Snow Day

Addison kept running around saying "this is so much fun." Over and over and over again...

Harding Christmas

We spent the past weekend up in Omaha celebrating Christmas with the Harding's.  Like always, the girls had a blast with their cousins.  Grandma wanted a picture with all her grand kids ....well here ya go!  

We drove up Friday night after work, which is always exhausting, but worth it end the end when we get to spend all day Saturday in Omaha.  

We started our morning watching Nathan test for his blue belt in Tae Kwan Do.  He passed!  Way to go Nathan.  

 Saturday afternoon Addison and I took a nap.  I felt awful with a head cold that both girls had earlier in the week.  

 After dinner we opened presents.  Eve loved her vacuum we got her, Addison is always full of smiles, Nate loved his DS game, Lauren loved her kitty, Emma loved her Build a Bear clothes, Kate loved her  Barbie dog, Rae Ann loved her Charming Charley GC, Mark loved his golf bag, and I loved on Addison.  Love her smile...

We got the kids to play outside for a while since it was not really that cold.  Nathan is blurry in the picture because he insisted on jumping off the deck while I snapped the picture.  Crazy kid.

Lauren and Kate played together a lot this time.  I love this picture.  They both look so sweet and innocent...don't let it fool you!  

Lauren got some great gifts from Grandma Harding and her Aunts and Uncles.  Movies, Wii game, Novi Star doll, Fur Real Kitty, Amelia Bedelia books, Paradise Park Pass.  

This sweet one is always up for a picture.  She was also very excited about her gifts.  Cinderella the movie, Cinderella dress up clothes, Lalaloopsy dolls, princess dolls, Lego Friends, and a Paradise Park pass.  It was a great Christmas in Omaha.  

Uncle Pat made Santa milk shakes...yummy!  

And Grandma got a great picture with all her grand kids.  Too bad my girls were all ready out of their Christmas dresses and into comfy clothes...oh well.  It was a great start to the Christmas celebrations over the next week.  Happy Holidays everyone!  

Tragedy

Today I dropped Lauren off at school.  This is not our normal routine, but both girls had a dental appointment this morning.  After that, I took Addison to daycare and Lauren to school.  After we dropped Addison off and it was just Lauren in the car we started talking.  Just about the weekend in Omaha with our cousins, Christmas coming up, and several other things. I told her when she go to school to give Mrs. Ostrander a hug.  She asked "why mommy?"  I said "just because, she deserves a hug."  Lauren said "OK mommy."  I told her to lock it in her brain and not to forget.  

I just sent Mrs. Ostrander an e-mail.  I asked her if Lauren gave her a hug.  If not, I asked her to remind her.  I told Mrs. O that I did not tell Lauren why to give her a hug...just told her she deserved it.  And I thanked her for being an amazing teacher.  

Lauren did remember.  Of course she did...she is a good kid.  Mrs. O thanked me for that and said "we are having a quiet start to our last week together, but we are all safe and looking out for each other."  It brings tears to my eyes and I type it (at work over lunch break.)

Mark and I have protected Lauren from this awful tragedy in CT.  When we traveled up to Omaha this weekend we asked his family not to talk about it in front of our kids.  Thankfully at this age we can protect her.  I had tears in my eyes as I heard this Friday afternoon.  I was off work early packing and preparing to travel for the weekend and was glued to the TV and radio.  I  knew I had to turn it off once I got the girls in the car.  

So many things need to change on so many levels to prevent a tragedy of this magnitude to happen again. I can't stop thinking about the families of these children.  It is just so sad and devastating.  

I am anxious to see what the week brings and if Lauren comes home with any questions.  Mark and I will be honest and open with her to the degree we feel is appropriate if that is necessary.  I know the school will take whatever measures it needs to protect our kids and we are so thankful for that.  

Please keep all the families involved in the CT tragedy in our prayers.  They will need it to survive, move on and grow from this event. 

(Edited on Wednesday December 19th.  My Mom sent me this poem.  I saw it on Facebook this week as well.  It is perfect.)  

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38

When 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air,

They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say,

They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

"This is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

But Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same,

Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring,

Those children all flew into the arms of their King.

And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,

One small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had,

He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."

Then He looked down on earth, the world far below,

He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe.

Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"

"May this country be delivered from the hands of fools"

"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.

"Come now my children, let me show you around."

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran,

All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

"In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

The Nutcracker

Mark and I decided that each year we would like to take the girls to some kind of Christmas production.  We would like that to be one of many Christmas traditions that the girls grow up with and hopefully remember for years to come.  This year we decided on The Nutcracker.  Addison is in dance class and loves ballet.  Lauren loves to sing and dance around the living room and Mark and I really wanted to get down to The Kauffman Center to check it out.  Yes, even Mark wanted to see The Nutcracker.  Plus, we want out girls to be exposed to culture, arts, dance, theater, etc.  

We got dressed up in our Christmas attire and I was able to capture some beautiful pictures of the girls.  I love this one of Lauren. 

Addison got several  compliments on her beautiful red shoes.  

Before the show started we walked around The Kauffman Center, although there was not really a lot to see. But, the girls enjoyed dancing, waiting for the show to start.  

The show was a little over 2 hours with an intermission about half way through.  Both girls did really great.  Addison sat on Mark's lap the whole first half of the show, completely mesmerized by the production.   

As you can see our seats were way up high.  The second half of the show Addison was a a little restless and wanted to stand and watch.  This made Mark completely nervous...but she was quiet and that is what mattered most!  

 A few more pictures that I took from my phone!  It was a great afternoon/evening.  The girls really enjoyed the show at the "fancy theater."  Afterwards, we drove through the Plaza to look at the lights. We are hoping to get down to the Plaza in a few weeks and take the girls to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and probably to the toy and book store.  I love the Plaza at Christmas time.  

Running

Since my 2nd half marathon in Omaha I have not really been training for any races.  I took a few days off from running (only 4) after the half marathon, and took off running again.  Over the last few months I have routinely ran 3-4 days a week 3-4 miles each time.  Nothing big, but maintenance.  I have been working on my speed work and over the last few months I have definitely increased my average pace.  I used to typically run a 10 minute mile.  Great average starting out pace.  Both my half marathons were slower than that.  My first half marathon I averaged a 10:30 pace. My second half marathon I averaged a 10:10 pace.  Improvement indeed.

Over the last few months most of my runs have averaged between 9:30 and 9:45 (on the hilly runs!)  Progress indeed.  Although I have not officially signed up yet, I will be running Rock the Parkway Half Marathon on April 13th, 2013.  Half marathon #3.  Crazy, I know!  I can't even believe I am going to do another one..but the drive to train for something is a great feeling.  I plan on maintaining my current distance and pace (and maybe even improve my pace) over the next 6-8 weeks.  

February 2nd will be the start of my official training for Rock the Parkway where I plan on running 3-4 times a week, one day of cross training and one day of weight training.  When I saw this challenge I knew I wanted to sign up!  I joined Team Escapades in the January Chilly Challenge to see which team can run the most miles in January and there are a tons of prizes.  

I read a lot of running blogs.  These blogs are ordinary women, some young in their 20's, some with no kids, many with kids, some working full time, some stay at home moms, some with huge sponsors (Brooks and Saucony) others with nothing but the drive to run and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  I love reading these blogs.  They make me want to run, faster and farther each day.  Although I don't quite have the commitment that some of the runners do, they inspire me to do more.  

The support from Mark and his love of running as well is beneficial for the both of us.  On December 21st he will sign up for his 4th half marathon in Lincoln, NE.  (That is the first day to sign up and it will sell out FAST.)  It ends in Memorial Stadium (home of the huskers.)  How cool is that?  We just booked a hotel this week just blocks from the starting line...and had a hard time finding a hotel due to the Marathon/Half Marathon and graduation weekend!  Crazy, huh?

So there is a brief look at my running.  If you are visiting from Running Escapades welcome.  This blog is mostly about the happenings of our family day in and day out.  All the fun stuff that fill our weekend and memories made that I don't want to ever forget.  I throw in some running stuff here and there, again just to always remember the things Mark and I have accomplished and worked so hard to achieve. 

Things We Did on December 2nd....

because it was 70 degrees outside.  

We wore shorts...

We played the Barbie Jeep...Addison drove Sally around...

I snapped this adorable picture of Addison...because she is adorable...

We played with bubbles...in our flip flops and jammies...

And I had to snap this picture of Addison....in pants.  She NEVER wears pants.  Only skirts and dresses, and she ended up changing in the afternoon because she said these were pajama pants and she was not going to wear pajama pants.  

The girls played in this box outside for a few hours in the morning.  

And we had lunch outside...on December 2nd.  It was a beautiful day.  

Lego Land

While Mark headed out of town for a guys weekend (the dreadful NE Big 10 championship game) it was girls weekend around here.  I love girls weekend, although this one started out a little rough...The girls were up by 6 Saturday morning, and fighting by 8:00.  We left at 9 to head to Lego Land and the day got better from there!  Thank goodness! 

We started out front at Crown Center.  Although it was cloudy, it was a gorgeous day. 

The rocking horse was fun. 

Mini me will stop and pose as soon as I hold up the camera.  I love her smile. 

 

We headed into Lego Land as soon as it opened up and spent almost 5 hours there.  Both girls enjoyed the Lego Friends.  

 

The Minitown room was amazing.  All Lego and all Kansas City buildings.  AMAZING.  

 

Leave it to Addison to find all the animals in the huge Lego play area...and line them all up....in groups.  

 

Sporting KC stadium.  

We needed help making the cars, but after we did we had fun racing them.  

Since it was such a gorgeous day we hung around outside watching the ice skaters.  

and enjoyed some snacks...

We made one more stop inside Crown Center to see the gingerbread village. 

 

We had a great day and we were all worn out as I drove back home.  Both girls fell asleep in the car, then when we got home we played outside for a while, ate dinner, had dessert at Orange Leaf, then watched some of the NE game before bed. 

 

Lauren is in my bed...waiting for me...and Addison is in Lauren's bed.  Special treat! 

 

At this point,  I am sure Mark is wishing he was at home, relaxing on the couch rather than watching this Nebraska game live in person :(