My First 5K!!

About 2 months ago I decided I wanted to start exercising and getting into better shape. I decided to motivate myself by running a 5K! I had about 6 weeks to train however, the weather here in east TN has been horrible. It has not been out of the 90's and 70% humidity in about 4 weeks. So I had to try to get my walk/running in by 9am and with two kids that was not easy! Then we went on vacation for a week and I didn't get to train any. I got the worst cold ever while on vacation so my 5k was upon me before I knew it and since I had told everyone I was running it. Well, I had to run it!!!

I decided the night before the race I was NOT going to do it. I was so nervous and upset I hadn't been able to train like I wanted to that I figured there was NO way I could even walk a 5k and finish before lunch!! LOL Well with the motivation of my daughter who is 7 and was running it, and my husband who is a seasoned runner and running it, well I had to do it.

I set a personal goal of doing the race in a hour of less. I told myself it was OK if I had to walk some of it just not all of it. The gun went off and there I went running along with everyone else, even some people behind me. Before I knew it, everyone was gone! I felt SOOO alone, no one in front of me that I could see, no one behind me! But I had to keep going. after the first mile I felt like quitting. No way I could run 2 more!! The next thing I knew some guy was yelling out 35min, what?? I had made it 2 miles, one to go! I kept on going, running, walking, jogging, running, etc. I looked up and saw my husband and daughter coming back to run with me!! I almost cried as they had all ready finished and they came back to run in with me. I crossed the finish line in 54min 32 sec!!!! Yes I was last in my age group and 5Th to last in the entire race but I didn't care. I FINISHED!!!!!! I won a medal too!! Besides a trophy in Kindergarten it was my only other award I have ever gotten!

Crossing that finish line was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. My husband said he had only seen that determination on my face two other times, when I gave birth to my daughter, when I gave birth to my son, and when I crossed that finish line!!! I love my family so much. Looking forward to the next race!

Happy Father's Day to My Daddy

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." - Clarence Budington Kelland

To my Daddy:
Happy Father's Day! Thank you for being such a wonderful daddy and the best papaw Abby and Brady could ask for!!!! We love you so much!!!! I am lucky to call you my daddy!!!

Happy Father's Day!

• "I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." -- Sigmund Freud

To Chad:

I am so thankful everyday that God blessed me with the most wonderful man to be the father of my children. He is strong, caring, kind, gentle, respectable, honest, protective, and intelligent. I hope one day my kids realize how lucky they are to have him as their father.

He is the apple of Abby's eye and she has him wrapped around her little finger, when she looks at him he is a pat of butter in a frying pan.

Brady looks at him as if he is amazed of his larger version of himself. If he turns out like his father there is one lucky lady out there somewhere and she doesn't know it yet.

I am a lucky wife to get to share this life with you and watch our children grow and learn. I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day! We love you so much!!!

Storm at North Myrtle Beach

These photos were taken around midnight the first night we were there on vacation, I was standing on the balcony taking them and decided that might not be such a great idea so I stood in the doorway of the balcony and took these shots from about 11:30pm until after midnight watching this beautiful storm cross the ocean! Remember it was DARK and the lightning was AMAZING, how it lit up the entire area!

North Myrtle Beach Family Photos

North Myrtle Beach 2010

This year we went back to North Myrtle Beach for vacation. This was Brady's first vacation and he was cutting teeth so it was testing to say the least. We took my mom with us this year, it was her first time to see the ocean. I think she liked it! Here are some candid shots from the trip.

Lady Vols Soccer Camp

This is Abby's second year to go to the Lady Vols Soccer Camp! She LOVES it. I honestly have to say it is one of the BEST camps around! It lasts from Monday-Friday, 9am to 12 noon. They do drills, obstacle courses, learn skills and moves, tour the complex, and have a TON of fun!

Let Summer Begin............

Well Summer has officially started for us! We drug out the water hose, sprinkler, and pool this past week! The neighbors Emma and Sarah came over to play! The kids had a great time. Its been so hot here that I have been tempted on more than one occasion to run through the sprinkler myself! Here's to a great summer!!!!!





Abby and Emma

Brady and Sarah

Summer Learning

As a mom I always look forward to summer vacation to take a break from school. However, Abby's 1st grade teacher sent home a letter that was very informative about how important it is to keep kids reading and learning during the summer. Here is some advise from her letter:

-Get summer workbooks (obtained from any school supply store) so they do not lose any of the reading, spelling, phonics, writing, grammer, or math facts and skills learned the previous year.

-As little as 10-15 minutes a day on worksheets or workbooks along with 10 minutes of reading will go along way this summer.

- Make regular trips to the library and encourage reading

- Purchase or make math flash cards for simple math facts

-Provide a new notebook or blank book and have your child keep a daily journal. Encourage good penmanship,spelling, and punctuation.

-Reader's Digest Magazine is an excellent source of short, concise, and often humorous stories to read to each other

I decided instead of a workbook to look online for printable worksheets. Here are some GREAT sites I found:

www.dadworksheets.com
www.superteacherworksheets.com
www.tlsbooks.com
www.education.com

I just wanted to share this with all you moms and dads out there with school aged kids. Happy Summer!!!