We Made It!

Wow. What an experience! We finished the marathon in 5 hours, 33 min, which was right around what we expected to do. Thanks to our training through Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's 'Team In Training' program, we completed 26.2 miles on Sunday with no major injuries, blisters, or any other incidents to speak of! This is a picture from early Sunday morning before the race.

We raised over $4,100 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and we were so inspired by our teammates, mentors & coaches this weekend. On Saturday night, we went to a Team In Training pasta dinner and heard from a leukemia patient who is in the 18th month of his third period of remission since first being diagnosed with CLL several years ago. He told of the experimental nature of his treatments, as well as their staggering cost. He thanked the group, as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has helped to fund the research that allowed those experimental protocols to be developed. This year, LLS expects to pass the $1 billion mark of funds raised.

As we ran, we kept our Honored Hero Wade Pierce in our minds, and Ben wore a picture of Wade on the back of his jersey. We read on his mom's blog that he has had a particularly tough couple of weeks of treatment, and we were reminded that he doesn't have a choice whether to fight or not, so neither should we.

As for the race itself, it was truly like nothing we'd ever experienced before. 20,000 runners, all types of people, lots of excitement & energy. The weather was great. We saw parts of Dallas we'd never seen, and we experienced the marathon 'culture' that is celebrated by residents who live along the course. One key example of this was when a man saw us pass his front yard party, and because of our Team In Training jerseys, he jogged alongside us for a minute or so to tell us 'thank you' for our efforts, because he is in remission from leukemia after being treated a couple of years ago. And that was exactly what we needed to hear to keep us going at about mile 22. It's too bad every day isn't like a marathon where total strangers are compelled to shout out and cheer you on!

We are so thankful to everyone who came out to cheer for us. It has never been sweeter to see our families and little girl than it was that afternoon when we crossed the finish line. God answered our prayers for safety and a successful event, and He strengthened us when we needed it the most.

I'll post more pictures as soon as I can.

Enid & Our Last Saturday Run

This past weekend, we went to Enid, OK to help celebrate my mom's birthday. My parents moved into a new house about 2 months ago, and we hadn't been able to get there for a visit since then. We really enjoyed being there with them, celebrating her birthday with their friends, and giving Marin a chance to explore her new 'playground' that is their house. Here are some pics:






The marathon is next Sunday! We had to run 9 miles on Saturday. By the time we were ready to head out for our run, it was about 45 degrees, but very windy, so it felt like the low 30's. Brrrr! On the plus side, in case it happens to be cold AND windy next Sunday, at least we will have already had that experience. Also, they say "Don't do ANYTHING new on race day!" What you eat, what you wear, down to your socks...you need to have tested everything with a run. So this gave us a chance to test out our cold weather running clothes.

Our route happened to take us north of Enid past the cemetery where my grandparents on my Dad's side were buried. So, the thought struck me as we were headed that way that we should stop by and pay our respects, and tell Grandma Helen (who died of leukemia) that we are running in her memory next week. It meant a lot to me that we were able to do that. Here is a picture.

My sister, Becky arrives in town Thursday for a wedding, and she gets to stay thru Sunday to cheer us on. Ben's parents will arrive on Saturday to be with Marin overnight as we stay with our team at a hotel downtown in advance of the race on Sunday morning. We're getting more and more excited, and we're trying to enjoy our short 2-mile runs this week leading up to the big day!

GOAL!

Two days until our fundraising deadline, and between donations "in the bank," donations in transit, and a couple of verbal commitments, we have reached our fundraising goal!

There are so many non-financial ways in which people have made sacrifices to help us reach this point. Some of you wiped the sleep from your eyes EARLY on Saturday mornings as we dropped Marin off so that we could both go to training. A few of you even hosted a Friday night slumber party for her! Some of you donated resources to help us do some creative fundraising. Many listened to us whine about our frustrations, aches, and pains throughout the process. And most of you endured our repeated solicitations--and are still willing to be our friends (or at least that's what we're choosing to believe)! Best of all, many of you have prayed for us and offered words of encouragement. And all of these things together have been true blessings to us!

Now, "all" that's left is to run a marathon! Twelve days left. The big day is Sunday, December 13. We start at 8:00am, and it'll probably take us until 1:30 or 2 to finish. We'll go nice & slow so you can go to church and still make it out to see us finish;) HA! But seriously, let one of us know if you want to come out that day, and we'll try to get a map of the course that we can send out and let you know what our pace is so you can come cheer us on.

20 miles for Wade

We did it! We finished 20 miles this morning and lived to tell about it. Wade Pierce, our Honored Hero was on our minds throughout the run today. He has endured so much pain & discomfort throughout his chemo, and he doesn't have a choice. So we decided we shouldn't tell ourselves we have a choice regarding whether to run or not. This one was for you, Wade. We're fighting for you!

Ever Closer...

It's been a few weeks since the last update, but we're still running! The most exciting news is that we're less than $200 away from reaching our $3,600 fundraising goal. We have 2 weeks left, and we're feeling optimistic that the final dollars will roll in by the deadline on 12/3. Thanks again to all of you who have made donations. We wish all of you could observe first hand the heart that all of our teammates, mentors, and coaches have for this cause. It's really incredible.

This Saturday, we're scheduled to run the longest distance we'll run before the marathon, 20 miles. To date, our longest distances are 15 for Ben and 18 for Janet. Last Saturday's run made me realize that my feet and knees were starting to ache toward the end, as well as continuing to hurt worse than usual after the run. So I added up the miles that that pair of shoes had taken me, and the total was over 300...woah! And with another 125 miles to go before the marathon's over, it was time to get new shoes. Also surprisingly, I had to get a half size larger than the last pair. Weird!

Halloween Pics

We went to the Farmers Branch Historical Park for Halloween, after an early trick-or-treating jaunt to see our closeby neighbors. Here are some pics!

Jonathan's Story

This morning, we met up with over 100 Team In Training participants for an "all team" run at Lake Grapevine. It was chilly, it was hilly, but it was very inspirational to see all of our teammates out there sharing stories and running on behalf of those who can't.

Every week before we set out to run, someone shares a story to remind us why we're out there. Today's story was shared by a father whose teen, Jonathan, was diagnosed this past April with 'ALL'--the same type of agressive childhood leukemia that our honored hero, Wade is fighting. This family's story is one of pain, quick changes in their life's course, treatment and remission, but ultimately, loss.

They knew about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because of a donation they had made for a Team In Training runner in the past. But the work of LLS and the sacrifices made by donors like you became very real to him when, shortly after his son's passing three weeks ago, LLS presented their family with a check to help with unexpected expenses.

While it's very difficult to hear stories about when treatment is not successful, it helps illustrate the real life ways that the donations you have given make an impact on patients and their families. We're proud to say that you all have helped us raise over $2,500 toward this end! We need about $1,100 more to reach our committed minimum, and another $1,400 beyond that to reach our personal stretch goal of $5,000. We can't thank you enough!

Today I was directed to the blog being kept by Wade Pierce's mom. Wade is our 'Honored Hero." He's 12 years old, and man!!! reading the blog really re-centered me on why we're doing all of this! The pictures, the story...needles & ports, chemotherapy, early am and late night commutes to/from Children's Hospital, and his mom rejoices in such sweet things, like, 'Wade wanted tacos today, praise the Lord!'. It really puts things into perspective! As a mom, I can't imagine enduring that with my child. But I know I would (with God's help, of course) if I had to; and knowing there were hundreds of people committing their resources, time, and their bodies to help make a difference for my child would definitely put wind in my sails! Thank you all!

15 miles added to the books!!

Today we ran a 15 mile hill route. We weren't with our normal pace group, so it was a bit of a change, and someone designated ME as our navigator, which, unfortunately, caused a BIT of inefficiency in our workout. Each Saturday morning when we arrive, the coaches explain our route and give us a map. Today, since we had to do hills, the route was to cut off on the south west side of the lake into Lakewood...a beautiful, wooded, and hilly development of gorgeous homes.

The scenery was nice, but the hills were crazy brutal. Because of my poor navigation skills, we took a wrong turn and got a little off course. Long story short, we had to go an extra mile or so beyond the scheduled 15 miles in order to get back to our cars. Oops!

Now, on to watching some football and working on our fundraising!

Back in the Saddle

I've fallen behind a little on my updates, so here is a high-level one: Since the last post, we completed a "mock" half-marathon one Saturday, then left town the next day for a week in Atlanta...Ben working, Marin and me playing, and NOBODY running (well, except Marin running from me whenever I wanted her to 'come here'!). We thought it would be fine to take a little break from the running schedule after 12 straight weeks of running at least 4 times a week. But as we soon learned, there is a reason they suggest you run during the week! We definitely paid the piper this past weekend. Neither of us was pleased with our performance, and we've been struggling to get over soreness and back out & running ever since.

But, we have been determined to catch up this week, praying a bunch for these ol' bodies to snap back into shape, and we each did 3 miles Monday, 6 miles together on Tuesday, and we're due 3 miles again this evening. This Saturday will be 15 miles with hills.

Here are some pics from the mock half marathon a couple weeks ago. Marin & my parents came out to cheer us on at the finish line!



Thank you to everyone who has made a donation to support us! Here are our latest numbers: As of today, we are short of our fundraising minimum by $1,500, which we hope to raise by Halloween, so that we can focus on our training in November & December. We are $2,900 short of the "stretch" goal of $5,000 that we set for ourselves when we started out. We continue to be reminded that this isn't about us, it's about a cure! And with your help, that can happen!

Sprain, Sprain, Go Away

Ben returned Friday night from a business trip during which he also helped a good friend move. When I arrived at the airport to pick him up, I noticed he had a slight limp, and his first words to me were..."I have bad news." In the process of the move, he sprained his ankle. Ugh! We had planned again to both go run with our team this morning, so this totally deflated me. But, I recovered from my disappointment and made it out to the course by myself early Saturday. 15 miles/3 hours later...done! Unbelievable.

I've experienced a surprising phenomenon in anticipation of Saturday morning training. Usually on Friday afternoon/evening, I get butterflies, nervous, excited, sleepless--it's like trying to go to sleep the night before Christmas when I was a kid. The first couple nights that I couldn't fall asleep, it really frustrated me, and that just made it worse. So, I've learned to just enjoy the excitement and instead try to get a nap after the workout the next day. It's actually the first time in several years that I personally have had something (other than having Marin) that was so exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Pretty cool.

I thought I wouldn't be getting my nap today, since we went to our niece's 3rd birthday party, but the stars aligned, and I did get a little siesta. Sweet! Please pray for Ben's ankle to get better quickly, so he can get back in the groove with training very soon. And help us save lives by making a donation today (click the Team In Training logo at the top of our blog page)! We really need to reach our goal asap, so we can focus on our training as we get closer to race day. $2, $5, $10, ANY amount can make a difference!

Here are some pics from our day:

Half & Half

Last week, we reached 2 "halfway" milestones. We passed the halfway mark to our fundraising minimum requirement, and we ran half a marathon (well, minus 0.1 mile)!

Marin spent the whole weekend with her Nanny & Papa out in the country, and we got up extra early to run our miles so we could have a long, quiet day on Saturday to relax & recover. Since we started out at about 5:45am, it was our first experience running in total darkness and in relatively chilly temps. We finished 13 miles by 9:00am and went to a great breakfast spot, Pete's, to refuel. Mmmmm...carbs without the guilt!

Interesting facts: I couldn't help my natural tendency to analyze the numbers when I started to think about my cumulative miles since we started training. 138 miles altogether over the course of 10 weeks. Also, I decided I'm going to start charging a toll on the track at the Farmers Branch Community Rec Center because I OWN that track! Since I do 2 of my 4 weekday workouts there every week, I've run about 50 miles on that track. Boo ya!

Tour de...Brookhaven

On Saturday, our team was encouraged to register for a 20k (12.4 mi.) race, Tour de Fleurs at White Rock Lake. The registration fee for this race was a little steep, so we decided we'd find our own course.

Before the alarm went off early Saturday, Ben had been up and feeling sick, so I decided I would go it alone. Now, Ben has a Nike+ with his iPhone, which would have come in handy in tracking our distance if we had been running together. But since I couldn't count on that, I had to choose a course for which I knew the distance. So, I decided I would run the 2 mile track around Brookhaven College six times. Since our dear friend Kim was here to take care of Marin for us, Ben actually went over to the track with me, hoping to overcome his sickness, but it wasn't to be.

While it was a beautiful morning, the monotony was just too much, so after completing 4 laps (8 miles), I decided to run home from there, which I estimated might be 3 miles. My body was feeling no worse/different than on other long runs, but I was having a lot of trouble getting my head in the game. So, I desperately needed a change of scenery, and the trade-off was that I would likely fall short of the scheduled 12.4 miles. Oh, well! So, I tracked it after returning home, and my final count was 10.75 miles.

It took me 2.5 hours, which was a disappointing pace for me. But, I stretched myslef to run farther than the previous week, so I guess that's progress! A big THANK YOU to Kim for playing with Marin that morning!

Update

No, we haven't quit yet...just running low on time for updates to the blog. Last weekend, we were in Enid helping my parents start moving (no, they aren't moving to Dallas...I wish!). They're moving to a newer house in Enid, very closeby their old house. It was sad knowing they were leaving behind a house that's been in our family for 28 years, since my Grandpa built it, but it was also comforting knowing they are moving into a newer, lower maintenance house with plenty of room for when we all come home.

Ben and I got up early Saturday and ran our 9 miles together. It was supposed to be a hill route, but those are hard to come by in Enid, OK. So, we completed our 9 miles with no incidents and one puny hill. We ran from my parents house out 4.5 miles, then turned around and came back, and apparently, about 20 seconds before we rounded the corner to approach my parents house (we were totally out of sight, mind you), Marin started frantically crying "Mama! Mama!..." So Gramma "Lou Lou," as Marin calls her, picked Marin up and started to walk out the front door as we rounded the corner. Weird!

Looped the Lake

Ben and I were able to go run together on Saturday, 9 miles, for a full loop around White Rock Lake. It was the longest either of us has ever run, and we were so glad we got to go together! Thanks to my Mom & Dad for taking care of Marin for us so that we could to that. On our way home, we stopped to drop off our recycling, and upon getting out of the car after sitting for just 10 minutes (and despite vigorous post-run stretching), we were both moaning and groaning pitifully! But we got home and had a nice long rest before heading out again to kick football season off on Saturday afternoon. Monday's 2 miles seemed like a piece of cake!

We had such a great time this whole weekend. While the OU/BYU game result was disappointing (poor Sam!), the experience was really fun at Cowboys Stadium. We owe a big thank you to Kim & Gary for coming over to hang out with Marin that night. Although, we hear they were teaching her certain Texas Tech hand signals...even as she wore her OU outfit. Hmmm...

After all of the excitement Saturday & Sunday, it was great to have the holiday Monday to be together as a family. We also gained some momentum in fundraising over the past week, bringing us to about 35% of our goal. Thanks, everybody! I'd like to think it was due to our poetic stylings (I'll soon post the poem we sent out), but it was probably just a matter of timing! If you haven't had a chance to donate yet, you can click on the Team in Training icon on the upper right hand side of this page to do so. Thanks!

8 miles, going on 9

Quick training update:
Overall, we are doing well. Ben has struggled with numbness in his feet, and I with my stomach after extended workouts, but after comparing notes with others, we are becoming resigned to the fact that these are normal things we'll have to just work through to overcome in our training. I'll spare you the much worse side effects of long-distance running that some people have warned us about. Let's just say our prayer life is being strengthened by this process...a serendipitous by-product!

This weekend, my parents will be in town, so Marin will get to play with them while Ben and I shoot for 9 miles--a full loop around Whiterock Lake. It's really beautiful out there, and the weather last Saturday gave just a hint of how nice it's going to be this fall.

Then, after a few hours of recovery time, we get to go to the first college football game ever to be played at the new Cowboys Stadium. Oh, did I mention it's OU vs. BYU? Can't WAIT!!! (Ben, the quintessential Texan is being such a good sport. We may even be able to persuade him to wear something red ;)

A girl after my own heart

While I was busy with some chores this morning, Marin decided to pull some new clothes out of her dresser, so she was toddling around with a new pair of socks (still in the package) in her hands. Later, when I was cleaning up the wreckage, I didn't see the socks anywhere, so I was looking in cabinets, trash cans, etc., but I couldn't find them, so I gave up. Later, I was gathering up the laundry to start a load, and there were the little socks...in her laundry hamper! She's learning early!

I've realized there aren't nearly enough pictures of her on here, so here are a couple of my recent faves. I'll do better, I promise!

Meet our Honored Heroes

Through our training, we seek to honor and uplift all of those impacted by leukemia & related blood cancers. There are two types of honored heroes, those we run "in honor of," who are currently battling a disease, and those we run "in memory of." We personally have one of each, so we wanted to share these two very special people with you.

We run in memory of my Grandma, Helen Lewis--my Dad's mother. I have many special memories of Grandma Helen. I remember her picking us girls up from school, bringing us home, and making us snacks. One day, she was making us PB&J sandwiches, and she told us she just loved that certain kind of bread, to which one of us replied, "Well, why don't you marry it?" So, she proceeded to tuck the loaf of bread under her arm and hum the bridal procession as she marched across the kitchen! We thought that was just hilarious! She made the BEST Angel Food cake in the world, and she loved yellow roses.

She passed away the week I turned 7, and because we were young, my sisters and I weren't really privy to much of what was going on. I've enjoyed learning more about Grandma since taking on this challenge. She fought Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, the most prevalent form, which occurs predominantly after the age of 55. Today (24 years later) it is one of the most treatable types of Leukemia, thanks to research funded by the likes of LLS.

We run in honor of 12-year old Wade Pierce. He is a 6th grader at Canton Middle School in Canton, OK, where my mom teaches. Upon returning to school from summer vacation a few weeks ago, Mom learned that Wade would not be back for school this semester. He had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the most common type of childhood leukemia, and since "ALL" is a rapidly progressive cancer, he was already undergoing treatment.

Since Ben and I had just recently enlisted with Team In Training at the time that Mom learned about Wade's diagnosis, we wanted to honor him as our living inspiration to persevere. Mom told me that Wade visited his friends and teachers at school the other day, and that by the end of his visit, he was exhausted. Please pray for his treatment, that the chemo will reach exactly the right cells and result in an improved prognosis quickly.

If you are able to help with any amount of donation to LLS, Ben has put a hyperlink at the top right of this page - click on the Team in Training Logo to go to our Team page. We feel so fulfilled, knowing we're helping to make even a small difference in the quality of life for these patients and their families. For more info on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, visit www.lls.org

Update

Ok, fun news first. Marin is now walking more than she is crawling! Can't believe she's a toddler. Woah!

We are almost 20% of the way to our $5,000 fundraising goal, and we are in week 4 of 19 total in the training process. Thank you all for your donations to support our cause. You are due much credit for making a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families. We have learned so much about blood cancers since enlisting with Team In Training. I'll soon post some info on our honored heroes, Helen Lewis (my Grandma), and a 6th-grade leukemia patient, Wade Pierce.

Training update: Our dear friends, the Browns kept Marin on Saturday morning, so Ben and I were both able to go run with the team this week. I'm not gonna lie...we were both in bad moods on our drive to the course. Ben was struggling with a sore knee, and I was just discouraged, in general. But we felt much better after completing 6 miles, and neither of us has any residual aches or pains! Yay! 8 miles next week...

6 Miles calls for teamwork...

Last weekend, our training schedule called for 6 miles. Every Saturday morning, our Team In Training group meets early to run the scheduled miles. Well, we knew when we first signed up that we wouldn't be able to both go to every Saturday thing, since that would mean we'd have to have someone to watch Marin really early every Saturday. So, last weekend was my turn to go with the team while Ben stayed with Marin, and then he would run his miles on Sunday.

Now, it seems obvious who would have the more difficult task, right? Running 6 miles for the first time ever, vs. keeping up with Marin? But I know better, because I endeavor to keep up with Marin 5 days a week, and it's not a walk in the park by any means! She's not quite walking yet, but she is everywhere and into everything. Here's a picture of one of their activities from Saturday morning.

Anyway, I completed the 6 miles with great appreciation for Ben letting me go with the team, and then on Sunday morning, he ran his on his own. And to me, that would be a lot more difficult than with the team to help encourage and pace you. Great job, Ben! So far, God has answered our prayers about staying healthy with no injuries!

4 mile run in the Texas Hill Country

August 6-8, we got to go on our first weekend getaway as a couple since Marin was born. We met up with our good friends, Bruce & Katy, and Brian & Nichole. We had been planning it well before we signed up for the marathon, so we weren't going to change our plans because of training. Instead, we got up before sunrise that Saturday and ran our scheduled 4 miles together.

We were staying at a beautiful little cottage on the outskirts of a little German town, Fredericksburg, TX. Our run was quite scenic, including the Pedernales River, several beautiful ranch homes, and a herd of alpacas who couldn't stop staring at us--so funny!

Here's the web address for info on the place we stayed. We highly recommend it!
www.absolutecharm.com/FrancscnMain.html

Help us save lives!

We are training to run the Dallas White Rock Marathon on December 13. At the same time, we're working to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our efforts are in memory of Janet's Grandma Helen, who lost the fight with leukemia 24 years ago at the age of 68. Her diagnosis--Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia--is now one of the most treatable types of blood cancer.

LLS is in its 60th year of raising funds for research to find a cure to leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other types of blood cancers.

If you are able and willing to help us meet our goal of raising $5,000 for the cause, please CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST, "Help us save lives" which will link you to our fundraising site. Our goal is to have $1,700 raised by September 14!

We'll try to update regularly with pics and commentary about our training progress.

And, we're back!

So--I'm not the most faithful of bloggers. Among the details of life in general, the ol' blog has become rusty.

Some of you may have found it humorous that in April we enabled feedburner so that you could be notified when we updated the blog, and then proceeded to not update! Good ol' Ben, keeping us on the cutting edge of technology. Too bad my follow-through is lacking. I guess the good part of that is we're not guilty of becoming another bit of junk-email for you!

So, what's new? Marin continues to grow and thrive and bless us every day with something new. We have undertaken a challenge to train for the Dallas Whiterock Marathon with Team In Training and raise funds for its sponsor organization, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More on that to come.

I aspire to do a better job on updates, especially as we progress through our training, and I'll leave it at that!

You can now subscribe to our blog!

We finally added a feedburner to our blog. You can subscribe and receive updates as we post them. This prevents us from having to send a mass email which could cause us to get flagged by spam cops.

.......and yes, we know we haven't been good about updating the blog :( sorry! Maybe someday some tech whiz will find a way to combine Linkedin, myspace, facebook and blogspot :)

New Pics

Marin is 12 weeks old this week, and she has come into her prime as far as bath time is concerned! She loves it, just kicking and splashing so vigorously that she almost shimmies right out of her little bath caddy!

She's Daddy's little water bug!

"She's Perfect"

Sick of baby pics yet? Get used to it, 'cause she's way more cute than we are! Just to update on our 2 month Dr. visit, I had underestimated her weight by about a pound...she's now 10 lbs., 10 oz. Healthy girl! She's moved up in the percentiles in all measures, and upon checking her out, Dr. Blair said, "She's perfect!" We like perfect!

We're just working on the ol' sleep patterns now...

Marin's First Toy

At about 7 weeks, Marin clenched her first toy. Here's a video of the momentous occasion...Well, I tried to post the video myself, and it took an UNREASONABLY long time. Have to wait for Ben's tech support on this one, sorry! Here's a picture, anyway.

Marin Turns 2 Months Old

Today is Marin's two-month-old birthday! As you can tell from the lack of blog posts, we've been a little busy figuring out this new and different world. We are so thankful for Marin, her health, and that she seems to be "clicking right along," as her 'Uncle' Clint says.

We go to the doctor for her 2 month visit tomorrow (boo shots!). By the looks of her, she is a good eater, and we suspect she'll weigh in around 9.5 lbs. or so, up a couple pounds from her birth weight. She has also grown in length by a couple inches.

She has rolled over, she's cooing and smiling more now, and just the other day, she held her first toy. I'll see if we can get some videos up soon.

Also, hopefully, we'll soon post baby pics of both of us and a survey to see who you all think she looks more like.

Here are just a few pictures of our early weeks:

7 weeks old and hammin' it up




At church in Cuero, TX the weekend of Great Granddaddy's 80th Birthday


Daddy - workin' his magic


Mom & Marin week two - a little groggy!

Marin's first Fourth of July

Marin had a great time during her "first fourth." As you can see from this picture, she is very protective of her cousin Reese. Marin finally put a stop to flash photography.Reese also decided to welcome her cousin Marin into the world with her own rendition of "Jesus Loves Me."
Here's the link to the video of Reese singing to Marin:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bjamin.wheeler/2008MarinsFirstJuly4th/photo?authkey=jQoYroQ9aDY#5219955225768245570

MARIN REED WHEELER IS HERE!!!!!!!!

Marin Reed Wheeler was born on 6/12/08 at 8:35 pm. She's a healthy 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and she's 20.5 inches long. Janet and Marin are both doing well.



Here is a video of Janet seeing Marin for the first time.





Here are a couple of pictures of Janet meeting Marin for the first time.

We're at the hospital!

We just arrived at the hospital to begin the process of bringing Marin into this world. Janet is doing well and our room is very comfortable. Janet's parents took this picture a few minutes ago as we left for the hospital.

39 Weeks and Counting

Now I'm realizing how pitiful the early pics I posted of my pregnant self were! I'm definitely feeling all 39 weeks by now. We are so ready and so excited for her arrival! The updated due date is Wed, 6/11. We'll let you know when she's here!

Baby Showers

We were very blessed with two wonderful baby showers, thrown by our dear friends! Here are a couple of pics...

Marin at 37 weeks

Here are a couple of the 3-D pics of Marin that we got at 37 weeks.

Better Late Than Never...

Ok, so it's been awhile since I last posted, and so many things have happened. Our remodel was completed in April. Since we had to basically move out for awhile, that's what I blame for the blog derailment. But it was SO worth the inconvenience...we are really enjoying our practically new home. Here, I'll post some before/after pics of the house:
Living Room Before:

Living Room After:

Master Bath Before:

Master Bath After:

Den Before:

Den/Office After:

Master Bedroom Before:

Master Bedroom After: