Twin Cities Marathon Weekend Fun

The boys all had fun running a race a few weekends ago!  I had a hard time just being a spectator, and not getting to join in all the fun.  However, I have never been on the side lines before, and it truly is so inspiring to watch some people run!  I saw many people crying, and having a really hard time with it, but they were still going, and I loved watching them push through it all.

Here is Brody and Cambridge getting their game faces on, before their big race!  They both did a great job, and seemed super excited about it.  They both got medals and t-shirts and post race snacks after their 1/2 mile.  Brody and I had a lot of fun training for it together, I couldn't believe how seriously he took it, he asked to train ALL the time!  They both say they are ready for the 6 mile race next year, but we'll have to see about that.

Here is Ryan at mile 19!  Still going pretty strong considering the fact that he was going up a long steady hill.  He said the marathon was much more difficult than the last one we ran.  He had high hopes of beating my time, but because of all the hills, he didn't.  (So I get bragging rights for a few more months!!!!!)  'Til next year when he destroys it at Grandma's Marathon.  

The kids all made signs for Dad!  I LOVED Brody's, and he got quite a few comments on it.  Cambridge did a great job on his too!  

They also helped me write out some messages for Dad on the drive way!  They spent a lot of time getting the numbers just right!  Sweetest little boys ever!!!  Love them so much!

Our little girl is 2 already! Time flies by way too quickly.

My Little Sweet Hazel is now 2.  I can't believe how big she is already, and I can't believe how much I wish I could turn back time... She is an absolute doll, and we couldn't be enjoying her more.  She still loves to dance, and is very aware of her surroundings and what needs to be done.  She is super independent, and tries really hard to keep up with her brothers.  She ADORES her Daddy.  She never gives up or in, she loves her naps when she is tired, and she definitely knows what she wants.  She is picking up new words every day!  She kisses and hugs everyone before she goes to bed.  

This year her Daddy made her the prettiest little cake!  He let me help a little, and it was so fun to do a girly cake again!  She loved when we sang to her, and opening up her presents!  Christmas will be so fun this year!

Other adventures of the White house

This is my final catch up post. 

Cambridge finished kindergarten.

He lost a free ice cream token under our deck and wanted to get it back. So in he went. We did not find the ice cream token, but we did find a freaky bone.

Cambridge got a big cupcake cake to celebrate his half birthday, which for some reason he expected to happen.

One day on his way home from a business trip Ryan stopped by a fun store that has over 150 different kinds of soda. Ryan picked up Zombie Brain Juice, Bug Barf, and Sweet Corn sodas. We told the boys they would turn into zombies if they drank the zombie one and that they would turn into a bug if they drank the bug one. We got a picture of them showing us what a zombie bug would look like. My silly boys. The corn soda on the other hand tasted and smelled like corn. Even Ryan couldn't stomach it, but Brody and Saren enjoyed it.

The fourth of July came and went. This year it was the perfect temperature and we celebrated the day with some close friends.

Now that it was finally warmed up here it was time to get out the pool and other water toys. Saren LOVES playing in and with water. She can be a little too brave. I took her to a lake and she kept walking deeper and deeper with out a life jacket on. That girl has little to no fear.

Lastly, out little girl is starting to talk a lot. She has the cutest voice and ends most of her words with a high pitch. She really is a wonderful addition to our family.

Grandma's Marathon

After getting a stress fracture last year I was determined to run a marathon this year. In Northern Minnesota there is a popular marathon called Grandma's Marathon. It runs along the shore of Lake Superior from Two Harbors to Duluth. My past training partner wanted to sit out training for this race, but my husband decided he would train with me! I later found out that he only agreed to it because he thought we would not actually do it. After a while we both enjoyed running together and we were both excited for our big race. 

Now for a funny story: All of the hotels within 50 miles of Duluth were sold out. This left college dorms as being the only option to have a place to spend the night. Shirley was awesome enough to come out and watch the kids. So back to the dorm. One of the beds was set up really high and Ryan wanted it lower. So he attempted to lower it and broke the bed. After my stomach hurt from laughing at him trying to fix it he ended up throwing the mattress on the floor. 

The race itself was a lot of fun. At the start of the race it was 44 degrees and foggy. The fog stuck around for most of the race, which was nice because we could only see about half a mile ahead of us. 26.2 miles is a long way to run, but it was totally worth it. Ryan and I ran with each other for most of the race, but eventually we got separated and I kicked his trash by 2 minutes. We have already decided that we will be running this one again next year if possible.

Here we are surrounded by people and tons of porto-potties. I guess runners pee a lot.

A few minutes before the start and we were feeling good.

We survived. It felt great to accomplish this together. My husband is such a hunk. ;)

After the race most runners would relax and recover. Shirley brought the kids up to see the end of the race, so we needed to have some fun after the 3 hour drive they made. We had lots of fun with seagulls that would take food out of our hands.

We had fun hiking a little bit around the lake and throwing rocks in. The fog was still sticking around so the view was not the best, but it was still beautiful.

We even went to an awesome waterfall that required Ryan and me to walk down too many steps, but it was worth it to see our kids smile.

Kickin' it with a soccer ball and some grandparents

I checked out the definition of soccer mom on Wikipedia and found this gem:

The phrase soccer mom generally refers to a married middle-class woman who lives in the suburbs and has school age children. She is sometimes portrayed in the media as busy or overburdened and driving a minivan or SUV. She is also portrayed as putting the interests of her family, and most importantly her children, ahead of her own. The phrase derives from the literal, specific description of a mother who transports and watches her children play soccer.

Well then it is official that I am a soccer mom. My two soccer stars loved to get out there and run around. This was our first attempt at competitive sports and found that our boys are quite different when it comes to being aggressive. Either way our boys had a ton of fun.

To keep up with tradition Grandma and Grandpa White took a trip out to see our family after the tax deadline had passed. We had lots of fun visiting the aquarium at the Mall of America, riding a surrey, and playing in a flooding river. We did a lot more, but sometimes we forget to pull out a camera to capture the moments. It is always a blast to have them come even though our kids go through detox afterwards.

Saren was a little reluctant to walk in the river. In her defense it was really cold water from the snow melting.