Hotdogs and Love Languages

Yesterday was tiring, but with the help of some coffee, I managed just fine.  I was productive at work, ate the rest of my chocolate caramel popcorn, went into a sugar coma, and got home refreshed and not starving (due to the amount of popcorn I consumed).  Mondays are good commute days - the traffic is lighter and so I get home about 20 minutes earlier than usual.  It makes for a good feeling.

I quickly made some pasta for dinner - with sauteed hotdogs and spinach.  I know - dinner of champions.  The pasta and spinach weren't too horrible but the hotdogs were a weird addition.  I wanted some added protein and that was the only option I had.  They were Applegate Organic Turkey Hotdogs so at least they were nitrate-free.  I sauteed them in a little coconut oil and they turned out quite flavorful.  Evan didn't like them, but oh well.  He seems to be opposed to anything with skin these days - including blueberries and grapes.  He puts them in his mouth, realizes they have skin, and spits them back out.  It's annoying because he's loved blueberries from day one and now refuses to eat them.

I have found a new way to entertain him while I'm cooking.

I let him stand at the sink and play in the water.  The water just dribbles out so it's hardly anything, but then he fills his cups and plays around.  This particular face is because he just dumped some on the floor.  That's his guilty look.

After we ate dinner we took a nice walk around the circle.  It was awesome!  I haven't been running in about three weeks due to my cold/bronchitis/sickness I've had for weeks.  I've also been having some weird leg problem - super tight hamstrings that won't go away.  Now that has morphed into a weird pain on the outside of my leg which can't be good.  All my left leg muscles have just been super tight - I can't even touch my toes, or close to my toes.  I can barely bend over because my leg muscles are so tight.  Not sure what's going on, but running hasn't happened.  So, I was very excited about going out for a walk.

I thought this would help Evan sleep, but nope.  I tried to put him down around 9pm but he didn't fall asleep until 10:20pm or so.  Very annoying.  At times like this I wish we had just let him cry it out and fall asleep on his own.  Over an hour to put him to bed is kind of like a nightmare.  Usually it is just two minutes or so, so I'm not sure what is going on.  He has really been fighting bed time - he rubs his little eyes and twirls his hair so I know he's tired, but then he refuses to close his eyes.  I hope this phase ends soon!!!

At least Ivan did the dishes while I was putting Evan to bed so I didn't have to worry about that when I finished.  I've never really done those love language things, but I think Acts of Service might be my love language!  I always feel extra loved when Ivan does something for me.

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What did you eat for dinner last night?

Have you ever thought about what love language you are?

Disney Trip Part Two

Before I get to my trip, I would like to comment on how mean it is of Mother Nature to bring snow to Maryland in March. And to have it be March 4th, yet still be 10 degrees out while I'm waiting for the bus. Not cool.  Not cool at all.  The nice thing is that it is finally light outside early in the morning, so at least I am not waiting in the cold and dark, I am just waiting in the cold.  That is 50% better, I guess. However, I'd kinda prefer the opposite...waiting in the the darkness in the heat.  To escape this bitter cold, I'd like to transport myself back to Orlando, FL and pretend to relive my Disney vacation.

Day Two: Disney World!!!

Although I felt like Evan was a bit too young for Disney World because he wouldn't remember it at all, I felt like we couldn't go all the way to Orlando, stay in a Disney Resort, yet not actually go to Disney.  We decided we would do one park, get a glimpse of Disney, but save the rest for a big Disney vacation in the future (I say that like we will one day be able to afford a big Disney vacation - haha).  We decided that Magic Kingdom would be the best park to go to since that is the main park and had a lot of rides for kids.  I had only ever been to Tokyo Disneyland so I was pretty excited myself.  Way more excited than Evan or the hubs.

Before the park though, we got up extra early so Evan could run in his kid race.  Very important!  His race was at 9:15 am in the parking lot of Epcot.  That was where most of the weekend races were starting/ending so they just used the same finish line for the kids.  They had a bunch of different distances from a diaper dash to a one mile run.  Evan did the 100 yard dash for kids ages 1-3.  I was super excited.  He got a race number, a tshirt, and medal (when he finished).  I have to say, Disney goes all out for their events.

Waiting for the races to start with his cousins (dressed as Elsa, Anna, and Snow White -
my mom made the Frozen costumes)!

Evan wasn't really into racing, but he didn't do too badly.  We raced together and he ran about half of the distance (he wanted me to carry him for the other half).  It was a bit intimidating because there were a lot of people there and the race line was kind of crowd.  We went in waves, but it made Evan a bit nervous so he wanted me to carry him at the beginning.  He eventually warmed up and ran a bit and high-fived Goofy, who was waiting at the finish line.  He finished his race, got his medal, and picked up some kiddie cliff bars and bananas for later.  It was too cute all the little stuff they had at the end of the kid races, they treated it like a mini race.

From there we hopped on the monorail and headed to Magic Kingdom.

Walking to the monorail - Evan in his favorite stroller position.

Since we were getting a late start, the monorails were already really packed.  Somehow we managed to squeeze on the monorail with our stroller and a bunch of other people and strollers.  It was a tight and awkward fit, but not too horrible.  It was super easy getting into the park because of our Magic Bands, all we did was swipe them as we walked in.  No lines, no money, no paper tickets. Completely smooth.  I loved the Magic Bands!

Now, this is about the time things started to break down.

Although I read plenty of blogs and knew plenty of people who all took their kids to Disney World at the ripe age of 18ish months...they never mentioned any temper tantrums or screaming children.  I'm not sure if they just left that part out or if I have an extra independent little critter, but Evan was in full-temper mode.  It pretty much started the second we entered the park.  We had three fast passes for the day: Peter Pan (10:30-11:30am), Encounters with Belle (11:50-12:50pm), and Dumbo (1:15-2:15).  This meant that we were kind of on a schedule - or at least a very loose one.  Once we got to Magic Kingdom we headed over to Peter Pan, with a few stops to look around and use the bathroom.  Evan had a completely different schedule - he wanted to look at EVERYTHING, buy an expensive Mickey Mouse balloon ($15 - we did not cave), and walk by himself through the park.  This made the trek to Peter Pan a bit painful.  Pretty much he screamed and thrashed around every time we picked him up.  So we carried a screaming child through "the happiest place on Earth".  It wasn't very pleasant.  It also went on all day, unless we let him look at the ducks.  Then he quieted down and put a smile on his face.

Such a sweet face - it's hard to believe he's can even throw a temper tantrum!

I think Disney World was a bit overwhelming to him, along with the lack of naps and the disruption to his regular routine.  Plus he was getting a set of molars in which was very painful to begin with, but then also made him not want to eat/nurse much so he was also hungry.

I didn't really pay $200 for park passes to look at the ducks though, so we limited duck-viewing time to 10-15 minutes every time we passes some ducks.  Evan pretty much wanted to look at the ducks all day though, so we ended up with a lot of tantrums.

Here's a quick review of the (few) rides we went on:.

1. Peter Pan: This ride was great for kids.  We only had to wait in line for about 5 minutes with our fast pass, so that was awesome.  Evan loved looking at everything during the ride and it was very short (I swear it was only three minutes or so), it captivated his attention the entire time.  He's too little to know anything about Peter Pan so it's not like he was excited about seeing Wendy or Captain Hook or anything, but he like looking at everything anyway.  And he loved pointing out the moon.  I do wish it was a bit longer though.
   
2.  It's a Small World: Of course we had to do this ride - it's one of the few rides I remember from our trip to Tokyo Disneyland (aside from the Teapots and Dumbo and the fact that I was too short to go on Space Mountain).  It was right across the street from Peter Pan so we hopped in line, because our nifty little app said it was just a 15 minute wait (which was true).  I thought Evan would love this because there was so much to look at - but he has an obsession with water and since we were in boats the entire time he wanted to put his hand out and play in the water.  All hands had to remain INSIDE the boats so it ended up being a bit of a long ride trying to prevent him from jumping ship.  And It's a Small World is LONG.  I squished to the middle of the boat as far from the sides as possible, but still had to hang on to a squirmy child who's one goal was playing in the water.  I don't think he noticed any of the singing children from around the world.
   
3. Encounters with Belle: This was a new attraction because this area of the park recently opened.  I saw that it had really long wait times so I figured it was good to get a fast pass for it - and it said it was good for pre-schoolers.  Umm, it wasn't my best decision.  It was more of an interactive play and although Evan got a part and got his picture taken with Belle - he spent the entire time running around the castle trying to open "Cast Members Only" doors and touching everything in the room.  I can tell you, the "Cast Members" were not his biggest fan.  He may have also screamed a few times when I had to pick him up.  I couldn't wait for this "encounter" to end!  An important note though - only people with parts in the play get their photo with Belle, so if you go, volunteer for a part!
   
4. Dumbo: Dumbo was another success!  Evan was actually sleeping in the Mei Tai at this point and we even boarded the ride with him sleeping. 
   
   

   

   Sleeping on Dumbo

   He woke up as we were flying through the air and I think he liked the ride a lot.  As much as a toddler can, at least.  I think this ride was the best time-wise - it wasn't too long and it wasn't too short.  Luckily we had fast passes though because the wait was 70 minutes when we got on it.  Waaaaaaaaaaaaay to long to wait, in my opinion.  We waited about 10 minutes to get on - much more doable.

In between Encounters with Belle and Dumbo it started to pour and thunder and lightening, so they closed the rides that weren't undercover and pretty much everyone ran to eat.  We got drenched!  We did mosey on over to Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe for a snack.  Ivan wanted Mexican or Chinese (figures!) but there wasn't really anything along those lines at Magic Kingdom so Pecos Bills was the closest thing - I think they had a taco salad.  We ended up just getting a chili because we had lunch plan reservations at The Crystal Palace at 3pm for a character lunch.  It was a buffet so I told Ivan he couldn't fill up before we got there.  The chili was good though and counted as a snack on our dining plan, so that was nice.

On our way to The Crystal Palace we met up with my sister in front of Cinderella's Castle.

And looked at more ducks.  People were lining up to see one of the parades but we didn't stick around to watch it.  Keeping Evan still for a parade just wasn't the best idea and about ten seconds after this photo was taken he wanted out of the Mei Tai.  So we looked at ducks and wondered over to The Crystal Palace.

The restaurant is the building on the right.

We had heard that this place was "ok", nothing fabulous but still decent.  I mainly made the reservation because I thought it would be fun to have a character meal and this was one of the only places with open reservations at a decent time.  Chef Mickey's was supposed to be one of the best character dining experiences but they were at a hotel and only had free reservations at random times like 11am.  That didn't really work with our schedule so we ended up just going here.  The food was good and we got to meet Winnie the Pooh and friends!

Isn't it the cutest thing that they are holding hands!

Evan absolutely LOVED meeting all the characters.  He wasn't scared one bit and would get excited and clap as he saw them coming around to our table.  It was too cute!  He did pitch one or two fits while we were eating because he wanted to run around the restaurant, but every time a character showed up he put on his best behavior and charmed them all.

Tigger was his favorite, but I think mainly because he was so brightly colored and vibrant.  When he turned around to greet the table behind him, Evan pulled his tail.  Whoops!

Piglet spent the most time at our table and Evan loved his nose. 

After this picture he then poked his eyes (we are teaching him his eyes, ears, nose, mouth - so he was excited to show Piglet that he knew where everything was).

And Eeyore was too sweet looking.  This picture turned out the best, except for me.

Pretty much after our lunch we headed back to the hotel.  I felt like we left really early (before we arrived I had imagined us staying until 8pm - hahahahaha), but by the time we walked to the bus and got back to the hotel it was almost 6pm.  I thought Evan would sleep but he refused so we headed to the pool.  Evan was SO excited.  He played in the kiddy pool for a while and then we took him into the big pool (both were heated) to play for a bit too.  It was a bit chilly out and eventually he was shivering so we headed home - he did throw a fit when we took him out of the water though.  He was all about temper tantrums on this trip!

We stopped by our hotel cafeteria for some snacks (Ivan was hungry, of course) and then retired to our room.  Some of us (ME!!!) had a 2:30am wake-up call to run a half marathon the next morning.

More on that to come!!!!

Disney Trip Part One

Did you wonder what happened to me?  Well, remember that half marathon I was training for so pathetically?  I finally did it!  And since it was the Disney Princess Half Marathon, we decided to do Disney World too and visit Evan's godparents in Tampa for a day.  I decided to break the posts up because I have a lot to say.  So, I'll start with Friday.

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We headed out to Orlando on Friday morning.  I had initially bought tickets for later in the day but then realized that it would be good to have that entire day to check into the hotel, visit the race expo, and get settled.  So, I booked us on the first flight out of Baltimore at 6:20am.  That meant I had to get up at 3am so I could get everyone ready to leave by 4am.  Seems a bit early but it's a 30 minute drive to the airport and then we had to park in long term parking, which means another 30 minutes to get to the airport. And when I am traveling with Evan I like to make sure I give myself an extra half hour to check-in and go through security.  I was a bit exhausted because, just like every other trip, I was packing at the last minute and washing up the dishes, etc.  I didn't go to bed until 12:30am...so got a whopping 2.5 hours of sleep.  Nice.  Luckily for me, and everyone else, I am still a pretty pleasant and positive person on two hours of sleep.

The first flight was pretty easy.  Evan didn't fall asleep like I thought he would, but he wasn't too crazy either.  We only had 20 minutes to find our connecting flight so we booked it out of that plane and ran two gates (yeah, it was close) to find our flight to Orlando.  We boarded that plane with no problems and still got seats next to each other, only to find out that there was bad weather on the way to Orlando and our flight was delayed an hour and a half.  Boo.

Southwest, being the amazing airlines that they are, let us off the plane and we got something to eat.  Well, Ivan did,  I wasn't ravenous like he was.  After the delay had passed we boarded again and headed out.  Evan, of course, finally fell asleep 20 minutes before the plane landed.  

Since we were staying at a Disney Resort we got a complimentary shuttle to the hotel.  And it wasn't your regular run of the mill shuttle, it was a Disney shuttle with great perks.  The best perk was that you didn't have to pick up your luggage.  When I reserved our spot on the shuttle they sent me special luggage tags to put on our checked luggage.  We walked right from our flight to the shuttle and Disney got all of the luggage and had it delivered to the room.  We did pick up Ivan's golf clubs though, because he had a tee time at 2:30pm and needed them right away.

Now, let's focus on that tee time for a second.  We were supposed to arrive at 10:30am giving us plenty of time to get to the hotel before Ivan needed to get to the golf course.  Except our flight was delayed.  So we didn't get to the hotel until close to 1:30pm.  This would have been fine except Ivan was golfing with a friend of ours who had moved to Tampa (Evan's godfather) and he was supposed to pick him up.  Well, Mark was running late and wasn't there yet.  So Ivan waited with me as I check in and then we ran to the food court to get Ivan some food.  Although he had had a bite to eat at the Atlanta airport, he was starving.  And if you want to know what hangry looks like, it's my husband after not eating for hours.  Add that to the fact that he was going to be late for his tee time (which he hates), and it was a recipe for short tempers and lack of patience.  I figured the best plan of action was to get Ivan food stat.  Right as we get the food Mark arrives so Ivan takes a few bites and then runs to meet him and head to the golf course.  He was playing at the Magnolia Golf Course, one of the Disney courses and was super excited.  They ended up having a great time, in case you were wondering.

Source: Disney

With Ivan off golfing, Evan and I checked out our hotel.  It was awesome!!  We had decided to stay at a Disney Value Resort because it offered the best transportation to the race and wasn't too pricey.  They have a selection of value resorts that are actually a good value.  They would have been a better value if I had booked them during the winter special when I initially looked at them, but I made our reservation the next day.  Huge bummer.

Source: Disney

Our hotel was Pop Century, basically a homage to pop culture throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.  It was so fun!!  I picked it because I had remembered Whitney talking about how she loved Art of Animation (another value resort) and that her second option would have been Pop Century.  Well, Art of Animation was sold out so I figured Pop Century was a safe bet.  And Whitney was right, it was as great as she thought it would be.  Evan loved walking around and looking at all the pop culture items.

Giant fuseball with the big wheel in the back.

 It was kind of rainy the day we checked in, so most of the photos are cloudy/rainy.

Evan playing Twister - I think it would have been really fun to play this for real!

In front of the huge big wheel - so fun!

Evan LOVED this display and threw a fit if we walked by without stopping.

Trying to get into the car - it was kind of the perfect height for him (but the door didn't actually open)!

Roger Rabbit!!!  That was our building on the left.

We stayed in the 80s building - which is awesome since I am a child of the 80s!  I think it was also one of the cheapest building because it was the farthest away from the hotel lobby - at least a ten minute walk.

Our room was pretty basic, but still nice.  We didn't plan on hanging out in the room all day, so a basic room was just right.

Source: Disney

 This wasn't our room exactly (because let's face it, our room was a disaster about two seconds after we got in), but it gives you an idea of what it looked like.  Very simple, garden-style, but still comfortable.  And every room had a table with two chairs and a fridge, which was great.

Source: Disney

The bathroom was nice too, nothing spectacular but plenty of space and very clean.  The only thing I was disappointed about was they only gave you soap and a shampoo/conditioner.  I know, a frivolous complaint, but I would have liked some lotion.  And I was spoiled staying at the Hyatt during my last business trip where they gave us baby shampoo, baby lotion, and baby powder.  I guess you don't get those perks in a value resort.  I didn't bring any shampoo or lotion so I ended up using my face lotion on my body! 

After we got settled a bit and walked around, Evan and I headed over to the race expo.  It was at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex.  There was a shuttle from the hotel (another good reason for staying at a Disney Resort) and so Evan and I hopped on and went to get our race numbers!  The race expo wasn't anything different from other race expos (except for it was SUPER packed) and it was well organized and easy to find everything.

Blurry photo of race expo

The only confusing thing was that there were a variety of different races going on so I had to keep looking for the half marathon and kid races, rather than the 5k, 10k, or Glass Slipper (the 10k + half marathon).  I successfully got Evan's race number and my race number and then got sucked into the expo and bought a Skinny Sparkle Black Bic Band and a Nathan Handheld SpeedDraw Plus water bottle (I had forgotten mine and was a bit nervous about running in the heat and humidity without it, since I had been training in below-freezing temps for months).

What really shocked me was my corral.  Disney Princess Half Marathon specifically said that you had to send in a 10k time within the past year to get placed in a corral.  If you didn't send a time in you would be placed in the very last corral and there would be no changing and no sneaking into other corrals.  I didn't end up doing a race beforehand and had assumed I'd be in the last corral (which was P) - I was a bit sad because I'd heard I could start over an hour after everyone else and plus I had thought it would be fun to run with my sister (she was afraid to start in the last corral because she wasn't sure how fast she could finish and didn't want to get picked up in the bus).  When I went to pick up my race number I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was actually in corral C.  WHAT!!!???  I had put on my form that I was hoping to run the half in under 2 hours so maybe they took that into consideration?  Who knows, but it was a nice surprise.  I wasn't going to be last and I could run with my sister!!!

Evan and I took our time heading back to the hotel and I let him stop and touch a bunch of trees (his favorite thing ever).

And he let me take a photo too!

This is what I look like on 2.5 hours of sleep and after a few plane rides.

We got back to the hotel and I put Evan down for a short nap (it was already 6pm!!) until the boys finished golfing.  Then we headed to dinner.  I ended up buying a Disney Dining Plan (definitely a good idea) and it came with one table-service meal a day.  I wanted to have a decent table-service experience so I made a reservation at Boma's - Flavors of Africa, which is located in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  I made my reservations at the last minute so a lot of places were already booked and had no availability.

Source: Disney

It was buffet-style and I thought that that was the best option for us because then we could eat as much as we wanted and we wouldn't need to head out for more food.  Of course having a 7:45pm reservation would probably have eliminated that problem anyway, but oh well.  I also figured buffets are easier for Ivan because he can look at all the food and try different things.  I loved the restaurant and thought the food was delicious.  Ivan, not being into African flavors, thought it was just ok.  I was tired of eating Mexican and Chinese food though (what we eat at home all the time), so I wanted to get something different.  It was a success!

Evan was a bit tired and a tad bit uncooperative, so that was interesting, but other than that it was a great time!

And Animal Kingdom Lodge was beautiful!!!

Source: Disney

We could never afford to stay there, and even if we could I'm not sure we'd spend the money because then I'd want to hang out at the hotel all day and not do Disney - but it was fun to look around.

And that concludes our first day.  See, aren't you glad I decided to break this up into a bunch of posts - this was way too long and it was just day one!!!!  Congrats if you made it all the way to the end!!!

Stay tuned for Day Two!!!

Wow is it cold, mixed with a lot of stress

It sure is blustery outside this morning! It's getting a bit cold to have my hair wet while waiting for the bus, but until I get it cut it's pointless to blow dry it because it looks hideous.  My ears hurt from the wind, which is never fun.  And I'm exhausted because Evan's had a cough for the past few days and it makes for fitful nights of sleep...for both of us.

So this weekend had lots of good aspects.  Hubs joined Evan and me on two of our walks with the dog.  This is always a highlight because normally we split the dog walking duties-he goes in the morning and I go at night.  But the last two nights we went together and Evan got to go in the backpack one night (his favorite thing in the world) and in his truck the second night (his second favorite thing in the world).  

And both nights he got to go on the swings, which he's obsessed with.  We pass a playground with swings on our walk, and he points and exclaims in extreme excitement and then cries if we pass it without stopping.  Even if it's cold and so dark your can't even see the swings.  But he got to go these two times.  I even dressed him up in an old sweater jacket of mine that my parents bought when we lived in Greece and I wore when I was 2 or something.  He looked adorable.

Instagram: mapleandmud

I also did a ton of cooking, since it was a three day holiday.  I made minestrone soup, which is one of my favorite recipes.  It's filled with tons of veggies but somehow the flavors blend well and it's fantastic (I only say that because I am not a huge veggie fan - especially when it comes to two onions, two zucchinis, and a bunch of green beans - if you like veggies then you may not care that the flavors blend together, you would be happy if the soup tasted like veggies).  Great for these chilly days we are having.  I also made more spinach and quinoa patties for Evan.  These are tasty too but I try not to eat too many of them because I like to freeze them for Evan when I can't think of what to make him.  And for Ivan I made shrimp-stuffed shells.  He says he hates lasagna and this is similar to lasagna, but for some reason he loves it.   So it was definitely a weekend filled with cooking and washing dishes.

These are just a small sampling of the veggies that went into the minestrone soup - so much chopping!

The most exciting thing I did was go for a run on Saturday morning with a running friend from Team In Training.  I was going to bring Evan but then Ivan came home from work early so I got to go sans baby jogger.  It was the perfect running morning and we did six miles and I didn't even notice it.  It was great having company because I haven't been able to go with my sister for a while and usually I am paranoid about Evan pitching a fit three miles into a run that I don't enjoy it as much.  We also ran into my best running partner from TNT whom I did all my training runs with...which was random but fun.  This was a great week for running - I did ALL my training runs.

And now for the horrible news.  Remember all that misery we were dealing with at our condo?? Nothing getting fixed, $300 electricity bills, etc.?  Well, now we have to move out.  The owner is getting kicked out of his house so he will either move back in to the condo or he will try and sell the place, because he can't afford to fix it.  There is a small, small chance we could stay but I'm not taking the risk.  But this means we have to find a new place and specifically a new place we can afford and that takes large dogs. I am super stressed and annoyed that we have to use our savings to move rather than for Christmas.  Before I was trying to see if we could afford to buy a Christmas tree this year and now I am wondering if we can afford to buy anything.  And who wants to move in the middle of the winter?  We will either be moving Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas, just what we wanted.  We have to be out by 1 Jan., so not a ton of time.  Moving + winter + toddler + no money + dog + finals for chemistry + nursing school apps = boo x 10.

Tell me some good news in your life so I can stop focusing on the stresses in mine!!

Motivation to run when you don't want to and odd impressions

Sadly I think my body has adjusted to the new time.  It was a great few days where it felt like I was sleeping in.  Today I overslept and got up a half hour late...so no more feeling like I am catching up in my sleep.  Too bad.  It was nice while it lasted.

On Tuesday I went for a lunchtime run, which is nothing short of a miracle because I haven't gotten out for too many lunch runs so far.  I was extra proud of myself because I did not want to go at all.  I had been cold all day and the thought of putting shorts and a t-shirt on was not appealing, especially since it was cold outside and I had forgotten to change my clothes out for warmer attire.  However I texted my friend and she told me to go.  So I went and I ran as fast as I could.  I only did a three mile route, but I did it fast.  My legs were sore yesterday.  And like they say, I didn't regret it.  That's usually one of my motivating phrases is that you never regret going for a run when you are finished, but you often regret not going.  Very true.  I have another one today so I am hoping to be motivated to go again.  I also chatted with some running friends and am trying to plan a few fun runs together on Saturdays, since golf is over.  I miss running with people and I hope it works out.  They are much more serious runners and have been doing half marathons and marathons since we all had babies, but I can still keep up with them...I think.

On Tuesday I got back from class and Evan and Ivan were asleep on the couch.  I put Evan in his crib and didn't think anything out of the ordinary.  When I woke up, Ivan informed me that he had cut Evan's hair, himself.  WHAT!!!!

Check out those bangs! It's reminiscent of bad haircut photos from school pictures!  Ivan said his hair was in his eyes so he tried to shorten it and Evan kept moving so he kept having to correct it.  Nice.  Luckily after his bed head went away he looked a little better.

Except it looks like he has aged five years.  Where did my BABY go???

And a random piece of information.  I was chatting with a friend from high school who said that I come off as a complete bad a$$ and that when we were friends in high school she was intimidated and a little jealous of how independent I was and how I appeared to not need anyone or anything.  She said I still acted like a bad a$$.  I thought it was the funniest thing because I can tell you right here and now that I am the most un-bad a$$ around.  I cry at sad commercials.  And I never feel independent or like I don't need anyone.  She was one of my best friends in high school and I remember always worrying that she wasn't going to want to be friends with me anymore.  It was funny chatting about it because she had always intimidated me when we were young and I was intimidating her right back.  It makes me think how different appearances can be from the real you, even to people who are close to you and know you well.  I told my husband and he laughed for a good ten minutes about me being a bad a$$.  I guess you can't fool everyone! 

Alrighty...time for some shut eye on this bus of mine.  Hope you have a glorious Thursday!!

A Birthday Weekend!

Before I get into the birthday celebration, I want to cry about the fact that it is dark and a bit chilly at the bus stop these days.  I hate to admit it but I think fall is coming, and after that...winter.  How did summer go so fast??  I only made it to the pool once.  We only BBQed once.  Sad how fast time goes.

And talking about time flying...how is my baby one year old already???  I cannot believe that an entire year has already gone by.  To relive the moment, I read through all my birth story posts (here, here, and here) and hubs and I walked through his birth day in memories.  It is still crazy to think it was a year ago that he was born.  It seems both a lifetime ago and yesterday that it happened.  I have to say, Evan came into this world and stole our hearts.  I love every minute I spend with him.  

We didn't have a huge birthday party for him.  It was hard to resist societal pressure to not go overboard and have a huge party with invitations, decorations, gift bags, games, etc.  There are so many cute ideas and themes and so many other people go all out for their kids' birthdays that a few times I felt a bit neglectful.  However, instead of a party I wanted to spend the money on family pictures.  I wanted to have a nice memory and I thought family photos would be a great idea.  I think it was.  The photographer was amazing and she did such a fantastic job getting Evan to smile and pay attention.  I can't wait to get the pics back (don't worry, I'll post a few here).

My parents did come down to celebrate Evan's first birthday, so that was super fun and the best present ever.  They came on Thursday night, so we pretty much spent the entire weekend at my sister's house.  I took Friday off so that I could spend some time with my birthday boy.  We headed over to my sister's and hung out there all day.  We made Evan's birthday cake and played around with the kids.

How do you like my rainbow cake!!!

He's eating so fast you can't see his hand...he loves cake, just like his momma!

My friend Andrea came over with her two kids in the afternoon for cake.  After Evan was born she came over ever week for my entire maternity leave.  Her visits were a life saver.  She really helped me out and answered so many of my questions and made me feel so relaxed.  So, I really wanted her to come celebrate Evan's first birthday.  We opened some presents and hung out and then headed to my brother's in law football game.

Evan loves his new truck!

On Saturday I had The First Tee in the morning (new fall season - lots of new girls) and then we hung out at my sister's again.  Yesterday morning my sister and I had a 5k race.  

Before the race - hanging out!

It was my first 5k in years...like over ten years!  We signed up and then I happily realized that my parents were in town and could easily watch the kiddos while my sister and I ran.  Perfect!  I had been hoping to PR in the race but never really got a chance to train much.  I had only been running once a week for a month and before that I had probably run 5 times in the previous three months.  Definitely nothing to brag about.  However, I think I did pretty well.  I ran it in under 25 minutes, which was exciting for me.  So maybe not a PR, but not a snail walk either.

That was pretty much the weekend.  Today's my husbands bday and I have nothing for him.  It's sad.  I have to run out today and see what I can find.  It's hard having two birthdays in one weekend - hard on me and hard on the bank!  Plus, Ivan usually has the car these days so it's extra hard for me to get somewhere to buy something.

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Are you ready for the fall?

What did you do this weekend?

First Day of School

Chemistry might not be so bad.  I can't believe I'm actually typing that, but it's true.  I had my first class on Tuesday night.  It's a late one, from 7:30pm-10:20pm.  My bedtime is supposed to be at 10:00pm, so a class that ends after that is just bad news.  It means that by the time I get home, get ready for bed, and unwind, it's practically midnight.  And then I have to get up again four and a half hours later.  And I do that twice since I have class twice a week.

It wasn't that miserable though.  Much less miserable than it could have been.  My friend recommended a set of professors (one for lab and one for lecture) and it turns out, they are great.  The lecture guy is from England and has an accent (and chemistry talk with a British accent is way more interesting than chemistry talk sans accent) and is so nice and excited about Chemistry it's funny.  He actually shook our hands as we came in and asked us our names and then stood by the door and shook our hands as we left.  And the lecture woman is funny and relaxed too.  So, it really could be much worse.  

Last night we got out of lab early so I got home around 8:30pm.  And guess what??  Evan was asleep and Ivan was washing the dishes for me.  It was the best thing ever.  I was happily surprised.  It made the rest of the evening so much more relaxed.  And let's be honest, relaxed evenings are not common in my household.

And in completely other news.  Look at this big boy who lives in my house.

He is growing up too fast.  He practically looks like an adult.  Maybe because we cut his hair.  I didn't want to but since it was always in his face and he was constantly rubbing his eyes because it tickled, I figured it was time.

Here he is before (don't mind me - I look tired 24/7).

And here he is after.

Look at how much older he looks! 

And can I complain that a haircut at Cartoon Cuts cost $16.99.  That's practically highway robbery if you ask me.  Really?? He had like 30 snips.  He's 11 months people!  My husband gets his hair cut for less than that and he requires a razor and they give him and neck and head massage at the end.  Yes, they gave me a certificate congratulating him on his first haircut and put some snippings in a baggie, so maybe it was worth it for the first time.  But next time?  No Cartoon Cuts here, we are just going to the regular barber shop where Ivan goes.

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Are you taking any classes this semester?  When was the last time you took Chemistry?

When was the last time that someone surprised you and did your chores for you?

Frozen yogurt, bike rides, and brunch

This weekend was so much fun.  It started with a trip to Target Friday evening.  I try my best not to go to Target because even if I only have to buy one thing there, I end up spending $100.  It's impossible to just get what you need.  Literally, impossible.  We were just going in there to buy a mini-grill and charcoal and we left with bags and bags of stuff.  To the music of $150.  Yikes!  But, I have to say, we got some exciting stuff.

We then decided to meet my sister and her family for dinner.  We went to the village center (kind of like a strip mall I guess) and all got different things and then ate at the tables outside.  I was going to get sushi but decided on Subway at the last minute.  Ivan had Chinese - of course.  It was a fun time.

On Saturday I had golf in the morning and then we were going to grill at the lake.  Except the weather was a bit cloudy and Ivan wanted to play golf.  I wasn't really in the mood to grill either, so I let him off the hook.  Evan was a bit sick so I felt like it was better to just hang out at home anyway.

But Sunday - that was the fun day.

I was planning on going to church in the morning because Ivan was going to ride his bike to work (and then I'd have to car for church).  However, Ivan over slept and was running late so he took the car instead.  Evan slept until 8:45am anyway, so we wouldn't have made it to 9am church even if we had the car!  I think he slept so late because he was sick, but at least when he woke up his nose was running a lot less than before.

When Ivan got home he wanted to go to brunch at Mimi's Cafe.  He's really in to brunch these days.  We used to go to brunch with some friends but they moved to Florida, so we need to find new brunch pals.  Except that Ivan has soccer on Sundays again so it might not work out very well anymore.  Since we didn't get to grill on Saturday, Ivan promised that we'd do something together on Sunday.

We decided to go on a family bike ride!  I cannot explain how excited I was about this!
 

In Target on Friday we had come across a Schwinn bike trailer on super clearance for only $47.00.  It was so cheap that we couldn't pass it up.  So we put it in our cart, found an infant bike helmet, and were already planning our great family bike outings.  I wasn't sure if we'd actually get out there for a while, but I was wrong.  Ivan wanted to just bike around the neighborhood, but I am not one to do anything "easy".  I must do everything to the extreme.  So I convinced him it would be a good idea to bike to frozen yogurt.  It was probably a 6-mile round-trip ride - and a bit hilly at parts.  My thighs were definitely protesting and I wasn't pulling a baby and trailer like Ivan was.  However, take a look at the bike I was forced to ride.

I got this picture from google, it is not my actual bike.

It's a Schwinn Jaguar - a beach cruiser, to be exact.  Definitely not something meant to go up hills and on paths.  It's meant for the boardwalk and beach living.  My sister had originally bought it to take to Outer Banks, but then never did so she gave it to my husband and me.  I owned a mountain bike but when we had to "pick" bikes, no way was Ivan riding the cruiser!

So we put dragged the bikes and the trailer down three flights of stairs, put Evan in his little helmet (cutest thing on the planet), and made our way to frozen yogurt.

 Then we relaxed and ate our yogurt before getting back on our bikes and heading home.

Pink lemonade with coconut and blueberries (the blueberries were mainly for Evan)

Ivan got vanilla with strawberries and coconut

We made sure to put some toys in there for Evan, so he didn't get bored.

So much fun!  Evan didn't complain once - not about having to wear a helmet or being in the trailer.  I think he liked having the wind in his face and bouncing along!

After we got home, Ivan walked the dog and Evan and I went to the grocery store.  Then I made dinner and Ivan gave Evan a bath.  I made one of our Hello Fresh meals.  It was so yummy.  I'll do a post about Hello Fresh soon - I love it!  This was citrus salmon with summer salad.  The little plate is Evan's. He usually loves salmon but was too tired to eat this time.  So he threw most of it on the floor for Dolce.

After Evan's bath, he was determined to avoid getting a diaper put on.  He tooled around in his towel looking like a super hero.  It was too cute!

My aunt made this towel - it is so big and fluffy.  So much nicer than regular baby towels.

He was going so fast that the pictures kept coming out blurry!  But he did stop to play with the laundry basket - one of his favorite things.  He loves to put thing in there and then take them out.

 
I still wasn't in bed before 11pm though.  Boo.

But it was such a great day, I can't complain too much!

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Did you do anything fun this weekend?

What time do you go to bed?