A Year in Review

I thought I'd do a quick year in review. We started the year 2013 with Avery's baptism in January, and  she also took her first steps in January. We celebrated her first birthday in February with a snowy owl theme, which included an awesome hot cocoa bar.

In March, we went to Ft. Myers and Sanibel Island for a family vacation. Avery loved the pool!

 In April and May, I ran a half marathon, and trained for my first triathlon (in June.)

We also took a trip to Lake Erie for a few days with some good friends and their daughter who is a few months older than Avery.

In July, and August we enjoyed the summer and went outside a ton! I continued running, biking and swimming, and did another triathlon with Travis in September. We also went on a family vacation to Hilton Head, SC and enjoyed it so much!

Portage Lakes Triathlon:

This fall has flown by like it always does for me. I ran several races in October and November, and  Avery was Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween and went trick-or-treating for the first time. 

 We also got a new play set!

The holidays came and Avery enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas!

We had a great year and are excited for what the new year will bring!

Evaluating 2013

The year 2013 is coming to an end. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and I find myself evaluating the year to see what I've accomplished this year, and how that will impact my goals for 2014. For me, I think it's become even more important to set goals, even just small ones, since I've become a stay-at-home mom.  There have been times that it feels like I'm 'reacting' to life, instead of being proactive, but I'd rather be proactive, and which leads me to be productive.

Before I had Avery, I wasn't much of a planner, and I did things as they came up, and 'spur of the moment.' I thought that system would work for me when I had a child, because it had always worked in the past. For the first year I had Avery, I really struggled because I had no plan, and felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants to keep up! I read a lot about parenting, but still felt very reactive. It took me about a year to realize that even though I was home, our day needed a plan and structure. I used to think that a schedule would be restricting, but it was actually the opposite! It actually gave me a sense of purpose and fulfillment for what I was doing staying home with Avery. Honestly, I feel like this has been my biggest accomplishment for the year.

The benefits for Avery are:

• She is BY FAR happier when she is on a schedule and has a sense of what's happening next. 
• She's a great sleeper - sleeps 8pm-8am, and has a 2 hour afternoon nap. 
• She's a good eater (unless she's sick) and she drinks close to 2 cups of milk/day. 
• When we are off schedule for a day or two, she can easily get back on schedule without too much trouble.

The benefits for me are:

• I have a happier child most of the time.
• I know what my day is going to look like and can plan activities for me and Avery more easily.
• I know that I will have time for a run, shower, bath, etc. (if you aren't a parent, this might seem weird, but sometimes in the beginning, I used to stand in the shower extra long, because I wasn't sure when my next one would be!)
• I have been able to keep my house cleaner, by doing "weekly rotations" of cleaning chores.
• I have an easier time cooking and planning meals.

Speaking of cooking, this is another one of my accomplishments for the year. I'm not sure that I would have said that I enjoyed cooking when I worked. Most nights Travis would make dinner, because he would get home before me, and he was hungry!  I could make a few things, and sometimes cooked on weekends, but normally Travis still helped or gave me ideas. When I first stayed home, I used to really stress about mealtimes, and the grocery store! Honestly, Travis and I used to always go together before Avery was born. I rarely went by myself, let alone decided the meals we'd have.

This took me awhile to figure out too, but I think I can finally say that I'm a decent cook, and I also enjoy it! I've made enough recipes to easily come up with weekly menus, and I also don't have any problem coming up with foods Avery will enjoy too. For instance, after we got home late from being out of town Christmas Eve, I was able to 'whip up' great meals for us to enjoy Christmas Day-with very little planning. I made us chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and chicken Marsala for dinner. I have even made great meals using venison (although the invention Pinterest has greatly helped my cooking skills too.) I'm pleased with my current cooking skills and looking forward to new recipes in 2014.

I've also accomplished a lot physically. In the spring and early summer, I ran a half marathon, and did my first two sprint triathlons. I ran some races with the stroller, and ran in a racing series in the fall where I place 3rd in my age group. I also made it back to my pre-baby weight. It only took 20 months hahaha. It's not like I was a lot over but my weigh had fluctuated about 5-10 pounds over my baby weight, and I finally had enough. I thought it would fall off on its own, but turns out I had to be diligent about counting calories for about 2 months (September and October mostly.) When I went to my annual doctor appoint in November, I was down 11 pounds from the previous year, which was a huge accomplishment for me. I feel like I know what I need to do to lose weight in the future, and running is great for weight maintenance. 

Overall, I had a great year in 2013, and I'm proud of the things I've accomplished. 

The running streak is over

And that means Christmas is over too. We had a really great Christmas though! On Monday, we went to my sister's house in Pittsburgh, and enjoyed time with my family through Tuesday night. Travis installed a new bathroom vanity for them (for Christmas.) It turned out so nice, and it fits their bathroom so much better! We ordered a honey baked ham for Christmas Eve, and it was delicious. Avery wasn't feeling great, but she managed to do ok. My sister is having a baby in just a few more weeks, so we'll be visiting her again soon!

We came home Tuesday night so that we could have Christmas morning with Avery. She slept in the car a little, and we got home around 9:30. Avery was so cute when I took her up to bed. I always lay her down on her back, and then lay 3 small blankets on her, and count them. Then she waves and we say "night night" (or as Avery says "ni ni.") Because she was so tired, she only let me put one blanket on her before she rolled over and put her blanket under her head as a pillow, and closed her eyes. I layer the other two over her and she was already snuggled up ready for bed.

On Christmas morning, we let her sleep in until almost 9:30, since she was so tired, and hadn't been feeling well. It was nice for us to sleep in too!! When we woke up, I made us a special breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes! Then we took turns opening our gifts and had a great morning! Avery loved opening her presents and playing with her new toys, and she loved her new kitchen! She did get a little overwhelmed by the end, because there were so many things out! She's more of a one-at-a-time-toy kind of girl. We turned on A Christmas Story, and let Avery play with her new things.

Later in the day, Travis's family came over for dinner and I made chicken Marsala. It was a little last minute, but it went well. Overall, we had a great day!

Also in case you're wondering, Travis and I finished our running streak on Tuesday, with Travis running 100.1 miles in total, and me running 100.96 in total. Neither of us ran on Christmas Day, but we both ran today. I only ran 2 miles though, to test out my new Lululemon running pants and top (from Santa!) They were amazing, and would have been nice to have during our running the last month. I'm sure they'll get plenty of use in January, February, and March. Now I'm looking forward to some time with my family since Travis is off for 2 weeks!

A run in the rain

After today's run, I'm definitely happy that my running streak will be complete in just 3 more days. It rained all day today. I did go to the park to run today in order to try and enjoy it a little, and it did help, but honestly I would much rather run in cold (and even snow) than rain. I managed to do 3.5 miles, and I've completed 90+ miles. I'm still on track to hit 100 by the end.  The weather we've had has been all over the place. On Thanksgiving Day (day 1) it was 19 degrees and snowy. The following week there were a few days of temps in the 50's. Then it got cold again, and snowy, and the days ranged from 12-25 degrees. Then it warmed up again yesterday and today to close to 50 degrees, but it's just been raining the whole time. Luckily, I have many good running jackets and clothes that really do their job. Even so, I'm excited for a day or two off, and to run on fresh legs!

We went to Travis's grandparents' house for Christmas this afternoon/evening. Avery loved opening her gifts! The adults didn't exchange, so we just took our time opening things for Avery, and she had a great time. She got lots of pretend food (to go along with the kitchen that she'll be getting), some building blocks, and a vacuum and broom. I'm actually looking forward to her new toys as well, since many times I am the one sitting on the floor and playing with her! Ranger got a a bone and new toy as well, so he was happy too.  We had a great dinner, and it was a great evening with family. We're looking forward to spending a few days with my family soon!

Christmas Cookies

Avery and I made Christmas cookies today with my mother-in-law and grandma-in-law. Avery is still not feeling great...but I'm pretty sure she is heavily teething because she's only been eating yogurt, bananas, applesauce, and soft foods for 3 or 4 days. Tonight she actually ate some spinach and cheese raviolis, so I'm hoping that she's starting to feel better. Avery was good at pressing the cookie cutters into the dough, and sprinkling them! She actually did very well at that. I'm really getting excited for her second Christmas!

                                                

I was also able to run earlier in the day today, and the sun felt so good! It still was only in the 20's, but it felt warmer because of the sunshine. I ran 5.4 today, and my total is 79+. I only ran about 3 miles for the each of the last two days. I have just under 21 miles to go in 6 days in order to reach my goal of 100 miles during this running streak. I haven't been running with the stroller too much since it's been so cold, and Avery hasn't been feeling well.  Here are a few pictures of her from one of our runs last week though. You can see how bundled up she is!

Avery was a trooper this weekend

The weekend started out pretty well. On Saturday morning, we went to breakfast at The Cracker Barrel...I love their breakfast! I had a French toast cinnamon roll (yes it was as amazing as it sounds) and biscuits and gravy. I ordered Avery pancakes, but she actually wanted my biscuits, so she had that instead. It was all delicious, and Avery enjoyed watching other kids there too.

After we got home, Travis and I each went for a run. Let me tell you, both of our runs this weekend were cold and snowy!! The cold makes my eyes water so much that I was considering wearing my ski mask, but Travis wouldn't let me. I ran 3 on Saturday, 4.4 yesterday, and 3.57 on Friday, so my total is now over 68 miles. I didn't up my mileage as much as I'd hoped, but I still ran a little more on average for the last nine days than the first. Only 9 running days to go! My pace has been faster. My pace on Friday was 8:15, and I felt amazing! My pace yesterday was 8:38, and that was a run mostly on ice, and even includes a fall about 2 minutes in. I'm wishing it would stay in the thirties for the rest of the month; that would make running nicer.

On Saturday afternoon, we had a Christmas gathering at Avery's great great grandmother's house for everyone in Travis's family. Yes, Travis still has a great grandmother, so it's kind of amazing for Avery. Anyway, it was a really nice time for everyone, and I even won the holiday trivia game!! There were lots of sweets there, including Christmas cookies, mini cheesecakes, cream puffs, and cranberry pineapple jello pudding. Avery had them all, I'm pretty sure, and I'll never let that happen again!! On the way home (about 30 minutes from home), Avery started throwing up all over herself and car seat. I felt so bad! We immediately pulled over, and I'm so thankful for my husband. He was able to clean up Avery, change her clothes, and clean the car seat enough to make it home...all without wet wipes, because I forgot them at the party! I was almost no help, because I am really bad and when I try to help, I only make myself sick. Once we got Avery mostly cleaned up, she didn't cry or fuss at all the rest of the way home. I was totally amazed. As soon as we got home, we got her in the bath, and cleaned her up, and put her to bed with no problems. Travis cleaned up everything and started laundry and was amazing! However, at midnight and then again at 2 am, Avery continued to get sick. Both times, we both got up to take care of her and change her crib sheet. Both times Avery went right back to sleep. She did great! She didn't eat much yesterday, but seems to be feeling better today.

This is the first time she's ever thrown up, and I'm just thankful it never happened earlier in her life.

Silent Night...

This seems like an appropriate title for this evening. After a big day of Christmas shopping with Avery, we had a nice quiet afternoon and evening.

Earlier today, I went up to Beachwood Place to do a little shopping, and it was actually pretty fun with Avery. She walks some, and rides in the stroller, and she did really well today. Afterward, I took her to Panera with me for lunch, and she had her fav...Mac and Cheese! We didn't get home until close to 2:30, so I quickly put her down for her nap. I decided to take a little nap too, but I never really fell asleep; I just enjoyed to view of the snow in our yard for about a half hour. When I got Avery up, I could tell she was still tired, so we just snuggled in our chair and watched "The Cat in the Hat know a lot about Christmas." I sometimes like when she just wants to sit with me and relax.

I still had to get my run in this evening, and while I wasn't exactly looking forward to it (considering it was about 15 degrees with a wind chill of 3) it actually was so peaceful and nice! I ran 4.1 miles tonight, and I honestly love running in our neighborhood in the dark this time of year. There was just a light dusting of snow, and it was beautiful with all of the Christmas lights! It really makes a difference running in this weather when you have the right gear. With the 3.1 miles I did yesterday, I'm up to 57.23 miles, with 12 days to go!

About halfway

I have been running for 13 days straight now, and completed just over 50 miles (50.07.) I have 14 more days to go, and I'm still hoping to make it to 100+ miles. Here is the breakdown on the first half of our running streak:

Lauren
Day 1: 3.1*
Day 2: 3.5
Day 3: 3.5*
Day 4: 3*
Day 5: 4*
Day 6: 5*
Day 7: 4.1*
Day 8: 4*
Day 9: 3.2*
Day 10: 6.07
Day 11: 3.1
Day 12: 3*
Day 13: 4.5
Total: 50.07
   * indicates a run with Avery in stroller

Travis
Day 1: 3.1
Day 2: 4.5
Day 3: 3.1
Day 4: 3
Day 5: 3.05
Day 6: 3
Day 7: 3
Day 8: 4.08
Day 9: 3.3
Day 10: 3.1
Day 11: 5
Day 12: 3.6
Day 13: 3.1
Total: 44.93

There have been some days when I'm starting to be a little more tired than usual during my run. Yesterday, I was totally not feeling running. I decided to slow it way down, and just take it easy. I felt much better today. I think Travis is starting to feel it too. He didn't run until about 8:30 last night, and then he woke up early this morning and ran before work. Sometimes I think we are both ready to give up, but we are both too competitive to actually give in. It's very motivating to see how quickly the miles are adding up though!

Tomorrow, I'm doing something kind of exciting...I'm helping out my neighbor for just a couple hours in the morning by watching her 6-month old daughter. Avery tends to be jealous, which is natural for her age, but I think it will be good for her, and for me. In January, Avery is getting a little cousin, and this will be a little test run for how she will do when I'm holding another baby. My plan is to bring out some of Avery's baby toys, and hopefully we can all play. It's only for 2 hours, so I know I can manage.

Day 10: 6 miles

Today was the second day on my running streak that I ran without the stroller. I decided to take advantage of that fact, and run a longer 6-miler (6.07 to be exact.) I ran at a decent pace (8:53/mile) which was pretty good considering part of my run was on a trail, and it was icy and muddy. I'm surprised how good I feel 10 days in. My legs aren't feeling too heavy yet, and all of my runs to this point have been 3 miles or longer. It was really nice to run without the stroller. Even though I am pretty used to running with it, it makes runs like today feel much easier. My total mileage for 10 days is 39.47. Travis ran 3.1 today, and I'm a couple miles ahead of him right now...even though we keep saying it's not a competition!

Avery was happy not to go on the run today too. It was only 22 degrees. Speaking of Avery, her new favorite word is "cuckoo" from...a The Sound of Music Live!! I had it on yesterday because. I dvr'd it, and when that song came on, she started repeating it! It made my night. She will learn to love 'The Sound of Music' just like me, although I will make sure she sees the Julie Andrews movie :)

We put up our outside lights, and we're getting our tree tomorrow! Yay! Now we're just enjoying the evening, drinking some Gluhwein and Winter Lager, and I'm waiting for my first attempt at pumpkin praline cheesecake to cool in the fridge!

I don't feel like running today...

Well, it took me until day 9, but today was the first day I wasn't really looking forward to my run. It snowed last night, and cooled down back to the thirties. I wasn't looking forward to bundling Avery up for this run, but I got it over with this morning. My plan was just to get out there and run two miles, but once I was running, I decided on 3.1, and actually ended up doing 3.2. Since today was exactly one third of the way, that puts my mileage so far at 33.4 miles, and now I'm thinking that my secondary goal is to run 100 miles during my 27-day streak. I'm exactly on track for that...but my plan is to up my mileage for the next 9 days, and then cut back a little at the end. I'm feeling good, but still not pushing the pace too much; I really don't want to be injured.

On a different subject, we're going to get our tree this weekend, and I can't wait to decorate for Christmas!!

8 days and 30 miles

Today's run was a 4 miler, the same as yesterday (well 4.1 yesterday, because that brought me to an even 26.2.) The temperature for the last 2 days has been amazing...in the high 50's. I'm feeling pretty good so far...definitely better than I thought I might be for almost a third of the way. My total mileage so far is 30.2 miles, and Travis is at 26.83. Avery has been with me for 7/8 runs so far, and she's been doing great! I took these pictures of her right after our run; we stopped one house down, so I could have a little cool down.

After our run, I took Avery and Range outside to play since it's going to cool down later tonight. I figured we'd get some use out of our swing set! Here's a few more pictures!

I can't outrun cheesy potatoes...

...but I'm giving it my best effort! I have been eating leftovers every day for lunch, and the potatoes are finally almost gone!! Travis's mom made a ton of them, and they really are sooooo good!! Luckily, I ran 5 miles today, and 4 miles yesterday, and I'm really just hoping not to gain weight from the holiday season. It's kind of my weakness time, in terms of food, with leftovers and food we only make a few times a year, and eggnog lattes, and pies, and pumpkin muffins, etc.....this is one of the reasons I thought this running streak would be perfect for this time of year.

Thankfully most of the snow and ice is starting to melt. It warmed up today and and was beautiful for our run. It's definitely easier to run with the stroller when the ground is clear! So far I'm feeling great about the running streak, and I'm actually sleeping great! Ever since I was pregnant it's been more difficult for me to sleep straight through the night without waking a few times. Maybe I just need to run everyday! I've slept like a rock the last two nights, and had much more energy during the day. However, it's still early in the streak, so we'll see what happens.

Since it's warming up, I think we are going to put our Christmas lights up outside today and tomorrow. I love driving in our neighborhood at night and seeing all of the lights...they are so beautiful! Once they are up, I'll take a few pictures!

Day 4: 27-day challenge

Today was the fourth day of running. I ran 3 miles today, with Travis, Avery, and Ranger - a family run! Today's run was tough, because we ran a completely snow covered path with the stroller. Travis and I actually took turns pushing it, and even he acknowledged how challenging it was to push in the snow. Yesterday, I ran 3.5 miles at the same place where the turkey trot was, but most of the snow had melted so it wasn't too bad with the stroller. So far I have run 13.1 miles (half marathon distance, but over 4 days haha.) I have been feeling pretty good so far, but I am really pacing myself. Actually, I'm kind of treating this whole thing the way I would treat a long race. I'm going to pace myself for the first third - days 1-9 - meaning I'm not running any really long distances, or fast paces quite yet. I'll pick up the pace and distance during the middle third (days 10-19) and then push through (and hang on!) for the last third (days 20-27.) Hopefully this plan will work for me. Travis has run 13.7 miles so far, but I think his game plan is similar to mine. We've both recently had some mild foot issues, so we're both stretching a lot in order to stay injury free.

Earlier Travis and I went shopping to get some Christmas present ideas for each other. I tried on some running tights at Athleta and Lululemon, and found some at both stores that I liked. Travis will surprise me with one of the styles I tried on today. They were all nice, and had storage and never ending drawstrings which I really like. Travis tried on some watches...but he isn't sure if he really want a watch for Christmas or not. It was nice to get out and enjoy the beginning of the Christmas season!

27-Day Running Challenge

So my husband Travis and I were talking about our running goals, and he challenged me to a challenge of running every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I decided to take him up on it, and he is going to do it too. The minimum run is 1 mile, but most days once you get out there, you are likely to do more. Honestly, I tend to be an 'every other day' runner, or run 2 or 3 days in a row, and take a few days off. I honestly don't know the last time I ran more than 4 days in a row. I'm kind of excited to challenge myself in a different way that doesn't involve racing. Since I ran on Thanksgiving for the turkey trot (which, by the way, was snowy and icy, but I still ran with Avery and she did great), and our last day of running will be Christmas Eve, the total number of days in a row will be 27. I ran 3.1 for the race yesterday, and 3.4 today, in my neighborhood with no electronic devices. Sometimes my runs will show on Strava (when I run with my phone) but otherwise, I'll just document them here.  Travis ran 3.1 yesterday, and 4.5 today. Wish us luck and no injuries!!

Here are a few pic from the Turkey trot yesterday. I didn't achieve my best time, but we had a great time! I was 'the girl with a turkey hat pushing a stroller' haha. The pictures are of me, my sister Kelsey, Avery, and Travis's brother Kyle. Travis ran too, but he was warming up during our picture time. What a great way to start the day!

Baking today

Just a quick update...I've been cooking all day today. I brined the turkey for the first time, which was interesting. Basically, brining is a saltwater mixture, with other things involved (apple juice, rosemary, orange peel, etc.) I bought a brining bag to put the turkey and brine in, and it says it "leakproof." So far, it's held, but the bag is super heavy, and it was a little struggle to get into the refrigerator (by myself!!) I managed though, and also managed to make sweet potato casserole and pumpkin cream cheese muffins for breakfast! Tomorrow it will just be cooking the turkey, and stuffing, and green bean casserole. Family is bringing the rest! Everything smells so good it's hard to wait for tomorrow!

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just 2 days away and I'm really looking forward to it. Travis has Friday and Monday off, so he'll have a nice long break.  We are hosting Travis's family (his parents, grandparents, and brother) and my sister and her boyfriend. There will be 10 of us all together. I took Avery to the grocery store yesterday and we picked out a turkey! Travis has been complaining that we haven't had enough leftovers in recent years, so I picked out a 23 pound turkey this year. We are also planning on having lots of sides including sweet potato casserole, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, ham, venison roast, and stuffing. I usually stuff the turkey, but I've been checking out some different recipes, and I am going to try brining the turkey, and making a separate sausage stuffing casserole. Hopefully it will turn out well. If not, there will also be lots of pies!

We always start our day with the turkey trot, and then come home and make the turkey and watch the parade (my favorite!) It helps to make me not feel so bad eating tons of food. This year Kelsey got some awesome turkey hats for us to wear in the turkey trot! We will be so festive...I hope to get some cute pictures! It's supposed to snow for the next 2 days, and let up on Thanksgiving, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to run with Avery or not.  It's not the cold I worry about; it's more that I don't want to worry about falling with her or pushing the stroller in a snow/ice mix - that's just not fun.  I did take her for a 2.6 mile run yesterday, and she did great! I'll just have to wait and see!

I'm going to be working on a few table decorations today, and I want to make our table look nice. If I achieve this, I'll post a few pics!


Update: I have my table ready for Thanksgiving!!

And of course Avery has her place at the table!

I can't wait until Thursday!!

Running in the rain

It's been raining here all day yesterday and today (so far.) I wanted to get my run in anyway, so I figured "what a great opportunity to wear my Brooks running jacket." It's meant to be worn in rain and wind. I loaded up Avery and Ranger and went to the park. It was raining a little harder than I anticipated, so I decided to do a short fast run. This is not my favorite type of running, but I figured it would be good since it was raining. I put Avery in the stroller with her new toddler-size BundleMe, and my stroller rain cover. She had some Cheerios and she was good to go! Sometimes she actually looks so cozy in there...I am slightly jealous!

I ran a mile out, took a short minute break, and ran a mile back. According to Strava, my average pace was 7:16, but my app was showing 2.1 miles, and the mile markers I was using only showed 2 miles, so it was probably closer to 7:30-7:40 pace...either way I'll take it!!! I need to do more runs like this if I want to get faster. Ranger did great today, and he was happy to be done so quick! I'm running a 5K at this location on Thanksgiving, so I hope I can run well!

We're getting a new kitchen!

Not for Travis and I, but for Avery! I am really looking forward to Christmas this year! Avery still won't really know what it's all about, but she does get excited for new toys! This year, we've decided that her big gift will be a play kitchen! I can't wait!! We haven't made our final decision on which one to get, but we've narrowed it down to a few wooden ones by KidKraft. I prefer the look of the wooden ones over the plastic ones. They are honestly just so adorable! We're debating between a light pink 'retro' style, or a modern espresso kitchen with stainless steel appliances. I really like them both, and it's going to be tough to choose! The pink one doesn't really go with the style of our home (we tend to lean toward modern in home design) but it would look adorable in her room. I'm planning on putting it in her room, but if we decide to keep it downstairs, the modern kitchen would look nicer. Either way, it's going to be so fun! I plan on putting it together the night before we give it to her.

I've also been looking at smaller toys for her, and it's easy to feel overwhelmed in trying to choose! While I realize that toys help children learn, sometimes I feel like kids have too many toys. There are so many toys that have become "electronic" and almost make it so that kids don't have to be creative anymore, because the toys do it for them. I try to pick out things that don't do everything, and encourage creativity. Some of the smaller items I'm thinking about getting Avery for Christmas are Lego Duplos, and some type of musical instrument (like a toy piano, or drums, or guitar.) Avery loves music, and she has some music players and a kids CD, but I think she would like something where she could make her own music. I went to the store yesterday, just to look around, and it's would be so easy to get off track and buy her a bunch of things that I wasn't even planning.  Luckily, I am making a plan, but I have to say, the toy marketers do a good job. They make me want to buy everything for her!

I have to keep in mind that while toys are fun at playtime, I want Avery to be able to be able to entertain herself for certain times without toys. We go outside almost every day, and sometimes we go on our playset, but sometimes we make a game of just running up and down our hill in the backyard. I also like to take her and Ranger for short walks in our neighborhood and pick up leaves and sticks and acorns. This is the kind of thing I feel like is missing for a lot of kids. I know I'm doing pretty well at this because of how well Avery does in the jogging stroller and car. She will ride in the jogging stroller for up to an hour with no toys for entertainment; just relaxing and enjoying nature (I think...haha.) She also does great int the car! We went to Hilton Head in August, and I did bring toys in the car, and our IPad with the PBS kids app. However, I would estimate that she only really needed entertainment for about half the trip down and back. The other half she was content to just sit and look out the window and 'talk/babble.' Just last weekend I took her and my mom to Pittsburgh (just over 2 hours away.) She didn't have any toys in her car seat for this trip. She stayed awake the whole way over and just babbled and was happy.

This is the kind of thing that I want to keep encouraging...but I'm still really looking forward to her new kitchen!!

Fall Running update

You may notice I recently added my running stats to my blog (click here to check them out!) I've been doing a lot of racing recently, and I really enjoy running in the fall! It's definitely my favorite season for running. Most week days I jog with Ranger and Avery (in the stroller.) I've been running with her since she was about 6-8 weeks old. I have the Bob jogging stroller which I absolutely love!! Occasionally I even run races with the stroller. Back in August, I ran a 5K with Avery, and I actually won my age group! Even though it was a small race, I was so happy with how I did. Before I was a mom, I would watch women jogging with strollers and think "wow they are so strong...I want to be able to do that one day." Finally I Was that woman! The pictures above are from that race in August. I'm planning on running a 5K turkey trot on Thanksgiving where I will also likely be pushing Avery.  I'm really looking forward to it!