Isaac's Spring Program

Now I am the mother of a boy who has made it successfully through two school programs! I proudly sat in the front row and he waved at me and smiled. Awww - this mama thing is an excellent gig!

                                                           

There he and his pal Jack are coming into the sanctuary.

"Rise and Shine"

 "Little David Play On Your Harp"

Here is everyone who participated, minus a few tiny ones in a the "bye bye buggy."

They sang six songs, and they did a wonderful job. I couldn't have been more proud. I can tell you already that I am going to be an emotional wreck at next year's preschool graduation. Just thinking about "Pomp and Circumstance" makes me tear up. Times goes too quickly! At the end of the program a slide show was played with photos from the school year, and this song was playing:

You CAN NOT listen to these lyrics without crying. I dare ya!

Being Isaac's mother is the greatest gift I have ever been given. So, as the song goes, "Let them be little!" 

50 in 50

After I ran my first marathon, I knew I wanted to run another. I made the goal of running one in every state. Yes, I was hooked. Here's how my map looks so far. 

11 down, 39 more to go.

It's interesting to me to explain why I've run the states I have. Let's see if you agree.

1. Arkansas: I'm from Arkansas, and I lived there at the time. That's a no-brainer.
2. Tennessee: At the time it was about a 2.5 hour drive to Memphis. Easy-peasy.
3. Alabama: By this point I had moved to Mississippi, so I thought Mississippi would be #3. But, due to timing, I needed to run one at the end of the calendar year (long story). So we loaded up my 9 month 27 day old baby boy and made the 3-hour drive and got it done.
4. Illinois: Being that I went to college in Chicago, the Chicago Marathon was on my bucket list. There ya have it.
5. Texas: I had one more free airline ticket to use up from my pre-Dave Ramsey credit card days, and due to timing and available flights, it had to be Texas.
6. Missouri: By this point it had become all about the medal (and it still is!) so we made the 5-hour drive and I earned an awesome caboose medal.
7. Ohio: The Flying Pig is a top notch event with an awesome medal. As a bonus, Cincinnati is gorgeous.
8. Idaho: A huge family vacation prompted this one.
9. Georgia: I could run with my longtime friend (a bit) and we could drive to this one as a family.
10. Mississippi: At last! The medal is incredible, and it's a short 3-hour drive to Jackson.
11. Wisconsin: Again, an awesome medal, plus a short drive from Chicago. 

Wisconsin Marathon

After marathon #10 (heck, even before, if I'm being completely honest) I knew that I wanted to take some time off from running. I was, simply put, burned out. Four marathons in eight months will do that to a girl. That's when I decided to "dedicate myself" to CrossFit. I began and completed a 10-week BodyComp Challenge. Now that was an accomplishment! There is nothing easy about CrossFit. Nothing! 

Somewhere within those ten weeks, I discovered the finishers medal for the Wisconsin Marathon. The rest is history; I knew I just HAD to have it. After all my big talk about taking a break from running, I was about to embark on something a little crazy: CrossFit (which I was not about to give up!) PLUS running. Insane, table for one. I got the blessing of my CrossFit trainer when I suggested that I train for it using a CrossFit Endurance training plan. Actually, to be clear, I used the running portion only of that plan in combination with my 3-4 CrossFit sessions per week.  

For the past twelve weeks I have doubted whether or not the CFE plan would be "enough," as I was doing very little running. For the previous TEN marathons, I banged out a double digit longrun every weekend, with 2-4 shorter runs per week. CFE had me only going up to 10 miles. Period. Ever. *gulp* And LOTS of speedwork. Basically, only speedwork, of which previously I was not a fan. 

I just kept thinking to myself, "Look, you've run ten marathons, you.can.do.this. Thousands of those very fit CrossFit people can't be wrong." So I gave it the old college try.

I headed to Chicago (where I attended college) with my Blues Brothers inspired getup in tow. You see, for the first time ever I decided to run in costume. At this particular Wisconsin race, if you dress with even a bit of cheese on you, you get to start in the "All Cheese Corral." Inspired by this year's "blue cheese" medal, with the help of a talented friend, I composed a rather cool costume. But more on that later.  

 See my fedora? Yes, marathoners travel with "marathon luggage." 

My first order of business in Chicago was to have lunch with some sorority sisters. Yes, I was in a sorority. I was even president once. And I'll have you know that I have inspired a few of these ladies to run races. 

 There we are, some of the Kappas of the 90's.

I said goodbye and drove myself up to Kenosha, Wisconsin. It's situated right on Lake Michigan, just about an hour and a half north of suburban Chicago, where my lunch ended up being. 

 See, I was there.

The "help yourself" race expo took place at a hotel. I was in and out in no time. I found it extremely ironic (yet delicious!) that a "cheesy" place like Wisconsin would proudly promote and distribute cheese made in Vermont. I just can't wrap my mind around that.

 Signs involving cheese and beer were everywhere. Chasen says Wisconsin has its priorities right.

 Cool light blue tech shirt. I love it! 

 See Mr. Blue Cheese? It was he that I was trying to emulate with my costume.

 This is the back of the shirt.

 Mr. Blue Cheese was even on the race bibs. Love him! 

 Here I am in my hotel room on the morning of the race.

I must brag on my friend Roxanne. She sewed the collar/tie combo for me, and she even put velcro on it so it'd be easy for me. Love her! And I'll have you know that my fedora, hat band, collar, tie, and sunglasses cost me just under $7 (thanks to Roxanne's free sewing). 

 Here I am in the "All Cheese Corral" before the race. I was the only one dressed like the medal!

 Here is an All Cheese Corral sign. Yes, Wisconsin = cheese.

There were actually not many people in the ACC. I was shocked. I thought it would be a HUGE deal. But it wasn't. That was alright... that left more people to compliment my awesome getup! 

 I loved this well-costumed trio. They were running the half. 

I was shocked to discover that the ACC was at the very front. I'm used to starting (and finishing!) dead last. So when the race began, I had to book it! It took until mile 2 for me to get to a comfortable speed.

We started in downtown and quickly departed to some VERY swanky lakefront neighborhoods. Oh to be wealthy! Those residents get to look at this every morning:

 To my chagrin, views like this did not last long.

I has doing an amazing job, if I do say so myself. I have to admit... all of that CrossFit/speedwork was paying off! The exact phrase I used with Chasen and my running pals was "killing it." 

After the swanky area we headed to an out-and-back along a lakefront park. I was indeed "on a mission from Gouda." Ha. It was great. 

 I jockeyed "Miss Panties" quite a lot throughout the race. I wonder if she knew how she looked?

 These two gals were the only other Blues Brothers peeps I saw at the race.

After the lakefront area, at about mile 12, we headed out to Pleasant Prairie, WI and ran almost solely on gravel roads. That was NOT FUN. I was not pleased at all. Plus, it felt quite like "the boonies with some houses," and I was alone for most of it, as the halfers had already headed back into town to finish their race. I was still going strong, so I was happy. I was highly disappointed, though, to discover that there was no "half mat" to cross. I'm a glass half full marathoner these days, so crossing the half mat is a joyous time for me.   

Around mile 22 I developed a wicked pain in my left hip/pelvis area. O-U-C-H. I did very little running after that. It was disappointing as I was realistically envisioning a post-Isaac PR. Oh well, maybe next time.

 Like I said, all beer and cheese.

Those last 4.2 miles drug on forever. And there was very little course support by then. I really wished that Chasen and Isaac could be there to cheer me on and motivate me. But with fifty marathons on the docket, it just isn't realistic for us all to always be able to go. 

Finally the end was in sight. Oh happy day! I crossed the finish line and got my awesome medal and made my way to the nearest chair. What was in the food bag? A banana, a mini-bagel, and cheese from Vermont. I still can't get over that. It's WISCONSIN, people. 

 All done. Hooray!

 Even the lanyard is awesome. 

Say hello to my little friend, aka Mr. Blue Cheese.

Know what? Brace yourselves. I'm already looking forward to another marathon. I'm sure it won't be until late fall 2013, but I'm ready to get back out there! Can you believe it? Normally I am really, really ready for a break. But I guess five marathons in one year is the magic formula to make me want more. We'll see what time holds. I definitely plan to give the CrossFit Endurance method another go. After all, it freed up major time for me, and that is invaluable. 

To quote Joliet Jake, "I have seen the light!"  

Isaac's First T-Ball Game

Today was Isaac's first t-ball game. I knew when I signed him up that it was going to be a good learning experience for him and a GREAT photography opportunity for me. Yep - the truth is, I signed him up 99% for the pictures. Since I never played any team sports growing up, the other 1% was for him. Ha! 

We put Chasen on a plane for Baltimore early this morning, so I had to be the official motivator, photographer, drink holder, etc. No biggie - this mama can multitask. I quickly learned that I was to also be the team shirt distributor, which was easy enough. Truth be told, I was dying for Isaac to get his shirt with his name on it!

 There he is, lucky #7. And bless them for spelling his name correctly.

 Here a few players are practicing catching. Or looking the other way. 

 There ya go - look at the coach! 

 Pre-game pep talk. Coach Clinton is a VERY patient man. Bless him!

Pre-game prayer. One of the best parts!

Isaac's first time at bat. Everyone gets to bat once per inning.

Isaac is running from first to home. His pal Jake was last to bat, so he drove them all home.

Isaac's first time to catch. Everyone gets to catch once per inning. 

 Isaac's second time at bat. He did better!

There he is running from third base to home.

Isaac's third time at bat. This was about where the enthusiasm wore off.

 Last time at bat... ready to be done.

This was so, so, so cute! I really liked it for about as long as the kids did -- about thirty minutes. The second thirty minutes were filled with lots of playing with grass, staring at traffic, etc. Hopefully the kids' attention span will lengthen as the season goes on. We have five more games to play!

 Here they all are giving high fives when it was done.

Post-game pep talk. 1,2,3... go Maroon!

Cyclist In Training

Isaac received a Lightning McQueen bicycle for his 4th birthday last month. Since then he hasn't shown a whole lot of interest in it. Well, to be clear, he loves to "repair" it with its accompanying tool kit, but that's about it. He never really had ANY interest in mastering his tricycle when he was younger; he much preferred me to push him in it. Last summer when he did the Mighty Guy Little Tri, a certain member of my household was none too pleased with Isaac basically just sitting there during the bike portion. Ahem.

We finally got a warm-ish spring day, so I encouraged Isaac to try to ride it some more. Lo and behold, he did quite well! Take a gander. 

When he stops, he uses his favorite expletive "Oh Pickles!" Haaaaa!

I'm so proud! If only Chasen could have been here to see it. Dang China...

One day soon he'll be able to ride all the way to the garage.

Look out, Mighty Guy Little Tri, we're comin' for ya!

***I am a believer in riding with a helmet. This was an isolated incident.***

CrossFit BodyComp Challenge

After the Mississippi Blues Marathon, and even leading up to it, I knew that I wanted a bit of time off from running. I was definitely a bit burned out. Four marathons in eight months will do that to a girl! I took about a week off, and then embarked on something completely different. And Chasen joined me!

For the following ten weeks, I began having my rear handed to me about four times per week at my local CrossFit as part of a Body Comp Challenge (a 10-week body changing competition). What is CrossFit, you ask? From the website: "that which optimizes fitness (constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity)." Translation: (in my own words) weight training at a certain pace, plyometric exercises, timed workouts... basically anything that makes one pour sweat and maybe even feel like they're going to vomit (thank goodness that never happened to me - yet). Wow - I have loved it! The folks at DeSoto CrossFit have been so very encouraging and nice.

You might remember me trying this before in late summer. I didn't last long due to various circumstances. This time I was out for blood! Like I said, I went about four times per week. That's forty difficult workouts! My physical results, in my opinion, were pretty terrific. I lost 2" in my waist and 2.5" in my hips! I lost 3.5 pounds, as well (yes, it could have been better, but I am human). My other measurements increased, which was surprising to me, because I feel that I look soooooo much better. The female trainer that took my measurements said that it was a good thing -- so there ya go. I'm pleased as punch.

Here is a list of some of the things I have been doing: lunges, squats, dead lifts, back squats, shoulder presses, hammer curls, tricep extensions, sit ups, push ups, dips, pull ups (modified at this point), goblet squats, kettle bell swings, box jumps (also modified), snatches, cleans, bent over rows, bench presses, wall balls, burpees, planks, split jumps, frog hops, face pulls, jumping jacks, Turkish get ups, high knees, lumberjack squats, Russian step ups, side crunches, supermans, wall sits, calf raises, reverse sit ups. Yea -- it's no wonder that my body has changed.

Have I missed running during the past ten weeks? Not too much, to be honest. I even toyed with the idea of not running for about six months. As in, not one step, other than that which is sometimes required at CrossFit. But, you know me, marathons are where my heart is. My main goal with all of this fantastic CrossFitting is to become a stronger runner. So I'm now trying to live in both worlds. I've even registered for marathon #11, the Wisconsin Marathon. I'm training for it by loosely following a training plan created by CrossFit Endurance, an endurance sports training program dedicated to improving performance, fitness, and endurance sports potential. You run LOTS less than with a traditional marathon training plan, and you do lots of speedwork (my least favorite thing to do). It's a mental challenge for this woman! But I do believe in the CrossFit way, and I know for a fact that my legs are MUCH stronger than before, as is the rest of me.

Isaac went with me about 1-2 times per week. Now he likes to do what Mommy and Daddy do.

Now that the Body Comp Challenge is done, I had aimed to reduce my days per week at CrossFit to three or so, giving me more time to focus on the running. But, you know what? I just love it (Chasen, too!) and can't seem to stay away. I have lots of room to improve, and I really want to. A new chapter begins!

Isaac's School Program

Today was a big day for us. After much anticipation, I got to go to Isaac's preschool for their "Springtime Showcase," i.e. school program. Just like last time, unfortunately, Chasen is traveling in Asia. Ugh! In May, for Isaac's first ever program, I recruited a video recorder and a girlfriend to accompany me and use it in hopes that Chasen could "catch up" when he returned. Well, we had been having a rough time of it and  basically Isaac just stood there and cried. No bueno. So, today I recorded most of the show with my iPhone. And I did what any good mother would do: I bribed him with the promise of a new toy to participate. And boy did he deliver! Feast your eyes on these. He's the first boy on the right.  

I'm so proud of my big boy! He really did a great job up there. Now I wish I had recorded the whole shebang!

Isaac's Fourth Birthday

I'm not quite sure how my "sweet little Isaac" got to be four years old already, but he certainly has. Yesterday we celebrated his big birthday in a big way! Chasen took the day off work, which was very special for Isaac. First we gave him his big present immediately after we all got back from the gym.

 Here he is checking out his Lightning McQueen bicycle!

 It came with a tool set on the front, and it didn't take him long to put it to use.

 I knew my hands-on boy would love that tool set!

Notice "Stinky Dog" riding on top of the tool box. He's Isaac's BFF. 

 There is my big, happy boy.

Isaac is into many things, but his biggest love right now is fire trucks. I knew we probably couldn't have his party at a fire station, but we definitely wanted a fire truck themed event. So Chasen had the genius idea to have it in our church's fellowship hall. Basically it's a large, open space -- perfect for throngs of excited little boys! We went "boys only" thing year, and we even encouraged the parents to drop them off and go. Yep - we might be a little crazy.

We spent just a couple of hours readying the room for the party. We moved stuff around, set up tables, and even created a "firefighter's obstacle course" for them to go through.

 Two tables for the hungry boys. Each chair has its own fireman's helmet.

 There's a portion of the obstacle course: run through the chair maze, then crawl through the "fire."

 I made this banner by hand at my dining room table. I'm quite proud of it, to be honest.

After a nap (which Isaac is beginning to really fight, sadly) we headed over for the big par-tay. We were so excited to see all of his friends!

 Inside of the entry door. Those streamers are "fire," of course.

 Outside of the entry door. I made that sign, too. Yep - I'm proud.

We gave everyone about 15 minutes to arrive and get somewhat settled. I had something pretty big up my sleeve after that. You see, I went to a local fire station a few days ahead of time with the attitude of "it doesn't hurt to ask" and arranged for a crew to come to the party and talk to the boys about fire safety/prevention! (yes, for free!) Go ahead and nominate me for Mother Of The Year already.

The boys enjoyed hearing about the truck and even got to spray the water hose!
 

 Then the crew came in and gave a nice talk.

The boys (and a certain mama...) had lots of questions for them.

After the crew left the boys feasted on Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, Goldfish crackers, grapes, and juice boxes. That menu worked out great, if I do say so myself.  

 Table A

 Table B

After that it was time for cake! This was a fairly low-budget affair, and you can't get much more economical than a Costco cake. You also can't get much more delicious than a Costco cake! Chasen went and got the fire truck kit to top it with, and he did the arranging. Isaac loved it.

Mmmm! Isaac's favorite part is always the frosting, just like me.

 Four candles! Wow... not a baby anymore.

 Here is all but two guests. We had 16 wild boys there.

Isaac had such a nice time. All of those fellas must have exhausted themselves running around, around, and around. Yep - the fellowship hall was the perfect location for sure.

That night two of Isaac's besties got to sleep over. Here they all are this morning watching cartoons. Warning: the cuteness may overwhelm you!

The Sleepover Musketeers: Isaac, Eli, Jude.

After cartoons, breakfast, and a bit more breakfast (bottomless pits, those three), they had a big time putting together some of Isaac's new Lego's that he received as gifts. 

 This is pretty much little boy heaven, as far as I can tell. 

I hope that all of Isaac's birthdays are as enjoyable as this one. Four has started off with a bang!