Thursday, November 20, 2014

20 Months Old

It's hard to believe it, but Nicholas is now 20 months old.

Food:  Favorites are green beans, chicken, strawberries, grapes, and bananas.  He has his days where he's picky, but over all he eats well.  Maybe not as well as some children, but compared to his sister, he's a fantastic eater.

Activities:


  • coloring (he seems to be left-handed)
  • playing on Mommy's notebook
  • talking on the phone
  • climbing
  • running
  • watching DJ the Dinosaur (children's songs DVD)
  • push the toy lawnmower or shopping cart around
  • read books
  • dancing


Favorites:


  • Loves trains and cars.  
  • Points them out in every book that has pictures of them.  
  • Points out and waves to school buses or big trucks that we drive by.


Language:
nana (banana); eat (with sign); milk (sign only) baba (aqua or any other drink); vroom (car with sign); choo-choo (train with sign); shoes (with sign); mana (Hasta Manana with hand wave); mom; dad; ela (Mikaela); cocoa (for all dogs); What is this; All Done (sign only); ready, go; play (sign only); eese (please with sign); help (with sign);  He chatters constantly and several of his words sound the same, so we have to use context to figure out what he's saying, but he's a pretty good communicator.

Sleep:
We were having some trouble with it but we moved his bedtime back up to 7pm and he's been doing 7 to 7 now with one nap (1.5) and an occasional second nap (30 minutes) depending on the day.








with his best pal, Benjamin








using the truck bed as a goldfish snack holder



playing train






He loves Cocoa.


Nick takes a photo.

East Texas Half

Disclaimer:  I kind of rambled about running prior to the actual info about last weekend's race, but feel free to skip the end where the pictures are.

In Winter 2010, Mike and I signed up for our very first 5K.  It was the Race for the Cure - Fort Worth.  My best friend had formed a team in honor of her aunt who was fighting the disease at that time.  I had wanted to find a way to shed a few pounds and change my post Mikaela body shape.  Mike took to it rather quickly.  We both did the Couch to 5K plan.  I remember that first race, just wanted to run the entire thing.  It took me almost 40 minutes.  Mike ran it much faster than I did, but it was a great experience for us both.

We would continue to run off and on (me more off than on) for the next several months.  I didn't have a treadmill or access to an indoor track at the time so once it got hot, I pretty much stopped running.  Mike is crazy and loves the heat, so he was a little more consistent.  As the weather cooled, the running increased but the 2011 car wreck would result in a broken ankle for me, ceasing running for the foreseeable future.

I was cleared to resume running about the time the heat index crept up, so again running was slow for me until fall.  Then in Fall of 2011, we both kicked up our running.  Mike made it his goal to run a 5K every month and I think he met it.  Most of them were actual races, but a couple of months he just blazed his own trail around the neighborhood.  I joined him for a few, but becoming pregnant with Nicholas slowed my running.  I still ran some while pregnant, but as much as I could have.

After his birth, and a few months to adjust to life as a mother of two, I started back up to run.  This time I had a treadmill so that would help with weather or the fact that I sometimes could only run when kids were sleeping which meant running on the treadmill or outside in the dark.  Treadmill please.  Mike started having back issues Jan 2013 which would result in surgery the following May.  He wouldn't be able to resume running for a year, May 2014.

So... we set out again, feeling as though we basically started over, to become "runners."  I ran a 5K in May this year. Not my fastest time, but a good kickstart to my runs.  Mike never signed up for a formal run, but toured the neighborhood often.

Then one day this advertisement came across my news feed, "East Texas Half Marathon".  I noticed it would take place in Nacogdoches, TX.  They already had the trail marked, which would include several familiar places to me from my college days.  I'd been toying with the idea of running a half someday, so I decided this was the one for me.  So last July, we signed up.  Official training started in September.  Some weeks were harder than others, but we made it work.

And last weekend, we ran our first half marathon through the streets of Nacogdoches, TX.  I had such a great time viewing all the places from my college days and seeing a few places I didn't know.

Mike said he had to walk more than he wanted to, but still finished with a good pace.  I didn't walk at all (except for one very steep hill before mile 12) but a cramp kept my pace slow.  I had three goals for this race:

1) Run the entire thing
2) Run with an overall pace under 13:00 min/mi
3) Finish in under 2 hr 30 min.

I met goal one (if you don't count that hill, which I don't). I met goal two with a pace of 12:35.  I did not meet goal 3.  I was 14 minutes over.  Official time: 2:44:57.  I'm disappointed, but it was still great for my first race. It was very cold and there was a constant drizzle the entire time.  Not ideal, but I like the cold so I didn't mind too much.

I don't know if and when I'll do another half, but I do have a 15K in February.  Right now my left foot is pretty sore (overcompensation due to the cramp in my right leg during the race).  I tried to do an easy run yesterday and my foot yelled at me for it.  So... unfortunately, I'll have to take a break for a couple weeks.  Praying it heals quickly!

So here are photos from Race Day.  We thought we took one of us after the race, but apparently it didn't take and we were too tired and cold to notice until we got home.  Oh well.

Enjoy!
course map

start/finish

campus sign we ran past

campus student center we ran past
 All along the way were all kinds of signs spectators were either holding or had left along the path (in front of their houses or what not.  Some signs read:

"Stop reading and keep running."
"This seemed like a good idea 4 months ago."
"Go Stranger Go!"
"Toenails are for sissies."
"Chuck Norris never ran a half-marathon."


We ran by a church in downtown Nac that posted these signs on their lawn.  Greatness!
 
This was the mean hill 1.5 miles from the end.

standing on campus after the race (in front of Free Speech) shivering as I held my medal

finisher's swag
It was tough, but we had a great time, but we think the next time we do this, we'll run through Disney World!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Five Years Old

On Sunday, November 2, Mikaela turned 5.  What an adventure it's been so far.

She talks and sings up a storm.  She is fairly fluent in Spanish (and English, of course) and dapples in a little sign language to boot.

She loves to do "homework" where she practices writing her letters in addition to other preschool activities (identifying shapes, colors, etc).  She does this both in Spanish and English.  She also enjoys coloring.

She loves watching movies and t.v.  Friday nights are generally movie nights, which she loves.  "The Three Caballeros" and "The Incredibles" are her two favorites.  She also enjoys "Signing Time" and "VeggieTales."

Her favorite color is usually pink, but occasionally it changes to something else.  I believe right now it's yellow.

She wears 5T.  Some dresses she can do 6T because she is so tall.  Her shoe size is 11.  I will get growth stats at her appointment later this week.

She is still such a picky eater.  We saw a play therapist over the summer because there had been some weight loss and meal time became tearful at best.  So... now we do "Taste Adventures".  Her palate is still EXTREMELY limited of what she will actually try, but at least meal time isn't such a a bear anymore.  I'm hopeful that when she is in school and sees what all the other kids eat, that will help.  For now, we supplement with pediasure, vitamins, and hidden veggies in a few foods we can get them in.

She is taking ballet and loves it.

She's starting to read.  She's learning to sound out words in both English and Spanish and loves to look through books.  We have recently set up a "reading corner" in her room to help expand her love for books.

Her personality is bubbly and she seemingly knows no stranger. She will talk to just about anyone and loves to meet new people.  I pray I continue to nurture that gift in her because it is NOT me at all.  I see so much potential in that for her.  It excites me to see how God will use her because of it.

She's still timid at trying new things, especially food, but that equates to other risks such as riding a bike, etc.  She also continues to have a deep aversion to loud noise, but it has improved so we know eventually she'll probably grow out of it.

We had her party at the house on Sunday afternoon.  Kids played in the backyard on the swing set and various other yard games before lining up to strike a pinata and dive for candy.  Afterwards, it was time for cake and presents.  Enjoy the pictures below.

last night to be four








Checking out the big kids...










Mikaela's Godfather, Cory, joining in the fun...




Time for the Pinata...




Everyone got two hits with a small stick, and then we brought out the ax handle.  Gotta love those Lumberjacks!  Axe' em!




Renzo, Mikaela's pseudo big brother, gave the final blow after all the younger kids had gotten a turn.

 

After gathering candy, we went inside for cake and presents.  
 

blowing out her candle





"It's just what I wanted!"


just about everyone helped her open the presents at some point






Thank you to all who were able to come and make her day so special.