Fun!

What a mother's day weekend!  I am so thankful for family and jam-packed weekends!  A re-cap of our activities...

Thursday...
Preschool with Ava & Kate!  They had a bike-a-thon to raise money for St. Jude's Hospital so I asked the teachers if I could come in to help.  I can't tell you how much FUN I had...if you ever need a morning pick me up...go to preschool.  My morning started off with mat time...followed by 20 minutes of pushing 8 preschoolers on the swings (workout!).  Other favorites...snack, weather, story time, songs, coloring, playing kitchen and drawing dinosaurs.  My favorite part of the day though was watching Ava & Kate interact with their friends.  At one point during the bike-a-thon the two of them hopped up on the play gym and started cheering on their friends that were riding their bike laps.  Pretty soon 1/2 the class had climbed up to join in.  So much fun to see them in a different environment.  I seriously could get used to preschool!

Friday...

Grammy's!  The girls were SO excited (as usual) to go to Grammy's.  They just adore her.  My favorite line out of Kate this weekend came right when we pulled into Grammy's driveway.  She excitedly said, "Mommy...I didn't even throw up this time!"  She then ran into Grammy's house yelling the same ..."Grammy!  I didn't even throw up this time!".  Poor Kate has had car sickness issues with the hills on curvy 315 lately.  She was so proud of herself...it's the little things in life:-)

Olivia had the most fun with Grammy...she couldn't get enough of her this time and was non-stop exploring Grammy's basement and toys.  She loved singing row, row, row your boat with Grammy, eating Grammy's food, turning Grammy's beds into slides/jungle gyms and going outside with Grammy.  I hope we didn't ware Grammy out too much!!

Saturday...Race Day! 

Doug and I ran the Cap City Half Marathon!  I can't tell you how much fun it was to cross the finish line with him.  Our goal was 2:10 and we ended up finishing in 2:05!  Not the speediest but as two people who were not consistently running up until 4 months ago...we'll take it!  We both felt great for a majority of the race...they had bands along the way, lots of people on the sidelines cheering encouraging words...and we got to run past so many spots that are near and dear to our hearts in Columbus...315, Buckeye stadium, campus, high street through the new South Campus, Short North, German Village and back up to the arena district.  My favorite scenery though was Ava & Kate, my brother Pat & Lindsay.  Uncle Pat & Lindsay helped the girls make signs and then carted the girls around town to different spots to cheer us on.  Can't tell you how encouraging that was.  I love my fam!    The thought of their faces was especially encouraging at mile 11-12.  I hit a wall...the sun came out and there was a long, steady incline...(seriously...a hill at mile 11?...I was not happy!).  Doug at my side, water stations,  encouragement from the curb and reminders  that we had less than 2 miles to go kept me going.  I was so happy to see (and cross) that finish line...especially with Doug.  I have run two halves before...one I finished with a much faster time, but this by far was my favorite.  And I think it's because I got to train, race and cross that finish line with my bestie!   

(p.s....check out Ava's first ever clip earrings in the pics below:-)).

Love my little cheerleaders!

Mile 13 - .1 left to go.  Doug looks way too happy in this pic!

Finally finished!

Our cheering squad!

After the race we showered and went to lunch and took naps!  Uncle Pat, Lindsay and Grammy were nice enough to divvy up the girls so Doug and I could go out...Martini's for dinner then the Tim McGraw concert.  So. Much. Fun!  A perfect cap to a great day!!

Sunday...

We said good-bye to Grammy and made the trek home.  Ava & I went grocery shopping, flower shopping and then my parents came over for grilled chicken and orzo.  The day ended helping Doug fix a toilet...but all and all...a perfect day:-)

This weekend just filled my heart with thankfulness...I love the people who have been placed into my life, who support Doug and I and most importantly...make my kids feel special and so very loved.  Mothers, Dad's, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends...here's to jam-packing days with loved ones that mean the most to us and sharing the goodness of life together!