My First Mini Marathon

So this morning was my first (and possibly last) half-marathon. :)  I never EVER thought I'd be a runner or even consider something like this.  That's what makes it all so unbelievable. My high school friends can tell you that no one hated running more than me.  I mean seriously could almost puke in 7th period math thinking about having to run 1 mile for pre-conditioning after school.  It seems like everyone in southern Indiana is a runner so eventually I caved and started. :)  Almost like a bucket list, I am so glad I can say I've actually done this at least once in my life. I'm so proud of my runner girls! It's been hard to get in all of the runs with kids and busy schedules and somehow we managed. Thanks to our hubbies for making it happen for us too!  

Chris and the boys came down to watch me finish. I texted him at mile 12 so he'd know I was coming and he had the camera ready (I'm rubbing off on him).  I'm looking obviously beautiful in these pictures. ha!!! I didn't see them until I was almost passed them and they yelled so I turned back for some kisses from my boys. :)

I'm pretty much a hot mess at this point. :) 

Kisses for my boys

Yay! I made it! 

This has been our running crew...Amber, Christy and me. Eric was with us today too (Amber's hubs) although he was in a league of his own on time. :)  So proud of you girls!!  So my ending time ended up being 2 hours and 15 minutes. I was happy with that...not sure if I could have made it much faster.  The first 8 miles I ran under 10 minutes but then ran out of gas from mile 10 on.  Still overall a good experience and so thankful the rain held off and the weather was good!!   Now, ready to put that "13.1" magnet on my car. :)

Jenn's Surprise 30th Bday!

Last night was Jenn's surprise birthday party.  It's her 30th birthday if you can believe that. :)  I love a good surprise especially when the person has no clue.  Nick brought her in and she thought it was a party for a different friend until she saw all of her friends and family.  It was so cute to see the surprise on her face. :) 

She almost made us all cry with how surprised and touched she was.   

Happy birthday girly!!!  By the way, isn't this cake fabulous?!?!?!  My friend Missy makes them and they are FABULOUS if you ever need one. :) 

Jenn in the middle with all the girls at the party. :)

More baseball for Braden

Braden has been having about two games a week.  He's still going out with a positive attitude and doing his best when deep down he'd probably rather be playing his DS. ha! 

Pop was the third base coach for us. Braden thought that was pretty cool! 

Run hard buddy! 

Thunder Over Louisville

Last night was Louisville's big event....thunder over Louisville (for you outta towners:). It's the biggest or one of the biggest (not sure) fireworks shows in the nation. They also have an air show all day. My friend Jenn's mom got us bracelets to go down and be right next to the action. We got to sit in a little secluded area right next to the 2nd street bridge. We bundled up, took snacks and had a perfect evening! The kids loved it! I wondered if Ethan would be scared but he loved it and has talked about the "sarworks" all day! When it ended it we booked it to the car and hit no traffic going home which never happens-seriously a perfect thunder night!

Of course Chris and I loved the snuggle time staying warm :)

Christy, Jenn, Me and kiddos

Ethan wearing his protective ear gear (which he loves to wear!) watching the planes go by

Carson and Braden taking a rest

Jenn and Alivia looking all cute!

Ready for the big show. Wherever "Big Jackson" is...you will find Braden. He is literally obsessed with "his big brother" as he calls him. Thankfully Jackson is a sweetie and is pretty good about putting up with his biggest 5 year old fan! :)

We had great seats!!

Carrie and Lexi watch the big show :)

Tee Ball Season is underway!

Braden had his first tee ball game this week. :) Chris is his coach so they went to the game first to pass out uniforms. When I pulled in I could not believe how stinkin' cute Braden looked in his uniform! I mean soooo cute and soooo big! Love it! He did a great job in his first game and Chris is a super coach for these little guys. Ethan on the other hand is not too happy about having to see his daddy and brother on the field and not be able to go out there too. With snacks, bubbles, my phone and all, it might be a challenge to keep him occupied. ha! He is ready to play too!

Handsome boys!

He looks SO tall when he bats. :)

Big stuff standing on first

Gma Cindy and Pop came to cheer on Braden and helped man Ethan with yummy snacks. :)

Going for a grounder

Coach Daddy helping Braden get ready to hit

Easter lunch at Carma's

After church we headed to Chris' aunt Carma's for more Easter fun and a huge yummy meal! Chris' uncle is a police officer. He gave the boys a ride in his car and let them do the siren. They LOVED it! I told them it better be the only time they are in that type of car. ha!

The whole family was watching them go up the road and back and all of a sudden the car was going back and forth through the fields. ha! Merle let Ethan steer the whole way back to the house. It was hilarious to see a cop car swerving all over the road with the siren going off. :)

Time for the hunt...with cousin Izzie

The boys love their Papa T.

Checking out their loot! These kids find money in their eggs! Not sure I remember that from being a kid. ha!

There was lots of land to drive all the vehicles. Ethan loved cruising with Izzie in her cool ride!

Finally the boys did some fishing. This was one of those ponds where Chris could catch one after the other which is perfect for kids of course. He and Ethan caught probably 10 fish. Ethan loved it but didn't want to touch them. :) What a fun, fun day! Thanks Granny and Carma for hosting!!

Easter morning

The Easter bunny came!!! I can't wait for the kiddos to wake up and see their baskets by their door. I think as moms, we always do what our moms did for us. My mom always put our baskets outside our bedroom doors...that's what I remember from growing up and loved it, so that's what I do too! Braden got up much earlier than Ethan so he had to wait to dig in.

Love their excited faces! The Easter bunny brought them new swim trunks (how did he/she know that's what is needed in this family?!), a little bit of candy and some bubble toys.

Handome boys!!

Coloring eggs

We picked the perfect night to color Easter eggs! It was beautiful outside so we ate dinner on the porch and then did the egg dying too. It was fun to see Ethan be able to really participate this year! He loved to leave the eggs in each color for a long time while Braden couldn't fly through it fast enough. ha! Never sure what to do with all these colored eggs when they're done, but it's fun while we are doing them. :)

Oh and here's our picture with the Easter bunny at Bass Pro shops. Ethan finally loved him!! He has been terrified of Santa and the Easter bunny every year so I wasn't sure what to expect but this year he loved him! He kept waving at him after we walked away and talked about the sucker he gave him. ahhhh :)

Easter activities

Last Saturday we went to Speed Church in Sellersburg for their Easter egg hunt. It was perfect because it wasn't too big and crazy. The boys each got some eggs and they got a bag of candy at the end. :) Thanks Janelle for telling us about it. :)

Braden and Jackson were excited to see each other...can you tell? :)

Yay! Candy!