Brennan Bunch

Note to Self

2011-07-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

From Scott's snip snip (if you know what I mean), vacation with a baby, getting our attic finished, and training for a triathlon....I have learned quite a few things lately.

1. Wear glasses when riding my bike unless you want to have bugs swimming in your tear ducts for hours after the ride only to resurface the next morning. GROSS!

2. I not only learned to spell Vasectomy, I found out that you should not have your husband go through that procedure when you have a child that cannot walk since you will be the one who can lift him for three days. I applaud all single moms all the time.

3. Also, do not plan your vacation the week of a procedure that keeps your husband from helping you load the car for vacation. I tackled and won the battle of putting the shell and huge monster black suitcase on the roof of the car all by myself while the framers working on my attic had a break and watched me.

4. There is something to be said for children who like to eat sand at the beach and stay far away from the water. Dane (who puts everything in his mouth except sand apparently) crawled like a mad man toward the ocean with no abandon. No fear!

5. You know you are a carpenter's daughter when you see light coming into your family room (compliments of the contractor who thought it was a pocket to run plumbing) and water dripping into your bathroom from the framers hitting a pipe and don't freak out. I'm not happy but I know these things happen unfortunately.

6. Wonderful greasy goodness (John's dolphin boats in Kitty Hawk) are an annual splurge and could send my three kids to college. Wow that was expensive!

7. Keeping up with training while on vacation can be hampered when running in smoke and humidity. It just so happened that the wind would shift each morning I ran to bring the smoke to the beach. It would conveniently go away after the run.

8. Scott is hilarious on Valium...glassy eyed and laid back marveling at his final progeny.

9. When I thought about the attic, I thought Dane's naps would be interrupted. Instead I found out his can sleep through anything except his sisters' voices.

10. Will there be any 86 year olds at the tri on Sunday to beat me in the swim. Probably....

3 Things Thursday

2011-06-23T22:09:00.000-04:00

After a long hiatus, I must just pick up and run with it. Scott has taken over the computer at night while he took a five week class. He finished on Sunday, so now I'm back but very behind.

1. The difference of a year...

Here I am at Tate's recital last year at around this time.

And here I am at this year's recital.

And here is a little man who I have cuddled and squeezed every day in between!

2. With my big break in blogging, I need to mention the awesome trip to Atlanta that my mom and I took with the girls. We went during the girls' track out from school. We took them to the American Girl Doll Store where their dolls got their hair done and ears pierced. Now when can I sign up for that? We also went to the Atlanta aquarium which was awesome! We capped it off by watching the wedding of all weddings...Prince Will and Catherine of course. Fun!

3. I love to garden but don't have tons of time for it right now. Here are some highlights from before the heat hit and everything started to shrivel.

Here is our garden the day we planted it...squash, sunflowers, banana peppers, red bell pepper, tomatoes. I'll show you a new picture of it soon but we still have no fruit. Hmmmm....

Did you say TORNADO?

2011-04-20T11:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, I knew storms were brewing for last Saturday. The weatherman had told me that all week.

Yes, I felt like I would be blown away Saturday morning watching the girls play soccer. They each got a goal by the way! Woohoo!

Yes, I forgot to watch the news while I made my appetizer for the happy hour at Laura's we were going to Saturday night.

So yes, I was unprepared for the beeping on the radio as me and the kids headed home on Holly Springs Road after P had been at a birthday party.

If I had watched the weather, I would have known that the storm was expected to hit at 3:30, but instead the nice mechanical voice on the radio told me....a tornado had touched down in Sanford and Holly Springs residents needed to take cover.

T freaked and wanted to know what we were going to do. I stayed calm and said, "We are going home," since we were less than a mile away. It was raining hard, but I did not feel in danger.

We got home and I immediately turned on the TV...satellite already out. Outside it was pouring rain and very windy. It was progressively getting darker. It was time to get into the half bathroom. Dane was in my arms talking up a storm. T was shaking and curled up on the seat of the toilet. She kept asking me what would happen...what would be do. P was quite stoic (surprisingly because she is the one that asks if we are near that place when bad storms or tornadoes are talked about on the news.) She told me she would outrun the tornado if the roof came off. She was glad Dane was wearing his helmet.

I was OK until the pinecones and branches started hitting the windows and sounding like bombs exploding. That along with the thunder and lightning made me question my calmness for a few minutes at the height of the storm. The electricity went out and it was pitch black in the bathroom. You would know that happened as I ventured to the stairs where T's baby and P's blanket (their security loves) were at. I could tell it was close by. Outside looked foggy and black and a confetti of leaves plastered all the windows. By the way, Scott was at work!

Finally, the thunder and lightning started to sound further away and in a matter of minutes the rain let up. The yard was littered with branches but no trees.

Here are a few shots from my drive to church the next morning:

After talking with neighbors outside and hearing one sided cell phone conversations, we found out a tornado had come down Holly Springs Road (the one I was on when I heard the warning) and done a lot of damage. Only streets away, roofs were off, trees were down, power lines were snapped. It took Scott an hour and fifteen minutes to come 11 miles home. He was sure we would not have power for days.

That night we did go to Laura's for a camp light happy hour. It was fun and luckily the lack of light meant my neighbors and friends did not get to see that I had yet to have the shower I meant to get before the party.

Power was off Saturday for about nine hours, Sunday for four or five, and Sunday it was off and on four or five times. Tuesday I finally ventured to the store to replenish the fridge since we lost a lot.

The girls did not have school on Monday since the school did not have power.

We are safe and so lucky! I am so thankful...and now I can no longer tell P that we don't get tornadoes.

On a different note....Dane is nine months today! Slow down will ya Father Time!

Field Day Friday

2011-04-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

Colored tongues are in style at the snow cone station.

You can't catch me!

Go soccer girl!

The sack is as big as she is...ha!

More colored tongues in the making!

Hand ball!--she was supposed to do that actually.

This plastic egg has nothing on me!

You never get too old for the good old parachute!

Week of Crapola You Have Been Ordered to Cease! The Hi Days are Taking Over!

2011-03-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

Last Friday LOW: Tate does end up with conjunctivitis after fighting a cold all week.

Saturday HIGH: Run seven miles and Paige gets another goal at her game equally four for the season.

Sunday LOW: Sniffles invade. My voice is off. The first sign...

Monday HIGH: Swam race distance at gym with minimal breaks. Watch out White Lake

Tuesday LOW: Learned that NC ranks high in strawberry production while helping Tate with her project way too late in the afternoon. Paige home with strep for the third time this year.

WEDNESDAY WILL BE A HIGH AND THE CYCLE WILL BE BROKEN: Volunteer luncheon at school, a treadmill run if it rains, prep for painting must start, with zicam and lots of water I will ROCK the Cherry Blossom 10-miler on Sunday!

New looks and interviews

2011-03-17T12:01:00.000-04:00

There are some new looks in the house these days. Dane got his helmet two weeks ago and is doing great. It may not seem like much but this week the measurements show an improvement of 3mm on the diagonals. Here is the big reveal...

Six more weeks to go and then we will hopefully be done and get to smooch that cute head of his. When we take it off at night for an hour, he spends about thirty minutes scratching his head. Scott says he is getting the circulation moving. He immediately became a belly sleeper once he got it.

Tate and Paige are two weeks into the soccer season and they both have winning records so far! Go Fury and Magic! Below you'll see Tate kicking a goal kick. She has a foot on her for sure and now wants to punt the ball every chance she gets.

Paige got a new do last week. Out of the blue last Monday she came home wanting a bob. I went with it and said we would do it the next time we got our hair cut. Well, next time was not soon enough for her. She talked about it every day and then started telling her teachers and friends on a daily basis that she would be getting it done. She would then have to give them excuses when the next day she would come back to school with her long hair. I decided to go ahead and take it since it was the most important thing in her world at that moment. It makes her look older to me.

Excuse the ice cream from the creepy ice cream truck. I'm plotting a way to sever the music cords while he is stopped in front of my house next weekend.

On to the interview....

Yesterday on the way to dance, Tate interviewed Paige. Below is the result of this impromtu exchange that I just thought was cute.

Age: 6
Food: Applesauce
Drink: Kool Aid (Interesting since she has only had it twice in her life)
Plant: Strawberry plant
Night or Day: Day
Sisters: 1
Brothers: 1
Pets: 1
Toy: None (REALLY! Nothing...not even my itouch she lost! Yes, it is lost in the house)

Now I want Paige to interview Tate. I just love the questions they ask. So random.

One running note...

Last Friday I ran 15 miles with Holly. It is the longest I have ever run. It was such a confidence builder and learning experience. I was hydrated, fueled, perfect weather, perfect running buddy, slow pace...overall awesome time. At mile 14 I learned that my body must become stronger before I run a marathon next year. I quads, glutes, lower back, and lower abs gave out on me at mile 14 and I finished with sheer determination. Now I know what needs to be done to get ready. Better now than next year during training.

A numbers game

2011-03-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

10 weeks until my sprint tri and I seem to be avoiding the pool. I love my new bike and running is awesome right now. I must get my gills wet! I really need a new swim suit.

I bet I end up with 8 trips to the grocery store this week. I already have 3 under my belt. I always hit Trader Joe's on the way home from church. Then I did our regular shopping at Super Wal-mart. Tonight during soccer I had to go back to Wal-mart to get a carbon monoxide detector to replace the one that died yesterday just weeks after the 5 year warranty ended. Now we are out of dish soap. Can't go long without that. Does hand soap work the same?

My 9 year old is so cool. Today she fell belly first into the mud while playing soccer on the playground. While many would be embarrassed, she went to the office and got high water pants and a over sized shirt and went about her day. I love that she could care less about stuff like that!

I ran 7 miles on Saturday between Tate and Paige's soccer games. I still prefer any day to run with friends, but I am building my solo self confidence with some long runs lately. I'm running 15 on Friday with H to get out of my head the idea that I can only run 13.1. I'm super excited and hope it goes well.

Dane has had his helmet 6 days and it already stinks. He is doing great with it and has become a belly sleeper. We go back tomorrow for the first check. I'll be able to write a book about the things people say by the time these eight weeks are over.

I pruned 5 crape myrtles over the last week. Crazy how sore my arms are after all that clipping. I'm in need of some weights for sure.

Nothing like seeing 3 guys washing dishes at your sink. Scott and some friends are brewing their latest batch of beer and transferred it yesterday as they get ready to bottle. So funny watching them work and take notes in their handy dandy notebook. The beer is awesome!

2 weeks until Scott's birthday. We saw Seinfeld to celebrate. Hilarious!

T asked me to buy her 1 stick of deodorant. She is growing up!! She brought it down tonight to ask me when she is supposed to put it on. Cute! She was so serious.

0 books I have read in months. I can't get into anything. I need that "it" book to lure me back to the dark side.

My little man's noggin

2011-03-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

Isn't he the cutest thing around? OK, I am biased I know!

You know how you hate telling the same story over and over again? Well, I thought this post could help me alleviate that problem because the next time you see my little man he will have a cranial helmet on to help correct some shape issues with his head.

The short version of the story follows:

At eight weeks I noticed that Dane always fell asleep in his swing with his head tilted to his left shoulder and when he drooled (all the time) it always leaked down his left cheek. A good friend of mine has a daughter who had torticollis when she was younger and I learned so much about it when she was little that I felt pretty confident telling my pediatrician at his two month visit that I thought Dane had torticollis. He did an evaluation and agreed. The scary part is that I don't think the doctor would have noticed anything was wrong unless I pointed it out.

We were referred to a pediatric physical therapist who agreed with the diagnosis. So what is torticollis? Well, in Dane's case he was a big baby in a small mama. His positioning led to a tight neck muscle on one side of his neck. It results in limited range of motion and can cause issues with physical development if not treated. We started physical therapy and Dane responded well to the stretches and exercises. While his torticollis resolved itself rather quickly, the time he spent during his first two months and especially the time at night on the back of his head led to some flattening behind his left ear. When you get flattening in one spot, it causes the opposite area to bulge. No one's head is perfect, but at five and six months we went in for scans of Dane's head to evaluate if he needed a helmet to help correct some of the issues the torticollis caused. Both scans showed him to be pretty borderline on a scale of 1 to 5. We found out his eyes and ears were slightly misaligned which often happens and the diagonals of his head if you look from the top of his head are not equal.

None of these issues were severe. If you saw Dane on the street, you would not notice immediately unless I pointed them out to you. As parents we decided we wanted to give him the best start we could, so we made the decision to get the helmet. He is a boy who will likely have short hair. He may even want to shave his head for some crazy teenage reason and I don't want him to say, "Mom, I can't shave my head because you didn't get me that darn helmet." Also, once he loses the cutest baby chub ever the misalignment of his eyes and ears may be more pronounced and we don't want to wait to find that out.

So, today he got his helmet and over the next five days he will work up to wearing it 23 hours a day. He will likely wear it for 2 to 3 months. I'm hoping he can get it off before it gets super hot. He is handling it like a champ. I'm having the most trouble because I want to kiss his head so bad and the hard plastic is just not the same.

His head will not be perfect. You or I may not even notice much of a change, but the changes will happen and we will know we did the best for Dane.

So, hopefully sharing this will you will keep me from having to tell the story one million times. Now when you see Dane you can tell him how cool he looks with his soccer ball helmet. I don't have any pictures to share yet, but they will be coming soon!

ABC's of Me

2011-02-27T22:41:00.000-05:00

(A) Age: 35

(B) Bed Size: King
(C) Chore You Hate: Grocery shopping. I used to look forward to it and actually think of it as me time, but now it just takes too much time and I come home with the same old boring stuff.

(D) Dogs?: We have lost our two labs in the past year and a half :( Everyday P asked when we can get another dog but I need a little more time before jumping off that cliff.
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: COFFEE but I have to have my creamer for it to be perfect!
(F) Favorite Color: Red
(G) Gold or Silver? Gold

(H) Height: 5'4.5"
(I) Instruments You Play: Took piano lessons when I was younger but had a horrible teacher so I still don't know how to play the right way.
(J) Job Title: Full-time mama and substitute librarian/teacher. High school English teacher and librarian in my former life.
(K) Kids: T, 9.5--P, 6.5--, Little Man, 7 months
(L) Live: NC my entire life!
(M) Mom's Name: Brenda
(N) Nicknames: Carmalina

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? only with my babies
(P) Pet Peeve: People who are late....my time is just as valuable as yours.
(Q) Quote from a Movie: I got nothing!
(R) Right or Left Handed? Righty.

(S) Siblings: Younger brother
(T) Time You Wake Up? 6:30 to get everyone off to school.
(U) Underwear: No frills VS
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: I can't think of a one. I don't like cooked spinach alone.

(W) What Makes You Run Late: A seven month old tries sometimes or the infamous car seat that has to be reinstalled from switching cars but most of the time I still have time to spare.
(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: Only at the dentist

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Granny Annie's pound cake

(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Zebras and for sure!

Myrtle Beach Half Recap

2011-02-24T22:40:00.000-05:00

Here I am at the expo. I LOVE being with runners! Only my kids, husband, friends, ice cream and a race can get a smile like this out of me.

We headed down to Myrtle Beach last friday morning...me and the other members of what we have called the six-pack this training session.

Isn't it awesome having friends that run! We did all but one of our long runs together. I only listened to music on that one solo run. The rest of the runs were spent talking with these great women. I don't get a lot of nights out with friends with a seven month old at home, so my Saturday morning runs have been awesome.

Back to the race...we settled into the cottage we rented for the weekend, went to the expo and grocery store, and then had a wonderful pasta dinner. I was under the covers earlier than usual with all my gear laid out. We got up at 4am. I ate my usual pre-run breakfast of english muffin and PB and some water. We were out the door at 5:15 and at the race by 5:45. It was a wonderful 56 degrees when we arrived.

Before I knew it, the race was about to start. There is nothing like the bang of a gun to get your blood flowing. My plan was to run with J's for as long as she wanted. It was her first half and her birthday. She was so excited and kept me calm in a way since I had run beside her for so many long runs.

Miles 1-3 went by so fast. We were hanging around a 10:12 pace. Coats were off to H's mom at mile 3 and we were in tanks. The weather was amazing and the bacon at Shoney's smelled scrumptious. This is were I first saw the man running with a Krispy Kreme box..not the smaller rectangular box but the flat big box. Took some coordination. I saw him at the end and mentioned the box, and he said they were warm when he first got them. No gu for this man...pure Krispy Kreme.

Miles 4-7 were nice. These are always my favorite miles. My body is warmed up and not tired yet. We talked and people watched. I saw a girl dressed as a sun, a guy with a hot dog hat, a blind runner with his guide (so inspiring), an angry woman who told her friend she thought it was horrible that people were eating outside when she couldn't. Lady it was the beach strip and not everyone was running a race that day. There were lots of older runners with huge groups of supporters on the sidewalk cheering them on. I want to be that runner at 65.

Miles 8 and 9 were quiet. We were keeping a faster pace than J expected to do. We hovered right around 10 and she thought she would be closer to 11. At the end of 9, J gave me the go ahead to go faster. I was amazed at the speed I was able to pick up. I stayed between 8 and 9 the rest of the race, including when the HOOTER girls waved the halfers one way the the fulls another. Really...Hooters in lifeguard chairs in the middle of the road. The finishing chute was long but ohhhhh so fun. My last half (OBX) had a horrible ending that weaved its way through neighborhoods to the waterfront. There were so many turns with no sign of the finish. This one was NICE.

Time: 2:13:57

This was not a PR but definitely my most enjoyable race. My goal for this race was so up in the air. I didn't think I could get a PR. I just had a baby and did not train for a PR. I trained to get back to running. So I guess I did achieve my goal. I loved getting my legs back post baby. I just got teased with the PR since I got so much closer than I expected.

Lesson learned: I am stronger than I give myself credit. If I have that much speed at the end of a race, I have not run the pace I should at the beginning. I want to stop being scared that I will hit a wall. I want to be wiped at the finish knowing I have given it everything. I have not done that yet.

Next:

Cherry Blossom 10-miler!

I always go through some post race blues. I'm sad a training cycle is over. It is not that I don't feel satisfied with the run...I am. I just want another. So, I'll race the 10-miler with a wonderful neighbor and friend, Amy W. who just ran her first marathon. I can't wait to learn from her for my first next March. After the 10-miler, I'm on to my Sprint Tri. I pick up my bike tomorrow! Yeah!

Say it ain't so!

2011-02-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

Where is this girl? Sick with a cold that is where!

Yes, a HEAD COLD has hit....not a blister, black toenail, or broken ipod...all things I could deal with....a H--E--A--D Cold a week before my half marathon. OK, I've complained to my kids and husband all weekend about it and now I have to deal. Scott did run out and get me Zicam to supposedly cut the length of a cold in half. I've never used it, so even if it is a load of bolgna I'm going to try for the placebo effect and pray that it works.

Here I am after my first half! Yes, I climbed that bridge behind me at mile 12. I'm channeling that healthy girl.

So what do I do this week to try my best to be ready for Saturday and that 13.1 miles? Do I rest? Do I do my two short runs? What is the protocol when you are sick the week of the race? I just don't want to make it worse.

Other than running....

Saturday Scott and I went to see Jerry Seinfeld. It was a combo Valentine's--Scott's Bday gift. He is hilarious. We saw him two years ago (by the way I had a cold then too) and Scott jumped at the chance to see him again. It was crazy to see people coming in late and leaving early. He was only on for a little over an hour and tickets weren't cheap. Oh well, I need to worry about me and we had a ball.

Today is Valentine's Day, so I put notes in the girls' lunch boxes with marshmallow hearts. I have chocolate X 0's for when they get home. Scott gave me a box of chocolate covered cheeries...may absolute favorite and a high priced cheesy foily card. I refuse to buy those cards, so I'll be creating one of my own today with a list of why I love him. Hopefully Little Man will nap so that can happen. Have a great heart day!

The End of Track Out is Near!

2011-02-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

The girls have been tracked out for since the last week of January and go back to school on Monday. We usually try to spice up track out with some kind of trip even if it is just a weekend, but this time we have not a thing. It is bound to happen sometimes. Last week was quite boring, but this week has been much busier.

First a picture of my cutie!

Yes, his eyes are closed but isn't this the greatest! Just to be clear, Scott put him in the pink car. This was P's car and I didn't think he needed anything like this yet. She got it when she was a year old and he is already past her size at a year and he is only six months. As my grandfather says, "He's a real boy!" Ha!

Monday, we got to reconnect with the Saps and Tonnys...awesome family friends. The kids put on a play that was adorable even though it involved being dropped down a well and getting mouth to mouth with a kitchen funnel. Hilarious!

Tuesday, the girls took a cake decorating class. We are huge fans of the Food Network here and my kids would just as much like to watch the Challenge shows as a carton. Here are some pics from the class.

They did a great job and those cakes were yummy! T rescued her picnic bear from the top of hers and it is on a plate in the kitchen. How long do I have to keep it?

Interesting enough, the bike shop is right across the street from the cooking place, so I took the chance and ordered my road bike. It is done. I'll have it Monday! Yikes!

Wednesday, we got to hang out with my nephew. He is talking so much! It was so nice to catch up with my SIL and see the cousins play. I hate that we don't see them more, but we have put dinner on the calendar already so it won't be long. After some quick playdates and dancing for Tate, Wednesday was nearly over. T asked if her BFF could come over to watch a movie. Luckily I found Secretariat at the Red Box. It was great! I loved it!

Today we have more playdates planned and dancing again. Soccer starts this weekend as well as my last long run before the half marathon next weekend. I need to savor the last days of track out because it looks like the spring is going to be a mad dash. There is snow on the ground this morning. I hope it is the last of the season.

What a Weekend!

2011-02-01T21:27:00.000-05:00

I know it is Tuesday but I had a great weekend and wanted to countdown the greatness of it all in no particular order.

1. Ran 11 miles on Saturday for our last long run before the Myrtle Beach half in three weeks. The course clearly not flat, so I definitely feel prepared. The hard part will be fighting the taper madness. I used to be a three day a week runner, but now I'm stuck on four. I need it more.

2. Lion King with my mom. IT WAS AMAZING! Her birthday is the day after Christmas, so for the last couple of years I have taken her to a show to celebrate once the madness of the holidays ends.

3. Tilapia with mango salsa for dinner before the show without kids. Yummy and I tasted every bite.

4. Got to run most of Amy's last 20 miler with her before her first marathon. She has trained solo most of the time which is a huge mental and physical accomplishment in my book. I am in awe of her and can't wait to hear her marathon recap.

5. A beautiful 67 degree day on Sunday after months of frigid cold weather. I love the "treats" North Carolina gives us every now and then. I got a 3 mile recovery run in with my new neighbor who also runs and I got to wear short sleeves and capris.

6. Getting fitted for a road bike! Now I get to decide which one to buy in a few weeks. They all felt light as a feather after riding my hybrid for so long.

7. Buying a $3 Snickers at the show. I am a cheapskate, so actually allowing myself to purchase such an outrageously priced treat shows what a good mood I was in that night.

8. Purging the attic and girls' clothes with trips to Goodwill and the dump! I seem to do my spring cleaning in January.

9. Scott being off the whole week and weekend since the girls were tracked out.

10. Not catching the cold (YET!) that all three kids have had since early last week.

This week is pretty uneventful. I am subbing tomorrow at Enloe and running 9 alone on Friday. I have not done a long run alone this whole training cycle, but I think it will be good for me. On race day, I will likely be alone. My group has different goals. I still don't have a clear goal. This is my first race since having baby D. I really don't think I can PR but a itty bitty part of me wants to try. The course is pancake flat. I think I need to run my best and if I feel it that day give it my all. I can always slow down....right?

I Never Win Anything!

2011-01-27T22:48:00.000-05:00

I always pick the wrong line at the grocery store. I never even get upset anymore. I dig in my heels and read the trash magazines while I wait for the inevitable person in front of me to ask for a price check or start counting their pennies or goodness...who actually writes checks anymore?

But last week this all changed. I won a blog award. I started a blog initially as an online diary of sorts for my girls. Then I told family about it and writing the blog gave me a chance to connect with them and tell family stories so they could experience everyday life with us. Now I have discovered a whole new community of runners whose blogs teach me something everyday about running and balancing this passion of mine with life. I have had the best time meeting new people who love running as much as I do.

Amanda @ 5 Miles Past Empty is an inspiring athlete and a terrific cheerleader. I look forward to reading her blog each day and can't wait to meet her in May at the White Lake Triathlon. I'm doing the sprint and she is doing the Half Ironman. Thanks Amanda for making me feel super special with this award.

Here's the deal for accepting this award:

1. Make a post and link back to the person who tagged you with the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award to 7 great bloggers.

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

OK, here it goes....

My friends and family are likely to know all this stuff but here are some tidbits about me so all the new friends I've made can get to know me a little better.

1. I met my husband when I was 22 while working at Bed Bath & Beyond the summer before my first teaching job started. Now we have been married nearly 12 years and have 3 beautiful children...2 girls and a bouncing baby boy who joined us in July. Our family is now complete!

My mom and the whole family

2. I absolutely positively LOVE ice cream. My current favorite is Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar. I buy it each week just for me and try to make it last two nights. I think about it at least five nights during the day before I get to sit down and dive into that yummy goodness after the kids go to bed. I could live without any other food or drink but taking away ice cream would send me into a depression.

3. My happy place is the beach...Kitty Hawk, NC to be specific. My family has a cottage there and has for my entire life. I feel at home there unlike any other place. The smell of the ocean and grit of the sand between my toes makes my heart beat at its happiest pace. My memories there are the most vivid memories I have...the best milkshakes are there, one of biggest crushes happened there in middle school, need I go on. I ran the OBX half there and found it serene to run the streets I have driven my entire life.

4. I was named after a hurricane. Everyone always wonders how a girl from small town NC got the name Carmen. I was born with a head of black hair that my mom said did not fit the LeAnne she had picked out, so they went with Carmen instead which had "blown" through the Outer Banks that year.

5. My grandfather turns 89 next week! He is my family's ROCK and I love him bunches. I am so lucky to have experienced the love of all of my grandparents and my great grandmothers during my life. Roscoe or Granddaddy as I call him has always been my cheerleader, advisor, and the spunkiest ladies man I know.

6. I am a librarian. I have spent the last three years working part-time in a magnet high school. I love it but am enjoying my time at home soaking in the babyhood of D, my six month old, and being at home in the morning to see T and P start their days. I'll get back to it in a few years. A good book is as addicting to me as a good run but right now I feel like I have hit a dry spell for reading. I need a good book to sink my teeth into.

7. I love running. It makes me a better me. It challenges me and makes me feel strong physically and mentally. I have the most supportive family. My husband works late on Saturdays (he is in retail) so that I can do my long runs in the morning with my running buds. My girls have now each done races and always ask me how far I'm going rather than why I have to go. I am so thankful that they see how happy it makes me and don't see it as something that pulls me away from them.

T after finishing her first duathlon

There you have it...a few things about me! I am going to open the door and tag anyone who reads my blog to share tidbits that make them the person they are today or the person they want to be. Thanks again Amanda!

Eat--Sleep--Be a Merry Mom/Runner

2011-01-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

Did someone say eat?

Mom
The girls tracked out this week for their three week break. We aren't traveling anywhere this time so I tried to come up with some cool things for them to do. One of those things was letting them each pick something to make from scratch in the kitchen with minimal help from me. Today was P's day. She uses my iTouch all the time and likes to play cakedoodle where you "bake" and design a cake. She decided she wanted to bake a strawberry cake and use the recipe from cakedoodle. I was hesitant because I thought the recipe was fake and that the cake would be a bust but it did seem to have all the key ingredients. She did everything from using the mixer, cracking the eggs, cutting the strawberries (this was the only part that made me nervous). She iced it after dinner and I have to say it was really good. I always make birthday cakes for the girls and go to town decorating them to suit their fancy but this was the first time I have made a cake from scratch. I make a mean pound cake but I usually use good old Betty Crocker for birthday cakes. I guess I still haven't made one since P did all the work. It was fun, and she was so proud of herself.

Runner
The eating piece of running is hard to figure out. Since I am pretty thin to start with, I have to be careful about getting the right calories for energy sake and to maintain weight. Today I ran 5 after lunch, so I could beat the rain I thought was coming. I decided to eat my usual peanut butter english muffin that I have before a morning run since I needed to eat and head out the door pretty quickly. In the morning it doesn't bother me, but today it felt blah in my belly the whole run. I did it, but it is so weird how a successful run is a big balancing game between eating, time, hydration, mindset. Since I have decided to do a marathon in March 2012 (is it silly to be excited with it so far away?), I want to spend some time learning more about balancing the nutritional aspects of running. I guess it is time for this librarian to hit the books and learn some stuff

Is sleep that important?

Mom
D turned six months last week. I cannot believe it! I took him for his check up today and he is 18 pounds 10 ounces. P and T were only 16+ pounds at a year old. He is a big baby for our bunch. Weight obviously does not translate to sleep for him. He does not nap much during the day but goes down nicely right at 8 each night. That would be OK, but he has been getting up around 4 almost every morning. It is killing us. We give him a bottle because we don't know what else to do, but he doesn't finish it. Luckily, it does put him back to sleep. You would think I would have this down pat by number 3, but I asked the doc for advice today. He said let him cry it out. Basically we are reinforcing his crying by coming to get him. He doesn't need to eat to make it through the night. I guess I just needed the go ahead that it was time to let him cry it out. We'll see how it goes tonight. At least the girls are tracked out if he wakes them up.

Runner
I know sleep is important, but I don't think I have experienced any ill effects from my lack of sleep. I guess when my nights are interruption free and I am able to run like the wind I'll realize how important sleep is to this sport. I have yet to have any sleep problems the night before a race. My upcoming race is a girls' weekend in Myrtle Beach. I'll have to see how I balance the fun with the race. Six of us are running the half so we should all be on the same page.

Be Merry!

Mom
S and I take turns having dates with the girls. It is my turn to go out with P. I am going to ask her tomorrow if we should paint pottery or see a movie. I love our time together. It is so fun to be with them alone. Without the other sister there to interrupt, each of them has a chance to really share tons of stuff that S and I share with each other afterwards.

Runner
I signed up for the White Lake Sprint Triathlon a few days ago. It is on May 15th! I am very excited to do another tri. I did one in June 2009 before getting prego. I have never felt as fit as I did after training for that tri. It is also the only race I have ever trained for alone. There is a lot to be said for motivating and accomplishing something solely for yourself. I look forward to facing the challenge again. My only fear is that the swim is a lot longer than the other sprint and this one is in open water rather than a pool. Yikes!

Freaky Friday

2011-01-21T13:56:00.000-05:00

My six month thinks the vaccuum is alive....he smiles at it, talks to it, and wants to touch it whenever it is out. I cannot blame him really. It makes loud screeching noises and moves just like his sisters. He is making googley eyes at it right now. I think he wants to marry her.

Why do photographers talk real loud to kids and shake toys inches away from their face. Put yourself in the kid's place. People...kids can see just fine and hear too...they are not senior citizens. Thank goodness D humored this poor young girl and we now have six month pictures. I am determined not to fall into the trap of having the third child who doesn't have any pictures. Everyone tells me the third falls through the crack with no baby book or pictures. I have taken it as a challenge.

I got a runner's high today without running. I bought a new outfit for my half in February, shot bloks, a magnet and sticker for the car. Now can it only be in the 50s rather than the 20s tomorrow for my run....no such luck I bet.

The diaper I just changed could have been in the guiness book of world records if I had the right people here to document it. D is in new clothes. I sacraficed a onesie because there was no saving it and I just gave him a bath with almost an entire box of wipes. Should have just took him to the tub but I was scared about what might fall as we got there. Need I say more?

What is bound to happen next? I shudder to find out.

I'm so in love with my kids today!

2011-01-20T14:07:00.000-05:00

I love them everyday, but you know how some days are more mushy and sappy than others. Today is one of those days.

Today is character day in P's kindergarten class. She had to pick a favorite book and be ready to talk about it in front of the class. She also got to dress up as the main character. Therefore, today she is Fancy Nancy. She has been a little anxious about it all week, so I was a little worried...until this morning. I get up at 6:30 and usually get the girls up at 6:45 for school. When I was coming down the hall this morning there was P in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She had already eaten breakfast (SCARY--she had poured her own milk for cereal successfully thank goodness), gotten dressed, brushed her hair and was now brushing teeth. I was surely staring at her in disbelief and she said, "Mommy, I've ready for you to curl by hair like Fancy Nancy and make it pink." She was so excited. I decided to go have lunch with her so I could see how it went, and she did great. The kids were so cute all dressed up. There were fairies, dogs, cats, Superman, but my Fancy Nancy was the cutest!

Today D turns 6 months! Where in the world does the time go? Yesterday I took him on a run with me in the jogging stroller. He normally conks out immediately but he stayed wide awake the whole time. He is getting such personality. For the first mile he just looked at me like he was wondering who in the world this woman was with sunglasses, a ponytail, and ear buds in pushing him. It was funny! He struggled to sit up against the shoulder straps to see what was going on. I guess it is time to take off the infant bar and let him sit facing out so he can see where we are going. I really don't want to because then I can't stare at him. He makes me explode with love every time he smiles and makes a sound.

You know when you worry that you are doing the right things as a parent? Yesterday, I got that pat on the back that I must be doing OK. T came home from school and told me about a girl in her class who forgot her lunch money. The girl was crying and the teacher was consoling her. (Don't worry--they give the kids fruits and veggies for free so no kid starves.) When this has happened to T, she just borrows from P's account since they are siblings but this girl did not have a sibling there. T said, "Mom, I told Abbie I wanted to give her my lunch box and I could buy lunch since I had money." It was so sweet to see that she had empathy for her friend and wanted to help. I asked her why she didn't do that and she said she didn't know if it was OK. I told her that it would have been fine and a very nice thing to do so next time she should try to help if she could. It was like she needed permission to know it was OK to feel that way. I love that she cares so much.

So today they get extra kisses until they start stealing each others stuff and fighting over TV again!

It's Back!

2011-01-15T22:25:00.000-05:00

This week I realized I have a problem! I'm addicted to my Garmin running watch. Last Saturday it went missing after my long run. FYI...I'm training for a half marathon in Myrtle Beach next month. On Sunday Scott asked me where the watch was because he was going out for a run. I was in the shower and told him it was where it always is...our office. He said it was wasn't and left. In my head he had obviously overlooked it because it could not be missing.

It was! I backtracked in my head...searched my car...searched every possible and impossible place in the house. It drove me bonkers! I ran on the treadmill Tuesday because of ice and then Thursday I ran with a friend in the neighborhood. I craved the beep it gives as the miles go by. I even went so far as to unconsciously tap my arm to stop the time when my run was over. I had a clear problem!

I grumbled to Scott...not blaming him but just disappointed that it was gone and picturing the lucky person at the Tobacco Trail who must have found it when it fell out of my car. That was the only thing I could think could have happened because I had looked everywhere. I even bribed the girls to look for me just for a fresh set of eyes.

Saturday rolled around again...no Garmin. I went to pick up Holly, so we could meet our other running friends for a 10 mile run this morning. I told her I still had not found it. She had told me to pray to Saint Anthony earlier in the week. We laughed because I decided it only worked for Catholics, not Methodists. I told her it had consumed me this week and I would have to break down and buy another one that afternoon just so I would stop looking. She bent down to get something in her purse and with eyes a blazing came up with two Garmins in her hand...hers and MINE! I was so so so EXCITED! Out of control excited. She kept apologizing but I could have cared less that she had it. The point was.....she had it!!! Last week she had been sitting in the back of my car. After our run I had put my belt, headband, gloves, and Garmin in the base of little D's car seat. I swore all week that I had not taken it off in the car but obviously I did. Darn memory! She grabbed it thinking it was hers and had been using it all week. Only when she put mine in her purse were the two watches ever together for her to notice.

Thank you Holly for finding it this morning rather than tomorrow. I would have had another one on the way.

And....I have definitely found out I can run without music but I need my Garmin.

Resolutions for 2011

2011-01-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

I haven't always made resolutions, but over the last few years I have made mental notes of things I want to get done in the next year. They are usually silly rather than serious. I seem to go for getting curtains in the family room (didn't happen yet) and running a certain race (did happen). This year I talked with the girls about resolutions on our trip to Elizabeth City to celebrate the holidays. Tate wants to get another 4 on her report card and run a 5K. Paige wants to do another race and ride a zip line.

Last year we got together the week after New Year's with a group of friends, and I remember being startled when Dave asked everyone to go around the table and share our resolutions. Oh my goodness I thought. I am going to have to say my silly thoughts out loud. Then I realized that they weren't too bad. Last year my resolutions were centered around the family. Being newly pregnant then, I wanted to help the girls become more self sufficient (make their breakfast, wash hair, etc) so that the addition of a baby to our family would be a little easier. I knew my two hands would not be enough at all times to juggle the needs of all three kids, so getting the girls to be more independent would help. Our friends thought it was a great resolution and I remember taking the resolution more seriously after sharing it with them. I said it out loud and it made it much more real. We went out to dinner to celebrate the holidays with the same group of awesome friends and we took some time to recap our resolutions and talk about if we had accomplished them. It was fun and very rewarding to share in every one's successes!

So now 2011 is here and we are having the infamous dinner again on Friday, so I need to be ready! Oh my...I'm feeling the pressure...good pressure. This year I want to push myself with a fitness goal but I want to be reasonable too. I do have a 5 month old and two little ladies in elementary school. I will complete my third half marathon in February, but I've done that so even though it will be challenging since I have just gotten my running legs back post pregnancy it is not the challenge I am looking for. I want something different, unique, new. One for sure thing will be zip lining on a brand new course in Fayetteville. It is on my life list (my version of the bucket list but I'm too young to call it that I think or choose to think). I'm also looking into a relay marathon (I will have a full marathon as a resolution in 2012--Wrightsville Beach I think). I also want to do another triathlon maybe an olympic length on this time. My friend Jo just mentioned a Mud Run which sounds cool...an obstacle course the length of a 10K. I think I'll hold her to doing that. I'm full of items but need to finalize my plans by Friday so I can "own" them and start to plan. I'm excited and nervous. Other than fitness goals I also want to live in the moment more. Life has taken a big turn for me as a mother of three. It is so rewarding but busier than I expected. I want to take it all in more and not wish the days away. Christmas Eve was a crazy day this year and I was so happy when I took a moment in the crazy Walmart line to make myself reassess the day. I need to realize more that it is OK to change "the plan" in order to make the day, week, month more enjoyable for everyone.

In that Walmart line I realized I had not grabbed the candy I wanted to get Laura for her birthday. I tapped the guy in front of me and asked him if he would mind pulling my cart along so I could run and grab something close by. He smiled and said, " I will if you get me some roasted peanuts." That brought the biggest smile to my face. In the craziness of the day when people are so anxious and usually not too friendly, this guy and I were helping each other. That is how I want 2011 to be. I want to be helpful and allow more people to help me. I try to do it all myself and I think if I open that door a little I will be a better me in this crazy thing we call life.

Paige...surgery, sillies, our sanity

2011-01-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

"Where is my mom?" The best words a mom can hear when her baby girl wakes up from surgery.

Paige had a pilomatrixoma (hair root tumor) removed today. This is her third skin issue since birth. At six months a hairy nevus popped up on the back of her head. It has stayed the same and makes her pig tails quite interesting with the darker hair that grows there. Next, at five years old three white spots appeared on Paige that ended up being vitiligo. This normally is linked to potential problems with the immune system or thyroid but so far Paige has shown no signs of problems in these areas. No new spots have appeared in over a year. Finally, a small bump appeared under her left eye right around her sixth birthday. It was not painful and moved around when you touched it. Her doctor referred us to the chief pediatric surgeon at WakeMed. He said a hair root had gone crazy and would continue to grow if we did not remove it. We wanted to do it as soon as possible to minimize the scar she would have.

Today we got up at four and were on our way. She was as calm and collected about the surgery. She is my shy little one who clams up with strangers and shows her nervousness by putting her hands in her hair....but she is so strong and fearless. She faces shots, doctors, etc. with a peacefulness I have never had. My stomach was turning and she was talking about the donut I had promised as we drove in the dark early morning. My anxiety heightened as the anesthesiologist discussed potential complications. Paige on the other hand was silly from the mild sedative they gave her. She kissed us goodbye and Scott and I waited in the waiting room for thirty minutes until Dr. P came and told us she did great and the bump was exactly what he expected.

The anesthesia made her plain crazy. Now at the end of the day I am describing her as a bipolar drunk. We left the hospital with a silly, wobbly girl who wanted to go to school. She could not walk but wanted to know what her classmates were doing at that moment and if she would be there by lunch. At home the seesaw began. One of us had to stay right with her because she kept getting up on her unstable legs. For such a small thing, she was hard to keep up with and balance as she would tilt and sway almost falling off the couch multiple times. She got upset when I started to take down the Christmas tree and would only lay on the side of her face when the incision was. Stubborn! Thank goodness after three hours, her nervous energy slowed down and she watched Annie and became herself again. I am so glad that is over and she is so excited that the letter of the week is G and she can take her gas mask she decorated to school for show and tell.

Children are supposed to be strong willed, adventurous and loud....today she was vulnerable and my little baby again.

Christmas...a month to get here and it's gone in a flash!

2010-12-27T21:49:00.000-05:00

I love Christmas! But it gets a little crazy juggling all the parties, shopping, baking, and cooking for a family of five. I had to make myself stop and smell the Christmas tree each night so I would not wish the season away. It is my favorite holiday and I will not let it be sucked away by the details. It is all worth it for these three below.

I never thought I would be able to find matching jammies for the kids with their ages being so varied, but I did. Crazy 8 had these peace jammies that are so cute!

Tate (in the white scarf) was in the Holly Springs Christmas parade with her dance school. It was fun but it rained at the end, so we made a mad dash to the car.

We had a fun night out with our best friends at Sullivan's. What good food! Aunt Emily was awesome and watched the kids. She was even more awesome for being so understanding when I side swiped her car in my driveway. What a mess I was! I am so lucky to have the best sister-in-law.

We went to Pinehurst to celebrate Garrett's birthday and Christmas with Scott's family. Dinner was nice and the kids had a great time opening gifts. We have quite a gang of kids now with Stacey's two, my three, and my nephew Connor. I love seeing them play together. I have great memories with my cousin, so I love that my kids have cousins so close.

My mom and I took the girls to the Christmas Eve service at church. They had a great muppet show about the meaning of Christmas. Just what we needed. The guys stayed at home with Dane.

Here are the girls after feeding the reindeer, setting out Santa's cookies, and saying their goodnights on Christmas Eve. Can I say EXCITED!

Christmas morning...Tate got the iTouch she asked for and a karaoke machine.

Paige got a camera, MarioKart, and an ice cream machine.

The Sanders' Christmas we usually have on Christmas Eve is on New Year's Eve this year, so my parents made the trip up to spend Christmas with us. It was great! Neil was in sunny Puerto Rico. We missed him!

Here is our annual end of the day Christmas Day family photo. I love traditions and this is one of ours.

And last but not least is my little man....Dane's first Christmas! Here is the football taggie Scott and I got him. The girls each have something special they sleep with and I thought this would be a neat thing for him (which means he probably won't like it since I do). I can't imagine our family without him and Christmas was made even more fun with him around.

My favorite Santa moment this year happened all Christmas day. As Paige opened each gift, she would look at it and say..."Santa touched this." It happened over and over and I loved seeing the magic in her eyes as she imagined the big guy. The day before, we tracked Santa on the computer as he went from city to city (thanks Laura for telling me about that site) and Paige wanted to know where he was and when the day would finally end. I love seeing the magic of Christmas in action. I love the excitement and the happiness it brings. Tonight when Paige and I made ice cream with her new ice cream maker from Santa, she said, "Santa touched these sprinkles, mom, I hope he washed his hands." Priceless!

The last three months in pictures

2010-12-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

Having Dane and two kids in school has sucked my time dry....when to post. Every day I see and think about cute things the kids do with the intention to write them down for all to see and share but time escapes me. So here is my solution for now....the last three months in snapshots and captions. Hopefully from this point forward I can take some time to jot down the fun daily.

I decided to take a picture of Dane each month on the 20th on our blue couch. Stay tuned to watch him grow.

Labor Day trip to the beach and Dane's first visit. The girls always say he will be the last to do things, but he is the youngest baby we have taken to the beach.

September 20th!

A fun family day at Phillips Farm...corn maze, pumpkin launcher, cow train, corn sandbox, hay stacks, etc.

Paige's first soccer season was awesome! She scored a goal and got that trophy she has been wanting.

We said goodbye to our wonderful neighbors, the Staffords. Anna and Paige are great friends! We were so sad to see them go.

October 20th!

Halloween fun! No more princesses in the Brennan house. The girls wanted to be scary so we have a witch, vampire, and the cutest skeleton around.

Connor turned two!

Self portrait of my first time on a horse....marked one off the bucket list. My horse decided to take a roll in the creek with me on her back....yes, I got soaked but luckily not dunked.

Tate on the trail ride. Her horse was much nicer. She stayed dry.

Scott's first 5K. He was super fast and did it in 23:35.

The girls and I did the one mile run. They ran the whole way!

My little man! November 20th

Thanksgiving at our house. Why do I look so much taller than Scott. He sunk with all that turkey in his belly.

Decorating the tree

Our fifth annual Gingerbread House decorating party was a success. The houses are getting so nice as the kids get older.

Paige Turns Six.....seriously!

2010-12-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

Wow this post is late! I feel like we are finally getting into a groove as a family of five and now I am trying to catch up and get back to posting. Paige turned six on September 14th. This year she celebrated her big day in school with cookies and cupcakes. We provided the cookies and her friend Dani brought cupcakes since they share the same birthday. We took her to On the Border for dinner. She wanted to use the Taco Bell coupon she got from school, but I talked her into going somewhere else for tacos. Scott and I got her inline skates. Her birthday party was at Paint Your Pot. She and ten of her closest friends painted pumpkins, butterflies, dogs, cats, etc. We feasted on a Barbie cake made by me. B and Pop Pop were there too! She had a great day. I just can't believe how old she is getting. Her face is losing its round cheeks and she is getting so tall. It is amazing to watch her grow before my eyes.

What makes me smile...

2010-08-23T09:20:00.001-04:00

Today what makes me smile is thinking of Tate and the person she is becoming. She turned nine on the 7th and had her birthday party last Saturday with five good friends and her sister. It was a movie party highlighted by a trip to the theater to see Ramona and Beezus based on the Beverly Cleary books. Cute movie! Tate said the two hours felt like fifteen minutes. While the girls teared up when Ramona's beloved cat died, I teared up watching the relationship between Ramona and her Dad. Sweet! I am so thankful Scott is not only a "provider Dad" but a Dad who loves to be with his kids and adores the people they are. There is very little he will not do for them...one thing being as of late dancing to the new Wii game Tate got for her birthday. She doesn't realize it but his not dancing is a good thing even though I would love a good chuckle. She requested a shell birthday cake this year. It is always interesting to see what cake she will want. I've done jewelry boxes, castles, and now a shell. I actually bought the pan for this one because I had no idea how to create the ridges of a shell. It ridges ended up being covered up by the icing so I just outlined the details in chocolate icing. After the movie, the girls decorated small pocketbooks Tate had picked out at AC Moore with puffy paint, buttons, and tye dye ribbon. I think fun was had by all.

Her actual birthday was spent going to the first soccer practices of the season. It was blazing hot outside, but Dane held up well being shuttled around. Scott and I gave her the skateboard she asked for and Paige gave her the Bop It game she fell in love with at Sophie's party. She picked Red Robin for dinner. This was our first time going out with Dane. He slept through the whole thing but woke up at the end. I gave him a bottle before leaving and he proceeded to projectile spit up on the booth. My shorts got soaked too. The girls said it was because his bottle was cold. Tate is the official bottle warmer of the house, so maybe she is right. After dinner, Scott took Dane home and the girls and I went to Justice for Tate to spend some birthday money. After shopping, we stopped for ice cream and made it home in time for Tate to show Scott her skateboard. It was a great family day!

In the last few weeks Tate has changed before my eyes. She has recently developed her own style. Just a few months ago I could pick out her clothes because she just didn't care much what she wore. Now she enjoys picking it out and asks me if things match or if they look good. It's fun to see her come into her own. Scott brought home a coupon to Justice (a tween clothing store) and I promised her that we could go and pick out an outfit for her party. We had so much fun. She picked out three outfits and we went into the dressing room (first time for us...I always pick out her clothes and bring them home). She tried each one on, twirled, stuck her hip out, pulled her chin down and posed. I loved it! She got a pink and black plaid dress with tiered ruffles on the bottom. She also got some 80s fingerless gloves. What a sight. She has since gone shopping with her Nana and asked for money to go back to Justice...a fashionista has emerged.

My final Tate story to commerate her birthday happened the morning the girls came to meet Dane for the first time. Before they arrived someone (can't remember who) asked me who was going to hold Dane first. My stomach sank. I had planned for so much before Dane came in order for the girls to feel included but I had not thought of this. My mind sprang into action but I could think of no way to solve the problem. I gave up and decided that I would just put the baby between them on both their laps. The girls arrived and it was time for the big hold. I think my Mom or Dad said, "Who is going to hold him first?" I was about to dive into my explanation when Tate said, "Paige, you can hold him. I got to hold you first." That comment brought me to tears...so simple but loaded with memories and kindness. That is how I think most of Tate. I learned to be a mom with Tate. I got to experience all the "firsts" with Tate. We will always have that special something. And even this weekend, she went to spend the weekend with Granny B. She was so excited, but she always gets weepy when it is time to leave me or her house. She loves home. Even though I want her to experience so many new things that will take her away from the safety of home, my heart swells when that unconditional love comes to the surface. She'll always be my Taterbug!

Dane Michael is here!

2010-08-03T10:23:00.000-04:00

On July 20, 2010 at 12:42 AM, Dane joined us...finally! Below is his birth story.

On Monday July 19th, I had my 40 week appointment with Dr. Collins. The week before she had sent me home with inconsistent contractions, so I was a little worried that she would have me wait an extra week to make any plans for inducing. Thank goodness I was wrong. Luckily I had started to thin out and was dilated between 3 and 4cm, so the irregular contractions were now called "early labor" and after hearing me talk about the woes of no sleep and being uncomfortable, she asked me if I wanted to head over to the hospital now. Even though it is what I wanted, I was in shock and asked her if not now what would be our plan. She said that I would likely not get into the hospital for an induction until Thursday, Friday or Monday. I could not imagine waiting that long, so I accepted her invitation to head over to the hospital after going home to get my bags, leave notes for my Dad and the girls, and meet Scott so we could drive over in the same car. We were actually going to have a baby. I was the last of the four women (due within the same two weeks) on my street to have their baby.

   We gathered our things, left instructions for the girls, sent out an email and jumped back in the car. Yes, I drove. Ha! Control freak me needed to be in charge of something before the events of the day started. When we arrived at the hospital at around 2pm time seemed to stop and crawl by. The following hours became the hours of Eileen, the pro-natural nurse. Luckily, after having two babies I knew that the shift changes around 7pm so she would not be the nurse to help me deliver the baby...and thank my lucky stars I only had to deal with her for a few hours. From five to seven o'clock this woman had me walking for at least two of those hours and not one other pregnant woman was in the halls pushing an IV pole in a hospital gown. What a sight I was. I did not complain because it did keep me busy and passed the time. She was doing everything she could think of to keep me from having pitocin and especially the epidural she claimed may halt my labor. I quickly found out her daughter had recently birthed a 10 pound baby without meds.

   Needless to say, I swear an angel with light all around her appeared when the shift changed and Cindy, the night nurse, walked in the room having gotten the low down from Eileen about my afternoon. Within minutes of her arrival, Dr. Clark broke my water and soon after pitocin was running through my veins stabilizing my contractions. Cindy told me that the head anesthesiologist was on duty who gave the best epidurals. Soon the contractions were strong enough that I requested his services and while I did have a contraction while he was working within millimeters of my spinal cord, the procedure went fine. The only downfall was that we had to turn off the TV during the last ten minutes of The Bachelorette so I didn't get to see the end. Ha! I was so glad to get that over with. I swear I had more anxiety about the epidural than having the baby.

   The epidural always seems to speed my labor up, so the contractions started coming much faster. This would have been OK, but I had what the nurse called a hot spot, an area where the epidural did not take, so there was this searing pain on my right hip each time I had a contraction. She put me on my side and let gravity move the medicine down and thankfully that worked after thirty minutes or so. The final hurdle was my blood pressure issue. I have low blood pressure and the epidural can make your blood pressure go even lower. I told the nurse and anesthesiologist that I had to have two shots of adrenaline during Paige's birth because my blood pressure got dangerously low. Thank goodness this got everyone prepared because it happened again this time. At this point my mom was watching the monitors because I started to feel clammy and light headed. Mom pointed and the nurse quickly put the meds in my IV. My blood pressure had dropped to 66 over 30. Wowsers! After that I was fine. No more BP issues. Soon I was ready to push.

After having two babies at 4 in the afternoon, it was weird having one right after midnight. As we waited for Dr. Collins to arrive, I told the nurse I had two babies while Oprah was on the TV and now I felt like Jimmy Kimmel was seeing way too much of me on the TV screen. Weird the things you remember from having babies. Dr. Collins arrived once again in her protective garb. She also delivered Tate and I remember being a little freaked out because she looked like she was going into battle with a splatter mask and gown over her scrubs. Dr. Littleton delivered Paige and he was in his scrubs and spider man cap. Very different docs for sure but I like both.

It took around thirty minutes for Dane to join us. The big difference with him was that the contractions had big gaps between them. With the girls I felt like I was pushing the whole time. With Dane I had these breaks where we waited for another contraction to come. He arrived wiggling his head full of dark hair. They placed him on my chest and I just marveled that he was inside of me moments before. Scott says I have gotten the same look on my face at that moment with each child. I said it is a moment of amazement and relief. I was so excited that he was safe and healthy. Scott cut his umbilical cord and they did the first exam and bath right in the room with us. It was a great experience. I would rank it as the second best delivery with Tate's being the easiest. So, today he is two weeks old and life if different but wonderful. I'll update soon on life with his sisters.

First Days of School

2010-07-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

Tate started fourth grade on Friday. FOURTH GRADE! I can't believe it. By fourth grade, I had a crush on Jeff Reed and walked with Neil to school everyday alone and then walked home and stayed at home until my mom got home from work. Wow times have changed. Here she is in her new fancy shirt.

She has Mrs. Wright this year who I have heard amazing things about so I am super excited. Her best friend Abbie is in her class yet again. They have only been separated for first grade. So special for them! She is really getting older to me just recently. She is asking me a lot more about my opinion on things to wear and if her hair looks nice. Don't get me wrong...she just pushed strollers around the block with Paige on Sunday so she is still my little girl but I can see the changes coming in little things she says and does.

On to a bigger announcement....PAIGE STARTED KINDERGARTEN YESTERDAY! With her being the baby for so long and having an extra year in preschool because she missed last year's cutoff date, I really should have been prepared for her to start school, but I really wasn't. I guess I just assumed she would always be my buddy home with me. She had a perfect first day! Here are a few pics.

She was up early without us having to wake her (not the norm around here). She could not wait to go and was ready at 7:30 (thirty minutes early). We all walked her in to her classroom and watched as Mrs. Stallings (awesome loving teacher) showed Paige her cubby and helped her unload her backpack that seemed to engulf her back. She did not do her nervous hair thing which made me so happy and kept the tears from rolling. Tate went along to her class and I quickly told Mrs. Stallings that I was due this week just so she would know in case it happened while Paige was at school. I'm tearing up just typing this because it was not what I expected after our struggles with preschool and her nervousness. She has grown leaps and bounds and I am so proud of her. Here is a pic of her getting off the bus.

I peppered her with questions once we got home. Her favorite part was riding the bus. She said she explored the school and visited the "paint" room (art) and computer lab. She ate lunch with her teacher and saw lots of friends from our street. Tate saw her in her class too later in the day. Mrs. Stallings asked her about upper and lower case letters. She colored a picture and found out Olivia from her dance class is in her class. Only six students go each day this week so the teacher can assess them. She'll go back on Friday to meet her entire class which includes her best friend Jackie. I think she may let me walk her in on Friday, but she is so determined to be independent I bet I won't get to do much more than that. What a sweetie! She is not much of a snuggler but after I took this picture I did get a big hug which I won't forget!

Now we await the newest Brennan who is due on Saturday. He is determined to be on time I guess. Not a bad habit to get early but I am ready for him to get here. The girls will look so huge then.

Two milestones for the ladies

2010-06-16T08:50:00.000-04:00

First, Paige had her transitional kindergarten graduation at the end of May. It was one of those memories you just won't ever forget. They sang a cute song and then one by one they came to the front of the stage to get their diploma and tell the crowd what they wanted to be when they grow up. Paige said a vet. She loves KC, our cat more than anything, so I can see that. Afterward, there was a picnic and the kids played on the playground. Here is my professional hula hooper...

Now, she and I are on our summer break. She starts kindergarten on July 12th with Mrs. Stallings (yippee--the teacher we wanted more than anything). Last week we got her blue (favorite color) backpack and lunch box. Soon enough we will fill it with school supplies and she'll be off. I just can't believe it but with the extra year of preschool, I know she is ready. Next week she is doing an all day gymnastics camp....her idea for the full day. Mark my words...she'll be the one to leave the nest and blaze her own trail.

Now for Tate....her dance recitals took place last weekend. She had her ballet recital on Saturday and her tap recital on Sunday. Here are some pics.

She was showered with flowers! I've never seen so many vases around the house. The ballet number was a Venetian masquerade. It was beautiful. After a few years of odd costumes, I feel like she finally got her first true tutu. Her tap number was to "Hit the Road Jack." There were only three people in her class: Tate, Isabella and Sydney (a boy). I thik they did great on the big stage in such a small group. The costume glowed but fit the music.

Tate does not get much of a summer break until August. She finishes her year on June 30th. Scott is going to take the girls to the Outer Banks for a few day over the 4th of July while I hang back and enjoy some time with my best friend Courtney who is going to come visit and drive me to the hospital if I go into labor while Scott is gone. Ha! Luckily, our babies usually come right on time, so I think we'll be safe. Fourth grade will start for her on July 9th and then she'll track out in late July for her three week summer break and her 9th birthday.

This is sure to be an exciting and life altering summer for us! I'll keep you updated.

From the mouths of high schoolers

2010-05-20T10:35:00.000-04:00

So, I am due in less than two months with Baby B and I have clearly become a distraction at work with the students. They see me and immediately ask....how far along are you?, do you know what it is?, can I touch your belly?, when are you due? They gawk at my belly without making eye contact until what seems like minutes later. It is like I've had a boob job on my stomach...that will be the closest thing to that kind of attention I will ever get. Ha! Here are some of the more interesting comments....

They let you work like that.
You should be on the couch.
When are you going into labor?
Your timer has popped so you must be done (in reference to my belly button).
I'm checking out a book and a student asked me the due date. He precedes to freak when I say two weeks. I am talking about the book and he is referring to the baby.
When I wore a white and purple stripped shirt, I was told that I could be a character in a Dr. Seuss book. I have not worn said shirt again. Why do they make stripped shirts for pregnant ladies? Why do I buy them?
You don't look pregnant from behind but whooooo when you turn around....

The scary thing is that I have a month more to work pregnant and my belly is only going to get bigger. I will definitely be able to add to this list by June 11th.

Paige's Recital

2010-05-19T11:49:00.000-04:00

Paige's dance recital was Saturday at the Holly Spring Cultural Center. She danced to a Peter Pan song. I just think she is the cutest thing ever when you pull her hair back and put mascara on those long eyelashes she got from Scott. I wish you could see them in the picture. She decided to take a break from dancing next year and try gymnastics again so this recital was a little bittersweet. She is quite graceful and has been dancing since she was two when she and I joined a Mommy and me class. But...on the bright side...she wants to try new things which is awesome.

Here we are with the ballerina and Baby B in my belly. Whew! I'm getting big. Maybe I should not have turned to the side. We've taken this shot each year, so I had to get one and have so few of me pregnant that I can't complain really.

After the big show, we went to dinner with Myrna, Bob, Garrett, Emily, and Connor at Bass Lake. Connor was a hoot laughing and throwing a torpedo yellow crayon at Paige. That boy has an arm. Maybe he'll play football for Florida and make Garrett proud!

It was a wonderful day! Paige got beautiful flowers. Earlier in the day, Paige told me that she did not see any flowers around and that I would be sent to my room for two weeks if we did not get her flowers. I thought it was hilarious. Scott picked them up on his way home from work and had them hidden in the garage.

Tate's art show debut

2010-04-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

Last week we found out a piece of artwork Tate had completed had been chosen and submitted to the YWCA Cultural Diversity Art Show. She was so excited. Her art teacher had chosen ten pieces to submit from her elementary school which is one of the largest in the county. What an honor! So Saturday was the art show at Meredith College in Raleigh. We headed downtown to the show and quickly found her piece which is below. It is a cityscape with rainbow people added in to symbolize diversity. It also has some basketweaving in the background. Her teacher is amazing. They are learned so many different techniques over her years there.

Look at her posing. I thought it was so cute. Each of the 60 participants got a cash prize. She held strong and fast to her money which you will notice is in her hand. Ironically Matt Calleri's artwork was right next to hers so we got to see friends too.

It was a great experience for her and now I think I should look for an art camp for the summer. She really enjoys it. We have entered the art contest through the PTA the last three years. She has either won or gotten an honorable mention two of those years. I think some of Uncle Neil is rubbing off...we have a budding artist!

Almost Caught

2010-04-13T10:58:00.000-04:00

So here are two versions of Easter Eve...

Mine
The Easter bunny waited for the baby bunnies to fall asleep and then filled the baskets with bathing suits, flip flops, princess dry erase boards, and candy galore. The last thing the bunny needed to do is lay the trail of eggs expected by her bunnies from their baskets to their bedrooms. All would have been well except the bunny had to go back one more time to make sure the number of eggs in each trail was equal...we would not want the bunny to be called unfair. About three steps from the top of the stairs with three eggs in her hand, the bunny was confronted with a stumbling wobbly Tate coming out of her bedroom and heading toward the bathroom. The bunny freaked. Eyes doubled in size as she watched baby bunny stumble into the bathroom. The bunny ran down the hall. Tate had appeared not to see. After the bunny's heart stopped pounding out of her chest, she returned to lay the last of the eggs and make sure Tate was asleep. Did the bunny actually make it by unnoticed when only inches from a child?

Tate
After gathering eggs and searching through her basket for all the hidden treasure, Tate said, "Mom, I saw two eggs last night coming out of my room when I went to the bathroom." Heart begins pounding again. "Only two?" I said. She said she was worried the Easter Bunny was still there and would run away if he knew she was awake so she kept her eyes straight ahead and went right to bed again. Paige then added that she had woken up to and heard something but stayed in her room.

The bunny survived for another year.

The questions are plentiful about how he and all the other holiday visitors get into the house, is the Easter bunny an animal or a person dressed in a suit, why did you put KC in your bedroom (so he would not bat your eggs down the stairs), etc. I am amazed that they take my answers so seriously and that I am able to come up with them on the fly.....how many more Easters do I have?

Things a five year old says when you are pregnant

2010-03-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

Paige has completely cracked me up over the last few weeks as she watches my belly grow bigger. I keep meaning to take a moment to write some of them down before I forget them. I am so excited that the girls can't wait for the baby to come. They are asking cute questions rather than the hard ones like how did the baby get in there and how will he get out. Enjoy Paige's comments below!

We are driving to dance and Paige says, "Mom, when will your belly get too big so that Daddy has to drive you everywhere?"
We are watching the red carpet show of the Oscars to look at the pretty dresses and Paige looks back and forward from me to the TV a few times. At the commercial she says, "Your belly is much bigger than your boobs."
After reading one night, she started rubbing my belly and asked the baby if he could hear her.
Every day she tells me, "Mom, your belly sure is getting big" with these big eyes. She has not missed a day in at least two weeks.

The teenagers at work are also obsessed with my expanding stomach. At the computers where I often work with the kids doing research are at eye level with my stomach so I feel their eyes staring me down.

We had the writing test this week and I was a proctor so I took a girl to the bathroom during the test. She said, "So when do you go into labor?"
A girl asked me if I was scared. I told her it was my third so I was not scared and her eyes about bugged out of her head. I quickly told her that I was 35. Odd to brag about it, but I know I look younger than I am so I didn't want her to think I started having kids at 15 like many of them do.
Today I saw one of the scholar students in the hall that is a regular in the library. I was looking for a science teacher's classroom so I asked her and her eyes first went to the belly. I said, "Is my belly button that interesting?" and she could not stop laughing.

The joys of the growing belly!

Paige slept in her bed last night!

2010-03-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

For about two weeks, Paige has snuck into our bed in the middle of the night or been there at 10 when Scott and I usually head upstairs. She is the cutest darn thing sleeping there but not a good bed partner. She comes equipped with her dream pillow (a small taggy blanket), her blanket, and usally a baby. She will actually get on you in her sleep. Scott has woken up to have her head on his stomach. Her legs are usually on me. Anyway, she has "visited" before but this time it has developed some consistency. When we ask her about it, she says she had a bad dream. Now she says she has trouble falling asleep in her own room. We kept urging her to stay in her room and talking about dreams and how they are not real. I could tell we had hit a habit. So last night, I told her if she could stay in her room I would get her the Zu Zu pet she has been wanting for weeks now. For those of you who are not familiar with this new cult toy, it is a battery operated hamster. No frills about it so I have put off getting one. I told her if she got the zu zu pet and then started coming to our room again, we would have to take it back for a day. I hope this does not make it sound like horrible parents. I find it very hard to talk about with her because I don't want her to think we don't want her there. If she is scared, I want her to come to us, but it was clear a habit was being formed. Long story short....she did it! Slept all night in her bed! I left her a note this morning since I leave for work before they get up. I told her how proud of was of her. Now the real fun begins....buying the motorized hamster and facing the task of taking it away tonight if she wanders down the hall. Wish us luck!

Disney and beyond!

2010-02-15T17:45:00.000-05:00

We had a great trip to Disney! I love that the girls like to go as much as we do. With two trips under our belt, we have avoided the crankie monsters that I know lots of parents have to deal with on those long days on vacation. Our vacation issue appears to be endless energy that keeps them up so much later than you would think. I am ready to crash, and they are fine. All week I kept waiting for it to catch up with them, but it never does.

Girls outside of the Nemo ride.

Even when I'm not pregnant, I will not do these rides. Thank goodness Scott will.

Gotta love Mickey in Animal Kingdom!

This was so much fun!

Can you tell how soaked they are? I love these rides and couldn't do it this time. Paige was just shy of being tall enough.

Paige really expanded the rides she would go on this time. She rode the Barnstormer and did all the 3D shows that scared her last time. Tate and I hit some rides we missed last time like the Haunted mansion. Sea World was amazing. I absolutely loved the dophin show and feeding the dolphins with the girls. Shamu was not as big as I remembered when I was 8 but still out of this world. The tricks they are able to teach a deadly killer whale are amazing. Can I be them when I grow up?

After seven days, we headed back on Saturday, January 30th, the same day Raleigh had gotten snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. We left Orlando at 5:45am and it was 60 degress. We got home at 5pm after 2 scary hours on the icy North Carolina roads and it was 21.

Since returning we have had yet more snow but this time it was fluffy and only lasted the day...that is my kind of snow. Now I'm ready for spring time. The daffodils around the mailbox have emerged but are probably quite confused by the temps. I hope they make it the rest of the way up this year.

Tate tracked back in last Thursday after getting over a cold when she got back from Disney. Paige caught the cold a week after her and ended up with strep throat too. Now everyone is healthy and can't wait to go to the doctor with me tomorrow to find out if we will welcome a new boy or girl to the family in July. The vote stands 3 for boy and 1 for girl (Scott). We'll see who is right.

We leave for Disney in the morning!

2010-01-21T10:59:00.000-05:00

Yippee! Paige can stop counting the days because tomorrow is finally the day. We will head to Jacksonville for the night and finish the trip on Saturday. One more hour of work and I'll be in pack mode. Full report when we get back.

It has been a month!!

2010-01-14T10:58:00.000-05:00

...since I last posted. How did that happen? I don't know. We had a great holiday and attended lots of fun birthday parties for friends in December. The weeks just flew by. January has gotten off to a good start. Paige has a new teacher. Scott pointed out that since she was two she has had some change of teacher during the year. Her teacher got a job teaching first grade in our county, so she left and now Paige has Ms. Janice, a former second grade teacher. She seems to be transitioning well but has already written a card to Ms. Laura and didn't want to go to school yesterday for the first time all year. I'll cross my fingers that it was just a lack of sleep. She said she was sleepy and her feet hurt, but when I told her that Jackie, her best friend, was coming home with her she luckily changed her mind.

Tate jumped right back in after two weeks off from school. We are in the swings of multiplication, area, and perimeter. She is doing well...even got a 4 (equal to an A in the old days) in Social Studies. She got a 4 in Art first quarter. I signed her up for soccer last week. It will start at the end of February.

For me, the new year brings a rush to get ready for our trip to Disney. We leave next Friday. Last year when we went I was so prepared. Months ahead of time I had dinners planned and knew which parks we would visit on which day. Only last week did I order the tickets to Disney and Sea World. We made the hotel reservation for Jacksonville yesterday and in the last week I have gotten the dog kenneled and someone to watch the cat. Now I need to get a fish feeder for the week so Holly won't have to do that too. Paige got two fish for Christmas. Now I am excited. I can't wait to go to Sea World. I hear it has changed a lot. The doctor told me I could ride more rides than I expected. I'm not going to do anything crazy, but I did hope to ride the Barnstormer with the kids and the Soarin' ride at Epcot. The last thing on my to do list is to see if I can get a Princess lunch at Epcot. I hear that is great and it will hopefully be our one character meal for this trip.

When we get back, we'll just have a few weeks before we find out what baby #3 will be. I can't wait!

Where did December go?

2009-12-14T16:18:00.000-05:00

I never meant for so much time to pass before I updated on all our holiday happenings. I keep waiting to do it because I want to add pictures and let's be honest....that adds another step to the process. Since my last post we had our fourth annual gingerbread house (aka graham cracker houses) party on Dec. 4th. The kids are getting so good at making these houses. The same group has done it each year and it is amazing to see how intricate they are getting these days. Tate and Julia took every minute they could and covered every square inch of their houses even creating walkways and bushes. Everyone stayed for pizza afterwards which was a lot of fun too.

Next came Tate's Holiday Caberet on Dec. 5th, which is a recital put on by her dance studio for the American Cancer Society each year. Tate's ballet class was asked to participate. They did a beautiful dance as snowflakes. She gets so nervous when she has to leave me and go backstage, but she did great. She didn't miss a beat. I could see her searching the audience for us. She finally found us when they were coming up for their bow and she waved at us like crazy. Here is a picture of her after the show.

Last Thursday night was O'Holly Night at the elementary school. It is a crazy but fun night. All the classrooms are set up with games for the kids. The media center is filled with theme baskets created by each class. These are the stars of the night. The baskets are packed with fun things. This year some neat baskets were the Gift card basket, Parents night out, Barbie vs. GI Joe, Principal for a Day. You get the idea. After getting their face painted, nails done, and playing a few games, I bought the raffle tickets and they girls put tickets in their favorites. Scott met us there for the drawing at the end of the night after work. About half way through the calling of winners (there are over 40 baskets), Tate's name was called. I had put her name on them all. We were so shocked. She and I ran up there to get it. It was the Everything Disney basket. Tate thought they had made a mistake because she did not drop one in that basket. It was Paige who voted for it. It was great. They got three fleece blankets, a movie, three mugs, two games, cards, coloring, and 2 stuffed animals. Maybe the Brennan luck is changing. I have been lucky in the grocery store lines lately.

Then Friday night Holly, Laura and I took our kids to Disney on Ice. We surprised them all. They had no idea where they were going. I had told my girls that we would be out late with thousands of people. The plan was all in place, but Paige had a low grade fever Thursday night and friday morning. I pumped her with Motrin and she rested on the couch all morning. After lunch, she perked up. I felt OK taking her...thank goodness. Once we got in the parking lot, they remembered that they had seen the circus at the RBC center. I told them this was something different. Once we got in there, the Disney merchandise gave it away and I got Tate to read the sign. I wish you could have seen Tate's mouth the entire time. It was open with awe watching the guys throw these girls and lift them so high. They loved it. Paige was a little concerned with the fireworks and fire. She really thought the ice would melt and everyone would fall in, so I kept reassuring her. Other than the $12 cotton candy, the night was absolutely perfect. I loved suprising them.

This weekend was cold and rainy. I got my wrapping done and Christmas cards finished, so I feel caught up. We leave Tuesday morning for my parents house. We'll come back Thursday late to be home Christmas morning. Tomorrow Tate has a Holidays Around the World presentation at school that we get to go see and Friday Paige has a Milk & Cookies party with holiday story being read by parents. For me it will be a week of cooking and planning for cooking. Thursday is our street's annual cookie exchange, Friday is a surprise party where I'm bringing wings, and Sunday the Brennans are getting together locally to celebrate Garrett's birthday and Christmas. I'm making quiche for that. I love holidays and love that we have had such fun things to do this year without feeling overwhelmed.

Here are three last pictures. One of Tate putting the topper on the tree and one of the girls sending their santa letters. Only ten days to go!

All I Want for Christmas

2009-12-03T10:56:00.000-05:00

I brought a quiver to Paige's voice...no tears but a quiver. I felt like mud. It was all about her Christmas list. In the past the girls have put their top three toys on their list for Santa like the three gifts brought to Baby Jesus. It's a nice number, and we have lots of family so the girls get plenty of other gifts too. Paige has not been able to limit it to three this year.

Her list includes:

Fish and all the stuff to go with it.
Dog
American Girl Doll shoe set
DSi
Mario Brothers DSi game like Tate's
Two American Girl Dolls

So I explained that we have a dog and that Santa would be more likely to give a dog or American Girl doll to a little girl that did not have any. She has two American Girl dolls by the way. She listens when I say this and seems to get it but the list does not change. It actually only gets longer as she sees things or as Tate mentions things. Anyway, I'm not going to stress her out with choosing. I told her Santa knows what she will enjoy most and she should not worry about it. Let's just hope Christmas morning is a success and no quivers come on that day. This weekend we will take our lists to the big Macy's mailbox, so the list making can stop.

Tate is a whole different story. She doesn't want much of anything. I think her list so far is inline skates, two DSi games, and Guess Who Extra...nothing close to the hundreds her sister wants me to spend (unknowly of course...they still have no true sense of money).So I am trying to pull more ideas out of Tate. I always want to make sure they have something fun for that day.

If I sound worried, I'm really not. I love to shop for them, but I want to make them happy.

Thanksgiving! Yum!

2009-11-30T15:38:00.000-05:00

We had an awesome Turkey Day! Emily and Garrett did a great job. I think the turkey was the best I have ever had...herb butter is the key. Emily's mom makes great mashed potatoes. Connor was a hoot crawling everywhere. The kids all ate and played well. The stuffing was even good if I do so so myself.

Here is connor playing with Tate's hair.

Scott had to work from 11-2 but made it for dinner. First time in 11 years Old Navy has been open.

Look at those handsome Brennans!

The kids were so good and probably destroyed Emily's playroom. I never went up there. Sorry!

We have so much to be thankful for....wonderful family, our health, great friends, and happy children. I could not ask for a better year.

Holiday Plans

2009-11-24T10:57:00.000-05:00

Two days and Turkey day is here! Yippee! I love holiday food.

We are heading to Garrett and Emily's to enjoy a wonderful meal with her family including her mom and brothers. Stacy and her family will be there too! Five kids and nine adults I think. I'm making stuffing and pumpkin pie. Can't wait. Scott actually has to work from 11-2 that day (first time ever) but we are going to eat around 4 so it should work out perfect.

The next holidayish plans is our 4th annual Gingerbread House making party. We started this the year we moved to Holly Springs (four years December 1). I make the houses out of graham crackers and cookie icing and Holly, Laura, and Jo bring lots of candy. It is always a great time to get rid of the Halloween candy that is hanging around. Eight kids decorate houses and eat just about as much candy as they stick on the house.

Then on December 11th, Holly, Laura and I are surprising our kids and taking them to Disney on Ice. I can't wait. They have no idea. The hubbies will have a guys night.

Next, on December 20th we are going to celebrate Christmas and Garrett's birthday at Emily and Garrett's. This will be the same gang from Thanksgiving. I'm excited because this year we are having a brunch. I need to hop on the Christmas shopping to get ready for this but I have most of my ideas ready.

Finally, on the 22nd or 23rd we will head to Elizabeth City to celebrate Christmas Eve with my side of the family. There is nothing like home. The girls love my parents house....feeding geese, the gingerbread cookies B always gets them, playing with the toys that are only at B's house. After Christmas Eve lunch with 6 aunts/uncles, 4 cousins, 4 little ones (mine included), Granddaddy, Mom and Dad, Mom's aunts and uncles and lots of other extended family, we will head home to have Christmas morning in our own house.

What a month we have ahead of us!

Paigeisms

2009-11-17T19:06:00.002-05:00

Recent things Paige has said that completely crack me up.

Yesterday after she got home from school--
Paige: You know what I learned about today, Mommy?
Me: What Paige?
Paige: The pill grams sailed a flower boat because they wanted to pray and they had to go somewhere else.
Me: The who?
Paige: The pill grams that went to that rock.

Last week we had a lot of hard nights getting Paige to bed at a decent hour. One particular night I told her she wouldnot grow much taller if she did not get her sleep. The next morning she came downstairs.
Paige: Mommy, I slept so good my bangs growed.

There are a ton more that I need to write down the minute she says them. The way she uses ACTUALLY still makes me smile. "Well, actually mommy" is a phrase she uses everyday. Cutie patootie!

Can it almost be Thanksgiving?

2009-11-16T10:18:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is next week. I absolutely love the Macy's Day parade. The girls are starting their Christmas lists and I actually bought my first present last week at Emily's Open House. I actually got another one yesterday, so Mom is done...birthday and Christmas. I'm on a roll now. I'm off every Friday, so I hope to use those days to knock my shopping out.

Tate is a mystery. She really does not want anything big. She keeps pointing out random things on TV but they aren't that exciting. The thing she keeps saying she wants is a Zhu Zhu pet set. You will not believe that these are very expensive fake hamsters. I cannot believe what toy manufacturers can market to kids these days. Paige wants a DS like Tate. Santa will definitely be getting that so the fighting will stop over Tate's.

I really get in the spirit on Thanksgiving. The girls usually write their lists that weekend of the top three things they want, we get the decorations down from the attic and do the outside while Scott is working, buy a tree, and I go shopping after Scott gets home from work on Black Friday. This year I may do a 8K Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning to get ready for all the yummy stuff at Emily and Garrett's.

This week is busier than last but not too bad. The girls have their normal dance classes. I'm making dinner for a friend on the street with a new baby boy. On Friday, I am super excited because I get to go see New Moon (the latest Twilight movie) with some friends on opening day. We already have our tickets. Tate will be at her best friend's birthday party, so Paige and Scott will get to have a date night. Throw in homeowork, laundry, and life and the week will be a blur I'm sure.

Back from OBX Half

2009-11-10T09:40:00.000-05:00

What a great course, weather, company, result. I could not have asked for a better race. I want to bottle it! Next year it could be windy and bitter cold, but yesterday morning was in the 60s and sunny. Here I am coming in for the finish. There is nothing like seeing the big blown up finish line with the clocks. It just makes you run a little faster. Just looking for that thing got me throught the last two miles. I looked for after every corner. I just wanted to have it in my sights but it was tucked away until you got right to the finish in downtown Manteo on the sound. Scott and the girls were there on the last corner. It was awesome to see them along the way. A group of husbands got together and tracked us along the way. They were at mile 2, mile 4 and then at the finish cheering us on. It was so nice seeing the girls and all those people supporting us. The whole weekend was perfect. A group of friends met to eat at Goombay's Friday night. I had the best crabcake salad. Saturday we picked up our race numbers, had a great burger at Five Guys and spent a few hours at Jockey's Ridge. It is always too hot in the summer to take the girls, so this was the perfect time. They are still finding sand in their ears and hair two days later and after a bath.

Now for the race play by play:

Mile 1: This is always a hard one for me on race days. I go through the internal struggle of knowing how many miles are ahead of me, not feeling warmed up, and gasping for breath in a momentary panic attack.

Mile 2: Saw the girls and Scott. Calmed down and realized I was running by Jockey's Ridge which I have seen a million times. It felt so odd running down Highway 158 where I have spent my childhood. I will never look at it the same again.

Mile 3-4: Went into a neighborhood and loved all the sleepy eyed people out with their coffee cheering us on. Holly, Laura, and Mary were right behind me. I was warmed up but cautious of going too fast too early. Scott and girls were at Mile 4 and then they headed for the finish.

Mile 5-6: Don't remember a thing. Passed 2:15 pace group who was ahead of schedule. Tried to keep an eye on my pace but I'm horrible at it. This was highway running so it was straight with lots of car exhaust. Yuck! I ate my chomp here, but I swear I don't notice a difference from when I eat stuff or not.

Mile 7-8: Back into a neighborhood. I liked these parts of the run best. The curves and houses and tons of people were a great distraction. There were even jokes and OBX trivia on posters along the way. I realized here that my friends had fallen back and I was alone.

Mile 9: Back on highway and curving toward the bridge. The wind picked up here. I felt good and loved passing people.

Mile 10: THE BRIDGE...if you remember my last half, we had to cross two bridges twice. They were gradual long killers. This one was about half a mile up but with the wind in my face it just seemed to feel like I would never get to the top. My heartrate got into the 170s. It is usually in the 150s. The top never felt so good. I felt great coming down and knowing that part was over. I could knew how far I had left....lucky part of knowing the OBX so well.

Mile 11: Straight, tired, but strong...watching the watch. Knew it would be close getting my time.

Mile 12-13.1: These red flags started lining the course. We started weaving down side streets to the waterfront. I kept looking for the finish after each turn. We pass a medical tent with a lady whose foot was gross and a man with his legs above his heart eating some kind of bar. Scary! To think you can get that far and be out. Finally saw the finish and Scott and the girls. Couldn't wait to cross those mats and then bam it's over. I did it in 2:11:12....I had hoped for 2:10 but I am very happy with the result. It actually hurt to stop and I had to focus because I had pushed it hard the last mile and was woosy and nauseous. It passed quickly and I gladly got that medal!

I found all the Holly Springs ladies at the finish and then waited for Mom to finish. She and Debbie walked it in 3:54. I'm so proud of her for taking on this challenge. I hope it gets her hooked on exercising.

What did I learn?

*I love to race. The adrenline is unlike anything else.

*I love to people watch while racing.

*I missed my friends. It is amazing how lonely running by yourself can be when you have thousands of runners around you.

*I need to trust my training and not wait to long to hit my race pace. I was so close to my goal of 2:10. I'll get it next time.

*Destinations runs are the best. The OBX was beautiful in November and we got to do things we normally don't do.

Halloween on Chrismill

2009-11-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

Here are the Brennan girls on Halloween. I had an Evil Princess and Pumpkin Spice to escort around the ghoulish streets of Sunset Ridge. Tate wanted to be both good and scary hence the crazy face make-up. I think she actually scared herself a bit because when I asked if she wanted blood coming from her nose too she said "No, I think that is enough." Paige opted not to wear the orange wig so we cut out some of the orange hair and braided it into her pigtails.

Usually Scott takes them around the neighborhood but this year he had to work. I made a cute sign and asked my neighbor, Jen, to hand out our candy with hers since I knew the first kid on my porch would likely dump the entire bowl in their bag if I left it unattended.

We headed out and Paige was a speedster. She was two houses ahead almost the entire time which made me nervous when it started getting dark. They had a great time. There are two scary houses that all the kids talk about for weeks leading up to Halloween. Tate was going to try to go in one this year but decided not to at the last minute. I can see this being a rite of passage for the kids on the street as the years go by. We made the big loop of Chrismill and Skymont and had enough candy to feed a third world country. The girls picked out four of their favorites to have that night. Tate is my chocolate girl and Paige likes the sweet and chewy stuff.

It was a successful night for all, but I did miss having my annual Halloween conversation with Steve, my neighbor across the street. We enjoy a beer and exchange candy stories, angry/bossy/sleezy trick or treaters, and the assortment for this year. Next year Scott will definitely get off and I'll be back on the porch with the jack o'lantern.

Why?

2009-10-30T19:32:00.002-04:00

Why run? It was initially a pact among friends. We decided at dinner one night to run a spring 5K for breast cancer. I did the couch potato to 5K run/walk program and hated it the whole time. We ended doing a race in April before the one mentioned above because we were all ready and excited that we have gotten to three miles. It sucked. I had to walk because of a cramp. In case you don't know, I don't walk. For some obscene reason I find it as a failure. I think everyone has a running "thing"--it might be gear, gadgets, training programs---mine is the walking. I ended up running another 5K alone the next weekend to prove to myself that I could do it. I have been hooked ever since.

Why race? I think they push me to find out what I am capable of more than training can. I need those fast people rushing past me to make me ask more of myself. Also, a good friend gave me a great matra to keep in mind....I race to train. The training is what gets us in shape. The race is just the culmination but it does not take away all those miles you log leading up to it. I am now one week from my second half marathon. I am scared to death that I am going to catch the flu going around. After all this hard work, I want to experience the race, but I keep telling myself that I race to train. Now I just need to listen.

Why keep at it? I constantly hear how bad it is for you to run. My dad tells me he thinks I'm crazy and would only run if someone with a gun was chasing him. It feels great to love something you hated and envied in others. I can run. I'm not fast, but I am getting faster. It is something I can work at. I love to be outside and I love to feel active. I love that people at work ask me each Monday what and where I ran this weekend. I love reaching a new goal....a better pace, a new race distance, trying triathlons, hoping to do a relay. I love talking about running with friends and having friends that run too. I love that I have found something as an adult to keep me fit and make me feel young.

Ten Things I Love

2009-10-26T10:51:00.000-04:00

1. My girls for being so cute I could eat them up even late at night when I am exhausted and they come downstairs to say cute things that make it so I can't be mad at them.

2. My husband because he's great and right this moment for helping us get through the sticky tag team deal of managing childcare while Tate is tracked out for three weeks.

3. My mom for training to walk the OBX half marathon even though she dropped a mirror on her foot at work. Keep up the good work MOM!

4. My grandfather for being an angel and helping me get a road bike to do more triathlons in the spring and not be at the back of the pack.

5. Ice cream and books because I can think of nothing better to do after 8pm than snuggle on the couch with these two things on my lap.

6. My cat KC for bringing adventure back into the house. Will he topple the plant today or learn how to get onto the one counter he has not discovered?

7. The flowers of fall still around the lake by our house. Tate is doing an art project and we have found some great fall flowers (probably just beautiful weeds) to photograph.

8. The feeling of doing of a good deed. A group of my best friends and I hosted a charity Cornhole tournament yesterday and raised over 1200 dollars for the Caring Community Foundation. The power of regular people is amazing when you band together.

9. The holidays...they are coming and I'm getting excited. Thanksgiving with my brother-in-law and family and thinking of things to buy the girls.

10. Great friends! A group of friends from my neighborhood ran the American Tobacco Trail 10 miler on Saturday. It was so much fun to ride over together and share nerves and jitters and then bask in some great results on a hot humid race day! Can't wait to do it again in two weeks at the OBX half marathon.

Best Buds

2009-10-21T18:37:00.001-04:00

Isn't it awesome to have that best friend that you never tire of? Tate has found that in Abbie. They have been in the same class for Kindergarten, 2nd, and now 3rd grade. Abbie lives only five houses away from us, so it is a great situation. This year they are also on the same soccer team as you see in the picture from last week's game.

Last year they used to play at Abbie's all the time. I felt bad that they never wanted to come to our house. They would play in Abbie's backyard that backs up to our neighborhood park. They played fort and made "salads" out of all kinds of things. Now this year they have migrated down to our house. Abbie has a baby sister who naps, so I think they can be louder over here. At our house they are always in the playroom playing with the peekaboo barbies and polly pockets. They create a world for these dolls with stores and houses made out of the most interesting stuff. A plastic screw for a baby carrier turns into spinner for one of the dolls. If they are not doing that they are choreographing dances and plays with all our dress up costumes. We even tape them so they can play them back. Luckily they let Paige be a part of most of the dances and plays.

Some would worry that she should have more friends. I am just so happy she has found someone who gets her. She has lots of friends I think, but she and Abbie have a sweet bond. They laugh at the same things and have a similar silliness. We should all be so lucky to find that type of friend. I am lucky enough to have great friends in my life too. They are priceless to me.

Abbie is at Disney now for the first week of track out. Tate asks me daily what she might be doing. She flew there, so the first day we knew her flight got in and when they had dinner reservations. Since then Tate thinks I know her every move. She can't wait to have her come back and hear about all the fun things she did on her trip. She has already written notes and left flowers on her doorstep. Let's cherish the sweet times.

Random happenings

2009-10-19T14:56:00.000-04:00

The weather is....beautiful. I wish I could run but Scott has to work tonight.

The girls are...upstairs playing on the computer we just moved to the playroom. Now all the educational games are loaded and they are actually using them. Tate keeps telling me, "Daddy says I'm learning and I thought I was just having fun."

The house is...kinda clean. I need to do the floors again which I hate.

The cat is....snuggly lately. Scott has worked a lot of nights lately, so he has been my buddy. He still attacks Paige at least once a day. He honestly latches on to her leg and bites. Maybe since she is the smallest and plays with him the most.

The holidays are....coming faster than I expected. Mom has already gotten the girls their gifts. I have ideas but have not made any purchases yet. I am going to ask friends to take the kids to see Disney on Ice in December. Should be fun.

The running is...going nicely. I have a 10 miler this Saturday and the OBX half marathon is in less than three weeks. I have not shaved off as much time as I hoped, but who knows what race day will bring. This weekend's race will be a good predictor.

Scott is...at work. He worked an overnighter last night and is now back in to close the store. Then tomorrow is inventory. I know he will be glad when Wednesday is here.

Tate is...tracked out. We have lots planned. Track out camp, reading goals, learning multiplication tables, completing the PTA Reflections project, going to a farm for hayrides and a cornmaze, going to the beach for my half, playdate with friends tomorrow, a charity cornhole tournament on Sunday I helped plan, gymnastics day camp....

Paige is...tracked in at school. She is on the traditional calendar like me. She loves it and is learning all about fire safety this week. She told me her homework was to ask me about our family fire plan so we just did a "test" run through touching the handle, putting a blanket at the bottom of the door and knocking on the window. She is envisioning ladders and firemen catching her as she jumps out of windows. Let's hope that never happens!

Dinner is...undecided. I've done chili, spagetti and meatballs, a bbq pork roast in the past few days and tonight I think chicken is all I got in me to make.

On my side table are...the latest Runner's World, the book I'm reading (Piccoult's The Plain Truth) and the new American Girl catalog that Paige has gone through with me.

Now it is....time to take the girls to the library and then some outside time. Happy Monday!

I'm in for it with this child!

2009-10-14T11:52:00.000-04:00

Paige is obsessed with clothes. Yesterday she got in the car after school and asked why Daddy had dressed her in hot clothes (outfit #1 long pants and long sleeved shirt). Holly was watching her for me so I could get a run in rather than wait till 7 when Scott got home, so Paige changed real quick so she could play outside with Georgia (outfit #2 long pants and short sleeved shirt). When we got home after the run she was OK for a while. Tate had Abbie over to play and before I knew it she was changed again (outfit #3 long pants and spagetti strap top). Then when it is jammie time she changes (outfit #4). The crazy thing is that when Scott went to wake her up this morning we discovered she has changed yet again before falling asleep in outfit #5--a long sleeve shirt and skirt.

This is actually pretty funny to watch until I go into her room at the end of the day to find the clothes all over the floor. It is like a dressing room has exploded. So this girl is going to give me a run for my money on clothes. She doesn't like adjustable waist stuff because it "feels funny," but the only stuff that fits her tiny waist is adjustable waist stuff. This morning she tried at least three different outfits on trying to find something comfortable. I guess I should be thankful she had to wear a uniform to school last year. Now she is definitely expressing her taste. Lots of pink, lots of dresses, and elastic waist pants. I'm going to need to go shopping since Tate's hand me downs don't seem to fit her taste in clothes. Right now that actually seems like a good idea just to get through the dressing game at home. She is a mess...and I love it! Cute as can be and gets away with murder.

Running for it!

2009-10-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

Two cute stories from yesterday....Tate had a soccer game in the morning. After the game (they won by the way), Tate and I were walking back to the car with her coach nearby. He was teasing her saying that he would have them running the whole field at practice on Wednesday. Tate looked back at him and said, "That's not far...my mom just ran 9 miles." Then she told him that she ran a mile in PE this week and was breathing really hard at the end. I'm glad she understands what I am doing and sees how the hard work I'm putting in is paying off.

Then last night at dusk the girls set out to "Boo" two neighbors on our street. If you don't know what booing is it is when you create a goodie bag of Halloween treats and leave it on a neighbor's doorstep, ring the doorbell and run away. It was absolutely hilarious to watch the girls from our front porch. Paige left with the intention of booing her friend Anna Kate but when it came time to do it I think she got nervous so Tate did the drop off part while Paige waited in the bushes. Tate carefully planned it out. She put Paige around the corner in the bushes. Then she creeped around looking all over for anyone who would be watching her. As she went up the steps she stopped and took off her flip flops for a fast getaway. Then she put the bag down and peeked in the side window of the door. Then she hit the button and took off like a light. I wish you could have seen her fly. It was like someone was after her. My Dad always says he would only run if someone was chaing him with a gun. Tate looked like she was being chased for sure. Anna Kate and her mom came to the door and found the surprise. The girls waited extra long to come out so that Anna Kate would not know it was them. Mission accomplished!

Paige is Kindergarten Ready

2009-10-08T10:28:00.002-04:00

Last friday Paige got her kindgergarten vaccinations. I absolutely positively incredibly hate needles. I am so much better now than I was before getting my college shots. I used to get the sweats, nausea, etc. just thinking about it. So knowing she had three shots to get make me very anxious. She did awesome! My belly was flopping the entire appointment waiting for the dreaded tray to arrive but she just kept looking at books and talking about all kinds of stuff. That morning she asked me how many she would get and where they would be. With those answers in her head, she seemed to be at peace. Me not so much. I picked her up from school and took her to Wal-Mart on the way to pick out a special toy. We had done the same for Tate when she got her shot. Usually we get a frosty at Wendy's after shots, but getting three in one sitting is a much bigger deal to me, so I get them a toy. It is more for me than them I think. Paige picked out a barbie on roller skates that is pulled by a dog. It is pretty cute and something I would have vetoed if she were not getting shots. I have a barbie ban on our house since we have some many. I was so proud of her. She is still bragging to people about her shots. She let the bandaids stay on until they fell off just so she could tell people. Can't believe that means I can now register her for kindergarten in February.

The infamous remote has resurfaced

2009-10-01T10:57:00.003-04:00

This story will show everyone definitely how cheap I am....more than two years ago our downstairs remote vanished. We assumed after many attempts to find it that one of us had thrown it into the recycling with the newspapers that are often on the coffee table. I assumed replacing the remote would be expensive since it operated the tv, satellite, and dvd player so we just used the buttons for over a year. Scott would make cracks on a weekly basis about missing his remote but he nor I made any attempts to order another one from DISH. As a joke for his 40th birthday I ordered the remote and felt ridiculous when it only cost 19.99. It was a big hit!

Well, yesterday I was searching for a box to mail my best friend her birthday present. I keep spare boxes in my closet, so I pulled down an old sneaker shoebox. It felt heavier than normal, so I opened it up lifted out the cardboard shoe insert still there and there that pesky remote was smiling back at me. One of the girls must have put it in there at some point before it made its way into the closet. They are always turning the boxes into home for their dolls or stuffed animals. Who knows! Scott had just left for the airport (he is in Vegas for the rest of the week) so I called his cell (new cell by the way--we have entered the texting world). As soon as I told him that I found something, he immediately knew it was the remote. I guess now we have a spare.

Inspired by Friends

2009-09-28T07:37:00.002-04:00

I know I am not the only one who asks themself sometimes what keeps us going, what makes us want to be a better person, and who do we look to for motivation. Yesterday I was hit in the face with inspiration. My friend and half marathon coach, Dave, competed in a Half Ironman yesterday at Joran Lake for the Duke Liver Center. What that means is he swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles, and ran 13.1 miles. Can you even imagine? As I prepare to yet again just run the 13.1 miles, I can not wrap my head around those distances. Isn't the body amazing for being able to handle such activity. But...even more what I felt yesterday was the power of the mind and spirit. My spirit was swept up in Dave's desire to push himself to such a place. He didn't quite meet his goal of doing it under 6 hours. The gravel and grass run aggravated his achilles and ate away from the lead he had made on the other two legs of the race. I was in awe.

I was and am so thankful that he is my friend along with Laura and Holly who were there with me cheering him on. Who can be so fortunate to have good friends and then have those awesome friends inspire us to be better friends, parents, and athletes. I am amazed and find it very surreal that I have found a group of people to connect with on so many different levels. My sister in law is rocking out these amazing times on her runs too. I love having something new in common with her to add to the great things about her I love.

I guess having just had a birthday and not feeling older but noticing that I am getting older as my children grow in front of my eyes, I appreciate being able to push myself physically and attain such goals. I appreciate the inspiration I get from friends, my family, and even strangers. Yesterday, I got all choked up watching a boy run the last 50 yards with his father to cross the finish line. He made a memory with his Dad that was fun for him and huge for his Dad. Just an amazing day...and I got to share it with my girls who cheered for strangers, saw a friend accomplish a huge feat, and saw how important it is to support and be loyal to those most important in our lives!

Birthday Central

2009-09-21T07:34:00.002-04:00

It's my old day...I mean birthday! It started out great last night with a yummy Bonefish dinner with friends. It is so nice to take a few hours to eat versus 20 minutes. Thankfully my birthday ends our streak of birthdays for a little while. We have Emily's and Connor's coming up next. Paige's birthday, last Monday, went great. She loves her bike and rather than going out to the restaurant of her choice, she decided she wanted pancakes with strawberries and syrup on top. I could handle that. On Friday the girls went to a birthday party for the Haskells. Scott got a night out for pizza since we had neither child for three hours. Nothing like a free babysitter for the night. I picked up Tate and Abbie after the party. They were sleeping over at our house and Paige was staying at the party for a sleepover with her best friend Jackie (her first one by the way). At home, Tate and Abbie talked about what they would do and were going to go get jammies on. Abbie ran up and Tate turned to me and like a light switch she was crying, "Mommy, I miss Paige." I was shocked. Almost daily Tate asks me to play with Paige so she and Abbie can be alone. This was her time at home alone and she missed her sister. It was so cute and something I vowed to write down so that in 5 or 10 years when they are fighting for time in the bathroom I can remember that face. I calmed her down and they had a great time until Paige called at 9pm not to talk to me or Scott but to say goodnight to Tate. It was just the cutest thing. I think as parents we don't realize that our kids have these rituals. They are so engrained into our routines that only when they bring them to our attention do we notice them. Every night Paige says goodnight to Tate right before she goes to sleep which is not always right when we put her to bed. Tate got a cracky voice but said goodnight to her. It was so nice to see them and a reflection of their bond. Just what a Mom needs sometimes.

My baby is five!

2009-09-15T10:39:00.002-04:00

It's true. Paige turned five yesterday. Everything went great (except for when the girls cried over an earthworm Paige was trying to turn into a pet and Tate didn't want her to swish it--I swear Tate will end up working for PETA). Saturday was her party at Sonshine gymnastics. They bounced, did the zip line, jumped in the foam pit, and did an obstacle course. We do need to work on the gift deal. She got gifts Friday from her Nana, Saturday at her party and then Sunday from my parents and her aunt and uncle. So yesterday, we finally got to give her our gift--a Barbie bike that has the bike attachment for her barbie. This is what she wanted. She loves it, but did say, "I thought I would get more gifts today since it is my real birthday." Knife in the stomach. I took the time to explain that we must be grateful and helped her remember all the great things she had received over the last few days. She understands but I was surprised to hear her say that.

I just can't believe she is that old. She absolutely loves her new school. Her mannerisms are changing too. I get the head tilts now and hair flips that must come from having an older sister. It is so fun to go into new phases with them, but it is just happening so fast. Hold on!

Paige's first day of Transitional Kindergarten

2009-09-08T15:38:00.004-04:00

Here she is...Miss TK! Paige loved her first day of TK with Ms. Laura at Sunrise United Methodist Church today. Her best friend is in her class, and she tells me she has already made another new friend named Abby. They eat lunch there too and unfortunately Scott forgot to take the candy out of the lunchable meal she took so she "got in trouble" the first day. It is actually my fault because I don't think I told him no candy. She took it great and ate the candy as soon as she got home.

Last night was hilarious. We were filling out a questionnaire the teacher had sent home at open house. It asked about likes, favorite things, dislikes. For likes and favorite things she only wanted to put KC (our now four month old cat) whom she adores. For dislikes, I told her I didn't think she had any. I used her friend Julia as an example because Julia is afraid of balloons, so the teacher would want to know in case a balloon was at school and Julia cried. She thought about it a minute and then said, "I'm afraid of tigers and haunted houses but I guess those won't be there so don't write anything." It was priceless.

Here she is playing with Linkin' Logs before Dad left. She had no problems! Yeah!

On your mark...get set...go!

2009-09-02T11:45:00.003-04:00

That is how I feel our summer has gone...a race...enjoyable race that is. Week three of work and school has finally gotten me into a calmer routine. Since I last posted, Scott and I celebrated our 10th anniversary by going to Tybee Island, GA for a few days. Then the family returned to Kitty Hawk for another week of sun and sand in mid-August before work and school started.

Tate celebrated her 8th birthday on August 7th with a Do-It-Yourself birthday party. It was lots of fun. She made shirts, suncatchers, pizzas and decorate jumbo cupcakes with 7 of her closest friends (and her little sister who ate up all the big girl attention).

Now Paige awaits her birthday in September. We actually bought the plates and napkins yesterday. She'll be having a gymnastics party. I am so excited that I'll only have to make the cake and goodie bags for this one. I think she wants a heart. I always find their cake choices interesting. Tate had a mermaid this year.

So I promise to write more now that our normal routine of school, dance, and soccer has started again. Tate scored the first goal of the season at her first game last Saturday. We have real refs now!

Tate's first day of Third Grade

2009-07-07T16:46:00.002-04:00

Today was the day. Supplies were bought, a new dress was on, and the belly ache began right after the pancake breakfast she requested. We were both upset that she did not feel well. She didn't want to miss the first day but felt like she would throw up. I was imagining the teacher going over all the rules and introductions without her. Thanks goodness by 10:30 she felt up to going. Once at school there were a few tears and shaky legs. It leads me to believe the belly ache was a case of the third grade nerves. New "boy" teacher, out in the bungalows (fancy word for a double wide) instead of in the building, and the loss of some friends created a party in her tummy. Scott and I walked her in and dropped her off at Art class where her classmates were painting a picture as the teacher read a story aloud. I kept my cell phone nearby all day but did not get a call...thank goodness. At the bus stop, I was so happy to see her waving her hands and smiling. Nerves were gone and she was telling me about the new planner she gets to keep her assignments in, the new "older" playground she gets to play on now, and the new table at lunch. Times are changing. She is really seeming older. Her reactions are more emotional and deep it seems. The secretary said it best...different stages for different ages. Today we will start a new chapter. Sniff, sniff!

July 4th

2009-07-07T16:21:00.008-04:00

We headed down to Kitty Hawk last Tuesday after Tate finished second grade for a quickie beach vacation before third grade started today! We had a great week, awesome weather, and got to see my parents and grandfather. Here are some highlights:

Scott digs the girls a hole each day for them to use as a pool. On this day, they became Olympians doing the triple jump.

Here is my beach bum glistening in the July heat.

B and Tate playing ladderball...our new beach game for the week that we feel in love with.

The Brennan girls before the fireworks.

Tate venturing out into the water with Dad.

Searching for shells before heading home.

This is my favorite place in the planet to be. We are heading back again for a longer stay when Tate tracks out for her summer break.

Just cried in front of the girls

2009-06-21T15:00:00.002-04:00

I don't cry...hardly ever...especially in front of the girls, but they did talk me into watching Marley & Me. Therefore, now I have cried twice in front of them. A story for Tate to tell. She remembers me crying at the old house. She thinks I was sad to go when really it was because the realtor told me to paint the kitchen and put in a new chandelier.

We rented some movies yesterday, and I had planned to watch it alone last night but I gave in. It was so good. Perfect dog lover movie. Having just lost Scout I waited to watch it and thought I was ready. I guess I would have cried no matter what but watching them say goodbye to Marley made me crumble. Tate crumbled with me just like the oldest child in the movie. I think it was good for us and I don't think I have harmed them for life. It made us remember Scout's toilet drinking, endless eating if the dog food was left open, and inability to drop the tennis ball. It also made me think about Jackson who has racked up hundreds of dollars in vet bills because of a horrible ear infection in the last two weeks. I even have a prescription I need to get to the pharmacy today to hopefully get her well. In the end the movie reminded me that I need to go pick up Scout's ashes so we can take them to the beach with us over the fourth.

The newest member of the family, KC--Krazy Cat, is doing great. He is all energy and we all have the scratches to prove it. The girls have quickly learned to close their doors at night so their feet are not attacked. He is the cutest thing ever. A great addition to our family!

I've been off a week from work and feel busier rather than like I am on vacation...lots of fun stuff! If computer problems stay out of my way and I get an extra hour in the day I'll try to update more. Paige went down the huge slide on her own on Friday for the first time. Tate has a week left of Second Grade and will have Mr. Tricino next year--her first boy teacher. Paige starts camp tomorrow at her new school. It will give her a chance to see the place and get ready for September. Both girls are three weeks into their summer gymnastics session having loads of fun on the bars and balance beam--a nice break from dance.

Here she is...

2009-06-08T11:16:00.005-04:00

Here is our new bundle of energy. For now we are calling her KC (Kitty Cat). Isn't she a cutie!

She joined us on Friday after living for three days in the bushes outside of a Spanish teacher at my school's house. We took her in to surprise the girls and now she has Scott wrapped around her little paw. Let's hope that he is not allergic to her because I know he likes her now.

Here she is playing in a tunnel I got her yesterday...

It is fun! Now we need to introduce her to Jackson. Wish us luck! We'll head to the vet this week to make sure she is a she.

Tate's Recital

2009-06-02T18:37:00.006-04:00

Tate had her dance recital on last Saturday! I was the class mom this year. Yeah me! It actually wasn't too bad except for the girls asking me every second how many songs until their turn. They were after intermission so it was quite a few, but they never gave up asking. Here are some shots of the class hanging out before their number.

Here they are right before going on stage.

They danced to "Carolina on My Mind" by James Taylor. It was beautiful. I am so impressed by her studio. At 14, they take them to dance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I will live vicariously through her if they are still doing that when she gets that old. How fun!

Here we are having ice cream to celebrate afterwards.

Her recital closes out our activities for this school year. I signed them up for swim lessons and Paige up for gymanstics for the summer. A change of pace for the summer....

Thursday and beyond

2009-05-28T08:36:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was Tate's dress rehearsal. It is so fun to watch them get excited about a big stage and see the awe in their faces when they watch the big girls dance.

Today I help in Tate's class and clean for my parents arrival tomorrow night. When will Jackson stop shedding so my vacuum with not blow up from use?

Two days until Tate's recital and my first go as a class mom backstage.

Four more days of school for Paige until she is done for the summer.

A week until Tate's Me party at school...sounds fun. Scott is going since I have to work.

Six days before I head to Wilmington for a girls weekend with Courtney.

Six more days of work for me and then I'm unemployed until further notice by the school system.

Five more weeks of 2nd grade for Tate.

Five more weeks until we head to the Outer Banks for July 4th week.

Seven weeks until Scott and I have been married 10 years! We are headed to Tybee Island, GA to celebrate. Just made reservations. Nana and B will babysit.

Two months a a week until Tate is eight! Say it ain't so.

Three months and two weeks until Paige is 5! I know it can't be so!

Three months and three weeks and Carmen will turn.....the computer has stopped working.

And if we really want to think ahead....8 months until we take the girls to Disney again! This time we will do Sea World.

Thata a girl!

2009-05-21T21:02:00.003-04:00

Why am I so excited that Tate got her first hole in a pair of jeans? Crazy I know, but it is like a right of passage during your childhood. She thought I would be mad, and I just smiled. Poor girl was so confused.

Went almost two months without a microwave, but we have the new one in after calling in Dave and Darren to help us realize we had not taken the bracket off. Duh!

Got a haircut! It is surely a thata girl day!

Paige's First Recital

2009-05-20T20:03:00.003-04:00

Another first has come...Paige had her first dance recital on Saturday. She danced (yes, in the neon green costume that had no connection to the beautiful song) to "Barbie Bandaids," a sweet sentimental song about your little girl growing up. Can I say tears? Whew! I got her out of school early for dress rehearsal on Friday. She was excited, and I was nervous to see what she would do when the curtain opened. She danced...that is what she did. She was even smiling. Afterward, she told me her teacher promised them a treat if they smiled the whole time. At school, she doesn't really participate when the class sings to the parents, so I wondered how an auditorium of parents would make her feel. She was awesome!

Here she is right before the recital...

On the way there, she asked me if more than Mommies would be there this time. I told her yes...that Moms, Dads, Grannies, and Granddaddies would be there. She didn't say anything more so again I waited with baited breath to see what she would do with the auditorium full. She twirled, pointed, and so graceful! On the way to lunch, she said "Mommy, I didn't even have to take their clothes off." At first I was thinking What? Then I remembered that I had told her if her belly felt a little funny and she was nervous to think of the audience in their underwear and that she would think that was so silly her funny feelings would go away. I loved it! I won't forget that one!

Chalk family

2009-05-13T10:22:00.003-04:00

The girls are obsessed with drawing pictures on the driveway with chalk right now. They are getting quite good at it. Tate has a house, girl and garden with watering can going right now. Good cheap fun!

Yesterday, Paige wanted to trace us all to have a family in her picture. I humored her and laid down on the cement while she traced me...even each finger. What an eyeopener when I got up. I'm a pretty small person but you should see the hips on the chalk me. Ha! It was hilarious. Now there is a chalk Tate, Paige and Mom greeting our neighbors as they walk by. We are even holding hands. OK, rain come help me out!

Tate tracks back in today....5 more weeks and I'll have a 3rd grader. Can that be right? Paige is done at her school on June 5. We'll have the summer together and she will start at her new school in September for Transitional Kindergarten.

Crazy Dog

2009-05-11T08:09:00.002-04:00

It has been two weeks since Scout passed away, and Jackson is now full blown spoiled by all of us. She loves the air condition, so we have to fight her to go out. She just wants to relax and shed her winter fur all over the hardwood. When she sees us coming to let her out for the bathroom, she hides under chairs or behind the couch. I guess she is scared the good life will be taken away again just like it was when the kids arrived and she and Scout started staying outside more. The last two nights she has for some reason decided that after it cools off outside she enjoys laying on the patio and does not want to come in for the night when Scott and I are ready for bed. When we call her in, she goes under the porch. We left her out Saturday night, and she did fine. Last night, I gave up and left her out again but at 3:30 in the morning she decided she was ready to come in. A rhythmic bark persisted until I woke up and let her in. That just can't happen. I guess we are going to have to take our spoiled almost 12 year old dog into our fenced in backyard on a leash each night so that she will come in without a scene.

Trophies and more trophies

2009-05-09T08:45:00.003-04:00

Great news! Tate received two trophies this week. She is creating quite the collection on her dresser. I think she is up to five. On Monday, we had a pizza night with her soccer team. Her coach is amazing. Great guy! He spoke about each of the ten kids as he presented their trophy and what he said really showed that he took the time to get to know them. Tate was his smiler. Nothing gets that girl down. He could always look to her for a strong kick (2 goals this season) and a smile even if the team was down. We are aging up next season so after 3 seasons with many of the same kids she will be on an all girls team in the fall. No more co-ed. I don't know how I feel about that. The boys are fun and they challenge the girls to be more aggressive.

Trophy two came on Thursday night at the PTA meeting. Tate participated in the annual Reflections art contest. This year the theme was WOW! We had just returned from Disney when this project was due so her WOW interpretation was the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. It turned out great. Instead of drawing it, she cut out different shapes to create the castle, trees, etc. out of construction paper. Here it is...

She got first place for the K-2 age category. We are so proud of her! It was so cute to watch her getting nervous before they called her name to go get her trophy and shake hands with the principal. She was rubbing her hands together and moving her legs. Nerves!

Now my Paigey is a trooper. She watches her sister do this with a smile and clap. She loves it and never complains about not having a trophy of her own yet. Scott and I are the ones that feel bad. Tate has five trophies and has had visits from the tooth fairy six times and Paige takes it in stride. Her day will come and I can't wait. I think I will find a trophy for her for her Pre-K graduation in June.

Week in Pictures

2009-05-03T17:47:00.009-04:00

This week was great! We deserved it! Monday Tate went to her first day of gymnastics track out camp and loved it. This was the first time she has gone somewhere where she didn't know anyone. She did great. Her last soccer practice rounded out the day. Parents played kids and the kids won.

Tuesday was picture day. Emily and I took the kids to the Rose Garden and had great shots taken. The scenery was great! I almost died when the photographer asked the girls if they had a dog but they both handled it great.

We left the Rose Garden and went to Pullen Park. The girls went on the carousel (sleigh for Paige, horse for Tate) and the train. We had lunch and I even got interviewed by the local news and we were on the 6 o'clock news that night. The girls loved seeing themselves on TV.

Wednesday Tate was back at gymnastics camp. She had Abbie stay over for a sleepover. They had a blast. This was only her second sleepover at our house. It went so nicely. I ended up bribing Paige with a new Fancy Nancy book to leave them alone for a while. It worked.

Thursday was just as busy. After the girls did some "shows" for me in the morning, we headed to JumpZone for 2 hours where they jumped and jumped and jumped that energy out. In the afternoon we went to Porter's and picked strawberries and had homemade ice cream with friends. Yummy!

Friday Tate went to see a movie with her friend Caitlyn while I worked and Paige was at school. We had dinner with Stacey, Matt, Abbie, and Jamison. We had to get to bed early for Tate's last soccer game.

Saturday morning eating her bagel, Tate lost her sixth tooth. After a mishap with Scott almost rinsing it down the kitchen sink, it made it to her pillow. Tate continued her great day by making her second goal of the season at her last soccer game and the only goal of the game for her team. You gotta love to see a girl fist pump with all the boys watching. Go girl!

This coming week should be less busy but hopefully just as fun! Recitals are coming and Tate will track back in after Mother's Day.

Monday is here!

2009-04-27T07:56:00.002-04:00

We have hit a new week and it is going to awesome! There has to be something said for the power of positive thinking right? Last week was unbelievable. We lost our dog Scout on Thursday night very quickly to what the vet said was an undetected rupture of a mass on her spleen that caused her to bleed internally. We have spent the weekend helping the girls deal with her absence...and ourselves. I miss her. She was our dumb blond always happy to see you girl. The most beautiful and friendliest dog. The only thing that was aggravating about her was her obsession with eating and her urge to drink toilet water. We will miss her always.

The weekend was beautiful. Tate had a soccer game Saturday. Her team made another good effort but came up short. We washed cars and planted up a storm. Sunday Scott took the girls to visit Nana and I stayed behind to stain the back deck floor and stairs. It looks great. Hopefully tonight I will be able to put the furniture back on and enjoy it being complete. The floor was the last think we needed to complete after getting it built last May.

The girls have each planted their gardens. My iris is blooming and the two plants Scout basically ate to the ground over the winter are reemerging. Those will make me think of her often which is a good thing.

Today Tate starts gymnastics track out camp. She has never done anything like this, so I can't wait to hear about it tonight. She sure is growing up. Both of them look taller and older lately. Tomorrow we get pictures taken in the rose garden with Connor. I can't wait. This week will be better! I demand it to be so!

I want a redo

2009-04-22T11:40:00.002-04:00

This week will go down as one of the most tiring I can remember and it is only Wednesday. Last weekend was intense with 7.5 cubic yards of mulch dumped in the driveway. It looks awesome now, but it was a lot of work. For some reason it is like having a baby--you don't remember how exhausting it was since you don't do it that often.

Sunday night Tate got the unfortunate stomach bug--poor thing. She was a trooper. I had just laid my head down on the pillow after a day of mulching when it all started. We were up with her all night--seven hours of fun. I had to work Monday, so after an allnighter I worked a full day. I have not been up for 38+ hours since college and hope to not do that again anytime soon.

I also caught Tate's cold that is kicking my butt. It has gone to my chest. I'm afraid I may have to go see the doc soon. Hope not. Anyway, no one else has gotten sick so hopefully we are in the clear....I'm knocking on wood now.

I got a new coffee carafe. I picked out a new microwave to get this weekend and my Dad gave me the play by play instructions to install it and save some money. The week is looking up! Now if I can just kick this cold and get a good run in.

Tidbits from our week

2009-04-17T10:30:00.004-04:00

Scott went to Chicago but said all he saw was the inside of the hotel conference center. Too bad!

Our coffee pot cracked and microwave shorted out. Is that really fair to happen in the same week?

This week I asked Tate why she was sleeping on top of her made bed. I reminded her that just because her bed was made does not mean that the rest of her room is clean. She smiled and said, "I was hoping the bed would do the rest."

The Easter Bunny got Paige a CD player. Now she is a singing dancing maniac. I love it. She sings so loud you would never know how shy she acts at school.

Paige is growing a lima bean even though she does not like them and actually brought home the seeds from her cucumber at lunch on Wednesday to plant in our garden.

I almost ran over a duck on my way to work today. What was he doing by himself at 6 in the morning?

Paige is pumping on the swing all by herself like a pro now. It sure took a while but she has it.

Tate's appetite is back after a cold this week. Thank goodness.

Tate went to her friend Abbie's house yesterday to play. She came home saying, "Mom, I love my chocolate bunny but Abbie's was all the way up to her knee." We just had a talk about haves and have nots so this was funny watching her want to tell me but treading lightly.

Tonight we have dinner with G, Emily and baby Connor. We can't wait.

Day as a Single Mom

2009-04-15T19:10:00.002-04:00

Wake up at 3am to Scott's alarm that is going off for some reason while he is sleeping peacefully in Chicago. End up taking batteries out of the thing because I can't figure it out.

Wake up at 6, shower, get dressed for work. No jammies in the carpool line today.

Wake up Tate. Tate and I wake up Paige and carry the princess downstairs.

Feed dogs.

Fix them breakfast--poptart and waffle for Paige, bagel and waffle for Tate. As they watch a show, I packed Tate's lunch and got every one's book bag ready to go. I also brewed coffee in my cracked pot because I just had to have a cup.

Got girls dressed and hair done.

Leave home at 7:30 headed to Primrose. Earliest Paige has been dropped off before since Scott usually takes her at 8:30. Drop off Tate in carpool at 8:00.

Arrive at Enloe at 8:50 rather than the 6:20 I normally get there. Odd to walk in the school when the sun is out.

Work, work, work.

Meet Tate at the bus stop. Drop her off at Molly's for a play date.

Stop by Harris Teeter on my way to get Paige for some last minute dinner items.

Return home and when Tate gets back we start on homework while Paige swings. Get salad ready.

Hit the car again at 4:55 to go sign Tate up for dancing next year. We got the 5:00 lottery slot which is a great time but one of the classes she wants is already full. She is going to take ballet and tap and maybe we will get the jazz class she wants and drop the tap.

Return home and throw the chicken on the grill. Pack up BBQ chicken and apple/blue cheese salad for a friend and jump back in the car to deliver.

Return home for the third time today and have dinner. Finish homework and send the girls to the backyard while I sit here and blog.

Now I am off to give them baths and study for the science test Tate has on weather. Oh, and the 15 minutes she needs to read.

Did I say how much I love my husband and can't wait for him to get home. The mulch is coming tomorrow!

Easter

2009-04-13T09:42:00.005-04:00

Easter was great! The girls left a note for the bunny to come to the Boon Docks (yes Tate named my parents' house this after Scott called it such when she was only two) since we went to Elizabeth City to visit my family for the long weekend. On Friday the girls climbed the pasture tree in their yard which was lots of fun since we don't have trees around here to climb. Saturday my mom signed them up for a free lesson on fish at Port Discovery downtown. They got to see the insides of a fish and look at lots of interesting things under microscopes including tadpoles, dragonfly eggs. My girls love this yucky, slimy stuff. My brother came for the day too, so we spent the afternoon hanging out with him and Melissa along with the seven dogs (Jackson, Scout, Ally, Maddy, Riley, Blue, Bridgett, and Sandy) that are there when my entire immediate family is there with their animals in tow. Thank goodness my parents live in the country on a huge lake that all the dogs think is heaven on earth. Sunday was Easter. After the bunny graced the girls with new movies, candy, and a special toy for each of them, we headed to church to hear B sing, visit with friends, and enjoy the service. The girls were adorable. Tate looked very grown up.

Now it is Easter Monday and Tate is home sick with a fever and bad cold. At least it held off for our trip. We had a great time!

Dancing, Soccer, etc.

2009-04-02T12:01:00.005-04:00

There are so many things things I want the girls to try. Right now they dance and Tate also plays soccer. Tate did gymnastics when she was 3 but then started dancing at 4 and dropped the gymnastics because it was too much at the time with Paige in tow and kindergarten ahead. When I was their age I played soccer and danced. There were times when I only did one. It is very interesting seeing it from the other side. Now I remember seeing my mom eating Hardee's in the car as we played soccer. Now I remember her comments about being a taxi. Now I remember her displeasure always having to figure out what we were going to have for dinner. Whew! I love watching them dance and kick the ball around. I truly love to see them be good at something and get praise from someone other than us, but whew, what a job figuring it all out.

Tuesday we got next year's dance schedule. There was an actual lottery to register for the classes because the place is so popular in our area. I now have a time slot to go and try to get the classes they want. Paige will still do ballet/tap, but Tate is old enough now that ballet and tap are separate classes which equals more money and more days at the studio. It will be fun and busy but just figuring out when she gets out of school and when we can take the classes and how that affects my work schedule is a job in and of itself.

The tricky part is wanting them to experience more like playing an instrument but not wanting them to add another day to their activities. I think kids still need to come home, do their homework, and go outside and play. I have to maintain those days too. So for now we will keep on doing what they enjoy and we'll try something new if their interest changes in one of those. Paige is going to try gymnastics this summer while she is on the summer break from dance. Tate will do swim lessons after soccer is over. And me...I will find good books and magazines to read while I watch it all!

Here is Paige's "cute" recital costume and a pic of us decorating Easter eggs.

From the Mouths of Babes

2009-03-26T12:46:00.002-04:00

This morning Scott and I had to go to the lawyer's office and sign all the papers for our refinancing. Paige went with us and played with a few toys they had outside the office. By the end, she was in the office and the lawyer even did the hidden candy trick under Styrofoam cups to entertain her. Anyway, we finished up with our new shiny pens in hand. When we walked out of there, Scott was on cloud nine talking about the money we were saving (over the next 30 years mind you...but I'm excited too). He looked at Paige and said, "Paigey, you can go to college now." She looked at him like he was crazy and said, "I'll just get an American Girl doll." That is what a lot of money means to her. Ha!

Dance costumes

2009-03-25T11:15:00.002-04:00

Tuesdays are dance days at our house. Costumes are in and Paige has a doozey! Close your eyes and imagine this....neon green tutu, black and green checked bodice with flesh color material that ends in a tight collar no four year old wants to wear. Needless to say I am not a fan but it grows on me each time I see it on her because what four year old is not cute in a tutu. Well, yesterday the teacher invited us in to see the dance. I have been watching them practice it for a few weeks but had not heard the music so I was excited to see how it all came together. So I am sitting there and the most adorable song comes on. It is called "Barbie Bandaids." It is the sweetest country song about your daughter growing up. I will be crying buckets at the recital. So now go back to the description I gave before.....how does this sweet song relate to the disco outfit hanging in Paige's closet? Did I mention her teacher is 17? Great girl and perfect with the kids but oh my! That may explain it all.

Week in Review

2009-03-23T19:20:00.002-04:00

Whew! What a week!

Monday and Tuesday were spent finishing up Tate's landforms project. I am truly going to school all over again. She drew, defined, and colored 10 landforms and created a visual that included a clay hill, sandy coast, pipe cleaner windmill on the plains, and a tissue paper mountain. She was a trooper and very proud to brag that she had drawn all her pictures while two people in her class only cut out pictures and glued them down. I did squeeze in 6 miles on Tuesday with Holly.

Wednesday was Scott's 40th birthday. After I got over the shock of thinking someone was attacking me in the dark of the early morning, I couldn't stop laughing at the balloons on our mailbox and streamers that friends had covered Scott's car with. He came home to 40 cards in the mailbox. We took him out to dinner and came home with cake. I'm still trying to get him to buy the 40 inch plasma, but I think he wants a vacation instead.

Thursday and Friday were spent on secret shopping missions for Scott's surprise party. Paige also had her recital pictures on Friday. While I read in Tate's class, Paige got to go down to a neighbor's house with all the other girls in her class and have her hair and make-up done. They all looked absolutely adorable. The green and black costume is slowly growing on me because I just think any tutu is cute.

Saturday Tate had a soccer game and scored her first goal of the season! Go Sounders! Once we got home, we started cleaning up. Scott thought we were cleaning for his mom but he would soon find out that he was cleaning for his very own party. He went to lunch with his brother and only then did I tell the girls what was going on. Paige is not good with secrets. Jim arrived shortly with tables, coolers, and cornhole. The backyard was transformed. The party went great. Nearly 30 of us surprised him (kinda). He recounted the clues for us later. I guess Garrett insisting to go to lunch on Saturday versus Sunday started the suspicion. Then the call I made Emily make because I was nervous he was never going to come home didn't help. The only thing that make him think twice was a last minute idea by a friend who told me to do something normal. I grabbed my next door neighbor and we went and stood in her driveway and pretended to talk like a normal afternoon. After much cornhole, BBQ, and beer the party ended a little after 7.

Sunday was beautiful! We kept the girls outside and cleaned up the yard. Now I look forward to a normal busy week versus the Brennans on fast forward!

Come on Spring and SPRING!

2009-03-12T19:11:00.002-04:00

I love warm weather. I am absolutely not made to withstand the cold. Put me on a desert island any day before making me travel to Alaska. I accomplished something big this year and trained for a half marathon in the cold, even ran 12 miles in the low 30s which is big for me. Couldn't feel my toes until about five miles in.

Needless to say, I can't wait for spring. This week got me excited. My daffodils, tulips, and day lilies are coming up (I am addicted to gardening). I pruned the crepe myrtles and planted a leftover lantana that I did not get into the ground last fall. I was so surprised to see that it was still alive when I went to throw it away. Tate had her first soccer game last Saturday--no need to mention the score. Paige got invited to attend a select dance class this summer--no need to talk about Tate not getting asked. Recital tickets go on sale on Saturday. Scott's 40th birthday is next week. All the signs of spring are here but the weather is getting cooler again. I am going to look at the showers coming in as a positive sign. The grass is sure to get greener and plants bigger. When the rain breaks on Wednesday, I demand spring to show its pretty face.

Job or no job...that is the question

2009-03-09T09:46:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am one of the luckily part-time Wake County employees who is in limbo wondering if they have a job next year. All part-time contracts are terminating, so while my principal wants to keep me there are lots of other factors that will determine if I have a job. I am actually OK with being cut if that is what is meant to be but the uncertainty is killing me.

Luckily Paige is not very happy at her school. She is quiet and doesn't share much with her teachers. This is not the loud, dancing girl I live with. I hate to think that she goes into a shell at school. After two years, I don't think we should be having anymore crying days at drop off and we still do. She asks Scott everyday for me to pick her up early. It breaks our hearts, but when I pick her up she is happy in her silent way...playing on the playground or listening to a story at circle time. Her teachers say she is reserved but happy throughout the day. One conversation especially made me cry. At a conference I asked the teacher about Paige playing with friends, especially Sammy who she talks about a lot at home. The teacher said she does not play with others that often...is very busy but mostly plays independently. I felt like I was kicked in the stomach. I think Paige is an observer. She sees so much and tells us so much but maybe she is not always involved.

Obviously as her mother I feel responsible for making her happy and putting her in places that help her grow. This school is awesome but is not the best place for her. So to make a long story and lots of thinking short...we have made different plans for her next year. She will be going to a local church and taking part in their transitional kindergarten program. The class is very small and one of her best friends will be there with her. I think this will help her feel more comfortable. I sure hope so! The lucky part is that this decision was in the works before the job crisis arose. I would have hated to move her if she was happy. We would have had no choice because we can't really afford her current school without my income. Her new school is less than half what we are currently paying, and she will be going five half days next year. It is all working out as well as can be expected. She is excited and I am excited for her. We will get to spend the summer together and be fancy free! I can't wait. I'll leave the rest to the higher powers and enjoy the now!

The Tale of Two Shoestrings

2009-03-02T10:52:00.002-05:00

I was cleaning out a drawer this morning--a snowy morning in March---another make-up day eating into my spring break--and I found two packs of shoestrings I got in a gift bag after a race. I gave them to the girls to play with because I am always amazed at what they do with stuff. Their imaginations are out of control. Soon they each had hand towels tied to their legs with the shoestrings--"Mom, we have broken legs." Soon they also had canes and crutches which were actually parts of a fort set. It was hilarious! Before it was all over the shoestrings turned into a limbo bar when attached to more pieces of the fort set. What will they come up with next?

When the shoestring fun ran out, we headed out into the snow that cancelled school today. We made the snow lady you see below. A snowball fight, snow angels, and a cup of hot cocoa later we are back inside. What will the shoestrings be next?

Lunch with the Teacher

2009-02-26T10:10:00.002-05:00

Tate's teacher will do interesting things to get the kids to do homework, be quite, etc. Her latest thing was if parents signed the homework folder every night for a week, their names could be put in a hat and on Friday she would pick a name out and that student would get to pick three friends to have lunch with Ms. Pride in the classroom. Isn't it awesome that lunch with the teacher is such a great prize to a 2nd grader. I love it.

Anyway, Tate's name was not picked but her friend Abbie did pick her as one of the three friends to come have lunch. What I found so amusing was the lunch conversation. They all started sharing Disney stories. We have only been once and it was amazing. So Tate was telling Scott all about this Friday after school and he asked her what story did she share. She smiled and said, "THE SQUIRREL ATTACK." Of all the wonderful things we did...eat at the castle (mucho money), roller coasters for the first time, an amazing hotel with a volcano in the pool...and my did tells everyone about the squirrels.

So here is the story...We were at Epcot. We had gone on Soarin', Tate's favorite ride, and were now walking through the different countries. The girls were in the strollers (yes even Tate) looking at the buildings and people in country garb. It was time for lunch, so we stopped at the McDonald's for nuggets for the kids and parked ourselves by the lake that the countries are centered around. The ducks and geese are very tame, obviously fed by more tourists than you can imagine, so I had my eye on them eyeing the french fries. Who knew you had to watch out for the squirrels. Before my eyes, a daring squirrel was crawling up the backpack on the back of one of our strollers. He was trying to get inside since it was open. I looked at Scott and told him to do something. Luckily the girls were not in the strollers then so they came over by me and Scott tried to stomp and yell but that squirrel did not care. It was hilarious. He realized there was nothing to be had in the Brennan backpack and went on his merry way but goodness it was interesting. I felt like he was going to start talking to me in Eddie Murphy's voice. Doesn't he do all the animal movies?

I just find it very interesting that when asked about Disney that is the story Tate chose to share. It was memorable, and it just goes to show that the little things count just as much as the big things we do.

I AM A TEACHER...I THINK

2009-02-19T18:40:00.003-05:00

I can't stand to do homework with Tate...most of the time. It really has nothing to do with Tate. I just think it is the way my mind works and why I teach high school. It is not my thing, and I think today I just needed to say that outloud.

It took two hours, lots of tears, whining, and raised voices for her to write 12 super sentences today. The sun was shining and I wanted to go outside, but twelve sentences that each had to start with a new word and include a spelling word became a huge rock on my back.

The only light in the whole experience was Tate's use of the word torch. I had gone outside with Paige to let her ride the car on the sidewalk. No need for her to not enjoy the sunshine. When I came back inside, I looked over Tate's sentences. For torch she had written....My dog Scout torches my dog Jackson in the backyard every day. I smirked (inside) and asked her if she knew what a torch was. She said no, so we talked about the Olympics and Scooby Doo carrying a torch through a haunted house. But how hilarious is that!

A few lessons learned

2009-02-18T17:09:00.003-05:00

First, I mentioned swimming lessons to Paige (who has refused lessons--and when she says she won't do something she means it). She made that wrinkled face, so I thought of a story I have heard a million times about my grandfather. My Dad often told me growing up about how his Dad didn't know how to swim and while fishing he fell off a boat and almost drowned. I don't remember if my Dad, who can't swim either, witnessed this and could not help or was just told about it. Anyway, I toned the story down so as not to scare Paige but explained that my grandfather could not swim and got really scared and barely made it back to the boat he was one one day. I told her I didn't want her to ever feel like she could not get to the side of a pool or a boat. She has been a ball of questions ever since. "Mom, what did he do. Mom, how did he get back to the boat. Why didn't he like swimming? What did Pop Pop do? Is he OK? Where is he now?" Anyway, I asked again...will you try lessons...and again...the wrinkled face.

Second, Friday night I watched Chronicles of Narnia with the girls on the Disney channel. I questioned if the movie would get a little too scary but it seemed OK. Disney channel right? It was great until the king lion gets his mane sheered and then he is stabbed by the witch. Paige was not phased because she is no where near the TV junky that Tate is. Tate's eyes almost bugged out. In an instant I realized it was a little too much. We talked about it and she seemed OK. By the way, the lion came back to life...thank goodness. That night she had trouble falling asleep. She said every time she closed her eyes she saw the lion being hurt. We talked more about movies and real life and books and real life and that seemed to work. She hasn't mentioned it since, but I guess we will hold off on watching ET.

Moral is...snap decisions to tell stories or watch movies you have never seen before with your kids can lead to more harm than good. Hopefully they are not scarred!

Heart Day

2009-02-14T19:53:00.004-05:00

What an awesome day! Some Saturdays seem endless as I try to think of things for the girls and I to do while Scott is working. Today being Valentine's Day, I came up with a project that they both thought was a great idea and it sailed us through the day. We planned a "special" dinner for Daddy. After getting baths and dressing in our red for the day, we headed to Wally World (my pet name for Wal-Mart) and got brownies, wine, and other odds and ends for our dinner. We delivered leftover neighborhood valentines and got home to start getting ready. We put the leaf in the table and cut out place mats from felt. We put the flowers Scott gave us on the table and added candles around them. Tate made Scott a menu for dinner with only one choice: calzones. Scott had mentioned steaks or going for calzones at our neighborhood Pizza place (great place!). I let the girls pick and they picked calzones. So calzones, salad, water, wine, and a surprise dessert (a heart brownie I attempted to write "We Love You" in powered sugar--attempted being the key word) made it on the menu.

About 30 minutes before Scott got home, the girls got into dress up clothes. When I gave them the idea, I intended for us all to "get fancy," but they came down a few minutes later looking like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Scott came home and Tate took him upstairs to wash his hands so I could quickly put out the salad. Once we were all seated, Paige was our waitress bringing the water and giving Scott his menu. The girls had apple juice in wine glasses which was the hit of the night. They cleared the table and acted absolutely perfect. At the end of dessert, I asked them what they loved about our family (thanks Laura for the idea!). Tate said she loved that we spend time together a lot. Great answer! Paige said she loved me and Daddy. Who could ask for more!

After such a wonderful day, all I can say is what holiday can tomorrow be so that we can do it again?

Like Cats and Dogs

2009-02-10T19:07:00.002-05:00

This morning I was prepared to write a depressing note in here about the girls fighting for the last few days but luckily today has been much better. I fought like cats and dogs with my brother. We had knock down drag out fights. We locked each other out of the house. Tate and Paige aren't like that. They never get physical. If they do, it is an accident. They are whiners and toy stealers. Their big conflict is one wants to be the boss and the other one does to. When it gets bad, I tell them to take a break and play separately for a while. This never works. They just keep trying to talk the other one into doing it their way. Anyway, today was better, and I have to hold on to that for today. It comes in waves, and right now Tate is tracked out so they have had a lot of together time. Tomorrow is a new day! Wish us luck. We are going rollerskating as a family after I get off work!

Circus anyone?

2009-02-06T09:17:00.003-05:00

Scott took the girls to the circus last night! Don't tell him, but I'm calling it his man date. He went with a friend from work who took his three nieces. So just imagine...two men and five little ladies. I was sad to miss it, but I did take Tate while Scott stayed home with Paige when she was just a year old. It was his turn.

He took them early so they could go down on the floor and watch the clowns. They even got to be a part of a juggling act. Paige actually went out there on her own! Big news there! Since it was her first time, Scott got a kick out of her comments. She was very concerned when she saw the elephants. She said, "Daddy, the elephants are inside. That is not right." Just as they came out the horses came out too. She looked at him with complete shock wondering why all the animals were inside. She thought they should be outside like at the zoo. I really think she only expected to see the clowns and acrobats, so animals were a surprise.

They got cotton candy, popcorn, a horse for Tate (to match the one she got when I took her), and a white tiger for Paige (nothing like another stuffed animal to add to our house). It was a late night...after 10 I think when they got home. Gotta love those childhood memories. They couldn't stop telling me about it!

The Mommy Touch

2009-02-03T14:48:00.003-05:00

Saturday night Tate was invited to a sleepover for Ella's birthday. She had a ball doing nails, getting a mud mask, and playing a game to win fingernail polish. Everything went perfect until it was time to settle down and watch a movie. Tate loves her house, her bed, and her Mommy and Daddy. She called to say goodnight around 8, but I could tell she was not sure about staying the night. Just my voice was making her want to come home even as upbeat as I was trying to be. She stayed for the movie but did call again at 11 for me to come get her. She tried so hard but just wanted to be home. Gotta love that! Anyway, this experience made me think about the Mommy touch that we all know we have when our kids are babies. My nephew Connor loves his Mommy. Her touch instantly soothes him. I saw him on Saturday, and I watched all the other moms try to console him but that boy is smart. He knew who his mom was and she had a special touch. As moms we all have that special pat, special hold, special song that will calm our children. When Tate was small, I would walk around (no sitting allowed) and bounce her a certain way that would make her stop crying. No one else had that bounce..my bounce. A little singing of "You are my Sunshine" never hurt either. Paige liked to be over my shoulder and I would pat her diaper. Scott seemed to find success with singing "Going to the Chapel" until the girls got old enough to ask him to stop singing. Whatever it is, moms have something special that soothes their children. That is why we are moms. I miss that mom touch. I don't get to use it as much now, so I guess that is why I recognized it the other night when she was sad. As they get older, I wonder what my Mommy touch will be. Maybe my wallet? As they as they always know where home is.

Felt speedy!

2009-01-30T18:26:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my second run since the half marathon. I took a week off after the race. I thought I at least deserved that long but then the runner's guilt started creeping back. I have realized that training is one of the addictive aspects of running. I know if I don't run I'll start to lose it. After all that hard work to get to 13 miles, the last thing I want to do is lose it. So I laced up the sneaks after Scott got home yesterday and headed out. I started out at a pretty fast pace...probably because it was chilly and a little windy. Once I saw how fast I was going, I decided to see how fast I could do 3. I've never tried to do that before and the traffic gods appeared to be on my side to give my "test" a real whirl. I have to cross a main road twice on the loop I was doing, and I didn't have to slow down either time. I ended up doing it in 27:29. I couldn't believe it. That is about 45 seconds faster than I've done it before. That is what is addictive about running too...going faster, longer than you have gone before. I have no plans to make a longer distance goal for now, so I have to set a time goal I guess. Anyway I was pooped right at 3 miles, so I stopped running and walked the rest of the way home. I passed a neighbor on my street who said, "Out for a fast walk?" I snapped back..."No, I was running." I laughed later when I thought about it because I realized I was offended he thought I was walking. I am a runner now! How silly is that? Runners don't walk! I got issues I know.

Our First Sleepover

2009-01-28T19:45:00.002-05:00

Well, the Brennan girls hosted their first sleepover last night. Our friend Jackie Rose had surgery today, so her sisters Julia and Jenna stayed at our house last night. The girls had a blast! They started by making cards for Jackie. Jackie loves Aeriel, so everyone drew the famous mermaid. Interesting how different every one's looked. Then off to get on jammies and watch a movie. After popcorn, cookies and lots of giggles, I was ready for bed (I have to get up at 4:50 on Wednesdays for work) but the little ladies were not. They laughed for about another hour before Jenna finally gave in and went to bed. I am just impressed that I was able to stay awake until they went to sleep. Now the real fun began. I was off to work at 5:45 leaving my lovely husband with the task of getting four girls dressed, fed, and to a friend's house where they would play for the day. All this had to be done so he could get to work by 9:00. They all woke up on their own according to Paige. They ate waffles for breakfast. Somehow the kitchen table is moved. I haven't asked about that one yet. I'm impressed that he brushed every one's hair. He said Julia was a trooper as he tried his best to beautify a girl who must have moved around a lot while she slept. When I saw the girls this afternoon, all they could talk about was getting to ride in the back of the Expedition without seat belts as they traveled the street over to Laura's house. All you have to do is break the rules to make little girls happy! Each time a new person arrived, they told the car story again. It was fun! I'm tired and can't wait to get in my jammies, but everyone was happy and Jackie Rose is home recovering. Tate has another sleepover on Friday for a birthday party. Glad I've done my time. I'll be snuggled tight in my bed that night unless I get a phone call to pick up my little lady. She does love her own bed!

Clean your room!

2009-01-25T16:10:00.002-05:00

Why won't my kids clean their rooms without it turning me into a monster? I always offer them rewards for completing the task, but it is still never good enough. It usually ends in tears and definitely a lot of whining. I have invested in a number of things to make the cleaning easier for them such as special bins for barbies, American girl clothes, and books. I have found that my big thing is keeping the floor clean. I even bought them a special purple bin where they can put things and I am not allowed to touch them or get mad if the "stuff" in there is not in its correct place. In Tate's room the bin often becomes a house for her barbies therefore it is just another toy in her eyes. Paige thinks I'm going to get rid of the stuff in her purple bin because I have been known to bring a laundry basket into the playroom and start collecting toys that have not been put away after numerous requests. I tell the girls that the laundry basket will go to girls and boys who will take care of their toys if it is not emptied and put away. Even though I have told Paige the purple bin is special I must have scarred her because hers is usually empty. My house is far from spotless but these girls are sure giving Scott and I a run for our money to make it somewhat presentable. If it is like this at 7 and 4, what will happen in their teens. I guess by then I will learn to just close their doors and take a deep breath. For now, I am embarrassed for people to see their rooms so destroyed. Well, the woes of motherhood. I know there could be much worse things to worry about. I am so happy they are my messy girls. While the playroom was no fun cleaning up today, yesterday they cleaned their rooms and got to go to the Red Box (movie box) to pick out a movie. I even got one for me! I cleaned too!

I Knew It Would Happen One Day

2009-01-23T10:40:00.003-05:00

I have been waiting for the day one of the girls would wake up while I got ready for work and today was the day. For two years I have been getting up at 4:45am to get ready and be at work 30 miles away by 6:20am. I've always worried that the shower or blow dryer would wake one of them up, but after a year I thought we were in the clear. No one woke up. This morning Paige opened up the door to the bathroom with the shock of the bright light in her eyes. A bad dream had woken her...not me. She said a man with sharp things in his hands was chasing her...pretty scary I'm sure for a 4 year old. She wasn't crying, so my main concern was trying to get her back to sleep since she had a few more hours before she needed to get up. She on the other hand said, "Hold me and take me where you go, Mommy." By now Scott wakes up because she is not whispering. When do kids learn that? I tucked her into my side of the bed where we had to go through a ritual of hugs and kisses. Who can resist the "Just one more kiss Mommy?" I thought I finally had her settled when she asked me when I would pick her up from school. She went on to tell me I needed to get Tate off the bus and then come in the house only to get her a snack (popcorn and raisins) before jumping in the car to get her. I finally escaped back to the bathroom to brush my teeth...my precisely timed morning routine thrown off. Luckily, I did have time to still make some coffee before leaving. She is as cute as can be, and I dread when she doesn't want the hugs and kisses anymore. I may have been rushed, but it was a nice way to start the day!

Snow days come to an end

2009-01-22T08:37:00.005-05:00

We got back from Florida to wake up the following morning to snow. Actually, Tate woke me up at 3am Tuesday morning to tell me it was snowing. It did not stop snowing until 5pm that day. The girls bundled up in a North Carolina snow outfit...anything a mom can throw together to make her feel like her children will stay warm. The snow was very dry so we were not successful this time in making a snowman. We ended up with at least five inches I think. School was closed Tuesday and Wednesday. As I type this, I am waiting for the two hour delay to end so Tate can skip along to Ms. Pride's class. She actually has to go to school for a half-day on Saturday to make up some snow time. After most of the week off, I don't think she will mind this time. The other make up day is in April when she will have soccer on Saturdays (that is when year round schools have to make up days) so we will gracefully miss that make-up day. Scott went in yesterday to work and only saw one car in a ditch. He was surprised to see people in a opening time. It doesn't take long for people to get cabin fever. I myself am looking forward to getting out of here today even if it is to go to the grocery store. I am going to see my nephew Connor...the cutest baby around...so it will be a great day.

Half marathon recap

2009-01-21T14:52:00.006-05:00

Well, Saturday Scott and I flew to sunny Clearwater, Florida so that I could run my first half-marathon with some of my best friends. The weather was beautiful and I could not have asked for a more perfect experience. It was challenging but I never thought I couldn't do it which did wonders for the euphoric experience this running journey has given me. The race was an "out and back" which means we ran over two bridges and through a park before heading back over the two bridges again to make it to the finish line.
The bridges were the challenge I mentioned before. They were huge and gradual inclines that seemed to last forever. I had to make myself look at the amazing view once I got to the top even though I could barely breathe. It was interesting to people watch along the way too. I am happy to tell you that a man in flip flops, a Hawaiian shirt, and a walking stick beat me. He was a hoot! I have never seen anything like it. Also, a man in a sling beat me by about thirty seconds because I turned back at the end of the fourth bridge to find two of my friends. One had already run ahead and I wanted to finish this monumental race with the people I had trained so hard with. The man in the sling and a police officer said, "You're going the wrong way!" I must have scared them to death. They must have thought I was delusional turning back so close to the finish line, but I did not want to cross the line alone. This race was a testament to our friendship and brought us all closer together. So, we grabbed hands and crossed that blue line as one. My official time was 2:20:40...not bad for my first. I was 167 out of the ladies and 22nd in my age group. I will never have an experience like that again! On to a new race...yet to be determined!

The Countdown

2009-01-15T08:42:00.002-05:00

I have two days until I leave for my first half marathon in sunny Florida. It is freezing here, so the warm weather will be welcome treat. But...my nerves are out of control. Can I really run 13.1 miles? I have been training for this since August, so I know I just need to trust my body to pull through. Running is such a mind game. After a year of running, confidence as a runner is what I need most.

My girls are so excited. Paige has been drawing pictures of me running for weeks at school. It means a lot to me that she recognizes that this is so important to me. I wish they could see me cross the finish line but this first one is going to be just for me (and Scott who is going to come cheer me on). It is OK to focus on yourself every now and then, right?

What comes next? After training for a race for so long, I am already wondering what I will do next week when I get back. I guess I'll find another race and keep on trucking.

Halloween is around the corner

2008-10-30T14:35:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm a first time blogger but thought this would be a wonderful way to keep up with the hectic life of two little girls so that I could share their comings and goings with family and friends. I try to keep journals for them of the funny things they say and do but in today's computer world this seems so much easier. Today we are starting to pack for our first trip to Disney. We leave Saturday and are so excited. Halloween is tomorrow so we have some candy to buy (we have eaten too much already) and some ponchos to purchase (rain is expected a few days at Disney).