Mother-Daughter Weekend

Daddy went to Asheville for the Beer City Cup with our co-ed soccer crew. (The team didn't get the big house we typically stay in, no other kids were going so and I am heading out for a girls mtn trip next weekend so told him to go have a good time.) My sidekick and I had a packed weekend of fun as well though!

SATURDAY we ran along the Greenway and went out to breakfast. Then that night went to the Food Truck Block Party with our good friend The Kobsiks. It rained shortly after we got there but it didn't dampen the spirits of these two. The little hippies barely ate because were too busy dancing in the rain. Had to strip her down before putting her in the car. Luckily had a dry tshirt to put her in.

SUNDAY, we headed up to Lake Norman for a cookout. It was a very nerve racking experience at first but eventually Addie learned to trust the life jacket.

MONDAY we went over to The Yonchaks' for some cousin play time, burgers & s'mores! Happy Labor Day!

Zoo-tastic!

Before Baby Y2 was Margaret, I had offered to take Anne Rankin for a day to give Adele & Tom an entire day with just the new baby. The summer almost completely got away from us before we were able to coordinate and take our trip but we ended up with a great day!

Jim & I took these two silly monkeys the the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, NC. It was the first day North Carolina schools were back in session so we literally had the place almost all to ourselves which allowed them to run a little for freely and allowed us not to fret as much.

It was a very full day so everyone was completely exhausted by the time we got back to Charlotte, including us. A & T, I hope big sister slept hard and late for y'all and lets all do it again sometime.

Circle of Life

Jim and I have enjoyed shows through Blumenthal Performing Arts since we first started dating and have purchased season tickets to the Broadway Lights Series for the past several years. Today we got to share something we really enjoy with our little one. We took her to see The Lion King! Minnie, silky and a snack made the trip with us just in case anything became too overwhelming BUT she sat in her own seat the entire show and loved it!

Unfortunately, the upcoming season does not have any shows we think would be appropriate for her but Hakuna Matata I have already scoped out the line up at The Children's Theatre so we can do this again soon.

Run-iversary

A year ago, this was the event where our little All-Star made her running debut. Ever since her triathlon, she has been asking to do another race so off to Run For Your Life I went and signed us all up for the GreekFest 5k. This year I was in the baby jogger division while Jim focused on himself. (He is going to be ready for Savannah in no time!)

Addie insisted she wanted to run her race all by herself so I helped "motivate" her buddy Samantha. I love these two together! Their giggles are infectious!

Pre-race family photo opt

The little girls getting all stretched out before their race. (They are very serious athletes!)

Go Addie Go!

Come on Samantha!

Posing with my adorable running partner! Addie and I won our division setting a PR for my baby jogger stats - 22:05.

More Zzzzzz Please

Until about a week ago, I didn't truly understand how rough we had it. Our child doesn't sleep! Yes it is literally the first thing out of my mouth every morning I meet a friend to workout but it was my reality and that was that. Lately it had gotten to the point where I felt was barely functioning, I couldn't focus at work and my patience level was super low. No wonder, I have basically been sleep deprived for FOUR YEARS! I was researching children's melatonin and ready to ask the pediatrician to prescribe sleeping pills... seriously!

I have gotten more then my fair share of advice (give her benadryl, just ignore her) and even less welcomed advice (lock her in her room) but finally got a recommendation I was on board with. Then thanks to Amazon Prime the Okay To Wake! Clock was on my doorsteps two days later.

Forget the details, all that really matters is we are now on an 8 night streak of no midnight-3am visitor!!! I love my child but do not want to see her at that hour.

It turns green when she is allowed to come get mommy and daddy. Yes there was also some bribery involved at first. "If you sleep thru the night and not come get us until it turns green, we will... ". The first day we all went out for ice cream to celebrate, she got Cheetos in her school lunch and earned a pair of Minnie Mouse socks over the first week. Now I am slowly pushing the time back a few mins. It is currently set to turn green at 6:25am and am planning to only back it up to 6:30am because do not want to ruin anything. My life has already improved! Today I even had the energy to get dressed, wear make up/jewelery and dry my hair for work! Who knows what I can accomplish next. Ha!

Flip Into Fun

It is officially the summer of trying new things in our household. This week was Gymnastics Camp for Addie. I asked her "are you sure" all last week and she never wavered so signed her up not knowing how it would go. The Gymnastics Center is a very busy place (dare I say chaotic) and I would never describe munchkin as adventurous but something about day camp just works for her!

One - Two - Three...

Cheese Pit Fun!

No hands!!!

To my ultimate surprise, she performed in the end of week Friday show and willingly did every single element, with a smile on her face to boot! If my phone was not busted I would have recorded it or at least gotten a good picture of her in her shiny gymnastics leotard with her medal! It was awesome!

Inspiration

These two's joy after their triathlon made their mamas want to do one as well! Yes we were completely motivated by our munchkins. {Not the first time and certainly not the last.} Sophia (pictured left) came in absolutely last because she refused to let her mom help her with the bike and then Addie helped run her into the finish. Seeing such determination, focus and support from 3-5 years olds really was moving.

While still on our "proud parent" high we signed up for Ramblin' Rose. She only claims being a cyclist and I would only list running on my resume so this will be the perfect first race for us. Ramblin' Rose is an all-women's sprint distance triathlon. Short notice in the world of training but we have 7 weeks to figure this out! Looking forward to the new challenge.

Amphibious

Yes I did get in some practice the other week, and while I did well this was easily the hardest event I have done in a long time. Much different but comparably difficult as a marathon. At the end of the first leg of trails (just a 5k) my legs felt like they had run a half marathon, which made the 2k paddle the "rest portion" of this event (what?!), but the third leg (another 5k of trails) was truly mind over matter. {Don't stop moving!} It was this mental toughness that helped me pass two guys during the final portion of the race. Both gave me props and a cheer of support as they graciously moved to the side to let me pass. I ended up finishing this race in 1:13:56, placing 5th overall and 1st female! Not sure where to log this in my PR stats but I definitely will not forget it.

This fantastic crew also offered their praise for my performance (and we had quite a few winners in this group) but nothing beats the conversation I had when called home after the race.

Addie: Hi mommy! Where are you?
Me: I just finished my race punkin'
Addie: Did you win?
Me: Actually yes!
Addie: A-W-E, S-O-me, Awesome Awesome Tot-ta-ly!

We Have a Triathlete in the Family

Our toddler's list of accomplishments shot through the roof today! Addie and several of her friends participated in the McCarthy Kids' & Preschool Triathlon. They all loved it and truly did a fantastic job! The event was well organized, had amazing energy and was just a ton of fun. I was thoroughly impressed and as soon as it was over all the kids asked do do it again so we will certainly be back next summer!

After the big race, we had a celebratory breakfast at Chick-fil-A. She certainly earned it and I wanted to see that proud smile on her face as long as possible. I still WATCH THIS and smile myself!