Another race

After the labor day weekend women's 4 miler race (which I finished in 46 minutes), I decided to sign up for a 5k in my parents' neighborhood. It was a trail run, using the course that the local high school uses for their cross country training. Jason and the babies and my parents came out to cheer me on.

Waiting around for me to finish


Crossing the finish line. I finished in 32ish minutes, with the first mile taking me only 9 minutes, mile 2 was 11 minutes, and mile 3 was 12 minutes. The last half was hilly and soggy!!


Finally finished (please excuse the hair and the squinting into the sun)


The whole gang


I signed up for one more 5k in November - hoping to at least keep my time consistent. It's definitely easier to run more quickly when I don't have to wait for a dog to stop and sniff and pee every 30 seconds!

Chores

Lately we've been trying to get the kids to clean up after themselves. They do a great job of putting their dirty clothes in the laundry hamper (along with their clean clothes, my shoes, diapers, toys, and the foam letters from their floor mat). They think it's fun to imitate us, and we're trying to capitalize on it.

One day after a particularly messy meal involving splattered yogurt, I gave them all damp cloths to wipe the floor. They had a great time...


...although they kept trying to suck on the cloths while cleaning. Ick.


Cleaning their room. So glad this cleaning set came with 3 tools!


They also enjoyed cleaning the living room.


Lucas often likes to "paint" with milk using his bottle. So the other night I gave him a paper towel and told him he had to clean it up. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take away his bottle. :) (please ignore the loud music in the background)

Fun at the pumpkin patch

On Friday, Jason surprised us by leaving work early so we could have some family fun at the local orchard/pumpkin patch. We're lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place. The trio seemed to have a good time, despite the heat. It was a great start to the weekend!

Starting out. Glad all 3 could fit in one wagon!

Whew - that was a long walk!

The ground was really uneven, which led to many falls


I want this one!



Exhausted after choosing their pumpkin


After the pumpkin patch, we let them run around in the peach orchard for a bit. The grass was really long, so it was a big adventure for them.

Catch me if you can!


See ya later!


After the orchard, we decided to be brave and take the trio to a local pizza place for dinner. It was only 4:30pm, so we had the place to ourselves. The kids did great, and the grown-ups were even able to consume some beer & pizza. I think we'll try it again soon!

Abby resting between bites

Lucas being goofy

Zoey eating a slice


Happy Fall!

18 month pediatrician visit

Wow, pediatrician visits sure do involve a lot of screaming these days. When does separation/stranger anxiety end??



ABIGAIL




3/25/10 Birth - 5 pounds 3 ounces; 18.5" long; 13" head circumference
2 weeks old - 5 pounds 4 ounces
4/29/10 One month old - 6 pounds 13 ounces; 18.5" long; 13.5" head
6/3/10 Two months old - 9 pounds 8 ounces; 21.5" long; 14.5 head
8/12/10 Four months old - 12 pounds 6 ounces; 24" long; 15.75" head
10/4/10 Six months old - 13 pounds 12 ounces; 25" tall; 16.25" head
12/28/10 Nine months old - 15 pounds 12 ounces; 27" tall; 17.25" head
3/29/11 Twelve months old - 17 pounds 4 ounces; 28.75" tall; 17.5" head
7/7/11 Fifteen months old - 19 pounds 8 ounces; 30.75" tall; 18" head
10/4/11 Eighteen months old - 21 pounds 4 ounces; 32" tall; 18" head (?)




LUCAS






3/25/10 Birth - 4 pounds 12 ounces; 18.25" long; 12.5" head circumference
2 weeks old - 5 pounds even
4/29/10 One month old - 6 pounds 14 ounces; 19.5" long; 13.5" head
6/3/10 Two months old - 10 pounds even; 20.75" long; 15" head
8/12/10 Four months old - 14 pounds 6 ounces; 24.5" long; 16.75" head
10/4/10 Six months old - 16 pounds 11 ounces; 26.25" tall; 17.25" head
12/28/10 Nine months old - 19 pounds even; 28.25" tall; 18" head
3/29/11 Twelve months old - 20 pounds 13 ounces; 30.5" tall; ?? head (things were getting a bit nutty in the exam room and I didn't write down that measurement)
7/7/11 Fifteen months old - 23 pounds 8 ounces; 31" tall; 18.5 head
10/4/11 Eighteen months old - ???; 33.5" tall; 19" head

Lucas's weight is listed as ??? because he did so much screaming and flailing while trying to weigh him that he came out at 30 pounds, which is clearly inaccurate. I'll try to weigh him at home and report back soon.

ZOEY








3/25/10 Birth - 3 pounds 15 ounces; 16" long; 11.75" head circumference
2 weeks old - 4 pounds 2 ounces
4/29/10 One month old - 5 pounds 9 ounces; 17.75" long; 13.25" head
6/3/10 Two months old - 7 pounds 13 ounces; 20" long; 14.25" head
8/12/10 Four months old - 10 pounds 12 ounces; 22.25" long; 15.75" head
10/4/10 Six months old - 12 pounds 10 ounces; 24.50" tall; 16.25" head
12/28/10 Nine months old - 14 pounds 11 ounces; 27.50" tall; 17.25" head
3/29/11 Twelve months old - 16 pounds 10 ounces; 28.75" tall; 17.75" head
7/7/11 Fifteen months old - 18 pounds 10 ounces; 30.5" tall; 18" head
10/4/11 Eighteen months old - 20 pounds 4 ounces; 31.75" tall; 18" head (?)



Here's a taste of some of our fun early morning dance partying

Home Decor update: Living Room

5 months after moving to our new house, we finally have a living room sofa! We are eternally grateful to our "benefactor" (a longtime friend of the family) who helped us to purchase the sofa. It is so great to have someplace to sit besides the one leather chair, and there's plenty of room for all of us to cuddle. Of course, we want to protect it and keep it looking nice for many years, so we may end up draping it in drop cloths until the kids are at least 10 years old! :)

View of the whole sofa


The "button" detail on the arm is pretty cool


We love the curved end of the sofa.


Having fun playing


It feels really nice that the house is starting to come together...

Go Blue!

Here's a little window into football game days this fall.

This is Abby's game face...



Lucas partaking of the game day refreshments.



Zoey sporting the maize n' blue.



Watchin' the game.



Abby & Max taking a break from the game.



Zoey shouting 'Go Blue!' [not really, but I did get Abby to say 'goo boo' and pump her fist...., baby steps]



Half-time entertainment: Lucas vs. Abby Cage Fight



Touchdown!

Happiness