ten happy things friday

one
Both girls are napping. This is a huge deal for me since Rose has pretty much given up naps. I wasn't sure what to do with this uninterrupted time so here I am.

two

Last Friday I was able to go with D and his class on a field trip to a corn maize. It was a lot of fun to get to spend some time with just him. Also, first graders are hilarious.

three
I could be doing things like putting laundry away or reorganizing the baskets in the bathroom, but due to our new "no housework after noon" policy I painted my nails and read blogs instead.

four
Sam had a checkup earlier this week and I snapped this picture in the exam room because how awesome and rare is it to see this in a doctor's office (or anywhere that's not church affiliated)?

five
How cute is this baby?

six
Sunday we went out to a pumpkin patch/Christmas tree farm and had such a good time! And I am really excited about Christmas this year.

seven
Tacos are delicious.

eight
Date nights. We don't get many and don't even have one planned, but I like having them.

nine
October in Texas. Cool in the mornings and warm and sunny in the afternoons.

ten
Happy birthday to my sweet mother-in-law today and to my brother tomorrow! 

First 5K

Saturday I ran my first 5k! It was a small race- there were only about 50 participants in the 5k run (they also had a 5k walk and a 1k fun run)- put on by our school as a fundraiser. I was a little nervous and really excited. I haven't been running as often as I'd like (I usually get one run a week) so I was sort of worried I'd lose stamina and have to walk. I surprised myself though and ran most of it, taking only a few 10-20 second walking breaks. I ran mostly alone; there were three kids that stayed about 20 feet in front of me until the second mile and I was able to pass them (a lot of kids ran and they were really great). When I came up on the last quarter mile I could see Tim and the kids and they were cheering me on which was really encouraging so I picked up my pace. When I turned the last corner to run through the finish and saw the time I couldn't believe it- way better than I had expected- 32:13. (I just started running in June and hadn't yet been able to get past 2.8 miles in 30 minutes.) I ended up finishing 2nd in my age group and 17th overall.

And....
D ran the kids 1k fun run and was awesome!

We had a really great weekend!

The Little Things

Some of the little things in my life that make me happy:

• our bird feeder and watching all the birds that come to it
• our garden
• the new (non leaky, has a handle) coffee press
• banana oatmeal cookies
• outdoor temperatures below 90

I'm going to try to get back to this blogging thing... a month long hiatus is enough, right?

ten happy things friday

One

School started this week. D is in 1st grade and Ry started kindergarten, so it's just us girls at home during the day. (It's really sort of nice, but I do miss the guys.)

Two

Last Monday I started a new routine with my cleaning/ housekeeping. I do what I can until 12pm and then the heavy work is done and I'm just Mommy. I still make dinner and I clean up after our snacks. I'm not sure why, but this really works for me.

Three

 Popcorn shrimp. It's good and it's my lunch.

Four

Awesome deals on clothes. This really is one of the best times to shop. I found some sweet bargains on jeans and dress pants for the kids online.

Five

After looking at a lot of pictures of wreaths I got the courage to make one myself for our front door. I think it turned out pretty.

Six

I got these divided containers (but I spent half as much) for the boys' lunches. I was feeling like sandwich bags were coming out of my ears and these fit so much, plus I don't have to worry about running out of bags and it's saving me money. 

Seven

Our cat, Hugh. He catches mice.

Eight

The nickname Rose calls Sam... Samamfie. For some reason she just can't say SamaNTHa. It is adorable and I love how well they get along.

Nine

Running. I still like it. I've started doing intervals to work on my speed. That sounds all serious, but really I just don't want to be the last one across the finish line at our school's 5k in October.

Ten

I wrote this post and it's been difficult sitting down to blog lately, so I'm glad I got through this. And it's the weekend!! (almost)

So long

It's been so long since I've blogged that I don't know where to start. Or even if I should start. We've had a busy-ish summer and school is starting again in a few short days. In a way I'm excited for school to start; the boredom that leads to bickering and tattling will be knocked down several notches, but I will also really miss having all the kids at home with me.

Since I last wrote we have been to the zoo, took the boys to Schlitterbahn (had a blast), bought all the school supplies that a first grader and kindergartener need, got really behind on laundry, finally got caught up with laundry (only took four days!), Sam started pulling up, we found out our little town's swimming pool closed for the season on August 4 and Tim and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. It's been a busy, but good couple of weeks. I completed my C25K program! I am starting a new program to work on my speed because my pace needs some boost. I'm running my first 5k in October and I would like to have a respectable time.

I feel like this should be so much longer since I was gone so long, but there is rarely a moment that I'm not being distracted around here so this will have to do for now. Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later!