Baby Crafting Gifts

Bibs

Bag

Breastfeeding cover

Hanging clothe dividers by size

Burpclothes

Think like Tink

About late October I was stuck with a fitness dilemma. The program I was currently doing was coming to end. I didn’t know what to do next. I had a good momentum going and I was terrified to lose that. I started talking with some friends about running. I have never been a runner and I still do not consider myself a runner. In high school I used to hide in the baseball dugouts when we had to run the mile. I could not physically do it. I was not over weight or out of shape; I was just not a runner. I never saw the point or understood why people enjoyed it.

I came to the decision that I wanted to run a half marathon and I wanted to do it before I turned 30. I started looking for halfs to do and came across the Disney Tinkerbell Half Marathon. It was sold out, I was bummed. I for some reason had my heart set on doing this. So next best thing Craigslist! In mid November I found a lady who was selling her teams bibs. After a couple emails/phone calls I bought my bib and convinced my friend Chenin to do it with me (I more suckered Chenin into it, thank you Chenin!). We would be running under the team name “Electric Monkey”.

Thus began training… Two months to train… URG! I followed this training schedule http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html I would try and do my shorter runs during the week with Julian in the stroller and my longer run on the weekend with my training buddies. I had two other Stroller Stride moms (Sharon and Robin) who also signed up for the half and another Stroller Stride mom (Sarah) who was starting to train for a full marathon. We would meet on Saturdays or Sundays and run. It became so enjoyable to meet up with these ladies and suffer together. Some mornings we meet early (like 6:30am) and other mornings it was freezing (coldest was 21 degrees). I would not have been able to do it without these ladies.

We arrived to Disney Saturday checked into our hotel and got settled. Then we headed over to the expo. It was packed.

We picked up our bibs.

There were a bunch of cool vendors and stuff to look at but everything was SUPER expensive.

While at the expo we got fairy dusted.

After the expo we headed back to our room. We hung out for a little bit then decided we should go grab an early dinner. We went to cheesecake factory. We enjoyed a nice dinner and got some cheesecake to go (I figured I would be burning extra calories the next day J). I got the red velvet cake and cheesecake combo deal it was AMAZING! Anyways… we tried to go to bed early but I think not being in my own bed, plus the excitement, and being with friends, it was hard. Our alarms started going off at 2:30 am, yes I said 2:30 am! Boo! I maybe got 4 hours of sleep. We got up, put on our tinkerbell gear, and headed to catch the shuttle.

On the Shuttle Chenin - Katie - Sharon

We stopped to take some prerace photos. 

This was a photo of just our corral lined up to start the race… there were SO MANY PEOPLE (an estimated total of 14,000!)

Just a quick photo op inside Disney California

My favorite moment of the run was running through Sleeping Beauty’s castle

Real men wear TuTu’s and wings!

An action shot

It’s a small world still with its Christmas lights

Us after the run with our metals

My favorite things –

-          FINISHING THE RACE and running the entire thing

-          running through the castle

-          seeing a man who looked exactly like Walt Disney (no joke… business suit, name badge, dress shoes, and mustache)

-          men dressed up in wings, tutus, costumes, pink, and much more!

-          The crowds cheering -- they had some cleaver signs “Worst Disney parade ever” and “I didn’t wake up this early to watch you walk” were my favorites

-          The people -- everyone was so happy to be there and nice

-          Going behind the scenes at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure

-          the ladies from the Red Hat Society cheering us on along the route -- there were more red hatters then I have EVER seen!

-          Seeing all the Disney characters out at the same time -- but I did not want to stop running to take pictures with them L

-          The metal -- it is big and heavy and really really nice

I would definitely do this again it was a truly Magical experience!

Julian's first Christmas Tree

Happy Elf                                                   Un-Happy Elf

My Paul Bunyan 

Every year we get our Christmas tree at home depot. Our tradition is to go the day after Thanksgiving. We usually pick the tree and we do not unwrap it until we get home. It is a fun surprise to see what kind of tree we will end up with. One year we had a SUPER crooked tree; also known as our gangster leaning tree. This year our tree was really full and plump; her nick name is the double wide. 

Merry Christmas! 

My favorite things from Halloween

This year’s Halloween was extra special; it was Julian’s first Halloween. At first I bought him a store bought monkey costume (size 9-12 months). I bought this in the beginning of September and it was already tight on him... he is my little chunky monkey... hehe! 

After returning the monkey costume and looking high and low for a replacement, I decided that there was no way my child could wear a store bought costume for his first Halloween. I am obsessed with Halloween and I would be doing him a disservice. I had seen/pinned a Popeye costume on pinterest a while back. I decided that Julian needed to be Popeye and I could be Olive Oyl {because what kind of Mom would I be if I didn’t dress up with my child (I know… I am such a nerd)}.  This was the website for my inspiration: http://www.blog.craftybitch.com/2009/10/its-most-wonderful-time-of-year.html

I found a free pattern online for a mini sailor hat. This is the website I found it on: http://tikidoll.blogspot.com/2011/06/sailor-hat-pattern-and-instructions.html I made some modifications to the instructions. These instructions were a little confusing and made for a doll but they were a good starting point.

Here is Julian in his finished costume.

And here we are together.

We went trick or treating that night with our friends. I was so proud of Julian he left his hat on the whole time we were out. It was a great first Halloween.

The boys after we went trick or treating, they did so good. 

Halloween care package 

We took Julian to Bates Nut Farm this year. It is our yearly tradition to go and get our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. We went during the week and there was nobody there. It was really nice. We got a wheelbarrow right off and did not have to hunt one down. Julian was a little overwhelmed by all the pumpkins and he did not know how to react to them.

Here were some of my favorite items I purchased for Julian.

This book was my favorite purchase. It is a paraody of goodnight moon. Such a cute and fun idea!

And of course Halloween jammies!

My favorite Halloween Craft. This was made from Dollar Tree plates and cermaic paint and Julians hands and feet which was a mess.

We had a small pumpkin carving party at our house. I made Jello shooters with gummy worms and a batch with Vodka soaked Gummy bears in gummy lifesavor rafts (thank you pinterest).

 

My cupcake pumpkin

I cannot wait for next year. I am already planning what we can dress up as :-)

9 Months

Julian was left alone overnight with Grandma for the first time while Mom and Dad went to Vegas. 

He had his first tooth finally brake though on October 22^nd; it was his bottom left tooth. Then he had his second tooth break though on Halloween night. He is becoming such a big boy; he always wants to feed himself now and he makes quite the mess doing so. His second word was “doggie”. He knows who his “dada” is and looks for him. He still has not caught onto Momma.