Heart Warming Weekend

We started our weekend with a make-up Tball game on Friday night. Thankfully it was a little warmer than the previous game.  I really like their little team.  They are so cute!  Adam is doing really well too.  He plays about 3/4 of the time.  If he's not feeling it we don't push him to play, but for the most part he wants to be part of the team and do what the coach (daddy) tells him to do.  It's really fun to watch!  They started giving each kiddo three pitches and if they can't hit the ball they put the ball on the T.  Owen hit every pitch!  I think Adam will stick to the T this year:)

Saturday morning Owen and I ran in our first 5K together!  This was 100% his idea.  Ever since Mike got home from his race last weekend Owen was begging me to enter him in a race.  He must have asked 25 times before I finally Googled local races and found one the following weekend.  The best part was the race was just down from our house on the rail trail!  It was a 5K, 10K, and fun run.  I tried to talk Owen into the fun run.  I explained that it would be 4 laps around a track compared to 12 laps for the 5K.  He insisted on the 5K.  He talked about the race all week.  He really wanted to get 1st place and when I explained to him that he probably wouldn't get 1st he settled for 3rd.  We talked a lot about how it's not about what place you finish, it's just great that you even enter the race and finish.  His biggest fear was that I was going to hold him back.  My biggest fear was that he had no idea what he got himself into and it would be really hard for him and he'd have to walk and be really upset with himself.  Thankfully, we were able to meet somewhere in the middle.

He started off sprinting.  As much as I tried to explain that he needed to pace himself, he needed to figure it out on his own.  A nice older man running next to us said, "He'll learn on his own to pace himself."  He was able to run about 2 miles no problem, but he really started to get tired after that.  His legs hurt and he even made the comment "This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.  I know there will be harder things, but this is the hardest so far."  At this point he told me his goal was just to not walk at all.  I explained that it's fine to walk if he needed to and we ended up walking for about 1/4 mile before he was able to run again.  While we were walking he was making shadow puppets so I knew he was OK :)  We had some really great conversations during our run.  When he turned the corner and saw the finish line he sprinted so fast I could barely keep up.  It was incredible and I was so proud of him.   

Our finish time

I'm not sure he's going to want to do a 3 mile race any time soon.  I think it was very humbling for him.  He said he'd like to do a 1 mile fun run next time :) 

We came home and Ella, Sam, and Miss Paige (as Adam calls her) came over to play.  Paige and I sat on the deck and chatted while the kids played all around the yard.  I love that our kids are so close and love playing together.

Saturday afternoon we walked over to the church hall across the street for our next door neighbor's 50th Wedding Anniversary.

I think I like 50th wedding anniversaries just as much as weddings.  There's no question as to whether or not their marriage will last because it already has.  Lois just finished her last chemo treatment for breast cancer so this was more than just a 50th wedding anniversary.

They are big into Polka and hired their favorite Polka band from Massachusetts to come down for their big day.  Oh.  My.  Word.  If you've ever seen the Polka channel on TV, that's what it was like.  It was emotional, heart warming, inspiring, and so much fun!

Last night I met Paige out at the Blue Bird so we could relax and talk without having to wipe noses, open fruit snacks, push kids on the swing, etc.

And after all the fun I had yesterday, I need to go do some spring cleaning.  I made a list again this year of what room I want to tackle each week.  It is too overwhelming to think of all the things I need to do so I break it down to one or two rooms a week and just focus on that.  Today's task is our bedroom.

Have a great Sunday!

Lego Kid

Owen really amazes us at his ability to build with Legos.  He got this Lego jet for his birthday and finished it tonight.  He did it completely on his own- no help from Mike or I.  There were 5 books of instructions that he had to follow step by step.

He wears that green Ninjago headband so much that I don't even really notice it anymore.  We joke that he's going to have a permanent indentation in his head he wears it so much!

Our house is like a Lego landmine!

A Night Away

I wasn't sure how our weekend would turn out, but it ended up being great.  The stomach bug has been going through the boys' daycare and Mike was really worried that he would get it before his big race this weekend.  He has trained for many months and he was in the best shape he's been in before this race.  It's a 17 mile trail with crazy elevation.  Well, Wednesday night we went out to dinner and Mike felt horrible afterwards.  He was up all night and then threw up Thursday morning and was in bed with a fever all day.  Saying he was upset and disappointed is a big understatement.  Thursday should have been his fuel up day and he couldn't even think about eating.  We didn't think he'd be able to go to the race.  Thankfully he felt better on Friday and drove up north with the mindset that if he didn't feel up to it, he wouldn't race.  Well, he ended up racing on Saturday and did great.  He beat his fastest time by 7 minutes.  He came in 33rd out of 1,200 participants.  That's just nuts considering he said he didn't push himself like he could have because he still wasn't feeling 100%. 

I was planning on going along to the race.  Beth and Eric offered to give up their weekend to come stay with the boys so I could go.  However, it ended up that this was the only weekend that worked to get together with two of my girlfriends.  We decided to meet at the Hershey Hotel for a little night away.

I've been to the hotel for some events and to eat, but never to stay the night.  I've always wanted to, but it is expensive.  Mike and I talked about going there for an anniversary.  What I didn't realize is if you go during the time when Hershey Park is closed the rates are much more affordable.  We had such a good time.  Even though it is only 20 minutes from my house, I really felt like I was on vacation.

We had a delicious dinner and spent many hours talking and catching up.  Our room was gorgeous and so clean.  We watched old college videos and had some good laughs.  The next morning, I woke up rested and took a nice, long, unrushed shower.

Then I went to the coffee shop by myself and had a latte, bagel, and read the newspaper (I don't think I've read a newspaper in at least 6 years).  It was heavenly.  After that we had pedicures followed by lunch at the hotel before heading home.  Ahhhhhhhh, so relaxing.  

I didn't realize all the activities and things there are for families and kids to do.  I told Mike I'd love to go for a weekend and take the boys during the off season.  There's an indoor pool so it wouldn't matter that it's too cold to swim outside.  But I have to say, I loved having time away where I only had to worry about myself.  It was very refreshing!

 

Weekend Flashback

We had a nice weekend!  Saturday we spent most of the day playing outside.  Owen had a birthday party at BounceU in the afternoon and he had a blast!  He is already asking to have his birthday there next year.

Today we went on an adventure.  Owen saw the concrete highway dividers about 5 minutes from our house and proclaimed, "Wow, we must be far from home.  I only see those things in the city."  A definite sign that we haven't been out of our little 3 miles radius for quite some time!

We traveled about 45 minutes away to Reading.  They have a Lego exhibit at the Reading Public Museum until May 5th and I knew if we didn't go today we would probably miss it.

We packed a picnic lunch in hopes of finding a park or playground nearby.

There just so happened to be a beautiful park right next to the museum.

I've decided I definitely need a Magnolia tree.
Adam had a 5 minute conversation with this duck until we finally made him walk away.

We were explaining to the boys how you can count the rings on a tree to figure out how old it was.  When the rings are close together it means there wasn't much rain that year.  When the rings are far apart there was a lot of rain that year.

The museum also had a display with famous paintings covered completely in Jelly Beans.

 

Mike and I visited this castle in 2006 during our road trip with KT and Joel through some European countries.

After lunch we headed home for more playtime outside.

Dirty fingernails, new holes in the knees of pants, scraped chin, exhausted kids, and sun kissed cheeks... all signs of a good day :)

Practicing for the Big Day

We are very excited for Jesse and Anna's wedding at the end of May.  We're even more excited that they asked both boys to be part of their big day.

 

As much as we're looking forward to it, I have some anxiety about how they will behave on this very special day.  Their suits arrived today and I needed to see how they fit and if they needed to be exchanged/altered etc.

Adam tried it on, no problem, but Owen wasn't so sure.  It took a little bribing and he finally tried it on.

We clearly need to work on the natural smile, but tonight I was just happy to get the suits on them :)

Then, out of no where, he all of a sudden LOVES his suit and tells me that it's just like what secret agents wear.

This picture makes me laugh- Mike's idea for this pose

 We played the whole thing up and told him he looks like a guy in his Batman book.  I told them that if they cooperate for the wedding and pictures, I will make them a jet pack (I saw this one on Pinterest that I think they'd really like).

A little much

Owen's suit is a little big and Adam's suit is a little small, but nothing Lala can't fix. 

So much cuteness I can't stand it!