Christmas 2013

Another Christmas spent with family and friends and it was marvelous.  We hope your Christmas was as wonderful and you spent time with those you love the most.

 Grumpy face.  That's what he gets for getting up so stinking early.

Jesus' Birthday Cake - Frozen Pistachio Cheesecake.  It was a hit!

Joyful and Triumphant

This morning my SIL posted this on Facebook.  It's stuck with me.

"Was listening to Christmas music this AM and O' Come All Ye Faithful came on.... a song I have heard thousands of times, but a phrase jumped out at me: "O Come all ye faithful, JOYFUL and TRIUMPHANT....". If you are in Christ, that is you! And me! Joyful and triumphant through Christ and FOR Christ. Let's not listen to any opposing voices and dwell in that truth this Christmas season!"

As the fliers and emails on cyber deals and specials on "gifts" flood your mailbox and inbox, pause to remember WHO is Christmas is all about.  May we be so stinkin' joyful and triumphant about the greatest and best gift ever given that we share it with others.  That, is honestly the best gift you could ever give someone.

Dentist Visit

The boys had a dentist appointment yesterday.  While this sounds pretty dull and you probably don't care, but it was Will's first visit.  I wasn't sure how this appointment would go.  You see, Will is very rough, tough, doesn't sit still, WILD child.  The last visit I made to the dentist with Andrew and Zachary left me swearing to all that Robbie would have to take them.  Zachary wasn't a model patient and quite honestly I'd rather tangle with a wild beast than go through that again.  Good news! Zachary was picture perfect this time.  Perhaps 6 months of maturing helped or maybe I wasn't there to witness any unruly behavior.  He made it through x-rays, cleaning and the works with stellar behavior and he's cavity free.  Yahoo! He was schooled on brushing his teeth well and his report card grade on that wasn't so good.  Perhaps they'll listen to the dentist since I have NO idea what I'm talking about.

 Pay no attention to the mop on his head.  He's LONG overdue for a hair cut.

Andrew is always good with visits.  He's got a few years under his belt and he knows it's quick and painless.  He's cavity free as well. Yahoo! Like his younger brother, he didn't do so well on his brushing skills and has work to do.  Hopefully a new toothbrush will spark his interest on caring for his teeth.

He's too cool for the Cavity Free sticker.

Woodle, yes, Woodle, the one you really want to know about.  He did an AWESOME job! He went right in, stood at the sink, brushed his teeth with the "pink" stuff to see how well he/we brush his teeth, hopped right in the chair to let the hygienist and the dentist do their thing and capped the trip off with x-rays.  He gave ZERO trouble.  Woo! Thank you Jesus.  The dentist does want us to come back in a month to have another x-ray done of his front teeth.  Labor day weekend Will fell at the gym (child care) and hit teeth first on the hard floor.  Long story short, his lip was slip and his mouth black and blue from the trauma.  It was bad.  One tooth is still a little discolored.  The x-ray shows a little grey spot, which the dentist said could be the cushion around the adult tooth or it could be root decay.  The next x-ray will let us know more about how to handle things.  Given the fact this tooth was banged pretty badly in September and things haven't gotten worse, I'm inclined to say he's ok, but I'll humor the dentist.

 

Random Nonsense

I've slacked off again.  I'll stop apologizing.

I don't have Halloween pictures to post.  Will didn't want to dress up.  Zachary did, but wouldn't wear the head piece and Andrew wasn't having anything to do with pictures.  We joined our friends, the Poulks, and went around their hood collecting candy.  That's about it.  It was fun hanging out with them, but the night was cut short since school was happening the next day.  The End.

We're starting the season of life where nothing slows down.  Sports are gearing up for Andrew.  My boy is so ready to play basketball.  He's itching for his first practice.  I'm gonna brag on him.  He's good. Really good.  In fact, there isn't a sport he's tried that he doesn't show a great deal of potential.  It's his thing.  I'm thankful.  He went to evaluations last week for basketball.  We have a friend whose husband is one of the coaches.  He tried to "snag" Andrew for his team, but someone had already gotten him.  This friend's hubs said Andrew is "money".  Color me all shades of proud.

Zachary is Zachary.  He loves life.  Does his thing.  I can't really define what his "thing" is, but he's just busy being busy.  He got his very first report card.  Not at all surprised he did well.  Well, I lie.  I was a bit apprehensive as to what his teacher would say.  Slightly worried we jumped the gun on putting him in Kindergarten being a young 5.  His teacher said he's above benchmark on several areas and right on target for others.  I'll take it.  He isn't playing sports this season.  I'm not sure he's all that into sports.  I do believe he'll be our artsy/musical kid.  I'm interested to see what potential he has in that area.  He has a beautiful, cherub like voice.  Stay tuned.

Will, the Hulk, Perry.  This child is a force.  He's a brute (oh so cute too)! To date he's had more bruised up, cut up, beat up looks on his face/head than my other 2.  I know CPS will be knocking on the door any day.  He loves to talk.  Imagine that.  Gets it honestly, right? He has a huge vocabulary.  It's nice to have a complete conversation with him.  You know what? He loves sports like Andrew.  Can swing a golf club, throw a ball pretty hard and far and he's built like a linebacker.  I see lots of games and such in our future.  I may need to buy another minivan just to accommodate the equipment and stuff.

All in all we've been busy, busy, busy.  I'm hoping this holiday season we'll slow down and savor the moments.  Hard to believe another year has come and gone.  I pray I don't let the moments pass me by.  

That said, love on your family, your friends, those who are struggling, complete strangers, neighbors, etc.  Say I love you more often.  Give a hug when least expected.

This Song

gets me every time I hear it.

Go listen for yourself.  If you watch Nashville you've already heard it.

A Life That's Good 


At the end of the day, Lord I pray I have a life that's good...

Sexy Mother Runners

This post isn't about any of the boys.  Sorry if you're disappointed.  I'll be back about them later.  I need to write this down while it's still fresh in my mind and really my heart.  My Meredith girls will know exactly the feeling I'm talking about after reading this post.  At least I hope you do.

This Friday at bright o'early 12 of us started an adventure that we really had no idea would impact our lives as much as it did.  Twelve strong, ambitious, phenomenal and wonderful women joined together to tackle the Tuna 200 Relay.  What is this you ask? Well, it's a relay race from Raleigh, NC to Atlantic Beach, NC.  Crazy, yes.  Awesome, you bet your bippy.  Life altering, you have no idea.  You just have to experience it!

Van 1 (Robin, Amy L., Shannon, Deirdre, Joanne and Cheri) started us off for the 1st six legs.  These ladies rose to the occasion like none other.  Afterall, we aren't name Sexy Mother Runners for nothing! Van 2 (Melissa, Brandi, Leslie, Kelley, Tara and me along with my SIL driving us) started off around noon on Friday.  I can speak for each of these legs of the race and truly tell you this was running at it's finest.  Total hardcore running.  Each van for their 1st set of race managed to come in under time and cushion us for what was left.  Just the first 2 set of legs (36 legs total, broken into 6 sets) equaled approx 65 miles.  Yes, 12 women cumulatively ran 65 miles and we weren't done yet! 

Night fell and things got interesting.  Injuries started to surface, sickness reared its ugly head and the weather wasn't kind.  Van 1 started us off around 5:00pm.  At this time we had to wear night gear (reflective vests, head lamps, flashlights, etc).  Van 2 started us off around 10:30pm.  Deep in the heart of back woods eastern NC is where we found ourselves.  Rain is falling, the clouds are so thick the moon appears to be missing.  Fatigue and sickness appear.  What do you do when a team member falls ill? You jump right in and get it done.  I can honestly tell you SMR put the team in team work.  I've never seen a group of women come together to get a job done.  What do you do when injuries surface? You jump right in and GET.IT.DONE! That's exactly what SMR did.  Van 1 took back over in the wee hours of the morning (3:45am to be exact).  Van 2 crashed at the the next transition spot for a couple hours of sleep.  I've left so many details out about this stretch of the race because honestly, it just sucks.  It's never fun to watch your team hurt and suffer.  What I want to remember is how beautifully each person dug deep and gave above and beyond.  Words simply cannot do it justice.

In the midst of all the craziness we had transition points.  I cannot say enough about the churches, civitan clubs, etc. that showed incredible hospitality to us.  Encouraging, welcoming and loving all in one. One church in particular was Eureka Christian Church in Mt. Olive, NC.  Paula, sweet Paula, loved on us like we were her own.  God bless her.  She made us coffee and for doing so we made her a honorary SMR team member.  Midway United Methodist in Stella, NC had a pancake breakfast for us.  Those pancakes were much needed after being up for 24 hours with only a 2 hour nap following.

The HOME stretch started with Van 2.  I want this post to remain positive, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I felt defeated and ready to get the heck home.  Physically, mentally, the whole kit-n-kaboodle.  One member is out due to illness, another has finished, but she needs to get home to her doc because salmonella poisoning is no freakin' joke (yes, she ran 24 plus miles for us.  WARRIOR, that's what she is.) and I've managed to re-injure a hip/groin/knee issue that I thought was under control.  Tempers were running hot at this point.  You'd think with 12 women it'd be a complete and total crap storm, but I'll have you know I've never seen 12 women come together so beautifully.  Never.  We adjusted who was running what and gave it everything we had left.  One of our strong runners started us off with a 8.41 mile run.  She killed it!  Since my injury wasn't going to allow me to run my leg, I took over the leg that took us over the Emerald Isle Bridge.  Words aren't needed.  It wasn't my best time by a long stretch, but I made it.  My SIL sent me a text right before the bridge.  Here it is.  Here are/were my thoughts.  Own it I did.

 You know what? Every single team member owned each leg and made it their B****! Proud is a complete understatement and injustice to have I feel about my team and their efforts.  The rest of the legs each member even though completely fatigued rolled it.  My SIL, Christy was driving our van and in the time of need she put on her running clothes and became our alternate runner.  See what I mean? Team work! My co-captain finished us off.  She brought us in to the finish line.  We joined her the last 150 meters and the feeling of crossing that finish line with her is one I'll never forget.  The high I'm on right now is unlike any other I've had when it comes to races.  I cannot wait to complete this journey again with these incredible women.

For my Meredith girls, when someone asks us about Cornhuskin' we could sit and talk for hours, maybe even days about the experience and still never convey the feeling, the emotions and the unity.  The best we can offer is, "You just have to experience it!"  That's the best I can offer for The Tuna 200 Relay.  You just have to experience it.

On a sappy note (because I can), there's a BodyPump track titled True Believer.  I honestly wear this song out in class because I love the beat, but really the words.  I've never been more inspired than I was this weekend.  Here's the song and the lyrics.  Try not to get addicted to it.  I dare you.

 

I am here and now because of you
You are the reason I do what I do
Like a phantom when you call me I'll be there
Any time that I'm around you shouldn't fear
Because of you,
That's what I do
Come on, Come on
Because of you
I'm a true Believer
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
(I'm a true believer
Gimmy Gimmy Gimmy)
Give me, Give me everything you got
You and I can take it to the top
Like the superheroes we can save the day
Let the music take us somewhere far away
Because of you (cause of yoooou)
That's what I do (what I do)
Come on, Come on
Because of you
(I'm a true believer)
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
I'm with you through the night
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer
So don't give up the fight
You're my inspiration in life
I'm a true believer

Last, but certainly not least, pictures from this weekend.  These are the ones I have right now.  I'll post more later.

 We did it! #1 (Deirdre, Kelley & me)

 Van 2 - Brandi, Leslie, Kelley (the birthday girl), me, Tara and Melissa

Four Oaks, NC home of the Wal-Mart Express.

 Leg 32 of 36 - Van 2 minus me (I'm running that bleepity bleeping bridge)

 Back view - not to shabby, eh?

 #wearesexymotherrunners

Melissa, Robin, Cheri, Shannon, Deirdre, Amy L, Kelley, me, Tara, Leslie, Brandi and Joanne

 My co-captain and her BFF, Leslie.  Yes, they are still friends even after this.  I cannot say enough about Kelley.  She is all that and then some.  Beyond thankful to have her in my life and my mentor.

 Paula, sweet Paula.

 Runner 1 out - remaining SMR team

 Van 1 - Joanne, Shannon, Amy L, Cheri, Robin, and Deirdre

 Before the fun - Starbucks run

 Pimping the ride

 

Wal-Mart Express - for real

 Shannon getting ready to start us off at 7:00am

 Cheri in - MO out

 MO in - Brandi out

 Super girl burning it up!

 That's me! 5.41 miles at a 7:30 pace

 Amy in - Tara out

 Home girl surprised us.  Pulled a 8:45 pace.  Tara in - Kelley out

 Kelley in - Leslie out

 Van 1's turn: Leslie in - Cheri out

 Leslie finishing out our first set of legs

 A necessity - dinner time.

 This is it! The last 4 legs.  Welcome to EI!

 Me right before the bridge.  I picked up Travis along the way.  Together we finished 5 miles.  He is a trooper.  8 man team tackling 203.8 miles.  Oh, he's only 17.

 Encouraging each other.  Cute story - Travis asked me my name, I told him.  Get to a stop light and he asks how old I am.  I tell him.  His response, "Oh, well I suppose I should call you Ms. Amy."  Mine, "Oh no buddy, it's ok, we're friends now.  You can call me Amy."  His response, "Well my mama raised me to say Ms."  My response, "Your mama raised you right."  Just when you think manners are dead, faith is renewed.

 KEP bringing it HOME!!!

 Look at her!  Mom of 3, fitness guru, friend for life, mentor, Wonder Woman.

 High 5ing her middle baby. 

 Tara and me

 Brandi and the crew following behind

 Team Sexy Mother Runners - 2013 All Female Team 1st place, time 30:30:14

We did not set a record, so you know what that means... See ya next year