best run yet

i only had to run 9 miles today. i know that sounds strange to hear me say "only 9" (i even think it's strange!) but when you have run 10 or 11 for the last 4 weeks, 9 seems not so bad! ha!

it was a GREAT run. felt good and i was fast. fast for me that is.

my average pace was 10:45

finished in 1:36:50.

all i can say is WOW. i wasn't even trying to be fast.

i'm so excited about that time! i usually don't focus on my time, only finishing the distance but i've noticed my mid-week runs getting a little bit faster each week. very exciting!

this was a GREAT run today!!!

an old married couple

I think Anthony and I have moved into the "old married couple" category.

Thursday, February 19, 2009, was our 9th Anniversary!

It's not the 9 years that was such a big deal, it was more how the day unfolded. I woke up at 6 in order to get everyone out of the house by 7:30am for a dentist appointment for Harrison. Anthony was laying there, peacefully sleeping. He's been SO exhausted from work lately. It crossed my mind to nudge him and wish him a Happy Anniversary but I decided to let him sleep. I knew how much he needed it. Once we were up and going, I was out the door in no time with all three kids dressed, fed, and ready to go. Anthony was coming out the door right behind us on his way to work. After I was on my way I realized we had both forgotten to wish each other a Happy Anniversary. I called him and we talked and both wanted each other to know we had not forgotten...just forgot to say it out loud. Sort of sad, isn't it.

No one called to wish us a Happy Anniversary until late afternoon. Not that it bothered us, please KNOW it did NOT bother us. I'm just trying to make my point of the whole old married couple thing. :)

Our big plans for the evening???? I bought a Rotisserie Chicken. Big stuff, I know! :) We are celebrating next weekend with a date out to my favorite restaurant...Maggiano's...and we RARELY celebrate on the actual 'day' anyway. Unless it's a weekend, it's so hard to do that once you have kids.

Plus, guess what else we did? We already had plans anyway. We had a nice fellow over and signed our refinance papers. Nothing says romance like the signing of financial documents! :)

Don't worry, the day was special to us. We know what precious meaning that day holds! It was the beginning of our future together and we have enjoyed these 9 years together so much! I am so blessed to be married to the man of my dreams and blessed to know that he loves me with all that is in him. I love him SO much. The Lord has been so good to us to give us to each other. I love my man!

We'll celebrate next weekend while Anthony's parents are in town and they'll watch the kids. Perfect. Oh, the other good news...he's been able to acquire some tickets for us to use this year for a trip away together. Once I'm finished nursing Addison we hope to get away...we're thinking Hawaii...wouldn't that be GREAT! :) I can't wait! I'll keep you posted on that one.

Happy Anniversary Anthony! These have been the best 9 years of my life and I wouldn't want to be in an old married couple relationship with anyone else but YOU! I love you!

new favorite spot

Addison's new favorite spot is under the coffee table. It's so cute! She heads straight there once she on the floor. She likes to crawl completely through and plop over on the other side.

I love watching her. I layed on her floor for about 20 minutes today while she played and tried to pull herself at the edge of the crib.

One thing I've learned the third time around...WATCH more.

I'm trying to take it all in...her expressions, her movements, her sounds...everything about her is so precious. I'm trying to watch the boys more too. Everything about them. I find myself reflecting more these days and while all of my day is not enjoyable, I'm trying to ENJOY these precious little ones in my life!

Try it! Try watching your little ones...quietly take in their every move. It's time well spent, I promise! :)

8 month weight check

look at this sweet girl! Grace got her this coat for Christmas and i LOVE it!

look at that belly! she may be tiny but she's starting to fill out her little body.


Jackson was such a good boy at Addison's appointment. Sometimes it's hard for him to wait patiently while his little sister gets all checked out but he did an AWESOME job! i was SO proud of him and we exchanged a lot of high fives! :)

Addison had her month weight check on Wednesday of this week (Feb. 18th). She's so little that they always want to make sure she's not wasting away. It's a hassle to have to go in once a month but she always passes with flying colors! She's a whopping 14.5 pounds. I know, I know, that's hardly whopping! :) However, she's doing GREAT and meeting or exceeding all of her milestones. She'll go for her 9 mo. well baby appointment in March and then hopefully won't have to go back for anymore weight checks.

We love our little peanut and we'll take her just as she is!

Here's some of what she's up to lately:
Crawling
Pulling up in her crib, at the coffee table, and couch
Eating some table food
Eats 2, sometimes 2 1/2 jars of baby food per meal...this girl LOVES to eat!
Squeals to get everyone's attention...even strangers
Is a TOTAL momma's girl. Already experiencing some separation anxiety...not excited about this.
Loves to do a clicking sound with her tongue that is SO cute
She likes to sing along with I'm singing

We love our Addison Grace!

first ride on a swing

she loved it! i took these on my phone because i didn't have my camera and i'm so glad i did. i think they didn't turn out that bad! :)

50!!!! WOW!!!

Want my latest update on my running???? of course you do!!!

I'VE LOST 50 POUNDS!!! WOO HOO!!!!

I am feeling GREAT! Would like to shed at least 10 more maybe 15 to reach my personal goal. Still don't really know what is a realistic expectation so focusing on size/inches and not the scale. I am building muscle. :)

I started this journey at a size 16 and am now a size 10 but already can tell I won't be for long. :) Who knows where I'll end up!?! :) Some of the Capri pants I've been anxiously waiting to get in to are baggy after being on for a couple of hours. I haven't worn them since before I was pregnant with Jackson and I lost weight doing the modified Atkins diet. Running is WAY better than that ridiculousness! I actually ENJOY meals! :) After the race I hope to cross train a bit more and focus on toning up but I am THRILLED!!!

I've run it off. It's been hard work. I haven't always wanted to go, but when I go I never regret it. I still love running, something I never thought I would ever be able to say about myself! I remember Katy telling me when I first started that she ran it off, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. How true! I've done just that. I really never thought I would be able to do this. I also never thought I would love running in cold weather. Who would have thought? My favorite temps to run are anywhere 40's to 60's. Anything over that and I am sweating too much to hardly enjoy myself! :) But, I never even hated the 30's, which I'm sure will be back sometime next week. :)

THANK YOU to ALL of you who have encouraged and supported me through this! I can't tell you what it has meant to know you're all pulling for me. THANK YOU KATY!!! You were my inspiration!!! Still ARE!!! This has been life changing for me!

Can't believe the race is going to be here so soon. March 22nd is not that far off! I run my first 11 this week and then my training starts to taper off so I'm in the home stretch! WOW!!!

Can you tell how big the smile is on my face???? When I get around to it I'll post a before and after shot. I know that's what you're gonna want me to do but I have to work up the courage to look through those pix again! :) Yikes!

love you blog buddies!

very sick

Anthony, Harrison and I are all very sick...very, very, sick. Please pray it won't last long. It has been a very rough day. Please pray that Addison will not get this and Jackson will not have a relapse.

Thank You sweet friends

WARNING...brown powder = YUCK!

the boys are SICK!

i'm sad to report that i didn't realize Jackson was "sick" today or i wouldn't have taken him to church...SORRY to all of you who came in contact with him. i really wasn't trying to be neglectful.

when he woke up this morning, he said he thought he wet his bed. his pull-up was dry so i told Anthony to go and check his bed out to see if it was wet. he came down and said no, it wasn't wet but that there was some brown powder in his bed. it was a busy Sunday morning as usual and i was running around like a crazy woman and didn't have time to investigate the powder. i just thought it must be food and Anthony didn't seem all that concerned.

Jackson was fine all day. didn't want to eat much, but fine. took a nap...not unusual. played outside with friends. after we came in...Harrison was at Kids Praise...we went upstairs to get ready for bed. i rememberd the "brown powder" that was reported this morning and decided to check his bed out. OH NO!!!! YUCK!!!! it was vomit. dried. gross. my poor boy had thrown up in his bed and we had no idea. it must have happened right after he went to bed last night because it was dry by the time Anthony checked it out this morning. it stunk, of course. GROSS!!!

i put Jackson in the bath. poor thing didn't have a bath this morning. i would have given him one if i had only known! Anthony and Harrison came in from Kids Praise as i was bathing Jackson and we had a discussion about the "brown powder". evidently Anthony hasn't had very much experience with vomit so he was completely clueless about it. i don't blame him. i really blame myself. i should have gone upstairs and checked things out this morning but i was trying to rush...as always on Sundays. Jackson wasn't acting strange and there wasn't anything on his clothes that would have alerted us.

got his bed all cleaned up.

Harrison just came down about 20 minutes ago. threw up all over his bed. YUCK! had to throw away the down comforter he sleeps with. can't wash those and it was EVERYWHERE!!! there was no salvaging that blanket. scrubbed the mattress. put sheets in the wash. cleaned Harrison up and now he is on the floor in our room with a bucket beside him. hoping he'll be OK and won't need the bucket. we'll see.

please pray for us! please pray that Addison will not get this. pray that Anthony and i won't get this. things are CRAZY for him at work this week and he can't afford a stomach bug. i am training for my half-marathon and can't afford to miss my mid-week runs.

i know you probably could have done without this post but i had to vent and also warn you...

Beware..."brown powder" needs to be investigated immediately. it can't wait. it means something really gross and yucky has happened and sterilization will be necessary.

praying you all stay well...

a tutorial in making Hair Bows

So, a couple of friends taught me how to make hair bows today! yea!!!

I made 7, they are SO cute, and I'm so excited that I now know how to make my own Hair Bows for Addison...or presents! :)

Aren't they cute! They all have skinny clips so they work perfectly in Addison's little headband...she doesn't have enough hair to hold a bow yet. But, this way we can still use them until all her beautiful hair comes in!

Oh, it is SO much FUN having a little girl! :)

Thanks Jen and Laura for hanging out and teaching me to make bows! and thank you Jen for sharing all of your ribbon! I've never seen so much ribbon before! :) It's so nice to have "girl" mom's to learn from! :)

my terrified valentine

I know, right here she doesn't look all that terrified. Isn't she cute in her little Valentine's outfit! I just LOVE it! She's getting more and more bold and I've been telling Anthony we need to lower her crib because I just knew she would be pulling herself up at any time. Well yesterday, she did just that.

I heard her in her room playing after her nap but hadn't gone up to get her. I was on the phone with Mimi and heard Addison start SCREAMING! Not just a little scream. a terrified, petrified, horrible scream. I knew something was up. I went up stairs and found her just like this....it was pitiful but I had to run down and get my camera. :)


Thankfully she was on her knees and hadn't figured out how to stand up. She could have gone over the side. I remember this so vividly with the boys. They would figure this out and it would scare them to death! They just couldn't understand what they had done and they didn't know how to get back down! She was holding on with a death grip for her life! Poor little thing!

We lowered the crib last night so she is safe now. And guess what...she now pulls herself up and STANDS up holding on. It still freaks her out but I'm sure she'll keep doing it. Sooner or later she'll figure out how to let go! :)

My baby girl is growing up too fast!!!

standing up and 8 months old

look at this little stinker!

yeah, she knows it too!


I had to post this last one. See what this girl goes through every day of her little life! She's gonna be one tough cookie! She didn't even cry when this happened but clearly his finder is IN her eye!!! Jackson can't keep his little hands off of her. He just wants to touch her every moment of the day. He's gonna be in for shock when she hauls off and gets him good one of these days. His time is comin'! :)

Can you believe this girl is 8 months old? Can you believe she is trying to stand up???? OH MY WORD!!! She's a doll baby! She goes for another weight check next week so I'm anxious to know how she's doing. She's still a peanut but she is definitely getting bigger. I've really noticed her filling things out a bit more these past couple of weeks. She is such a sweet little thing!

and this is it

Here is my ONE picture from our weekend watching the Schrodt kids. Terrible isn't it. Only one picture! I think we were so busy that I just didn't even have a thought to take a picture. At least I got one, right? :)

Meal times were funny. I had an assembly line going and Anthony would pass out the plates. It really was a GREAT weekend. Friday night we ate dinner and played, got ready for bed and had a Wii competition. Saturday morning Harrison had his Upward game so we all headed over there and then after we got home and had lunch I left for my 10 mile run. Anthony watched all the kids while I was running for 2 hours. Isn't he amazing! He was so supportive of me keeping on track with my training. After I got home Anthony took the kids int he woods...one of their very favorite things to do here in NC. That night we had dinner and baths and got in bed early because of church the next morning. Sunday we went to church, had lunch at Sonic...interesting ordering for that many people. I didn't realize Callie didn't have a meal until all the food was given out and there she was sitting there looking like "hey, what about me?" :) Don't worry, we got her something. The kids played outside, Anthony went for his run and then they had another trip in the woods all before David and Katy arrived. Callie missed her parents a little bit. Every once in a while she would cry and look around the house for them to see if they were hiding from her. Then she would be fine. When they walked in she looked at them and burst in to tears as if to say "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!! I've been looking for you EVERYWHERE!" She was a cutie and really did fine the entire time. She and Addison were little buds.

We love those kids so much so and we couldn't have been happier for them to come and spend the weekend. I'm glad they feel so comfortable with us. Everyone played well and slept well (well my boys were up early every day b/c they were so excited...at least they didn't wake any of their friends up). I think the hardest part was just getting where we needed to go. That's a lot of people to get ready for church! :)

Thanks David and Katy for trusting us with your precious kids. They were a joy and we're so glad we could help out! :)