Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Lacin up my shoes

I feel like I should post today..its been a while...and unfortunately, I can't just leave my sweet little husbands wonderful accolades up forever. Though, it would be nice :-)

Currently, my head is so full of snot that I can barely think and my little family has been sick with a yucky cold virus so rest has not been abundant in my house. This will be a pretty brainless running post. I really REALLY wanted to do a post on some of the awesome things God is teaching me--but He deserves WAY more than part of my brain this morning.

SO...here goes.

Yes--I am still running even though I haven't talked about it in months. I'm still running about 40 miles a week--which includes a long run of about 12 miles and a 7 mile tempo run. Right now, dad and I are just "maintence running". Meaning, we aren't really picking up strength and distance training just yet. My next big race is October 31st--the Marine Corps Marathon. I'm hoping to qualify for Boston and am really looking forward to training hard and pushing myself. I miss hill workouts and speed work at the track. I am certain I'll be singing a different tune when June rolls around :-) Dad is so good--once I had Adalei, I was ready to jump right in and start hill work. Dad reminded me that I needed my fitness to peak on October 31st not June 1st. Minor details....minor details. Sometimes I remind myself of a bull in the pin just before the gate goes up at the rodeo.

What's even better...I am SERIOUSLY considering becoming a certified running coach and that excites the tar out of me. It would be a great way to make a little extra money AND be doing something that I love and get really excited about. Neil says he is going to force me to take the class and become certified--I guess he knows that there are a few--well founded in my opinion--reasons why I would back out (money for the class and two full days away from my sweet family and in a class room). So we'll see. I secretly think he wants me to take the class so that he can go to Birmingham with me and visit David Platt's church. I'm just saying.

So...the summer will be interesting. What will be SUPER interesting is how I keep up Adalei's milk supply while running my rear off. Bring on the chocolate milk and peanut butter sandwiches!

Okay--I'm off to blow my nose--or drill a hole in my head. I can't figure out which one would cause the least amount of pain at this point :-)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

I Thank Him for You...



A mommy two times over....words can not come close to describing how wonderful you are.
You give all that you have for two little girls (and one quirky little me). And when you are empty, you somehow give more. Everything that you do is under-appreciated because we can not grasp the beautiful gift that you give to us day in and day out. You serve others. You sacrifice self for others. I know that somedays are easier than others, but it wouldn't be love if it was an easy sacrifice. This family functions because of that kind of love.

I thank God for placing me into your life.
I thank Him for giving us our girls.
I thank Him for giving them a mommy with a heart after His only Son.

Always, forever and more,
me


Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Mysterious Lady

She is still a little mystery to me...even though I know parts of her so intimately...there are times I look at her with wonder. She's only 5 months old and she has my heart wrapped firmly in her little hands. I love the way she laughs. I love that she laughs ALL the time. And, I am not kidding. When I look at her and smile, she laughs. When I talk to her, she laughs. When she's all alone in her room, she laughs. She is content to be alone, but LOVES to be talked to and snuggled. She lays her little head on my shoulder when I'm holding her. She smiles when I kiss her and rub my nose on her cheeks. She leans into me when I kiss her neck. She is as sweet as maple syrup and I am completely smitten.

I love that she quietly lets her big sister get most of the attention. In fact, she "talks" the most when her big sister is not around. I love that she patiently allows Layla to "make her fancy" with little hats and wands. I think its sweet that when Layla cries, Adalei cries...and really, that's the only time that sweet little thing cries. She also cries when she wakes up in a strange place and can't see mommy...which makes me feel pretty important :-)

BUT she's growing so fast...seems like she's growing even faster than Layla did. She already has two teeth. YIKES...and she's sitting up and rolling over from front to back and back to front. She normally is a great sleeper...only waking up once at night. BUT now that she's learning new tricks, she is waking herself up rolling around in her crib (and then gets a little mad that she's uncomfortable). She just started on some real food and loves it. She's even holding her own spoon AND has gotten it safely in her mouth twice. Most of the time she misses...but those times she has gotten it right, she just beams with excitement. I had planned on holding her off on cereal until she was 6 months old, but she kept reaching for my food at the dinner table and showing a real interest in eating. She's still only eating a few teaspoons....I guess its mostly just for practice :-) Oh yeah...and iron. Obviously (see video below) she isn't hurting for nutrition.

Sweet little Addie Bells...what a personality you have already....I can't wait to see how it takes shape.