Makes My Monday

Heads together.
Matching shirts.
One skirt.
Low hung jeans around an absent waist.
The foot wrapped around her sister's leg.
Precious moment that makes a Mommy smile.

Linkie Love

As you've probably noticed, I changed my template last night.  In the process, I somehow lost all of my blog links!  If you were on my blog list and don't see your blog on there anymore, please let me know!

Thanks!
Cecilia

iPhone Picture Dump

I'm sure I've documented in the past that Lexi and Lyla are extremely tech savvy.  They are forever playing with our iPads and iPhones.  Lately they are obsessed with taking pictures.  I'm constantly finding random pictures of princess bandaids and ceilings.  But then sometimes I find photographic gold.  Behold the self portrait talents of Lexi and Lyla:

I'm also a huge fan of the videos that appear on my phone.  The following video that Lyla created made me laugh until I cried one day at work.  

Gymnastics

Ever since Princess Ballet Camp ended, Lexi and Lyla have been asking to go to ballet AND gymnastics.  Since ballet was not what I would call a success, I've been wanting to get the girls into gymnastics.

Side note:  I did gymnastics for about 8 years growing up.  While I did enjoy it in the beginning, the end of my "career" was rough.  For that reason, I am somewhat cautious about the sport.

So I did some research and realized the gym closest to us, SEGA, has Open Gym for kids 5 and under every Tuesday and Friday.  We met our bestest little buddy, Celia, and had a blast!  For $5 per kid, you just can't beat that kind of fun!

The girls were so excited before we left.  They just couldn't stop hugging each other!  They might have been partially excited that they were wearing their ballet dresses again :)

 The first place they headed was the "pit".  Of course little princess Lexi with her vivid imagination started pretending that it was the ocean and that she was Ariel.

 They loved swinging on the bars.  Of course the gymnast in me had to spot them through a pullover.  Thank goodness they didn't have any chalk out!

 The gym had all sorts of different mats and equipment out for them.  Lexi had to show off her tumbling skills while Lyla perfected the beam.  Lyla even picked a wedgie (or 5).

 The girls are always asking for hula hoops so they had a blast trying to hoop it up.  I couldn't believe how fearless they were out there.

 Lyla swung on this rope forEVER.  Someone even commented to me how strong she must be to be able to swing like that!  That's my girl!

I'm so glad that Lexi and Lyla enjoyed themselves, but I really don't know if their attention span is large enough for an actual class.  I think I might continue taking them to open gym and then start in the spring!

Yeah Yeah Yeah

I know y'all have probably been dying with curiosity as to how my 10k training went.  I kind of didn't follow through as I had hoped, but the good news is....

I DID IT!  I ran my 10k, 6.2 miles, without stopping!  I was so proud of myself and my BFF, Brooke, who pushed me along.

Our half marathon training started yesterday and in honor of that, we have started a new blog:

MommiesRun.

Please hop over there and follow us and comment!  We also created a facebook page at MommiesRun. that you can "Like".  And for you tweeters, you can find us at MommiesRun!

Thank you so much for supporting me, however, running is never over, so continue on with me!

Week 1 Day 7 and Week 2 Day 1

Yesterday was the "long" run for the week at 4 miles.  I felt really good during the run.  My longest run to date was a 5.5 miler back in June and after a little hiatus, it's taken a while to get back into longer runs.

Weird happening during the run:  I saw a creature.  I'm calling it a creature because I really don't know what it was.  More than likely it was a little cat but it kind of looked like a meerkat from far away.  So I'm going with the meerkat because that would be cool.

Today is 3 miles plus strength.  I just got back from the run and I'm a little disappointed with how slow I ran, even though I'm not focusing on speed.  The humidity was a little much tonight as it's trying to storm.  My legs are also a little sore from the 4 miles yesterday.  But I did it, and that's what counts.

Now I'm off to do my strength workout!  Tomorrow is 3.5 miles.  I love having a schedule!

Princess Tea Party

On Friday morning a couple of weeks ago, my older princess, Alexa Isabella, told me she had planned a princess tea party.

Mommy, all of the princesses are coming...Princess Punzel, Snow Wipe, Cinderewwa, Princess Aurora. You are making a Princess Cake.

So, how do you say no to that? I basically had no choice but to make a Princess Cake.

If the Princesses had given me more advanced notice I would have made a homemade cake. Alas, a boxed cake would have to work.

The girls practiced their egg cracking skills and were so proud of their yolks!

They love stirring!

They "helped" me ice the cake and went overboard with the sprinkles, as any princess should.

Of course the Princesses needed candles!

I think we can all agree that the Princess Tea Party was a success.  Jasmine never showed up but Snow White, Rapunzel, Aurora, Cinderella, and Tiana all had a fabulous time!

Week 1 Day 6

Scheduling got a little turned around this week for reasons beyond my control. I'll write more about that later!

So today, well at this point yesterday, I ran 3 miles. I ran at night again because I find it's cooler and less humid. While I know it's not the safest time to run, I enjoy how quiet and peaceful it is outside.

It was a good run, not the fastest, but I hit a lot of hills and steady inclines that challenged me. My time was 33:04 which was a pace of 11:01/mile. I really want to get that down but I can't stress myself out about it. I'm more interested in distance than speed.

Tomorrow, well now today, is 4 miles!

Week 1 Day 4

Just got back from a 35 minute "tempo run".  According to my running guru, Hal Higdon, a tempo run is where you run at an easy pace for a while and then speed up to 30-40 seconds SLOWER than your normal 10k pace, then slow back down to an easy pace.  So I ran easy for 10 minutes, aimed for around 10 minutes/mile for 15 minutes, and ran easy for another 10 minutes.

I've never run just based on timing, not distance.  I must say I really enjoyed this run.  I was really able to focus on my breathing and unwind from a hectic 13 hour day of work!  There was a storm threatening but it only started to sprinkle in my last 5 minutes.  

Yesterday was a rest day which was nice.  Luckily, I'm not hurting yet, but I know eventually my ankles and knees will get sore.  Ice will be my friend!

Tonight's song that motivated me:

Gotta love it.

Week 1 Day 2

Run Started:  11:22 pm (I know)
Run Ended:  11:56 pm
Distance:  3 miles
Temperature:  82 degrees F
Humidity:  71%

Today was just a 3 mile run.  I woke up with a headache so I decided I'd do a night run, thinking it would probably be less humid anyway.  It was less humid, but I was still drenched by the time I was done!

Overall, it was a much better run then yesterday.  I conquered some hills and there was no walking!  My legs are a little sore from my strength training last night but they loosened up after about a mile.

Last summer when I was doing Couch to 5k, I would always run with gum in my mouth.  I decided to try that tonight for a change of pace and for some reason it seems to make a difference.  I know, weird.

Favorite moment:  When Glee's Don't Stop Believing came on my playlist!  Those kids powered me through!

Week 1 Day 1

Alarm: 6:00 am
Out of bed: 6:18 am
Laces tied: 6:30 am
Run started: 6:40 am
Run ended: 7:13 am
Distance: ??????
Temperature: 75 degrees F
Humidity: 95%

Today was supposed to be a 3 mile run plus strength training. I will be doing upper body work tonight which will include exercises from this website.

Unfortunately, around mile 2 my RunKeeper app decided to crap out on me. All of a sudden I went from 2 miles to 2.5 miles in about 2 minutes. Um, I wish I was that fast.

So I'm not really certain of my distance. I also actually had to walk some which was super disappointing considering a month ago I could run 6 miles no problem. I know the heat is oppressive but that just plain sucks.

Tomorrow is another day and I can't wait to lace up again!

Something Different

I know that the majority of this blog contains stories and pictures about Lexi and Lyla, but I'm going to be trying something different.

As most of you know I started running a year ago and quickly became obsessed with it.  So, being the overachiever that I am, I signed up for the St. Jude Half Marathon on December 1, 2012.  Yeah, smart move, Mama.  

I also decided to do this crazy Road Race Series with the Memphis Runner's Club.  This involves 2 5k's, 2 five milers, 2 10k's, 2 ten milers, and 2 half marathons.  Holy sh*t.  I just ran the second 5k this morning and while I didn't set any personal records, I still did it and had fun.  

Tomorrow I will be starting Hal Higdon's 10k training program to prepare me for the first 10k of the series.  After that's over, my bestie and running inspiration, Brooke, and I will be starting Hal Higdon's half marathon training.  Yep, this is serious!

So to keep me honest, I will be blogging about my training.  This is for me.  This is to chronicle the journey that I will take to accomplish my goals.  Maybe you don't care and you'll skip over these posts, but maybe you'll be inspired to get your running shoes on and RUN!!!

Close Ups

Sometimes I get a little sad that I don't have more pictures of me with Lexi and Lyla. The truth is, most of the time I am wearing running clothes with no make up and just don't look very H.O.T.

So lately I've been trying to take more pictures with them.

But there is a problem, and her name is Lexi. She covers her face and says, "Mommy, you've taken enough pictures of me.". What?!

Luckily, my little sweetheart Lyla still loves her Mommy and will cheese it up with me for some self portraits.

Love that Angel's big heart.

Princess Teeth

The time had come. Cue the Imperial Death March from Star Wars...

THE FIRST DENTIST APPOINTMENT.

Let's be honest, the word "dentist" can strike fear in even the manliest of men. I mean, not many people enjoy going to get their teeth cleaned and examined. Except, ahem, me, but that's neither here nor there. I honestly never felt like that until I started seeing my current dentist. He belongs to my pharmacist role model, Tiffany, so we know he's good people. I also knew he'd be the perfect person to take care of my lovelies teeth.

I had started talking to the girls about Dr. Micah a few months ago to prepare them for the big day. Every night they talked about how proud "Dr. Makeup" would be of their teeth. I was still terrified about how they would react.

The big day arrived on Tuesday, July 3. We walked in the office and Lexi immediately felt at home. Lyla clung to her Daddy. Miss Cheryl immediately doted on the girls to make them feel special. She took Lexi on a tour but Lyla freaked as soon as she saw Dr. Micah in his mask and special glasses.

To ease Lyla's fears, one of the staff members, Miss Stefanie, brought out Gus the Gator. The girls got to practice brushing his teeth and he even could spit at them!

Miss Stefanie then took them back to show them the special chair. She was so amazing at making them comfortable.

Then their hygienist, Miss Paula, came in and got to cleaning. Lyla was up first and did AMAZING. my little sweetheart was like an old pro! Lexi couldn't wait for her turn too!  Miss Paula even let Josh and I use Mr. Thirsty (the straw that sucks out the water).

They both did so well and we couldn't have been any Prouder. I am so thankful for all the kind people there who made the visit so easy. They treated Lexi and Lyla like celebrities.

We are now flossing daily thanks to our special dinosaur flossers.  Who knew dental hygiene could be so fun?!

Princess Ballet Camp

Lexi and Lyla attended their first camp, or class of any kind for that matter, last week. They went to Princess Ballet Camp at the Gemantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC) for girls aged 3-5. Yes, it really was Princess Ballet Camp. Only the best for my princesses!

They went everyday, 9 am to 12 pm. Can I please remind everyone that my kids sleep until about 10:30 on most days? Needless to say, waking up at 7:45 was a challenge.

Day 1: I thought I'd stay with them all day. But then I watched all the other moms drop their girls off and leave. I asked the girls if they wanted me to stay and they said no, hugged me, kissed me, and told me they loved me. So I left. I ran some errands and went to run the trail at Johnson Park. I came to pick them up and found out that Lexi did great but Lyla cried. The whole time.

Day 2: I had to work 8 am to 9 pm so Grandma took them. We had decided that she would stay with them. She reported good things. Lyla had one meltdown. Getting better. Lexi, princess ballerina in training.

Day 3: I had to work 1-9 so I got to take them. As soon as we walked in, a precious little 5 year old named Maren came and introduced herself:
"Hi my name is Maren and I'm Lexi and Lyla's friend. I take care of them and I carry their backpacks to snack."
Um yeah. Thank you little Maren.

Day 4: Princess Parade day. Lexi was Sleeping Beauty and Lyla was Rapunzel. Oh and Maren was Jasmine. I still have no idea what goes on behind the closed doors. I know that they are making crafts that Lexi is dying to take home. And Lexi loves the "BIG STAGE".

Day 5: Recital time! Oh how we laughed and laughed. Please, please watch the videos. That's all I can say. Lexi is the one stealing the show with her never ending twirls. Lyla is, well, standing onstage holding a ladybug blanket. Perfect.





Summary: Over a week later, Lexi just asked me about going back to ballet. Lyla, bless her heart, follows along. I'm not ready to have them in separate activities so it looks like gymnastics is next on our list. I'm a little wary because I devoted 10 years of my life to gymnastics. I honestly don't want them to follow in these footsteps. But I also don't want to hold them back from something they may love. Tough Mommy decisions.

Littlest Phish Head

For those of you who don't know, Josh and I are enormous Phish fans.
I've kind of lost count of how many shows I've been to but I think I'm around 30 and Josh is close to 50.
I'll probably never be able to explain how their music makes me feel. If I had to describe it in one word, that word would be Free.
We were watching a webcast of their show last night at Jones Beach in New York. My heart swelled as I watched Lexi spin and dance and just be...Free.
Surrender to the Flow, little Lex.

G-d Bless America

For the record, that was my favorite song to sing in elementary school.  We would say the Pledge of Allegiance with no question as to whether G-d had anything to do with it. We'd sing "G-d Bless America" and "You're a Grand Ole Flag."  And then we'd go on our way learning.  No drama.

Of course it's different today.  Who even talks about changing the Pledge of Allegiance??  That's crazy talk to me.  But I'm not trying to get all political on anyone.  I'm just saying, I totally taught the girls to say "G-d Bless America" and I'll make sure they continue saying it with pride.

We spent our day celebrating our Independence by eating.  A lot.

Smore's Pie

All calorie free

And swimming.

And watching the Phish webcast. Awesome videos coming soon.

And having a drink, or maybe 2. I don't know. The 4th is still going on.

Lyla was hamming it up for me 

G-d Bless America.


**Just in case anyone was wondering, in Judaism we don't believe in writing the name of our Lord.  That's why we put a dash in between the "G" and "d".

Lexi and Lyla-isms

Scene:  The Red Store, known to some as Target, in the shampoo section.  A little boy probably around 2 years old starts screaming crying.
Lexi:  What's wrong with that baby?  Why is he crying?
Lyla:  Because he's not happy like us.
Lexi:  Oh yes, I'm a happy girl.
Lyla:  Me too.  Are you happy Mommy?
Mommy:  (While trying not to cry laugh) More than you'll ever know.

First Splash Park Trip

Last week we headed to the local splash park for the first time this summer.  You might remember how much the girls enjoyed it last summer:

Cute little swim diapers hanging out the back!

We're still loving it as much as last year but without the swim diapers and with maybe a little more hair.  My super fun friend Allison, known to the girls as Aunt Al, came along with us.  

The girls love Aunt Al so much because:

1.  She buys them chicken nuggets and always shares her french fries.

2.  She buys us all rainbow popsicles.

3.  She takes them to the gross public potty even when she's barefoot.

4.  She has cool tattoos permanent marker drawings.

5.  She helps Mommy pull weeds.

Oh wait, that last reason might have to do with me and not Lexi and Lyla.  But I think you get the idea, Aunt Al is AWESOME!