Running

So after training for and running that 5K back in November (wait, did I blog about that? I don't think I did....) I've been trying to keep my running up. Because I feel soooooo good when I run. Since I am not a natural runner and I do not think it is the best thing evar! while I'm doing it, I have to make sure that I have music pumping in my ears and anywhere but a treadmill to run.

Running anything beyond 50 feet on a treadmill is kind of torture for me and it's kind of really cold and it has been snowing for 5 days outside. Thankfully, the local high school has the field house track open 4 nights a week for people to go run so I don't have to run in the snow (which would actually be hilarious, now that I think about it).

Running on the track is great. I have a little system with my fingers to help me keep count of how many laps I've completed. Also, I'm surrounded by runners and walkers whose endorphins are pumping through their veins which means they are super nice and very apt to smile. It's funny, even though there's a runner who has passed me like 3 times and is on lap gajillion, I never feel self-conscious or silly like I do ev-er-y time I'm at a gym on an elliptical. I gotta say though, my favorite part about running on the track is that the whole time you're there, you see the backs of everyone's heads. I sub-consciously create an image, in my mind, of what their faces MUST look like. Lap after lap, that image gets more ingrained in my brain until, by the end of my run, I am sure I know what their faces look like. I cool down, stretch, drink a bunch of water, and get all bundled up to leave. I step out onto the track, walking the opposite way as everyone on the track, and walk to the stairs. It's at this point that I make eye contact with pretty much everyone I stared at from behind for 2 miles and it blows. my. mind. No one looks anything like I imagined them looking and it is hilariously entertaining for me.


So.....right now. That's my favorite part about running. People's faces. I am so weird.

Jungle Party

Ava turned 3 last week and she asked for a birthday party. I was pretty scared at first. She wanted to invite everyone she'd ever met and have a jungle cake. She decided only 6 friends was okay but she wouldn't budge on the jungle cake. She's a tough negotiator. 

It ended up being a good time. I made the dining room look like a jungle:

And got a lady in the ward to help me with the cake:

I planned out all the games and activities but they ended up taking 20 minutes less than I thought they would. That always happens, doesn't it? The kids didn't care though because, BALLOONS!

After pizza, it was cake time! The birthday girl was too shy to blow out the candles:

So I did it for her: 

Like I said, it was a good time and even the jungle trees were edible (candy clay):

I just had to put this shot in here because it may be the only time I ever get a shot of my husband crafting. What a guy.

Happy 3 years, Ava!

Happy Birthday, my lovely little girl

This one.

She is 3 today. I cannot believe my luck in getting to be her momma. 

Best three years of my life.

Why Mariokart is the best:

It's also really fun to get your mom to play it for the first time. Trust me. DO IT.

Pre game instruction:

Intense concentration:

Intense concentration apparently not yielding expected results (because everyone is laughing):

Trying to defend her own honor:

Realizing she has no Mariokart honor to defend yet/trying to turn Luigi around:

"HOW LONG IS THIS RACE?!":

Shannon: That was amazing
Mom: I cannot believe you just subjected me to that/how are you so good at this game?

Missing Shannon

We got to kidnap my little sister from my parents for a few days over Christmas break. It was wonderful. We just loooooove our Shannon. Ava likes to pretend she's Shannon a lot and she tells me all the time that she misses her.

I know, kid. Me too.

R continued

So here's what we did for the rainbow portion of our R week last week:

Tissue paper rainbow on contact paper. It's now hanging on one of Danny's office windows. His coworkers are really impressed with his crafting skills.

Then we made a rainbow ribbon dancer. Except we used tulle. Tulle isn't as flowy as ribbon but it is reeeeeally cheap. We tied strips of tulle onto a shower curtain ring and danced. All morning.

Then we made rainbow drip flower pots. It's pretty self explanatory, non? Just turn the pot upside down and squirt acrylic paint on top. A little bit of paint goes a long way. And squirt each color on top of the last..... or as close to "on top" as your tot can get. Watch as it flows down the side. It's mesmerizing.

Ours took a good 2 days to dry completely.

That was R. At no point in the alphabet are A and B close to R, but I realized during the holidays that I do a better job of all this fun when I'm doing a letter I'm really excited about, and if that means we don't go in alphabetical order, than that's what it means.

Next week: J. For jungle and jellyfish and Jesus.

R: Robots, rockets, and rainbows!

R was so fun. So so fun. It might be my new favorite letter. Also a new favorite? Using my laminator. (More pictures to come later this week when I get a working computer.)