October Love

October is my favorite month of the year (and none of our birthdays happen to be this particular month — though Sebastian was supposed to be born on 10/02/13).  From fall running/racing to endless hayrides and pumpkin patches, October is by far the best month ever.  And because you all know I’m a big planner,  I made sure to plan for some great fall activities.

Recap of what we’ve done so far:

1. Okay, this doesn’t count for October because it was 9/29, but we attended Lili’s paint monthly paint night with her school.  We love going.

Too much fun with the little folks.

2. B came with  me to the office one day and he was totally good.

3. We had a 4-day weekend for the Jewish holidays and Lili started the day off with yoga at the library. (10/01/16).

While she did yoga, P and Sebastian hung out on the story-time rug.

4. Monday (10/3), I took the kids to a pumpkin patch right down the street.

And when we came home, I made dinner while they painted said pumpkins.

B went down for a nap and then we started baking Halloween cookies.  He woke up in the middle of our bake-off.

And then we went to the library (yes, all the same day).

Lili read a book to Connor and she did fantastic.

and then we came home.

5.The kids had another day off but I didn’t so I needed to take off (10/4).  Of course Lili wanted to know what our plans were for the day. So we went to another pumpkin patch down the street.

And we are trying to practice B’s smile.

After we picked more pumpkins, we stopped at Target to pick up a few things and then we headed home to paint the pumpkins. HA.

Told you, we are trying to get this smile down.

We also finished up our bats and hung them up.

6.  On Friday, I picked up Mimi’s brother and we headed into the city to pick our bibs for Brooklyn Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  We took the train from my office and it went pretty smooth.

After we picked up our bibs, we had time to stop over Time Square. Every single time he visits, he has to take an obligatory Time Square photo.

We had to catch the 12:46 train back in order for me to get the kids from school so we were pretty pressed for time but he was happy to get his pic in.

After I picked the kids up, we dropped off Ralph and came home to eat a quick dinner before heading to Pump it Up with some friends.

Kids had a ton of fun.  After pump it up, we had to run over to the super market and then we were home by 8PM. Ugh. I still had to give a kids a bath, put them down and then lay out race clothes.

I was in bed by 11 PM, later than I like to be before a race.

6. 10/08/16 RACE DAY!  I woke up quarter to 5 and ate breakfast.  My brother scooped me up by 5:50 AM and he drove us into Brooklyn.  Quick sidenote: as we are getting dropped off, Ralph realizes he left his BIB at HOME!!! Oh my GOD. I thought he was going to have a hard time getting in but it all worked out.

I pretty much paced him. He wanted to come in around 2:25-2:20.

It was a good time. I know he was hurting towards the end but we pushed through and came in at 2:22 AND not only was he thrilled but he had a PR.

Our siblings had awesome signs for us.

Then we had to walk 2-miles back to the car. HA! But it wasn’t bad. We were home before noon and I showered and put B down for a nap.  Then I made an early dinner and we carved pumpkins in the evening.

Isn’t it pretty? The kids got a little bored of cleaning out of pumpkins part, so I had them make construction paper pumpkins on the side.

7.  Columbus Day I had to work but kids had off (10/10/16) but I promised them that once I picked up kids I would take them to Kidz Village.

They had a blast and didn’t give me hard time when it was time to leave.  Probably because they were about to close their doors.

8.  I was swamped at the office on Tuesday so my sister in law was able to pick up Lili from school and take her out before dropping her off at my office.

They had fun together.

9.  I was OFF yesterday (10/12/16) for the Jewish holiday and so were the kids so guess what we did??? We met up with my soley, Cici, for a track workout (tomorrow happens to be our 4 year runniversary).  Did I tell you she’s 22-weeks pregnant???

We were dripping post workout.  I didn’t have a sitter, so I made sure to pack their bag and was praying that the field wouldn’t be packed and lucky us… hardly anyone at the track!!! I love when that happens.

They would occasionally join me for half a lap.

I can’t take their cuteness.  And can I tell you how stinkin’ cute Lili would be when I was doing a recovery lap?

She would bring water for me on the side. I swear I felt like I was an elite runner. HA! When we said our goodbyes to Cici, we headed over to look for Halloween costumes for Lili.  We already ordered Sebastian’s.

We were there for awhile trying on costumes and then she finally picked up. I’ll have the winner posted soon.

When we came home I had to cook lunch, prep dinner, put B down for a nap, do laundry and then we did more Halloween arts/crafts.

What a great time we had, especially making these puppets.

10.  Saying goodbye.  While in the midst of cooking lunch, prepping dinner, doing laundry, feeding kids, etc. Mimi and her brother stopped by to say bye to the kids.

Next time we’ll see him is when we head out to San Francisco for my brother and his sister’s wedding.

Do you dress up for Halloween? Do you do Halloween races? I signed up for a 5k and a half marathon this Spring. I am thinking of a Spring marathon but haven’t really been looking around.

Did you ever run a Rock N Roll series? Brooklyn was my first. It was nice.Not too overcrowded.  The medals are actually REALLY nice.

I’m not in tomorrow so hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

 

First Week of School & DIY

6-Mile Run

The kids started school a week ago and it went pretty well.  It’s difficult when the kids are in two different schools.  It means having to miss one of their first days but P and I worked it out.  I went with Sebastian and P went with Lili. Unfortunately, Lili was not happy with this arrangement (and she even cried) so I promised her I would go the next day.

I was apprehensive about Sebastian even though we did a few weeks of camp.  He seemed excited but then he would cling onto my leg.  He kept saying that he wanted me.  So I moved around the classroom until I found something to keep him busy.

I left him as happy as could be. And when I picked him up, he was even happier.

It was a successful first day of school. Of course P has to drop off Lili and he doesn’t take pics like I do… She also had a successful first day of Kindergarten, so I took these two the last times I did drop off.

The teacher was fully aware that it was Sebastian’s birthday on Sunday so she told me if I wanted to bring something in for the kids, I could do so that Friday.  Sebastian’s face lit up when he saw me bring him balloons.

I brought some munchkins in for him. He was happy.

Lili has been happy with school too, especially since I walk her some morning.

She happens to be the only girl on our block with four boys her age.  It’s kind of cute.

Since our biggest daycare supports (my in-laws are in Spain and my dad will be hospitalized) aren’t around, P and I are all over the place with drop offs and pick ups.  Our deal right now we alternate drops off in the AM and scramble for pick-ups in the PM.  I ended up making an nifty calendar that I absolutely LOVE.

You could use paint chips from Home Depot or Loews, but if you recall I’m an arts/crafts hoarder. Anyhow, all you need are 2×2 colorful cards, 16×20 frame, double-sided tape, and washable thin expo markers.

Yeah, I go a little crazy.

A LOT OF PLANNING!! And, I absolutely love my new planner.

It’s like a scrapbook/planner.  I purchased this one at Michael’s.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

Big thing about pick-ups for the next few weeks is I HAVE TO WORKOUT IN THE MORNING!!! I mean, I always do workout in the AM, but sometimes if I miss it, I am able to squeeze something in at lunch.

Do you plan your day out? Week? Month? Do you use a planner or outlook calendar? I am a planner whore, for lack of a better word, HA. I’m always looking for something new, but I think I’ll stick to this one for as long as I can.

Mid-September

The days/weeks just seem to fly by. I can’t believe it’s already mid-September.  It’s also hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since my dad was first diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.

Poppop with the grandkids

It seems like a bad nightmare we all had to go through. There were a lot of ER visits, hospital visits, etc.  He had his stem cell transplant that March and stayed in the hospital longer than expected because there were complications.  Finally he was home in April and gaining back strength (and his hair was growing back in as seen above).  The last four months he had follow-up visits and blood works.

Unfortunately, things aren’t heading in the direction we had hoped for.  After monitoring his blood works from the last few months, we learned that it looks like he will need yet another transplant.  This transplant will give him a year and half life span; maybe more. So we seem to be back at square one.

Next week, he will have a PICC line placed followed by a strong dose of chemo and then the transplant phase will begin.

We are all keeping positive thoughts.

On another note, the kids have started school.

09-08-2016

I can’t believe we have a Kindergarten gal and a Pre-K 3 boy.  Time is zipping on by.

My in-laws (a/k/a the biggest support with the kids these days) left for Spain, so as you can imagine, I have so much on my plate between working F/T, dropping/picking kids up to/from school, getting dinner together, etc.

Unfortunately, with everything going on, I will have defer MCM this November.  My training has been inconsistent (sorry Chelsea… I thought this was the year we’d meet in person). I do have a half marathon next month and even though my training has been sub-par, I intend to run this race.  I would also love to get some shorter races in to get my speed back on the grid. Lots of speed training/tempo runs, etc.  I am getting a lot of strength training in.

So much more to update on (how kids did in school, some DIY projects I completed, etc.) but too much to put into one post. Just one more thing to add onto here.

Last Sunday, 9/11/16, was Sebastian’s 3rd Birthday.  I cherish that day 3 years ago.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to that day.  They’re so precious. And now, they’re so big.

Raise your hand if you’re THREE!

3-years later…

I think this is all I could handle for today.

What do you think I should do for MCM? Defer or just reapply for lottery in 2017?  My issue is I have a good chance of getting into NYCM so do I run back-to-back marathons in 2017? HA.

 

So Long Summer

It’s my FRIDAY and it’s going to be a nice long weekend (right before the chaos starts, A/K/A SCHOOL).  I don’t know if it’s been obvious that I’ve been M.I.A. but things have been a tad crazy.  I’ll sum it up this way:

The kids got sick from camp.  We knew it was going to happen.  They ended up with coxsackie, which left me home with them for a week.  Actually, I came in for a day and a half until one of the attorney’s sent me home because he was afraid I was contagious.

Unfortunately, there is no real treatment for Coxsackie. Just have to monitor the fevers, as they go as high as 104.  Sebastian had it first from a Sunday-Tuesday and Lili got it from Tuesday-Thursday.  What a mess.

We had a serious case of cabin fever after being stuck at home for 9-days.  So by Friday, we headed over to our hairdresser’s house.  She has two kids but first, Lili cut off 10-inches of her hair.

BEFORE

AFTER

She donated it to CWHL (Children with Hair Loss).  Afterwards, we stayed for a few hours so the kids could play.

We ended up having lunch with my in-laws then headed over to my parents to hang out for a bit.  Since the kids were really contagious, we hadn’t seen them in some time.

The next morning, we received a last minute text to meet up with my girlfriend and her kids at the park.  We hadn’t seen them in some time so we made a point to make it over.

FYI, Lili loves her new hairdo.

Friends

We caught up for about two hours before we had to head home and over to Julian’s football game. Poor kids were tired but they woke up by the time we got there.

On our way back home we picked up pizza and nachos.  It was a LONG and HOT day.

Sunday (08/21/16), my girlfriend Rachel was coming over and I made her favorite, Tortilla Espanola.

I was happy to see her.

The rest of the week we were back to normal and back to camp.  Also, we rescheduled a play-date that we canceled because I was afraid kids were still contagious.  (08/26/16)

Best Friends

One of the trails I run by my office has a Fairy Trail.  One of the mothers and her son with autism make random little fairy houses for everyone to come and see. It is SO cute.

Kids did great looking for fairy houses and had a ton of fun.  I can’t believe they walked for over an hour.  After, we went back to my girlfriend’s house and the kids played some more.

So, just ONE MORE WEEK until both kiddos are in school. I have more to update on.  Some good, some, unfortunately bad… But I’ll have to get that post together.  I have been running and working out regularly. I leave you with this:

Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend. You deserve it!

Weekly Update: IT’S MY FRIDAY

Is it me or did this week drag on or what?  Marathon training’s going and I also managed to get in weights 3x a week.  I know I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again, the humidity kills.

Anyhow, this past weekend (I know, days and days ago) was pretty much laid back.

My brother’s fiance watched the kids on Thursday, which worked out perfect for me.. The kids were thrilled to see her.

On Friday we visited my parents.  I hadn’t seen them in weeks.  My mom and I took a few trips to Costco and then when B took a nap, Lili and I went to the park to hang out.

We had a mini-picnic, just her and I. While she played on the playground, I caught up on some reading materials.

By 1:30 PM, I ordered lunch for my parents and I then headed back home.  We stayed for a bit and then headed home.

The weekend we just kinda hung out. The weather was crap so we did a lot of imagination play.

Lili was the owner of the restaurant.  We ordered food and had a nice meal.

The kids found my running headlamp.

Pedro said they looked like they were digging for gold.

Tuesday night we headed to movies in the park. It’s the last movie for the summer. I can’t believe summer’s coming to an end.

They were showing Inside, Out. we love that movie.  I caught up on some reading.

I started a new book.

It’s pretty good so far. I can’t put it down, but unfortunately I have two little ones that are demanding.

Such a good time.

Anyway, this weekend we have no major plans except my long run and back to school shopping. I can’t be school starts in less than a month.

What books are you reading? Book or Kindle?  I bought Me Before You also.  I prefer books rather than the kindle.

 

Summer Fun (and Hot Runs)…

I feel like I’m in my senior year of high school and have been absent for 3-weeks because I had the chicken pox (yes, it’s true, I was 17 years old when I got the chicken pox!).  I haven’t posted in a few weeks. Juggling the kids, work, marathon training and life has been quite the struggle, but I am getting through it.

Quick update (is it ever really quick?).  Kids started summer camp 3-weeks ago.  The first few days were okay, and then there were tears others, but now, they’re pros.

One of the days I picked the kids up, the teacher told me Sebastian had a (girl)friend that follows him and sits next to him at lunch. They supposedly feed each other lunch.

Favorite part of the day is when I pick them up. But overall, they’re having a blast.

Their last week is next week but I am thinking of doing one more week after and then they’ll have two weeks before school starts (and for me to get Sebastian fully potty trained. We’re working on it!).

We have spent some time with family when we can.  P’s nephew came to my office two Fridays ago and then he slept over.

We had dinner with my in-laws and then Jules, Lili and I hit up our favorite cafe, Van Goh’s Ear.

Then Sundays we go to mass.

We made it to the movies in the park again.  This time we watched Hotel Transylvania 2. Next week is the last movie in the park, Inside Out. I’m looking forward to that one.

And last Friday after work, I picked up my niece from her summer camp so that the kids had some time to play.

When I’m not able to make it outdoors for a run, I turn to my trusty tread.

And I just started binge watching Pretty Little Liars (and I’m obsessed.  Almost on season 4 so still so much to catch up on!).

We tried out a new hole in the wall Mexican place, Freppe’s.

And we loved it!!!!!!

Last weekend it RAINED and RAINED… so we made sure to do some indoors arts/crafts projects.

We read for the millionth time, Where the Wild Things Are and then made monsters and boats.  Then we did a paint night.

It was fun.

We try to get to the pool when we can.

And on Tuesday we went to National Night Out in town.

Sebastian was STAR-STRUCK when he saw Spiderman.

And when Spiderman gave him a high-5, well, that just made his day.

AND Pedro’s birthday gift to me…

New shoes, fuel, compression socks, etc…. I’m in heaven. (and yes, my birthday was nearly two months ago… I just used his certificate yesterday!).

Do you watch PLL? What’s your favorite TV show(s)? I have a few. Breaking Bad, Grey’s Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars, Empire (which I still need to catch up on).

Plans for the weekend? I have a long run and nothing else on schedule really. I like those kinds of weekends…

 

 

Mid-Week Recap

5:30 AM: Treadmill Workout Week #2; Run #5 – COMPLETED

Strength – COMPLETED

I did another treadmill workout this morning (I ran #4 on Monday, then I did an easy 6-mile run yesterday).  So far, I am enjoying the treadmill workout.  One thing is, you have to constantly be paying attention.  One minute you’re on an 8% incline running at a 8.4 speed, and then you recover and do the next interval at different incline and different speed.  So you really need to be focused.  But other than that, it is pretty fun and a good workout.  I am always drenched after.

Quick weekend recap.  On Friday, I left the office at 2 and scooped up B.  Then headed home.  P picked up Lili from school and then I took her to dance.

I need to figure out a way to post her dance recital video on here. They’re so cute.  Lili’s excited for her recital on Sunday.  After dance, we headed home and hung around.

Saturday morning I woke up and hung out with the kids.  We ate breakfast #1 and then when P was waking up, I made a big brunch.

Pancakes, sausage, turkey bacon and homefries.  We did a few things around the house and then finally headed over to the park where I did a short run and then walked 2-miles with P and the kids.

I can’t believe they lasted 2 whole miles.  Of course, there’s the playground after the walk.  We make them work for their play-time.

Half an hour after the kids played, P realized he dropped his phone on our walk.  What a fiasco.  He walked back looking for it and I sent the phone a message asking whomever found the phone to please please please return it to the playground. Can you believe half hour later, a kind woman and her friend walking dogs came over to the park and found me!!! THERE ARE STILL GOOD PEOPLE OUT THERE! 

Anyway, we came home and I grilled burgers and dogs.  Then gave the kids a bath and off to bed.  Great day especially since we found the phone.

Sunday morning we woke up and I fed the kids breakfast. Instead of watching TV/ipads, I put on music and declared it no TV day (well, I let them watch ONE movie only at one point).  I had to figure out how to keep them preoccupied while I ran on the treadmill and BINGO… Nothing keeps them busy like PLAYDOH.

Ahhhh, I was able to get a 7-mile run in (with 3-miles of those being the actual workout) and they were so well behaved. We also had a party at 1:30 so I tried to put B down for a nap.  It didn’t work.

I forgot to buy a birthday card so we ended up making our own. Anyway, we left for the party at 1.

Can I just say, they had too much fun.

We left close to 3 and I gave the kids a bath earlier than later. I also had to feed Lili because believe it or not, she does NOT like pizza. Since I didn’t wan them watching TV still, I had more activities for them.

First we painted and then they took out the mats to do some gymnastics and build a tent.

 

THEN, I finally let them watch a movie before getting ready to go to bed.  Our usual night time routine; reading a book.

Monday morning I woke up and Lili was so excited to give me my birthday card.

She’s the sweetest.  I had a busy full day.  I did a treadmill workout, cleaned the house a bit, got the kids dressed and did drop off.  I worked until 3:15 and then left the office to scoop up Lili. She had dress rehearsal for her recital on Sunday.

As soon as I got home, I was shocked to see that Pedro had surprised me.

Yup, he decorated the house with balloons.

And flowers.  My in-laws and sister came over. We had pizza and cake. It was very low-key. BUT a great time.

And here we are!! I think I’m pretty much caught up!

I can’t believe it’s JUNE! My favorite month ever (sarcasm in this). It’s actually like December. So busy.  My birthday was just the kick-off, but now, it’ll be Father’s Day, Lili’s Birthday, finishing up Pre-K and Pedro’s 40th Birthday!!! I can’t bEelieve it.

Did you take dance classes when you were a kid? I never did. I wish I did. I think I live vicariously through Lili. HA!

Ever lose your phone? Was it returned to you?  It’s a pain to replace it so thank goodness that nice woman returned it.

 

FRIDAYYYYY

6-miles (TREADMILL WORKOUT) – COMPLETED

I am actually in the office today.  I have a few days where I have to leave early and come in late, so I figured I would work a few hours to make up some time.  They really don’t mind if I have to leave early or come in late, but personally for myself, I would rather not take advantage. ALSO, since it’s raining, I figured I wasn’t really wasting a beautiful day.

Workweek’s been busy, but I’ve managed to get a lot of running in (Mon. 3-mi; Tues. 4-mi; Wed. 10 miles, Thurs. Weights and 6 miles today).  I started a new treadmill program (5-weeks) before marathon training starts. It’s pretty good so far.

Workout 1; Day 1 (Wed. 6/1/16)

1-mile Warm-up

Segment #1

30 seconds @ 6.2 + 4% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

60 seconds @ 6.2 + 4% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

90 seconds @ 6.2 + 4% incline (90-second recovery 0% incline)

30 seconds @ 6.2 + 6% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

60 seconds @ 6.2 + 6% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

90 seconds @ 6.2 + 6% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

Segment #2

30 seconds @ 7.2 + 0% incline (1-min recovery)

60 seconds @ 7.2 + 0% incline (1-min recovery)

90 seconds @ 7.2 + 0% incline (90 second recovery)

30 seconds @ 7.7 + 0% incline (1-min recovery)

60 seconds @ 7.7 + 0% incline (1-min recovery)

90 seconds @ 7.7 + 0% incline (1-min recovery)

Segment #3

30 seconds @ 8.3 + 3% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

60 seconds @ 8.3 + 3% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

90 seconds @ 8.3 + 3% incline (1-min recovery 0% incline)

1-mile cool down.

I also ran at lunch time this same day.  I figured I had to take advantage since (1) it was nice outside; (2) I didn’t have to pick up Lili; and (3) it was Global Running Day!

Yesterday I did arms and abs.  I was interrupted a few times by my love bug.

He was either sitting on my back while I was holding planks or doing push-up, or laying on my belly while I did crunches. You can’t get mad at his cute face though.

Today I ran the second treadmill workout.

Week 1; Day 2 The Pyramid (6/3/16)

Warm-up 1-mile

Segment #1:

90-seconds @ 7.2 + 3% incline (Recovery 1 min)

90-seconds @ 7.4 + 2% incline (Recovery 1 min)

90-seconds @ 7.6 + 1% incline (Recovery 1 min)

90-seconds @ 7.6 + 2% incline (Recovery 1 min)

90-seconds @ 7.6 + 3% incline (Recovery 2 min)

Segment #2

60-seconds @ 7.8 + 4% incline (Recovery 1 min)

60-seconds @ 8.0 + 3% incline (Recovery 1 min)

60-seconds @ 8.2 + 2% incline (Recovery 1 min)

60-seconds @ 8.4 + 1% incline (Recovery 1 min)

60-seconds @ 8.4 + 2% incline (Recovery 1 min)

60-seconds @ 8.4 + 3% incline (Recovery 1 min)

60-seconds @ 8.4 + 4% incline (Recovery 2 min)

Segment #3

30-seconds @ 8.6 + 5% incline (Recovery 1 min)

30-seconds @ 8.8 + 4% incline (Recovery 1 min)

30-seconds @ 9.0 + 3% incline (Recovery 1 min)

30-seconds @ 9.2 + 2% incline (Recovery 1 min)

30-seconds @ 9.2 + 3% incline (Recovery 1 min)

30-seconds @ 9.2 + 4% incline (Recovery 1 min)

30-seconds @ 9.2 + 5% incline

Cool-Down 1-mile

Such a great workout. I have a longish run tomorrow and then my 3rd treadmill workout on Sunday.

On another note, Pedro bought me wireless earbuds and I LOVE THEM.  First of all, I should mention that earbuds don’t work well with me. They constantly fall out and it just becomes such a nuisance.  I need the ones that clip onto your ears.

AMAZING!!!! The features are:

Wireless connection

6-hours rechargeable battery

Built-in Microphone

SWEAT RESISTANT (this is my favorite part because I sweat a lot)

Carrying EVA Case

I usually have the big bulky wireless headphones, but these are so great. Light, easy and they don’t fall out of my ears!!! Now, I don’t normally run with music, but since I’ve been doing a lot of solo runs these days, I’m glad to have the option to run with music.

Do you run with music? Have you tried wireless headphones/earbuds? 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! I have about an hour left before I scoot out of here. 

M.D.W.

6:00 AM: Strength Workout; 11:00 AM: Run – Hill Repeats

Happy Tuesday! The long weekend was great and I had too much fun with the kids.  Unfortunately, it’s back to reality for all of us.  I prefer to workout first thing in the morning, but Sebastian has been incredibly needy of me.  Sometimes I’ll be up and it’s like he knows and then wakes up with me.  So, as soon as I unrolled my mat, he did same.

Great workout session for both of us.  I wanted to run but didn’t have time… no really, I finished my workout, prepped Lili’s lunch, got the kids ready to go to school/in-laws, packed running clothes and by the time I knew it, I had zero time to shower. Oops.  So I quickly got myself ready and headed out the front door.

It was already hot when we left so I tried to go run at the earliest time that I could go.  I went at 11:00 AM.

And I was drenched.   But I am glad it is done.  I did a mile warm-up, then hill repeats on Clinton Ave.  It was so hot I could only stand to 1-minute repeats x 6 before calling it quits and then heading back to the office for a 1-mile cool-down.

Anyway, the weekend was great.  There was lots of running, food and park time.  First, on Friday morning, I dropped Lili off at school and Sebastian and I visited my parents.  After an hour, we met up with my friend, Jacquie, and her two kids for a 2-mile walk and then they played at the park.

We went home close to noon and then I fed him lunch before he passed out.

He was knocked! P was home by 1:30 and stayed with him while I picked Lili up.  Then we visited my in-laws for a few hours before heading home.  The kids played with playdoh before we ate dinner.

Saturday morning I got up early and baked.

Then the kids and I went food shopping and I made a big brunch.  Pancakes, sausage, bacon, oj. We but Sebastian down for a nap and then headed over to Celeste’s house for Rosa’s Birthday BBQ.  Celeste and John did a great job hosting.

Here are a bunch of gifts from the guests.  Everyone brought gifts and Celeste and John will be making baskets and donating them to a hospital for mothers that are going through a pregnancy loss.  They are amazing friends.

And here is a collage of photos that Celeste put together.  I was able to get a good video before the wind took a few down.

The food was good, company was great and the kids had a ton of fun.  It was such a beautiful, HOT … but beautiful day.

What a great time..

We left close to 5:30 and I had to make a stop at my sister’s to drop off her planner that she left at my parents house last week.  Since we were there, we hung out a bit, gave the kids bath and then she ordered dinner.

Lili fell asleep on the way home and was CRANKY!!!

Sunday morning it was HOT again. I made a quick breakfast and then took Sebastian for a haircut.  We actually saw my mom there so that was a nice treat.  After, we headed to Dunkin Donuts for iced coffee and donuts and then to the spray playground.  I got a great parking spot and a bench all to myself.

 

It was 90 degrees out at 11:30.

After two hours it was time to go!!! Sebastian napped like a baby and Lili rested most of the day. P went out to a late lunch with his mom.

Yesterday was pretty low key. We were supposed to get some storms but that didn’t happen. We did check out Sports Authority because they’re going out of business but there weren’t really any great deals.

Lili had a meltdown this morning when I dropped her off.  She was upset because I wasn’t picking her up from school.  MELTDOWNNNNNNN.  Then when I got back from my run, my phone was ringing and it was Sebastian trying to Facetime me.

I guess that happens when you spend too many days with the kids.  They are clinging to you for dear life.

Who ran some Memorial Day races? 

Anyone ever run a race and got to a certain point when they decided to STOP the race (due to weather conditions)? A few  of my friends ran Vermont Marathon on Sunday. That was my first marathon ever.  When they got to mile 21, they were shutting down the race because of the heat.  All of my friends gave them the F-U, I’m FINISHING and crossed that finish line.  Tough as nails.

Hope you enjoy the short week!

Hey May…

5-Mile Run – COMPLETED

Work’s been CRAZZZZZZZY, which is a good thing.  And when work isn’t crazy, life is crazy.  BUT, I’m not complaining.  I’m grateful to have a paycheck each week and a happy family to come home to. Perspective.

The month has been filled with lots of fun things.

It started with a sleepover with my niece (4.30.16).  We borrowed my mom’s air mattress from Costco.  I am thinking of buying one for our home.  It’s compact when deflated and 3-4 people can fit on the mattress.

We had some weird weather and the kids decided to wear hats and gloves while doing some gymnastics indoors. (5.1.16).

I left the office early one day and took Lili out on a date.

We had so much fun.  Right after our diner date, we headed over to the library.  Lili was scheduled to read a book to a dog. (05.02.16)

She was so excited to read to Madison and Madison was very interested in her book. Cutest thing ever.

I got to run with my solemate mid-week.  Any run with her makes my day. 05.03.06

On Cinco de Mayo we celebrated my boss’ 50th Birthday.

I’ve worked for this woman for 12.5 years.  We get a long very well.

We had so many days of rain.  I thought it was April Showers brings May Flowers… They were wrong this month. (05.06.16)

We celebrated Mother’s Day with Pedro’s parents on Saturday at an Italian restaurant, Tristeina’s (05.07.16).  Our family lunches would be conflicting with one another so this made life easier.

And Sunday we celebrated with my family after Sunday mass. (05.08.16)

Pedro’s did fantastic with my Mother’s Day card. He never fails to give me the most heartfelt and crafty card for Mother’s Day.

Made with love.

The following week we had to switch up day-care since my MIL’s brother was visiting from Ecuador.  My brother’s fiance babysat Monday and P took off on Tuesday.  Then we visited with my in-laws.

They don’t speak English so I had to brush up on my espanol. HA! (05.10.16).

My bestfriend watched B on Wed. (05.11.16). Lili was totally bummed out because she had to go to school.

I don’t know what I would do without her.

And then it was Friday the 13th, which also happened to be my niece’s 7th birthday. It was raining again.  I had to run errands with B. He had another dr. appointment. His allergies have been awful.

And then we ran out to scoop up Lili and head over to my niece’s.

He’s all about Batman. (05.13.16).  My sister was throwing a birthday dinner for my niece.

 

We had a lot of fun and then after presents and cake, Scarlett came over our house for a sleep over. We got home so late so the kids went straight to bed

The next morning, I made them banana bread and pancakes. (05.14.16).

And when Scarlett left, I headed out for an early afternoon trail run with my soley.

We are always so happy to run with each other. The rest of the day we just hung around.

Sunday we had Scarlett’s birthday part part 2.  This time it was the gymnastics studio that we go to. (05.15.16).

Wow, that was a long two weeks.  I still have to catch up on the last week. The quick recap is we spent a lot of time with family, celebrated a birthday and I got to run with my solemate a few times this month.

I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone else’s life. It’s been a few weeks.

I’m debating on a trail race in two weeks.  Something just for a fun.  Do you like trail running/racing?

We’re hitting 90s weather this week.  P has to take out the A/C units. That should be fun.  Have you turned on your AC or central air yet?