152: easter with friends

I was a little bit bummed when I realized Friday afternoon that we wouldn't be spending Easter with family. We usually see at least one side and most years we get to see both at one point or another. We don't do anything big, but it's always nice to hang out with the fam. And it hit me in the car on the way back down from Portland that we wouldn't be this year. I was also a little sad that the girls wouldn't get to hunt for the eggs that both sets of grandparents have so much fun hiding - it would have been Dagny's first time.

I am so thankful for the friends that we have made down here. We were all kind of thinking the same thing about wanting to go to an egg hunt with the kids, but we couldn't find one that we wanted to go to. So we decided to do our own ... and it was the greatest thing ever.

I can't believe we got them to all stand for a picture!

Ella found the golden egg!

checkin' out their loot

 After the hunt, they got to dye some eggs. It didn't work all that great, but they had fun doing it!

I can't believe how much fun today was. I mean, I can. These people are amazing.

151: spring might actually be here!

Holy beautiful day! I know I've been thankful for good weather a lot when it's come along, but today really takes the cake. Gorgeous. This time last year Kinsley was building her first snowman. Today the girls spent the entire day outside playing at the playground, washing the neighbors' car, and running through the sprinklers! They even begged to get into their swimsuits.

still sporting the face tattoos that the easter bunny brought

"helping" wash the car

first sprinkler run of the year!

dagny's first ever sprinkler run --- success!

I'm sure the weather will turn again before we really get the consistent good stuff, but I'll take it when we can get it ... and I'll be thankful for it every time.

150: kinsley's skuut bike

We got Kinsley a skuut last Christmas - she had just turned two a few months earlier. At first she wasn't quite tall enough to reach the ground while sitting on the seat so she just sort of walked it around. But it didn't take long for her to grow enough to use it how it's intended - but she still sort of walked it for a while. Once she got the hang of the run and glide while sitting, she took off. But for the last year she has really had her eyes on the old two-wheeler that Althea said she outgrew and Kinsley could use. We kept telling her that she had to practice on her skuut and really get good at the gliding before she'd be able to balance on the big bike. So she hesitantly skuuted. Just yesterday she asked Kevin again if she could try to big bike. They went out, and within two tries she was up and pedaling all on her own. It was amazing. Kevin ran with her around the entire apartment complex and said she easily did a mile. We had to peel her off of it to go inside for dinner, but we promised she could come back out and practice more if she ate something. After dinner she must have done another mile or so on the track. She can't quite balance enough to start herself, but she gets herself going and can pedal along and use the brakes to slow herself and then stop.

 

Three and a half years old and she's riding a big-kid bike. I'm so proud of her. And I chalk it up to the practice on the skuut - what a great way to get kids to master their balance!

thankful#149: smissy

Happiest of happy golden birthdays to Kyra. #28. Kyra is one of those people who leaves a big impact where ever she goes. She has friends that she's had since before preschool, throughout middle school and high school, she made lasting frienships in college and continues to make friends and lasting relationships in every new adventure. It is a testament to the kind of person that she is - fun, energetic, funny, smart, witty, caring, loyal, supportive, loving - everything that people want in their lives. I'm thankful that we get along so well now and that I have a sister that I know I can count on. I appreciate her friendship and couldn't ask for a better sister.

thankful#148: no hangovers this weekend!

I never really drink anymore. Really. I have a glass of wine now and then, but even those have become fewer and farther between. I was a little nervous as to how my body was going to react this weekend. After Saturday night, Sunday could have been ugly. And I hate flying anyway, so the thought of doing it hungover was making me feel sick on it's own. I'm not sure how it happened, but I didn't have an ounce of a hangover. I was tired and my legs were super sore from our run and then dancing all night, but I felt fine other than that. I was actually even able to get up around 7 and go for a run to sweat out whatever was left in my system.

Not that I have any plans to go out hard again anytime soon, but it's a little comforting to know that I can do it every now and then without completely wrecking myself!

thankful#147: my first weekend away

I've never had a weekend away from both girls and I was SO nervous. When Timmy picked me up Thursday night after I'd gotten the girls to bed, I was in tears. I was nervous that Kevin was going to be stressed out, I was nervous that the girls would be freaked out when they woke up and I was gone, I was nervous that they would be sad being so far out of their normal routine without me there, and I was just nervous to be away from them because I knew how much I would miss them. But I think this weekend was so good for me. I was able to do whatever I wanted, have some time with Timmy, hang out with Alex and the ladies, get some sleep (though not much more than I usually get), and just get a little bit recharged. I missed the girls like crazy - I may have talked about them even more than I normally do because I missed them so much. But I think it was just what I needed.

thankful#146: credit card miles

I wasn't planning on being able to get to San Francisco this weekend to help Alex celebrate. We're not exactly in a situation financially where we have money to the money, but I was so bummed to miss it. But then mom said that she was getting rid of one of her credit cards and they were going to lose their miles - I may as well use them. They had just enough for a flight back from SF to Portland where I could meet Kevin and the girls. So perfect. I could road trip it down there from Bend with Alex, Brandi, and Rachel and then fly back to Portland. So perfect.

Thank you, Mom, for letting me use your miles. It was a much-needed weekend and I wouldn't have been able to get it without the offer.

thankful#145: the chance to do things i don't ever do

After our run this morning we sat out on the patio just soaking up some sun (and trying to recover from the noodles that were now our legs). I don't even remember the last time that I was able to return from a long run and just sit and relax. Usually I have the girls climbing on me, wanting to stretch with me, wanting me to dance or read a book or go to the park - I love doing all of those things, but it was amazing to be able to just SIT. We probably sat on the patio for an hour and it was incredible - warm enough to be in sports bras and shorts and drink mimosas. Fantastic.

We decided to spend the rest of the morning/afternoon at the park - it was such a beautiful San Francisco day that we simply had to be out where we could enjoy it. We headed down to Whole Foods to grab some salads to bring with us and then made our way the last couple of blocks to the park. Brandi had scoped out a tree earlier on her walk that would be perfect to set up her silks. After getting it all hooked up, Brandi showed us some of her stuff. Absolutely amazing. I had no idea what to expect and I was blown away.


Next up was Alex. She blew my mind as well and she's only done it a handful of times.


Then Brandi asked if I wanted to give it a shot. I'm not exactly a fan of heights, but when have I ever had the chance to try something like this?!? She was such a great teacher - patient, encouraging, detailed with her instructions - exactly what I needed.
I wasn't about to do any "tricks" that high up, but I thought I'd give it a shot a little closer to the ground.
I'm about the farthest thing from graceful, but it was so much fun!

When we decided to head back to the house, we threw in a little Twilight ... again, I never have the chance to sit and watch movies and I haven't seen the last installment of the series, so I was pumped! I think it was around 7 in the evening when the movie wrapped up and we figured we should probably get read to go out or it might not happen.

breaking in the shot necklace - model-style

Not even sure the last time I got this dressed up to go out!

I never go out. And when I do, I definitely don't ever get dressed up and get to really party. I'm so glad that I had the chance to help Alex celebrate this weekend. I met some great chicks, got to hang from a 25 foot tree, got to get dressed up, got to stay out late without worrying about what time I'd be woken up in the middle of the night, and got to "sleep in". Love love LOVED this weekend.

thankful#144: sights of San Fran

It was so fantastic to wake up to such a beautiful day in San Francisco. Everyone was ready to get the day started - whether it be yoga, a run, or some mani-pedis and shopping. Our rental is literally a block and a half from the park - so amazing! Alex and I took off for a run and headed towards Golden Gate Park with the intention of maybe making it out to the bridge. We wove around the city a bit taking in the sights and hitting some serious hills. The hills in this city are no joke. We eventually made it to the bridge, which was absolutely gorgeous.

We decided that there had to be a more direct way back to the house, but we ended up getting mildly lost trying to find that way. Thank goodness for Siri - she directed us back and we were able to end our run at about 13 miles. We spent the rest of the day at the park ... which is another post entirely ... so much to be thankful for this weekend.

thankful#143: road trips!

Timmy, Alex, and I woke up around 6o'clock to get an early morning run in before the long road trip that was about to take place. It was a beautiful 24(ish) degree morning as we ran up Pilot Butte. Such a gorgeous morning even though my fingers felt like they had razor slices along them from the cold. And such a great way to start the day.

Brandi and Rachel showed up around 8o'clock and we loaded up the car and took off on our adventure. It has been ages since I've been on a road trip and I remember why I used to love them so much. It was a long drive (that was super slow to start being that the roads were pretty slick for about the first hour or two), but it went by super quickly. It's amazing what fun conversation can do for a 9-hour drive, not to mention how beautiful it was. I had such a great time getting to know Brandi and Rachel and getting to spend more time with Alex. Such a fun group.

thankful#142: timmy's driving skills

Timmy picked me up on his way from the coast back to Bend this evening. Kevin and I had looked at tripcheck to check out the pass and, sure enough, there was a severe weather warning. Fantastic. I already have anxiety about traveling and add to that my anxiety about leaving the girls and now severe weather ... I'm not a pretty sight. And the neither was the pass. Holy windy snow storm. I'm not a fan of having limited visibility, let alone swirling winds that hurl up snow to look like it is going to straight up engulf the van. I may have had a few minor silent panic attacks and if I wasn't so tired I'm sure I would have been in tears. But Timmy is a superb driver in less-than-ideal weather and handled it like it was nothing. There is nobody I would have rather had driving through that.

And we made it. Now on to the 8.5 hour drive to San Francisco in the morning.

thankful#141: christina

So ... I am incredibly thankful for Christina for so many reasons. But today, more than anything, I am thankful for her kindess. Specifically, her kind and encouraging words that kept me from having a meltdown this afternoon. I'm not sure what would have happened to me mentally if she would not have been there.

thankful#140: kinsley's improvement in the pool

I've struggled with not being up in Portland for swim lessons that I feel are really useful: safety-based and teaching the kids to really protect themselves. The classes at the YMCA have been more for keeping the girls comfortable in the water and I work with them as much as I can to try to advance their actual swimming skills. The classes themselves don't do much in the way of teaching them to actually swim. But just in the last week or so Kinsley has really taken off! She's been able to touch the bottom now for about a month, which makes it hard to MAKE her swim - she just stands up. But now she will throw her legs up and REALLY SWIM! She'll swim five or six feet all on her own! And yesterday she actually did a pillow head for about two minutes, completely on her own and I didn't even ask her to do it! Usually she fights the pillow heads and wants to just swim from the wall, but she did it all by herself. It was such a relief to see that she's actually able to do it. And when I got super excited about it she became more willing to do more of it ... at least for that class. But it is encouraging to see that she is really improving, despite the fact that I'm not trained and really don't know what I'm doing and just working with her the best that I can. She's doing awesome.

thankful#139: doors with locks

There have been many moments the past week or so that have tested my patience - more than ever before. Kinsley is going through some phase - at least I hope it's a phase - where she is just a nightmare. (I should clarify: A nightmare compared to her normal self. I realize that she is not actually a nightmare - she could be MUCH worse.) I've heard that the threes are really much worse than the "terrible twos", but we are seeing it in full effect. Really, she's much more pleasant than not, but the NOT moments really really test me. And today I was near my end. When Kevin got home I went for a short run and then took a shower ... and locked the door. Normally I leave the door unlocked in case someone needs to use the bathroom, and I typically have visitors peaking their heads in while I'm showering. I don't mind at all. But tonight, I needed my own space for five minutes. I locked the door. And while I could have used another couple of hours in there, those five minutes were a good chance to just breathe and semi-relax.

thankful#138: Lee, at Safeway

This morning was the Shamrock Run. Kevin and I are usually very well prepared: bibs attached to our race shirts, watches and ipods charged, chips attached to our shoelaces, shirts and gloves to toss if necessary - all the night before. We were pretty well prepared for this one - all except actually attaching our bibs to our shirts. When we went to put them on this morning (around 6am) we realized that safety pins were not included in the race packets this time. Not only that, but we had just cleaned the car out and had none in there. We raided Yaya and Papa's house for something, but all we came up with was one safety pin. We ended up leaving the house about ten minutes early and planned to stop at Walgreens on the way down to the race. Walgreens wasn't open yet. So we moved on and ran in to Plaid Pantry - they didn't have safety pins. So, again, we moved on - this time to Safeway, which was open 24 hours and was sure to have what we needed. However, we realized that neither of us had brought our wallet us. We had no money to purchase said safety pins. We scraped up 75 cents from the car, but I knew that wasn't going to be enough. We went in anyway, just to check it out and see if MAYBE someone in there MIGHT have some spare pins laying around. Kevin went through the aisles and grabbed a pack that was $2.19. I went straight to customer service but there was nobody at the counter. There was, however, a Safeway employee walking by so I stopped him ...

Me: Excuse me, sir... I have a very shot-in-the-dark question for you: you wouldn't happen to have any spare safety pins just laying around anywhere, would you?

Him: I don't think so, no, sorry.

Me: OK, thanks. We're on our way to a race and realized that we don't have pins for our numbers.

Him: Oh! Well the safety pins are over on aisle (5).

Me: Yeah ... we also don't have our wallets so we don't have any money. We have the 75 cents that we got from our car, but that's it.

Him: That presents a problem.

Me: Yeah.

Him: Well, let's see. (Looking around, thinking) ... Can I let you borrow two dollars?

Me: Oh my gosh. Would you trust me to bring it back to you? I PROMISE you I will!

Him: I guess I just HAVE to trust that you will. Come on over here and let me get it for you.

He went to the register, got out his wallet, and gave us two dollars to pay for the box of safety pins. Such a kind man. So so generous and trusting. I'm sure he was thinking that he may not get his two dollars back, and yet he still gave it to me. Being that we didn't have our wallets with us, we borrowed a couple of dollars from Kevin's dad at the race and immediately drove back to the Safeway on our way home to return it to Lee (I overheard one of the girls saying, "Wow, Lee! that's so nice of you." when he was getting out his wallet). I thanked him whole-heartedly and he asked us how the race went. He even seemed genuinely interested in our run.

Such a nice nice man. I wish he knew how much that helped us out this morning.

thankful#137: baby hudson!

After waiting anxiously for two and a half weeks, we finally got to meet Baby Hudson today! Oh. My. Goodness. What a sweet sweet baby. So chill. So cute. And a total mini Gabe. Such a good baby. It was so great to see Gabe, Chelsea, and Zoey with their new addition as a new family of four. I wish we were closer to we could help out more and just see them more, but soon enough, I guess.

Welcome Baby Hudson!!!

thankful#136: preschool location

The plan for today was to walk Kinsley to school, come home, get a quick run in, pack up the car, pick Kins up, and head to Portland. The four of us got to school and Kevin and Dagny waited and walked around outside while I read Kinsley a book. She was having a bit of a hard time this morning for some reason letting me leave so I told her I would take her to the bathroom, watch her draw one picture, and then leave. I ran outside to tell Kevin that I'd just run from there and he could head home with Dood. Kinsley drew a picture, gave me a huge and kiss, and I took off.

I love that her preschool is literally ON the path that I run. I can walk out the door, get my watch turned on, and start my run. Not to mention the fact that we can take her to school every day and it only takes 10-15 minutes on foot and about 5 in the burley and it's all away from car traffic.

thankful#135: diaper delivery just in time

I noticed last week that we were starting to get low on wipes for Dagny. We're good on diapers for another couple of weeks, but not so much for wipes. I use them for everything - the obvious diaper changes, cleaning the girls' table, wiping the counters, wiping the girls' hands if we're out and about - and I still typically have quite a few to spare when the next shipment comes. But this month I was getting much closer to running out. I gave a couple of packs to friends as part of baby shower gifts because they're the best wipes I've found that don't have crap in them.

I was getting nervous that I was going to have to go to the store and try to find some that would be acceptable to use for a while before the next shipment came (yes, I'm neurotic and do not want to use wipes on my child that have chemicals in them). I went online to see what my scheduled delivery was and noticed that I had messed up the calendar some how and actually ordered two shipments. When I called The Honest Company (love them) the girl told me that I had called just in time to cancel the second order - they were literally putting it together right at that moment - and the first one was on the road for delivery! I wasn't expecting another shipment for at least a week! Such great news! And, sure enough, the delivery guy knocked on the door this afternoon when we were down to only a couple of wipes left. Just in the nick of time.

Oh, the things I get excited about these days.

thankful#134: the burley as a double jogger

I woke up too late to get my run in this morning before Kevin had to leave for school. Not a big deal, it just meant that I would have to either go with Dagny in the stroller or wait until Kevin got home. But I had errands that I wanted to get done with only one kid in tote, so Dagny and I did that while Kinsley was at school. I really wanted to be able to enjoy the absolutely phenomenal weather and let the girls play at the playground this afternoon and didn't want their play to have to be interupted by my needing to run later ... enter the burley. I've pushed them in it as a stroller when we need to go to the grocery store. I've ridden them in it behind the bike. But I have never run with them in it. But I REALLY wanted to get my run over with and Dagny was ready for a nap. So I loaded them in, got them cozy, gave them some snacks and some books and I was ready to give it my best shot.

That was arguably the hardest 4 miles I have ever run. I am definitely not accustomed to pushing an extra 100-ish pounds while I'm running. About a mile in, Kinsley yells to me and says, "why are we going so slow?" When I told her that it's because it's hard to push this thing because it's heavy she answered with, "yeah, but we're going SO slow." Granted, she's used to riding behind the bike, but we were going slow. I think I was easily a minute a mile slower than I run on my own. But as hard as it was, we got it done. I was finished with my run and they got to play for the rest of the afternoon outside. It's good to know that I can do it and that I have that as an option if I need/want to get a run in when Kevin isn't home.

thankful#133: unlimited texting

The finale of The Bachelor was on last night and typically I'm stuck watching the show by myself. Kevin only lasted about 20 minutes last night before he went to bed so technically I watched it by myself again. BUT this time at least it didn't FEEL like I was watching it on my own. Abbey and I were texting back and forth the entire show ... all 3 hours of it. When I looked back at my phone this morning it said that we sent 101 messages. I think that's probably pretty close to what I typically send in an entire month.

I'm not sure how I got so invested in this season of the show, but I did. I've been looking forward to the finale for weeks and was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire evening. My stomach was in my throat and I thought I was going to lose my mind with the anticipation. It was pretty fun having someone to share the evening with.

thankful#132: lots of people on the paths today

I try not to think or care about what other people think of me. The older I get the better I get at it. But there are times that I do care - and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing when it's like today. I ran just over 12 miles yesterday and my body was feeling it today. My legs were heavy, my back was sore, and it was such a beautiful day that all I could think about was getting back to the playground to see the girls play - I was having a hard time just letting myself run. There were multiple times that considered stopping to stretch my legs out and rest my back. But I didn't. Why? There were so many people out taking advantage of the gorgeous day and I just didn't want them to see me stop. I kept thinking to myself, "okay, after these people go by and I turn that corner I'll stop for a second and stretch." But then another person or group of people would be right around that corner and I'd think the same thing: "I don't want THEM to see me stop either!" So I didn't. I kept trucking. I am usually pretty good at motivating MYSELF. I don't want to see myself quit. But there are times that I can use the extra little push - even if it's just not wanting someone else to see me quit ... or even pause.

thankful#131: parks within quick walking distance

The girls were able to get quite a bit of park time this weekend in Portland. We had some seriously beautiful weather and they always love to play at the park - especially when it's a park that we don't get to go to regularly - new slides, new swings, new bridges, and even teeter-totters! It's so nice that no matter who's house we stay at when we visit - Yaya and Papa's or Gramma and Baba's - there is a playground within walking distance.

Dagny practicing her balancing skills on the curb

LOVE swinging

thankful#130: a good birthday

I'm not excited about being 31. I'm glad that I'm no longer on an even number, but for some reason that I'm still not exactly sure of I'm not feeling great about 31. I know it will be a good year in general, but this number is bothering me. Maybe it's because I'm no longer just 30 and am officially IN my 30's? I don't know. But I wasn't excited for my birthday and wasn't really wanting to "celebrate" at all. But it was a good day - and a gorgeous one at that! I got to start it out by seeing a few friends who I haven't seen in much too long at Megan's baby shower. I always get sad when we come to Portland now and I realize that she and little A are no longer just around the block from Jim and Laurie's, so I was super excited that I would actually get to see her this trip. She looks beautiful, as always, and it was so fun to see her open all of the super girly girl gifts for that sweet baby. Nika made the trip down, which was another gift today - it was a short catch-up, but I'll take that over nothing any day!

When I got back from the shower, Kevin and I left for a movie and dinner. We went to Oz - The Great and Powerful. I wouldn't recommend spending the money to see that one in the theater. About half-through Kevin turned to me and said, "this really isn't very good" and my response was, "it's terrible." It picked up a little at the end ... but overall we were not impressed. But even though the movie bordered on sucking it was still nice to get the chance to hang out just the two of us. We then went out for a quick bite to eat before heading back to the house. We capped the night off by watching both of the Central Catholic basketball teams play in the State Championship games. What a cool night for the Rams. The girls finally got that win that the program has been chasing for so long. Sandy has done so many amazing things and she finally got that title top it all off. Such a proud day for anyone who has gone through her program, is currenty part of the program, or supported the program from any angle. The boys fell a little short, but still have so much to be proud of making it to the final game - 2nd in the state is a huge feat. GO RAMS!

I was about to call it a night and jumped on the computer for a minute only to find a rush of birthday messages in both my email and facebook accounts. I'm sure that everyone would have remembered my birthday and sent me messages even if facebook hadn't reminded them :) I definitely felt the love, though, even if it was only a moment of thought coming my way - it does take a few seconds to actually acknowledge those birthday reminders and send a note. So thank you immensely to everyone who sent some love my way. I felt it. And to those who even made the effort to make a quick phone call - thank you even more. I love you!

I'm not a fan of turning 31. But it was a good day to have it happen.

thankful#129: schedule changes

Sometimes. Like today. I do like having a schedule, and I typically like sticking to my schedule - especially since having the girls - it makes me feel more productive if I am able to keep my schedule. I seem to get more done. But there are times that a change in schedule actually help me be more productive. Like today. Kevin was supposed to be at school to help with some board-something-or-other and we were going to pick him up on our way out of town after picking Kinsley up from school. I was planning on having him drop me off a few miles out from my parents' and running in to get my run in for the day. But when he got there they told him that they didn't need him afterall and if he wanted to go home he could. So Dagny and I dropped Kinsley off at school and went to the law school and picked Kevin up. I was able to get my run in while Kinsley was at school and still get everything packed up that we needed because he was there to help with Dags. It was so nice to have it out of the way and be done for the day before we even left for Portland. I would have been happy running in to Yaya and Papa's, but this let me have even more time to visit. And my morning felt extra productive. Good schedule change.

thankful#128: dagny's vocabulary

It makes me smile. She is communicating more and more and is so proud each time we understand something new that she is trying to convey. Sure, a lot of her words sound the same since many of them are only the first sound of the word, but the distinction comes in context.

At 17 months, she now says:

Mama & Mommy
Dada & Daddy
Kiki
Dagny = "Daggy"
Yaya
Papa
Baba
Gramma & Grandma Billie are both "Bee Ah Yee"
Boo Boo
Althea (our neighbor friend) is "Ah Tee"
if we point out a lot of people quickly in pictures, she will respond with "pbetah pbetah pbetah"

hi
bye bye
swing = "swee swee" and she will sway her head back and forth
rock (as in on a rocking horse) = "rah rah"
um ... often drawn out as "ummmmmmmmmmmm" as though she's really got to think about it
yeah ... often drawn out to "yeeeeeeeeeee ah"
"no", typically "no no no no no"
more = "mo" and she will do the sign for "more"
help = "ep" and she will do the sign for "help"
"up" and she will point up
mine = "my ee"
Owie is "ah ee"
"Bah" is either bonk (as in she bonked her head or other body part) or ball
"boo" is balloon or boot depending on context
book = "boo" (different than above - makes the sound of book without the k)
bike = "bi"
binkie
hair bow = "ah boh"
cheese (for pictures) = "geeee"
eye
nose = "no" pointing to nose
mouth = "maw"
hug = "ug"
"eat"
if she wants her shoes on or a doll's shoes on, she'll point to her feet and say "beet"
Back (as she's walking backwards) = "ba ba ba ba"
Bath is also "ba", but she will point to the bathroom
"poo" as she grabs her diaper means that she wants her diaper changed, though not necessarily a poop
potty
"aaaaaaah boo" means she's about to jump off of something ... !?
"ha" or "ah" = here ... as in "ah, mama" as she hands me something
kitty
dog = "oof oof"
baby


apple = "ahpoh"
banana = "bee" while pointing to where the bananas are
orange = "oh" or "oo" while pointing to where the oranges are
peanut butter = "pee bee"

She knows sign language for "please", "thank you", "i'm sorry", "more", "help", and "up".

I am sure I am forgetting something and she definitely understands an amazingly large amount more than she can say. My favorites are her little combinations, though. Topping the list is "mama? mo pee bee?" I can hardly stand the cuteness when she says it.

thankful#127: kinsley's kick-ass immune system

Last night Kinsley started acting a little under the weather. Not sick, but just not as energetic as she normally is. She had a tiny bit of a cough - it almost had a hint of the barkiness of croup, but it was also productive and it was very infrequent. The only thing that Kinsley said about not feeling well was that her belly was really warm. I took her temperature and she had a fever of around 101.5 - but still not ACTING like she didn't feel well other than being calmer than normal. Overnight was a little bit rougher, though. She woke up crying because she couldn't get comfortable - she was too hot and she was coughing more frequently. When I took her temperature around 2 in the morning it was up to 103. I finally got her comfortable and I slept the rest of the night with her. She slept in until 8:30, which is unheard of for her. When she did wake up she was still a little slow moving, but much better than during the night and her temperature was down to 100. We obviously kept her home from school and told her we were going to have a lazy, restful day. We read tons of books, watched Madagascar 2 while Dagny napped, and just took it easy. By midday she had taken a 180 degree turn for the better. Her temperature was around 99 and she was playful and happy and energetic again. She still has a hint of a cough, but it is almost unnoticeable.

I have no idea what she has/had, but she kicked it's ass. She has always been so great at fighting bugs off and I'm so thankful for that. I know some kids who struggle with bug after bug and it wipes them out for days at a time each time. Kinsley has had a handful of colds that have never lasted more than a couple of days and she's had what I know was definitely croup twice - and she fought that off in a day. Her immune system is so strong and she has had no problem combating what's come her way so far. It's still scary when she gets a fever or cough because we don't know what's caused it and we just don't know if this will be the one that puts her on her booty, but so far ... her kick-ass immune system has kicked into gear when she's needed it.

thankful#126: clean, warm sheets

I got a break in our day and was able to get a couple of loads of laundry done today. The girls helped - they picked up any stray dirties that they found in their room, got them to the basket, helped me load the washer, put the money in, and pushed the buttons. I love that they want to be involved. When it was time to transfer stuff to the dryer, they were right there again - taking one item at a time from the washer to the dryer. Luckily, there was no one waiting and we were able to take our time!

I wasn't able to get all of the laundry folded before we had to leave for Kinsley's evening swim class, but when we got back everything was still warm. I put the sheets on all of the beds, got the girls in their jammies, and they are now tucked into their nice clean, warm beds. It was extra nice because Kinsley is feeling a little under the weather - I think she's about to kick some croup booty - so she got some comfy sheets to snuggle into.

thankful#125: this beautiful day

oh.my.word. Today was SO beautiful. We spent nearly the entire day outside just enjoying it and soaking as much of it up as we possibly could. The only time we were inside was to make and eat some lunch and hang out with Taya and Baby Isaac for a little bit before heading back out. We literally spent HOURS outside. When Kevin got home I went for my run ... in shorts and a t-shirt.

The forecast is calling for rain the next few days so this was even more welcomed. I am so ready for this weather to be the norm again.

thankful#124: a good progress check today

I was hoping to get a good idea of where I'm at with my fitness today in the medical fund run. My plan was to go out as hard as I could and just see how long I could hold it - not exactly a smart race tactic, but it was merely to see exactly where I'm at right now in my training. I probably could have gone out harder than I did, but I'm glad I didn't because I'm not sure it would have been pretty. It was a beautiful day, but there was definitely a wind that hit us when we turned off of the first bridge and headed West. There was a small group in front of me that was clearly in way better shape than me, but I was hoping to at least hang on for a bit just to have someone to chase. I was also hoping that if anybody did pass me, I'd be able to hang on enough to keep them in my sights and chase them. The lead group pulled away about the same time the wind hit and I got a couple of mere flashes of them in the next couple of miles - by mile 4 they were nowhere in my sights. There was one guy who passed me around mile 3, but he too took off and wasn't anywhere close enough to chase. So I was on my own. I ran almost the entire 6.2 miles by myself. I'm not sure if I was chasing someone that it would have made much of a difference, but I like to think that with someone in my sights it would have kicked me just a little. I got a sideache right around mile 4 that slowed me down for about a half mile, but I was able to run through it and finish hard. Since I had nobody to chase I told myself that I just didn't want anyone else to pass me - and I was able to do that. I ended up getting a nice PR of about three and a half minutes for my 10k (44:42), so overall I'm happy with the race. I needed 11 miles for the day in my training, so I ran home and added 5 miles on - I was able to keep those miles at a decent pace even though my legs were pretty heavy. It was a good progress check for me and has left me pretty encouraged for the half at the end of April!

thankful#123: medical fund run

I ran in the Drew & Michelle Medical Fund Run 10k this morning - what an amazing fundraiser. Drew and Michelle are a local couple that were vacationing in Mexico when they were involved in a hit and run accident leaving them both in critical condition. Drew works for the sheriff's department and has decent insurance for the both of them, but apparently his coverage ends soon and there is still a long road ahead of them. I don't know the specifics of their injuries, other than Drew had damage to his brain and lost one of his legs and Michelle also has to relearn how to walk. Drew just started speaking again slowly about a month ago and does occupational and physical therapy for 3 hours each day. Michelle was hoping to make an appearance at the race today, but came down with a sudden illness this week caused by scar tissue in her abdomen from the accident. Drew, however, was there and it was incredible. He participated in his wheel chair in the 5k with a group of what I'm guessing were his family and close friends. When they got within about 20 or 30 feet of the finish line, Drew stood from his wheel chair, grabbed tight onto a walker, and with the support of the family and friends that were with him he walked to and across the finish line. The entire crowd gathered along the sidelines cheering him on. It was apparent by the look on his face that it was quite a feat for him and that it was taking everything he had to do it, but you could also sense that he was humbled by the outpouring of support. It was really an emotional moment. I was getting choked up and I had never even met him and I saw the same sentiment on many of the faces of the people there. It was yet another example of the amazing way that people band together to show support when hard times hit. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of this event today. They are an inspiring couple.

thankful#122: next door friends for the girls

I'm am so thankful to have so many friends for the girls so close in proximity. Althea has been so great for Kinsley - she's just a little bit older so Kinsley can't be TOO bossy (even thought she still tries), but she's close enough in age that they still enjoy playing together. And Dagny and Leotine are starting to enjoy each other's company as well, which couldn't be much cuter. Toddlers sitting on the steps, eating apples and string cheese, and giggling as they look at each other and bounce up and down ... might be one of my favorite images. We are so lucky to be where we're at and to have such sweet girls for our girls to call friends.