Bday preparations and running

Party preparations are underway for Miss S, who will be 8!! We came up with several ideas and she decided on a Rock 'N' Roll theme. She personally picked out the paper and stickers so we could do homemade bday invites. They turned out very cute as well as being a great activity for the kids and an opportunity for my scrapbook tools to come out of storage! Note to self, next time make sure I have 2 tape dispensers or what ever they are called. One simply did not cut it for our assembly line of 3 kids. She is inviting 9 kids. She wanted 10 while Mark and I preferred 8, our general rule is 1 child per year old, so we compromised on 9. It was very hard for her to make the list but finally cut it down to 7 girls and 2 boys. Mark and I were encouraging her for a girls party, simply for the purpose of planning activities, but I loved her logic in picking friends that were close to her, regardless of sex. This is just another example of her personality and I LOVE it. In her words, if 2 of my good friends are boys, why shouldn't they be included?!

Running has become infectious in our house and it has spread to Schuyler and Mack. It amazes me how the mother's emotions/actions/etc... permeates the whole house! In this instance, it's a good thing. I'm still hovering around 2-3 miles 3 to 4 times/week. My first race will be June 5th where I will run the 5K. Maybe 10K if I can get to where I need to be. Schuyler runs a good distance, probably 1 1/2 to 2 miles. It's a slow jog pace for me and we usually walk a small portion in the middle. Mack just started and I need to work with her. She doesn't understand the concept of "pace" so she sets out in sprint mode and we don't get very far. However, she appears to have a more natural ability for running and I think with a little help, she could be quite the runner, that is if she wants to be. I also splurged on a new pair of shoes. The good people at The Lincoln Running Company set me up with a pair of Saucony's, something new and different as I've been a die-hard Asics fan for quite a number of years. They watch you walk barefoot and based on that, choose 3 or so pairs to try on. So far, I'm very pleased!

To celebrate earth day, or in our case it was more like earth week, we did a number of bike rides. Instead of driving to get the younger kids from school, Schuyler and I biked. I'm sure we looked like quite the site as I strapped Mack's bike into the bike trailer and off we went to get them. It's so nice to have Mack on her own set of wheels leaving me with only 1 kiddo to haul around! We also have been enjoying the trails. It was just late summer last year or early fall when Mack kicked the training wheels so this has been her first experience away from the comforts of our block. She is a bit of a gawker and often veers onto the other lane of the trail. She also does not seem to like anyone within 5 feet of her. It scares me to think ahead to the days when we'll have to teach her to drive!! Eli is our greeting committee. He politely tells everyone hello and comments on dogs he likes, even though they are most likely past by the time he gets the comment out.

Later this week or next week I hope to post bday pics.