ABBY!!!

To finish of the report of our trip, I'll start at the beginning. That makes sense right? :)

On our way down we stayed in Vegas with some great friends, the Lunds. Maddie was almost more excited to see Abby than Mickey, which is really saying a lot.

We wish these two girls could still be a block away from each other. They love each other so much!

Aren't they just so cute together?

We also enjoyed seeing lots of other friends at the park. This is why we miss Vegas--good friends, and green grass in March! :)

Thank heavens spring is on it's way here too. I'm still working on the friends part.

Disneyland!

If a dream is a wish your heart makes, Maddie's heart is really happy right now.

Her greatest wish was to meet Mickey Mouse, and guess who happened to be right at the front entrance taking pictures? It couldn't have been more perfect. The line was cut off right behind us so Mickey could make a performance at the castle, so we really got lucky! That is the face of one happy girl.

We went right down to the castle and caught all the characters singing and dancing.

Mike and I decided that we would focus on the kids experience instead of our own, so we hardly went on any rides. Instead we spent most of our time waiting in lines to meet the characters and watching the performances and parades.

Ella spent most of the day like this, climbing on fences and trying to touch all the flowers. Silly girl.

Grandpa, Maddie, and I went on the tea cups.

I thought she would get too dizzy but she actually loved it and didn't want to get off!

We spent a good while in Toon Town.

The horizon made me feel like I was in the Truman Show. Is this real?

When we met Minnie Mouse Maddie was just in awe. She hugged her legs and didn't want to let go.

The character's houses are so elaborate! The detail is amazing.

Grandpa gave Maddie some coins for the wishing well.

I just thought this was a cute picture of Minnie Maddie sitting in Mickey's window.

My parents were seriously amazing. They made the trip so much more fun and helped constantly. We couldn't have done it without them!

Maddie finally got her cotton candy. Sticky goodness.

Meeting Pooh--Ella gave him hugs too. You'll notice we put their pillowcase dresses on from Aunt Dana and they were a hit everywhere we went!

More hugs for Eyore. . .

and Tigger. Maddie enjoyed the Pooh Bear ride and even Pirates of the Caribbean, although the skeletons scared her at first. Ella hated it because she just wanted to get in the water.

That night we met some old friends/college buddies in Downtown Disney for dinner. It was so good to see them! They each have two kids similar ages to our own. It was a fun day, and though we barely scratched the surface on things to do, we checked everything off Maddie's list and that's all that matters, right?

I did it!

The 25th Annual Great Race of Agoura Hills
March 27, 2010
Pacific Half Marathon

Its official. After months of training I finally conquered my goal of running a half marathon!!! The weather was perfect (low 70's) and the scenery breathtaking. The race began at Western Town at Paramount Ranch (where many movies have been filmed), went through the scenic Santa Monica Mountains, and along beautiful Malibou Lake, to end in Old Agoura. If you care for more details and course maps go here.

I was nervous to start, but thankfully 3 of my Vegas friends ran it with me and we calmed each others nerves at the start line. Once I got going, I just enjoyed my favorite playlist and fell into my usual rhythm. At one point, the sun came up over the mountain (we started at 7:30 am), the scenery was green and gorgeous, and I got a little rush of emotion to be actually doing it! The euphoria soon ended as I saw what was ahead--a huge mountain, uphill for about a mile! I didn't do any hill training so it was really tough, along with the other 15 or so smaller hills on the route. I planned on not walking at all, but finally took a little walking breather on yet another hill at mile 11.

My own little cheerleading section found me at about mile 10, 12, and the finish line. Mike had everything carefully calculated and intercepted me at just the right moments!

I look goofy waving with two hands but I was trying to entertain Maddie and Ella on the curb. Ella started crying when she saw me. I was really exhausted the last few miles. It definitely became mind over matter.

Mike was behind me at the finish line so I don't have a triumphant entry pic--just this one after I collapsed on the ground! :) I am happy with my time of 2:14:40 and my pace of 10.17 minutes/mile. I trained for 10 minute miles and am just glad that even with all the hills I kept it close! I finished basically in the middle of the pack, 239 of 527.

We did it! (L to R me, Amanda, Kim, and Jill.) Thanks ladies for the great experience!

I need a better picture of my medal but I thought they were pretty cool.

After we ate and rested we headed down to Malibu beach. Ella was a little explorer! We laughed at her independence and curiosity her first time at the ocean.

This is a funny face from Maddie but it shows the flock of pelicans on the sandbar just behind her.

Ella found my dad's apple and was content to chill on my lap for a bit.

Maddie and Grandma made a sand castle. It was a lovely day. That night we all crashed at 8 pm and slept twelve hours straight. I'm still sore but it was an awesome experience!

RMS Queen Mary

Before we left the coast we took a little tour of this ship in Long Beach harbor.

I didn't see much of it since it was the end of our vacation and tired kids and quiet museums don't mix, but Mike loves this kind of stuff. The Queen Mary was an ocean liner that made 1001 trans-Atlantic trips from England to New York over 31 years. It held the record for fastest average speed for 14 years. Lots of famous people frequented it. Now a lot of the original interior has been gutted and turned into a hotel.

Mike, Dad, and Maddie took a tour of the engines below.


This was our view of down town Long Beach and the water from the restaurant on the sun deck.

Watch out, Maddie's at the wheel!

Tony Time!

Mike has a new buddy named Tony. They hang out for at least an hour every night. I would say they're tight. Okay, maybe not personally, but at least parts of both of them are tight. :) Mike has been doing P90X faithfully for 3 weeks and I just have to say I am so proud of him! He has shown a lot of grit and determination, not to mention tried things he's never done before, like yoga and kickboxing. I have tried plyometrics, yoga, and the AB Ripper X with him and they are not easy!!! We'll let you know how things are 'looking' at the end of 90 days!

Maddie wanted to get in on the yoga action too.

We also tried a week of the "fat shredder" protein rich diet that goes along with the program. It was as a little too much meat for me but I really liked some of their recipes, like this red pepper soup pictured above, along with salmon, asparagus, and wild rice. Gotta love healthy, whole foods.

The other thing Mike is pretty excited about right now is the golf practice net he got for his birthday. He can't wait for it to get warmer so he can spend his free time hitting golf balls and riding his bike!

Spring has Sprung

We grew grass again for the first day of spring! I also taught my Sunbeams at church how to do it for our lesson on trees, plants, and flowers. They loved it!

Today is supposed to hit 60 degrees! Oh spring, how I've missed you.

Sneaky Leprechaun!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A leprechaun came to our house last night and snuck around turning things like milk and toilet water green. I just love doing things that tickle Maddie's imagination and creativity. Holidays are a great reason to have fun!

Ella is just so darling. Her green outfit took me back to when Maddie turned one. They are certainly different but remind me so much of each other.

We took advantage of the 60 degree day and had a picnic at the park with Auntie Dana and sleepy little Daxton.

I was there too! (Someone else to take the picture! :)

We have tried a few little crafts... here's a handprint shamrock.

Although Maddie much prefers to do things her own way.

This is my favorite--rainbow toast!!!

Just mix milk and food coloring and paint on the bread. Toasting makes the colors even more vibrant. Maddie loved it.

She just loves painting in general. I have to say out of all the paints we've tried I like watercolors the best. They are the least messy!

I tried to incorporate a number lesson too. 4-leaf clovers are lucky!

Hope you have a lucky day!