Today

Today was a fun, laid back day. This morning, our swim lesson was cancelled so we headed to Carrie's a little early. Let me just tell ya that a real friend has you and your Little over for a play date before 9 a.m. We had a ball watching the kids play and of course Carrie and I had a lot of catching up to do. Oh, and beach planning. :) So excited about spending a week at the beach with the Ingrams! I know a little boy who is going to be in hog heaven with lots of friends to play with! So after we wrecked her house, we came home to what I thought would be a nice quiet nap. Not so much. The air conditioner guy was banging around so I think Webb slept maybe a solid hour . . . a far cry from his usual 3. We had a long afternoon ahead of us so I got the baby pool out, plopped it in the shade, turned the hose on full blast, and Webb went to town entertaining me with splashing and sliding around the pool. We talked and laughed, and shooed lots of mosquitos. We then got ready and went to eat dinner and then we got ice cream. The best news of the day is that while I ran to the grocery, someone pooped in the potty TWICE without any help. When Chris texted me, I immediately began searching the grocery for some little treat for him. He ended up with a Bob the Builder juice cup. Juice is definitely a treat around here! I spent the rest of my evening chatting with my dear friend M.B. in her living room. I'm going to bed tonight remembering that the best things in life are sweet friends, precious children, and true, real relationships with people you can count on with your life. So thankful for these blessings . . .

 

I must say, however, that out of all the blessings, this brown-eyed boy is at the top of the list. What a sweet boy he is becoming.

For the First Time

I got up extra early this morning to beat the heat for my morning run. I had planned on running about 7 or 8 miles which is pretty normal and easy now. Every time I run, I plan ahead how many miles I'm going to do and ever since I started running, I've never ever done less than my planned miles. I've either completed them or done a mile over. This morning, for the first time, I felt completely defeated. My 4 mile run felt like death. My pace was a snails pace and my legs felt like bricks. It was all I could do to watch my mileage turn to 4 so I could stop. I know the humidity is to blame, but I am still beating myself up for not meeting my target of at least 7 miles. I know I have to be careful in the heat and I've read that it takes up to two weeks to acclimate to the summer temps. My plan for next time is to plant a huge water bottle at the park and just stay in the hood so I can stay good and hydrated. I'll go slow and not beat myself up. I guess if this is the first time in six months that I've felt defeated, I should give myself a break.

Catching Up

It's been nothing but fun around here the last few days! We ended the week with a fun play date with Liza and her boys Will and Andrew at a Splash Park in Kannapolis. The splash park was a hit but not as much as the train ride was. The boys played on the playground too and we had a picnic lunch. I'm so thankful for the friend I have in Liza. She's a keeper, for sure.

Waving to the train. Aren't they precious!?

 

 

That night, we had Webb's first swim lesson. Webb had only a 20 minute nap that afternoon which is rare so I thought he'd be a little 'off' for his lesson. While Miss Blythe had Webb distracted with diving rings, I slipped out of the pool to wait at the glass windows. I told him I wanted him to try to do it without mommy but every so often I'd peek around to see how he was doing. Not so good. She signaled for me to come in and once I got in the water with him, he did everything she asked! He got his ears and face wet, blew some bubbles, played a kicking game, and even scooped water like ice cream. He had a ball and eventually would let Blythe hold him in the water. I wanted to see how he'd do without me first but I knew I'd need to go in. I want him to learn to trust other people and know that he can learn from others. I'm hoping tomorrow night he'll be a little more independent with her. We'll see! All that really matters is that he has fun and learns to love the water.

This weekend, Chris and I headed up to Pisgah National Forest with a church group to camp. Webb was in good hands with his Mimi and Pawpaw so I didn't worry a bit about him- but I missed him soooooooo much! Chris and I went mountain biking, hiking, ate Smores, hung out with friends, went down Sliding Rock (well, I did, he didn't!), and played some corn hole. It was such a beautiful place and we're excited about going back next year.

Today was a lazy, lay around kind of day. I ran this morning and did my fastest 5k time yet: 28:52. It was so hot and humid. Ugh. Ready for winter running again for sure. We laid around, watched some movies, played with blocks, trucks, and a Rubbermaid tub. We went to the car wash and then took long naps. Tonight once the sun came out, we took a bike ride around the hood and played at the park. Webb went to bed so tired, so happy, and so precious. I still love snuggling my clean boy each night in the rocking chair and singing to him. It's heaven on Earth, I do believe.

I came in the den this afternoon to this view. Classic Webb. Gosh, I love my boy.

Hope you all are staying cool and having some summer fun as well!

It was a Good Day

Today was a great day. For starters, someone finnnnnallllyyyy did a number two in the potty this morning. Cue texting daddy a picture of the loveliness and hearing back that we'd have a "Poo Poo Party" tonight. After dinner, Chris had this silly hat ready for Webb, a big bowl of ice cream, and Elmo's "Potty Time" video playing. It was precious and Webb thought it was someone's birthday. Crazy parents. Seriously though, I hope he keeps it up. We've not had any accidents yet so that's a good thing!

Chris made this silly hat for Webb. So so precious!

Since it was so cool out, we headed to the park to play. Webb ended up using mulch and sticks to make oatmeal, noodles, and strawberries for me. Love that little imagination!

 

During nap time, I spread pine needles. It was actually very therapeutic. Watching the old crusty pine needles get covered with new, fluffy ones. Weird but it looks so much better!

 

This evening, we headed to the Y for our evening WODs and Chris was going to walk home. I got home and realized Chris had the house key so baaacccckkkk to the Y we went for the key. Someone did a light WOD of chest presses.

 

 

 

Have I mentioned how much I love these two? So, so much. It really has been a good day!

Sci Works

We had a fun morning at Sci Works in Winston! Webb loved everything especially the fishing area where you could pretend fish, the cool animals like the turtles, snakes, and owls. They had a Kids Spot just for little people and he loved exploring with the blocks and cement mixer. He was so well behaved and walked around like such a big boy. He picked out a little turtle from the gift shop and then we headed to Chickfila and because Nancy works right down the street, she was able to join us for lunch! It was the perfect morning excursion for my boy and me!

 

 



Celebrating Daddy

I just can't say how lucky I am to have Chris as a husband and father to our Webb. He is an amazing role model, sweet, loving, and so hard working. I love how he takes time to teach Webb the difference between left and right (which he knows!) and how to put his head in the 'big' hole when putting his shirt on. I love how he wakes every morning and has a nice hot breakfast ready for us when we finally drag out of bed. I love how he tickles and wrestles with Webb and gets excited when he uses the potty. I love how he whispers his prayer to him each night before bed. I love how he loves Webb with his whole heart and would go to the ends of the world and back for that boy. What a lucky boy he is. Chris, I love you. Webb loves you and we thank you for the many things you do for our family.

In fact, I love Chris so much, I'm going tent camping . . . like 'roughing-it' camping with him next weekend! The info sheet we got said it would be "muggy and buggy." This should be interesting! :)

The Best of Summer: Top 10!

10. Sleeping in.

9. Napping in the afternoon when Loo naps. Heaven.

8. Packing a cooler of adult beverages and going to the pool.

7. Watching Webb play and make new friends at the pool.

6. Walking the neighborhood, visiting the park, playing outside, playing with friends.

5. Getting ice cream.

4. Being able to visit the Y whenever I want! Well, mostly.

3. Early morning runs just as the sun rises.

2. Being at home.

1. Kissing, loving, snuggling, squeezing, and hugging my boy all day long.

 

 

This morning, I was working in the kitchen and Webb was playing upstairs in his room. Over the monitor, I heard that he was putting his stuffed animals in his bed. Then I heard him say, "Go to bed. No milk and no water for you." Go to bed." I don't know where he gets stuff from sometimes! We don't talk to him like that unless he's really wired and just won't settle down at night but that's very rare! He also likes telling me "I don't like that mommy" or "I need that mommy." This morning he said I needed to buy him a blue wheelbarrow. I told him to get a job! :) What a little pistol.



 



The First Night of Summer

I closed out my ninth year of teaching today! What a wonderful year it was. I am so blessed to work at such an amazing school, with amazing people around me, and with an awesome group of little people. This is the first year in a long, long time that I'm excited about school starting up in August. I think I've found that love again and it's so refreshing. My room is halfway decorated and I'm setting it up differently next year with more room for work stations and comfy work areas. It's pretty amazing when you hug your boss goodbye and you both say "I love you." I am blessed for sure!

It's the first night of summer and my Lu is snuggled up after a long day of playing and I'm curled up on my front porch listening to the sounds of the children playing at the park. Here's to a wonderful, long, relaxing summer with the loves of my life and sweet friends!

A Busy Summer

There are several things that are going to keep us very busy this summer! The first being that someone is going to be potty training very soon! I've been reading up on it some and working on it here at home some but we're going to be 100% into it starting Wednesday! I'm even thinking of bribery with chocolate chips if need be. Or maybe a cheese doodle because I won't eat the whole bag of those! We've been letting Webb run around naked at night and we just constantly remind him to use the potty if he needs to. Many times, he'll run and use it so that's a good sign. I just worry about how to handle it when we're out and about. I guess I'll figure it out as we go! Another fun thing is that Webb will start swimming lessons this week! A sweet girl from the Y will do private lessons with him and I'm hoping and praying he will go with her and not pitch a fit. Again, we'll be figuring that one out as we go! He loves the water but really likes the baby pool more than the big pool because as he says, "The big pool is too steep for me!" Ha! At this point, I just want him to love the water and not be afraid of the big pool. I've also been keeping a list going of some places I want to visit. Here's what's on my list:

• Kid's Business- Maybe for just an hour or so to let him play. He loves it there!
• Linbrook Heritage Estate in Trinity- They have a tractor museum that Webb would love!
• The Zoo- There's a really cool dinosaur exhibit there that visited our school.
• Greensboro Children's Museum
• Natural Science Center in Greensboro
• Dan Nicholas Park
• Discovery Place KIDS in Huntersville
• SciWorks

And then of course, we'll spend a lot of time at the pool, playing here at home, and hanging with friends. I think we'll do a fun day out to a place on the list once a week and the rest of the days, we'll just do whatever we want to!

A Mini Vacation

You know, everyone needs a break. Whether it's just to run an errand alone or take a shower in peace, every mom and dad needs to be away from their children for short periods of time. Chris and I had a mini vacation this weekend and it was wonderful! Yes, I missed my boy more than anything and just about ate his face off when Mimi and Pawpaw brought him home but I also enjoyed a night out on the town, sleeping in, and a nice breakfast on Nancy's back porch! Saturday night, we celebrated her birthday in Winston. We decided to spend the night at her new house instead of driving back late at night. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Willow's Bistro and then went down town for more fun. We were out wayyyyyy past my bed time, but we had a ball. Any time Chris, Nancy, and I get together, the shenanigans get crazy! We enjoyed meeting some of her friends and just relaxing!

I love this girl to the moon and back!

 

I'm now refreshed for my long two day work week. :)

 

 

Hello summa time!

 

 



OBX

 

 

 

The opportunity to run this race in November just fell in my lap thanks to a sweet friend. Now the question is 13.1 or 26.2?

 

 

 

 



What do you do?

What do you do when your Little takes a 5 a.m. milk break and then zonks back out in his bed? Well, you do a little WOD, that's what you do!

Thank you, Pinterest!

 

 

 

Happy Monday!

 

 

Rolls, Letters, and Wagon Wheel

This weekend has been so wonderful! Friday night we stayed in and rested. Chris picked up 3 new accounts at work and ended up working late and then went in Saturday for a few hours. Saturday, Webb and I ventured to "Walmark" as he says because he wanted goggles for the pool. Goggles turned in to swimmy diapers, a sun shirt, a cover up for me, and a few other odds and ends. Oh, and did I mention that sunscreen is so expensive? So after spending our life savings in Walmart, we came home and while Webb napped, I cleaned up and got us ready for the pool. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and visiting with friends. They had a party that night with Mexican food catered in and a band so Mom kept Webb and Chris, Nancy, and I went and hung out for a while. It was fun to just see friends and have some adult beverages. Not to mention that I played watermelon football and pool volleyball for the first time. Oh, yes, and Nancy and I entertained the whole place with our fancy footwork when the band started playing "Wagon Wheel." You just never know what those Zimmerman girls are going to do next. :) Sunday brought church, naps, housework, and a relaxing dinner at Mimi and Pawpaws. Webb has been learning to do a forward roll and tonight he really mastered it! Then, tonight in the bath, we were playing with his foam letters and he said "T is for truck!" And then I held up the W and he said "It's for Webby." And then for R, he says it's for "Ruby and Rachel and Ford and Carrie and Allen!" Ha! He's like a little sponge and I just love watching him learn so many new things all the time! He is even learning to put is clothes and shoes on. Sometimes I have to hold my arms tight so I don't jump in and just do it for him. He is the absolute light of my life and Chris and I are just so proud of the little fellow he's becoming!

 

 

Sweet boy driving his car!

 

Why does this picture look squatty?

 

Oh well. Happy Week everyone! We are on the countdown to summer!