Turning Two... Avengers' Style!

Can't believe our baby boy turned two!

Since Sam's birthday and the Half Marathon landed on the same day, we kept the festivities simple,

but we found that as long as there was playtime with oh-so-boyish presents, 

birthday wishes from loved ones,

and Sam got to help frost the cake 

he was one happy camper.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!  

Can't believe how big you are, 

what a chatterbox you've become,

and how much you make us smile with that goofy grin!

Lots of love, Little Hulk!

The Saga of the Half

Well, I did it.

I ran a half marathon!

Despite nerves, 

the paranoia of sleeping through three alarms, 

coming down with the stomach flu mere days before, 

and forgetting my shoes back in Logan (I know!),

I totally did it and I had the time of my life!

It was an absolutely incredible experience,

and I'm already getting pumped for the next one.

Here I am, a bundle of nerves with a smile on my face getting ready to board the bus at 5am

Wish I could have brought my camera along, cause when we got to the drop-off point it looked like an outerspace refugee camp- people everywhere, huddled in metallic mylar blankets on the side of the road.

Finally the time came to throw off my own blanket and get ready to run.

The gun went off, and I hit it.  It was all pretty thrilling.

We ran through the dark for the first few miles, 

but it was great to get moving and warm up.

My nerves held out for a while, but by about mile 5 or so I got over it and had a BLAST!  

The scenery continued to get more and more gorgeous and I loved it all until about mile 12-

that last mile was rough and I was feeling pretty spent.

The crazy part was that I happened to glance up and see the time on 

a gas station billboard-

I was out of the canyon SOOOO much earlier than I'd planned,

and the thought occurred that my cheerleaders might not make it to the finish line in time to see me cross.

My phone was dead, so texting was out.  

Fortunately I was so psyched about beating my time I didn't worry at all, 

and sent a prayer heavenward that they'd somehow make it early.

Luckily, they did. 

I was so tired, but when I rounded that last corner and could actually see the finish line I couldn't help but sprint 

(had no idea I had that left in me!)

It.  Was.  Awesome.

So here's how it all ended-

Time: 2:12:15

10:02 min/mile

444th overall (half & full)

283rd among the ladies

79th in my age division

Then it was time for some celebration with my fan club.  There was TONS of food, but I don't think anything in my life will ever taste as good as that orange I peeled and devoured with 

shaking hands right after getting my finishers medal.

Ooh- crazy hair!

Reese came over chanting, "You won- you WON, Mommy!"

That was as good as the orange. 

Yay for Jimmy Johns...

...and awesome family who woke up early to come out and cheer me on! 

Thanks SOOO much you guys- you're seriously amazing!

 And Ry, I never could have done it all without your unbelievable support.

I love you more than I can say, Babe!

And Sam, thanks for sharing your birthday glory with me-

Oh how I love my sweet munchkins! 

 Feelin' pretty tough in my oh-so-white skin!

Lol- who cares if I'm blindingly pale-

I DID IT!

huzzah. huzzah.

Only YOU!

We found this adorable Smokey the Bear hat while shopping at DI today,

and, as soon he could tear it out of my hands (how could I even think of disinfecting at a time like this?!),

Sam plunked it on with pride.

He even insisted on wearing it in every other store we visited thereafter-

winning some adoring fans in the process as he waved, 

straight-faced,

at each of them in turn.

The rest of our day was spent trying to teach him the phrase "Only YOU!" 

It's coming along nicely.

Sunday Drive

Our Sunday drive took us up the canyon in the absolute BEST time of year-  

the leaves are really starting to change, and the colors are gorgeous!

Eyeliner

Here's my conversation with Reese this morning while I put my makeup on-

Reese: Mom, why do you color on your eyes with the pencil like that?
Me: Cause its fun and looks pretty.  Do you like it?
Reese: Yeah!  You look just like a . . . MONSTER!

For the record, she said the last word with a lot of enthusiasm, a smile, and like it was pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Just wanted to clarify.

Just Peachy

Last Saturday we had a party.

It involved pounds of sugar

more bottles than could fit on my table and counters

and several awesome ladies who showed 150 pounds of peaches exactly who was boss.

Behold the Canning party!

Aren't these Brigham City Beauties just gorgeous?

Sigh.

We had a nice spread of sweet and savory treats to munch on while we worked, and among them were these delightful Peach Scones based off of this recipe by Alpineberry.

Yum!

It took a few days of mooning over these lovely ladies like a love-sick teenager before I could bring myself to tuck them away in the cupboard.

Confession time.  

More than a few times since then I've opened that same cupboard 

only to stare and smile before getting back to whatever it was I was doing.

Don't look at me like that-

it's a canning thing.

First Time Ever

I mentioned a while ago that I signed up for my first half marathon, and the time is fast approaching to get my game face on (less than two weeks now- eek!).  Until now I've been a steady mix of freaked out and excited, sometimes more one than the other, usually with a fifty-fifty mix.  But tonight the balance seriously shifted after I finished my 9 mile run and then trotted up the stairs 

to our apartment feeling a-MAZE-ing!  

It's the longest I've ever run in my life & I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.

So basically what I'm just here wanting to say yay me 

and bring on the Half!

Pretty Pretty Pretty!

Reese has been singing Cinderella songs for weeks now, so I just couldn't help 

channelling a little inner Gus-gus there.  

Anyhoo. . .

Are you ready for something gorgeous?

I mean really lovely?

Well, behold the pics from the 

(now mandatory annual) 'Sister Photo Shoot' from our family reunion!  

Since the lightbulb idea only came after several families had already headed home, there are just a few of us pictured, but thanks to my amazing sister's stellar talent as well as the break-neck driving skills she used getting us to that perfect spot before all the 'golden light' disappeared, 

they came out BEAUTIFULLY!

Not to mention, we had so much fun and laughed so hard through the entire thing 

that it is now one of my favorite memories ever!

 I'm thoroughly looking forward to next year's shoot with my fabulous sisters / fellow fashionistas!