Ainsley's Birthday Trip

Instead of throwing Ainsley a party this year, we decided to take a weekend trip to Atlanta and visit the American Girl Boutique. She had been counting down the days until our departure on her calendar. She was VERY excited!

We arrived in Atlanta around 3 on Friday afternoon and went straight to the mall. We loaded Allie into her new stroller and headed into the store. We literally had been inside three minutes when Allie got sick all over the place. The helpful staff scrambled to grab plastic bags and paper towels while a few others took the older girls off to the side and distracted them with stickers. We had to leave the store and go to the hotel and check in so we could get Allie cleaned up. She was running a pretty significant fever so we got her medicated and cleaned up.

The girls and I went back over to the mall. American Girl Store....Take 2.

See...look how happy she is. Hold on to that picture in your mind. You'll need it in a minute. Ainsley decided she wanted her doll to get a hairdo at the salon.

It was so cute to see her doll up in the chair with a cape on getting her hair done. It was one of the most frivolous things I've ever experienced as a parent but Ainsley LOVED it. But then...things went south again. I reached in my tote to pull out my wallet so we could pay for the doll's hairdo only to realize my wallet was back at the hotel. We couldn't take the doll with us until we paid for the hairdo so we loaded up in the van (again) and drove in rush hour traffic back to the hotel. Let me paint this picture for you...rush hour traffic....in Atlanta.....on a Friday afternoon...with a child sobbing, "This is the worst birthday ever" in the backseat. Not a good day at all.

We finally crawled our way back to the hotel where Jamie and Allie brought the wallet out to the car. Then we drove BACK to the mall where Ainsley and her precious doll were reunited.

Yeah! Smiles all around! We finished our shopping and had dinner before heading back to the hotel for the night. The girls were able to swim and watch some TV before bed. They swam again on Saturday morning. The pool wasn't heated, but I'm not really sure they even noticed.

After showers and loading up the car we went back to the mall (this is the fourth time for those keeping track) for lunch at the Bistro.

The dolls get to sit with you. It was quite a feast! Allie and Jamie just kicked around the mall and met us afterward. After our meal we ordered a special birthday dessert. Then everyone sang to Ainsley.

They say all's well that ends well so I suppose this trip was a good one after all. The birthday girl seemed to enjoy it despite the bumps along the way. Still can't believe Ainsley will be five this week!

So Long, Farewell

In the summer of 2003, Jamie and I painstakingly researched strollers and car seats for Anastasia's impending arrival. We settled on one of those bulky stroller/car seat combo models that were all the rage. It has served us very well, but in recent months I decided it was time to move on. It's just such a behemoth and I'm tired of lugging it in and out of the van and I'm tired of how much room it takes up in the trunk.

Babies R Us was having a trade-in sale. If you brought in an old stroller, they would give you a discount on a new one. So last Friday morning on our way to Atlanta, we stopped and traded in our trusty old model.

I sort of panicked in the parking lot and got a little sentimental. I made Jamie dig the camera out of the van and snap that picture. It's been through a lot with us. A lot of walks and trips to the store. A lot of vacations and theme parks. A lot of good memories. But now we have a new stroller.

And Allie seems to like it just fine. Although her sisters were mad at me for choosing the blue version over the pink and red one. To their credit...Allie has already been called a boy three times while riding in it. Just part of those new stroller memories......

A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

I've been grousing a lot about our nasty winter weather so today I am going to tell you about how amazingly wonderful our weather has been. It was almost 70 degrees here today. SEVENTY! After lunch we manged to locate shorts and t-shirts amidst all our winter clothes and we headed outside.

After a few minutes of playing in the back yard Anastasia and Ainsley decided the day was too nice to waste at home and they begged to ride their bikes. Jamie was off running an errand so the four of us packed up and headed to the Greenway.

Those little rockstars rode their bikes for FOUR miles. Seriously....four miles. Allie fell asleep after two miles.

Jamie joined us around 2 p.m. and then I took off on a run. The girls decided they wanted to keep riding. I was so proud of them for sticking with the ride. Truth be told, I think they were just so grateful to finally be outdoors and warm. It's going to be back in the 20's before the week is out. I'm glad we squeezed every drop of sunshine out of today!

Cabin Fever

Mom and Dad were in Townsend this week for a few days. Dad had some speaking engagements so they stayed in this awesome little cabin. I had a meeting early on Tuesday morning, but as soon as it was over Ainsley, Allie and I headed for the mountains.

We packed a picnic lunch and ate it by the fireplace (while watching Nickelodeon of course). After lunch Allie and I took a nap while Nana and Ainsley played and relaxed. Allie enjoyed the king bed.

And I enjoyed the view from the bed.

The pictures (taken with my cell phone. I left my camera at home. Gasp!) don't do it justice. We were only there for a few hours, but it was such a nice little respite in the middle of a busy week.

Crib Rails

Allie is mischievous (understatement). Her latest heart-stopping trick is to pull all of the child-proof plug covers out of the plugs. She does so while glancing over her should to make sure you are watching her.

Before the holidays we had to take some serious measures in her crib. She would NOT stop gnawing on the crib rails. One of my mom friends suggested wrapping the rails in blankets and securing them with zip ties.

It's worked very well, although we did have to adjust one of them after she managed to figure out how to slide the blanket out and keep chewing. No wonder I keep finding more gray hairs!

Totally Awesome Abacus

Ainsley asked me about an abacus yesterday. She said had seen one (of all places) on Spongebob and wanted to know what one was. I told her that it was used for counting things and math a long, long time ago. Before computers and calculators.

Anastasia nodded solemnly and said, "Yeah, like in the 80's."

Like Mother, Like Daughter

We've been stuck inside a lot this winter. So when the kick-off for the Knoxville Marathon Kids Run came up on a sunny Saturday I asked the girls if they wanted to participate. They really loved the one-mile race we did back in September so I figured they would be in for another mile.

The race was at the zoo. It was a brisk morning, but we bundled up and headed out. Anna went with us too!

They divided the kids up by age group so the kids started the race in stages.

Anna ran with Ainsley and I ran with Anastasia. It was such a great event. The girls did VERY well! I was so proud of them. They loved being able to see some (okay...maybe three) animals at the zoo and being out running around. They also loved their goody bags. You can see them sporting their new versatile scarf thingys below.

Over the next two months they will log mile after mile. Then on April 2, they will complete their own "marathon" by running a 26th mile and finishing at Neyland Stadium. As someone who has "Finished at the Fifty" more than once, I assured them they would love that race in April.

New Furniture

For the first time in our adult life, we're going to have brand-new furniture in the living room. I can't wait for it to arrive in a few weeks. To prepare for that arrival, we've had to do some serious re-arranging...and some purging. I had quite a few pieces of furniture that still had some life left in them so I called the local Habitat for Humanity store and asked them to come pick it up. They came right away. When they moved the furniture...we found all kinds of amazing things.

A bow, a My Little Pony, a marker, a pencil and a puzzle piece that had been missing for literally months and months.

We also found a nice layer of dust, dirt and various other detritus. I've since used the Dyson to take care of that little pile and we're closer to being ready for the sofa and other items to arrive. Who knew new furniture could be so exciting?

Extra, Extra - Read All About It

In addition to raising money for Inheritance of Hope, I also feel responsible for spreading the word about this incredible organization and the work they are doing. Fortunately I have been blessed with many opportunities to do so. One of the biggest (and perhaps loudest to date) arrived on front porches and driveways in my area today.

That's the HUGE spread in today's paper about my participation in the Goofy Challenge as a part of Team IOH. The article not only takes up the entire front part of the section, but also continues and takes up most of the back page as well. (*blushing*) I'm so grateful to the paper for allowing me to share the story of IOH and all the amazing things they are doing and can continue to do with more support.

If you'd like to read the story you can click here. In the next few days I'm going to try and e-mail it to everyone who contributed to IOH on my account as I prepared for the races. I want everyone to see what an impact it had on my life.

Park It

Today....we have snow on the ground. Again. This has been the craziest winter in as long as I can remember...and it's only January 21. But before the snow hit, the girls and I hit the park. We scooped Anastasia up from school and went to one of our favorite playgrounds. It was deserted (on a chilly January day...who knew?) so I turned all three girls loose.

They had such a wonderful time.

We can't wait for spring when we can spend more time there and more time in our own backyard. We've had enough of the white stuff and are waving the white flag.

Race Photos with Character

When I ran the Disney Marathon in 2009 I noticed many runners carried their own cameras along the course. They would stop along the way and snap a photo with Disney characters. I thought it would be really cool to have those images but my runner's pride would never allow me to actually run with a camera. Plus, who wants to carry any more weight than necessary on a 26 mile run?

Fortunately for me Disney (being Disney, after all) decided that this year's races would have photographers with the characters. It bears mentioning that if those photographers had not been in place I most likely would've set new PRs in both the half and full marathons, but since photography was available, I relaxed and stopped to enjoy what is surely the most fun races I will ever participate in.

I have close to 90 photos from the race but at the risk of crashing my blog I'll stick to a few of my favorites.

This one of Mickey and Minnie was take around mile 6 or so during the half-marathon on Saturday morning.

This one is from the finish line of the half. I was proud of myself for not looking at my watch. For you race novices out there, don't look at your watch when you cross the line. You can find out your time later. Throw your arms up in the air, smile, and soar across the finish line like you just started the race even if you have nothing left in your tank.

I had to stop for the castle photo on Sunday during the full marathon. I have one from last time as well. I hate that I'm wearing gloves, but it was too chilly to discard them.

Since I was running the Goofy Challenge, I was determined to get a picture with Goofy at some point. Fortunately for me...he showed up with Donald right at the half-way mark of the marathon.

There are lots of funny pictures of me with Disney characters, but perhaps my favorite one involves a character that was running *with* me.

Yeah, that's Peter Pan (with a dagger in hand no less) and I in Animal Kingdom around mile 18. I saw him early on around mile 2 and we stuck together throughout the race....until he pulled the knife. Then I ran faster.

I'm so glad they finally sent me the course photos. They also sent video clips. I've done okay with post-race disappointment this time around. Between the snow, my job and life in general as a family of five, I've been too busy to dwell on the fact that this particular challenge is over. I've decided to run the full marathon in Knoxville coming up in April. It has me excited and motivated to keep running.

15 month check-up

Allie had her 15 month check-up this morning (despite the fact she's well over 16 months now). Her appointment was at 9:20 a.m. but we didn't get home until almost 11. I have no idea why it took so long, but it was pretty miserable. Ainsley was bored out of her gourd even though I brought the iPod so she could watch stuff.

Allie's still a little peanut...weighing in at 20 pounds, 10 ounces. She had grown almost two inches though and the doctor seemed unconcerned with her lack of heftiness. He was blown away by her language. She chatted away with him and even sat in his lap. He commented on her growth chart: "Very verbal. An active little girl." She showed off her body part naming ability (eyes, nose, mouth, fingers, hands, toes, hair, belly button) and tried to get the doctor to show off his belly button. He respectfully declined.

She did have to get two shots during which Ainsley cried louder and longer than her sister who was actually being stuck with the needles. (Side note: not looking forward to Ainsley's check-up next month when she gets her kindergarten shots!) After the shots we headed for home. We scheduled her 18 month check-up for April and I hope that's the next time she has to go to the doctor!

Watching Paint Dry

It's winter. That means plenty of time stuck indoors with two small kids who really love being outside and running around. Today we channeled all that energy into painting. Allie painted her shirt, the chair, and even managed to get some on the paper.

Ainsley painted about seven or eight pictures which are now hung all over the kitchen.

Wordless Wednesday

Dental Dynamite

Despite the fact that Ainsley has already lost a tooth, today was her first big trip to the dentist. She was supposed to go last week but the snow and ice closed the office down so we rescheduled for today. She was a model patient.

The dentist, sporting a supercool Buzz Lightyear shirt, declared her teeth to be in great shape and told me she will most likely lose several more in the weeks to come. I suppose I should go to the bank and get some dollar bills just in case.

She left the office with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.

She also got to select not one, but TWO items from the prize basket. And being Ainsley she chose a whistle and a bat ring.

I sure hope that whistle doesn't get lost in the couch cushions. That would be tragic.....

Christmas Comes Again

The holidays are always a crazy time of year, which is why three weeks into the new year we are just getting around to exchanging gifts with some of the Chattanooga clan. Between snow, illness and everything else we weren't able to scare up some time together until yesterday. We all met at a restaurant in West Knoxville for lunch and gifts. It was quite comical to see us parade in with about 40 brightly wrapped gifts.

We had such a good time visiting and eating. We really should do it more often.

That's Allie with my grandmother. Allie was pretty excited to hang out with her family members that she doesn't get to see very often. I'm glad she's such an agreeable gal.

It was loud, chaotic, and messy, not very Norman Rockwell at all....but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Allie at 16 months

I realize that Allie has been 16 months old for about a week now, but last week was pretty insane so I'm just now getting around to this post. She continues to learn a new word every day. I didn't realize just how quickly she was learning things until I was away from her for five days. When we got back, it was like a different kid.

She continues to string words together. Yesterday she was holding her milk cup and said "milk back." She was telling be she wanted to put her milk back in the fridge. She still says 'thank you" and "please." She can do several animal sounds "moo" "hiss" and the latest "meow." She is obsessed with babies and with Mickey Mouse. As I wrote yesterday she now has a Mickey sheet for her crib. She loves it when I wear my Mickey marathon shirt. Her favorite books are Blue Hat, Green Hat and Pajama Time. We read them over and over again. She can point out her eyes, nose, mouth, hair, ears, fingers and hands.

Her 15 month check-up (don't even ask) is scheduled for this week so I can't wait to see how much she's grown!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Jamie's birthday was on Friday. I had planned this awesome meal of meat balls (Pioneer Woman's recipe!) but unfortunately....I'm too scattered to actually pull something like that off. I forgot how long they take to make and we ended up having to order a pizza. He did get to eat the meatballs on Saturday. But we didn't let my dinnertime failure ruin our evening!

Jamie had requested birthday brownies instead of a cake. This request really made Ainsley mad. "You're supposed to have cake on your birthday!" she insisted. I reminded her that on her birthday she could call the shots.

I love how Allie refuses to take her eyes off the brownies. It's like she was afraid they would disappear.

Jamie got several gifts, including the Epic Mickey game for the Wii.

Notice Allie's hands at the bottom of this picture reaching for the game. She remains obsessed with all things Mickey. In fact, we were at Babies R Us last week and she saw a crib sheet with Mickey on it. Needless to say...it is now covering her mattress.

After our improvised dinner we played games and just had a nice family night in. It may not have been the most lively celebration, but it certainly was a wonderful one. Happy Birthday Jamie!

The Gift of Music

I got so many wonderful gifts for Christmas. An amazing watch from Jamie, seasons of my favorite TV shows on DVD, books, clothes, rain boots, etc. I could go on all day. I felt so blessed to receive so many amazing tokens of love from my friends and family.

One of my favorite gifts came from my parents. It was a CD but it came with more than just some tracks of music. It came with memories.

When Anna and I were kids Mom had a cassette tape of this soundtrack. We wore the thing out, especially the summer of 1994 when we spent six weeks in the wilds of Wyoming. So now when I belt out "The Lusty Month of May" I not only remember all the words, I remember exactly where we were driving in Yellowstone when I heard that song. And then I smile. A wonderful Christmas gift indeed.

It's Magic

Due to the ice and snow we ended up with a little extra time in Orlando. Fortunately Ryann and Scott (and Isabelle too!) had the day off so we all set off to Universal to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

It's been open since last summer and the crowds have been nothing short of spectacular. Fortunately a weekday in January proved to be the perfect time to go. We checked out Olivander's first. It was awesome! Just how I imagined it.

We toured the Hogwart's castle and drank butterbeer! Opt for the frozen concoction...just my two cents.

While I enjoyed all of it, Honeydukes was probably my favorite. The confections on display were a treat to the eyes as much as to the mouth.

We weren't there for very long, but it was SO much fun. I'm glad we got to squeeze it in on our whirlwind trip to the Sunshine State!

What's Next?

I've had a few days to digest my whole Goofy experience. I'm kind of in that down time after a race (or any big life event) where you are sad that it's over. You work so hard to plan and train to run 39.3 miles in two days and then in the blink of an eye - you've crossed the finish line. Everything I worked for paid off, but now what?

In the first few minutes after I crossed the finish line someone asked me what was up next on the docket now that I had conquered the Goofy Challenge. I said that I want to break my half-marathon PR. If I do some speed workouts and some more long runs I think it is in my grasp. In the meantime...I'm just waiting for Dinsey to put up all my photos from the race. I have a feeling they are going to be full of "character."

There's No Place Like Home

We finally made it home around 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Atlanta was the craziest thing I've ever seen. Before we got to the city limits we stopped for gas and snacks. The parking lot was a solid sheet of ice.

Then, heading into the city we saw this sign.

We passed Turner Field and the state capitol building. The roads looked like this.

Once we were about 40 miles north of Atlanta the roads were absolutely fine despite the several inches of snow on the ground. By the time we hit the TN state line, we were home free.

Our girls were happy to see see us, but not nearly as happy as we were to see them. They had decorated the house with congratulatory signs for me.

I'm so glad to be home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home.