Busy Weekend

October started off with a bang. Mommy was working like crazy and Daddy was gearing up for the Chicago marathon on October 11. Not to mention, the kids were in Miss Gina's wedding the day before the big race. Grayson and Landry held hands halfway down the aisle until Landry got freaked out buy a guy in a wheelchair sitting at the end of the aisle. Grayson left her in the dust as he continued his journey and she turned around in a circle with her face scrunched up crying. Daddy swooped in and rescued her and Mommy encouraged Grayson the rest of the way down. They were both too cute in the outfits made my Mia!

When the wedding was over, we made a brief appearance at the reception before dashing off to Chicago to spend the night before the marathon.

The next day got off to an early start when Daddy got up around 4:30 AM to head out for the race. Mommy, Nana, the kids, Mr. Jason (Daddy's friend from work) and Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Felicia met up around 7:30 AM to "chase" Daddy during the race. A huge thanks is due to Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Felicia for organizing the logistics! Daddy was looking great when we saw him at mile 3. He was doing so well that he was pacing ahead of schedule and we missed him at mile 8 and mile 12. We planned to see him at mile 16, but decided to skip ahead to mile 21 so we could definitely see him there. Grayson was so excited to see him heading in our direction that he stepped passed the barrier with arms reached into the air exclaiming, "Daddy, Daddy!" Of course Daddy had to hoist him into the air...a heart warming moment for everyone who saw it.

Most of the runners looked pretty good at mile 21, but that was not the case by the time we saw them again at mile 25. They had hit the proverbial "wall" and Daddy was no exception. He slowed down briefly to hug Mommy and he later said it was because he wanted someone to hold him up for a second, but we all know better than that:)!!

Daddy finished in 4 hours and 48 minutes...we were all VERY proud of him!! The kids were super troopers through the whole day. They got no naps, no lunch and still managed to remain mostly pleasant the whole day. Definitely a memorable experience for all involved.

July-part 2

Allen (12 years) and Anna (11 years) were here for a few days in late July. We spent the first day at the beach. The 2nd day, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo...which we chose because it was free. However, by the end of the day we had spent almost $100 on parking, lunch, etc!! Money well spent though b/c it is a gorgeous zoo and everyone had a great time. I think the quote of the day was by Grayson, "I hold Allen's hand!". Of course, to Landry every animal was a puppy...which she exclaimed at each exhibit. The last day, we took a hop on/hop off tour of Chicago. I think we hopped off at almost every stop and we were all EXHAUSTED by the end of the day. We did manage to take a lunch break for deep dish pizza at Gino's East though! The following day, we packed it all up and took the show to Mia and Papa's house where Allen and Anna spent the next week and a half living the good life watching TV and eating junk food. We're planning another visit before the end of the year!!

July-part 1

July was overly busy with activity. The month got off to a bang with sod for the back yard...which Mommy and Daddy laid themselves. Thankfully Nana was here to keep an eye on the kids while we worked in the yard when Daddy got home in the evenings. Mia and Uncle Bubby were here for the 4th of July. Mommy and the kids flew to Alabama in the middle of the month because Mommy had to be there for a week due to work. The kids divided time between Nana and Mia and they all had a ball. I'm sure there were a zillion picutres taken that week, but I don't have copies of them. As soon as we got home from Alabama, Allen and Anna (mommy's cousins from Birmingham, ages 12 and 11) came up for a few days...more details of that adventure in the next post!!

June catch up

Well, the month of June was busy, but nothing too exciting. The kids stayed home with Mommy for the summer and we went to the beach a lot in June, Landry got her ears pierced, and we went to Daddy's company picnic. Of course, there was a bunch of general cuteness that occurred as well!Mommy wanted to get a cute picture of the kids to make a Father's Day card for Daddy. She compares that experience to hearding cats. Although this looks like a sweet photo, Landry was crying and Grayson was just about to pinch her.

You have to look closely, but they're there! She got her ears pierced on June 7.Silly boy was sitting under the kitchen table saying he was in his crate!

We have a walker

Landry has been pretending like she can't walk for a couple of weeks, but she finally decided it is okay to let go of the couch and venture into the middle of the room on her own! Although crawling is still her preferred method of getting around, she can definitely walk without help.

Memorial Day at Mia and Papa's

Mommy and the kids went to Mia and Papa's for the long weekend. We took a scenic route on the way down. Mommy called Daddy to tell him we had past 4 Amish buggies and Grayson got all excited because he thought I said Uncle Bubbie. Pretty funny! The weather was warm and there was plenty to do outside. There were lots of bubbles to blow and Papa bought a nifty whale pool with a water spout. The dogs, Baxter and Oliver (Grayson says,"Baster and Oye"), were a source of entertainment as well. Every time the Coo-coo clock chimed, Grayson yelled, "Birdie bit me!" You just can't believe everything a two year old tells you. It was a fun weekend and we're all glad to have spent time together.

1st Birthday Party

We traveled to Alabma on Thursday for Landry's party on Saturday. Mommy's Uncle Scott was kind enough to offer his home for the party. We had a lot of guests including: Nana, Uncle Bubbie, Great Uncle James and Great Aunt Fue Fue, Ashley and Tim Ames, Great Granny and Great Grandaddy, Great Uncle Scott and Great Aunt Jeanne, Allen, Daniel, Anna, and Kate, Mia and Papa, and of course Mommy, Daddy, and Grayson.

Papa cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. Then we had cake and ice cream before opening presents. You've never seen anybody tear into a chocolate cake like Landry did! Once she started to slow down we let Grayson help her finish it off. You had to be there to fully comprehend how messy the whole scenario was. Jeanne was so sweet about it...I would've been freaking out if somebody's kids made that kind of mess in my kitchen. By the time Mia and Mommy got done cleaning kids, the kitchen had been cleaned too and it was like it never happened.

Landry turns one

It doesn't seem like she's been here a year, but the calendar says she's already one! What a sweet baby she is...we're truly blessed. Life is full of surprises and she's one of the best I could've ever gotten. We celebrated on her actual birthday with cupcakes and LOTS of singing "Happy Birthday to You". Daddy got her the 1 year old growing up girl figurine and Mommy got her a set of crayons so she doesn't have to fight with Grayson over his anymore. She wore a special onesie so everyone knew it was her big day. We'll have a party in Alabama over the weekend.

Family outing

It was a nice weekend and we didn't have any plans, so we took off to West Lafayette for Purdue's spring scrimmage game. Nobody really cared about the football, but it was a good excuse to get a stadium dog and enjoy a college campus on a sunny afternoon. Thankfully Daddy's friend Josh was there with his kids and other family members who showed us around. There was face painting, snow cones, fountains, and balloons. The kids had a ton of fun!

Wardrobe choices by a 2 year old

Mommy was working at a college fair, so Daddy was left to wrangle the kids to bed by himself. After bath time, he was getting Landry dressed for bed and Grayson enjoyed some free time. Upon hearing a major ruckus in the kitchen Daddy checked in to see what was going on. Here's what he saw:

Easter weekend

Mia and Papa came to visit for Easter weekend...which was also the weekend of the Valpo Mini Marathon. Mia, Papa, and Mommy went to Chicago on Friday and visited the Chicago History Museum (total waste of $14 per person in my opinion) and enjoyed a yummy lunch at a little Thai restaurant. Then Mia and Mommy went fabric shopping at Vogue fabrics in Evanston. After the race on Saturday, we headed to the outlet mall with the kids and got ready for the Easter Bunny to come. We went to church on Sunday morning before a big Easter lunch, then Mia and Papa had to head back to Evansville. It was a REALLY fun weekend!

Grayson rode with Big Bird ("Bur Burt") at the outlet mall

Yummy...Snicker's for breakfast!Landry's basket wore a tutu
The Princess and her Daddy

He just looks like a two year old!

Daddy ran a half

Daddy started training for the Valpo Mini Marathon (13.1 miles) at the beginning of the year with his buddy Josh from work. They were both pumped up all week long. They drove the course and planned "the splits", then Josh had a death in the family on Wednesday and was unable to do the race. That left poor Daddy without a partner for his first big race. We were all unsure how it would go, but he got up and was out of the house before anybody was up this morning. Mommy went to cheer him on at mile 7, but he was ahead of pace and she almost missed him...she got there just in time to see him whiz past. Friends Pam, Dale, and Janet were waiting at mile 10. The whole family (Mommy, Grayson, Landry, Mia and Papa) was waiting at the finish line along with friends Pam and Dale. We are all SOOOO proud of him!!!Mile 10Finish line...obviouslyDaddy got a cool medal for finishing the race

AND she's off!

We knew this stage would come sooner than we were ready...Landry is definatley mobile. Thankfully she's not walking just yet, but it won't be much longer.

Playdate

It was a BEAUTIFUL Wednesday, so we met at Mrs. Jamie and Abby's house (Mommy and Landry met them in swim class at the Y) for a quick lunch before heading out to the park with more friends from swim class, Paige and Brooklyn. We all had a great time and it was so nice to be outdoors after such a snowy winter.

Brother and Sister

Mess? What mess? We didn't do it!