Summer Running

Since becoming a SAHM I've gotten to do a lot more running this summer and I love it! Lexi and I go to the park every morning. I run and she naps in the stroller, and everyone is happy. :) I've been doing 5k's throughout the summer and have even ventured into a couple 10ks. My first two ever! Very proud!

Here's a summery of my summer racing:

May 15 - "Run Like an Animal"      27:06
May 19 - "Mission of Love"            26:11 First in my age group
June 8 -   "Friends of Buhl Park"     25:19 Third in my age group
June 22 - "Summer Fest Sweat"      24:59 First over all woman! Only the second time I've ever won a race!
July 13 - "Run for Your Heart"        51:10 My first 10k! Third in my age group
July 14 - "Hermitage Arts Fest"       25:05 First in my age group
Aug 18 - Hamot Mayor's Cup"        51:02 My Second 10k! Second in my age group
Aug 24 - "Race at Piston's Place"    25:04 First in my age group and ran with Lexi in the stroller


Next up, I'm doing a 5k this weekend. Then in September I have both a 5k and another 10k. There's one 5K I have my eye on so far for Oct. I'm still not hitting the 5k time that I'd like to be at, but I guess I'm more concerned with mileage at this point. I've been doing between 6 and 7.5 miles each day (depending on how many times Lexi got up during the night haha!). My goal is to do a half marathon at some point, but I know it won't be this summer. The Pittsburgh half is in May every year. So, while I would love to be pregnant again with #2 by that point next year, if not I'll be training for a half. I know I can do the mileage. Back when I ran XC in HS we'd do 10 miles in practice, so really at that point, what's another 3? I just need to get myself back up, both physically and mentally, to doing that kind of mileage. And I know it's a few years down the road, but after (and I hope am blessed with) kid #2 I'd like to do a full marathon. But, that's a long term goal. Right now I'm really enjoying dabbling in the 10k's.


Lots of Love,
 KJsbabe

One Year Photo Shoot

Our one good friends from collage started her own photography business last year about this time and she has taken so many beautiful pictures of Lexi and our family. I love, love her work! If you are in the Pittsburgh area, please check her out because she's amazing!! Carry Harris Photography

Here are some of our beautiful pictures from Lexi's one year photo shoot!




















Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Lexi Pic Fix!

Yeah it's time for some out of this world adorableness... Get ready!

Momma finally got pigtails in my hair! Happy 4th of July!

Sitting under the apple tree with the pups.

Part of our Happy 1st Father's Day collage for KJ.

Here you go.

Just chillin' with Violet

Too tired to go on

Obsessed.with.braclets.

Such a big girl at the aquarium!

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Another Post About How Much I Love Yard Sales!

Haha! One of the many things I love about summer is it's yard sale season! We had our own yard sale a few weeks ago and did pretty well. We made about $100 which I was very pleased with (put that right into Lexi's collage fund!), and we got rid of a lot of junk, which I enjoyed even more! It's so freeing to just purge the house of a bunch of stuff we haven't even touched since our last yard sale 3 years ago. (I know because somethings still had price tags on them!) Oh, and to think about 3 years ago... I was fresh off my first loss. We had our sale a week after and I remember sitting there trying to run the sale, but all I could think was, "I'm not pregnant. I'm not pregnant. I'm not pregnant." 

That's also the weekend I met my one friend. We have an odd friendship/ acquaintance. I feel like we're pretty similar on the surface, but underneath it's weird. She tends to stand up for off the wall causes and is pretty "Fox Newsy". Which I'm very "NBC Newsy" if you catch my drift. Then there's also the fact that she's a FH (fertility hoe) and a wet pee stick waiver. (On a side note, I was watching Jeopardy the other night and one of the categories was "F.H.", as in things that FH could stand for. I was like, Fertility Hoe!!) Three days after she announce her first pregnancy, wet pee stick in hand, I found out I was pregnant again, too (loss #2). We had the same EDD and everything... But of course, today she has a two year old and I don't. Her and her DH are starting to try for #2 now and she actually complained to me the other day about how long it's taking... It's been two whole months and she's not pregnant yet... I mean, it only took one try to get KTFU the first time, so why is it taking so long now???? Yeah, I wanted to slapabitch...

But I digress...

$2.50 each!

Yeah, I love yard sales! Where else could I spend under $13 and get a whole grocery bag full of super nice clothes for Lexi to grow into? I was actually in need of 24m/2T sleepers for her and I priced them out at both Carter's and Children's Place. With free shipping and all the coupon codes I could find, it was still going to cost $50 for 5 sleepers... That's sooo expensive! Who pays that?? I don't think I've ever spent that much on pjs for myself! I actually didn't find any at the yard sales, but I did find some on eBay. I got 6 sleepers for $17 shipped. Higher than I'd pay at a yard sale, but not terrible.

Everything in this pic cost $12.75! Boo yeah!

I'm planning to go out yard saleing again this Friday. I love catching a good deal!

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

She Won't Always be This Small

She won't always be this small. She won't always want me to hold her. She won't always need me to hold her to go to sleep. She won't always want to be so close. She won't always crave a momma cuddle. She won't always need a snuggle throughout the day. She won't always be small enough to lay on my lap. She won't always be light enough to carry on my hip everywhere. She won't always be so small, and because of that I'll hold her now. I'll cuddle her, carry her, snuggle her, and keep her close because she won't always need me like she does right now.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe 

Lucky Number 13!

Time just keeps flying by. Lexi is 13 months now! She had some really big milestones this month. Lexi is walking!!! Wow!! She just started about a week and a half ago and she's getting so good! When she started out, she'd hold on to the couch and then take about 3 or 4 running steps towards me and then dive into my arms. She's working on slowing her steps down and is really getting good at balancing. Sometimes she'll stand up, take a tiny step, and then smile at me. Like she's saying "Did you see that, mom?!" Love that girl! I'm so proud of her!!

Lexi is obsessed with books! She's constantly bringing me books to read to her and flipping though the pages.

She is also walking backwards with her puppy walker. She'll push it forward into the coffee table or something, get stuck, and normally she'd say "Ah!" to KJ or I to get her turned back around. But now she's doing some problem solving on her own. She'll back the puppy up and try to steer around the table. 

 

This girl loves to climb! If something is in her way, she climbs over it. She loves to climb over Colby-Jack especially! He's been really good with her. He lets her do a lot to him without getting grumpy. She pulls his fur (we work constantly on "gentle touches"), steps on him and over him, and he lays there and takes it. He's a good pup. 

This pic pretty much sums up our attempt at a "photo Shoot" this month! She never sits still any more!

A few other things Lexi is doing, she can put her little people in their chairs. She can press the button on Violet's belly to make her talk. She's also working on her shape sorter. At Christmas time she got a FP shape sorter and we've found it to be pretty worthless. She figured out right a way that if you take to top off you can put the shapes in with out having to put them through the holes. What a dumb design! I was able to find a different one on Amazon in the "old school" design that doesn't come apart easily. I got her the Green Toys Shape Sorter. It's made 100% from recycled milk jugs, so you can feel good about it's environmental impact, or whatever. Lexi gets frustrated easily trying to get the shapes in, but we're working on it.

13 Months, what what!!

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

12 Whole Months!

So, my little Lexi is 12 months old now! She had one big milestone this month. She can do unassisted standing!! She lets go all the time and can wave and even dance at the same time! I think this girl is going to be walking in no time! She also has started to sit herself down on a chair or step like a big girl. 

Lexi loves to play hide and seek and peek a boo. Sometimes when I have her on the changing table (when she lets me put her on the changing table! ha!) she'll lift her shirt up over her face and play peek a boo with me. One of her favorite things to do lately is "hiding". I'll sit on the floor and she'll go behind me to hide and then I'll say "Where is Lexi? Where did she go??" And she'll giggle and peek around my shoulder. Then I say "Oh there you are!" She loves it! She laughs and hides again. 

I started taking Lexi to story time at the library a few weeks ago. They sing songs, do nursery rhymes, and read stories. We both have a fun time. It took me a while to find a program for her age group. Our local library only has programs for ages 3 and up. We had to go to a library in the next major town over, which is a half hour away, to find anything for young toddlers and babies. It's kind of a pain, but I think it's worth it. We go every Friday morning now. I'm hoping to get her into swim lessons in a few weeks, also.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe