Run Landon Run

So, I'm still throwing it back to February for this post.  Back in early February, Landon participated in the Kids Mercedes Marathon on a very very cold winter morning.  In fact, I think it was the coldest day of the year...seriously!  It was in the teens when we arrived and in the twenties when we left...brrrr!  Grandaddy and Sue came down to witness the big event themselves.  So we all woke up early and bundled up to head downtown for the race.







The Kids Mercedes Marathon is where the children run the last mile of their 26.2 miles that they have run throughout the school year in P.E.  But the last mile is quite an event.  They all get an official race bib as well as an official shirt to wear along with some other goodies donated by sponsors.  Then they line them up by grade and from there by chutes.



They are all so excited that the beginning is chaotic with kids pushing to get the lead and others falling down.  Landon fell down this year and was trampled on, but got right up and kept on running.



He ended up running a 6:32 mile and finishing in the top 20 of his entire grade.  It was hard for me to believe with that time that he didn't win, but then to realize there were 20 other kids with a time around that or even less...amazing!





Once they finish, they are awarded a medal and can proudly and officially say they ran the Mercedes Marathon.  :)  So cool!!

Throw Me Somethin' Mister

In an attempt to catch up on the past few months, I am going to totally ignore the fact that I haven't posted a single thing since January.  My phone and my camera are telling me its now or never...I am out of picture memory and every time I go to snap a picture, I am instantly reminded that  (A) I can't take any new pics unless I delete an older picture and  (B) I haven't blogged in forever which is why I have so many old pictures.  I have sat down probably 10 times in the past week to write a catch up post and get totally overwhelmed by how much I need to get on here.  Anyhow, for this post, I'm taking it back to February.



I grew up in Mobile, (well not entirely, but I do still consider it home) and us Mobilians take Mardi Gras very seriously.  In fact, as we so often like to correct point out, Mobile is the original Mardi Gras!  And it is serious down there...school lets out for the whole week.  Back in Birmingham we aren't so lucky, but this year, Presidents day fell on the Monday before fat Tuesday and the kids and I got a long weekend.  So, in a celebratory spur of the moment decision, I decided to pack the kids and myself up to head down to Mobile and celebrate Mardi Gras, by myself, meaning without Ash...yikes!

The ride down was rough and the minute we finally got into our hotel room, I had a meltdown and called Ash crying "why did I do this to myself."  Luckily, my sisters and their respective crews arrived shortly after and my kids were instantly entertained and that much easier!  :)







We all said our hellos and freshened up and made our way to parade #1.  We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel downtown and it .was . perfect!  The hotel courtyard faced the street on the parade route.  So, we would catch a parade and then walk the 50 yards to the hotel elevator back to our rooms until the next parade.  I'm not sure how many parades we ended up seeing, but after the first one, my kids were already pros!













Even Lynlee got the hand of it.  One of the days was windy and was blowing the trash all over the sideawalk which entertained her as much as the parade!  ha!



We never left the hotel premise, grabbing room service when we were hungry and snacking on moon pies and candy in between. 









Before we headed back home, we headed over to catch a visit with my PawPaw.  He is 98 years old and still lives at home by himself...he is amazing and we love him so much!! 




It was a perfect quick getaway that I can't wait to do again next year, errr with Ashley! :)

A Happy New Year

Ash and I rang in the New Year in good ole Nashville this year.  We came up to have Christmas with his mom's side of the family.  So we woke up one morning and celebrated Christmas and went to bed that night ringing in the new year.  I can't even begin to tell you how much we ate this weekend, but to tell you its been too much would be an understatement!  It seems all we did was eat and sleep.  :)   So, not only was I going a little stir crazy but the kids were too.  And since it was unseasonably warm, we packed up the kids and headed to dragon park.







I don't remember the real name of the mark...Fannie Mae I think??  But as far as I know its known as "dragon park" and it is F-U-N!  And since I had Ash  helping me out I was able to bring along the camera and actually use it.








The day was beautiful and the timing was perfect for some outdoor photos.  It was the perfect way to welcome in 2012!







I have 2 resolutions this year, the first is to slow down and enjoy today.  I feel so hustled and bustled all the time worrying about tomorrow.  I just want to breathe and enjoy the moment.  A lot of time that can be hard between the "mommy, I want some juice" or "mommy I want this" or "mommy come wipe me".  But in reality these times are precious and I should be enjoying each second of them, dirty diapers and all...right!?  And then my second reoslution may seem contradictory but I want to take 10 minutes at the beginning of my day to plan..  Plan dinner for the night, plan my workout, plan an activity for the girls and remind myself what I already have on the calendar.  I feel like if I take the time to plan my day I will be better about enjoying the little moments throughout the day.  And at the park I did just that.  I quieted my mind and brought myself down to the level of my toddler girls.












We did some Swinging...



lots of climbing...















ran through a tunnel...












and shared the simple excitement of spying a squirrel with a napkin in his mouth! :)






We all had the best time.  If you happen to find yourself in Nashville, check this place out...and if weather permits pack a picnic. We have made our way back home now and are prepping for our normal routines that will resume tomorrow...yippee! Meanwhile, Father Winter has arrived with some bitter temps...sure am glad I put both my resolutions to work already and enjoyed the warmer weather while it lasted!  :)