Christmas was spent at Brian’s parents where we played games, ate good food and I improved my disc golf game. Christmas morning started with their traditional barricade – only this year we told Benj. wake up time was 5:00am instead of 4:00.
Lance enjoyed his first Christmas, being big enough to enjoy the paper 🙂
He did actually manage to get his toys mostly opened and had plenty of help in figuring out how each new thing worked.
Of course, I think his favorite was the packing peanuts.
Coming back from a nice vacation, Brian and I were both sick at the beginning of last week – I was at the end of my fight with the illness but Brian was just starting up. We spent some days laying around the house watching our new Christmas movies.
New Years eve we were starting to recoup so we cleaned the house in an attempt to finish off any germs, watched a movie then hit the sack early. Lance started on his resolutions early by cruising that evening! He is really excited about this new skill and was entertained for half an hour last night going from the bathroom door frame to the edge of the cabinet.
And here’s Lance showing off his other form of mobility while enjoying a banana – this kid is talented!
About two weeks ago we decorated our place for Christmas. Brian wasn’t feeling up to par that day so he lay on the couch and gave suggestions while I put things up. He did put the mantle above our fireplace – a very helpful addition for the look of things.
The manger scene is one we made last year when the girls from my family were visiting. Lance isn’t crawling yet so we can have stuff on the floor 🙂 I do need to make Lance’s stocking though.
Here’s our tree setup. A fake tree worked out perfect because by leaving a few branches off the back we could fit it into the corner. We also put up lights outside. I love having Christmas lights on – both inside and out. I try to have them turned on before Brian gets home because it’s so much cheerier to be greeted by lights on a cold, dark night. I also love seeing presents under the tree and our Christmas cards on the mantle – it just brings back good memories and feelings. Now for a cup of cocoa…..
Lance has turned into a little elf and he and mommy scurry around doing little projects. Fortunately he’s too young to know that cookie dough tastes good (along with the pacifier for extra security). He’s very good at ripping paper so he should have fun on Christmas morning.
Lance has come up with a few new games. Daddy taught him how to turn off light switches so now he helps me save energy as we leave a room. He makes such a cute giggle every time I hold him up to one. We played ball today; I rolled it to him and he would pick it up and hand it back – it was so cute! This afternoon I gave him a cracker to start his meal and since I was still holding him he decided to share with me. He would put it in his mouth then put it to mine – the connection tickled him very much. It’s neat to see him reach out and interact with us.
Long before the crack of dawn two ambitious young athletes rolled out of bed, ready for their big challenge!
Here they are with their Good Will “jackets” – looking pretty chipper after 3 days of rest and good food. The shirts served their purpose and were unceremoniously discarded before the second mile. It does help you keep up with each other in the crowd!
The race was hard, there was also a stiff wind blowing and fighting it took a lot of energy. It made us glad that we weren’t pushing Lance in the stroller, it would have been like heaving a sailboat up wind! The weather turned out warm for Dec (75º) which we enjoyed but the heat really took its toll on some of the runners. We made sure we stayed properly hydrated by making use of the aid stations along the route and now we both have an aversion to yellow gatorade. 🙂
Our run went pretty good over all. I had a rough time around mile 19 but Brian cheered me on…that and the help of some marathon goo (yuck). We walked and jogged for a few more miles while Brian tried to distract me by any means he could think of – sweet guy. When we hit the last mile I knew I had to run to the end and so we did. I quoted scripture in my mind to keep the focus off of my legs and we crossed the finish line right at our time goal! I was happy, and beat, and wanted to cry and was proud of Brian all at the same time.
Not quite so chipper but still smiling after 5:04 hours of running! The new marathon alumni pose at the finish line.
Tomorrow is the big day! We have everything laid out and ready…..spaghetti for dinner tonight….we’re both a little nervous.
The race starts at 8:00am and we’re estimating it will take us around 5 hours to complete. Give us a prayer of encouragement if you happen to think of us!
Near our packet pick up, there were a bunch of cow statues so we let Lance ride one. Almost looks like the ring is in Lance’s nose instead of the bull. 🙂
Okay, now to settle back and watch some Star Wars and get our mind off of what’s ahead.
