3D Dory

M's first race

Today M ran in his first race and though it was only a 1/2 mile fun run, you would have thought he was preparing for a marathon. Lots of questions...lots of wondering what he could do to actually win.this.race.

This is how excited E was to be there...

To be fair, E was beyond tired. Days of late nights and early mornings had caught up to this guy. Anyway, I ran the 10k this morning before the kids got going. It was pretty humid and I didn't feel great about the run from the start, but I finished in 57:15, so I won't complain. I met up with all my boys after I finished...and guzzled many a cup of water. Did I mention it was humid?

Mommy & M on "race day".

From the crowd of over 4,000 runners, we managed to meet up with some friends. The boys didn't have any trouble passing the time until their turn at the starting line.

Ahhh, friends...M, Rex & Enzo

 Then it was time for Daddy and M to line up. Good luck, guys!

E and I got up close to cheer them on...

...and waited...

Eventually, they were off! M took off really fast and asked to walk a couple of times. But when Andrew suggested they just slow down a little, he sped up! Looks like pacing is not a talent of the 6 year old super runner.

In the end he got a ribbon he is truly proud of and everyone had a great day. He told me he's "pretty sure" he came in second. sheesh...

soldier field 10 mile

It was early, cold and running as far as I had ever run for the second time. I can do this, right?

The scenery helped.

Turns out, I CAN do this. I was trucking along between mile 7 & 8 when the 1:30 pace team passed me. My goal was originally to even out at 10 minute miles, but with only a little over 2 miles to go, I realized if I kept up with them as long as I could, I would just plain crush that. They stayed in my sights for quite a while, but I couldn't keep up until the end. I did however, still surpass my original goal, and finished in 1:34:17.

Achieving a goal with friends makes it even sweeter.

today was a good day

First there was this...

Yeah, I'll take that any time.

Then, there was this face that got off the bus.

Totally, NOT what I sent him to school in and now I know exactly what the stain on his shoes is from. Look at that smile though. They tie dyed those shirts with their 3rd grade buddies and this little hippie did a great job. & so proud of his work.

I love these boys!

I'm late in posting, but I do feel this deserved a little blog time.  This year's Mother's Day was wonderful with our family feeling so utterly complete.  I was given the luxury of sleeping in and greeted with a delicious batch of roasted banana cinnamon rolls, courtesy of M and Andrew.  My cards were sentimental and perfect and to top it all off, E wore his Mother tattoo shirt.  I am such a lucky wife and mother to be able to call these little men my own.

Really...could E be any cuter?

This is me saying..."M, please don't smile for the camera...no really, please don't."  You can see what the result of that was. Reverse psychology at its finest.

Momma likes her new camera...





...a lot

At this rate, I'll be bald by Tuesday...

Why did I pick Tuesday? I don't know, it's just that this hair loss is THAT dramatic. I'm not saying I'm stressed out or even pulling out my own hair in disgust. No, no, it's hormonal and since this will be the only time in my life that I allow something to be blamed on my hormones, enjoy it. E hit the 3 month mark, my pregnancy hormones disappeared, and my hair is choosing to live in the trash rather than on my head. It is falling out by the handful and this is NOT an exaggeration. It falls out when I wash it...it falls out when I style it...it falls out when I stand perfectly still! My brush looks like a yeti and I'm constantly picking off stray hairs from E and all my clothes. Gross, really. Here's hoping this doesn't last too much longer...because really...at this rate, I'll be bald by Tuesday.

Is E mommy's boy?

mommy - circa. 1978

E - 2009
maybe just a little???

You can see that Andrew and M are copies here.

Mommy's Boys

Happy Mother's Day

The reason I can celebrate Mother's Day.

This morning I was was gently awoke by M telling daddy, "No, daddy, don't open it!" M knows not to come in the bedroom when it's mommy's morning to sleep in. Well, the door opened and I see M, holding a card, yelling out, "Happy Bir-day, Mommy!" Absolutely adorable and totally funny. He was followed into the room by Andrew with breakfast in bed...chocolate cake! We all sat in bed and shared a slice. What a perfect way to start mother's day.

M picked out this card all by himself...

...A COOL BUS!

Later, I was treated to lunch and given the luxury of a nap. Does it get any better than that?

I think he gets sweeter every day.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Do you like my bumblebee helmet?

Morgan and I took a trip to a bike shop today and brought home my birthday present from Andrew. I got a bike with all the trimmings (head & tail light, lock, helmet and yes...a kick stand). In addition, I had a seat for Morgan installed. We picked up a helmet for him and we were off! While he's not a huge fan of the helmet, he forgets all about that once we get going. He was all giggles on his first ride out. He just kept yelling, "a car!!"

Mother's Day!

So I know this post is late, but I had to rave about my first mother's day. I really did feel special. Morgan got me The Pursuit of Happyness DVD and a cute card that I was told he wrote in all by himself. I got a nice lunch out and was graciously given time to be outside planting flowers. It was everything I wanted.

My First Mother's Day...and it feels really good!

My boys at lunch...elbows off the table Morgan.

These next two pictures are for my mother's benefit. When we lived closer we would plant flowers every Mother's Day. While I had to do it 500 miles away from her this year, the tradition was maintained. I missed you, mom.

Pots by the front door.

Window boxes on the front of the house - impatients (like we would ALWAYS plant behind the house)