First Quarter {in Review}

Well, here we are three months into the new year. I daresay it's been a bit brutal, but with the sunshine starting to peak through and temps climbing up past 40 (heat wave!), I think we will live to see another spring. Here's a quick glimpse into our first quarter 2013.

{January}

We capped off a holiday-season-to-forget with a trip to urgent care. It's all fun and games until someone falls on their head at a Christmas party and goes limp. Thus concludes, Christmas 2013. Better luck next year.

1. I've been trying to run some more, after some time off due to an injury and in terrible Michigan winter conditions. It's been going so-so, but the YakTrax have proven helpful on more than one occasion.

2. A bright spot in our January, our first glimpse of paradise.

3. These pillows make my heart sing. They now reside in Basement-ville.

4. From the look of sheer joy on her face, it appears we may have neglected to take our third child out in the snow often ever. Oops. Good news: she loves it.

Christmas cookie do-over, just in time for a little shin-dig. My favorite sort of friends are the kind who don't bat an eye when you serve them Christmas cookies in January.

{February}

When life gives you snowstorms, learn to slide like a penguin. This was the plow pile in our yard from our driveway. See that street light in the background? The snow in our yard has yet to melt completely.

1. Best Friends necklaces. Remember these? I was not prepared for this phase of life to be starting already for our 6 YO.

2. Love me some Church. Sacred moments shared over a long table at a brewery in Rockford on a Friday night.

3. Snow piles! Again, cannot get over the snow piles.

4. Poor Mady, as the last child home with Mama, she has no choice but to run all over town with the ladies, doing who knows what (always very important work, I can assure you).

Oh, this little girl. She fills our hearts to the brim with joy. We decided on this day that if we can't beat Winter, we might as well join it, so we took the big kids ice skating. She fell down more times than I can count, but she was fiercely determined to figure it out without our help. (Love him too.)

{March}

Take that, procrastination, perfectionism, and Seasonal Affect Disorder. This is exactly the bit of visual oomph I needed as we wait out the last few days (weeks?) until spring. A few free printables, a $5 canvas from Home Goods, a couple Ikea frames, and we're in business. {Oh, and I received a tweet back from John and Sherry mid-progress!}

1. A date night with my main {little} man.

2. A quick field trip to a favorite local studio. We left with our arms full and our hearts inspired.

3. My idea of heaven on earth: an entire floor filled to the brim with paper goods. (Local peeps; it's happens twice a year!)

4. Bracket business. Ella learns from one of the best.

Here is the very definition of cabin fever. Our Friday night entertainment consisted of cheering on our favorite toddler while she rode laps around the house, cyclecross style (cow bells included).

Winter, it was nice knowing you. Hello, Spring!

Winter Rush

It was approximately 11 months ago that I signed up for my first race.

Six races later and I'm totally hooked.

There are several criteria I use to decide which races to sign up for:

1) It's something new - a new distance to conquer (5K...10K...15K...25K) or a new concept to experience (adventure racing, anyone?)

2) There's a really good giveaway (think: long-sleeve dri-fit shirts, finisher medals) or a cool sounding after-party (burgers in the park? chocolate fondue? yum.)

3) There's a good opportunity for pants-peeing-type-hysterics (i.e. losing your shoe in a mud pit; sledding down a STEEP hill at what feels like 80 mph to the finish line.)

4) It's a chance to say yes, when in my former life, I would have said no.

(And it should be noted that I will never sign-up alone. I prefer to have a partner-in-crime. Or two. Or three.)

Today's race fit the bill.

New concept: an adventure race incorporating natural {snowy} elements. [Bonus points for being a first inaugural event.]

Light at the end of the tunnel: finisher medals all around + coffee at a hip coffee joint downtown.

Hijinks and hysterics? Check. With course elements like Field of Angels, Over the River and Through the Woods, Mt. Everest, and the Nantucket Sleigh Ride, how could we lose?

Saying yes to a great workout and time well spent with girlfriends? It's a no-brainer.

Thank you, Theresa, Sara & Lisa, for spending your snowy Saturday with me. What a rush!

{more on today's race here}

the winter blahs

It's winter in Michigan in case you haven't noticed. (I'm realizing winter was more fun before I had three little ones to drag through the slush every time I need a gallon of milk.) To keep busy, there has been a lot of fort building, Curious George watching, and Mom yelling, um I mean politely stating, "PLEASE. STOP. RUNNING. INSIDE."

I will say this winter is moving along better than last winter - two out of three kids being able to put on shoes and coats by themselves is wonderful. (Almost as good as the day the baby learns to go up and down the steps by herself and you can finally take the baby gate down. Such freedom.) I also am able to toss the two big ones out in the snow every day around 4pm when the neighbor kids get off the bus. It really is the simple things that get me through the day.

Here are a few pictures of the kids. Mady and Dylan enjoying a morning snuggle in our bed - it's starting to become a morning ritual to have kids coming and going through our room in the morning as we all try to get ready for the day. It's so cute how Mady lights up when she sees her big brother.
Crazy little Ella. She's becoming quite the diva. She found my sunglasses and jewelry the other day and she was ready to accessorize. It seems like we shake our heads in wonder at her many times through out the day. She is such a little wonder.
Sisters - I think they were watching figure skating with me (I DVR the Olympics and catch up during the day). Have I mentioned how much I love having little girls??
Fort building at its finest.
Precious little Mady, all clean after a bath following The Great Poop of 2010.
I hope you are all surviving winter too. Just remember, it's almost March, it's almost March, it's almost March. Only three more months of snow and five more months before the temperature hits 70!

Kidding.

I hope.

first snow!

winter = boring

So I've pretty much decided that winter is boring. It's never been my favorite season, but this year and last year have both seemed so long and relentless...there's just not that much to do with my little kiddos when were stuck inside day after day. We really do get out fairly often, but the hours at home still seem long. Oh well - I'm sure all of you moms out there know what I'm talking about and (someday) spring will come again (right??).

Today Matt had the day off and we went downtown to the Children's Museum. Two reasons why I love this place:

1) We were there for two hours and didn't have to tell our kids no once - so relaxing for both us and them when they are in an environment where they can just be kids. Brilliant.
2) No clean up! They played playdoh, grocery store, bubbles, trains, dentist, sandbox and bank and we didn't have to pick up :)

There's my plug for the Children's Museum. [We bought a membership last year for $60 - a good deal considering admission just went up to $6.50, meaning one trip would cost our family$26. A good investment if you think you'll make it there a couple times within a year]

Not much else to report since we've been up to a big bunch of nothing. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures.