sweet summertime

The girls love eating on the deck.  I guess Olivia loves eating with her feet propped up as well.

claire's cake

As I was looking through facebook photos the other day, I realized that I never posted pictures of Claire's birthday cake on the blog.  I need a record over here, too. :)  

I was so proud of her for making her cake from scratch...I was also thankful that I didn't have to do anything!  Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.  Yum!

  

She did a great job, and we invited her friend Abby's family over to celebrate and eat cake.  It was a fun night, and the cake looked great and tasted delicious!  Great job, Claire!

chop chop

Ever since Meredith heard that you could donate your hair, she's been wanting to do it.  She decided at the beginning of the year that this would be the year. 

The night before her appointment, she was in complete agony over the whole ordeal.  She had decided to cut 12 inches but was having commitment issues.  I told her that she didn't have to cut her hair, and she could donate another time.  She was convinced that she would regret either decision. :)

The organization where Amelia donated hers a couple of years ago takes 8 inch donations, so she finally decided that 8 inches would be acceptable.  

Before:

After:

She came home, admired herself all evening, and then went into total chopper's remorse at bedtime.  It wasn't pretty.  We tried to remind her that her hair would grow back, it was still really long, and it was really generous of her to donate her hair to a child who needed it.  

What won out in the end was a little extra time with Josh, Claire, and me after Amelia and Olivia had gone to bed...along with an extra snack of peanut butter bread.  I did an extra special hair-do on her this morning, and she seems much more content.  No tears today. :)

the half marathon: the race

"Of course it's hard.

It's supposed to be hard. 

If it were easy, 

everybody would do it.

Hard is what makes it great."

--A League of Their Own

The race.

Want to know the greatest source of anxiety that I had ahead of the race?  Where am I going to park when I get there?

Seriously.

I was completely worried about it!  Thankfully, my sister knew someone who runs it every year, and she offered to drive me there and be my source of reason.  She's also a psychologist.  Some therapy was in order on the way down.  I don't think I talked too, too much. :)

I was staying with my sister the night before the race since her house is closer than mine.  I never go to bed early, but I was exhausted from the long day of preparing.  I went to bed early around 9:30ish.  I was supposed to wake up the following morning around 5:00, but I woke up around 4:30 and knew I wouldn't go back to sleep.  I got around easily and headed out the door.

Once we arrived, I realized that I had brought the wrong bag to store my things.  For those of you who don't know, there are nice people that will hold your things for you while you run your race.  Unfortunately, they had given us TWO bags in our packet.  I debated and debated about which one to pack...I thought about taking both, and for some crazy reason, I didn't throw the other one in my bag.  (Seriously, how much space would it have taken??  What's wrong with me?!)  They could have at least told us which color to use.  Although, it seemed as though everyone around me had chosen the correct color.  Thankfully there were some extras near the drop-off area for the newbies who didn't know which bag was correct. :)

I didn't know what to expect when I got there.  I always have to go to the bathroom 527 times before I run, so I was happy to see a line of 3,000 port-a-potties in a row.

On a side note, the funniest thing about the port-a-potties was that there were lines of people at the first 5 port-a-potties, and no lines of people at the other 2,995 port-a-potties.  My first thought was this:  these people can run 13.1 miles in this race, but they can't walk 20 yards to find an empty port-a-potty?  My second thought was along the lines of...the more people that use a port-a-potty, the grosser it is.  It was really a win-win to walk the extra few paces.

Anyway, so I found my corral, and I ate my banana (which I left on the ground outside the port-a-potty...it's sad when you feel like the sidewalk is a clean place to set your food), and I tried to act like the other runners around me...so I did some stretches, but I refused to do the warm-up jog like some people...that's just pure craziness...I wasn't going to waste any of my steps on the warm-up...I had 13.1 miles to go!  I listened to the slow songs on my ipod to keep me calm.  I said a lot of prayers.

Then, the race began.

From our corral to the start line was a bit of a walk, and people were running before we even got the start line.  But not me...or the guy next to me.  He looked at me and said, "We haven't crossed the start line yet, have we?!"  I said, "Nope...it's up there!"  Him: "Why is everyone running?!!  I only want to run 13.1!"  Me too...we stayed strong until we got to the start line.

Then, I ran.  I ran for 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 50 seconds.  Straight.

The first 8 miles were were great.  The next couple were okay.  The last 3 were pretty rough.

I had loaded over two hours of music on my ipod, and I listened to a lot of it during my run.  During the first several miles, I could have listened to just about anything.  The last few miles?  I needed some major motivation.  I listened to Mandisa's "Overcomer" over and over and over during those last few miles.

I knew that I wouldn't walk.  That was my main goal from the beginning, but goodness did I want to stop running!  I think mile marker 11-12 was the hardest.  I knew I still had two miles left, and I knew that once I saw the 12 that I only had one mile remaining.  It seemed like forever until I saw the 12!!

And then I got to 12, and I couldn't see the finish line.  Where was that thing??  Through the entire race, there were people all around me running.  It seemed like there were a ton of people close together after mile 10 or 11...more than before.  And then, all of a sudden during my last mile, there was a big space between me and the people in front of me.  It was only for a minute or so, but it was a weird feeling!

Crossing the finish line was such a great feeling.  When I ran my 10K a couple of years ago, I thought I was going to puke...I was dry heaving near the mascot at the finish line.  Thankfully, I didn't puke on him.  And I didn't feel like that at all at the end of this race.  My legs felt weird, and I could tell already that my calves were going to be majorly sore in the very near future!

I picked up my medal, snacks, water, and the like.  (The cookies were not impressive...I'm such a cookie snob.)  And I went to pick up my bag of stored items to find my phone to call Josh.  I literally hobbled up and down the curbs of the sidewalk to get my bag.  Those calves would hurt for days!

As soon as I had my phone in my hand to call Josh, I started getting emotional.  He picked up the phone and asked how my race was.  I couldn't even answer.  I was bawling.  I just couldn't believe that I had actually just ran a HALF MARATHON...thirteen point freaking one miles!

How in the world did I do that?!

When I crossed the finish line, I was eager to know my time.  I knew I had run about 10 minute miles through the race because there were clocks at every mile.  What I didn't know was the time on the initial clock when I started.  Josh was receiving text updates each time I would pass one of their checkpoints, so he told me that he would text me right after the race with my final time.  But, he didn't know.  The last text hadn't come through when I crossed the finish line.

I was almost in a panic that it didn't record my time.  Josh assured me that they would know my time.  I found my sister, and while we were on our way to breakfast, Josh called me with my official time.  My goal was to run about 10 minute miles, and I averaged just under that.  So fabulous.

Jill and I went to breakfast where I hobbled in and out of the restaurant, in and out of the bathroom, to and fro the car.  The worst part was that I drove our little crap car, and it's a stick.  Who didn't think of that ahead of time?!  My poor legs.

Anyway, while I was running the race, I was thinking that this was definitely the only half marathon I would ever run.  Then, later that day (and many times since), I decided that I would certainly put it on my list of things to do again in the future. :)

My calves were extremely sore that day.  They were worse the next.  It took me a good 3 minutes of walking on Sunday each time I stood before I didn't look like I was shuffling.  My calves were sore each morning until Friday.

This race/run will rank extremely high on my list of great accomplishments for quite some time.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, "You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream."

You know all those things you've been wanting to do?  You should go do them!

the half marathon: training

Yep.

So, after I ran a 10K (6.1 miles) a couple of years ago, I started believing that I might be crazy enough to try a half marathon.  I wanted to do it last year, but it just didn't work out with the events that we had on our schedule.  This year was the year.  

I used Hal Higdon's novice training schedule, and overall I was very pleased with the training.  Our neighbor-friends were kind enough to let me run on their treadmill for the first several weeks, and they hooked up a t.v. with both Netflix and Amazon Prime AND added an earphone jack.  Guess who was spoiled?  Me.  And I happily indulged myself with the first two seasons of Downton Abbey.  (On a side note, who has the remaining seasons that I can borrow?!)

About a month into the training, I had to run a 5K race.  Thankfully, there was a free one being held nearby, so I signed up.  About a half mile into the race, I decided that treadmill running and outside running are two very different events.  Not that I didn't already know it...I did.  I just didn't think it would make that much of a difference.  I ran the slowest race of my life.  This was humbling to say the least.  

Oh, hello, motivation...nice to meet you.  

Thankfully, the days were getting longer and the weather was improving, so I moved my training to the great outdoors.  I did a 6 or 7 mile run by myself and decided I needed some running buddies to help me along the way.  I knew I would never be able run week after week without a little encouragement.  I walk waayyy too easily when I'm alone.  

So, as always, my facebook friends came to my rescue.  My friend, Shannon, told me that she would be happy to do my 7 mile (I think) run with me the following week.  My faithful running buddy, Kristin, also joined us for a few miles (and Kristin did a lot of my shorter runs each week with me).  

Let me take a minute to tell you about Shannon (who has still not run her first official road race...she's going to kick some major butt when she does).  Shannon is a few years older than me, faithfully runs 3-6 miles a few times a week, and is a complete drill sergeant when it comes to running.  Throughout the remainder of my training, she encouraged me, often made me run farther than necessary, and refused to let me walk.  She.was.incredible.  

She ran my long run with me every weekend for the remainder of my training...7, 8, 9, 10.  The week we ran 9 miles was the worst.  We ran it on a Saturday evening, and it was brutal.  I remember asking her at one point how far we'd gone.  When she told me 3 miles, I wanted to lie on the road and cry.  We made it, though.  When I got home that night, I was shuffling around like a 90 year old woman.  (I almost wrote 80, but I was certainly not moving that well.)  My back hurt like it did a few summers ago when I pulled something.  I was actually afraid that I had damaged myself in some way.

I remember telling Josh that night (on the verge of tears), "I can't believe that I have to go 10 miles next weekend.  I just want to run the race next weekend.  I don't want to feel like this again.  I just want this training to be over."

I dreaded the following weekend.  I was out of town Thursday night through Saturday night.  I hadn't slept well Thursday or Friday night, and I didn't get home until after 11:00 on Saturday.  I contemplated skipping church just to get more rest, but I didn't.  All I wanted to do when we came home from church was take a nap.  But instead, I put on my running clothes, and drove down to a new area of town where we hadn't run previously.  We decided that we needed some new scenery if we were going to go 10 miles.  And we added an extra running buddy as well. :)

Shannon brought along her runner-neighbor, Cate.  It was fun to have an extra buddy along for our 10 miles.  Cate is super energetic and decided that we should line up and high-five any other runners that we met along our path.  This kind of fun was right up my alley.  I loved it.  I could hardly believe it when Shannon looked at us and said, "We just hit 5 miles, girls!!"  It felt like 2.  

The first 8 miles of our 10 mile run felt good to me.  The last two were rough...the last one especially.  I found complete joy in the fact that this was my last training week and the following week I was actually going to run my half.

I couldn't believe how great I felt after that last long run.  It was phenomenal compared to the previous week.  I was actually looking forward to my race!!

Next up: the race.

school year in review

The end of April and the month of May are always crazy busy in this house.  This year was no different, and actually I think it was busier than usual.  We threw in a homeschool convention, an out of town trip, and a half marathon along with the usual set-in-stone events.

I'm always a bad May blogger, but I see that I threw April under the bus this year as well.  Easter in late April didn't help. :)  I'm typically not a great summer blogger, but I'm hoping to change my reputation at least for this summer.

We had our last day of school last Thursday, and I've been thinking about our school year a lot.  Last year, I ordered all of our curriculum as soon as school was completed, and it was nice to not have to think about it all summer.  I'm definitely doing that again while things are still fresh in my mind.

Overall, this was our best year yet in spite of parenting a tween and a toddler at the same time.  The unexplored territory of the tween years baffles me at times, but we're going to survive (sometimes just one hour at a time, though).  This toddler thing...I totally thought I had it down...and then potty training reminded me that I, indeed, know slim to none.

Claire
Claire was an excellent student this year other than a slight hiccup in December.  She took complete charge of her math and her language arts programs and did an outstanding job.

For some reason, she was struggling to complete her reading assignments on time during the month of December.  She assured us that she would catch up over Christmas break, but we all know how difficult it is to catch up when people are building snowmen, decorating for Christmas, and drinking hot cocoa.

We put her on a strict school/chore/free time (or lack thereof) schedule through the month of January, and that seemed to do the trick.  She had no other problems through the remainder of the year.

I'm continually impressed at Claire's self discipline.  She often wakes up long before everyone else so that she can get to work on her math assignments while it's still quiet in the house.  I know that her motivation is that she doesn't want to "miss out" on free time when everyone else has completed their work, but I would have struggled to discipline myself at that age.

What is most shocking is that we now have a 6th grader.  When did that happen?!  We're looking forward to the next stage of the journey. :)

Meredith
Meredith was also a great student this year.  She continues to excel at reading and can often be found lying on her bed with her nose in a book.  I think it calms her.

Math is a frustrating subject for her, but she did extremely well this year while learning all of her multiplication facts.  Certain facts were continually giving her fits, and we did our best to work through those.

I'm praying that her attitude will be a positive one for the upcoming school year as she will be transitioning from me teaching her math lessons on a daily basis to her using Dr. Shoreman's DVD for her daily instruction.  Sometimes she has a difficult time with change, and I think she's feeling some anxiety regarding this.  I know she'll do just fine once she gets a few weeks into the program.

Meredith is a very willing student and typically gets right to work without much prodding.  She works right through her subjects and doesn't get distracted easily.  This is a blessing, for sure!

Amelia
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Amelia this year.  She is so easily distracted and by far the wiggliest child in our home.  Despite my fears, she was a joy to teach.  Distracted?  Yes...but also easy to put back on task.  Wiggly.  Ummm...for sure.  But, thankfully, kindergarten doesn't require that you sit and listen for hours upon hours each day.

She was the easiest child, thus far, to teach how to read.  Claire was the most challenging, then Meredith, then Amelia.  I'm not sure if their personalities/learning abilities are playing into this, or if I'm just getting better at teaching it each year.  I'm sure the latter is true!  If Olivia is the easiest, we'll know it's my experience playing a huge part.  My patience was certainly better the 3rd time around.

Amelia loved math this year, and often requested that we do it first.  Her Explode the Code book was also enjoyable for her.

Olivia
Olivia did great this year as far as finding things to do to keep her busy.  I often gave her little activities to complete this year, but mostly she was just happy to sit next to someone and play legos, look at books, or color.  She has learned her colors, shapes, and numbers.  We've done nothing formal, so I can't take any credit for her knowledge.  I am continually impressed at how much kids learn just by watching and listening.

Last year at this time, she was very interested in potty training.  I thought it was great timing with summer break upon us, but she only wanted to potty in the toilet...no pooping.  This was not what I had envisioned when I began the potty training journey.  Have I mentioned that potty training is my least favorite part of parenting?  Because it is.

I cleaned disgusting messes all summer, and I gave it a rest in the fall thinking that she would come around.  We tried to start again a few different times.  No go.  Mess after mess after mess.  Seriously, a few weeks ago, Claire took her into the bathroom and told her that she couldn't get up until she pooped on the toilet.  She sat there for about 5 minutes and then pooped.  We all celebrated! :)

Of course, she's had an accident here or there, but she's been really successful during the last few weeks!  This is such a relief.  Everyone has been super encouraging to me, and you'll find me often saying things like, "She'll figure it out by the time she starts kindergarten."  But honestly, I was kind of doubting it on this one!  Thankfully, I think we've made it through the hard part.  And if for some reason we happen to have a surprise 5th baby...I'm turning potty training over to Claire. :)

Overall, it's been a truly enjoyable year to teach the girls.  They are such a blessing to our family and to others.  Even though they have their sisterly squabbles, I'm continually impressed at the way they love each other and truly enjoy being together.

Selfishly, I must admit that I'm looking forward to the next two years of having the same number of students to teach.  Middle school seems like a daunting task when I think about it too much, but we're just going to keep doing what we're doing and making changes where we see fit.  It seems to be working, thus far, so we're sticking to it.

I can't tell you how much I love summer break!  We're looking forward to park days, lake days, zoo days, and lazy days.  Hope all of you have a great summer as well!

Happy 11th Claire!

Today this girl turns 11. 

She remarked to me yesterday that her age no longer fits on her hands.  What I think this really means is that she's a big deal.  

As I was looking through photos this morning to choose one for this blog post, I struggled to find one that was of her alone and one that captured her personality.  I chose these two from our trip to Daytona Beach last fall.  

She's an "all in" kind of a personality.  She's not afraid to take charge, and I'm certain that she was managing the building of that sandcastle!  That's why she's in the middle...keeping tabs on the structure, making sure the spacing is correct, building the walls, etc.  

It has been a joy to watch her grow this year.  Little by little she's turning into this little young lady who continually enjoys people and business.  She was able to run a popcorn stand with some other students through a local entrepreneurial program, she ran her own snack station at my sister's garage sale, and she "helped" my mom serve hot dogs at a golf outing station just a couple of weeks ago.  By helped, I was told that she was managing the tent well. :)

Independent, disciplined, problem solver, driven.  She works smarter, not harder and struggles to take no for an answer.

When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday this year, she responded, "Well, I'd really like to make my own cake this year."  

If this is what 11 looks like, bring it on. :)  

At 11, she loves board games (Ticket to Ride is her favorite), riding her bike, being with friends, listening to adults discuss anything, swimming, golfing, reading mysteries, and baking.  She doesn't like folding laundry (really, who does?).

  

Happy 11th Birthday, Claire!  Hope you have a wonderful day.  We love being your parents, and we love watching you grow.  We can't wait to see what this year brings!