Happy 3rd Birthday!

Three years ago today our lives changed drastically and I became a mom.  My little pumpkin turned 3 today!  He is all sorts of crazy, loud, noise, energy, giggles and sweetness. He is one self sufficient little boy, helping him self when ever he can (of course only when he wants too). I love how some days when I am waiting to wipe him that he looks up at me so sweetly and says "I love you mom".  Now isn't that what every mom wants to hear?  Not that he is always that sweet because his disagreeable side has been shining through lately.  He is always ready to play games involving a ball and loves having books read to him. 
His current phrases are:
" I still love you"
"Can you hold me?"
"I don't want to do that"
"I'm cold"  then 2 seconds later "I am hot" then 3 seconds later "I'm cold"
"I'm pinching my 'nickels'"

Dane we love your entertaining personality and energy.  You make us laugh and smile and have fun, though I think that is your constant goal.  Love you buddy.

He really wanted a baseball themed birthday party, so that is just what we did.

the baseball cupcakes (idea from family fun magazine)

the banner

one of the birthday gifts that he thinks is too big.

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take one

 

take two

This morning for his actual birthday we decided to let go of his leftover helium balloons outside.  Then we put candles in his breakfast sandwich, birthday boy's choice of food, and sang happy birthday to him several times today.  He is pretty excited to FINALLY be three years old!

 

 

yeah, I let him have candy for breakfast

Finish Line

It's been a busy day, actually a busy weekend.  But today we ran a 5k, went to church, had a birthday party for Dane and went trick or treating.  Since it was such a busy day we forgot to even take a quick picture of us at the race, so here is the aftermath, it will have to do.

Yup I ran my first official 5k today.  I ran in a 5k fun run once and almost puked, but this is the first one I had to wear a number and pay. I ran the entire way, no walking breaks!  Not saying that I didn't want to.  As far as the couch to 5k training program is going, I still technically have a week left of the 9 week program.
I ran with Andy so that was really fun and no stroller!  My goal was to not walk at all; to actually run the whole thing.  We finished in just under 30 minutes, I am informed that that isn't too bad, though all I wanted to do was finish.  I did want to puke at the end, but I didn't.

Here are my running buddies nestled in their wonky wheeled double stroller earlier this week.

Pumpkins

my little pumpkin

 I fear we have used up the last of our warm autumn days.  The past few days have been beautiful!  We have been meaning to get to a pumpkin patch for the last month and we had a coupon that expired at the end of the month.  Speaking of expired, most of the pumpkins were almost expired as well.
This morning we went and visited Grant again at his rehab facility.  Then Andy had some comp time he took for the afternoon and we headed to the country.  Cade is ready to be a big boy and gets giddy excited at every new experience and Dane has reached this new phase where he is fearful of anything new, but I think everyone had a great time.

tractor ride

winding down

running down the hay mound

love him

chilling on the pedal go-carts

two little pumpkins

wheelbarrow ride

Autumn Glow

My measly peasly pictures can't even capture it but I love how when I walk upstairs there is a pinkish red hue glowing from my room in the morning light.  It is one of those little things that just makes me happy.  Despite Dane's forty minute spell where he was sobbing because he wanted daddy, which then turned into both boys wailing and crying for no apparent reason.  He hasn't even gotten in trouble today and I haven't been crabby, this room still perks me up.  Isn't that a great view to wake up to? 

Productive Pinterest Project Weekend

 I was able to cross a few projects off of my long Pinterest to do list. Starting with sewing new buttons on a Goodwill sweater, turning a Goodwill sweater into a pillow, and a birthday bunting/banner for Dane. Whatever you prefer to call it.  Though a bunting is lightweight cloth used for a flags or festive decorations, you be the judge.  I had a difficult time picking out the corresponding fabric for the bunting.  Dane really wants a baseball themed birthday party and he fell in love with the baseball fabric.  And when you have a boy that likes something at the fabric store you better go with it because that is a rare occurrence.  The problem with the baseball fabric is that most coordinating fabrics made it look very much Americana in style.  gag.  I think we found a happy medium and are pleased with the results.  Now I just need to find a few more cable knit sweaters with large buttons!

getting started

sneak peak of the birthday bunting

Before as a sweater

After as a pillow

Week 7: Day 2: Complete

I have been at it a little over seven weeks now!  Maybe it never gets easier, you just like how you feel in the end?  Actually today my lungs finally felt a little better, I didn't feel like I was gasping for air about to keel over when I was done or in the middle or beginning or after every hill.  I even pushed through the hills instead of stopping at the top.  Well all except that one big hill that I refuse to run up.  I have worked it out to where it [the hill]  is usually close to the end of my run, so it is my cool down walk, which I don't usually get cooled down from walking up hill.  The training program has pretty much leveled off at run for 25 minutes and it ups the minutes each week, no fabulous walking breaks.  Can't say that I am actually able to run that entire time either, but I am taking short quick breaks as needed.  Usually they come about in the form of stopping to adjust one of the passengers.  My personal goal is to not slow down until I am past half way.
Benefits to pushing a stroller?  It provides a nice place to hold my ipod and all the layers that I slowly strip off.  I am too much of a wimp to step out into the cool weather without bundling or probably over bundling.  I just like to be warm.  Off comes the 2nd fleece jacket, off come the mittens and off comes the ear wrap.

Week 6: Day 1 and 2 and 1 and 2

I sort of stalled out here at week six.  I ended up repeating the first two days of week 6 since day three I was supposed to run for 25 minutes without stopping and I was struggling to complete the running portion of the cycles on day one and two. Saturday was the first day I have been able to run without pushing the stroller.  What a difference that makes!  In my energy and my mental state. I know this isn't helping me at all but usually the entire time I am out there I am usually thinking, I can't do this, there is no way I will be able to make it that far, I am going to have to walk.  But Saturday my mental state was positive, I couldn't believe how much easier it was to run, I even made it up the dreadful hill [running] that I won't even attempt with the stroller.  I still was not able to run for 25 minutes without stopping but I did go the first 15 minutes with out stopping and only took a short break before running again.  I completed my loop much faster as well, and I felt all day as if I could go out and try again.  At least I know I can get my carcass 3.1 miles in little over half an hour.  It may not be running the whole time but I will get there.  My biggest hurdle at this point seems to be my lungs.  If I push too hard then I can't catch my breath for quite awhile, and the more I try to concentrate slowing down my gasping the harder it becomes for me to catch my breath.  Maybe a touch of exercise induced asthma?  I am still hoping I can push through it and grow my lung capacity.

My Marathon Man

Today was marathon day for Andy.  He finished 26.2 miles!  I need to stop complaining about trying to run for 25 minutes straight (which I still can't do).  I am proud of him for working so hard!

 My cousin's Megan and Emily ran the half marathon.  They had shirts for Grant, though their training was greatly delayed from spending the last six weeks of any spare time in the hospital visiting their brother, they decided to go ahead and give it a try and run the half marathon for Grant!

Magnificent sunshine

Today is warming right up and has been another popsicle kind of day.  This autumn has been perfect in my book.  The best of both worlds, it still feels like summer is here, but the trees are all turning colors, the breeze can be cool at times, little humidity, crisp mornings.  My husband thinks fall should be jeans and sweatshirt weather, and I agree, I am wearing jeans and sweatshirts in the morning and evenings so that equals perfect.  Oh wait that sounds a little bit like Colorado.  I am just so glad it has been nice enough to spend most of our days outside. We are stealing days from winter, take that winter nastiness.

On a side note, check out that teeny tiny popsicle Cade is holding.  I got a box of them this summer and loved them!  They are Popsicle Mighty Minis, slow melt pops.  They are the perfect size for my little pint size and the slow melt aspect gives him some time to eat it before it disintegrates.  When I was little we put jello in our homemade popsicles to keep them from melting too fast and to keep us from cheating and sucking all the juice out of them.  I thought they tasted better that way too.  I hope I can find another box of these come next summer.  I will get the big ones for myself however :o)

1st Birthday Party

We waited a few weekends after Cade's actual birthday (Sep 28th) to have his party since I knew my mom, brother and sister would be in town  One of the rare opportunities for them to participate in one of the boys' birthdays.  I whipped up this cute bunting for a party decoration.  I felt quite a sense of accomplishment, because I don't usually just whip something up on the sewing machine.  It was way easier than I thought it would be.  At first I was just going to leave the edges raw and hot glue them to the ribbon.  After looking at several tutorials online I just went for it.  I can't really link up to any one in particular, because I really didn't follow them I didn't even measure anything.  I drew a triangle on an old cereal box until it was symmetrical. Cut it out and used it as a template.  I had a quarter yard of each fabric, cut it out in a double layer, sewed them together and then sewed them to the ribbon.  I was pleased with the results.

We invited about 30 family members, most showed up! At least I turned it into more of a potluck.  It was more that I had originally intended but it was fun to see everyone.  I got the cake idea from here.  just box mix, store bought frosting and candy.  Not the cutest cake ever but it works.  The cupcakes how ever had my new favorite frosting. Tasted like light fluffy marshmallow creme. Delicious.

As I was working on party preparations I found this horse nibbling on the Necco wafers.

The puppy cake,  it seems he has 6 paws.  Maybe a birth defect?

They cupcakes with yummy homemade frosting!

Fluffy Boiled Icing

3T meringue powder

1/2 c. cold water

2c. sugar

1/4 c. corn syrup

1/2 c. water

Beat meringue in water till stiff. About 4 min

Mix sugar, syrup and water in 2 qt saucepan. Bring to boil and cool slightly. Slowly add syrup to meringue mixture while beating on low. Beat on Hi 4 min till stiff and glossy. Makes 6 cups.

Birthday Boy

Attempting to blow out the candle

 

loving the sugar rush!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Room re-do

Finally a room I really really LOVE!   I love the gray-blue color, I love being in there and I love all the fun little things I have been collecting for this room.  The chalk board cost me $.50  I bought a dry erase board with a wood frame at a garage sale for fifty cents and painted it with chalk board paint and some turquoise paint I had in the basement.  And it's magnetic, we found a pretty red leaf we added to it.

 I love the black birds I found at the dollar tree, they look so real, even scared the dog.  I went back for more and that batch doesn't look so great.

So I can't figure out the formatting, but the black squash set I found at a garage sale and they were green and gold ugly, a few squirts of black spray paint fixed them right up.  I had been looking for old game pieces at garage sales all summer.  I still want a couple of old scrabble games.  The sheepskin I also picked up for a few dollars at a garage sale.  The desk was from goodwill, the green chair from goodwill.  So basically everything new was either from Goodwill, a garage sale or the end caps at Target.  Now if only I can make the rest of my house look like this!