Wild Thang

I did the Wild Thang 9 Mile Trail Run at Long Hunter State Park this morning. 

I've been doing some long runs the last couple of weeks but nothing else because I was sick and we have been traveling.  So I was hoping the "rest" was going to help instead of hurt too much.

I haven't been running very fast during training runs so my goal was 10 minute miles (running on rocky, rooty trails always slows you down some).  Plus I usually only run 2-3 times a week and do Insanity 2-3 times a week.

I am extremely happy with my time of 1:26:17 (9:36/mile pace)!  Plus I got 3rd in my age category (30-34) and was the 14th place female overall.

For placing I got a multitool as a prize.

It was a little warm and humid but completely dry so the trail was in good condition.  The race was out and back on the 4 mile Bryant Grove Trail.  The first half mile was on the road in order to thin out the 200 participants before entering the trail.  The trail was rolling but there were no big hills.  However there were a lot of rocks and there were a lot of people getting first aid at the ambulance at the end of the race for cuts sustained from falls.  Luckily I was not one of them!

Overall, the race was run well by the Nashville Striders and I enjoyed getting to trail run again.

Silly Eyes

I've finally caught Rylan's silly eyes on video.  Rylan does this expression all the time!  The tongue is a relatively new addition though.  He always looks to his left too.

Coach Meghan & Coach Missy

Soccer practice for Carter starts on Monday.

We got an email about a week ago saying that our league (U4 Boys) was in need of 5 coaches (I believe there are 8 teams).  We really want Carter to be able to play so Brian was considering coaching but then Missy asked me if I wanted to co-coach with her.  None of us had any intention of coaching when we signed our kids up to play, but Missy and I have decided to coach the team.

Then we found out what we were getting in to!  We have 13 three-year-old boys on the team!  We play 2 games of 4 v 4 at a time and we are the refs (which we expected but I'm not sure how that works when you only have one coach).  We are scrambling to figure out our first hour-long practice that is in a few days.  Unfortunately practice overlaps with preschool orientation for the boys so Brian will be getting to go to that (and hopefully someone from Missy's family can watch Rylan and Luke).

We do realize that the kids are only 3 and no one should expect too much from us.  But we want to make it fun for the kids and hopefully teach them a few things.

Today the kids and I went to Dick's to get Carter his soccer gear.  They have a deal where you can get your cleats, shin guards, and a ball for $35 (not the best price but I wanted to get brand-name shoes so that the shoes don't hurt Carter's feet and since Rylan should be using them too at some point).

Carter was SO EXCITED.  He would not let his new gear out of his sight!

He put everything on as soon as we got home.

He even had to take a nap with everything on and with his ball!

After nap we played outside so everything got "dirty" and has to stay in the garage now.  I hope his excitement lasts once practice starts!

Raleigh Trip - Day 1

We drove from Nashville to Raleigh on Thursday (August 16th) afternoon/evening.  We left at 1:30 pm (Central) and got in at 11:30 pm (Eastern) - so 9 hours of travel.  The kids did great.  Rylan took an afternoon nap and then they both passed out for the end of the drive.

When we got on the interstate (less than 10 minutes from our house), Carter asked, "Are we there yet?"  I'm not sure where he learned that.  He was kidding and would periodically ask that again.  Then when we got in to Brian's parents' house, he woke up as I was carrying him in and he asked it again.  It was really cute then.

We set up Rylan's playyard in the same room as a twin bed for Carter and both boys went right back to sleep.

On Friday we went with Brian's parents to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

The museum is in downtown Raleigh and free.  They just added a new wing (the Nature Research Center) that is really awesome.

It's just amazing looking inside.

And out.  There is a globe along the edge of one side of the building.

Carter really liked the "T. Rex".  When he saw this picture today he knew what it was called.  Both boys are really into dinosaurs right now.

One of the neat things about this part of the museum is that all along the edges are labs.  Some you can enter and some you can't.  They limit the number of people in the labs and introduce kids to a lab environment and different experiments.  Everything is still new, but these labs were fancy and extremely cool.

After a bit we headed back to the Natural Science section.

Carter and a whale skeleton ...

One section of the museum explores the different environments in North Carolina (mountains, Piedmont, and Coast Plain).  Carter liked the waterfall (he's a big fan since we went hiking a few months ago).

 
 Checking out a beaver (again, Carter knew what this was when he saw this picture today).

 Rylan enjoying the dinosaur exhibit ...

Dinosaur footprints ...

Brian and Carter with the dinosaur "that the other one tried to eat", as Carter told us.

Here is the predator ...

We didn't stay too long because we got a little bit of a late start and everyone was hungry for lunch.  So we headed off to Panera and then back to the house for naps.  Rylan had taken a 10 minute nap on the way to the museum but was obviously still tired because I had to work to keep him up in the car.  However neither boy would take a nap.  They were in the same room and just kept talking to each other and playing.  I eventually went in their room and laid on the floor.  That didn't help.  After an hour, I gave up and just got the boys up.

After a bit we went over to Ritter Park and took a walk on the Swift Creek Greenway to look for a letterbox.  Unfortunately we didn't find it (I gave up quicker than normal because even though I had on bug spray, I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes).

After our walk, we played on the playground at Ritter Park for awhile.

Slides are always fun ...

There was a bouldering wall on the playground.  Carter took some convincing to try it but was pretty good.

After awhile it was obvious that Rylan was crashing.

Carter could have kept going forever though.

Rylan passed out after a few seconds in the car.  We headed back to the house while Brian's parents picked up some dinner for us all.

We woke Rylan up when dinner arrived and he luckily woke up happy.  After dinner, baths, and a little playing, the boys easily went to sleep.  As did the rest of us.

Home But Tired

We got home just a little while ago from a short trip to Raleigh.  We filled it with lots of fun things and got to see a lot of family and old friends.

But we are worn out!

(This was Rylan in Raleigh on Friday after only taking a short 10 minute nap in the morning in the car and then falling asleep in the afternoon on a short drive to the house - he didn't stir at all moving him to the chair.)

I'll try to post about this trip quicker than I did our Milwaukee trip!

Milwaukee

Last Friday (August 3rd) my dad and I drove up to Milwaukee with the kids.  We left Franklin at 6 am and finally arrived at 5:30 pm.  We would have gotten in earlier if traffic wasn't so bad in Chicago because of the Friday afternoon exodus and the first day of Lollapalooza at Grant Park.  Still, the boys did great.  And we survived our first long trip with a potty-trained toddler.  We only had to make a couple of unexpected stops for a quick potty break.

We stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in Whitefish Bay.  My cousin Jen lives 5 blocks away and she has 3 kids.  Charlie was born the day after Carter, Ava Grace is about 2 months older than Rylan, and baby Henry is 4 months old.  My cousin Amy is living in a duplex about 10 minutes away with my grandmother so she can help take care of her.  My other cousin Mike lives in Chicago and came up for the weekend with his girlfriend to see us.

When we arrived, Jen and Ryan were at my aunt and uncle's house with their kids.  It took a few minutes for all the kids to warm up to another, but once they did, they had a blast.

There is a toy box in the sunroom and the favorite toy that all the kids sought was this old pink phone.  It's always the things that aren't toys that are the most fun!

After pizza and playing some more, it was time for bed.  Carter and I shared a bed and Rylan slept in the room with us in a playyard.  It's hard to sneak into the room and not wake up the boys so I just kept them up a little later than normal each night and went to bed when they did.

On Saturday morning we went to the Wisconsin Club to go swimming with my uncle, Ryan, Charlie, Ava Grace, Mike, and his girlfriend (Madra).  Before going, we went to Jen's house and tried out their new playset (my uncle is pushing Charlie).

The pool at the Wisconsin Club has an awesome little waterslide.  Carter tried going down on his butt at first but quickly learned from the other kids that if you go down on your stomach, you go a lot faster and don't get stuck.

Rylan took awhile to be convinced to go on the waterslide, but I eventually forced him to go with me and he LOVED it.  He would never go alone but he rode on my lap over and over again.  And he got brazer each time (he started off holding my hands but eventually started reaching his hands out to touch the sides).

It was good that my dad was there to always watch one of the boys because they don't allow any flotation devices at the pool (like Carter's vest) so Carter wasn't able to really swim on his own (though he was trying some and doing pretty good).

There was also a kiddie pool there that was a good break for us where we could just sit and watch the kids.

Rylan:

Ava Grace:

Charlie, Rylan, and Carter:

After the pool we took the kids back home for naps.  I eventually had to wake my guys up because they were so exhausted from traveling and playing so hard.

When Jen and Ryan came over to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner, they brought baby Henry.  He is such a good baby - we never saw him fuss or cry at all!

Carter and Charlie:

Rylan and Ava Grace:

Ava Grace looks SO MUCH like her mommy (except Jen has dark hair and eyes, but they have the same face).

Saturday was Amy's 40th birthday so we had a wonderful dinner to celebrate and then made her wear these silly glasses while we sung to her.

I loved getting to cuddle a little one for a bit!

We pulled out the miniature air hockey table for my boys and they played it for at least 30 minutes (which is forever for them).

My aunt and uncle have two King Charles Spaniels.  Carter loved giving them hugs and petting them.  This is Carter with Brody ...

Sunday was a gorgeous day - it only got up to around 80F.  The boys were antsy in the house so my dad and I took them for a walk around the block.  I usually try to make Rylan walk instead of me always holding him.  So he learned quickly to just go to Papa Mike instead of me and he got picked up right away.

Carter with the other dog, Jack ...

The boys discovered another toy that they become obsessed with ...

Even though it was cooler, we decided to go to the pool again.  We made it about 1 1/2 hours before most of us were frozen (the breeze was just too much).  Rylan fell asleep on the way home and I was able to move him to the bedroom to sleep but Carter skipped his nap (along with the Charlie and Ava Grace).  We played in the front yard of my aunt and uncle's house for a little bit.

And then came in to play drums on the chairs.

Eventually we took a break and let the kids watch a cartoon.

After another great home-cooked dinner, my cousins and grandmother headed out.  My dad and I got pictures with my grandma on her way out.

On Monday we got up early and got on the road at 5:45 am.  This time we took the loop around Chicago and hit no traffic.  The drive was uneventful and we got home at 4 pm.

The most exciting things were the windmill farms in Indiana ...

And Rylan deciding he wanted to suck on his toes?!?! (He never even did this when he was a baby!)