Last Blast of Summer

Believe it or not, Delaney went all summer without seeing her boyfriends, Reed & Parker.  Seriously, how did this happen!  So sad, but miraculously we got the whole gang together Saturday afternoon for a little fun in the backyard.  It was a perfect afternoon for a little kiddie pool, sprinkler, swing set action!  Watching the three little kiddos play was so much fun!  The age difference between the three of them is totally gone!

 We attempted a photo of the three of them...this is the best I was able to capture!  They still look pretty cute even though it's not the greatest picture!

 We set up the hose and the swimming pool for the kids to play in.  Parker seemed a little timid with everything, but Delaney tried to help ease him into the fun!  I'll tell you what though, that kid has the most extensive vocabulary I've ever heard at that age!  Way to go little P Man!

 Here's our little farm girl in action drinking from the hose!  Reed enjoyed splashing her with it!  Reed may the oldest of the group, but now he's the smallest.  Don't count him out though...Hurricane Reed is a scrappy little fellow that holds his own. 

 Here's another shot of the three of them.  As you can see, they didn't always seem to be too interested in what each other were doing.  They were having fun nonetheless!

 After a short battle with Delaney on the slide, here's Reed happy as a clam after achieving the "perfect" slide!

 Here's the two of them in one of the best photos of Reed & Delaney to date!  Don't they look so big!

 The boys had fun playing with all of Delaney's "girl toys" under the "watchful" eyes of their three dads!

On Sunday as a bonus, we had a little outing at the Lincoln Children's Zoo with Parker!  We had only taken Delaney do the Lincoln Zoo for "Boo at the Zoo" last year, so we were excited to take her now that she was more "into" it. 

 Shortly after arriving, we discovered that the zoo has a little pony named, Chip!  Chip the pony even had a cute little pink heart painted on his butt! 

 Delaney had quite the time feeding the goats with her daddy.  She didn't hesitate at all, and when right up to them with a piece of food! 

 I think she could have stayed at the goat feeding spot all day with those little guys!  It was pretty cute! 

 There were some bigger goats that came right up close and personal with them.  I think that overwhelmed D just a little bit! 

 Delaney then got to pet the super soft bunny!  She was very gentle and nice with the bunny...soo sweet!

 We took a tour of the Butterfly Pavilion.  I couldn't believe how the butterflies would land on your hands!

We put the kiddos on a big caterpillar for a quick photo-op!  Not great, but not bad!  It was a fun afternoon to cap off a super fun weekend!  We can't go another season without getting together!

17 Months & Counting

Delaney and I had a Girls Night tonight, so thought we were over due for a bath-time photo shoot.  She is 17 months old today...still seems unbelievable that she's growing up so fast.  She is changing every day more into a big girl and less my little baby! She's a walking, talking, sassing, stomping, giggling, tickling, snacking, screaming, playing, reading fool...that I absolutely love to pieces!  Isn't she cute...the little stinker!

Thunder Run 08.13.11

Well I did it!  I actually finished a 5k...without walking!  It wasn't easy for me.  For some reason i wasn't really on my game last Saturday, but I finished.  My goal was to finish without walking, and I totally achieved my goal.  My time was 34:40.  Not too shabby for my first time out there!  The Thunder Run is sponsored by the Nebraska National Guard and held on the actually runway out at the Lincoln Airport.  Craig and Delaney came out to cheer me on, and it was a beautiful morning!  I really couldn't have asked for more.  My fabulous running partner/work BFF accomplice, Kaitlyn was a rock star on Saturday.  I swear she could have kept running and finished another 5k.  She told jokes, same me songs, and even kicked on her jets for the last stretch!  Such an inspiration!

Early Terrible Twos?!?

My sweet little baby Delaney has morphed into a busy, load, crazy toddler!  Don't get me wrong, I still love her to pieces, but she has definitely been testing my patience lately!  I'm seriously fearing for my sanity when the actual "terrible twos" hit.  I may have mentioned that she is a full-blown book addict, but thankfully has retreated to only during the daytime hours as we haven't had any 3 a.m. meltdowns because "it's not storytime".  She also has recently discovered her ability to scream, stomp her feet, and thrown a spectacular tantrum for the most mundane reasons...no snacks right before dinner, not getting to play with Daddy's NFL birthday card whenever she wants, her milk cup being suddenly empty.   We have had more time-outs in the last week, than in the last 17 months combined.  I'm afraid we are entering a new phase!

However, she is still a little sweetheart even with her "mean" streak.  She loves her Mama, Dada, and Izzy like nobody's business.  She loves to run around crazy outside, but will also sit quietly in her room and flip through a book.  She learns new words every day, and will still occasionally cuddle for a few precious moments when the mood strikes!  She stands up for herself, and takes no crap from anyone.  I love this now, but I'm afraid it may cause trouble later in her life!  She has found her voice and her volume, now we just need to work on controlling it!  She is stubborn and bull-headed, but also silly and funny!  She can make me laugh and cry in the same moment, and I can't help but feel a little sad that our little baby is growing up so fast! 

There have been days lately when I have felt like a "bad mom" because I didn't have the time or patience to give to her.  I have lost my cool, and gotten upset, while forgetting that she is only one and doesn't understand everything yet!  I need to work on this.  We will figure it out together, I'm sure!  I wouldn't trade a moment with her for anything!  She is my little peanut, and I love her to the moon and back!

First 5k

I might officially be a runner now...5k tomorrow morning!  Yikes!

Happy 3rd Anniversary Craig!

 

Oh, what a day that was!  

 It seems like just yesterday, yet so many things have happened since!

I can't wait to see what's next!  I love you!

Just keep running...

In case you all have been wondering, I am still running.  After a brief hiatus last week, I was back on the trails this week with my trusty "Sweat Sister" by my side.  We officially signed up for our replacement 5k, since we had to postpone last week.  We will now be running the Thunder Run next Saturday at the Lincoln Airport.  It's scheduled for 8a.m. Saturday morning, so we are hoping this means a calm, cooler environment for a run.  We shall see! 

We have now finished our 5k training, and have moved on to 10k.  We still need to find a 10k to run sometime in October, but I'm sure something will come up.  I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a "Runner" yet, but maybe after I actually finish the 5k I will change my mind.  I am definitely proud of myself for sticking with it.  I actually look forward to my runs now, which totally baffles me.  If you would have told me 6 months ago I'd say that, I'd have told you to stop smoking the wacky weed!  Last week when I went without running for a whole week, I definitely felt a difference.  I was more stressed and crabby for sure!  Running gets me out of the house doing something just for myself for a little while, which I think is something that is absolutely necessary for my mental & physical health.  I haven't lost a ton of weight yet or anything, but I am in much better shape and I feel better than I did 8 weeks ago!  Kaitlyn keeps telling me we are going to run the Half Marathon...I still think she's a little nuts, but we'll see!  The Lincoln Marathon is in May, so that gives me a lot of time to talk myself into it! 

KC Weekend

Last weekend, Craig and I did something we hadn't done in almost 2 years.  We left town alone together.  Amazing enough, we made it home in one piece without killing each other!  We headed down to KC for the Kenny Chesney concert!  He came to Arrowhead on tour with Uncle Kracker, Billy Currington, & the Zac Brown Band.  This was a show like we've never seen.  Even if you are not a county music fan, you must see Kenny in concert!  It's no wonder he's won Entertainer of the Year so many times!  While in KC we also enjoyed some shopping at the Plaza and the Legends Outlet Mall, as well as some seriously good food!  It was a wonderful weekend away, and Delaney was royally spoiled by Grandma Mencke back home in Lincoln!

 I swear I am too short to do self photography of us, so this is the best I got!  We were on the sunny side of the stadium in the 100+ degree heat!  It was steamy, but so fun!

 Kenny always makes a "dramatic" entrance!  He rose up from a little tent hut thing set up in the middle of the field!  Pretty sweet!

 Craig wanted proper documentation of the shirt Kenny wore...Craig had seriously considered purchasing this same shirt earlier this morning.  He must have good taste!

 I thought this turned out pretty cool!  Someday I'll get one of those really sweet cameras, so I can zoom in on the actual person instead of the jumbo screens...for now, this will do!

For the Encore, Kenny came back out and brought Zac Brown back out for a few songs!  It was by far my favorite part of the show!  It also happened to be Zac's birthday, so we all got to sing to him! 

Thanks for the fun weekend away honey!  Happy late 28th Birthday & early 3rd Anniversary!