Running Buddies

I love to run.  Actually I love what running does for my body.  And now that I am no longer a spring chicken I am realizing how important running is for my mental health.  Running makes me happy.  Happier when I get to run with my two favorite running buddies.  C and K are fast, really fast.  On shorter runs (less than 4 miles) they can kick my booty.  I don't let them do much more than 4 miles right now, it can't be good for their growing bodies, right?

When we run together I have started taking selfies of us.  These aren't the prettiest pictures, but I love looking at them.  C and K are such troopers.  If I suggest a detour that might add another mile to our route or some significant elevation they are almost always up for it.

Here are the latest selfies from our runs.  All of these are recent, and so, so sad because in two of them I am wearing my headband to keep my ears warm--in June!

Here C and I went out for a nice little 5 miler in the neighborhood.  When I run with him, it is like running with an alpha-dog.  No matter how painful it is for the dog, or how tired, or how thirsty he is, he will still strain to be at the very, very end of the leash.  That is C, he has to be in the lead, by about 30 yards no matter how much it hurts.

We discovered an awesome trail in Moore Park.  It is a trail run, so it is a little more technical than we are used to and the single track is fun.  Big elevation gains on this one, but coming down is soooo fun.

 

 

A couple days later we returned in the evening for another round on our new favorite trail.  Cold enough for a headband and sweatshirts.  C was killing himself to maintain the lead, and K was killing himself to try to claim the lead.  As a result of all this competition I was killing myself just to keep them in my sight...  So we had to play follow the leader.  Every time a new song came on we had to switch leaders and run at the leader's comfortable pace.  It was so much more fun for all of us.  Even the boys admitted that they liked it better without the pressure.

 

 

 

Lucky me, my running buddies are also my biking buddies.  We are fortunate to live in a town small enough that we can bike just about anywhere.  When the weather is warm and we have enough time all of us prefer two wheels to four.  Here is a shot from this week.  I had to go in to work, but we had time to ride.  On our return trip we tried to find a couple geocaches...we were unsuccessful this time.  The girls had no patience for geocaching...

 



Happy Birthday A

I can't believe it has been 3 years since we were on the beach in Mississippi waiting and waiting for Miss. A to arrive.  A is 3!!!  And she is amazing--hilarious, fabulous, so much fun.  I could go on, and on.  I usually do, anybody who has to listen to me marvel about A would certainly agree.  To those people who have to endure my endless adoration of A, I am sorry.  I truly can not help myself.  She is the most incredible package of girliness, glitter, sweetness, confidence, bossiness, competitiveness, compassion, and hilarious fun that I have ever encountered.  Oh, did I mention that I am a bit biased...

So she turned 3 on Tuesday.  We kicked off the birthday with...ladybugs and praying manti (sses???).  Johan had to work so the presents had to wait for the evening.  A loves critters.  Now that the weather is warm and butterflies, beetles, and spiders are about, she can usually be found in the yard with a net catching something.  She can catch butterflies like nobodies business.  She usually has one in her hand and 7-8 in the butterfly house.  She will enthusiastically remark, "Aw, this one is so cute!  Look he likes me!"  I don't think they like her... just guessing... probably the giant with the net who is going to cup you in her sweaty palm isn't  so much a friend.  But I digress.  I gave A a container filled with 1500+ ladybugs to release in our garden and one with two praying mantiss eggs.  She and the boys were in their glory!

All three of them had the ladybugs crawling all over their arms and legs.  I was a little creep-ed out by the quantity.  A few ladybugs are cute, but hundreds of them all moving about on your children was a little bit yucky for me.

Here is A opening up the ladybugs.  She was pretty excited.  Unfortunately, she was just a little off all day.  Pretty enthusiastic, but just not herself.  I was suspecting that she was starting to get sick.  Cut to tonight...I just returned from a late night run to Freddies for cough medicine.  Yep, she was on the verge all week.  She has a cough and plenty of congestion now.

Here are the boys, with feng shui bed head.  C must have slept on his right, K on his left.  Judge away, I should have had them brush their hair.  But we were so excited to set the ladybugs free.

Some of the less fortunate ladybugs were transferred from their container into our butterfly house.  This is hands down the best toy purchase ever!  This may be our third one, but the kids all love this thing.  When the temperatures finally climb past 50 degrees they always have something captured in here.  On this day there was a dead butterfly in it when the ladybugs appeared.  We learned that ladybugs like dead butterfly.  Thus a good discussion about why ladybugs are good for your garden.

Oma and Opa sent balloons and a stuffed animal.

Later we had dinner and cake at my moms.  She made A a yummy strawberry cake, similar to the one we made for her in Mississippi when we were waiting for her to make her first appearance.  She missed that cake, but loved this one.

  Here we are the day after the birthday.  My sister got A some fun sparkly outfits for her birthday.  A LOVES sequins, and pink, and purple.  I did not make her that way.  Nature not nurture on the girliness here...  Here she is happily showing off one of her new birthday outfits.

Johan's sister sent A some glitter-glamorous tattoos.  C and K could not wait to put them on her.  Again...in her glory.

Happy Birthday A!!!  You are awesome!