13.1

Linds and I did it! We have had a goal of breaking the 2-hr time for a half marathon since 2009 and today for the first time TOGETHER we did just that!  It was close... as in 1:59:40 but this run had to have been my favorite finish so far!  First of all, Linds and I have loved running together for years.  It has been a time where we can catch up on the week and just have some sister time together.  We have tried to fit in a yearly half marathon (13.1 miles).... even if we are having babies, etc.  This race definitely felt like a team effort!  The last part of the race was uphill,  and I knew by looking at my watch it was going to be very close!  As we rounded one of the corners (with about .1 miles left), we saw my mom and Maddox on the sidelines...... Grammy and Maddox just started running with us!  Then, I could hear Uncle Boomer (in his coach voice) yelling at us to push it because it was going to be close!  I was inspired by him to start yelling too!  I knew Linds and I had worked too hard over the last EIGHT years to be seconds away from reaching a mutual goal we set!  Then, I see Zack and Zander... daddy had specifically coached Zander on how he could run with us at the end of the race... Zander joined right in for the final steps (and even thinks the medal I got belongs to him since he crossed the finish line).  And Grandpa was there to document it all on film!!!  We had the best cheering squad I have ever seen (and some of the cutest littlest members as well!)  I am just so proud of the whole family for coming together today to make this happen.  I am especially proud of my sister for knocking out a PR on this very hilly course while still having a cute little 11 month old that she is pumping for and providing nourishment for!  I am proud that she is my sister, and we are able to do these weekly runs together... thanks to Uncle Boomer and daddy for watching the kiddos so we could "train" for this half marathon!  And now.... I am going to take a break from long runs for a bit! ;) 

My assistant principal and her husband ran the half as well!  This was their first race! It was so great seeing them at the start and finish!

 A few pictures from the week of our cute boys.....Zander loves going to Cubbies at church and wearing his AWANA vest to show all the bible verses he is learning!  Maddox has gotten quite good at getting into everything!  No obstacle is too big to overcome... he just sometimes uses toys to help him accomplish his goal! ;) My boys love "reading" together before school in the mornings and before bed at night.... too cute! And I had to include Maddox's sweet smile!  He is on the move constantly so it is hard to capture how precious his toothy grin is.... I got a couple pictures during mealtime!

I also have the cutest niece!! I love getting to cuddle her after church! It is so much fun being able to worship with my family!

Quick Post :)

Just wanted to write about our week.... it's been a busy one at work for Zack and me.... meaning not much to document on here!  This weekend has been rather busy as well.... but for really fun reasons!  Zander went to a birthday party yesterday for a friend from school.  It was a "My Little Pony" themed party but he joined right in... making bracelets, getting tattoos and taking a stab out of getting the candy out of the pink pinata.  He was outnumbered by all the girls at the party but I was so proud of my little guy.... waiting to go last to swing at the pinata and letting all the girls go first to get the candy! I have noticed things are quite different if you have a girl compared to my rough and tumble boys! haha

The boys love our church.... it is so fun to see them get excited about walking into the building.  I can't believe how big Maddox is getting.... I am in denial that he will be two in a couple weeks!

Zander loved carrying his Operation Christmas Child box home today so he can start to fill it up with toys and necessities for a child in need.  He also got to help lead the worship music in Kid's Street (which is our children's church).  He signed up for that "area of service" so it was so fun to have our children's pastor send us a picture of him on stage while we were helping in one of the nursery classes downstairs.

This afternoon we had a birthday party for another friend, and this one was a costume party! The boys loved wearing Zander's old costumes and playing with friends for the afternoon.

It's Fall Ya'll!

Nothing says fall more than really hot temperatures and frozen yogurt, but that is how we welcomed the beginning of a new season!  It has been unseasonably hot so we have tried to enjoy being outside as much as possible since we know winter is coming.... and those of you that live up north.... try not to laugh at that previous sentence! ;)  We grabbed some frozen yogurt last weekend and it was the sweetest thing to watch Zander share his dessert with his younger brother.  Usually Maddox shares with me but Zander was very fair about taking a bite and giving Maddox the next one!

On Sunday, Zack and I headed to my first ever NFL football game!  Zack's work paid for us to go along with some of his customers so it was definitely a very special day with pretty amazing seats, good food, and great company!  Even though it was hot outside, I was able to enjoy the air conditioning while watching a football game and mingling with people Zack did and did not know!

 After the game, we met up with Aunt Maude and Uncle Henry who just happened to be eating dinner within walking distance of the stadium.  It was great to have an uninterrupted conversation since we didn't have two cute little ones with us! (Thanks Grammy for taking such good care of our boys while we were gone for the day!)

Zander and Maddox had superhero day at school last week... Zander was able to fit into his Halloween costume from two years ago for the event!  He wanted me to take this picture!

I took Maddox to the allergist to see if he stills has allergies to milk and eggs.... it was confirmed that these two continue to be a problem for him. We did further testing (where mommy had to hold his arm so the technician could get a vile of blood) to see what specifically in milk he is allergic to... this one is so puzzling to us since he eats yogurt and sometimes milk with no issue.  It was definitely hard to see him in pain, and he was glad to leave ASAP! ;)

 Maddox has been quite fussy this week.... I have no idea if it is because of new teeth appearing, the "traumatic" allergist appointment, busy week with very little Mommy-Maddox cuddle time or just the almost two-year old age.... but he has been quite miserable... making it hard to do many of the activities we typically enjoy!

 I got to meet the newest addition to our friend group!  Miss Sophia Hollins arrived on Tuesday which gave me the excuse to get some newborn cuddles in on Wednesday while bringing her mommy and daddy dinner to the hospital!

The boys (and Grammy) came to my school's reading night on Thursday night. Mom helped follow the boys around while I organized the event... Zander did a great job listening to teachers read books in tents for "Camp Read S'more".  Both boys were ready to leave before mommy was done working so Grammy to the rescue! She took the boys home and started baths while I finished up!  I am so thankful to have our family and friends close by to help on busy days!

Friday was Dress Like a Friend Day at my school and since Angie's Volunteers lost to my Gators, she had to sport a Florida jersey.  The boys joined in and matched mommy for school on Friday!

This morning, Linds and I fit in our last long run before our half marathon in two weeks!  We took a different route for our 10-miler and got to enjoy a scenic green-way type run into the city!  We both felt great for the run and had one of our best overall paces so we are hopeful that our race in two weeks will be just as great!

Today, Grannie came to visit us!  She entertained the boys while I finished running with my sis. After I got done, we took the boys to get a hair cut and out to lunch!  Maddox loved wearing her sunglasses around the house.  We always have fun when she comes to town!