Playgrounds and Play dates

We had some serious playtime this weekend.  Well, Evan did at least.  I had some too I guess, but not nearly as much as Evan.  Friday night we headed out for Ivan's soccer game.  We don't usually go because it's been cold and his games are in the evening, but this game was at a different field 30 minutes away and I was afraid he'd get lost.  It was a tad bit chilly and very windy, but not unbearable, so we decided to stay and hang around until his game ended.  There also happened to be a huge playground so I was hoping it would keep Evan entertained for a while.  It keep him entertained for two straight hours!  It was helpful that there was no one else playing so we had the park to ourselves and he could wander all over the place without out worrying about getting run over by big kids.  I was still shocked that he played for so long. It was too dark outside for pictures, so you'll just have to imagine it.

The next morning we woke up and headed out to meet my Team In Training (TNT) friends and their kiddos. We all got pregnant around our TNT training time and then spent the following summer all walking together.

One of my TNT friends when she is 39 weeks pregnant and I am 29 weeks!

Evan and I ended up walking the 1.5 miles or so there and back, so that was a nice outing.  Evan didn't even ask to get out of his stroller so I was happy about that.  We had so much fun hanging out there.  Evan was super shy again and clung to me about 97% of the time but I was still able to chat.  We had breakfast and then headed to the park for some more playground time.  It was cute watching all the kids play on the playground.  Evan than proceeded to fall asleep so. I stayed for a few hours until he woke up...until my friend's daughter started throwing up actually.  Yikes!  We are hoping it was just something she ate and not Norwalk virus or something.

And I managed to get the grocery shopping done on Saturday, which was nice because that hasn't happened for a while.  I kept having to go on Sundays which always makes my Sundays busier.  It was an expensive day at the grocery store but I had a few random things to pick up.  And for some reason I had put down to buy flank steak and chicken breasts and chicken thighs all on the same trip.  That adds up fast.

Everyone went to bed early so I stayed up eating cookies and watching Call the Midwife by myself on the sofa.  I really cherish the few evenings of quiet I get around here!

Sunday was a bit relaxing on top of crazy cooking.  We went out for breakfast and Evan behaved the entire time.  That was a miracle.  Ivan wanted to order everything off the menu, but that's normal.  Then we got home and I did some cooking.  I made Morraccan Lentil Stew, which I've made before and enjoyed, and Shrimp-Stuffed Shells, which is one of Ivan's favorite.  Ivan had snuck out to go golfing so Evan and I were just chilling.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that while I was putting Evan down for his nap Ivan came home and washed the dishes.  It was a great feeling!

Then I did four loads of laundry, folded them, and even managed to out them away.  But not before Evan got stuck in the laundry basket.

He was not thrilled.  

I also made some Beef and Snow Peas with rice for Ivan (and dirtied a billion more dishes) and gave Evan a bath.  Ivan was at indoor soccer so the house was semi-quiet.  Except for Evan racing around with his toys.  He kept starting by the front door, shouting "go" and racing to the sofa holding his two stuffed animals.  It was adorable.  For our night time snack we shared a blood orange.

Yum!  I was very surprised that Evan even ate it.  Blood oranges remind me of Italy because I remember eating them there all the time.  This orange was from the US and much more red than the blood oranges I remember from when I was little.  It was tasty though!

Then it was off to bed and ready for another week of work!

Empty buses and half marathon training

It's a bit empty these days with the Federal government closed.  I'm not sure how noticeable it is in the rest of the country, but here in DC it is extra quiet.  I can't imagine how scary it must be to not be getting paid because bills are still due and food must still be bought, but I will say that the commute is nice.  The roads are a bit less crowded when the majority of workers are on a forced vacation.  Let's hope they pass the budget soon though.  And it is a bit difficult explaining ridiculous things like a government shutdown to my husband.  No matter how I explain it, it doesn't make sense to him...why? Because it's stupid and doesn't make sense in real life either.

As I mentioned before, Monday was the start of my half marathon training.  Except I didn't start because I was too busy at work.  I did start on Tuesday though.  I ran a short distance of 3 miles.  I'm not sure what it was but it was hard.  I've run three miles many times and I've run more than that on the weekends with my sister pushing the jogger, but something about running during lunch downtown made it hard.  I didn't stop to walk (although I really wanted to) but I did slow down a lot in my last mile, and not just because it was uphill.  I'm not sure what made the run so hard...the unexpected heat, lack of water, exhaustion? Could have been any of those.  I persevered though and finished.  Not sure how long it took me since I don't run with a watch, but I don't think it was too slow.  I am going again today.  And hopefully a coworker is joining me.

Talking about water, Evan loves my Camelback water bottle and can actually drink out of it.

The bottle's almost as big as him!  

Yesterday I needed to get some studying done, so Ivan took Evan on a long walk in the backpack.  It's funny because Evan must love that backpack because when he sees it on the floor he get really excited and yesterday (because he was tired) he cried until we put him in it.  Then he was super happy.  So, they went on a walk and Evan loved it.

I was glad to get a few minutes to study for my lab quiz.  I have a test next week so the study will have to be on all weekend.

And can I mention how excited I am that NCIS is back on.  And the Voice.  Last year at this time I was on maternity leave and life was a blur with lots of TV.  Now I can't even handle one TV show, but I'm determined to see NCIS, especially since one of the characters is leaving the show and being replaced with someone else.  I wish Parenthood would go on Amazon Prime so I could watch it for free!  I love that show too!

Ok, I'm falling asleep so toodles!

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Training for any races these days?

What's your favorite fall show?