A visit to Nanny's

Our next adventure was a trip to Nanny's :) Madeline and I made the trip to outside of Richmond, to spend some time with Nanny.  Nanny is going through chemo again, so I knew we would be hanging out a lot and spending some time around the house :)  For that reason, Jack graciously stayed with the older two so I could bring just Madeline.  It also gave Nanny and myself some time with just Madeline :)

We also got to see my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins.  Uncle Al decided to take a nap... 

Einstein certainly enjoyed his nap!

 Madeline loved this light up tree :) She would bring it to me and say "tun oon treee pese"

 Spending time with Nanny... reading :)

 ...hugging :)

 ...drawing

 ...cooking

 ...and more cooking

 

It was really great to get to spend some time visiting with Nanny! I love you bunches!!

Brooke's Easter hunt :)

OK... I know! I am a little behind on blogging!! Sorry Sorry!
I will try to do a couple over the next few days to catch up ;)
This is about Brooke's last day of pre-school before Spring break.  They had an Easter Egg hunt ;)

Here is Brooke hunting for eggs :)

 Still hunting (you can see her BFFs in the background... Kate and Claire)

 Brooke and Madeline having a snack after the hunt! 

I thought I would leave you with a Brooke-ism...
Yesterday we were in the car going somewhere and Brooke was talking about how God loved her.  Then she added that Jesus loved her too. So I said "Honey, they are kind of the same person".  After a moment she thought and said "But Jesus has longer hair" 
YUP :)

farmer in the dell :)

Over the last few weeks Hana's class has been studying the farm.  To cap off their learning, the did a farm presentation.  The class worked in pairs and had to present different things about the farm.  There was the farmer, pigs, chicken, horses etc.  Hana did the goat.  Each pair had a table to display the things they had done.  They even made clay animals.  So cute! The presentation was very well put together!  We love Hana's teacher! :)

Farmer Hana

 Hana's clay goat

 her table :)

 

10 things you may... or may not... know about us!

1.  When Madeline really wants something from Jack she calls him "honey!"  She says "Honey top it!"
2.  Although Brooke promised us that when she turned 4, she would stop sucking her fingers, she still sucks them.  She is pretty stubborn, I really thought she would stop!
3.  We have family movie night (just about) every Friday night.  We get a movie, put down a blanket, and eat hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls as a family.  The kids love it!

4.  At the end of the move, they dance to the credits :)

5.  In March we paid $3200 to replace our heating and air condition unit.
6.  Last Sunday, Jack bought a car.  On Wednesday, it stopped working and now sits in the shop with $1500 worth of repairs.  It has been an expensive last few weeks!
7.  I am helping in Treasure Island (the elementary school age program at church).  I am leading a small group of 3rd grade girls.  I love it and it totally makes me want to teach again!
8.   We are in the "free trial" period of Netflix streaming through our Wii and I LOVE it!
9.   Today I changed over the girls summer and winter clothes.  I was amazed to be looking at clothes that when I bought them, I never thought Hana would grow into.  And I was hanging them in Brooke's side of the closet!! Man time goes by fast!
10.  Jack has been helping with Starting Point at church at 4:00.  Each week he takes a different daughter with him and then they go out to dinner for a "Daddy date"!

I hope you feel like you know us ten times better ;)

Brooke is 4!!

Today is Brooke's 4th birthday!  It is always hard to believe that my babies are getting older!

Brooke got to have a very special day :)  We started by having the breakfast that she wanted.  Then we let her open a present before school.  We sent in cupcakes to school and Jack, Madeline and I, got to see her at school.  After school, a "special lunch", and nap she opened more presents.  When Hana got home, they got to watch her favorite, and new movie to the collection, The Lion King.  We ate dinner and then went to get her ears pierced. Whew! It was a very exciting day!  

She gets to have more fun tomorrow when we go to Chuck E Cheese with some of her friends!

early morning present :)

She looked So peaceful during their pre-snack prayer! love it!

snack at school! yummy cupcakes :)

Madeline and daddy with Brooke's birthday balloon

 Present time!

 

A little helping hand :)

getting ready for the earrings

 

Brooke looking SO cute with her NEW EARRINGS!

 

Happy 4th Birthday BROOKE!!

My second half! Better than my first!

Today I finished my second half.  This race was a little different than the first, but also similar.  We started at 6:30AM!  So I had to get up at 4:45AM to get there and make it to the starting line on time.  I felt really good for the first 10 miles.  The course was relatively flat (there were some small hills but nothing like the horrid on-ramp of the Battleship) and nice.  We started around the loop at the beach and saw the sun rise.  We ran about 6 miles inside of Landfall, I was afraid that those would be my hardest miles.  They were not.  My hardest miles were the last 2.  I think my lack of sleep was hurting me by this point.  I needed to dig deep to find some extra energy and I just didn't have it.  The 2 girls I was running with started to pull away from me in the last mile. They are both a couple of inches taller than me and their longer legs just ran a pace I couldn't keep up with.  That is ok, I just put on my music and ran it out.  

My official results were 2:07:24 (9:44 pace).  I was 386 out of 1016 women.

That is about a minute and a half faster than my first.  I was happy with that.  I had not been as motivated for this one so I hadn't trained quite as hard.

All 5 of us that trained together got matching shirts.  They were very cute if I say so myself! I put the design together (with their help of course!). Soon I should have a picture of us all at the start, one of the other girls took it.  Once I get it, I will add it!

This is the back of our shirts it says "I couldn't do this alone!"

Here are all of the girls I have been running with... PRE-race :) 

See how DARK it is!

 

This is what 24oo runners looks like! Wow!

(I borrowed this from one of the local Tv station's website)

The 3 of us at about mile 11

Can you see my determination to finish?! This is about mile 12.5
 
 In the home stretch!

 Waving to my family!

At this point I am not sure if I will do another half.  My leg hurts, I am tried, and my body is sore.  But I kind of liken it to childbirth... it may take me awhile to forget the pain so that I am ready to do it again!!

Madeline Madeline

We found a new love for Madeline... ranch!  I do not know where this child came from, she certainly could not be MY child!

Yuuuummmmyyyy ranch!

She also loves Brooke :)

Aren't my kids sooo adorable :)