Our Weekend

We had a pretty low key weekend, which is always nice. We had pizza and went to bed early on Friday. I got up for my long run on Saturday, which is quickly becoming a tradition. (3 wks. straight) I came home to clean, of course. We grilled fajitas and had a slumber party on Saturday night. I finished cleaning and we headed to the pool on Sunday. I'll be back at it tomorrow!
Saturday Long Run:
10 miles completed in 1:33. This was an awesome time for me. A new PR. (personal record)
Me all bright and shiny at 6:00 am on Saturday!

Brushy Creek
I tried to take pics before run but couldn't do it justice from this parking lot. It is really pretty.

It occurred to me that any runner passing my car, would know I am a runner. (ibuprofen, ipod, garmen watch, banana, water, arm band, 13.1 sticker on back window) Never noticed it before but it cracked me up so I had to take a pic.

Slumber Party:
We watched Free Willy because the kids had talked about Orca Whales this last week at school. We dragged our mattress in the living room and watched it together. Yes, Calleigh is wearing clothes instead of pj's because that is what she wanted and Chris advised me not to argue with her. She ended up sleeping in her bed because when it was time to sleep she kept playing. :) go figure



Helping Daddy work:

Pool time:

And the morning comes

There are many reasons people think I am crazy, so I am going to give them one more. I love mornings! This is my favorite time of the day by far. Love to run in the morning, drink coffee, read about events around the world, watch the today show, I just love everything about it. I think it is the possibilities that mornings offer to us. The fresh feeling of a good night's sleep, although this is not always the case for us moms, gives so many opportunities. My absolute favorite part of the morning, however, is when the kids wake up. They have that look on their faces like they're so confused and not quite awake. My kids both come to me with blankets on their heads and after saying good morning, immediately want breakfast. Sometimes I don't even get the good morning before they want to eat! haha Pictures don't do justice to the looks on their faces. I just love them! So cute in their pj's. Anyway, this morning I look at picture of them in pj's so I can try to remember this time as the get older. They were not extremely happy about it so I couldn't even get them to hug.


And after breakfast, clothes, and cartoons, they get a little happier!

I Get To...

There are so many areas that I struggle with everyday. Finding the balance between being a mom, wife, student, individual, friend, and family member. It is so hard to fit everything in and somehow still be pleasant. I think it is easy for us to get in this place where we are so overwhelmed that everything is another task that we "have to complete." I read and article a while back in Runner's World that really changed my thinking. It was about saying "I get to, instead of I have to." I won't lie, I forget from time to time, but I try to keep this in mind. There are so many people in this world that would give anything to do the things I "have to" do. There are people that would love to have children but are having difficulty conceiving or maybe they have lost a child. And yet hear I am getting frustrated and overwhelmed with my kids. When I feel like this I TRY to stop and say, I get to. I get to wipe crayons off the wall, to pick up toys, to do lunches, to give baths, wipe noses, and put kids to bed. I get to finish my degree, make dinner, go to work, and run. I forget that there are people everywhere that would give anything to be able to complete these tasks. Some people have cancer, financial difficulties, illnesses, disabilities, and here I am complaining that I have to run at 9:20 at night because it is the first chance I got. BAH HA....some people can't even afford running shoes or don't live in the kind of neighborhood that provides a safe environment for a late run. It is at these times where I stop and say to myself, or sometimes out loud, I GET TO. Try today to have the mentality that you get to. You get to be in this life, with these people, and try to make the most of that. Have a great Thursday! Below are pictures I took before we headed to school yesterday. Randomly Cameron asked if I could take a picture of him and Woody, and of course, Calleigh had to take a picture to. I love these kids! And I get to take care of them today! :)

Diving in...

There is really no good way to get back into blogging other than to just dive in. I am sad that I have neglected this so much lately but I am trying to keep up. I posted that I would include some pictures of the house and update on our Austin move, but I don't have those yet. I keep thinking I will finish decorating before I post, but that has been a slow process. Anyway, I hope to post those soon. We really love this area, though we certainly hope to make our home in DFW again soon. We took the kids to a Round Rock Express game last week and I am posting pictures from that. They had a blast! Cameron was cracking us up with his "dance moves" which have already won him 2 dancing contests at school. he he Calleigh was more interested in the game! She loves baseball! YAY! She kept yelling for the Rangers...but she will learn soon. :)

Coming Soon...

Catch up day! I have neglected my blog for a variety of reasons lately which I will write about soon. BUSY is a four letter word...I will have some updated picks of the kids and of the new house. Also if you would like to know what I have been doing lately, well I will take a picture of my mountain of school books! haha I have had a tough semester but I only have a summer class and 2 fall classes before I graduate in December! Woohoo!!!!

My Birthday

Today is my birthday. I remember when I was a kid and I waited all year for this day. My parents were always really good at making a big deal of birthdays and they were always special. It is funny how something you love so much as a kid makes you feel totally different as an adult. My birthday today was special, my husband made my favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In between conference calls, he did everything for me. The kids were good, and sang happy birthday to me at least 10 times. Chris knew I did not want a cake laying around so he went and got a very small cake, tiramisu, my favorite. We all split it so it was not too much. The kids probably enjoyed it much more, since they don't have to worry about burning it off. He also got me a really sweet card, that almost made me cry. The kids got me a card too, but Calleigh informed me that I had to share it with her because sharing is nice. Great time for her to start listening to me. I didn't really get to read that card, but I noticed Cameron wrote his name which was cute. My birthday gift was also part of my Christmas gift so I already got it. Chris was supposed to only stuff my stocking since we are doing the Total Money Makeover with Dave Ramsey, different story for a different day. Anyway, he went to Jared! He sure knows how to stuff a stocking. He bought me a necklace and watch and I love them. He was not supposed to spend that much so he had to call it my Christmas and Birthday gift to be off the hook. He is so sweet, he can save money on so many things, groceries, food, etc., but when it comes to me, he goes all out. He is an awesome gift giver. He just knows me so well. All and all, good birthday, but I don't need them to keep coming so quickly. I better get to bed now since it is back to work tomorrow after an almost 2 week break! :(

Waco Weekend

At the end of November Chris and I attended a wedding in Waco. He was in the wedding of one of his managers and a former manager. It was nice to hang out with people from his restaurants and their spouses, many that I have met before. I also got to spend some time with my friend Aubrey for drinks and shopping during the weekend. It was nice to visit and it made me realize how much I miss living there sometimes. The kids stayed with my parents for the weekend so we were able to relax and enjoy each others company. Congrats to the Cadys, such an awesome couple!

Big Girl, Big Changes

Calleigh is officially potty trained now. We started at the beginning of October going full force. She was showing so many signs of being ready that I had to stop putting it off. I probably could have trained her even before her second birthday but I waited. She started off really well, had a couple of weeks where she got bored with it, then she decided to get it right. She has been potty trained for about a month now. She hasn't had an accident in a while. We still use pull ups for naps and night time, but she wakes up more and more dry every time. Also, because she was having trouble getting to the restroom in the morning, we had to convert her bed to a toddler bed. She did so well. There have been MAYBE a handful of times where she got out of bed, but not a lot. She just goes right on to sleep like she did in her crib. She is getting so big and so smart. The funny thing about training Calleigh was the difference in training a boy and girl. Cameron trained faster, but I waited until he was about 2.5 before we really tried. He just was not ready. Calleigh was ready earlier but she took longer. What an adventure potty training is..whew. Glad you have it accomplished, for the most part.

Critical Thinking Award

I won!! For our Christmas celebration at the school I teach at, we had an awards ceremony. They selected 6 of the 20+ teachers to receive awards in certain areas. I know this is horrible, but I cannot remember all of the areas that were honored except for mine. I know I received the Critical Thinking award for my analytical decision making. This was my first awards ceremony with the school since I have been there right at one year. I received a glass tomb (this is what I am told it's called) and my name on a plaque that is posted in the school. I also received a cash reward. It was so nice to be recognized for the work I do everyday. I have worked with the 3.5 to 4 year old group for about 4 months now, while I previously work with the 12-18 month group at the same school. The job is not always easy, but always rewarding and I am lucky to be a part of such a great group. (not sure about the weird lighting in the top picture or the weird faces I am making)

Toy Story 3 Slumber Party

When Toy Story 3 came out on Time Warner Cable we had a slumber party to watch it. Chris actually joined us this time, but declined to be photographed in his pajamas. We made cookies, watched the movie, so much fun. Calleigh actually sat still even better than Cameron. She got so into the movie that when she thought Woody was going to get hurt she kept saying, "its okay Woody, you're gonna be okay." So cute!

Preparing for Christmas

Well, this holiday season was officially CRAZY! I finished my fall classes October 12th, and I thought that would give me so free time, I was wrong! This was the first year, since having kids, that I have worked full time. I do not know how I got everything done. Luckily, being a pre-school teacher, we have low numbers this time of year so I was able to get off early to shop and prepare. This ended up being one of the best holiday seasons for us. We were able to enjoy each other and the season. Below are some pictures of things we did with the kids to get them ready for Christmas. This year both of them were really into the holiday. Cameron learned to sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and Calleigh really understood Santa this year. She even told him she wanted a princess when she sat on his lap. Both kids understand the meaning of Christmas as being Jesus' birthday and not really about Santa or gifts. Calleigh was a little confused at not having chocolate cupcakes for Jesus' birthday though. ha ha Love these kids!!
Decorating the Tree!




Watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"


Grand Prairie Lights