Horse Farm

We went to Morganton, NC to visit my parents this weekend. While Tod and my Dad played a much needed round of golf, my Mom and I took the boys to the Riddle Center Horse Farm. The Riddle Center is a home for the mentally handicapped and they have an amazing horse center for the residents to participate in. This weekend they opened the barn up to the public. Jacob had a great time riding a horse and he was able to lead a miniature horse around the pen. Brady could have cared less about the horses. He just wanted to throw rocks and pick flowers.

Next to the barn was a field of flowers and dandelions. Jacob blew every dandelion he could and made a wish with each one. I could hear him quietly saying..."I wish for a dog"...blow..."I wish I was a superhero"...blow..."I wish I was big"...blow..."I wish...

We had a fun weekend with my parents.

Spaghetti Face

Every once in a while we get the boys a Kids Cuisine. It's usually chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and pudding. Well, this time I mistakenly got a spaghetti Kids Cuisine. Jacob doesn't like anything with sauce on it so I gave it to Brady - who will eat just about anything. He devoured it. I just had to take this picture of his little spaghetti face. We went straight to the bath after this dinner!

Water Table Fun

The boys love their water table. We finally had a nice afternoon last week to get out on the back deck and play in the water table. They laughed and splashed for about an hour. And, yes, this was also their bath for the evening!!!

Officer Jacob

Jacob got an FBI kit at the Dollar Store last week. Yes, he does look a little menacing, especially with his dinosaur tattoo, but we all know that it is all an act. The kit came with a badge, sunglasses, toy gun and holster, and handcuffs. The other day I looked out the front window and he had handcuffed himself to the mailbox!! Hopefully social services won't come through our neighborhood! Whenever he dons his "Reno 911" sunglasses he actually calls me "Ma'am".

No Computer = No Posts!!!

Hi all! Well, our computer is on it's last leg. Yes, we are one of those households that still has the monster computer that takes up half of the desk and the floor space around it. I'm not posting very much because I never know when the computer will completely shut down on me. Very frustrating. I hope to be back on soon.

We will be headed to Morganton, NC to spend some time with my parents this weekend. Then we are off to Florida to spend a week with Tod's parents. We will be back all bronzed and sunkissed!!!

Miss you all!!

Animal Crackers Can Cause Emotional Breakdown

Jacob came home from school yesterday very sad. He wouldn't tell me what happened. I didn't want to badger him about it so I let it go. This morning when I was getting his back pack together he freaked out. He was very concerned about what snack he was going to have. I told him his snack was the same as yesterday - animal crackers. He freaked out again and said that he wasn't going to school. What? What's going on? Now, most of you know how sensitive Jacob is. It isn't anything new for him to be over emotional about things. But, this is the first time he has been this emotional about animal crackers. Finally he told me that all of the other boys in his class made fun of him because of his snack. Oh my gosh! Why? Well, the bag of animal crackers has a picture of Dora on them. The boys in his class said that it is a "girly snack". My heart sank. The snack that I carefully chose for him has made him the subject of ridicule among his classmates!! Today Jacob went to school with goldfish. Harmless goldfish. When I picked him up I asked him how his snack went over. He said, "The goldfish were fine, but can I have some animal crackers for lunch?" Ok - animal crackers it is!

38 Years!!

Happy Anniversary Tom and Connie!! Tod's parents are celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary today! They are a great example to all of us. We wish you a very happy anniversary and many many more!!

One hour and sixteen minutes!

WE DID IT!! We ran the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K! I still can't believe that we did it. Our goal was to finish the race in one hour and ten minutes - I'm happy to just finish the race!

We started the day really early - the race started at 8am in Mt. Pleasant and finished in Historic Charleston. We left the hotel just before 6am so we could park close to the finish line then take the shuttle bus over to the start line. We soon realized that everyone had the same idea that we did!! We ducked down a side street and luckily a parking space appeared!! I'm sure it was the last space in the city! We climbed on the bus for a 20 minute ride over to Mt. Pleasant.

The atmosphere was electric. Everyone was really pumped for the race. I was getting pretty nervous at this point. What have I gotten myself into? It's too late to back out now! Is there some strange illness that I can come down with? When 8am very quickly approached my heart was just pounding! Tod was really excited and ready to run!

Five ... 4....3...2...1..BANG! Forty thousand people started the race. The first two miles were pretty crazy. I was trying to find a good pace so I didn't wear myself out! People were passing us left and right. Tod was saying, "Hey - didn't we eat there last time we were here?"

The bridge was the hardest part. I had to stop and walk about 3 times going up the bridge. Looking around, most people did have to walk some. It was a tough incline. Total we walked about .2 of a mile. The bridge was amazing. Once at the top of the bridge a Coast Guard helicopter buzzed us! Cool!

There were some strange people who passed us in the race. A group of guys were dressed up in cardboard "Nascar's". There were 5 girls running in wedding dresses. Our favorite was a guy dressed in a sombrero and poncho and big mustache and two guys chasing him in sun glasses dressed all in khaki with "boarder patrol" written on the back of their shirts. They played the part for the entire race! We also had an injured Marine pass us with a hydraulic prosthetic leg. Many grandparents and kids were running (and passed us!) in this race!

Once we were over the bridge we only had 2 miles left. At the bottom of the bridge is the poorest area of Charleston. Everyone came out of their houses and lined the streets cheering us on. It was so moving to see. These people who didn't have much gave us that extra oomph to get through the rest of the race!!

It was so neat to run through the streets of Charleston. Once we rounded the corner from King St to Calhoun St. we had the finish line in our sight. I got so emotional that I almost hyperventilated right there in the middle of the street. Tod said' "Come on - We can do this!!" The streets were lined with people cheering. We finished strong. Tod checked his watch. I just new it was going to read WAY over our goal. He looked shocked. One hour and sixteen minutes!! I cried - of course!

We are so proud of each other for this race. NYC Marathon - here we come!

Here is a picture coming down from the bridge. Not many people are smiling!! Couldn't find us...I'm sure we are way in front!!!

Cooper River Bridge 10K

Tod and I are daring the Cooper River Bridge 10K this Saturday. I'm not sure how I am going to do in this race, but I know Tod will finish very well. We learned that you can track our "performance" during the race. Go to this link http://bimrace.com/ba/race/race_map.php?race=4 and you can type in our names on the right hand side and it will show you where we are in the race. I believe you can just type in our names. I'm sure Tod will be WAY ahead of me!! You may see my figure passed out somewhere on the bridge. Tracking begins once the race stats which is 8am Saturday morning. Wish us luck!

Check out my Slide Show!

Lessons for Jacob

We all try to teach our children the basics. Be safe, be polite, and be independent.

Be safe - We've gotten this part down. Jacob always holds our hand when in a parking lot or crossing the street. He loves wearing his bike helment. Heck - he even wore it in the grocery store once! He knows about safety.

Be polite - We're working on this one. He usually only uses his manners when he REALLY wants something. Please and Thank you's are coming along fine. He still doesn't like to say "good-bye" to people. He says that it makes him sad. I can't argue with him there.

Be independent - Jacob is a very independent kid. He loves to explore and has no trouble going to friends houses without me there. Now he is starting to pick out his own clothes! Big step.

This morning started off just like any other morning. Wake up - breakfast - YMCA -school, etc.
Jacob held my hand in the YMCA parking lot. Be safe - check! Before he got out of the car for school he said, "Bye, Mommy!" Be polite - check! I watched him go into school and realized that his pants were on backwards! Well, 2 out of 3 aren't bad! Right?

Mini Bowling

We went to Sports Connection yesterday for Mini Bowling. Jacob was in school so I will have to take him back there. Brady had a blast with Mini Bowling. The lanes were narrow and short and had bumpers so...no gutter balls!! All of the kids were most fascinated by the ball return. He really didn't understand the concept of bowling, but had fun anyway. After bowling he mastered skiball. The trick is to walk up the ramp and place the ball in each hole! Genius! He aslo danced to the "Dance Dance Revolution" game. It was hilarious! Watch out Uncle Pat...we have another dancer in the family!!

Buddies

Here is Brady with his buddy Liam. They are watching Madagascar and munching on popcorn. They had such a fun playdate.