I'm Baaaaack....!!!!

Hello, everyone! After quite a long blogging hiatus, I'm going to get back at it! I guess I just felt as though I got behind on posting photos, wanted to get caught up, felt a little overwhelmed, and gave up. In all honesty, the blog is in tough competition with facebook, and I've been leaning towards facebook updates first! But here we go again!

Here are some photos of what we've been doing recently. Lauren and three of her buddies did a fundraiser called "Hot Chocolate for Haiti." The day of, we made ab out $515!!!! SINCE then, however, the donations have continued to roll in. We are now at $1,000!!! WOW!

Lauren has also lost her first tooth. Here's a photo of that.

We've got birthdays for the kids coming up in March, martathons coming up, and lots of crazy stuff going on. Overall, life is very good and very busy! I'm training for the 2010 Boston Marathon and can't wait for that trip!

Hope all is well!

Lauren's First Day of Kindergarten!!!

And off she goes....

Lauren had her first day of Kindergarten today at St. Benedict's! She was very excited this morning, and was very happy when I picked her up, so we are ALL happy. She's already made some great friends and is looking forward to tomorrow! For some reason, the pictures have posted from "last" to "first," and Blogger won't let me switch them around. So you'll see afternoon carpool first, then this morning's drop off and before-school pix last. The cake, well, that was our "First Day of Kindergarten Celebration Cake" that didn't come out, literally. Don't know what went wrong! I "Pam'ed the pan and lightly floured. Tomorrow, perhaps we'll try a "Second Day of Kindergarten Celebration Cake!"

Day Out With Thomas

On May 3rd, we went to A Day Out With Thomas in Chattanooga, TN. We all had a great time! The children we so excited to ride on Thomas, especially Ethan. There was a ton to do: Train tables, lego tables, magic show, mini golf, petting zoo, meet Sir Topham Hat, Ride Thomas, bubble blowing, story telling, gift shop... We did it all except the story telling!

Lauren's First Ballet Recital

Lauren has been taking ballet at school from a company called "DancerKids." She had her first recital on Saturday, 5/2 and it was spectacular! We spent some time putting her hair in a bun, getting her dressed and ready, and she was so excited. The recital was at the Pace Academy Theatre. They did their dress rehearsal and Show on the same day. Lauren did fantastic. She was not a speck nervous, she was very happy, and in her element. We were so proud of her!

"Preschool Days"

Lauren and Ethan have "Preschool Days" at school, which is where parents come in for 30 minutes to hear a performance of some of the songs the kids have been working on during the year. It's a precious morning with lots of cute little voices singing so proudly! Or, NOT singing in some cases. Here are some photos to commemorate their mornings. I'll try to get some video up, too!

113th Boston Marathon!

Had a great trip to Boston this year! Lisa was a fantastic host and it was great to catch up with friends! Here's Boston by the numbers:

113th Boston Marathon

My 18th marathon

My 4th Boston

Personal best of 3:24:34

7:48 pace per mile

7:28 my fastest mile

7:39 my last mile

8:18 my slowest mile, as predicted, Heartbreak Hill

1:41 First half of the marathon

1:43 second half of the marathon

26.2 miles dedicated to friends, loved ones, and inspirational people

Mile 14 - where I saw Rick and Dick Hoyte

Mile 22.5 - where I saw Lisa and Jen

Miles 14 and 22 - where I was choked up by my pace bracelet!

I felt so empowered by my pace bracelet filled with dedications. Thanks to all for being such a great part of my life! I'll be back to Boston next year for the 114th....

Lauren's Birthday Photos

Lauren turned 5 on March 18th! Where does the time go? We celebrated a little on her actual day, then a little more on Saturday the 21st, when she had her birthday party at Kangazoom with LOTS of little friends! She loved every minute of it!