'Laney Vs. Nutella- It's not even close!

So we're hanging out in the kitchen/living room area and Laney-bug just walks in and grins up at dad and has her face covered in Brown Goo. Proudly tucked in the crook of her arm is an open jar of Nutell and she is using the other hand to SCOOP IT OUT AND SHOVE IT IN HER MOUTH! I ran and got the camera and she actually proudly grinned at me over her obvious accomplishment!

Moreover, I think she might have broken the lid off of the jar to get it open- seriously- check the pictures....

Needless to say, before I put her in the high chair, she was dancing and giggling and completely drunk off of hazelnut and choclately goodness! She was promplty plopped in the bath when the fingerpainting with her nutella victim began!

How 'bout them apples?

Went on our first Pre-K field trip today and it was a fun fall activity of picking apples at Terhune orchards- and of course having apple cider (pasturized of course, Ali) and apple cider donuts!!!! Yum! here are some pictures of the apples of my eye (couldn't resist that one!) from our trip!

Go Girl Power!

Go girl big news for our clan! My brother and sister in law(s)(?) found out they are having a GIRL!!! I finally get a niece and Delaney will have a real-live "doll" to torture! I mean love and nuture of course.

The other Girl Power event of the week was I ran my long run! it was 11.5 miles and I did pretty good- My time was 2 hours 20 minutes, but I am proud enough of it! Here is a link to the route I did- I edited it a little to make sure it was truly 11.5.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=167186

At mile one, I picked up another runner who thought I was so young that I was from the local college! Thanks Ed! I lost him at 2.5. then at mile 4 some blockhead in a M3 (that's a BMW) decided he would play chicken with his side view mirror and my elbow. I swerved because he was not moving over at all, and went down HARD on my knees again- it was a spectacular sliding-into-home-plate kind of fall and he just kept driving and I am sure he was chuckling-now THAT is what I have grown to expect from NJ drivers!!! I didn't look at my injuries jsut dusted myself off, picked the gravel out of my Gel that I had just opened, and kept on running.

At mile 5, my ipod died- just conked out.

However- the song it conked out on was Melissa Ethridge's I Run for Life. If you haven't heard this song, buy it off of Itunes. It is absolutely spectacular- it is all about Race for the Cure and recovering from Cancer and jus the stregnth of the spirit. SO those were the last words on my mind when the Ipod died and So I just kept running them over and over in my mind.

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body

But they will never get a piece of my soul

And now I'm still learning the lesson
To waken when I hear the call

And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all

I run for hope

I run to feel

I run for the truth

For all that is real

I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend

I run for life

So the phrase "And if you ask me why I am still running" kept going through my mind, and I am kind of thinking- why am I still running? My knees hurt, my lungs, legs and feet hate me, my ipod isn't working, I'm sweaty (WHAAA, WHAA, WHAA, WHINE, WHINE) and I really started thinking about it- why am I still running. and it dawned on me forcefully.

For my little girl.

I want her to know her mommy is strong, that she is an athlete. That while she wants to be so much better, that she is proud of the wonderful gift of her body, no matter how imperfect it is. and then my heart began to swell a little and I thought of how blessed I am to have a body that works so well, that I can run- even if it is not fast or perfect, but I can. I run to prove to myself that I can do amazing things.

At exactly mile 8, a good friend from the gym honked, hooted and waved. I was grinning before she honked becasue I was marveling that I had made it to 8 and was still feeling good and strong enough to finish. and then having her encourgaemnt just helped push me further. I did really well on my final stretch and was even able to sprint the last 1/8 of a mile or so to home. Now I know I can do it- I can make it all 13.2 miles! All I need is 1.7 miles more than I did on Thursday! we are in the home stretch!!

On Saturday was a big race anniversary too- the anniversary of my first 5K, first race ever- only a year ago! Our church had a team for the Parkinson's Alliance 5K this year and we did fantastic. LAst year, this was the first race ALi and I had ever done and now we are training for a HALF! I can't believe how far I ahve come! I took six minutes off my time in a year- not as good as I wanted, but not bad either- and my husband ran this year- which was a great boost to both of us. I missed Ali terribly, but she was there in spirit!
this year

last year!

Later last night, I co-taught a class with another 1/2 marathon team mate, Wendy, on getting fit. It was really unreal to be TEACHING a class like that instead of TAKING a class on that. We just used our realistic experiences to explain that health and weight loss can happen to "real" women using the tried and try diet and excercise. for those that are counting, since August of 2006, I have lost 48.8 pounds and over 30 inches. I will get a better inch count soon.

and I know you can't get enough pictures of my running scars- so I put a picture of my knees after the bmw, and this is my shin, when I fell of the stage taking the team picture for the 5 K- I have to say the lovely blue/purple/black color just doesn't show up as lovely in the picture as in real life!

Ex-Stream Talent!

My hubby and I will be married for 10 years soon and i found out last Sunday that my husband can skip rocks- and do it well! I found this out while he was trying to teach Gib. Of course, Delaney saw the water and couldn't resist- so here is my little family in a sweet moment- Ignore the Hyena voice in the background!

There's pain in those thar' hills!

So we went to Baltimore to check out the race course- walked the first three or so miles (walked a bunch more because I took us on a WRONG turn in the WRONG neighborhood!). When we got back to the car, we drove the course- which is beautiful by the way, but incredibly daunting- because the first 7 miles is all hills. mostly UP hill!

I ran 10.75 miles on Thursday- the most up to this point in my life EVER! I did it in 2 hours 15 minutes which isn't great, but not a complete embarassment either. I also have targeted some hills in my area to focus on a little more. And don't be fooled- going down is not easy either! Especially with tired legs!

THis week I am supposed to go 11.5 miles and this is the pinacle. We start a two week taper to the race now! I also have a stretch/ MAsssage this week to help get blood back to my legs. We have a 5k this weekend that was my FIRST ever last year- so I can't wait to see how much I have improved- to believe all this started here! The Bishop of our ward challenged us to run a 5K and I did! Several 5ks, a 5 miler, a 10K and a SPrint Tri later, and I am training for a half-Marathon!! Wow!

HANGING out with friends

The Hammock is popular this year! it is really comfy- We had some friends over and I got everyone settled, and then they asked for pillows. After I got them, Blankets. After I came back from getting them, stuffed animals. And then they all got out less than 5 minutes later and I got to take all the stuff back in again!

But it was still pretty cute and sweet...

Birthday boy!

I can't believe my little man is 5! We had a really fun party with friends from Church (and one or two from school and the neighborhood). The theme was under the sea/ sharks so we painted fish suncatchers, ate cupcakes and pizza and had lots of fish themed stuff around! Both kiddos enjoyed the CUPCAKES the most I think!!