Our Trip Out West

We had the opportunity to go to Arizona for a few days this past week. The main reason we went is because our dear friend Becca was getting married. I was her personal attendant and Tim played the guitar and sang before the service started. The wedding was on Thursday so I spent most of the day at the ranch helping Becca get ready. It was a beautiful wedding and we are so glad that we were able to take a few days off to help Becca and Greg celebrate. Here is a picture of the happy couple on the day they became Mr. and Mrs.!And here is a picture of Tim and I after the wedding. Our good friends Ethan and Christie were also a part of the wedding so we traveled together and were able to spend some time hanging out while we were in Arizona. We had all day Friday to explore before we had to leave on Saturday. We started they day in this cute local cafe for a very yummy breakfast. Tim was especially excited to eat...

Then we were off to explore the Sonora Desert Museum. The drive to get there was absolutely beautful. It was a great attraction and combined the desert wildlife and animals all in one place. Here is a picture of Tim and I at the museum.

You could totally tell that we are midwesterners because everytime we saw a cactus we were totally amazed at how they looked. At one point during the drive to the museum one whole side of a mountain was covered in a cactus forest. Although they almost look fake, they truly were an amazing sight.

After the museum, we went to a Spanish Mission that was built in the 1700s. It is on the edge of one of the Native American reservations and is still used today as a Catholic church. It was absolutely beautiful. You could see it from the distance as a bright white spot in the middle of the desert. I'm so glad that we were able to see it while in Arizona.
After the Mission, we did a little shopping and then met Tim's cousin's family for dinner (they were gracious enough to let us stay at their house while we were there). It was a great way to end our full day of sightseeing. We got up early on Saturday to start our trek home. It was a great little vacation and I'm so glad we were able to go! Congrats Greg & Becca - thank you for letting us be a part of your special day! We are so excited for you guys!

Go! St. Louis

Today, Tim and I both ran in the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon! This was Tim's 3rd -- he ran in 1:58:43 which was under his goal time of under 2 hours! He did a great job -- now onto start training for the Chicago Marathon in October! This was my VERY FIRST half marathon and I ran it in 3:00:01 (with a hurt knee)-- not too shabby! Let's back up and I'll tell you how this all got started...

I have NEVER been a runner! Before I got pregnant with Hannah, I started running a little bit at a time. When I started, I couldn't even go for more than about 5 minutes without being exhausted. But slowly and surely, I worked my way up and finished my first 5K (without walking) in May 2008. Then, I got pregnant with Hannah and my running days were over for quite a while. This past fall, one of my co-workers and I started running a couple of days a week after school just for exercise (we both had baby weight to lose) and to work towards a 5K. We did a few 5Ks in the fall and started enjoying our time running. When we got back to school after winter break, we decided we would *try* to train for this half marathon. We figured we would do the best we could -- if we had to walk some of the way, that was totally fine! We looked up a training program and started working the best we could on getting through it. Slowly, we started adding miles to our runs and our confidence started to build. I actually thought to myself that I may make the whole run without walking. Then, the weeknd Tim and I did our 8 mile long run, I started having the worst knee pain ever. Tim said it was my IT band and it should heal after a week or so. I'll be the first to admit that I am not an athlete and probably have a pretty low pain tolerence so I wanted to work through it the best I could. I took it easy that week, but every run, even after a mile, was sending sharp, shooting pains into my knee and down my leg. The week was over and it wasn't getting any better. I was so dissappointed! I was 8 weeks into this thing and pretty much unable to keep up my training the way I had planned. For the next 3 weeks or so, I barely ran at all. I had to tell myself that it was okay to have to walk some of the race because it was either going to be that or not be able to finish. This morning, I got through the first 3 miles with minimal pain. From 3-7 miles I walked a little, but still kept up some running. After that, it was a lot of walking. I was afraid of not finishing so I didn't want to push it too much. I made it to mile 12 and tried to run the last 1.1 miles the best I could. It definitely wasn't the story I was hoping for, but it is my story. One of these days, I may try to do it again. I have really enjoyed running 2-3 miles at a time and after I rest up some more, I would like to keep it up.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have supported me in this from the beginning, and especially since I got hurt. It was so awesome being a part of it today and especially since I got to do it with Tim. He has been so motivating and supportive throughout this whole process! Now it's on to cheer on Timmy has he trains for Chicago!

Tim about the halfway point -- smilin' for the camera!
Me at the halfway point -- posing for the camera! :-)
Hannah cheering on Mommy & Daddy!
Family shot at the end of the race -- we did it!

Spring Break

We enjoyed a fablous spring break over the past few days. We didn't go anywhere this year and it was nice to relax at home and spend time together as a family. What made break even sweeter was the fabulous temperatures we experienced. I think it was in the low 70s. It was absolutely beautiful! Gwannie and Gampy just got Hannah a little outdoor slide right before break and she loved climbing up and sliding down. We took full advantage of the weather and spent as much time as possible outside.

Our break started with a visit from my Grandma and Grandpa. It was a nice to spend some time with them and they loved hanging out with Hannah! Here are the three of them hanging out on the porch swing -- a favorite springtime activity for our family.Not only did Hannah love swinging with Grandma and Grandpa Sugar, she also took some turns on her own.

We also had a fabulous Easter with Hannah this year. We went to church with my mom and then out to lunch. We made it home in time for a nap then my mom came over to open baskets and "hunt" eggs. Hannah absolutely loved it! She walked all around the yard picking up her eggs and putting them in her basket. The rest of the day (and the day's following) consisted of Hannah opening and closing her eggs and putting them in her basket.
Hannah hunting her eggs in the front yard -- then taking a little break.

The last day of break was beautiful again, so we decided to try out the zoo for the first time this year. I guess everyone in the St. Louis/Metro-East area did as well! We couldn't find a parking spot to save our life! We didn't want to waste the day inside somewhere so we detoured to the Delmar Loop and walked around for a bit. We also did a family first -- ate lunch at Fitz's! It was really yummy.
Overall, it was a FABULOUS break! The warm weather and family time together gets me excited for summer break. We're almost there!!!

Fifteen Months

(Hannah's "Smile" & her crazy hair w/crooked bow -- love it!)

I can't believe I am even typing this! The best way I can sum up 15 months is always on the go. Once Hannah got comfortable on her feet, she has never stopped! Whether she is inside or outside enjoying the beautiful weather we've had lately, she just keeps on goin'! She loves playing with all of her toys and she really enjoys looking at her books. I really love when she is looking at one of her books, even if it's for the 100th time, and she studies the pages over and over. I hope she has the same love for reading that I do. She continues to be a great sleeper and we are currently starting to transition to one long afternoon nap a day. She also loves bath time and anything that deals with water. We are going to do round two of swimming lessons in a couple of weeks and get geared up for the pool this summer. She still isn't a big talker, but does a great job of imitating what we are saying. Hannah still enjoys going to the babysitter's house and playing with her friends. There are two boys there that are within 6 months of age from Hannah and I know she has a blast playing with them. That makes it easier to leave her when I know not only she is well taken care of but she has so much fun there as well. Hannah continues to show her independence whenever she can! She doesn't like to hear the word "no" and starts to throw a little tantrum when she doesn't get her way. Oh Hannah -- even in these times we love you so much! Our lives have changed so much over the past 15 months and we can't wait to see what happens next. I can't wait for summer and all of the fun times we are going to have!

Go Panthers!

The OTHS basketball team has had an outstanding season this year. After a lot of work and more importantly wins, they headed up to the IHSA State Tournament this weekend. We decided to make a family weekend out of it and had a lot of fun! Tim headed up early Friday morning to meet the team and then Mom, Hannah and I were on the road after school was over. We ended up losing Friday night so we knew we would be playing for third place Saturday night. Saturday during the day we did a little shopping and had a nice lunch before heading back to the hotel so Hannah could nap. Saturday night we went back to the arena to cheer on the team. Sadly the Panthers lost, but that still means they were the 4th best team in the whole state! Overall, it was a fun mini-trip watching our favorite local basketball team. Go Panthers!

Luck of the Irish

Although we are only a wee bit Irish and really don't do anything exciting for St. Patrick's Day, I did want to show a picture of Hannah in her St. Patty's shirt. I love having friends with kids older than Hannah that share stuff with us -- this comes courtesy of Miss Sadie (thanks for letting Hannah wear it today!)

Sunny Days

It was exciting to see the 7 day forcast and see every day is going to at least be in the 50s. Today was one of those days and on top of that the sun was out! Well we took full advantage of the beautiful weather today and headed outside for a bit. After nap we took Hannah to the community park. This was the first time we really have had her there where she was big enough to do something. We found a little section of the park with the perfect size jungle gym for Hannah. It didn't take her long to learn how to climb up the stairs and come down the slide. We did it over and over. She also loved the swing! We did that a couple of different times while at the park. It was so much fun to see how excited Hannah was at the park. Her face lit up many times today and it made us so happy to see how much fun she was having. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time there this summer! When we got home, we took a quick walk down the street in Hannah's new wagon. I'm glad we were able to try it out and I think we will also be using it a lot in the future as well. What a fun family day!



Here is Hannah going up the stairs --- and then down the slide.
















Daddy and Hannah swinging -- by far her favorite activity of the day.

Mommy and Hannah "flying" the space shuttle -- she loves to drive anything that has a wheel! Hannah's first ride in her new wagon!