Celebration Marathon

The blog has been neglected.  I have hundreds of pictures that need documenting, and there are countless special moments from the past few months that I want to record, but other things have taken priority.  As I sit with a few quiet moments, I want to highlight the most recent event.

Phil and I ran another marathon this past weekend.  

It was Phil's third and my seventh.  Perfect 10?

The 26.2 miles wound through the quaint little pleasantville of Celebration, Florida.

We stayed in a hotel...just the two of us!

CELEBRATION!

(Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Hillary!)

We enjoyed a tasty Italian meal at D'Antonio's.

CELEBRATION!

We filled our bellies with all sorts of carbohydrates. 

CELEBRATION!

That is, after all, is one of the perks of running races.  :)

Another perk was having a 24-hour getaway.

CELEBRATION!

Just in case we didn't fuel our bodies with enough carbs at dinner, we had to pack in a few more with ice cream from Kilwin's.

Need I say it again?

CELEBRATION!

We went to bed early and woke up early.  

After months of training, we were ready to "get 'er done!"

We didn't actually run together this time.  For one, Phil is a foot taller than me, and he has a much longer stride.  Secondly, Phil is just faster that I am.  Lastly, we trained differently and had different goals.  For several years, it has been my goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I can now cross that off my life list.  I needed a 3:40 to qualify, and I finished in 3:34:22.  Phil, who finished over ten minutes before me, was waiting for me at the finish line.  It was very exciting!

It's kind of hard to see on this picture, but our faces were covered in salt.  Our toes were blistered, and I have three black toenails as a souvenir.  We could barely get ourselves on and off the toilet without assistance, but it was still worth it! 

Running 26.2 miles takes a toll in many ways, but it is an amazing experience every time.  Now that we're both walking normally again, we can start thinking about Boston in 2016!  :)

The Funnies

We inherently think our own children are cute, smart, charming, and FUNNY.  Humor is hard to capture in photos and blog posts, but I need to record these little doses of humor for our own sake.

Clare to Papa:
"It's strange that you're older than Daddy, but he is stronger than you."

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Isaac's new number is 61,000.  Everything is 61,000.  
- "I had 61,000 dreams last night."
- "I just went 61,000 poopies."
- "I played outside for 61,000 minutes."
- "I already ate 61,000 bites."

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Myles can't seem to go a single day without falling on his head.  

Seriously!  This kid has a permanent bruise on his forehead.

August 2014

 September 2014

 October 2014

 November 2014

 December 2014

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Isaac had a time out the other day for throwing sand and pushing.  I told him that he had to sit and think about why he had a time out.  When I spoke with him a few minutes later, I expected to hear him repent for those TWO misdemeanors.  This was the conversation:
Corrie: "Why did you have a time out?"
Isaac: "I threw sand, I pushed, I peed in my pants, and I broke Daddy's plant."
Corrie (with shock and surprise at the other two confessions): "Isaac, that was FOUR bad choices."
Isaac: "Actually it was five.  I also took away Clare's wet thing."

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 They didn't like the smell of what I was making for dinner.  

This was their solution.

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Clare's teacher told me a story that I need to record.  She said that there was an obvious kerfuffle in the corner of the classroom so she went over to inquire.  
Teacher: "What's the matter over here?"
Ethan: "Clare told me that I don't exist, but I do.  I'm right here.  I DO EXIST!"
Clare: I'm just so confused.
Teacher: "Why are you confused, Clare?"
Clare: "My mommy and daddy said that you have to be married to have a baby, and Ethan's mommy and daddy aren't married, so how was he born?"
Ethan: "CLARE...I was born!  I'M RIGHT HERE!"
Teacher: "I think it's time that we go back to our math lesson."

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Isaac thinks that Band Aids are a cure-all.  

He puts them on daily.  If his head hurts, he puts a Band Aid on it. 

 If anything "hurts," he puts a Band Aid on it...or THREE Band Aids on it.

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For a while, Clare thought the saying was, "if you exist" rather than "if you insist."

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 Myles is always trying to catch a stream water...

in the bathtub, kitchen sink, behind the boat...to no avail.

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Clare comes home with the funniest little journal entries.

October 2014

"I do not like spiders.  I like to step on them.  I know they are good but I not like them."

November 2014

"I love winter.  I would love to see Santa.  I don't know how he flies on his sled in one night.  I know it is Jesus' birthday."

October 2013

(What a difference ONE LETTER makes!)

November 2013

Who is that black-hearted, red-eyed person in our family portrait?

 She told us it was the Statue of Liberty.  Of course! 

September 2013

January 2014

Again...one letter makes a big difference!

November 2013

What is your water breaking?

This was shortly after Myles was born...and she was with me when my water broke.  Ha!

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Oh, we love these kiddos.  They bring us infinite laughter and JOY!

Isaac is FOUR

This charming little fella turned FOUR on November 9th.

Isaac is tender-hearted, fun-loving, sensitive, goofy, and optimistic. 

In typical 4-year-old boy fashion, he is a total ham for the camera.

I've always had a soft spot for Isaac.  I don't know if it is because he is my first-born son, or because he has such a sweet and sensitive nature, or because his blue eyes just melt my heart, but this little guy has shaped me as a mother in ways that I never anticipated.

Isaac broke his leg (tibia) on October 2nd,
and he's been a trooper for the past eight weeks. 

He was in a splint for the first 12 days, and he couldn't go to school or do ANYTHING that moved his leg.  It was a LONG 12 days, and it broke our hearts to see him in so much pain.

Then he had a full cast for 4 weeks.   His little leg was bent at the knee to completely prevent him from walking.  He immediately took to scooting, but that tore up the bottom of his cast.

The walker solved the cast issue, but it was impossible to get anywhere in a hurry.  He insisted on doing it himself, and he was slow.  That made his Ninja Turtle costume all the more apropos because he was very turtle-like.  Isaac's pronunciation of "Ninja Turtle" sounds much more like "Injure Turtle."  That, too, was apropos for our injured little guy, so he was an "Injured Turtle" for Halloween.

- Isaac is 43 lbs and 43.5 inches tall.
- Isaac's favorite foods are noodles, cheese, apples, chips, pancakes, vanilla ice cream, cashews and peanut butter/banana smoothies.
- Isaac isn't crazy about vegetables, bread, potatoes, or anything spicy.
- Isaac loves being outside and he has NO FEAR when it comes to climbing, jumping, maneuvering his body is strange ways, and getting dirty.
- Isaac very favorite activity is going to Busch Gardens with Papa.

I found Isaac in the fort like this one afternoon.
Still not sure if it was his idea or Clare's.

Isaac is into dinosaurs, trucks, Ninja Turtles, soccer, and anything green.  Grandma Hillary helped me create this cake, and the birthday boy was thrilled.

He was even excited about new clothes...maybe because
all of his long sleeve shirts were 3/4 length and his pants looked like capris.

His buddy, Kyler, gave him this cool Ninja Turtle outfit.

This is when Isaac learned to waterski this summer.

This post has been put together over the past three weeks.  It feels fragmented and random, and I don't feel like I've done justice to summing up Isaac as a four-year-old.  I know that I am biased, and I am naturally inclined to think that my children are fantastic, but there's just something special about this little guy.  I love being his Mommy, and I can't wait to watch him grow. 

Myles is ONE

Myles, our not-so-little-anymore baby, turned ONE on October 12.

While I didn't get around to posting on his actual birthday, or birth week, I wanted to make sure that this go-with-the-flow, sweet as can be little guy at least got some ink in his birth month.

Myles is happy whenever people are around.  Since he's not quite old enough to take care of himself, there are always people around.  Do the math.

He started walking on October 1st, just days before his birthday.

He takes two solid naps a day.

He usually sleeps from 8:00 PM until 7:00 AM (give or take). 

This is how he always sleeps...

curled up in the fetal position with his little bum sticking up in the air.

 

He has six teeth.

He weighs 21 lbs. 8 oz.

He is 29.25 inches.

He wears mostly 12-month clothes...and some 18-month. 

There are few things that bring him greater joy than his brother and sister.

 Cake recently worked its way towards the top of the list of things that bring him joy.  He didn't mess around...figuratively speaking.  He made a total disaster of himself and the kitchen, but he went to town on his cake.

 Don't miss anything!

MYLES at 1

ISAAC at 1

CLARE at 1

Do you see any resemblances?

 Myles is serious about eating.  We haven't found a single thing that he won't eat.  He eats with such ferocity that we can hardly keep up with him.  He LOVES bananas, avocado, noodles, melon, and cheese.  I wish this video continued beyond 15 seconds so that you could see him down an entire banana in less than a minute.

Perhaps topping the list of things that make him happy...  

 Daddy!

     
                   Myles                                                                              Isaac

We've said it before, and we'll undoubtedly say it again, Myles has added so much joy to our family.  He has such an endearing personality, a warm spirit, a relaxed demeanor, and a true spark that lights up our life.  We love you, Little Guy!