Pumpkins

This weekend we had some friends in town and we took three little pumpkins to the pumpkin patch. They certainly loaded up the wagon! We spent a lot of time wandering in the patch, but KK mostly wanted to love up the pigs, goats, chickens and bunnies. It was a perfect autumn day and we all had fun.C'mere so I can give you a kiss!
Teamwork!
KK's traditional pose
The loot!

Happy Birthdays Grandpa and Uncle R!

A party...and a faceplant

Today we had our annual playgroup Halloween party. There was an adorable assortment of characters...Buzz Lightyear, a fireman with a dalmation, Tinkerbell, Mickey, a pumpkin, a skunk, a butterfly, and two fairy princesses. K's costume might look familiar; she wore the same outfit I took her 3 year photos in. We just added a little facepaint and spray glitter and viola! Instant fairy princess!

Today was not a stellar day for nutrition, I can assure you. For lunch, KK had a bat cupcake, mini-marshmallows, a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin, a blueberry muffin, and one bite of a carrot. And a peanut butter cup for dessert. The cupcakes K and I made were cute though!

After a short nap, KK had her first big girl swimming lesson (the kind where mommy doesn't have to get into the pool too!) She loved it and looked like such a big girl in the water without her trusted swim ring. When I told her at the start of the class that she didn't need her swim ring, her eyes were big as saucers. She braved the pool anyway, and did great!

The trip to the locker room was another story. KK had the shivers, so I wrapped her up in her towel and we headed out to get dressed. Halfway there she tripped on the non-slip mat and FACEPLANT! She was wrapped nice and warm in her towel, but she had no arms to catch herself! She bit both the inside and outside of her lip, bruised the gum above her right front tooth, and has a clear imprint of the non-slip mat on her chin and cheek! The imprint got worse after I took this picture and as the evening went on, but hopefully it won't look too bad tomorrow. It's amazing how much blood can come from such a little lip. We got ice on it right away, so it didn't swell too bad. Poor sweetie.

One, two, three, hit it!

We spent part of this weekend at Grandma M's. On our way there, we picked up Cousin C and brought him with us for a sleepover. The kids play so well together, and completely wear each other out. They had lots of fun, as usual! This morning, Grandma gave them some wooden spoons and a drum and they put on a little concert. Here is one of their numbers:

Similar sounding versions of The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Hickory Dickory Dock, ABC, and Happy Birthday are also available. : )

We also want to wish Baby Addy a very happy first birthday! We celebrated with her at her duckie party last Sunday. I love this picture of her showing off her new backpack - so cute! And look at what a great walker she is already. I guess maybe we won't be able to call her Baby Addy for much longer... Happy Birthday sweet girl! xoxo

20 things I learned from my first half-marathon

1) Be sure to check the driving directions to the race start before you're on your way there.

2) When you get to the start with only ten minutes to spare, pay attention to what you are doing! That way, you won't have to sprint back up a huge hill and unlock your car with the key tied to your shoe just because you FORGOT TO TAKE OFF YOUR WARM-UP PANTS. All of that hilly sprinting, and getting to the starting line two minutes late, will not make you feel very confident and you'll already be out of breath before you even get started!

3) Running beneath Crazy H0rse Monument at sunrise is so amazing, it will get you right back on track no matter how much your start sucked.

4) It's good NOT to know beforehand that these are the kind of hills you'll be running up and down for the first three miles. Some things are just better left as a surprise.
5) It's okay to slow down when you truly think the 75ish year old man running right next to you is going to fall and hurt himself after you both lost a little equilibrium on a direct turn-around on a big hill.

6) When you get to the bottom of the hill and are stabilized, you will be really pissed that you slowed down for that old guy when he sprints ahead of you at a hundred miles an hour - and then you see that he has the body of Arn0ld Schw@rzenegger.

7) Be sure to have a really good playlist so that it allows you to quickly forget about any mildly humiliating situations (see #6).

8) You shouldn't wear rings when going long distances, because around mile 6 your hands will look like they belong to the Mich*elin Man. If you do wear a ring, occasionally check to make sure your finger isn't turning purple. It is also a good idea to skip the port-a-potty stop at mile 8 only because those hands don't work very well and it's nearly impossible to pull your shorts back up.

9) If you run with your nose really, really, really high in the air, you might worry that people think you are being snobby - but, it's easier to breathe when the wind can fly straight into your nostrils.

10) Running mostly downhill is both a blessing and a curse.

11) Perfect weather is a gift. Thank you Mother Nature!!!

12) My right knee does NOT like half-marathons. At all.

13) Neither does my right second toe.

14) I was disappointed in how much I had to walk.

15) I was proud of how much I ran.

16) Immediately following the race you'll feel great...but watch out. About an hour afterward, the nausea kicks in and you feel like you are going to hurl for the rest of your life. It only lasts about an hour, and then you'll be ready for beer and nachos.

17) Going site-seeing several hours after the race is a good idea. If you don't keep moving, there is hell to pay.
18) Making it a girls trip instead of a family vacation is really, really smart. Nobody to worry about except yourself - and if you do need something, you have someone watching out for you.

19) Support from friends and family is everything. Thank you to everyone who believed that I could do it - especially my training partner Tiffany and our biggest encourager, Nikole (who placed 1st in half my time - she rocks!) Love you guys!

20) I'm not as fit as I could be, but I can still challenge myself and do something that I never expected! My goal was to finish in 3 hours. My actual chip time was 2:41:27 (which includes the dysfunctional-hands rest stop!)

Considering this was my first official race (I've walked two 5k's), and that my training was completely pathetic, I'm very happy with how I did. I didn't rank impressively, but I don't care. I had a fabulous time and I'm even considering doing it again. I have some healing to do first, and then we'll see.

Here are my stats, if anyone is interested:
Gun time: 2:43:35
Chip time: 2:41:27
Pace (average time per mile): 12:19
Division (30-39): 20 of 24
Gender: 118 of 154
Overall: 198 of 239

I think I can!

Tomorrow, my friend and I leave for SoDak for Saturday's walk/run. The plan has changed a bit and we are leaving the Dads and kiddos behind and going on our own. There are several reasons, and while we are sad our families won't be there to cheer us on, we are also looking forward to having a nice Moms' trip.

I came home tonight and found the sweetest gift from Uncle Ray, Auntie Joyce, and Anna!!! They left a bag full of power goodies and this super-adorable (and very fitting) card that says "You can do it!" on the inside... They know me well. : )

I wish I would have forced myself to find time to train better, but it is what it is. My goal is certainly not impressive to anyone who runs seriously, but it is MY goal, and if I finish at all I will feel great. And I'll feel even better if my knees still let me walk after I cross that finish line!