GNO

Finally after 5 months I got a girls night out!!!  Life has been so crazy busy since Blake was born.  Between adjusting to a 4th child, Abby going to school, finishing the soccer season, October birthdays, Thanksgiving trip to VA, Mickey's Christmas Party, Christmas and New Year holiday, and a trip back to VA there has been no time that I have really even wanted to go out.  Ami came to run with me and Lynn graciously waited at home resting til we were ready to wine and dine.  We were missing one piece of our puzzle (Dawn) but she is always with us in our hearts and topic of conversation! So nice to have these girls still in my life after so many years.....if I admit how many years it has been it would give up our age....we look too good to admit that :-)!

Run 5 to keep Kids Alive

This was my 1st race since having Blake and I'm not quite sure I trained as well as I should have.  I had ran 5 miles prior to this day and did OK but not as fast as I wish I would have.  Last year I ran the same race 8 weeks pregnant with Nikki who was 9 weeks pregnant and we finished in 45 minutes.  The competitiveness in me wanted to be sure I finished in the same amount of time if not faster.  Ami came up from Orlando to run too and have a girls night out.  She was very sweet and stuck with me the whole time except running up the bridges but then would wait for me once I made it up.  She talked to me most of the way but of course I could barely talk due to the fact that we started the race extremely fast (first mile in 8 minutes).

The course started at the Jacksonville Landing and finished on the Riverwalk which is on the backside of the Landing.  There are 2 bridges, an overpass, and a ramp for walkers that gets them over the train tracks and river.  Needless to say it's not the easiest 5 miles.  At one point we did come back by the start line (between 2-3 miles) and Ami said "there is no way that was 3 miles already" and I looked at her in a bit of confusion then realizing she thought I must have said "come run this 5K vs 5 mile with me"! HAHAHAHA!!! Joke was on me...she still had to slow down and wait on me!

Nikki was the grand winner, Scott came in second and Ami and I crossed at the same time! For mine and Ami's age group we came in at 6th and 7th place! Part of me says "wow!" and the other part of me says "we must have been the youngest in our 'old' age bracket".  Being that my husband hasn't been running and he still beat me and even admitted to me that he walked some just makes me explode with excitement for him ;-)!!!

The wonders of Duck Tape

Katie, our neighborhood friend, has a bucket full of duck tape that she loves to make things with.  Today she decided it would be fun to help Colby decorate his face and transform into a Jaguar.......

Celebrating Grandmommy's Birthday

Although we went to her big 95th birthday party the kids and I went over on her special day to wish her a Happy Birthday! I am still amazed that we are able to celebrate with her after all these years! As each day passes that we get another day with her I thank God for that day! She is the best grandmommy anyone could ask for and the best great- grandmommy. 

Blake trying cereal for 1st time

Daddy has been wanting to try cereal with Blake for the last week.  He thinks it will fill him up and he wont wake in the middle of the night anymore.  I don't feed him in the middle of the night but daddy is the one who goes in to give him his pacifier.  After about 3 weeks of doing this daddy thinks he is exhausted so he needs a solution (and like I didn't need a solution for the 16 weeks prior to this).  I bought the cereal to have on hand once we decided to give it a try...I had no idea it was going to be tonight.  Well this is how it went.......

So excited to be in a big boy chair

Checking it out...where's the food???

Not looking so excited

Seriously people what is this???

I videoed this and I have evidence that daddy is trying to shovel the cereal into his mouth.  He thinks he is crying because he wants more but I think he is trying to say "get this gritty stuff out of my mouth and give me my mommy!!!!".  Mission not so successful :-(

The Draa's visit

Ron, Kitty, Tucker, and Tatum came this weekend to meet Blake and hang out for the weekend.  Its been since May that we have all seen one another and I am not sure who missed each other more...the adults or the kids.  All week the boys have been counting down for Tuckers arrival.  Life with 4 kids has made Kitty and my conversations quick and simple.  It was nice to have them here to catch up, have some good laughs and see the kids play together.  Its like family when they come :-) and to me that is the best kind of friends you can ask for. 

Tucker and Dylan racing the obstacle course

Abby on the Inch Worm

Kitty being "towed" by Tucker...she doesn't look to confident :-)

Ready to go

Tucker finally pulling his mommy

Dare Devil Dylan

Woo Hoo that was fun

Big Brother cant be "one upped"

Here comes Tucker

More fun on the Razor 360

Abby pulling Tatum

Abby gave up...she wanted to be pulled

Scott throwing pitches to Tucker

Tucker ready to hit a home run

Nice Hit!!!

Dylan trying to hit :-)...good job

Abby and Tatum ending the night with bubbles





Grandmommy's 95th Birthday Party

Amazing!!!  There aren't many way other ways to describe that I was able to attend my grandmommy's 95th birthday party!!  She is such a wonderful, caring, loving, and amazing woman/mother/grandmother/great-grandmother!!!! Its such a blessing to have her here with me and see my children come into this world and watch them grow. 

Mom and Aunt Pam put together an incredible "open house" birthday party for her.  I couldn't believe how many people showed up.  She has known these people for 40, 50, 60 + years. Seeing all the people who showed up to celebrate her life was overwhelming.  She really has touched so many peoples lives in such a special way!  Thank you God for keeping her as healthy as you have and letting her be with us all these days!!!

Me and my Grandmommy

Grandmommy, Dylan, Colby and Tucker

Colby helping Grandmommy after singing Happy Birthday

Grandmommy's friends

Old high school friends of my moms who knew my grandmommy
since they were in elementary school

Mom and Don

Kid Free Run and Lunch Date

Nikki and I have been trading off running kid free for a few months now.  Either she will come here or I will go to her house.  Each person gets 30 min to go run free of kids which makes such a difference but today we gave each other a 5 mile run.  Nikki finished with a little less than a 9 minute mile and myself finished at a 9:18 minute mile run.  I provided the kids with PB&J's with applesauce and Nikki made us an asparagus, tomato, feta and orzo salad.....YUMMY!!! 

The babies slept pretty good to lessen the chaos of 6 kids in the house.

Blake was very hungry and Declan couldn't get enough of his fist/fingers :-)

Daddy's Baby Girl

Daddy had to work late tonight and when he got home he was excited to see Abby's room all finished.  He decided to go in and his baby girl was awake staring at him.  Of course he precious smile earned a ticket out of bed to come hang out with daddy.  This is how they spent their time together....

Imaginative Play

My kids had an awesome imagination today!  They were cracking me up!  I was feeding Blake, in my room, and I could hear them laughing and running around in circles (around kitchen bar through the dining room back again).  Since they are not allowed to be running in the house I came out to ask what they were doing and the response was "we are taking our babies on a run".  Abby had her stroller with a baby, Dylan was pushing the shopping cart around with his stuffed animals, and Colby was wearing the Bjorn with Seminole (his bunny) in it.  Mommy must be rubbing off on them :-).

Then later in the day we went outside to play.  Now it was time to go to "the beach".  Out came the 4 wheel truck "beach buggie", the "surfboards", and shovels/sand buckets.  The mulch area was the sand and the kick boards and boogie boards were the surfboards.  Since only two kids can fit in the "beach buggie" the other one walked to "the beach" with mommy.  After a day at the beach the car needed to go through a car wash.  Mommy had the bubbles out and they pretended that the bubbles was the car wash. 

Abby isn't allowed to drive anymore...she ran into back of my van!





It's amazing to see what kids can come up with.  I loved watching them play today!!