several times a week to beat this heat and get my runs in before the sun rises. But even those mornings I come home drenched, wringing out my clothes. Ran with Meggie and 5 others yesterday and you can read about our long run here.

Another reason I run so early in the morning is I want to be able to spend every waking moment with my girls. I know this time in their lives will go by quickly, so I make it a point to be ever-so-present in their lives when I'm home (part of that is the working mom's guilt in me). I realize some may think this is overbearing, but it's how I choose to live my life. I want to remember having tea parties and tickle fights and dance parties. Always.

Our nanny's time with us is quickly coming to an end and boy, will we ever miss her. She made a cd for us of songs she and the girls have been listening to all summer. I popped it in the car the other night and the girls were bouncing in their car seats, singing every song, making Mike and I laugh hysterically. Mike even commented, "This is a sign the girls need to go back to school!" Are they learning much this summer? Not unless you call knowing the words to songs by Ke$.ha and LMFAO (ps-Mike didn't know what that stood for, and if you don't...that's totally fine imo). The girls have been experiencing so much that they wouldn't normally get do: museum, zoo, county fairs, outdoor concerts, library, splash parks, pool, Monkey J.oe's, berry picking...I could go on. But like I said, not so much learning, but experiencing. Love that our nanny has been so creative and adventurous. Izzy & Laney have many years to learn, right?

Back to the cd that the nanny made; she warned me of the very last song on the disc, that it always makes her mom cry, and that I might too. As soon as I heard it tears were in my eyes. I have listened to it many times before but only this time did I sob. This time I heard my almost four year old singing the words. And oh, did my heart melt.

If you aren't familiar with Ta.ylor S.wift, get onto itunes and listen to this one stat. It won't disappoint (she also has a few others that are similar and really hit home). Here are just a few lines from "Never Grow Up":

"Your little hands wrapped around my finger

And it's so quiet in the world tonight

Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming

So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funny

You got nothing to regret

I'd give all I have, honey

If you could stay like that

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

Just stay this little

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

It could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you

Won't let no one break your heart

No, no one will desert you

Just try to never grow up, never grow up"

To hear this song being sung by Iz...my heartstrings were tugged so strong, it felt like my heart was beating outside of my chest. Let's just say I hugged the girls tighter and read them 4 books (instead of the usual 2) that night in bed. Snuggled them a little extra and gave more smooches than they wanted.

We still have a good 3 weeks with the nanny until our summer is officially over and you better believe we're soaking it all up. And still hoping they never grow up :) A mom can dream, right? In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Laney in the backyard...

Here's to time slowing down...and living in the moment with my girls.

Tippy with the Tynans 2011

2011-07-24T21:02:00.001-05:00

Three day weekend. Yes, please. Mikey and I took the train into Chicago on Friday morning to catch a Cu.b's game. We literally took a car, a train and a subway to get to Wri.gley. But it was oh, so worth it. Rained a bit as soon as our train got into the city and we had to run through some torrential downpour...however, this rain cooled off the day for us and the sun came out for the perfect day for a baseball game. We very well may make an annual tradition out of this!

Saturday morning after a sticky long run, we headed over to Lake Ti.ppy to see the Tynans who were in from Omaha. Love, love, love spending time with this entire family and we adore how they open their home to us and allow us to share in their family time.

Izzy took her very first jet ski ride with daddy and she was screaming with excitement the entire time. Let's just say she loved it!

Mike helped Luke try to get up on skis (behind the jet ski)...Luke got up a few times for bit. Was fun to watch his progress.

Gracie & Laney playing in the sand

SAM!!!! So cute.

Warms my heart to see my friends love on my girls

Bridge took the kids out on the tube...

...and check out Izzy's face! We actually had to stop the boat at one point because we thought she was screaming in fear. Nope. She was screaming that she "loved it so much!" Hilarious.

Iz, Mags, Grace, Lane, Luke

Luke learned how to take Lickety Split (the fishing boat) out this summer and took anyone that was game out for a ride. This night he took his mom and I out for a sunset cruise. Such a rite of passage for him; he's growing up so much!

Bridget and I made a summer tomato and basil pasta salad while the boys made a delicious pork loin on the grill. The girls tried their very first corn on the cob from Sweet Corn Charlie's (local farmer) and loved it!

Izzy was so excited about sleeping with the big kids in the bunk room. After baths we got all the bigs situated and set up in their trundels and bunks...and I'm pretty sure they were up there giggling until 11ish. Don't judge. It, too, is a rite of passage. Like sleep away camp. Bunking with other kids and staying up late laughing (and maybe someone fell out of bed) is all part of lake time.

All 4 girls ended up having the same jammies and Gracie and Izzy even have the exact same monkies (their lovies). So stinkin'!

Sunday morning we boated over to church on the lake. I've been going to Tippy with the Tynans since summer of 2002 and have always abstained from going with them (prefered to sleep in). This year we joined the entire family for a little worship on the lake. The girls enjoyed dancing to the music and Bug enjoyed driving there:

After church we boated our way down to Uncle Pat's house for some waffles and then got suited up for more swimming

Iz and Gracie...two peas in a pod!

Bridget had the novel idea to have a watermelon eating contest and it was a huge hit. HUGE. Hands behind your back and all...

Luke won!

Grace shared the iP.ad with Iz...a little Dora while they waited for lunch

Our visit was far too short, but we will always take what we can get with the Tynans. Love their parenting style, love their families, love their marriage, and most importantly I love our friendship. Wish we lived closer...but now that the Hu.skers are in the Bi.g 10 conference...we just may have to make some trips back and forth! Love you guys!

Backyard Fun & Craft Night...

2011-07-17T14:05:00.001-05:00

We have lived in our current house for almost 7 years. Just last summer we met new neighbors and we've become close to them as our children are the same age. Oh, and we like to drink vino. So there's that. We find ourselves drifting across the street when their garage is open to play, go for walks, or hang out. They, too, mosey over when they know we're home. Never planned. But always fun and relaxing. Friday night we did some playing in the backyard...

Classy...wine and a playset

The boys hanging out, doing what they do best

Swinging in the shade

Mike turned on the sprinkler and these two littles were entertained for over an hour. No bathing suits? No problem.

Super Sammy

Laney preferred to stay dry.

Mike also turned on some music on our outdoor speakers and within seconds Izzy was dancing and entertaining. Jill mentioned she had never seen this side of Iz. Well, that's because we've never had any music on. If you haven't ever seen Iz in action, here you go. She's unreal...so expressive:

Former cheerleaders, I will have you know that she has every facial expression down pat. She is her mother's daughter, that's for sure.

I had to leave the backyard fun on Friday to head over to Brenna's for craft night. We made jewelry holders to organize earrings and necklaces in a fun way. Sarah & Lauren, this is for you; your blog debut:

I did a little crafting of my own...some gifts for adorable little 5 year old twins' birthdays. We ventured out to Browns.burg to spend a little time with Karie and her family. Unfortunately I didn't pull my camera out for a picture...but it was wonderful seeing her mom again and meeting her family & friends. Karie and I met in 4th grade and went to school together through high school. We lost touch until just a few years ago (thank you FB!) and she even ran the relay with me last month. Love reconnecting with old friends!

Daddy resurrected the ball/bouncer this morning. The girls spent almost 2 hours in it: reading, snuggling, singing, screaming.

We drove downtown this afternoon to meet my Little Sist.er and her family for BBBS' Summerfest. The girls had a blast and are napping. I should be doing the same; however, the US Women are playing in the finals of the Wo.rld Cup. Too exciting to miss.

As soon as they wake we're headed to the pool for some swim lessons. Looove the summer!

I'm Alive and Well...

2011-07-13T09:47:00.001-05:00

I sing. A lot. In the car. In the shower. At home with the girls. I just love to sing. I'm not very good at it. But I love the rhythm and the beat and the lyrics. Music moves me. And every once in a while a song I hear on the radio hits a nerve. And not the nerve like the Ke$.ha song that my girls have memorized. But a song that I keep repeating over and over in my head because the lyrics sing in perfect harmony to my emotions at that time. This morning I heard Ken.ny Chesn.ey's I'm Alive while getting ready in the locker room. I couldn't have heard a more perfect song for today's mood. Put a smile on my face. Listen to this:

"And today, you know, that's good enough for me

Breathing in and out's a blessing, can't you see

Today's the first day of the rest of my life

And I'm alive and well"

We are so lucky to have each day. We are alive. We are well. Nurture the body and life we have.

I'm a very black and white person (to a fault). I'm of the opinion that if you're unhappy in your life - only you can change that. Don't like your job? Search for a new one. Don't like your body? Start working out. Bottom line, you are in charge of your own destiny.

I've been running with a group of men since March that are doing just this. Taking charge of their lives and changing how their future unfolds. Haven't blogged about it yet...but feel it's time to share. An organization called Back On My Feet launched in Indianapolis in March and I have had the pleasure of being with them from its inception. It's a not for profit that promotes the self-sufficiency of those experiencing homelessness by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. They run 3-4 times a week and people like me, volunteers, run along side them. Motivate them. Engage them. Run. We run very early in the morning (it's still dark out), warm up and off we go. All of us pounding the pavement on equal playing ground.

These men started from scratch. None of them ran before. But to change their course of life, they started running. They have now run in several 5ks, half marathons and even now are training for a full marathon. These are men that are taking charge of their lives. And I'm so proud to be associated with them. If you have a chapter in your city I urge you to go run with them. Just once. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Early morning run

With Eric and Marty

Marty & I work for The Fin.ish Line and run with BoMF every week. We wanted to share our experience with our fellow employees so we launched a "Back On My Feet Week at The Fi.nish Line." Eric spoke of his addiction and his journey to a positive life, where he is now training for a marathon. Marty & I spoke about what it means to run with these men and how it had not only changed their lives, but ours too.

The BoMF crew that came to my office to speak

We all know I have this passion for running. I tell everyone I know about my journey, and if you've read this blog for a while you've even heard it. But to be able to share my passion with these incredible men that are taking positive steps to regain a normal life...this is priceless.

Since sharing my story with fellow employees, more than 10 of them have come out this week to run with BoMF. This morning I received an email from Eric saying how amazing it felt to walk out to see so many people there to run. With him. What a great feeling.

So as I'm humming, "Today's the first day of the rest of my life," I'm thinking that I don't want to take today (or any day) for granted. I'm alive and well...and will continue to share this passion of mine for as long as my body allows me to keep running.

Date Night, Pool Time & Parties

2011-07-10T20:05:00.000-05:00

Last week Mike cashed in his Father's Day gift with a concert to see Davi.d Gray at the Mur.at Theatre. We've been long time fans and his acoustic performance did not disappoint. He's an amazingly romantic and passionate artist and we basked in every one of his songs. Stayed until the bitter end to hear one of our faves, Sail Away (complete with ukulele and all!).

Murat Theater

Went for my first long run of marathon training (just 17 more weeks until the marathon!) with Meggie and a few of her sorority sisters. Was dreading the long run, as I usually do. But as soon as I stepped onto the M.onon my attitude shifted; I love running and this trail is my sanctuary. Let's do this. Meggie recapped the run eloquently here. Glad the first long run is out of the way and it's re-energized my running spirit to get back into marathon training.

After a long morning at the pool, we all took 3 hour naps (pure bliss and I loathe the day the girls no longer nap) and then headed over to Katie & Rick's house to celebrate Chris' 2nd birthday.

Jason & Sandi

Was an outdoor adventure for the kiddos

This morning we spent with Jaime, Luke & Jacob at their pool (they joined a different pool and to avoid Feller Family withdrawl, we've planned pool dates at our respective pools all summer). The kiddos had a blast and it was so fun to experience new slides and new surroundings. Izzy has become much more confident in her swimming and is getting brave as the summer days pass.

Together at last: Iz & Luke

After another 3 hour nap, we headed out to Izzy's swim lesson, her first of the summer. We walked in and Izzy said, "Daddy, I'm going to swim fast. And beat everyone else in my class." As we'd usually not support this talk, Mike looked at me and said, "I'm not going to ask her to lose that winning spirit!" We just laughed.

Laney Bug had a hard time sitting and watching her big sis swim, so next week she and I will go outside to swim while Iz has her lesson. She's so stinkin' cute!

4th of July 2011

2011-07-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

This year we were able to spend the entire holiday weekend with our family in Northern Indiana. Mike's aunt, uncle, grandma and cousins drive in from Wisconsin every year and it's fun to catch up and reconnect.

Izzy "fished" with Bobo using a Tin.ker Stinker pole...they left the pretend / plastic fish at the end of the line and it never failed; each time Izzy reeled in the line, she would say, "I caught one!" So funny.

Grandma Laura and Aunt Deb enjoying a virgin Pina

Mom & Bug also partaking in the drinks

We did a lot of swimming. All. Day. Long.

And we were able to see Laura & Madelyn which was a special treat, given I spent 36 hours in a conversion van with her last month. Learned that our 12 person team really was a 13 person team...so exciting!

The 3 littles...hard to believe Madelyn is 7 months younger than Laney!

We ventured out to the Ft. Wayne zoo early in the morning for cool temps and no crowds. It did not disappoint. It's ranked one of the top 10 in the country and we love it!

Izzy rode a pony, which she loved

Can you tell?

Peacocks run free at the zoo...you just never know when they'll pop up and surprise you!

Mike's personal fave: sea lions

Waiting in line for the train ride

Feeding the ducks...another activity Laney loves

Did some sun bathing in their new shaded chairs

Izzy & Grandma Great are two peas in a pod. They both enjoy an audience, dance and sing at a drop of a hat, and love to boss each other around. Was special to see how similar they are and the bond they share.

We spent today at Mike's mom's house

And enjoyed picnic a picnic lunch on the water and lots more swimming and sunning.

Happy 4th of July to everyone...we're listening to the fireworks as I type. Be safe & have fun!

Funsters, Farmer's Market & some SUN!

2011-06-26T19:43:00.000-05:00

Friday evening we had celebrated summer with our Funster group. Per usual, we laughed the entire evening and simply enjoyed spending time with good friends and good food. We opted for a low-key evening (there usually isn't anything low key about our get togethers) with dinner at Oh Yu.mm in B-Ripp.

Adam, Bria, Clay & Mike. Three of these four yahoos ran the relay a few weeks ago so they were rehashing memories and busting balls like they usually do. Good times.

Molly, Maggie, me & Brandi. Molly & Brandi both have 3-4ish month old little girls at home and Maggie is due with her third in 5 weeks. Lots of talk about little babes, but more talk about sangrias and vino. I grabbed some cupcakes from next door (the Fl.ying Cu.pcake) and we called it an early night.

Saturday morning we packed up and headed downtown Carmel to the F.armer's Market. This was a treat for me to go with the family, as last summer I spent every single Saturday morning on the trails for 2-3 hours running. Marathon training doesn't start for another week, so in the meantime I'm enjoying sleeping in and family time on Saturday mornings. Loathing the fuel belt, headlamp and Friday night planning that will soon be in my weekly routine. Have to keep reminding myself I love running.

Snacking in the shade

View of the P.alladium - the new location for the market

Izzy and Laney did a lot of dancing to the live music offered. It's funny, the more people in the audience, the more Izzy danced. She really engages everyone, too, with eye contact while she is dancing. She is quite the performer.

Saturday afternoon pool time didn't disappoint. It's been raining a lot here lately, so when the sun is out...so are we!

During Saturday naps, Lori and I attended Chelsea's wedding shower on her mother's plantation. Lori and I were trying to keep our jaws off the ground, as her mom's place was stunning. A 110 year old home, acres of tall grass & wild flowers, a 200 year old barn and a hangar kept us in awe. And Chelsea, she was absolutely beautiful! Her sister's planned a Mad Ha.tter's Tea Party and hats were strongly suggested. Lori and I couldn't find any...so we donned bedazzled headbands. Was so much fun and such a beautiful day for a shower.

The details were spot on. Every guest received a potted flower in a tea cup!

Today started off overcast and we stayed inside watching movies and snuggled up together. After naps, the sun was out so we headed out to the tennis courts. Neither Mike nor myself are very good at the sport, but we both very much enjoy it and hadn't played since I was pregnant with Izzy. So we packed up snacks and drinks for the girls and dusted off our rackets. The girls chased our balls and stayed out of trouble while we got some exercise and some good laughs in.

I asked Izzy to take our picture. She snapped a handful and I think she did a pretty good job!

After about an hour the girls got bored so we headed to the pool. Was a delightful ending to a long weekend!

Izzy's 1st Ballet Recital...

2011-06-20T05:43:00.001-05:00

Izzy has been enrolled in ballet since the Spring and it started off rocky; some days she wouldn't participate, others she'd just sit down in the middle of class and pout, or she'd constantly ask to have a potty break to get out of class. I was very nervous that she wasn't participating or learning the dances during class, only to come home and she'd show me everything she learned. She slowly got over the social anxiety in the classroom and started to shine each week. Her confidence has skyrocketed in the ballet studio ever since and we have a prima dona ballerina on our hands.

Full hair (bun) and make-up, which she was excited about for weeks

Sister got fancied up too

The ballet studio we attend divided up the recital into 4 parts, the session we attended was all 3-5 year old classes and the opening number was every student on the stage performing the same little baby doll dance.

Izzy's class was the largest, with 10 performers...and the only class that didn't perform with their baby dolls. So glad they didn't have another distraction to deal with, as they were all pretty excited to be up on stage (and a few staring out looking for their parents). Izzy is the 3rd from the left here:

Izzy is the 2nd from the right in mid-air

Right after her bow, a big smile

All the grandparents came to watch the little princess

Proud parents

Happy Father's Day to Mikey!

We came home and celebrated Izzy with a cookout among family and friends. Izzy was happy she was able to keep her makeup on all day!

Here is a photo Izzy took of Grandma & Bobo

My mom flew out from Lake Tahoe to spend 10 days with us...she helped with the girls while we went on our 200 mile running adventure and then during the week when we were at work. Love this pic of Buggy and mom:

And Sunday morning I looked outside to see that we had been tee-peed. I knew that it was going to rain all day so I quickly woke Mike up, "Hey honey, happy father's day! Let's go outside and pick up toilet paper!" He said he was hoping for something more like breakfast in bed, but when you have crazy fun neighbors like we do...there's no rest for the weary. Mike and I were laughing the entire time we were picking up tp, as neither of us had ever been tee-peed in our lives. Guess you're never too old! Oh, and revenge is ours!!!

Here's the full video of Izzy's recital...it's so stinkin' cute!

Summer Concerts...

2011-06-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

We have heard about Carmel's Co.ol Creek Summer concert series but the girls haven't been able to stay up late enough to attend these until this summer. We packed up a few coolers, grabbed some take-out and set up camp an hour before the show started. Glad we got there early because it got packed PLUS there was so much to do before the concert started! We also ran into several friends and even our pediatrician and his family. Think we'll be going to most all of these this summer!

Since this was located near the nature center, they brought out a few reptiles for the kids to learn about.

There was an obstacle course that Laney loved.

Balloon making and face painting by clowns

A bounce house

And a band that was fun for both kids and adults!

The girls danced their little hearts out and ran around for hours. It was an absolute blast.

Already looking forward to the next one. You should join us, too!

The Boardwalk...

2011-06-19T14:53:00.000-05:00

Along Main Street lay a half mile worth of boardwalk from our neighborhood to Keystone. I've run on it a hundred times on my way to the Mon.on path. But for some reason it never dawned on me to take the girls on it for an adventure. Jill (neighbor) said her son Sammy loves the boardwalk. So last Monday I asked them if they wanted to join the girls and I on a walk. And let's just say we've been on it every night since...kind of our summer evening ritual. The boardwalk crosses over Co.ol Creek and both girls love staring down at the flowing water.

Thanks you, Jill, for showing us how much nature we have right outside our front door!