Today was a Good Day

On Wednesdays, I have the luxury of dropping Webb off at his Mimi's for the day so I can have some alone time to do whatever or do things around the house that are impossible with a two year old. Most days I do a little cleaning but today, I spent quality time with two special girlfriends. We had coffee this morning, shopped uptown, had lunch, and talked for hours. I got a pretty good run in too which was nice because that meant I could spend my evening at home with my boys. Mimi always cooks on Wednesday nights so we enjoyed a yummy dinner of her homemade BBQ and slaw! Now it's 9:15, Webb is snuggled up, and the house is quiet, and all I can hear is the rain on my windows.

 

And because you all need a little picture action, here is one from the other night when Chris was pumping gas. We both rode through town with the hat on. Not sure where it came from because rest assured no one in this house eats donuts. And notice the "recycwing" truck of Webb's complete with an aluminum foil ball in the back. Life is never dull with these two silly boys!

Here We Are!

Boy have things been crazy around here since I last posted! We had a fun week at the beach with the Ingram's a few weeks ago. The kids ate junk food, watched tons of television, played for hours on the beach, caught hermit crabs, dug in the sand, played in the water, discovered an island, visited the aquarium, rode the ferry, and slept like little angels. The adults had late night pizza and pancakes, lots of beer (well, everyone except preggo mama), Oreo cookies, ice cream, and some relaxing moments on the rocking chair front porch. It was fun and crazy and I wouldn't trade a moment of it for anything. I'm truly thankful for such dear friends and the love they give to us and Webb. You can't share a beach house with just anyone! :)

Since coming back, we had company, Scott and Carrie, our friends from KY come visit. We met them years ago on a mission trip and we've been friends ever since. Webb immediately took to them and entertained him with his silly antics. We took them out for BBQ (the main reason they come visit!), visited the Candy Factory, and rode to Winston for shopping, lunch, and such. We had a great time catching up with them and hope to see them again next summer!

In the world of Webb, we are doing GREAT with potty training. He is now asking and using the big boy potty which is great but I'm afraid he's going to fall in! We've gone several places in underwear which is promising. He's still in diapers at night but that will come with time. I'm just proud that he's catching on and asking/telling us he has to go! One thing we've been battling is meal time. He will.not.sit.and.eat. Ugh! The other night, we had had enough. We took his new recycling truck and threw it away. We put all his toys away and he went to bed with no dinner, no milk, no story, no nothing. His heart was completely broken as were ours. We both went up and kissed him later that night and after I came down, I saw that Chris had gotten the truck back out and cleaned it off for him. Ever since then, he's eaten like a little champ and has behaved overall a bit better. It was a 'tough love' kind of moment that I hope we don't need to repeat any time soon but we definitely think it drove the point home. Mama and Daddy aren't playing. You need to eat. Sit and eat. Amen. :) Life with a budding three year old is simply amazing and so so trying at times. He can be as good as gold and as sweet as sugar or simply rotten. When he's good, he listens, helps, and is so agreeable. There are days however, that I have to pick my battles and move on. Then there are moments like tonight when I stopped the stroller to tell him I loved him and before I could even get close enough to whisper it to him, he said it first. Or tonight when I asked him if he knew mommy loved him as I was tucking him in bed and he whispered "Yeah" so softly and sweetly. Oh my heart is so full. Moments like that wipe away all the trying times for sure.

I'm still running and training and so in love with it. I'm definitely looking forward to the Southern Fried Half Marathon in November but I'm thinking about racing in a 10k soon to keep the momentum going. Running continues to change my life in ways I never thought possible.

School starts in about three weeks and I'm so excited! I'm excited about getting my room ready! I have a real theme this year for the first time ever so I'm pumped about shopping and getting things in order. While going back does mean leaving my boy, it means we're back in a routine, he's going to his sitter and his Mimi's house, and he starts PRESCHOOL! He asks me about every day if it's time for preschool. Can I just tell you how much this warms my heart. I am so happy that he'll be making new friends and learning new things this year. He is so ready for that environment. My hope is that he'll thrive and bloom and just soak up this sweet time.

For now, we're at home, reading books, going to the park, the pool, watching a few shows, using the potty, racing trucks, playing silly games, and just enjoying our time together. Next week is our VBS and Webb has his own little class this year so that will be fun for him. We had one more beach trip planned but it fell through so this weekend we'll enjoy a quiet time here at home.

I remain blessed by this life in so many ways. Our little house in Grimes, our family that loves and supports us, friends I can count on, a husband who works so hard and helps me and supports me, a son who brings sunshine and smiles to me every single day . . . Gosh, I am blessed!

Five on Friday

Here's what's making my Five on Friday list:

1. We learned the other night how gross a swimmy diaper poop can be. And trying to get the diaper off to avoid a complete mess is nearly impossible. We just had to laugh.

2. Yesterday, we enjoyed the best rainy day at home. We read books, played trucks and tractors, snuggled, and had lots of potty time. I love days like that.

3. I enjoyed the best girls' night out last night. It was nice to get out and have adult conversation. I am thankful for girlfriends who keep me sane!

4. I took Webb to buy a birthday gift for another little boy his age. Mistake. Big mistake. "I want, I want, I want." A million times over.

5. Our second out of three beach trips start tomorrow morning. There is one excited boy (and mama) in this house! So excited about spending the week with dear friends!

Why Do I Run?

I saw this quotation on a blog today about running. It was listed under the 10 Commandments of Running. It describes me perfectly and where I am in my journey to becoming fit. The website is www.anothermotherunner.com.

"More than any other sport, running has the ability to truly change your life. You can run away from depression, bad relationships, negative body images, frustration, anger and anything else that gets filed in the “con” column. You can run towards confidence, happiness, peace, patience, strength, contentment and optimism. All at a pace that makes sense for you."

I have a lot of planning in the works with my eating and training. My feet have really taken a beating from the long, hot runs this summer. Chris has helped me come up with a training schedule that incorporates skill practice, cross-training, long and short interval work, and time trial runs one day per week.  I'm also working on eating more balanced meals so that at any time, I can perform.

Above all else- the training and such- the changes I'm seeing on the inside and out are my main motivation and satisfaction. Everything the quotation talks about keeps me going.

But next week, I'm going on vacation and everything is fair game. I know there'll be trips to Dairy Queen, lots of Corona Lights, and snack food. Bring it!

 

 



Splish Splash

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a little fuzzy but I bet we did this 50 million times today. My boy loves the water!

Sunday Seven

1. It's been great having daddy home for a long weekend. We've spent a lot of time together as a family. We enjoyed the pool, a short hike at Boone's Cave (thank you, mosquitos), and the highlight was ordering wings from Christos last night. They were devoured.

2. Webb continues to use the potty a lot! This week, we're going to start wearing big boy undies. I even bought fun kinds with Mater and Lightning McQueen as extra incentive to potty. We shall see!

3. I have GOT to drink more water. Period.

4. I finally found more Active Bands at veryjane.com. These are perfect for working out and running. Score!

 

 

5. We went on a bike ride last night after dinner and had the best time. Chris pulled Webb in his buggy and just as we rounded the corner towards home, we noticed he was asleep. Probably because he laid in his bed for 2 hours yesterday and talked and talked and talked. Finally I just got him up and we went to the pool.

 

 

6. This week entails swim lessons, pool time, a girls' night, and packing for the beach!

 

7. Tonight, we read "On the Night You Were Born." It's really my favorite children's book because it's so sweetly written and always brings back memories of Webb's first night in this world. I told him that I just cried and cried on the night he was born. I told him I cried because I was so happy to meet my sweet boy who I already loved so much. Since that night almost 3 years ago, it's amazing how much my love has grown by leaps and bounds. Oh how blessed I am to be his mommy!

 

 

And yes, I am wearing a dress. :)

 

 

Happy Sunday, friends!



Fun Fourth!

We had a great 4th of July this year! Yesterday morning, we visited Becky and her girls and went to their neighborhood pool. Becky is Chris' new business partner's wife and is super sweet. She used to compete in body building competitions and is still a beast- even after just birthing baby Skye back in November. I love hanging out with her and talking about kids, exercising, and all things in between. After we left their house, we stopped by Chick fila for lunch. I was hoping that the meal and treat would keep Webb awake for the ride home, but after he ate his nuggets, he was sacked out. I was actually able to get him back down once we got home and he slept another 2 hours. (As did I.)

 

After nap time, we packed up and headed to the pool for its annual 4th of July party. We had fun swimming, eating junk food, and hanging with friends.

 

This little guy swam all around the big pool- even to the deep end. I think he thinks he's a big kid now and wants to hang with the big boys. It is pretty nice that he'll swim around by himself now. But my eyes never leave him. :)

 

 

Hope you all had a Fun Fourth too!

 

 

 

Pool, Puddle Jumpers, and Teething

The usual thing for Friday nights is to pack a cooler and head to the pool. I whipped up some turkey wraps, fruit slices, and a few cold beers, and we headed to the pool for some laid back fun. Webb has totally mastered swimming in his Puddle Jumper all by himself and will now just kick and paddle around the big pool without any help. He is also an avid diving board jumper now. It's amazing the progress he's made in just a few weeks at the pool! Saturday, Webb slept til 10:00 and laid around with me until noon. I think his molars were bothering him and he was clingy, cranky, and tired most of the day. We still headed to the pool and had fun until he was ready to come home. We ordered pizza and my sister made her delicious gazpacho- my favorite summer food ever. We had a huge salad too which hopefully made up for the gluten overload. (Which made me feel like a fat, bloated dough boy!) Sunday brought church, nap time, and a fun bike ride uptown and a stop at Jo-Jo's for ice cream. I ended my weekend with a nice 8 miler in the rain.

Sweetness on the way to Sunday School

 

 

This morning at the library! Poor Piggy had his books stolen!

 

Last summer at the library.

 

 

I love spending time with Chris and Webb. We have such a good time together and Chris and I continue to be amazed at the things Webb says and does. He is getting so big and so independent. We are proud of his potty training progress and how well he's done at the pool. I can tell he's going to be a quick learner . . . but watch out if he doesn't get it right. He can pitch a fit over it, for sure! :)

Some current Webbisms:

*When we get in the car, he'll say, "Mommy, you need to put your seat belt on." Thanks, Bud.
* He loves to stand in the mirrors in our room and dance and make pouty faces. He knows how to turn on that pitiful face!
*He loves talking about how cars don't crush cars, monster trucks crush cars. Anything monster truck is a favorite right now.
*He enjoys flushing the toilet. The trick is ONLY ONCE!
*Getting him to sit and eat takes an act of Congress. Anyone else have a hard time getting their toddler to SIT and EAT!!!?!?!?!
*He loves for me to sing 'the river song' before bed each night. Think "O Brother, Where Art Thou."
*Pushing. Yes, it's hard to admit but my boy has started pushing. I've seen him do it several times. It's usually over a toy. I do not spank him for it (nor for much else for that matter) but he's been in time out for it. I know it's his age but I still don't like it. Everything is "MINE!" We talk about how it isn't nice. Sometimes I feel like a referee when he's playing with other children. The whole sharing thing. Man. Tough stuff. Any advice on that?



Well, that's all I have for today. This weather is killing me. One minute it's sunny, the next it's dark and stormy looking. I think our afternoon treat will be to head to Sweet Frogs in Salisbury. I'm craving a sweet treat and a new workout top. Happy Monday, ya'll!