Photo Dump

Bran and I were pirates for our church's Trunk or Treat. We had over 3,000 people come through!!

We went to a Halloween get together the night after my half marathon. Lane decorated everything so cute! Can't wait to go again next year! 

Griffin is really into coloring right now. He spent an HOUR in his high chair perfectly content with his crayons. 

Griffin's new CVE shirt!

Love my Baby G!

And finally... The quickest and easiest way to shred chicken is with the beaters! Who would've thought!! What did people do before Pinterest!?!

First Half Marathon

Last weekend I accomplished something I never thought I would do in a million years... I completed my first half marathon! 

My buddies, Leslie, Cora, and Valerie, stayed the night in Conway. We all took off Friday afternoon so we would have plenty of time to pick up our packets, drive the course, check in to our hotel, and of course carb load at dinner! Our first hotel was a Days Inn. Yikes!! It was cheap, which was good. But the stong floral scent covering the body odor stench bellowing from our old, musty rooms with yellowed bed sheets and water stained ceilings weren't so great. We could handle all the nastiness, but then the line men started coming "home" and found four women staying there. Then came the cat calls and lustful stares and we were GONE!!! Seriously. It was scary. And that's how we found ourselves at the nice, cozy, safe Comfort Inn. 

We ran to the Sporty Runner to get our packets and super cool tshirts that smelled like puke. Then drove the 13.1 mile course. Holy smokes! I had no clue 13.1 miles was forever long!!! 

We ate a delicious dinner at Russos. I had a kid plate of spaghetti and meatballs and split a piece of cheesecake with Val. YUM

By this time, it was 7ish. We headed back to our nice, cozy, safe hotel. I got all my race gear ready and crawled into my stain free bed and waited on Bran. He arrived around 8:30ish. I crashed! 

The next morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel and headed to the McGhee Center. Traffic was crazy!! I bet we walked a mile to get to the starting line! Haha! 

2,000 runners and/or walkers were there!! I was in the corral in front of the walkers. 

 

We were ready to get started!! The first part of the course was easy. We ended up crossing back past the start line almost at mile five, so I got to see Bran again. I gave him my arm sleeves because I was warm. I felt GREAT at that point. My pace was steady and mood was great. I ran up the first big hill without walking and all was great! 

This is a screenshot of my splits. Obviously you can see I was completely gassed by mile 10. There was a hill on almost every single mile. I had to take my first walk break at mile 7 on another significant hill. I was so bummed. I ran again up until mile 10. And I basically walked the majority of miles 10-12. It was so tough and such a mental battle. I really was wishing I had a running partner at that point to help me push past. I had 80 year old men walking past me. It was tough and extremely discouraging. 

I jogged the last mile and crossed the finish line at 2:58. My goal was 2:45 but I guess I can only go up from here!! 

My rewards! A huge medal and a snickers bar! 

Some of the women I trained with. I love my city's running community! They are so uplifting and encouraging!

This is my teaching partner, Leslie. We started running together back in March. She keeps me accountable!

Brandon has been my biggest supporter! I wouldn't have made it to the finish line if I knew he wasn't going to be. He is my rock!

I wear my Soaring Wings shirt proudly. 

This sticker is really the whole reason why I wanted to do a half!! Haha!!!!

So I am running another half in April. I know how to train better, and I know I can run 13.1 miles in 2:45 if I keep pushing and working. I can't wait for my next half!!  

And finally, my lunch afterwards! Pretty sure I consumed those 1,500 calories that I just burned!!

20 Months

I cannot believe my little man is almost 2!!! Oh but he def has the attitude of a two year old. We are in the thick of terrible twos. :/ 

Now don't get me wrong, Griffin is an amazing kid. He has to be the most impatient kid though. When he's hungry, he wants to eat right then. If he's thirsty, he wants his milk NOW! We (as in Joy and us) are working on patience which is a huge learning curve for a one year old. I'm hoping once he is really able to talk, some of that frustration will be relieved. 

He jabbers constantly. He goes around naming all his family members: mama, dada, nana, papa, drew, Audrey (allday), mason, Nannie, Jaxon, Madison. He can also point to and name his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, head, hair, hands, feet, shoes, and socks. He can also point to and name pictures in his favorite books. He is still counting to 10 and can identify those numbers. He cracks me up because he finds numbers and calls them out on the most random things! The other day he saw an 8 on the back of the cereal box and was so excited! He can say a, b,  c, d and can sometimes identify them. He can pick out an i, r, and y of all things. We have started working on colors, but he isn't consistent. He does love saying blue though! And when he says yellow, it's the cutest thing ever! 

When he is ready to eat, he goes to his high chair and says "eat". When he wants his milk, he goes to the fridge and says "milk". He throws away trash when told to and puts his dirty dishes in the sink. He also puts his shoes on the bar because his sitter has taught him to put his things up! He picks up his toys when asked and sings the clean up song as he picks up. 

His favorite toys are cars and trucks. He also loves his slide and swing outside. 

He has started to lay down in the tub! Hysterical! I couldn't get him out!! Tonight he laid down while there was water still in the tub. He was kicking his legs and floating in the tub. He was even putting his face under the water which was making me SO nervous! 

He can be so sweet and caring. I wish I could upload a video! The other night he was playing with his Boo doll from Monsters Inc and he held her like a little baby. He even shared his milk with her! Melted my heart!! Of course he threw her down after five minutes or so to play with his truck because his attention span is like two seconds, but it was sweet while it lasted! 

His sitter is also teaching him how to apologize. So when he is throwing a tantrum and smacks me in the face, I make him say sorry and he stops, hugs my neck and says sorry. He has no clue why because then he immediately resumes his fit, but he will learn!! Hopefully... She has also taught him to make a happy face. You can tell him to make his happy face and he puts his pointer fingers up to his cheeks and cheeses. It's presh. 

Griffin is also a social butterfly with other children. If he sees another kid in a store or restaurant, he immediately gravitates to them. He gives them a huge grin and starts to jabber. However, he is going through a shy phase with adults. He hides his face either with his hands or buries his head in my shoulder. It doesn't take long for him to warm up to someone, but he doesn't go to just anyone anymore. 

So I am really not sure how G matches up with other kids his age, but I don't think it matters. He is onrey as can be, but incredibly sweet. He is learning so many new things EACH day! I love teaching him, and I'm so thankful he has amazing caregivers that take the time to teach him manners and how to interact with other kids. I love that kid SO much. He is def a shining light! 

Busy!

This has been a busy month already, but I'm afraid it's not going to slow down until November. In the next three weeks, I have my first TESS pre conference, observation, and post conference, first national board meeting, a pumpkin and classroom door to decorate for red ribbon week, a website to build, RTI conferences, report cards, a half-marathon, parent teacher conferences, a PD day, and Griffin's first trick-or-treating! Whew. I'm exhausted typing it all out. 

I'm most excited for the half marathon! I missed my 11 mile run yesterday due to storms. My 9 mile run was amazing. My last long run was 10 miles and it didn't go as well as the nine miles. I had to take a potty break after the first five and never found my rhythm for the last five. It was tough. So it's messing with my head!! I was hoping to have an awesome long run under my belt going into the half. I'm still excited though and relying on my training and God to get me through it!

Our new 3rd grade shirts!

Friday night was Fall Fest at school. Griffin LOVED the bump and jump! That's all he wanted to do. I love that so many if my co workers have little ones just like me. It's nice to swap mom stories! 

We've had lots of family time at home the past week or so. We ran out of money, so Griffin was our entertainment as we ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Haha! The water heater and garbage disposal going out with a few other unexpected expenses made this month a little tight! But G had his first pb&j with no allergic reaction! Woot woot!

Speaking of money, Brandon and I sat down and had our first budget meeting in many months. We are back on a plan and I know Dave Ramsey would be proud. We have several things we want in the upcoming year or two (vacation, bigger home, and a little brother or sister for G), so we better get our finances in order! 

Still trying to drop some weight! I'm not there yet, but I'm getting closer!

This kid is my everything! 

19 Months

My heart is so full!

I just love my little man!

So what has Griffin been up to?

• size 4 diaper
• 24 month clothes
• 26 pounds
• 50th percentile in height and weight
• 90th percentile in head circumference!! He has a big noggin!
• size 6/7 shoe
• favorite foods: grilled cheese sandwiches, applesauce, sweet potatoes, cheerios, popcorn chicken, ketchup, french fries, cantaloupe, bananas, well…. any fruit basically!
• He has tried new food too this month that he did not like before like mac and cheese and pulled pork
• He has four teeth on tooth, four on bottom, and four molars. STILL working on his canines! He has been super cranky the past few days, so maybe that’s a sign they will be here soon.
• He loves to act like a big boy when he is around older kids. He follows them around like a lost puppy dog and copies their every move.
• G loves to watch Baby TV, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.
• And something that ASTONISHED me…. He can recognize numbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it when he picked up a 2 the other day in Sunday School and said two. He did it with the number 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9. I was amazed! He’s also learning how to sit and listen to a lesson in Sunday School.
• He is learning so much! He jabbers constantly and says many, many words. His favorite thing to say is his numbers, yes mam, please, oh man, and has recently started to try to sing itsy bitsy spider.
• I think he is super smart. haha!

Putting his deodorant on! haha!


I just love little boys in blue jeans.
So if you didn’t know it already, I am BLESSED to be Griffin’s momma! I LOVE him and his Daddy more than anything else!

September

What a crazy month! The first month of school is SO hard and SO exhausting. We have a new principal this year, so that comes with a whole new set of challenges and expectations. 

Griffin is still crazy and sweet as ever. He will be 19 months in just a couple of days. I will have a two year old on my hands before I know it! He finally got his hair cut today! He looks SO much better. 

 

I just love him so much. 

In other news, I have now not only ran five miles, but surpassed my goal. This morning I ran nine! I can't believe it! It's so true about once you reach five or six miles, you can just go on and on. But I am feeling it tonight though. My legs are SORE. 

This is a screenshot of my splits from two weeks ago when I ran eight. It has mile none on there, but that's when I was pulling my phone out to turn off my app. I ran a slower pace today because I was running with a friend. It is wonderful to have someone to talk to. When you run for a couple hours, it's super boring. 

Needless to say, I'm super proud of myself!!! I'm hoping to work on my speed after the half. Just a few more weeks!! 

My baby is getting so big! He is doing great in his big boy bed. He wakes up between 4-5 though and climbs in bed with us. I really wish he wouldn't do that, but until we get a gate, that's just where we are! I do like the extra snuggles!

G enjoying the beautiful weather!

Big Boy Bed

Oh how I wish I could upload a video using this app, but I can't. Just take my word for it...  We have the best video of Griffin escaping his crib. Of course he would decide to do this the second week of school.... So on a Tuesday night, he slept in his big boy bed for the first time. I don't think Bran and I have been more nervous. Knowing that Griffin had free reign of the house while we were asleep is TERRIFYING. G was thrilled with his new bed!

It took two hours to get him to sleep. I did the Super Nanny method, or tried to anyways... I had to make myself stay cool, calm, and collected. And it was not easy! Super Nanny says to not show any positive or negative reinforcement. Rather, you are supposed to keep a blank expression and simply put the baby back in his bed every time he gets up. It's exhausting. After 30 minutes, I just sat down by his bed and pushed him back every time he rose up. Which he thought was the funniest game. :/ 

So there I am, pushing my kid down while he is laughing hysterically and I'm holding back laughter and tears all at once. He finally gave it up though, and the next night only took an hour. And the night after that, 45 minutes. Then 30 minutes. Then I got tired of spending all night in there. 

So I decided to be a mean momma, and he cried it out after that and has been since then. I literally have to lock his door to keep him in there. But it takes him 5-10 minutes now to go to sleep, and I'm much happier!!

Our biggest problem is keeping him in his room. He has been getting up around 3-4, and climbing in bed with us. He's the worst to sleep with too. He kicks, head buts, and everything else to make you super uncomfortable. And just as he is falling back to sleep, my alarm goes off. I don't feel comfortable leaving his door locked all night because heaven forbid something tragic like a fire happens and we need to get to him quickly. 

Last night he stayed up later with us since we both had today off. Griffin went to bed at 8:30 and slept until 6:00 this morning in his own bed! I got in from my run at 6:30, and him and Bran were just getting up. I was impressed, so he may be getting a later bedtime to help out in the morning. 

So the transition wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be, but I must admit.... I MISS his baby prison... errr... I mean crib. 

What momma?

Climbing out of his crib one day, and on top of the counter the next. Literally the next day.