Hot Chocolate 15k

Two years ago when I started to get serious about eating better and working out regularly I got into running. I started with Couch to 5k and then decided I wanted to run something farther. Up to this point my longest run besides playing soccer had been the Pat Tillman 4.2 mile run. I looked into some races and decided I wanted to do the Hot Chocolate 15k because I was not quite ready to commit to a half marathon yet and wanted something in between. I trained for 12 weeks with my sisters and did really well and posted about it here. Since then I have run a 10k and 2 half marathons and had another baby. We decided to do this race again (last weekend) as a motivation to start running after having my second baby. It was definitely different this time around. I am a lot slower than I used to be and that can be frustrating but I got out there and ran 9.3 miles less than 3 months after having a baby so I know I need to be proud of that. Also, I have no injuries which I am also very happy about. I wish the run had started a little earlier in the morning and I wish they didn't have such a gap in between corrals, but the weather was amazing ( I was wearing a tank in December) and the chocolate after was delicious! Also, we got cool jackets and a medal this year! I have a feeling this is going to become a run we do every year! Thanks to my mom for helping with my babies for the race and while we trained. We had a much bigger group run it this year as well which is always more fun!

Justin and I before the race and Katy and I in matching pants

 

Race Photos

 

The whole group...and Evie and Ted

Do you have 3 sisters that will train for and run a 15k with you? I do.

We had to share our finisher's cup of chocolate goodies with Ev.

 

Justin ran really fast and I just had a baby...so we are pretty awesome!

The Great Cookie Extravaganza

Every year after thanksgiving my sisters, mom, and I make a ridiculous amount of Christmas Cookies. We bake several different kinds and then freeze them so we can bring them out for Christmas and bring them over to other Christmas parties. They actually freeze really well and thaw very easily and my sister has a big deep freezer that we keep them in. Some of the ones we always make are Peanut Butter Kisses, Sugar Cookie Cutouts, Gingerbread, Snickerdoodle, and Chocolate Crinkles. We also have done chocolate chip, shortbread, thumbprints, peanut butter cup cookies, and red velvet crinkles. I think this year we are adding oatmeal because Cam likes that. We always end up taking all day to bake and by the end no one wants to decorate so this year we baked some on our own and spent almost a whole day just doing sugar cookies. It was still exhausting because there are just so many cookies. We have like no extra room in the freezer. This year my sister started a new tradition of personalizing cookies for everyone. She did some stockings and wreaths and some Mickey's for the kids since we made these right before our trip to Disneyland. I was so busy rolling and baking that I actually didn't even snack on much so I can't wait until we start busting them out and eating them!

Alex helped entertain the toddlers and keep them away from the oven. Him and Katy even took them to the park.

Gingerbread men

Our littlest helper

 

my sister realized after we forgot to make one for our brother...oops.

Grandma and her babies

Brother made it in this time

We joked that we needed to put the cookies in this size tub...but seriously, we could have filled it.

so many cookies

Evie even got to decorate when she woke up from naptime but she really just wanted to eat them.

First Day of School/DayCare

Last week I went back to work as my 12-weeks of maternity leave ended. I could write a whole book about that, but at the end of the day, I am grateful for my job and I like my job and I think we are really going to love the daycare and preschool that the girls started going to. They went for their 1st day last Friday and then they have been off all week with Justin because we are actually in Disneyland today, but they will be back full time starting next week. It was a slightly hectic drop off as both of us had to go to work and it was pretty early in the morning. Also, I am kind of bummed that I didn't get a better picture of Everly since this is her first time in pre-school but I think I might try to recreate it next week, haha. Overall, both girls did pretty well. Neither had absolutely any problem with us leaving them. Everly was probably too excited to be eating breakfast at a little table with little chairs "just for her." Apsen obviously doesn't know better, yet. Aspen was a little fussy when I picked her up but it had been a couple days since she had a #2 so I am sure that was upsetting her. Also, she didn't nap great (lots of little cat naps) so I think that will just take some getting used to the different environment. Everly had a couple of accidents, but part of that is due to a lack of communication. She ate a tuna salad sandwich for lunch (which we never have) so I was pretty proud of her. She told my sister that she had so much fun, so we really can't ask for anything better. It was a little sad dropping them off, but we are not the first kids to send our kids to daycare so I know we will be just fine. Even just driving by the building today Everly yelled, "that's my school!" Hopefully things continue to go smoothly for everyone!

 

Craft Day #7

This was kind of an impromptu craft day as it was the day before I was going back to work last week. I was baking some cookies at my sisters and she helped them make snowmen. The kids loved putting the cotton balls on the snowman's body and did really well. Teddy kept messing with the little eyeballs but they turned out cute and it was a great craft for winter time. Cameron was at school so that is why he was not in this picture but he makes a ton of cute crafts at school! Aspen watched over the whole process, haha. We probably need to add arms and a scarf but I had to leave and they still had fun!

so serious

 

 

 

goofballs!

 

snickerdoodles and chocolate crinkles

Thanksgiving 2014

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. For the 3rd year in a row we started the day off with a 5-mile run. Even Justin ran 5-miles at home before I left to run with my sisters. After the run we had a French toast breakfast at my sister's house. One of my sister's gave me a manicure and the other one took my kid to the park to play. The kids also created turkey hands with paint and we hung them on the wall next to all of the things everyone is thankful for. We looked through black Friday ads and relaxed throughout the day. Dinner was very yummy and Teddy and Everly ate at the table with us. I think we need to get them their own toddler table though. Cam did great as well and ate all the food we ate. He also loved his pumpkin pie grandma made him. After dinner but before dessert we ran to Target for a few early black Friday specials. The next morning Justin went to home depot at like 4 AM to get us a black Friday Christmas Tree deal because our old tree is too tall for our new living room. When he got back I met my sisters at like 6:30 AM for some shopping with baby Aspen. She loved being worn in the baby bjorn by Grandma. I didn't get anything big this year but I did get a trampoline for a great price for Teddy's birthday and some little things for Everly to open. My mom also got Aspen a play mat which she needed and loves. We didn't wait to give it to her and she loves it and we love that, too! We also got the Costco Cookbook and I enjoyed looking through that while enjoying my leftovers on Black Friday. It was kind of an exhausting weekend but filled with fun for sure!


morning run: check!

our two cuties in their thanksgiving shirts



 

 

The thankful wall

Watching grandma make mashed potatoes.

Thanks for the manicure Krystyn!

Our crew (missing Alex in Mexico, though)

cutest shopping buddy!

Grandma's favorite...for a few more months, at least!

leftovers and the Costco cookbook!

Auntie Katy does this a lot.

A little shopping with Ev later in the afternoon. She turned socks into a scarf...so inventive!

Toddlers....ugh!

So during my maternity leave, just a couple of days before Thanksgiving, I was watching Everly and Teddy while Kim was at an appointment for Cameron. My younger sister was there as well helping out. We were sitting in the family room with Aspen and Teddy and Everly were riding around on these two little ride-on toys that Teddy calls "buh-bye's." They ride on these all the time from one end of the house to the other and fall all the time. Well apparently that was my lucky day because Everly fell and started screaming and I went in to the kitchen to find her on the ground and she had chipped her tooth...bad. She actually chipped two teeth but really took a lot off the bottom one. It didn't bleed very much and she was really more shocked than anything else. It is the saddest thing to me to see what it did to her beautiful cheesy smile but she is fine. Justin got her into his general dentist that day and then we were referred to a pediatric dentist which I took her to the day after Thanksgiving. She did AMAZING at both dentists. She let them clean her teeth, look around, and even get x-rays. It isn't bothering her at all and hasn't hindered her eating so they are going to let it sit and check on it again in a couple of months to make sure it is not dying or anything (if so we would need to pull it). She is such a tough little girl sometimes and I am sure I was more traumatized by the whole thing than her as she has already gone back to riding on those stupid toys! Toddlers, man! Also, I was very happy with Soloman Pediatric Dentistry in Glendale. They were super great and patient with Everly and very helpful. Thanks to my mom for helping me take Everly to her second appointment!

She took Teddy's doll with her and was in pretty good spirits.

 

Good little patient.

Passed out after her dentist appointment

 

At Soloman Pediatric Dentisty

 

such a champ!