Race Day Recap!

As I mentioned in the pre-race post, despite a solid training plan, my day-before-race-day preparations were not exactly smart.  I actually went to bed pretty nervous that I'd really messed up, worn myself out, and that I wouldn't make it past the starting line without falling in a heap to take a nap.

Happily, my anxieties were for naught, and I woke up feeling good, energetic, and ready to run.  Danny and our nephew Justin came with me, and Danny's mom and sister stayed behind to watch Addie.  Girl needed her morning nap, since it was really her big day - birthday party was to start at 3:00pm sharp!

You know you're running a small, local race when right before the MC is about to shout "On your mark..." he interrupts himself and asks the runners closest to the start line to "help move those barricades out of the way!"  That got a nice chuckle out of all the runners, as did the fact that his starting gun wouldn't fire and he ended up saying, "Aw heck, GO!"

Since I hadn't trained for a specific time goal, I started out easy.  My coach (Danny) and I planned that I would do the race in "fours" - four miles easy, four miles at a good pace, and the last four miles as fast as I could (plus another 1.1 miles...).  I was feeling really good, so after the first couple easy miles I picked it up a bit, and mostly ran negative splits the rest of the way.

I was so glad Danny and Justin were there - they ran probably 5 or 6 miles, sprinting between points on the course to cheer me on and drop in encouraging coach-like remarks: "Looking strong!"  "Relax your arms!"  "OK, you can definitely pick it up a bit this next mile!"  Good thing they were there, since they were just about the only fans on the entire course.  (Lame, Roanokers, lame.)

A time ignorance is bliss is when it comes to how hilly a race course is.  I had nooo clue how many hills this bad boy would have.  Things were pretty up and down the first 6 miles, and then miles 7 and 8 were literally two miles uphill, with zero breaks.  I heard lots of creative language from the other runners around me, who also were surprised at this little gift.  I kept things clean with my newly-coined mantra: "you're not pushing a stroller, you're not pushing a stroller..."  All those runs (and hill workouts!) pushing another human paid off, because somehow I survived those two miles and still felt pretty good.

The final four was really fun.  I was really thirsty, but also excited about my mile splits and of course, about finishing.  I ended up with a PR by almost 3 minutes - 1:43:12.  Certainly not a time to go writing to Runners World about, but I was really pleased, especially to beat my previous best time.

my crew post race!

 
Probably the best part of the whole experience might sound a little silly, but I'm sure fellow runners can relate.  I decided to do this race just for fun, to get back into the swing of "real" running post-baby.  I would've been happy just to finish and enjoy it.  Getting a PR though, was the icing on the cake.  Running has been really important to me for the last 6 years or so, but becoming a mom has been one of the most important things of my whole life.  I had no clue how it would affect my running side.  This race showed me I can carry a child for 9.5 months and give birth and be a MOM.  I can get older (ok ok, I know I'm still young, and still feel like I'm 18, but I'm certainly not that young anymore).  And along with those changes, I can still run.  In fact, I can run even better than I did before.  I can get out of bed every morning, suit myself and my kid up, and thank God for a body that works and a great stroller and a beautiful area to enjoy this crazy sport.

Discovering all that?  Definitely worth the entry fee.  The race hoodie is pretty sweet, too. :)

Race preparations

If I don't write this post soon, I'll be documenting the race I ran "last year," which kind of loses its dramatic effect, don't you think? 

All fall, I was training for a half marathon.  For a while I trained in secret, which sounds like I ran in the steam tunnels under Virginia Tech at midnight.  I ran in broad daylight, with a stroller, which is about as non-covert as you can be.  I just didn't really announce that I was training for something, because running post-baby is different.  I wanted the chance to opt out if things didn't shake down the way I expected, since my training now depended upon a tiny, (cute), unpredictable little one.  I delayed signing up as long as possible because I was afraid suddenly she'd stop sleeping through the night, or she'd get sick and I'd have to miss lots of runs, or that Virginia would freeze over and force us to stay indoors. 

Thankfully, none of those things happened, and I am happy to share that my little training partner and I didn't miss a single run.  Thank you, Addie!  At this point Danny also deserves a HUGE thank-you.  It takes a village to train for a race, especially once you have a kid.  He did so many Saturday morning Addie duties for me so I could do my long runs by myself.  (I can't wait to return the favor so he can get back in the race circuit and wow us with his speedy finish times.)

 

This was definitely the most relaxed training program I've ever done.  I followed my regular pattern (MWF regular runs of 30-40 minutes, Tues speed workout, Thursday hill workout, Saturday long run, Sunday off) but was really laid back about it.  If Addie wasn't feeling it one day, I turned back early.  If it was raining, I did yoga instead.  The last two races I've done were both full marathons, so it was also nice to have the mentality of it being "just a half."

My only regret was having a jam-packed social weekend around the race, which included Addison's first birthday party the DAY OF.  Friday night before the race, 9:45pm: I was simultaneously icing Addie's smash cake, prepping deviled eggs, and barking orders at my poor mother- and sister-in-law as they slaved away helped me set up for the party.  I hadn't laid out a single thing for the race, had been on my feet for hours, and would be getting up before 6am to drive to Roanoke.  Not the best pre-race relaxation.  I don't recommend it.

And in case you're wondering, here's how I made training with a baby (in a coldish climate) happen:

1. BOB Ironman.  Can't speak for the other BOB varieties, but that thing is worth its weight in gold (actually it doesn't weigh much at all... so it's worth MORE than its weight in gold).  I love that it has a fixed wheel, and Addison is so comfy in there.  We've used it since she was 6 weeks old with the infant attachment.  Sanity on wheels for me.

2. The right gear.  For us on cold days that is a nice warm full-body fleece suit for her, blankets, and the BOB weather cover.  Extra money you'd rather not spend?  Maybe, but worth it.  I originally asked for it to shield rain, but it is a must for running in the cold.  It blocks the wind, and she actually stays pretty toasty in her little bubble.

can you see her?

 3. Entertainment.  Toys, books, and snack cup for baby.  The kind that "doesn't spill" (in quotes because of course her entire suit, and the seat, are filled with Cheerios when we finish). She loves riding along, reading her books aloud, and tossing Cheerios like a boss.

4.  Start 'em young.  I've been running with her since she was 6 weeks old.  It has been a part of our morning routine every morning since then, and she actually enjoys it.  I think she notices on days when we don't go.  She is perfectly happy for up to an hour and 15 minutes, which I'd say is pretty good (never tried longer with her).

5. Remember that well-exercised mama is a happy mama is a happy baby.  Of course, especially early on, there were long nights and mornings that came way too early that I'd rather not go pound the pavement.  However, I have never regretted a run once I finish.  It's as much a part of our routine as eating breakfast, and we've both been better off for it.

6. I realize running is NOT for everyone, but to me, it's the "laziest" workout - meaning it requires the least amount of time and prep effort (no drives to the gym or the pool - just put on your shoes and go).  And I can take her with me.  I do not have the time (or desire) right now to go to the gym every day, but running?  40 minutes and you're done.  And you can eat a lot the rest of the day. :)

End running PSA.

Stay tuned for the race day recap!  I know you can't wait!

Indisputable Video Evidence

Who else is sad that college football is basically over?  My title is an ode to its end.

But we're not here to talk about football.  No!  Something much more exciting!  Babies walking!!

Yes, we're eating dinner off our laps in the living room.  Life with a 1-year-old.  Maybe one day we'll all sit down at the table together.  That day will have to be when she eats dinner later than 4:30pm because she gets ready for bed at 6:00pm and is nose-diving into her crib by approximately 6:15pm.

But that's neither here nor there, because HERE we have a decent video of her mad walkin skills.  There are still graceful falls quite often (as seen at the end) but even since the day of the video she's gotten better, and chooses walking first most of the time, until the whole slowness thing gets irritating and she finishes up with a crawl.  She has even quickly learned how to step down (rather than back down on her knees) our one step from the dining to living room.  So don't fret, Grandmothers - she's got that on lock-down.

My parents say that I started walking right around 13 months as well, so it seems the timing really is genetic as I've read.  So let's conduct a really serious scientific experiment: Anyone else out there know when you started walking?  And if your kid started walking around the same time?  Do share!

Gone walkabout

Well y'all, she's doing it.  Despite being totally content NOT walking, Addie's decided to go ahead and get this thing over with.  She is impatient with the slowness, and drops down to crawl when things aren't going at her preferred warp speed, but she's gaining her sea legs bit by bit.

Her first steps were a week after her first birthday, and she's been sparing with attempts since then.  Every day this week, though, she has walked more than the day before.  I've yet to get a good video of it, but I'm diggin this photo sequence I took a couple days ago (yes she was wearing a skirt and bare feet in December).

These first three are what many attempts have looked like... couple steps, down, and uggghhh... back... up... again.  I'm sure there's a sermon in here (Danny?).

 

But she shall not be deterred! Check out the sheer determination and concentration.

Surely tongue thing has to be a sign of athletic greatness?

source

I see the resemblance.

Like my friend Amanda, I expected walking to be kinda like rolling over - one minute they can't, and the next minute, they can.  Instead it's a much slower process of one step on Tuesday, three the following Saturday, none for a week... I'm sure that's got to be another sermon (I'm throwing out softball pitches here for anyone needing ideas).

Yesterday she crossed our bedroom, eyes straight ahead; smiling, giggling, tongue sticking out the whole way.  I guess this is what they call walking, but I'm still in denial.  Because newborns don't walk, silly.

Where to start?

It's been such a hiatus from this little blog that I don't even know where to start.  Part of me wants to just abandon and forget updating altogether, but then what would my three readers (Danny and my mom included) do??  I owe it to the readers!!

So, where to start?  I really would like to write about my trip to Michigan.  That was over a month ago.  I would also like to write about my half marathon, Addison's birthday party, and Thanksgiving week.  We've also done some nice little house projects that'd be nice for the "actually got accomplished" file.  I also have some random thoughts swimming around about nothing in particular that would be nice to document.

I will start with Michigan.  We'll take this thing chronologically, yes. That's logical.  Strap on your time-traveling boots, cuz we're goin back in time, y'all.

Last month, Addison and I boarded a plane for our second flight-adventure (again, sans-daddy. boo).  Oh wait, this story actually starts before the flight was boarded...

Last May, our dear friends the Schubert's moved far, far away to Michigan.  You may remember this post where I gushed about all our friends leaving us.  Since then, Cindi and I have been plotting our first visit (of many hopefully), and the stars aligned for late October due to our husbands' work schedules.  I was simply giddy about going, and couldn't wait to spend the whole week with her and her twins, and even her dog, Mac.

the good ol days.

Danny and I laughed about the ROA airport being so relaxed, and literally NO ONE was around.  I wasn't even checked in by a human.  We moseyed upstairs and saw that the flight had been delayed, so instead of going through security we hung around and played with Addie together.  Long story short... I ended up missing my flight.  I know.  Crazy!!  Kinda our fault, kinda theirs, but thankfully they rebooked me for the following day.

That night, I learned just why we'd missed our flight.  In the peace and quiet, as I snuggled with Addie before bed, she puked all over herself, me, the chair, and the floor.  It was at the time we would've been on the plane, and I was sooo grateful we were not. 

Unfortunately, that was the start of a stomach bug that lasted the entire 7 days we were gone.  Throughout the trip Addison ate approximately 10 bites of yogurt and 2 bites of avocado, along with a little milk. She also got two new top teeth. I calculated by the end that she lost about 25-30 hours of sleep she'd normally have slept that week had she been at home and feeling normal.

But!!!  But!!!!  Do you think we let that ruin our trip that I was super super excited for?!?!  Nooo!!  We still had a fantastic time, despite her feeling lousy and being extra tired.  End negative parts, because here comes the fun stuff!

First of all, it was just great to see Cindi's house, neighborhood, and town.  We didn't get out much (have you ever tried to coordinate 3 babies' schedules?), but the main thing was getting to spend quality time together.  We went for runs, cooked and made HUGE messes, cleaned up the huge messes, watched TV on netflix and crafted in the evenings.  It was so great for Addie to spend quality time with other babies - I am often jealous of the fact that the twins always have a same-age sibling around to play with.  One day we even ventured to a pumpkin patch which was great fun.  I also got to experience The Grossest Night of My Life, about which I'll spare the nitty gritty details but it involved every bodily fluid you can imagine from multiple babies and rounding up lots and lots of tiny insects with our bare hands.  Wouldn't have changed a thing.

I dare you not to hug him.

yes there is tandem swinging happening here.

Living in a town like ours can get pretty hard, because it ends up being a constant revolving door... meaning lots of goodbyes.  I'm convinced good friendships are things worth your time and money investment if you want them to keep going, so even though we're both on tight budgets, this was totally worth that investment.

Watch out Cindi, I'm now regularly on Kayak searching for flights here...

Question about MESSES.

As we embark into toddler-hood, I find that it has both new joys (she talks! she understands! she gives hugs and kisses!) and new challenges.  One of those challenges was quite apparent after I put her to bed last night.  I was just plain tired.  Why?  Because my girl goes 100mph with no brakes (or breaks... like that play on words?) every.waking.moment.  I am thankful that she is happy and content to play alone and entertain herself, meaning I can usually do things like cook dinner (interrupted 78 times as I check on what she's into, pull her out of the closet with the dog food, etc) while she plays.

Last night, I did a little tour of the house after said cooking-and-playing time, and found messes.  Lots of them.  Every tupperware and lid pulled out of the cabinet onto the kitchen floor.  All the baskets removed from the entryway bench, contents dumped and strewn down the hallway.  Half of the DVDs flung out of the case.  Toys and books in a mountain around the toy box.

Of course this isn't just limited to times I'm not directly playing with her... as we play together, her favorite thing is to pull all her books down or empty her pants drawer, handing me the contents one by one.

These aren't really "discipline for being bad" issues, since she is not being defiant.  It seems more like a teaching boundaries issue, which I certainly want to impose and enforce in age-appropriate ways.

So my question for you seasoned moms is this:

Where is the line between setting limits and allowing freedom to explore?  And how does that change with age?

A lot of what she is doing really is part of a learning process (when she pulls out all of the tupperwares, she spends lots of time sorting, stacking, finding lids that fit, etc.), so I want to encourage her to be curious and learn about her little environment.  She is also too young to REALLY clean up after herself (I do have her "help" me, which involves moving her hand toward the basket while she's holding a toy...), so any exploration is at the expense of mom cleaning it up.

I don't want her to grow up thinking she can go on terrors throughout the house, so I'm certain that part of the boundaries-teaching needs to happen now.

I also know that kids are just messy, and don't want to have unrealistic or unhealthy expectations of how orderly she ought to be.  I want her to be a kid.

Thoughts? Advice? I know anyone with children over the age of 12 months has dealt with this, so I'd love to hear ANY wisdom you have on it.  Comments PLEASE!

~ Already-tired-of-picking-up-toys-and-she's-only-One...
 

More projects and the Cutest Thing Ever

As we prepare to welcome Danny's family for a 10-day visit, I've been extra motivated to get something, ANYTHING off our to-do house project list.

Since we moved in, the guest bathroom has been one of the major eye sores of the house.

Your eyes don't deceive you.  This bathroom did in fact come with a coveted, easy-to-access vanity!  No more cumbersome door-opening to get to your ultra-organized bottles and cleaning supplies!

Since it's tucked away upstairs, and usually just houses the Diaper Factory (spraying and storing dirty cloth diapers awaiting laundry. aren't you glad you just read that?), it has stayed low on the priority list.

Yikes.  What a nice way to welcome our guests, right?

Last July, when that crazy Derecho blew through, my mom stayed with us several nights while they were out of power.  She used this guest bathroom.  On the second day, she marched us straight to Home Depot and purchased us a new vanity on the spot.

It only took us til November, which is pretty good, no?

I don't have any after pics to share just yet, but 3 (yes THREE) vanities later, we got the perfect fit and it's now installed (thanks to my dad of course), ready for guests to happily brush their teeth and wash their hands.  The wallpaper is mostly gone, and all that's left to add now is a nice coat of paint plus a new mirror, light, and towel racks.   Maybe a shower curtain would be nice?  Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

But wait, I promised the Cutest Thing Ever.

Here's my little plumber girl, giving instructions and making sure everything is juuust right for Mimi and Aunt Allie.  Miss Bossypants in the making.

Now, Grandpa, THIS is how you install the plastic ring thingy.  We don't want any leaks.

 

What a good little helper she is.

"After" pics to come!

12 months of blessing.

Oh man.   It can't already be time to write this.  Whatever ends up "on paper" I know that as soon as I hit publish, I'll wish I'd have added one more thing, something else to help us remember this moment and cherish it. 


Dear Addison,

You are turning ONE.  I have seen many babies turn one in my life.  Attended 1-year birthday parties, seen many of our friends' kids pass the year mark.  Seems pretty straightforward, but what I had no idea about was everything wrapped up in that milestone.  How all the victories, sacrifices, tears and laughs that defined the previous year come rushing to the surface in one big blubbery mess of emotions and excitement.  Til now of course, as WE are the ones taking that first-birthday-leap. 

I won't say all those cliche things like "It feels like yesterday" (though it does), or "I don't know where the time went" (though I don't).  But I just did, so just trust me - this was by far the fastest year of our lives.  Daddy and I are blown away at your beauty, inside and out, and can't wait to keep getting to know, keep helping shape you, and keep getting to be part of God's plan for your life.  What an honor.

Before I get all weepy, let's get down to business and document your little self:

Mobility
Walking doesn't seem to interest you all that much, unless it involves pushing a toy or chair.  I have read that crawling longer/walking later seems to promote reading skills and overall coordination (uhh? Something about left and right hemispheres of the brain?) so pairing that with your love for books, I think you could have a career as a professional reader (Daddy wishes that were a real career).

You have begun to stand without holding on for longer periods of time, usually when you're busy and want to use both hands.

Language and other developments
I feel like in this area, you are a little pot of water, very close to boiling.  "Hi!" is still your go-to (such a friendly girl!), and you've started saying "Dada" TO Daddy, while pointing at him, or while pointing at a picture of him (you can say Mama, but if I ask you to say "mama" you proudly smile and yell "DADA!!!" awesome.)  I think you know you're saying "dog," and sometimes I think you're saying "ball" when holding one.  I've also gotten you to repeat your name multiple times. You're still signing "more" and "all done" and "eat."

In comprehension, it's pretty amazing to see how you are changing.  You follow lots of simple commands - "Put that back in your mouth (as you remove/spit out food...)," "don't put that in your mouth," "drink your water," "give Aslan a hug," "brush your hair," "go get the ball," "lay down," "stay still (helpful during diaper changes)," "give mommy a kiss," "give the book to daddy" etc.  Some new tricks you're adding include raising both arms when we shout TOUCHDOWN! (not that we get much practice with that word around these parts.. yikes) and occasionally blowing kisses.  If you find socks or shoes, you'll hold them near your feet and try to put them on, and put hats on your head.  With toys, you are getting more "interactive" (putting the little man in the car, holding the phone up to your ear, turning pages one-by-one in a book, pushing the right buttons).

You are also really working on obeying.  The dog bowls are a non-issue now - you just pass them by.  Things we're working on now are not going near the stairs without us, and "Don't touch" for a variety of things.  No doubt about understanding the word "No" - you're also pretty sensitive when corrected (a firm NO can usually elicit a few tears).

Sicknesses and teeth and traveling oh my!
The hard parts of this past month all came during one packed week.  We traveled to Michigan to visit dear friends, and the night before we left you got a stomach bug that lasted 7 days.  You already don't sleep well in new places, so between the bug and having a harder time settling in, you got very tired that whole week.  If that weren't enough, you got two top teeth, with 3 more currently trying to push through.  Although you were definitely not your bubbly, energetic self that week, you took all those hits like a champ and I was so proud of your toughness.  Flying was also a breeze, and all your fellow passengers and stewardesses commented on how perfectly you did.

Food
Thanks to the stomach bug, you went almost an entire week eating nothing but a few bites of yogurt and an avocado that got thrown back up.  I know you lost quite a bit of weight (of which you had no extra to lose).  But!  Since then your appetite has resumed, so I hope you will bounce back on the scale quickly, too.  More and more you're moving away from pureed foods and toward just eating what we eat.  Favorites include spinach lasagna, chicken tetrazzini, italian chicken soup, hummus, and yogurt.  Lots of yogurt.

You are close to being weaned, but not quite.  It's probably mama that's holding on the most.  You still have milk 2x a day, supplementing with bottles, and we've started adding whole milk to your bottles and into your sippy cup.  You could take that or leave it at this point.

Sleep
Minus the Sleepless in Kalamazoo week and the following week at home as we got back on schedule, and the whole daylight savings thing, you're still a good little sleeper, sleeping 11-12 hours straight at night.  When you only take one nap, bedtime is around 6:30pm, sometimes earlier.  This past week you have actually taken 2 naps a day several days which I thought was a thing of the past.

Personality
Of course much is still the same - your energy, your sweet, affectionate side, your sense of humor and your interest in books.  You are still as talkative as ever. 

This month I've noticed what a long attention span you have - playing with the same toys, reading the same book, for quite a long time.  You still happily go to women, even ones you don't know (like the random election poll worker, and the sales associate at Home Depot).  Though you're a touch shy with new men, you haven't cried around anyone for several months.  When we drop you off at nursery, you crawl off happily and don't look back (I know this could still change).  You really like animals and enjoy being outside, and observantly do not miss a thing (new earrings mom?).

We are so thankful for how content and easygoing you are.  99 days out of a hundred, I lay you down for bed and think, "wow, she had a GREAT day."

Yes, it's been a year full of great days, indeed.  366 of them, to be exact.  Even the less-than-perfect ones have helped us get to know you better, helped shape us as parents, and definitely taught us to rely on God and find our strength in Him.  And we cannot wait to see what this next year holds with you.  We wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else.  You are a blessing, daughter.   HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendents.  They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.  Some will say, "I belong to the Lord." (Isaiah 44:3-5)

Fall Back

Ahh, fall back.  Remember when it was SO COOL!?!?  Like in high school when you could stay up later and still get more sleep?!?  Or even in your mid-twenties when you could do that?!?!

Now Fall Back can otherwise be called "Fall Apart" - referring to your baby's schedule (and "schedule" is a term I use loosely these days anyway, ever since our trip and her stomach bug and the many new teeth.  Oh, I haven't written about those things yet?  Just take my word for it).

I have been dreading this day for a couple of weeks now.  My friend Adrienne was like "What's the big deal?  She'll just wake up when it's light.  No problem!"  And I said um, what species of baby have you been raising?  Because my species of baby wakes up to an internal alarm clock that goes off regardless of the fact that her room is pitch black at 6am!!!  (again, this is the trip and the stomach bug and the teeth talking.  I think we might be getting back to a more reasonable 6:30 wake up.  Maybe).

Fun fact: last year, Fall Back occurred on Sunday, November 6.  I was scheduled to be induced (with my 15-day-late-baby-nope-she's-not-stubborn-at-all-now-that-she's-born-nope) at midnight on Monday, November 7.  That means after waiting 42 weeks and one day to meet this little miracle, on top of that we had to wait A WHOLE EXTRA HOUR because of Fall Back.  I do not think I slept in that day either, seeing as I knew that it would be my last day of freedom for the rest of my life without a baby.  I probably got up and went for a run.  Here's a pic of me that day!  I'm smiling but thinking "Are you serious?  This baby didn't come AND we have to wait an extra hour??"

The real reason I posted this was to refer back next year to what I did, in case I'm all worried again then.  Here's the specific things I did to prepare, and help the day go smoothly:

.....

Yeah, not much to report.  Haha.  Wasn't dread-worthy, that's for sure, but I'll share how our day went anyway, because it's that exciting:

Addison woke super early, I fed her, and somehow, she went down again until 7:45 (really 6:45, but she didn't seem to get that concept when I explained that to her).

We let daddy keep sleeping, and she pushed a chair around the room while we talked about her having no desire to walk whatsoever.

At old 9:00 (really 8), I put her down for a nap.  Per usual, she did not sleep and instead talked fervently about the upcoming election.

At 9:15 (really 9:15, so I guess that would be the old 10:15), I got her up and we went to church.

Now I'm all confused about times, but despite putting her down nice and early after no morning nap, she didn't fall asleep until like, 3:15 (old 4:15) from which she awoke cranky 30 minutes later.  So naps Sunday totally failed, but is that the Fall Back?  Or just regular life?

To shake the cranks, we went for a nice family walk, and Danny got to help me with her 12 month pictures!  Which if she were having her first birthday and turning one, it would be Wednesday, but she's not, sooo, nevermind. Photo sessions are way more fun with daddy there to do the funny stuff.  Here's a preview, wearing gifts from our neighbor!!  Baby in a scarf?  Yes please!

daylight savings can't take the cute out of this girl

Bedtime was 5:45pm.  Couldn't stretch a second longer, as she opted to skip all snuggles and was swan-diving into her crib.  Thankfully, she slept through the night, but as suspected, gave us a 5am wake up this morning.  Well, she thought it was 6...

We're not done yet, but we did survive Daylight Savings 2012.  Let's make T-shirts.

Changing my mind about Oct 31

In the spirit of the election NEXT WEEK (whoa), I think I've done a flip-flop. I've gone and changed my mind about Halloween.

Or perhaps we can call it "Harvest Celebration," if that keeps your evil-bells from going off.

Yes, there are definitely lots of things about Halloween (and its history) that I'm NOT a superfan of.   I also cannot stand being scared - I don't even watch the commercials for horror movies.  And since I was maybe 12, dressing up wasn't all that fun for some reason (miiiiiinus this party from college, a pic I'm pretty sure has made it onto the blog in the past:)

2005

OK... while I'm thinking about it, dressing up pets is pretty hilarious.

2011

So maybe in my mind I've been all "I don't like Halloween," but in reality it's been not-so-bad, leaning toward fun.

But wait!  NOW we have a kid!!  And kids are ADORABLE in costumes!  Even cuter than pets maybe?? (though my challenge next year is to do a coordinating costume with Aslan, like these from Young House Love)

Danny's mom sent Addie a cute little strawberry suit back in July.  I exaggerate.  It probably wasn't that long ago, but my point is that I've had a looong time to think about the costume.  It wasn't until approximately 3pm on October 31 that I realized I should try to dress up too, and to coordinate.  Thanks to my awesome neighbor, my parents, and a very DIY-looking construction paper job, I landed on our costume, pulling all the parts together at 5pm, with exactly 60 minutes to spare before the party at church.  Which was a really fun alternative to walking around in the freezing cold in the dark.  With a 1-year-old, who doesn't eat candy.  Or talk.  The church party is also just an amazing display of a LOT of creativity and hard work by a LOT of people, and a really cool way to love on like a million kids (now I'm not exaggerating).

Addison was loving every second of this puffy costume - getting stuffed in a bucket in the freezing cold and all.

the littlest attendees.

Yep, Halloween (Harvest Celebration?) might just have a couple new fans (oh, and the fact that we bought tons of candy and had all of three Trick-or-Treaters so now there's still tons of candy on our counter? also helping the cause.)



Where's Danny in these pictures?? you ask.  Well, y'all, he's against all celebrations of Halloween.  Just kidding!!!  He had night class, so he missed out on all the treats.  Not wanting to leave daddy completely out, he got included on the tricks around midnight, when our overstimulated little strawberry woke up not so happy.  Ah well, you only have your first Halloween once...

Dog hair and dog hugs.

I have to admit, some days I feel like Aslan's hair is going to push me over the edge.  Those days are when I'm sweeping for the 2nd or 3rd time that day, or when I'm chasing down hair tumbleweeds.  His hair is all over our clothes, our furniture, in our eyes, on our baby, floating through the air... in our food. I don't even want to guess how many dog hairs we've eaten.  Want to come over for dinner?? :)  My point is this: I never, ever, have a handle on the hair situation. 

In a photo montage of our BFF dogs created by our friend Kurt before they moved, he set the slideshow to Dashboard Confessional's "Your Hair is Everywhere."  That song has never been more fitting.

Mac and Az... the good ol' days.

But then, moments like this happen, and suddenly I couldn't care less if we all slowly suffocated in a sea of his golden hair:

 

These are in no way posed.  Who can pose an 11-month old and a dog anyway??

 

I wish this last one were just a touch better quality-wise... I was working in the kitchen yesterday and turned around to find this pair of love bugs.  Ever-so-carefully, I tiptoed to find the camera and snap this before they could move (and by "they" I mean Addie... Aslan looks in no rush to move at all).

Bring on the hair, we wouldn't trade our Golden Recliner Retriever for anything.