SUMMER is here!

All of the sudden, it is SUMMER.  Absolutely amazing!

We had a bit of a rough week in our house because of two little things called teething and ear infections. (I had the ear infections first, then Gavin, and now Jake! Sheesh!) For the first time in probably our whole lives, Jake, Gavin & I barely got out of bed almost the entire Memorial Day weekend.  Last Friday when I picked Gavin up from daycare he was feverish and not acting like himself at all.  I peeked in his ear and his tube was once again clogged and infected :(  We had three days of him being feverish, lethargic, sleepy, and EXTRA snuggly.

On Monday, I was changing his diaper and he opened his mouth to say "ahhhhh" (one of his favorite things to do these days :)), I saw a molar peeking through his gums!  No wonder.  Teething is painful. But teething molars is just downright cruel.  It took 5 days and he is finally getting back to his happy self!

This week of running has actually gone pretty well!  I was able to do 14 miles last Saturday and another 12 miler on Tuesday, so that's encouraging.  I had every intention of doing 16 today, but I didn't have enough time this morning before the hubs left for work... so I settled on 10 + a 4 mile walk with a friend in the AMAZING sunshine. 

Best buds.  Gavin was clearly unamused by my 162nd picture of the day.

When I got home, we played in the yard for a while (aka... Pulling grass, touching every rock humanly possible, and attempting to roll in the dirt.) Boys will be boys :)

P.S.  Is there anything cuter than boys in overalls?  I can't get enough.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be even more beautiful so I plan to stay outside as much as possible!  

Summer is here!

Somehow it's almost the end of May!  When did that happen?  This month has been crazzzyyy busy at our house.  With the hubs working extra, beautiful weather, random events, and trying to keep up with an increasingly more active one-year-old... the days fly by!

Jake and I got all done up for a Gala a few weeks ago!

Running in the past month has been humbling for me (to say the least).  After my rough 20-miler, I felt some tight areas that, combined with a new shoe problem, lead to shin splints and a pulled quad. After two weeks of little to no running and I was finally ready to try a long run... but instead, I broke my pinky toe.

I'm sure you wanted to see my super attractive foot.  You're welcome.

I am scheduled to run a marathon in three weeks from today.  Not exactly ideal.  So where does that leave me?  Well, I don't know.  Tickets are purchased, so worst case scenario I will run the half marathon.  Okay, worst case scenario I won't run at all, but I think I could do the half.  And I'm hoping I can do the full. I'm not a person that likes to run half-heartedly in full marathons, but I also need to set realistic expectations coming off a month of injuries. I guess I will just wait and see how my body cooperates,  Lesson to all of you:  NEVER take advantage of pain-free running.  It's a blessing.

On a much more positive note... it is amazing to me how quickly children learn.  They are like little sponges! Here is a quick 14-month update on Gavin!

His favorite new tricks this month:
- Blowing kisses, pointing out ears/eyes/noses, throwing his head back in fake laughter, dancing, stacking toys, bringing books to me and plopping on my lap so I will read to him, playing outside, practicing going up/down stairs, rolling his r's, waving, coloring and chasing Diego.

This laugh.  Goof.

All of the sudden he is 18 drafting architectural plans.
(OR scribbling.  But seriously! Time.... slow DOWN!)

He LOVES running after Diego.  

Words he Says:
- Up, no, yes, all done, 'nana (banana), E-I-E-I-O (Old McDonald song), Mama, Dada, Amba,  (Amber, my sis), ruff ruff, ABC, uh-oh, uh-huh, eat, and lots of others I can't think of!  He is SO talkative and is constantly trying to mimic what we say.  Love it.

Challenges:
- His allergies :(  His skin has been at an all-time LOW.  He has a rash all over his body and we cannot figure out what it's from.  We're leaning toward a pollen allergy but not sure.  Thank goodness most kids outgrow this stuff. And thank goodness he is happy as a clam.
- Daycare germs.  He is currently sick with his 628th ear infection. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but it feels like every week he gets a runny nose from daycare which then progresses into a clogged ear tube (he had tubes placed when he was 9 months old) and then it gets infected.  My heart breaks for him every time.

Luckily he's just as fun as ever and really doesn't seem phased by any of it!

When the days get longer and the weather gets more beautiful, Alaskans can't stay inside.  Gavin and I have been spending time outside every day whether it is walking around in the yard, going to the park, hiking, or playing with friends.

Who's having more fun, Gavin or Mom?

Bestest little bud.

"Mother's hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever"

My little hiking buddy.

Does it count as double mileage since I'm carrying him?

I'm getting more and more excited for the next few months because we have a two out-of-state trips planned, tons of camping adventures, my BFF in the whole world will be back for 6 weeks, BBQ season, and trail running! My plan is to slow down on the road running and focus on trails a bit more since the pavement has not been very kind to my body lately.  My super rock-star sister is a hard core trail runner so I'm hoping to tag along on her adventures! There's going to be lots of fun times and I'll try to keep updating as I go!

And in case you didn't get enough cuteness from these pictures, I'll fill that quota.