Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend with my most favoritest little people.

Thank goodness for photo shop, this is what Ben's face really looks like. He had a skateboarding accident over the weekend. Poor guy.

We miss Evie already, it was the best cousin weekend ever! Lots of swimming, playing outside, running, jumping on the trampoline, park time, splash pad fun, friends, fires, and BBQs. Evie learned how to swim all the way across the pool on her own. Can not wait until we see my Sister and Eves again!

Coeur d'Alene Half Marathon

Me and sister picking up our race packets. My first half!

Getting our gear ready and laughing so hard I almost peed my pants.

At the park, warming up (Brad photo bomb)

Brad and me

But first I have to pee

About to start

Finished!

Glen and Brad

My goal was to run my first half in 2 hours 10 minutes, calculated from my Bloomsday time. But at the half way point we were on track to run it in under 2 hours so I said lets try. The race felt great except the last 3 miles which I thought I might die. I held on and ran an 8 minute mile at the end and finished just under 2 hours at 1:57. Definitely couldn't of done that without my sister encouraging me. Thanks Sis!

Time to drink our free beer!

Training

Week 21: 27  miles ran,  112,500 steps total
Week 22: 29.5 miles ran, 113,000 steps total
Week 23: 25  miles ran,  106,000 steps total
Week 24: 28 miles ran, 107,500 steps total
Week 25: 25 miles ran, 115,500 steps total
Week 26: 24 miles ran, 106,000 steps total
Week 27: 22 miles ran, 103,000 steps total (started half marathon training schedule)
Week 28: 22 miles ran, 103,000 steps total, long run 6 miles
Week 29: 21 miles ran, 106,000 steps total, long run 6 miles
Week 30: 23 miles ran, 106,000 steps total, long run 7 miles
Week 31: 27 miles ran, 103,000 steps total, long run 8 miles
Week 32: 27 miles ran, 110,000 steps total, long run 9 miles
Week 33: 29 miles ran, 111,000 steps total, long run 11 miles
Week 34: 27 miles ran, 100,000 steps total, Bloomsday Race 7.5 miles, long run 12.5 miles
Week 35: 14 miles ran, 107,000 steps total, no long run, Disneyland vacation!
Week 36: 14 miles ran, 100,000 steps total, no long run
Half marathon

It took almost as long as it does to grow a baby but I did it! And I think I will do it again! Maybe the Spokane half or Portland half.

There's beauty everywhere, if you look for it

And happiness in your heart

And sunglow



And giggles

and tall grass and summer time

And love bigger than your heart.

6 years and counting

It has been just over six years since I wrote my first blog post in April of 2011. So freaking much has happened over those six years! Big life changing events and small perfect moments. Since I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday or where I put that important thing that I swore I wouldn't forget, I am so thankful to have the best years of our lives documented. Our own personal scrapbook. Our story. I am grateful to have a camera to capture missing tooth grins and over cheesed smiles. A happy, messy house to clean. A dirty kitchen full of food and laughter. Never ending laundry and a tribe to love on. It helps me appreciate on a daily basis that we are so lucky to be here right now living this life. Brad and the kids are my wildest dream come true. My cup runneth over. My hands may be full but my heart is fuller. Overwhelmed with the good stuff. Which is exactly why I blog.

A few pictures from my first blog posts

 

Disneyland day 3

Our final day at Disneyland. This day was our "magic morning" where we got into the park an hour early, but it was everyone's magic morning so not really that special and just as crowded. We walked right on to Star Tours first, which the kids loved, their new favorite ride! We used our first switch pass so Brad could take the kids on the ride then I could walk back in with kids and take them again without waiting in line. The switch pass was a lifesaver for rides Cate couldn't go on so both Brad and I could go, and the kids got to go twice in a row. 

Star tours was one of my favorites. Since the kids had already gone they gave me a play by play of what was going to happen.

At 10am the lines were already long at everything else we wanted to do at Disneyland so we went to California Adventure to get fast passes for the Cars ride. We tried the day before but they were sold out of fast passes by noon. Then we did a few more of our favorite rides in a Bugs Life.

We did the Toy Story ride then the big Mickey Wheel. Cate wasn't sure about how high up we were. We could see the whole park. 

We met Buzz Lightyear

More rides

Finally, the Cars ride. It was as awesome as everyone said. #1 ride for all of us. The kids got to go twice with our switch pass, which they loved!

Cate and Daddy hanging out in Radiator Springs

Cozy Cone Motel

After Cars we got a fast pass for Soarin' and it was a close second for our favorite ride. It was awesome, and again the kids got to go twice with the switch pass.

We took a break and played in one of the park areas. Kind of a boring day for Cate since she couldn't do a lot of rides but she was tired and happy to pushed around with her bubble wand going non-stop.

We did our last California Adventure ride, Monsters Inc then headed back to our hotel for our last swim and dinner. The only thing we didn't see in California Adventure that we would of liked to was the World of Color water show, next time.

Feeling slightly refreshed we headed back to a crowded Disneyland, the theme here is crowded, and got fast passes for the Matterhorn. Since everything else had a huge line we shopped for more special items for the kids to buy with their own money and got some treats.

The swim wiped Cate out.

New #1 favorite for the kids, they loved the Matterhorn! They went with Brad first then with me second, with the switch pass. 

Sun setting and Matterhorn at dusk, Disneyland is the best this time of day.

We of course had to do Thunder Mountain railroad one last time with a fast pass. We tried to get a fast pass for Space Mountain after that but they were sold out and the wait was long. It was probably good though, it might of scared the kids and we left on a good note. There were a few more rides we would of liked to have done such as Peter Pan's flight and Alice in Wonderland but the lines were always 45 minutes long and no fast passes. We would of liked to camp out for a spot to watch the parade which we never could because people camped out all day to reserve a spot and we couldn't spare a person for that. We would of liked to meet more characters but same with the lines an hour plus. I think we did the best we could with what we had. We did Disneyland like big kids. We did all the fun older kid stuff not a lot of toddler baby stuff. I think we all had fun, even Cate, and we wouldn't change much if we had a do over. Maybe add one more day to finish off anything else we wanted to do and we would of had done a character meal for sure, which were sold out when we booked.

Good bye Disneyland, we'll miss you!

The next day Abi made a list of her favorite rides on our way home.

Our second flight had mechanical problems we loaded, waited, unloaded, got delayed, got a new plane. So we were tired when we got home. At least Cate took a snooze.

Maggie had to stay boarded another night but was happy and healthy when we finally picked her up.

We had an unbelievable time! It was amazing and great and everything we hoped! We hope to come back again before everyone is grown up.