26 things for 26 years

Over the years my feelings towards birthdays have changed ... As a child it was all about the party and presents and then it became about the party and now it's all about time with my family. I used to count down to my birthday starting September 1st .. Doesn't happen anymore. I used to think I should have a "birthday week" .. Not anymore. 

My 25th year was a fun, trying and wild ride. We found out we were expecting our second little one a few months before my birthday, we decided to sell our townhouse and move 25min north, we lived with my brother in law for 2 months during the move. We moved into a our new house when I was 32 weeks pregnant, we welcomed our second little lady into the world. So many amazing things happened... We are so lucky to have each other and our health.

I decided to set 26 goals for my 26th year! 

1. Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day (I am horrible about drinking water)
2. Paint our kitchen. 
3. Run 2 half marathons.
4. Drink only one cup of coffee per day.
5. Do the 9+1 to qualify for the 2016 NYC marathon!
6. Finish my personal training certification.
7. Plan and go on a kid-free vacation for Chris and I to celebrate our 5th anniversary. 
8. Keep kitchen counter clutter-free! 
9. Cook dinner at least 4 times a week. 
10. Buy a new fridge & Redo kitchen floor.
11. Become active in church. 
12. Prioritize monthly date night with Chris. 
13. Pay off our SUV loan and buy a new car! 
14. Teach Beth to crawl and walk!
15. Teach Madison how to skate!
16. Read 1 book a month .. I am open to suggestions.
17. Lift heavy at twice once a week.
18. Stick to a budget. 
19. Make sure all my mascara is off before going to bed .. Black marks on pillows aren't pretty. 
20. Eat clean 80% of the time. 
21. Travel to a new place.
22. Continue working out and getting into the best shape of my life.
23. Spend more time working on letters and numbers with Madison. 
24. Have a weekly movie night with Madison with our phones on do not disturb... Even if Chris is working.
25. Put in a play structure in for the girls. 
26. Make our bed every day, and teach Madison how to make hers. 

These goals are all over the over place, sorry for that! 

Check back in 6 months to see the progress!

Back to enjoying my tea before the girls wake up and we start our day. 

Xo's 

6 months

Elizabeth

Weight: 12lbs 5oz (updated 9/11/14)

Length: 24 1/4in (updated 9/11/14)

Milestone: lots a new milestones reached! Beth's rolling all over the place and using her feet to push herself around on her back. She is so close to sitting for longer periods of time by herself!! She has 2 teeth and 2 more are starting to come in!  

Sleep: At night it's great 10hrs straight! We are working on a nap schedule. Luckily Beth is a "go with the flow" kinda kid and will nap no matter where we are. We just need to work on the times!

Eating: Amazing! I don't think I've been able to say that about her eating but wow! She can eat! We introduced cereal almost 2 weeks ago and she loves it! She even tries to feed herself! She loves squash, sweet potatoes are the latest veggie so we will see how she does. Last night was the first time she had them and she didn't seem to mind them!!

Diapers: 2's, this won't be changing for a very long time!

Clothing: Still 3 months.. Finally 3-6 months from gymboree and gap are starting to fit! This girl is a petite little peanut. At this rate Madison's first Christmas dress she wore at 3 months till fit Beth!! 

Mood: She is a happy baby!!! She's not overly fussy and she's not clingy!

Loves:

• Food
• Bouncing
• Rolling around 
• Sitting in her seat infront of the fan in only a diaper!
• Bath time with her sister 

Hates:

• Not seeing whats happening around her.
• TEETHING!
• Getting stuck when she rolls herself into something 

Madison

Our little munchkin starts ballet & tap next weekend!!! She is also starting school on Thursday! She's moving on up from the 2s room to the 3's! She is so excited to get back to school.. She has already picked out her outfit for the first day and has her back pack packed and hanging by her door!

We are in the midst of planning her 3rd birthday.. I am still in a little shock that she's going to be 3! Where did this baby go?

Hello there

Sorry I've been MIA for the past few weeks, I have been busy enjoying the last few days of summer before the craziness of work and school starts! As I sit at our table drinking my morning coffee and watching the buses go by I figured I should probably take the 10min of peace and update you all! 

This coming week will be our transition week.. Starting to get out of the slower more relaxed mornings of summer and into the extremely well planned time efficient mornings of fall! Since we now live 20 min from Madison's school (also my work and her camp) being able to get out of the house on time is crucial! Even being 2 min off could put us behind one of the many school buses on our road!

Madison starts school next Thursday so we have some time to work on the routine. The tough part is going to be adding the new stuff... Beth's breakfast! Last week we introduced solids into Beth's diet and so far she is loving it. She had only had oatmeal and squash so far but she's doing great! 

 

Along with that big change we are also getting ready to chase her around the house! She will be 6 months this coming weekend and she is rolling everywhere, and when on her back uses her feet to push herself around. Madison is already trying to teach her how to crawl!

We've had many adventures in the past week.. We went to the zoo for the first time as a family of 4. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be! The girls were great!

We went to the pool to celebrate Ryan's 2nd birthday!

And then we got to celebrate his birthday again at what Madison described as "the best birthday ever"... The truck that Ryan's aunt and uncle got him may have something to do with that!

Beth took last years birthday present for a spin.

I finally laced up my sneakers and ran another race. It was the "Labor on Labor Day 5k" in our old town! I was a little nervous as the course was hillier then anything I've done. I had a goal to set a new PB.. My previous was 38:07 so I was hoping for 36!  I was beyond shocked when I crossed the line at 32:07 (unofficial time- will update official when it's posted). 

My mother in law was nice enough to bring the girls and stand and cheer at the finish line in the gross humid weather!

As many of you know I am running a 10k and 1/2 marathon at Disney world in February... This is also known as the Glass Slipper Challenge.  You might also know I am running for an amazing charity called "Noah's Light Foundation". 

Since September is pediatric cancer awareness month and I am running for a pediatric cancer chartiy I hoping to raise the bulk of my funds this month!!

Please head to this link and make a donation! Any amount is great!! 

https://www.noahslightfoundation.org/donate/index.php/component/civicrm/?task=civicrm%2Fpcp%2Finfo&reset=1&id=426

Have a great week :)

Xo