My "baby' turned 3!!

That's right! Evan had a birthday yesterday. My youngest is now 3 years old. It feels a little strange to be so excited that all my kids are getting older and no more are going to be added(unless the Lord tells us to adopt at some point). As the kids get older they get to be more and more fun =) Evan is no different. Oh, wait, he's a lot different! He is the most inquisitive kid we have. Bugs make him stop where he is, even if they're dead. He has to check them out and look them over. He's adventurous, curious, playful and loving. He shares well and is so sweet. We've been diaper free in this house since January and loving it. He knows his colors and can count to 12. And he rids Levi's scooter just as good as Levi. He's a little too coordinated for his own good and that scares me a bit =) He loves books and wrestling with the boys. He's still on the small side(can wear 12 month shorts) but makes up for his size with attitude. He's an awesome kid...and he's mine!

I have Dashed and I have Conquered!

Ok, I know it's been a long time since my last post. And quite a bit has happened. But I'm going to focus on 2 things for now.

In June I ran the Warrior Dash with my brother, Matt. It's a 3 mile run with 8-12 obstacles(I think we had 10). My goal was to do my best, have fun and not kill myself. I finished that run in 50.47 minutes. I was beyond proud of myself. I climbed walls, walked planks suspended over muddy water, ran though hanging tires, crawled under barbed wire and leaped over fire. It was more fun than I expected and such a rush.

Matt and I before the run. Still clean and smelling nice =)

                                                           
                                                              Leaping over fire!

Yes, that is muddy water I'm sludging through while trying not to get caught on the barbed wire above my head.

My sister-in-law, Megan(Matt's wife), was kind enough to snap some photo's of us at the end. This is my finish.  

                             Me and Matt along with one of his buddies, Tanner. We rocked it!

                                     After the run. We're gross and we stink. But we had fun!


So, the very next day Matt talked me into signing up for a run called Conquer the Gauntlet. It's a brand new race put together by folks here in the great state of Oklahoma. The difference between the Dash and the Gauntlet is this...The Gauntlet is a 4 mile run with 30 obstacles. Sounded like a run only crazy people or those with something to prove would sign up for. But I was still on a high from the Dash so I paid my money and locked myself in for the run in August. I ran more in the heat of the day to prep my body for the hot August temps. It was rough and I was not enjoying myself. But I had a goal...To run the Gauntlet in 1 hour and 10 minutes. The day before the run I changed my goal. I just wanted to do my best and have fun. Matt is a faster runner than me so I picked out another chick and stayed with her. Matt ran on ahead as my new friend, Tracy, and I trudged through mud, climbed over cargo nets, tried to climb over some very high walls, attempted to cross monkey bars that were angled, crawled through tunnels that were nasty and about 3 obstacles that included barbed wire. But, I crossed that finish line with a time of 49.45 minutes. I bested myself =) And the weather was AWESOME! It even rained on us. I have bruised legs, sore muscles and a touch of poison ivy and I'm looking forward to next year. I might even run it twice.

                                                                    The before

                                                       Let's get this party started!!

                                      Running through the vat of mud heading for the finish line...

                                                             ....So glad to be done

                                      Our shoes. Believe it or not, mine washed up  pretty good.

                                                                       The after

After all was said and done, I'm proud of myself and looking forward to my next crazy run. What an adventure!

The Run

Last year I ran my first ever organized run. The 2011 St. Patty 5k. I ran with my brother, Andy. I had 2 goals last year. First, to run the entire 3.2 miles without stopping. Second, to do it in 30 minutes or less. Well, I scored on both goals. I ran the entire thing in 27.54. I was beyond proud of myself. So, when it came time to do the run this year I was all excited to beat my time from last year. I didn't take pics from last year so this is Andy and me before this years race...

I did my best. Really, I did. I ran my first mile in 9.2o minutes and my second mile was done in 9.02. However, it was at that point the 24 ounces of water I had consumed prior to the run decided to hit my bladder. I tried to make it to the end but after 4 kids it was not going to happen. And I was not about to wet me pants for the sake of making good time. So, at the 3rd business I located a bathroom and found relief =) I finished the race in 30.20 with a pee break.
If you look closely you can tell Andy is laughing at me for opting to take that pee break. He thinks I should have just kept going. HA! I am too much of a lady to do that. Which is why I will never run a marathon. Next year I will remember to find a restroom BEFORE the run starts. All in all I had a really great time and I'm looking forward to the next one. Warrior Dash 2012, here I come!!

HELLO??

So, it's been a few months. I have a hard time blogging if I feel like I have nothing to say :/ And that's where I am right now. The kids are in school and doing great. We had a fantastic Christmas with both side of the family. My nephew, Judah, had a scare with a form of bacterial meningitis over Christmas but was healed and home in 3 days, PTL! Now it's getting back to life and trying to focus on getting fit before my contract at my gym runs out in March. I won't be going back. Evan would be potty trained if he would just sit on the potty. He tells me when he pees and he goes to another room and closes the door when he needs to poop. I bought him undies for Christmas and he looks so cute in them. I'm hoping he gets the hang of this potty thing so I can stop buying diapers. Ethan will be 8 on the 24th. He turning into a responsible young man. I have to remind myself sometime that he's only 8 because he's so big and smart I treat him like he's 10. Our break was so good I'm now looking forward to the summer. It was nice having the kids home but I know they love school. They all have amazing teachers. So, in a nutshell , that's where we are. Nothing new...just life.