6 months later and finally over the burnout

Last week the weather has been warming up....somewhat....meaning its not below zero anymore....the snow is on its way out....unless we get more....which is a real possibility....considering we had shovelable snow last year in May.....but with the weather warming up.....and the great thaw happening...I have been getting the itch to start running again....almost 6 months to the date that I ran my marathon.....

These past 6 months it has allowed me time to healing physically and mentally....training and running a marathon is not only a huge time commitment....but it drains you.....and towards the end of training I was getting burnt out.....I think that was mostly due to it was August when I was in my high mileage weeks and everyone else was enjoying late night bonfires and drinking....and I really couldn't participate....or if I had run a 18 miler....I was asleep on their couch by 8pm (true story it did happen).....and not only all that....but it was hot as hell out in August....I would rather run in the cold any date over 100 degree heat with high humidity.....

So by the time Oct 6th came around I was ready to get it done and over with....to cross that line....and take a break.....

But now that it has been some time...I can getting the itch again....so I ran 3 miles on the treadmill on saturday morning....and it wasn't awful....but its amazing that even though I have been doing other work outs I am no where near my endurance that I used to have.....but while running on the treadmill I didn't hate it....or dread it....and I am sure once I can get outside I will be back to where I was mentally last year.....I was quiet sore that day and Sunday....but adding in the extra T25 lower focus may have been a mistake.....

I am thinking about running another half this summer....probably the red white and boom again....and really wanting to PR if I do did....I am going to give myself another couple weeks of adding running into the mix and see what happens.....this summer will be hectic enough with all the other life things we have going on....I do not want to over commit myself to much else than that!

Sydney Lee's 5th Birthday!

I can not believe it has been 5 years already.....the time has flown by in a blink of an eye....you entered this world at 12:28 in the morning....after 14 hours of labor....we were thinking we weren't going to see you until much later on March 10th.....but you had different plans and decided it was time to come into this world on your own terms and time.....

As I was looking back on your pictures from the last 5 years....its crazy to see how much you have grown and changed....I have been here for all of it....but it amazes me how much you went from this tiny squishy baby to my five year old little lady.....and that you will be going off to kindergarden next year.....something I am not 100% ready for......

You are our baby....our last child....when you were born you completed our family.....we have you and your brother...and that is enough for this mommy.....I am happy that you will always be my baby.....and you like to live up to that at times.....there are times you demand that you do it yourself....but then there are times that you are too tired and want to be carried......

You my little lady are a very caring, loving, independent, sassy and sometimes drama filled daughter....you are wanting to learn more things every day......you want to be like your brother and try to stay up later at night because its light out now......you love school and can not wait to go.....you love dance and are doing very well in it.....and have made a good friend in there as well.....you are doing awesome at swimming....you went from not wanting to put your face under water or jumping in.....to full on swimming without assistance.....we are so proud of you......each day I look at you I see my little baby I held in my arms 5 years ago....but I also see the woman you are growing into....and never loose your determination to do what you want......we are so proud of you........

5 years have come and gone in a blink of an eye

We had your friend birthday party and are so grateful for the friends you have in your life now.....they are like family to us

Sunday we went and got our nails done just you and me

Then we were actually able to go outside and play because it was nice and warm!!!

We love you......no matter how old you get you will always be my little lady....Happy 5th Birthday Sydney Lee!!

Love Mommy and Daddy!

8 years...wow has it gone by fast

I still can not believe it has been 8 years (yesterday) since you entered our lives....and made us first time parents....it seems like only yesterday you entered this world but it also seems like it was forever ago as well....

You were born at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia at 9:02 pm on Thursday Feb 9, 2006 in what was a Virginia snow storm....nothing to compared to where we live now.... you weighed in at 8 pounds 2 oz and were 22 inches long......you had a full head of black hair....which proceeded to fall out shortly there after....

8 years later....you are closer to being as tall as me than being the squishy baby you once were....and I know it will happen sooner or later that you will pass me up in height....you resemble your father more than me....but you still have some of my traits in you....your hair color is all mine....even though you may have your father's skin tone....you still tan better than him....which is from me....and your attitude....well I will blame your father on that one....even though I know its mostly me......

This past year its been amazing to watch you grow and learn....the leaps and bounds you have made academically amazing me and your father....when we first put you in your new school you struggled with math at the end of last year....but since entering the second grade....you are now in the challenge group for math....meaning more homework....but that is good...that means you are smart....and doing exceptionally well with it if you need the extra sheet of harder math problems....you are taking after me when it comes to math....cuz lord knows english is not my strongest subject!....you can ask your dad all about the paper's, resumes, emails he has had to write for me.....

We started you up in swim lessons this past fall....and you are doing awesome at that.....you tested out of all the beginner levels and started in level 3....which you passed in your first attempt at it....and now you are in level 4...and man for only 30 minutes of class time they work you over....I have high expectations when it comes to swimming lessons...since your dad and I both used to swim competitively and I used to teach swim lessons myself.....but where you are now....they are doing a great job getting you to try as hard as you can to improve your skills....I love watching you every wednesday night.....you really enjoy it.....

Breyden you are our first born....we learned a lot from you along the way....you have taught us what unconditional love is from the moment we met.....you are a bright, eager to learn, independent little man....who is sassy at times....but loves nothing more than to hang out with his mom and especially his dad.....you are growing up into a little mini version of him....lord help us.....you have a big heart....but sometimes your sassiness gets in the way of that.....

Every year that you get older I know that the time you actually want to spend with us is slowly diminishing....someday soon it won't be cool to hangout with your parents anymore.....for now I will get what I can......

We love you and thank you for choosing us to be your parents!

Love your mom,

13 years later and still going strong

Wow!  I can't believe its been 13 years since we said "I do"....on that sunny 70 degree day in Virginia Beach on Jan 27, 2001 seems like a life time ago...so much has changed....yet so much has stayed the same.....we were young and in love....

We have grown so much in these 13 years together as husband and wife....we have been blessed with two beautiful children....we have lived in two different states together....we've had countless miles, oceans between us at times.....but that didn't matter.....we have been through our fair share of good times and bad times....things we have planned for and things we never saw coming.... we always faced them together....there were times that it just seemed to much for one of us to bare.... the other was there to carry us through it....I could not have done that with anyone else but you....

There has been so many memories made in our 13 years of us....and  there will be hundreds more to come....

I am truly thankful to have you in  my life....you put up with me and yet still love me....I could have not asked for a better partner to have by my side....to be the father of my children.....to walk by my side in this journey of life....

I love you to the moon and back

December and Christmas

I love Christmas time...I love having a tree up in the house....or two as we did this year....the holidays are all about family time for us....as much as we can sit down and enjoy atleast!!!

The kids made cookies with their daddy.....which they loved doing.....

There were many times were we just hung out as a family on the weekend....and didn't do much....this winter once it started it truly has not stopped....it has either been so cold that school has been cancelled or its been snowing.....so we have for the most part just hung out at home.....

Christmas this year did not go as planned...I was fortunate enough to be able to take 10 days off from work....while the kids were on break....Andrew was able to work from home during that time.....which thankfully he was home to help....Syd ended up getting sick on Christmas Eve and sick enough that we had to take her to the ER at 7pm on Christmas Eve in a snow storm....thankfully she had something that could be cleared up with antibiotics.....it took her the rest of the time we were off to get better....it was a long week....we didn't get home from our ER trip until 12:15am on Christmas Day....the kids were worried that Santa wouldn't come because they were not asleep.....thankfully they went straight to bed....and even more thankful is that my family was able to just come to us on Christmas Day....so we didn't have to move Syd again and she was able to just stay at home....and sleep as she needed......the rest of our time off was pretty much dedicated to her....and trying to get her better....

We did get one night out without the kids....but it ended up being a early night....so we could just hangout.....and New Year's Eve we went to our neighbors....it was a lot of fun....since most of us have been cooped up with this nasty winter.....

Overall December was relaxing....which is good....since we had no idea what was in store for us in January....