Time is a Funny Thing

There was a time, not that long ago, that I thought these three would be babies forever. I couldn't even fathom a time that sleeping, eating, and showering could be done alone.  

 I couldn't imagine grocery shopping or trips to the mall without 100 treats and the promise of great rewards. And the idea that they might one day be able to carry their own pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, impossible.

 There was a time that they would wear whatever clothes I laid out for them. A time when I thought hugs and kisses would never be lacking. A time when getting from the car to inside the store took an Herculean effort.

There was a time I really, truly thought these three would be babies forever. 

Then I blinked.

1 Week

Only a week left of preschool for this handsome kiddo, and then he is officially a Kindergartner. How in the world did this even happen!

After 2 weeks of constant begging I finally found a few minutes to take these three to get a hair cut. Ethan has been obsessed with having his hair just perfect lately. Today on his way in the house from the bus stop I saw him rubbing is head really hard. I thought that was weird until he came in the house saying, "Mom, look how bad my hair looks by the end of the day! Can I please get a hair cut tonight!" HA Then it all made perfect since! Being the good mom I am I obliged but only got a "before" picture!

All Dressed Up

Today was a very exciting day for these two. Kai was going on a field trip to the Orchestra, and Brian had an interview for another group where he works. Both of them were very excited and looked super sharp.

One of them came home disappointed in how the day went. Spoiler Alert... It was Kai, just like Ethan and Olivia before him. The second grade trip to the Orchestra was a let down. It was hot and "boring" but at this point the torture this day brings seems like a right of passage.  We were all excited for Kai, knowing it wasn't going to be quite what he had imagined! So the plan for now is to do the same to Luke and Elle. ha

That of course means that Brian's day went great! We are so proud of him! Good Luck working in your new group! 

Tonight we had two games. Brian took Olivia to hers all the way in Butler, and I took Ethan and the rest of the children to his game just down the street. He had a good game and is getting better at baseball with every game he plays! On the way home these three cuties really twisted my arm (HA) to stop to get them Ice Cream. I mean come on, who could say no to those faces or a pistachio coconut with a waffle cone. Obviously not me! 

It was yet another late night and the children weren't in bed until almost 10, ugh! Can't it be summer already!

Mother's Day

 Another fabulous Mother's Day is officially in the books! When I originally decided to run in the Cape Cod Ragnar I had no idea it was Mother's Day weekend. Imagine my surprise about a month out when someone causally mentioned it..... SHOCKED I tell you! Who doesn't even glance at a calendar before committing to something like that??? Ha

 I arrived home from the airport at 9:00am to my front door covered with love from my sweet babies. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes as we drove up and  I saw Kai quickly tape the last one to the door before hurrying inside to hide for the big "WELCOME HOME".

The children wanted to do presents before church (and so did I) but since I like to leave the house promptly at 9:30 it had to wait, and so did our Sunday picture. So sadly my sweet dad, who came up to help Brian out for what turned out to be a VERY busy weekend, had already left! Thank you so much dad. Brian couldn't have gotten the children everywhere they needed to be without you!

 Sweet Luke wanted to be first. He quickly rewrapped his gift to me, which he had already opened before church to show me, because the mere thought of waiting until after church was more then his five year old heart could muster.

 Going from youngest to oldest put Kai up next. At school this year he made the sweetest book. I love reading what things about me stand out to them. Although it can be a little nerve wracking! HA The first page were things Kai knows about me. I love that he wrote "I know my mom is the best mom that I could ever have and the only one I will ever have."

 Also, I do the laundry and try to keep him safe. TRY is very accurate!

 Olivia wrote me a sweet poem. She stated at least 5 times that I am funny and pretty. It's obvious she knows the way to flatter this lady!!

 Then Elle jumped in and gave me a spoon!

 Ethan was last and a little stressed out. I guess once you get to 5th grade it's all business, and the teachers don't carve out any time for Mother's Day gifts. HURTFUL! Ethan's love language is giving and receive gifts buy a landslide. I could tell from the second I got home he was stressed out about not having something for me. He worked hard before and after church to create something for me. I'm so grateful for his thoughtfulness and love. He is such a great kid and a huge blessing to our family.

Then Elle was done! It was clearly nap time for us both!

I'm so grateful to Brian for holding down the fort while I was gone. He truly is the best. It's because of him that I'm able to be the type of Mother I want to be.

Cape Cod Ragnar Third (LAST) Legs

 Don't let this smile fool you, I was not feeling this last leg. It was my shortest and the weather was just, but my stomach was hurting and I was so very tired.

 BUT I was thrilled when it was finally over and I got a 7.92 pace! Finally under 8!! It felt so great to be done!

 Cassandra wore this for her third leg and it was so cute. I wish I would have gotten a picture at the exchange, but no one from the van was up there when she finished. In fact she had to call and ask where the heck we all were. We all jumped out of the van to find Karl who was mid stretch and ran up to the exchange! She was over 10 minutes faster then we were expecting her!

 Karl had a very hard last leg, 9.4 miles of hills. He totally killed it and was screaming fast as always!!

 After Kathy's leg we got a team picture with everyone but Nate who was running. Since Scott, Karl, and Eric were leaving before the finish line we wanted to get as many in the picture as we could. What an awesome team!

 The obligatory feet picture!

 After our legs were done we headed down to the finish line. We grabbed some pizza for lunch and it was delish! I loved being there with my beautiful cousin, Glenda!

 After we all ran through the finish line at 28 hours even! WOOHOO!

 This was a great Ragnar! Dare I say can't wait until the next one! HA

Cape Cod Ragnar Second Legs

 After dinner a few short hours of sleep we were off again and ready to meet van 2 at the next big exchange. I was really looking forward to my night run. It was my best run on the Niagara Falls Ragnar, so I was hoping for the same here.

 It turns out it's super hard to take pictures at night with all these headlamps, and reflectors everywhere!

 I finally saw Keith coming up the hill and was ready to rock!! It was a beautiful run on the canal, with the moon shinning on the water so it was much brighter then I anticipated. I had 6 kills this leg and it felt GREAT! My pace ended up being 8.02, and I was determined to get my last leg under 8.

 Cassandra after she passed off to Karl!

 At last it was time for us to get a little more sleep before finishing this thing off!! It was a great night for Van 1 and the weather was perfect!

Cape Cod Ragnar First Legs

 I got up bright and early, since it's nearly impossible for me to sleep past 6am these days, to get ready for my first leg of the race. I'm so excited to be the first runner because that means I will also be the first one done running.

 Here is all van 1 together waiting for our 10:15 start time. I think it was around this time that I remembered how much I hate to run, and was seriously questioning my sanity. Not to mention it was FREEZING out there.

I always get super nervous right before I run these darn things. I really don't know why. It's made me realize Olivia and I aren't the complete opposites I thought we were.  And even worse, I probably didn't get all these nerves and pressure of high expectations from her! These Ragnars prove that the apple truly doesn't fall far from the tree.

My first leg went well! The run was beautiful through the town of Hull, and the homes were amazing. About a mile and a half in my phone turned off, which stressed me out! Ha I need music, but even more I need the lady telling me how far I've gone! I finally got it back on and finished my 5.6 at about a 8.20 minute mile. I wish it was more accurate, but since my phone turned off I had to estimate!

Cassandra was right after me and did a great job! Then Karl was off, and boy is he speedy!

Somehow I missed the Karl to Scott hand off, but here is Glenda getting ready to go and the hand off!

Glenda was so fast that we weren't expecting her for about 5-7 more minutes so we were just chatting away when she turned the corner. Then Kathy, our last runner was off! 

 The big exchange 6 hand off and Van 1 was headed to the hotel for some rest!

Boston

 This morning we flew into Boston for the Cape Cod Ragnar. Since we all arrive around noon we had tons of time for exploring the city before heading to our hotel. Boston is beautiful.

We walked the Freedom Trail after first checking out the cemetery where Paul Revere and Samual Adams were buried. It was so interesting that they didn't give many death dates, but instead told how many years, months, and days old they were. 

 In front of Paul Revere's house. It was about this point that I realized I'm really not a great tourist. Or maybe I'm just a party pooper. I was far more interested in the bride that was driving around on a fire truck and the school kids playing outside then anything else. The scariest part of all is that I love history. HA Maybe I was just nervous about tomorrow's run.... that must be it!

What's a trip to Boston without going where everybody knows your name? And they're always glad you came.