Fun Run

This past weekend was my big race - half marathon #3.  I had been feeling anxious about it for weeks.  I already felt undertrained for the hilly course and losing a week to my UTI didn't help.  By the time Saturday night rolled around and we returned home from a neighbor's birthday party, I was almost in downright dread.  Then, as David was saying prayers before we put the kids to bed he said something that caused an immediate shift in my outlook.  His prayer was simply, "Lord, help Mommy have a good race tomorrow morning.  Let her have fun and be safe."  
  
Have fun?

Huh.  

Now I know this may blow you Type-B personalities away, but the thought hadn't really occurred to me to have fun.  At least, that was not on the list of my top priorities.  This was a goal to meet.  A thing to check off the list.  A finish line to cross...literally.  Fun would be great if it happened, but it wasn't part of the deal.  

But when he said that, I thought, "Why the heck not?"  I realize I'm not going to be first in any of these big races.  Of course, good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, I won't be last, either.  But what is the point of investing so much time and hard work into what is ultimately a hobby if you don't enjoy it?  And, truthfully, it's been a while since I've enjoyed running.  Instead, it has become a boring habit.  It's something I have moments of elatedness during (usually in the last 1/2 mile) and that I certainly am happy with the results of, but the love of it can be hard to find while alone at 6am in the cold and dark.

But this race, I decided, would be fun.  I would enjoy it regardless of my performance.  As soon as I made up my mind to do that, the pressure lifted and I relaxed....until the next morning, that is.

I popped out of bed at 5am, having gotten a better night's sleep than with my other two halves.  I got ready and quietly kissed David goodbye.  Heading towards the interstate, I was a good four miles from home when I realized I had left my wallet behind.  "No problem," I thought as I turned the car around.  "You left in plenty of time.  Just go get it and we'll try this again."

Back on the road, I searched the radio for some tunes to wake me up and get me in the spirit.  Every single station had djs running their mouths.  Every.  Single. One.  Do you know how hard it is to get in a happy, upbeat mood at 6am when people are talking about legalization of marijuana, gardening tips, and back pain?  Yeah. 

I finally got off my exit and weaved my way through traffic to a parking deck.  I had purchased "Will Call" for packet pick up, so I left my headphones, hydration belt, and GU Gel in the car while I went to go get my bib.  I'd go grab my packet, come back and drop off it and the t-shirt, pick up my things, and be ready to go.  No sweat.  

Alas, there was actually a lot of sweat involved.  It would've worked perfectly, except that I was totally unprepared for the distance I had to walk to get to will-call, especially against the flow of thousands of people heading in the opposite direction.  Still a block away and without any place to cut over a street, I glanced at my watch.  6:46.  I still had to get my packet, hike all the way back to the car, and then back to the starting line madness!  There was also the small issue of taking a bathroom break before starting.  The lines at the port-a-potties were insane!  I knew I wouldn't start right at 7, but I was still in a panic.  Maybe I'd get a really late corral.  Once I broke free from the crowd and spotted the Will Call booth, I began to run.  I grabbed the packet (Corral J? UGG! Not far enough back!) and the too-small shirt and sprinted towards the parking deck.  Tears stung in my eyes as the thought of missing the whole thing entered my head.  I've worked too hard for too long! 

Fun?  NO.  I am NOT having fun, Lord.  HELP!

I rounded the corner and saw a line of completely empty port-a-potties.  This is unheard of for a big race.  I ducked in and out quickly and continued my run towards the parking deck.  I made it back to the car then ran towards the start line area, which had already shifted a lot because of all of the corrals that had started.  I was sweating, stressed out, and had already run at least 3/4 mile.  I decided to cut over a street and hope it was somewhat close to where I need to be.  I squinted for the sign and read the corral.  It was J.  I calmed my heart and stretched what muscles I could for a minute.  I talked myself down.  I felt God whisper, "You can do this.  I've got you.  Don't write it all off before you've even started."  I breathed in deep and clicked my watch as my foot hit the start line.  Ready or not.

As I turned on Pandora to start, an upbeat Bee Gees song that reminded me of my Dad filled my ears.  Then I remembered a text from my Mom that had come in but that I didn't read in the rush.  I looked at it and felt her prayers and encouragement.  As the crowd began to thin out just enough for me to have some elbow room, I glanced to my left and saw the J. Mack Robinson College of Business building.  We were on Georgia State campus and right in the thick of my old stomping grounds.  My eyes took in the whole area, new and old.  I thought about all of the times I'd walked along that street on my way to and from class.  I never would've dreamed that nearly nine years later I'd be running a half marathon down the very same roads.  My phone buzzed and I read an encouraging note from my father-in-law.  Later, my mother-in-law sent one and, eventually, once he and the kids were awake, fed, and settled, I got one from David too.  (They didn't come down to this one due to the threat of bad weather, so the poor guy was doing the morning routine alone.  I was lucky he remembered where I was. )  I felt myself ease into my pace and turned on an audiobook.  As the city began to wake up and the darkness dissipated, I couldn't deny it: I was having fun. 

Every mile or so there were crowds cheering us on with bells, clappers, and posters.  Some of my favorites were: "Good job, Random Stranger!", "Worst Parade Ever", "Smile if you've peed a little", "Hill? What hill?!" (to which one runner beside me yelled, "WHAT HILL?  THIS HILL.  THIS HILL RIGHT HERE!"  We all laughed.)  There were the usual "If it was easy, everyone would do it" and "The faster you go, the faster you're through!" and "Pain is weakness leaving the body" etc.  By far my favorite that made me laugh out loud was "If this was easy, it would be called 'Your Mom'".  I know it's incredibly immature, but that one had me laughing for a good 1/4 mile.  It just reminded me so much of our group of friends in high school and college who never missed the opportunity for a great "Your Momma" joke.  

We entered parts of the city I was less familiar with - Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands - and areas I'd never been in at all - Inman Park, The Carter Center.  When we were away from the shelter of buildings, the wind was kind of strong.  It blew the blossoms off of the Bradford Pears and it looked like snow falling down.  It was beautiful.  

I knew mile 9 - 10.5 was the toughest hill-wise and tried to prepare myself for it.  We crossed a tiny bridge that offered a gorgeous view of the city and I tried to make a mental note of where we were so I could come back and show David.  We made it up a tough hill and entered Piedmont Park.  There was a sign and volunteers stationed around telling people where to split for the half marathon vs. the full marathon.  For a minute, I thought about taking the right turn.  I knew I'd have to walk a lot, but there was no doubt in my mind I could do a full 26.2 miles.  It would probably take me well over 5 hours, but I knew I could finish.  Then I questioned whether they would even let me in because I was only registered for the half.  I also knew that it would probably mean not getting a full marathon medal, and quite frankly, that sealed it for me.  There was no way I was going to do my first full marathon and not get a medal for it.  I decided to stick with the plan.  Maybe one day, but not that day.

We ran through a lot of residential areas and neighborhoods with people outside drinking coffee in their pajamas and cheering for us.  We entered Technology Square on Georgia Tech Campus and things became familiar again.  As I ran down Techwood Drive I thought about David and all our memories there.  I saw the stadium and recalled the many games we'd gone to with friends.  It began to rain, but not hard.  I climbed the hill up North Avenue to Tech Parkway and a gigantic inflatable Buzz greeted us with groups of Tech students around giving out oranges and water.  I was in the home stretch and I knew it.  I kicked it up, passed the 12 mile marker, and kicked it up again.  I knew because of all of the hills that I wasn't going to set a PR like I did on the extremely flat Thanksgiving Day half, but I still had a chance to beat my first half's time.  The cheering crowds thickened around me and I pushed harder.  I found one of my go-to songs, cranked it up, and ran until I thought my heart would burst.  

I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch.  2 hours 29 minutes and 2 seconds.  Not my best time (2 hrs 22 min 35 sec) but not my slowest...barely (2 hrs 29 min 20 seconds).  The hills were tough, but they weren't unbeatable.  I'd managed to run every step of them.  The best part?  It was by far the most fun of the three halves I'd done.  The course was a great run down...and up....memory lane, but more than that, my soul was refreshed.  I'd fallen in love with running again.  My mind had been focused right where it should've been:  Enjoying the gifts of health and ability that God gave me and the beauty of my surroundings - human and otherwise.  

I let it sink in that I'd just run 13.1 miles.  Again.  And in the end I'd had a great time and still met my goal.  Who knew? :)

Ecstatic to be finished.

My sweet notes and drawings from my favorite cheerleaders.  The picture on the left is Audrey and I running up a hill (I'd told her I was nervous about the course) and the one on the far right says:  "Get out and do it, Mommy.  You can do it.  Love Audrey, Luke, Daddy."

Done, Baby Girl. 

Thankful Thursday

1.  That David is home after a short business trip to Los Angeles.  And that we survived.  I think I've mentioned it before, but our motto when he's out of town is "just keep them alive."  For the most part this trip went very smoothly.  I think that's because of the help I had from my awesome in-laws and because the kids are older and it does get easier to solo parent as they age.  Still, Luke missed him a lot.  In fact, he often wanted to cry about it around 3am.

Welcome home, babe.  Guess whose turn it is to get up with him tonight?!

2.  My running endurance.  After being up late the last couple of nights (as is my MO when D is out of town, especially if he's on the West Coast), this morning's alarm went off early and I did NOT want to heed its call to go run.  I laid in bed and thought, "C'mon.  You can do this.  It's only five miles."  And then I replayed how crazy "only five miles" sounds.  Me, who last March was struggling to do a mile around our flat neighborhood lake path.  I don't know how much longer I can keep up the routine of these distances, but for now, I am very grateful for the health and stamina to do it.  It wasn't always that way...nor will it stay the case forever.  One day five miles is going to sound exactly like what it is - a really stinkin' long way to run - and I'll roll my eyes at just how obnoxious people sound who say otherwise.  :)

3.  Preschool teachers.  I'm sure they've made the list before...and semi-recently if I recall, but this week is Teacher Appreciation Week at AJ's school, so they're on my mind again.  That, and I kept a friend's two year old for five hours today and attempted to do a few "organized" crafts/activities with three kids four and under.  Oh my stars.  Those sweet women are simply not paid enough.  Thank God for warm temps and bubbles because I was out of ideas by lunchtime.

4.  Hallmark Channel movies.  Yeah, I said it.  As I mentioned, I've been staying up late while David was gone and working on some photo album organization.  I didn't want to watch any of the shows we usually see together and there didn't seem to be a lot of options for movies On Demand, so I succumbed to the Hallmark Channel's programming.  It was cheesy, but it was squeaky clean and had a happy ending.  It may make me sound 90 years old, but I enjoyed it!

5.  Spring!  It's here, it's here!  Pop some Claritin and enjoy!

Pray for a good race for me on Sunday, please.  I have half marathon #3...possibly the last for at least a while.  I have all of the normal jitters plus the added realization that I'm way undertrained for the hills downtown.  It won't be a PR, but Lord willing, I'll cross the finish line.

Thankful Thursday

Man, what a difference a week can make.  I am doing much better this Thursday than last.  After three painful and annoying days I reached out to a sweet, sweet friend who called me in some good antibiotics.  My UTI is cleared up, things have backed off a teensy bit for David at work, the house is clean, and a I got a few other nagging things off my to-do list:  thank you notes from L's party, blog and picture updates, a ton of returns/errands, the oil changed in my car, and yes, even sealed the shower grout.  

Add those things to this week's list, and you'll see why my frown turned upside down.

1.  A great girl's night out.  My friend Lauren and I have begun meeting once a month to eat and chat and it's been really cheap therapy for both of us.  There is 100% openness and honesty and it's very helpful in saving what's left of our sanity!  (As was the chocolate cake we indulged in during our 3.5 hour dinner last night.  I'll call that thankful item number 1a.)  

2.  A visit from the Taylors!!!  Kara and her kids came into town to see her family for a few days and we got to spend the whole morning with them today.  The time went by way too fast, but I loved every minute.  Her oldest squeezed me goodbye so tightly she made me tear up (from the love, not the pain :) ).  I am thankful they made time to come see us and am already looking forward to the next time we can get together!  

3.  A lunch date with my husband.  I had a health screening at David's office this week for insurance and then he treated me to lunch afterward.  It was cool to connect in the middle of a weekday and carried us through the monotony of the week a little bit.  

4.  Caffeine.  I don't indulge in it often, but boy have I leaned on it a ton this week with the start of Daylight Savings Time!  I think I've consumed more in the last 5 days than I have the last 3 months combined!  As I've mentioned before, I know it's just an hour, but it seriously takes me 7-10 days to fully deal.  Extremely indicative of my personality and resistance to change, I know.  

5.  Warm spring temperatures!  We had gorgeous weather at the beginning of this week and spent as much time as possible outdoors.  We all felt better with some time in the fresh air and sunshine.  Now to just resist switching out the wardrobes for a few more weeks...

So apparently all it takes to improve my mood 110% is some vitamin D, friends, my husband, and food. Oh, and the absence of infected kidneys.  :)

February 2014 Recap

I already posted about the biggest and most important event of our February, Luke's 2nd Birthday and Party, but there were other happenings going on too of course.

The first week, we had a surprise visit from my niece Annelise who was in town with my SIL for a few days and came over with my Mom.  The girls loved playing together and Luke held his own as best he could.  Audrey also had her rescheduled Toastie Toes (Pajama) Day at school that week since the first one was cancelled due to the snowy weather we had in January.  She loved wearing her pink flannel nightgown and slippers and they got to "roast" marshmallows and watch a movie.  

And, lest we think we were finished with the snow days, week two of the month had a different plan.  The snow starting falling around noon on Tuesday and Audrey's school was cancelled that Wednesday and Friday.  David worked from home on Wednesday and Thursday.  And by "worked from home", I mean actually worked.  For some people that's code for a day off, but not my dedicated hubby.  He did take it a little easier on Thursday and we were able to enjoy some family time outside in the snow in between conference calls.  It's nice that he gets to avoid the commute, but for the most part, him working from home holds no benefit because of the added headache of me trying to keep the kids away from him and quiet.  I tried to be creative this go-round with our snow day activities.  We did science experiments, had a pretend trip to the beach in our living room, made s'mores and snow cream, and watched a movie or two.  I even brought over a neighborhood teenager that keeps the kids during our small group to entertain them for a few hours one morning so we didn't go completely insane.  Still, come Friday, we were out the door and at Chick-fil-A....with the rest of the county.    

The end of that snowy week was Valentine's Day.  It was very low-key this year.  We had a neighbor/friend of Audrey's over that morning for a play date and then took a meal to a friend that afternoon.  That evening, we ate a fancy dinner of hot dogs and gave the kids a small gift plus...drumroll, please...tickets to the circus!  We went the next day to the Big Apple circus, which is small and not as showy as the Ringling Bros, but also not as expensive and are known for their better treatment of animals.  The kids enjoyed watching the acrobats, the juggling, and the horses and their tricks the best.  There were clowns (yuck) and a tightrope walker as well.  It was a fun family night out complete with a stop at Cici's Pizza on the way home.  Life doesn't get much better for a four year old and a two year old than the circus and pizza.  For that matter, it was pretty grand night for us too...minus the clowns.

It was also prime consignment sale month.  I dropped off my load, which was much smaller than usual since I just did the previous year's season for both kids and not every spring/summer thing they've worn since birth.  I shopped the seller's presale and found a ton of cute, cheap outfits for both of them for the warmer weather.  (Please oh please oh please come soon and stay, warm weather!)

The other big news of the month was that we started leading a couples' small group for our church on Sunday afternoons.  We're studying the book Home Run that our pastor Kevin Myers co-authored with John Maxwell.  It's been an interesting experience for us, but a good one.  We've never lead together like this, nor have we opened up our home to 14 complete strangers and their children (who stay in the basement with two teenagers we hire to watch them each week)!  It's been a big commitment for us - the weekends fly by faster than they usually do - but as with most things you do in serving the church, it's been a cool blessing too.  

What else this month?  Let's see....Audrey had Donuts with Dad which she was more excited about than Christmas (no, really.)  There weren't a whole bunch of home improvement projects in February.  I did drive nearly an hour each way to get a bunch of pictures printed from Wolf Camera to update some frames, but other than that, it was low-key DIY-wise.  Of course there was a ton of party planning, prep, cleaning, decorating etc. that ate up most of the month.  I have no doubt we'll make up for our lack of projects as the weather warms up.  

I'm still running a lot and am scheduled to do my third half marathon at the end of March. I think I'm going to cut back after that because the time requirement and toll on my body are both wearing thin, but I guess time will tell.   

The kids are doing very well, other than Luke having an ear infection before his birthday and both of them having a nasty cough earlier in the month.  It all gets a little fuzzy with the lack of sleep.  

Luke's vocabulary, sentence structure, and ability to reason have all sky rocketed in the past couple of months.  My absolute hands-down favorite thing he does/says lately is when he gets on to Audrey.  I know it's terrible of me, but he's had to listen to her nag him for two years.  Now he can give a little back and often does: "NO, Audrey. Dat's RUDE" or "NO, Audrey.  You no do dat.  Go time out."  She gets so stinkin' mad.  I have to turn my face away and snicker before intervening.  

He still loves tools and "fixing/hammering" things.  Of course, as most boys his age, cars and balls are also still at the top of his list.  He loves the show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (aka "Tiger Hood") as well as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Elmo stuff.  We try to limit viewing time, but if we're out for lunch and then driving home after 12:30 or sitting in carpool line, you'd better believe the DVD player is on to keep him awake.  Anything to avoid a missed nap!

He sings a lot and is getting good at remember lyrics.  His attention span is getting a little longer, too, so he'll actually sit through a book or two.  I'm really trying to do better about reading to him more.  We've started going to story time at the library at least every other week which he really enjoys.  He sticks close to me and doesn't participate in the songs a whole lot, but he'll run right up to get his activity (bean bag, bubbles, etc.) for the short time and his hand stamped at the end.  

Audrey is reading like a champ and devours books.  She is also spelling pretty well (there goes that parenting secret code).  I've noticed her humor taking a real leap lately.  She still makes silly, nonsense jokes and phrases, but she's really understanding and making a lot of puns.  She's also fine-tuning her sarcasm and Mama couldn't be more proud.  

A few times lately she hasn't been thrilled about going to school, which makes me a little sad.  I know it can't always be 100% enjoyable, but I had hoped she wouldn't start feeling that way until at least second grade!  I think one of her little friends whom she adored has started making friends with some other girls in the class and isn't as close and kind to Audrey as she once was.  It was heartbreaking the first time Audrey brought it up and we had a long talk about it.  The other little girl isn't being mean or ugly, I don't think.  She's just expanding her circle of friends.  I am trying to convince Audrey to do the same and encourage her to make new buddies, but that child is more of a creature of habit than even I am.  She would eat yogurt and Honeynut Cheerios for breakfast, a turkey sandwich, pretzels, and strawberries for lunch, cheese and crackers for snack, and one of three things for dinner every day for the rest of her life if I let her!  Hopefully she'll learn to branch out in the area of friendships, but as she put it, it'll have to be with the girls because "most boys in my class are quite rude and talk potty talk...even at lunch.  I am not pleased with them."  Don't let her fool you though.  That girl can hold her own in bathroom jokes and thinks any type of gas is hilarious.  We're raising a real lady.  

The two of them together still alternate between best friends and worst enemies.  The sibling bickering can get fierce around here and it's sometimes a race just to see who can yell louder.  (I usually win.)  Still, they are sweet as sweet can be about 60% of the time, which gets me through the other 40%.  Audrey is such a helper and even when Luke begins exerting his independence, as he does quite frequently these days, most of the time she has learned to step back and try to calmly talk him through something while respecting his space.  They are quite the dynamo duo when they go off on an adventure together and will sometimes play for periods of up to 15 minutes together peacefully.  Small steps of sheer bliss!

So that was our February and our latest happenings.  Things change frequently, though, so check back soon!

In the meantime, here are some photo album links in the gallery for you to catch up on:

January 2014

Luke's 2nd Birthday & Party

February 2014

Happy March and many wishes for an early Spring! 

Thankful(?!) Thursday

For two days I've had a splitting headache and I'm currently battling a painful UTI (I know...TMI.  Sorry.)  Add to that that the kids both have nasty coughs that are keeping everyone from sleeping well at night.  I had to drag them out in the rain after nap to go get medicine for me and all they had was the super expensive mega bottle.  At that point, I would have paid $100 if that's what it cost for the magic drug.  Heck, I would have traded cash for it in a dark alley behind the grocery store with a shady stranger if that's what it took.  We trekked home and they are currently taking the world's longest bath (as I look on from ten feet away, Safety Patrol) because it keeps them both happy and I cannot handle their sibling squabbling right now.  I just can't.  Because also:

• I'm so sore from lifting weights that I can't sit without making old-person moans and groans.

• We've been showering in the spare bedroom for five days because I am too lazy to seal the grout in our shower.  

• David's work load is about to drown both of us.

• It is only March and already the thought of Audrey starting kindergarten gives me stomach pains.

• The stupid cable company messed up our bill...again. 

• I am simultaneously sick and tired of long-distance running and also super sad about the thought of cutting back. 

So, to be perfectly honest, I'm not feeling particularly thankful today.  Except for the fact that I have a blog where I can vent and write whatever I want, whenever I want.  It's your choice whether to read, of course, but today, I'm thankful for a place to get some things off my chest.  So instead of my typical list of five things I'm grateful for, I'm going to write five grievances I have with the world at the moment, varying from extremely minor and inconsequential to huge:

1.  Stupid questions.  Two examples of late:  

Me to the Toys R' Us employee:  "Do you have anymore sizes of shoes in the back?  I'm looking for these in a size 10." 
TRU employee:  "Oh.  Were there not any size 10s back there?"  She waits for a response as I blankly stare at her, swallow every sarcastic word creeping up in my throat, and answer, "No.  There were not."

Me to the Chick-fil-A employee:  "I need two bottles of white milk.  We didn't get them with our order."
CFA employee:  "They weren't in the kids' bags?"  
OH!  Who would've thought to look there?!

2.  Women at the gym who wear complete make-up and have their hair styled for intense cardio workouts at 5:30am.  As I wrote on FB:  I try not to be judgmental of other women's insecurities because goodness knows I have a hundred of my own. That being said, I have to make this PSA - Ladies, please stop coming to crack-of-dawn high-intensity cardio workouts in full hair and makeup. There is no need. Treat yourself and sleep in 30 extra minutes. You are beautiful simply because you showed up and gave it your all. Period.

3.  Racism, especially among Christians.  Having been raised in the south by a generation that was....well...very set in their ways, I admit to having my battles on this topic from time to time.  But the older I get, the more I realize how damaging this is to our culture, our faith, and our children.  I am so glad to be a part of a church that has an eclectic mix of races and walks of life.  Jesus was not white.  Heaven will not be all-white either.  

4.  Tardiness.  I loathe it.  When I am running late, my blood pressure sky-rockets and I can hardly see straight.  When people are late to meet me, it annoys me beyond words.  It's probably my #1 pet peeve.  Stuff happens occasionally, I know, but I seriously lack grace in this area.  Be forewarned. 

5.  Kids without manners.  Last week we were at Catch Air and a kid accidentally tumbled off a bouncy house and knocked the crud out of Luke.  I mean, sent him head-over-heels-couldn't-catch-his-breath spinning.  Then the kid, who was probably 7 or 8, ran off.  And his mother saw the whole thing and didn't budge.  Um, NO.  I picked up Luke and made sure he was okay and then tracked the child down.  I calmly explained to him that when you hurt someone, intentionally or not, that you need to make sure they're okay, help them up, and apologize.  For pete's sake, we teach that to Luke now!  I reiterated my point to his mother, who halfway made him toss a "sorry" our way.  Make no mistake, if you won't raise your kids right, I'll do my part when they hurt my children.  GRRRR.  

So there you have my list.  May it never be said that this blog wasn't real and that this Mama painted too rosy a picture of herself and her life.  Everybody has bad days and grumpy moods, kids.  Even this gal.  Praying for a better day tomorrow...please join me.  The safety of the children depends on it.  Oh, and drop off some chocolate if you have any to spare (are there really people like that?!)

Luke's Second Birthday & Party

Two weeks ago, we had a big bash for Luke's second birthday.  As was our custom with Audrey, we dialed back inviting the entire extended family and "just" asked grandparents, great grandparents, my brothers and their families, and 2-3 family friends to join us.  (For both of their first birthdays we included both David's mom's side and his dad's side on the guest list. We are very thankful to have such a loving and involved extended family, but it's just not feasible for us to host 45+ people for every birthday party.  It's expensive, it's crazy for the kids, and it means less time we get to spend with each guest.) So we dwindled down the guest least to a mere 31, and 22 of them came over to celebrate.

I decided to do a Noah's Ark theme for it, just as I did with Audrey's second.  There was approximately five minutes of feeling guilty for the unoriginality of the choice, but then I got over it when I realized it'll likely be the very last time I can ever do that.  Somehow I don't think he'll be requesting a butterfly, princess, or tea party theme in the coming years.  

I went with a lime green and blue chevron color scheme and did quite a few things different to change it up a little.  The fact that it was a different house this time helped it not seem so identical as well.

At the front door, David (my sweet, patient husband who indulges my every party decor craft request because he loves me dearly) cut out waves from foam board and attached them on either side of the porch.  I had a little bubble machine blowing bubbles and a chalkboard sign up that read "Welcome to Luke's 2nd Birthday Party!"  As guests entered, they caught a glimpse of their favors:  A Noah's Ark coloring book and box of animal crackers for the little ones, a Noah's Ark Veggie Tales DVD and box of animal crackers for the older ones, and a bag of frosted animal crackers with sprinkles for each family to take home.  

As you'll see in the picture gallery, we put up the massive felt Noah's Ark mural we made for Audrey (I'd managed to save it and pack it away this long - you'd better believe we were going to try to get another use out of that piece of work!) and all of the wooden animal pairs.  I bought smaller glass jars to fill with animal-themed treats for the centerpieces - gummy bears, goldfish, teddy grahams, and animal crackers - and ordered animal print balloons to tie on them and elsewhere.  I printed small pictures and taped them to the basement walls in the shape of "2"s.  We had a slideshow running on the basement TV of the best photos of Luke from the past year.  In the kitchen was a tray of zebra cakes, a glass vase filled with skittles and sunflowers, and blue tulle on the island where the food was displayed.  The crowning glory of the decor was the amazing Noah's Ark cake my sister-in-law Jenny made.  It had a 3D ark on top with animals sticking out and it was awesome!  She outdid herself yet again.  The menu was pigs in a blanket, cheetos, a rainbow fruit tray, and potato salad (because David just really likes potato salad.) 

Of course, all of the yummy food and pretty decorations paled in comparison to how adorable the Birthday Boy himself looked.  Having typical second-kid guilt, I coughed up the money and ordered him a monogrammed Noah's Ark t-shirt to wear just for the occasion.  Amazingly, the dress I'd gotten for Audrey for her second birthday still fit after I had the hem taken out, so they both had cute monogrammed Noah's Ark outfits.  They didn't match perfectly, but they still looked great. I didn't think that far in advance considering I was about two weeks pregnant with Luke at AJ's party and didn't even know about him yet - hey, I plan, but not THAT well!  

He seemed to have a little bit of an idea about what was coming since we'd been decorating and talking it up all week.  The excitement built and the party didn't take long to get hopping with 8 kids ages 6 and under.  We did a Noah's Ark sticker scene and they ran around and played until it was time to eat.  After lunch we let him open his stack of presents. I was a little bothered that he had so many "helpers" in the older kids.  The poor guy barely had a fighting chance to unwrap his own gifts!  I fended them off a little and he managed to get a tear of paper in here and there.  He immediately wanted to take everything out, of course, but we distracted him with more presents.  Gotta love what that teaches a kid, huh?  "Here, no!  Don't enjoy that lovely and thoughtful gift to its full extent!  Toss it aside and open this one!"  Oh well.  Something else to blame us for when he's older and has problems with contentment I suppose.

After presents, it was time for cake and ice cream.  I think it finally hit him that it was his special day when everyone was singing to him and he got to blow out the candles (which he did perfectly and on cue!)  We served up the Noah's Ark cake, which was a yummy as it looked, and he ate all of his and a bite or two of mine before I cut him off.  We attempted to do animal masks crafts, but realized they required glue, so we entertained the kids with the party balloons and slowly people started drifting out.  We put Luke down around 1:45 as the last guests left and my mom stayed to help me clean up a bit.  Audrey went down for a rest too after Nana left and then David and I followed suite and snoozed for a few.  It had been a wonderful, fun-filled but exhausting celebration.  

After Luke woke up, the kids and David went outside to play while I began breaking everything down.  Normally things are a lot slower to get back to normal, but since we host a couples' small group on Sunday afternoons now, we had to flip the house back very quickly this time.  We ordered pizza for dinner then let Luke open his present from us - a new toy workbench.  He is so into tools right now, so it was the perfect gift.  He played with it for a little while (and by play, I mean fought with his sister over getting to use it for a single second.)  We ended the day on a tired but happy note.  

The whole day was a wonderful time of celebrating our baby who is daily reminding me that he is no longer a baby anymore.  Thank you to all who came out and helped us enjoy his big day.

In closing, a note for the Birthday Boy:

We love you so much, sweet Luke.  The only thing bigger than your dimpled smile is your heart.  You are funny, smart, and sensitive to others' feelings...traits that I hope stay with you for life.  There is nothing more precious than hearing you pray to Jesus every night, even if we can't quite make out all of the words.  He knows, Bubba.  He'll always be there to listen and I pray you'll never stop talking to Him.  And while your fierce independence is in full terrible-two swing, I know that there is nowhere you'd rather be at the end of the day than rocking with me in your rocking chair, your head snuggled just under my neck and your "bobble" in your mouth.  

Thank you for all that you have taught me so far.  Through you I am learning to relax more, to laugh more, and that if you have a hand to hold, you're pretty blessed in life.  May you always know how blessed and loved you are and how much your Daddy, sister, and I are in your corner.  Speaking of your sister:  she loves you more than she loves anyone else in the world and often tells us so.  Though normally shy in group settings, she sang the loudest when it came time to serenade you with "Happy Birthday" song at your party.  She may sometimes be your biggest annoyance, but she will also always be your biggest fan.  Each of us are, Luke.  We are your own personal cheering section.  We are proud of all you can do and what a kind and helpful spirit you display.  The milestones are only going to speed up from here and we can't wait to be by your side for each one.  Happy, happy birthday, Lukey.  I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.  


Love, 

Mommy
xoxoxoxo