13.1 and DONE!!

2 black toenails, many trips to the chiropractor, and one bum knee later, Mommy and Fabulous Aunt Kay did it!! They completed their very first 1/2 marathon on Sunday!! As of mile 12 it was their one and only 1/2 marathons but since then there has already been discussion of future races!

Mommy is going to give you a quick recap of the race because she likes to talk about it and because she wants to remember it in the future. It started at 7 am which ended up being perfect timing because it had been storming until about 6:30. Nerves were definitely evident in both Mommy and Aunt Kay at the start but they just started running....and didn't stop! Mommy felt great and even caught up with another friend around mile 4 and was able to make the time go quicker by running with her and making small talk until about mile 6. It was right after the water stop at mile 6 that Mommy's knee decided to be the problem it had been the last few weeks in training. It completely spasmed/cramped and Mommy had to basically come to a halt. She tried walking but even that was painful for a  minute or so. Slowly she was able to limp, which turned into a walk, which then turned back into a jog. And low and behold, the knee never did it again! Strange but Mommy was so thankful!! So onward she plowed still feeling pretty darn good until about mile 9. At that water station Mommy asked a volunteer what mile they were at and she replied '9ish'. Ugg!! So the pace started to slow at that point but the end was in sight. And the end eventually came!! And what a wonderful sight the end was!! Mommy enjoyed 90% of the race (excluding the bum knee and mile 11 and 12!) and is thinking round 2 may be in the future...to improve her time of course. Mommy ended up finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes.....9:37 minutes/mile. Fabulous Aunt Kay finished just a couple minutes later and was quick enough to place 5th in her age group!! Once again she gets to add to her 'trophy collection'!! Check out the pictures!

Mommy almost there!! She can't figure out how to put arrows in with her new photo editing but she is right above the 'IN THE'. Thanks to Fabulous Uncle Doug for sitting on a lawn chair for 2 hours and waiting at the finish line to capture the moment!!

And Fabulous Aunt Kay headed to the finish!! She is right above the words 'Finish Line'!!

We did it!!!!!

Jace participated in the kids run again this year....and was awarded with cookies and juice at the finish!!

Hopefully to complete a race together someday!!

And finally....the 5th place finisher in her age division. Getting her picture taken. She's famous!!

Installment #2

Okoboji...continued from the previous post.......

Bean at the fish hatchery

Everyone took a boat ride around the lake....this is the whole crew minus Daddy.

And THIS is the whole crew minus Mommy.

Jace got to honk the horn on the boat!

It was pretty chilly the entire time so no official beach time was experienced. BUT,  this particular night started with a dip of the feet in the lake with pants rolled.

It soon turned into removal of pants, shirts, etc......

And more body parts submerged than just ankles........

In the end some extremely fun pictures were obtained to be used at a later date...possible for blackmail and possibly just for entertainment.

The cousins watching the sunset on the last night.

Poor Uncle Chuck. He was trying to convince Lexa to ride on his back but she continually refused. The 5-year olds however, did not.


THE END!

Cousins! And Grandpa! And Aunts and Uncles!

Jace and Lexa have had a busy first week of summer vacation. Their cousins Maveric, Keenan, and Braylon (along with Aunt Alisa) were in town all the way from Colorado! Grandpa Steve decided to join in on the fun and came as well (from Arizona). The whole crew spent a few days at Lake Okoboji and met Uncle Chuck and Aunt Denise (who came all the way from Florida!). Mommy has an excessive amount of pictures so she is splitting the fun into 2 posts. Check out the first installment.

Mommy and Jace heading out for fun. And yes, Mommy is AGAIN in the back seat. Ozzy was not along for this ride but the Diva (a.k.a. Lexa) was and is typically fairly persuasive. Think crying and screaming if her way is not gotten.

The boys wasted no time getting reacquainted and watched a movie on Jace's 2x2 dvd player the first night. Ok, 2x2 may be slight exaggeration but everyone knows Mommy's stories are way better with a little extra umph.

Lexa and Braylon. Who kind of fought like an old married couple by the time their time was done. But it was to be expected....they are 2 weeks apart with very similar personalities. 

Mommy and Aunt Alisa decided to have a birthday party since the cousins are never together on special days. A giant cookie was shared by all with enough candles for each kid's age. This was completely for sentimental value. NOT because the Mommies cannot resist big cookies.

L to R: Spidey, Keenan, and Maveric

The hotel had an indoor waterpark...getting ready to  tackle the fun!

Arnold's Amusement Park. This was before Jace turned green on the spider ride and had to be let off early.....

All the cousins driving a boat.

The log ride! Jace was a trooper and partook in this ride too....twice!

Awww. Lexa and Braylon holding hands as they rode a kiddie train.

There was some....conflict...as to who got to ride in the stroller at any given moment. Finally a compromise was  made as it was discovered they fit in together!

Jace and Keenan at the fish hatchery.  More on that in the next installment with the rest of the pictures. Until then......

It's Summer!

It's summer! Which means no work and no school! 

And right now Jace and Lexa are off to see their cousins from Colorado. Actually the cousins are coming here but whatever. It's likely that fun and chaos will ensue. Check back for updates!

Oh Bean.

Mommy was steam mopping the floors. Yes, you read right. Mommy was cleaning. Anyway, Mommy was cleaning (she had to put that in there one more time) and she comes out of the bathroom to see Lexa like this. On her stool, no pants, and Mr. Potato Head glasses reading her book. A laugh is never far with this one around!