Pat's Run

On Saturday, I ran in Pat's Run, which is a 4.2 mile run. My goal was to run it in less than 45 minutes and I did that! I was so excited and happy that I was able to meet my goal. It was an amazing experience running in this particular race. There were over 28,000 people that were signed up for the race and as I ran up the couple hills that we had to go over, it was amazing to look ahead and see thousands of people running too. I wish I had a camera to capture that experience.

I had a couple cool things happen while I was running...Pat Tillman was a football player and a member of the military. He played at ASU so as we crossed the finish line, which was the 42 yard line (his number at ASU), there were ASU football players there to congratulate us with high five's. It was a great motivator to sprint to the finish line. The second thing that was cool was around mile 3, I heard some chanting ahead of me. It was a point in the race when I was really pushing myself to continue running. As I ran, I got closer to the chanting and there was a group of soldiers running together chanting. It was an amazing experience to be running right next to soldiers. That moment motivated me and gave me the energy I needed to continue running hard.

I went to the race with 5 other girls (three are in my ward) and we all had a great time. After the race we were all talking about what our next run will be, and we came to the conclusion that the running season is just about over in Arizona...Hopefully, we will be able to run together sometime soon.

(Jenny, me, Stefanie, Ann, LaDawn and Danielle)

This is the only picture I have from the race. Jenny took it with her iPhone...so that's why it's blurry.

Honorable mention goes to Billy who was a trooper and took care of our cute boys while I was at the race and went out to breakfast! It was such a fun morning and I can't wait for my next run!

Our Little Monkey's

These jammie's are a perfect theme for my boys...they are MONKEY'S! They climb on everything!

One of my favorite's...James is working really hard to get to the top (and that board) before I get him! Both James and Marc love climbing on the love sac.

The treadmill is also one of their favorite's. I have been using it regularly and I try to run while the boys are sleeping because they will just climb up on the treadmill while I'm using it if they are awake. However, sometime I stick them in our exersaucer (I know they are getting way too big and old for it...but you gotta do what you gotta do) and they watch me run. They think it is funny and they want to run right along with me! Hopefully that means I'll have some good running buddies!

Marc loves to climb in the drawer under the oven. Not too big of a climb, but I think it is so cute that he loves sitting in there. Both Marc and James also love climbing on the laundry basket. They will turn it upside down and climb on top. They also both love climbing up on the couch, recliner, Billy and me. It will be interesting to see if they are the kids that climb out of their cribs...let's hope not!

We love our little monkeys!!!

Cousin's!

This weekend Billy's niece and nephew,Teighlor and Anthony, came down from Utah to spend time with Marc and Margaret. The boys and I met them for lunch at Dave and Busters on Friday and they all came over here on Saturday night for dinner. It was fun to see them and we are excited to see them again in a few weeks! James and Teighlor hanging out at Dave and Buster's in the game area. I think both of the boys were so intrigued by all the lights from the games.

Marc saw me playing this game and I think he wanted a turn...next time, when he is stronger, I will really let him play and hopefully he will win us LOTS of tickets!

After we had lunch and played games, we made a stop at the prize store to pick out the best prizes possible. I wanted to get the boys each a big bouncy ball, but didn't have enough tickets for both of them. Teighlor and Anthony were so nice and we all combined our tickets together so the boys each got a bouncy ball and Teighlor and Anthony got one for the pool! I love how Marc is so curious by Anthony. It is so cute how he is just staring at him...LOVE IT!

When my boys are in places where they aren't comfortable, they are really shy and quiet. When we had dinner at our house with everyone, Teighlor made a comment how they are a lot louder at home. So true! Here Teighlor and Billy are hanging out with James (left) and Marc (right).

Anthony and Billy had a disagreement about who was stronger (typical guy debate!) :) so they decided to arm wrestle each other. I'll let you all guess who won!

This trip was the first time that Marc had all of his grandkids together, so we couldn't resist taking a picture. We love Grandpa Marc and think he is lots of fun. As the boys get older, I am sure the boys will love all the slow motorcycle rides, dunes trips, etc with their Grandpa Marc and Grandma Margaret!

Last, but certainly not least, is a picture of the cousins. There is a little bit of an age gap, but it was so fun to see them all interact with each other. I am sure that through the years, they will have a special relationship, even though it will probably be different than the stereotypical cousin relationship. Can't wait.

Thanks Teighlor and Anthony for coming and visiting. We can't wait to see you again and I know the boys loved you!!!

Bath Time???

I couldn't help but post these pictures...can we say bath time???

Marc and James

James

Marc

My boys took forever to start feeding themselves, but it's kind of a trade off, because they get soooo messy when they feed themselves! :)

Zoo Trip!

The boys and I have been to the Phoenix Zoo several times this fall/winter. The boys are still a little young to know what to look at when I try and point out animals, but we have a good time getting out of the house and seeing friends.

Here are the boys (Marc and James) in front of the zebra's. Don't mind that their hats are on crooked!

Today we saw an anteater...You can see it in the background. Both boys I think saw it, but Marc is looking at it in the picture. I think this is the first time I have ever seen one...not the cutest animal ever, but very interesting.

The Jaguar was the highlight of the trip today. He was right by the fence and kept pacing back and forth. It is such a beautiful animal but let's just say I would be scared if I encountered one in the wild! The boys absolutely loved the Jaguar. Both of them looked at him and Marc even laughed. :)

Marc flashing a smile for the camera!

James is concentrating on looking at the Jaguar

And cute Noelle...she loves making the boys laugh and entertaining them! Marc is so interested in her bow/flower in her hair and wants to wear one too!

We are sad to see it getting hot, because that means we'll have to take a break from the zoo for a while. Hopefully in the summer the boys will be able to go on the splash pad they have at the zoo. Maybe we can be ambitious and get up extra early to go and see the animals too before it gets too hot!

Over the past week or so, nothing too exciting has happened. Just the usual things...doing taxes (excited for our refund!), taking care of the cutest boys ever, working, and having just a little bit of fun!

Last week was my birthday and all I wanted was new running shoes. My knees were kind of hurting and I hadn't gotten a new pair in a LONG time, so Billy surprised me and came home early from work so we could go get some new shoes. We had a babysitter for the night, so we were able to go out to dinner and see our friends Liz and Kendal for a little bit that night too. Overall, it was a great birthday! We took this picture to document my 29th birthday before we headed out!

Our boys are getting so big! I definitely don't think of them as babies anymore (sad, I know!) but they are definitely getting to be big boys! They still have a couple bottles a day (we will be cutting back even more really soon), but I love the time I have with them when I feed them bottles. It is seriously the ONLY time they will cuddle with me. I will miss it when the bottles "disappear!"

This is one of Marc's favorite things to do. He opens the drawer under the oven and climbs inside. Once he is in there, he just hangs out. It is so cute! He also loves climbing on top of laundry baskets and sits on top of them. Hopefully I will get a picture next time he does it! :)

PRICELESS!!! Look at this face...it says it all! James is definitely our more smiley child and he is so happy. He loves playing in the kitchen with the pots and pans. Hopefully both he and Marc will still love the kitchen and dishes in another 5 years or so, so they can help DO the dishes. I won't hold my breath though!

I was telling Billy earlier tonight that I am so grateful for everything we have. We are so blessed. Although we have had trials over the last several years, I can't help but be grateful for our own little family and everything we have. We love our boys so much and are grateful for them.

The 5K-immie

Several months ago, my friend Kimmie and I talked about running a 5K. It was going to be her first race and wanted a t-shirt. We found a 5K that was on a Saturday morning but unfortunately, they did not offer t-shirts. A few weeks later, Kimmie decided that she was going organize and put on her own 5k and call it the 5K-immie.

I have only run one other 5k and it was several years ago. My goal for this race was to run it in less time than I did last time. I accomplished my goal and ran the race in one minute and 19 seconds less! Last time after I ran the race, I just kind of stopped running. This time, I am signed up for the Pat's Run on 4/16 which is 4.2 miles so I HAVE to keep running!

Me crossing the finish line. Notice the cow from Chick-fila is holding the finish line. I love it how Kimmie was able to get him to come out. I think next year she should get them to sponsor the race! :)

Courtney also ran the race. She and I had been planning on running a 5k in January, but that never happened. But two months later, we accomplished our goal!

Kimmie and I...notice her t-shirt. She made them for the race and they turned out cute!

Thanks to my wonderful family who came out to support me. Saturday is Billy's only day to sleep in and he sacrificed for me to come to the race...THANKS BILLY!

Here is a picture of all the ladies that ran in the race. There were 22 people that ran it and the rest were guys.

A few weeks ago, I was thinking and realized that I have lost part of the athlete that I once was. I miss being active and really pushing myself to be physically fit like I want to be. I am excited to focus on that small part of my life a little more and not let it go by the way side...I am starting with running and hope to eventually do a sprint triathlon and maybe even more someday! Wish me luck!