Halloween Fun!

I can't believe that today is Halloween! We are looking forward to dressing E up and sitting outside to pass out candy. Next year we will take her trick or treating but she is just too little this year and let's face it we will just eat the candy haha.

We kicked off the weekend with yummy homemade pizza and lounging around the house. I decided to try something new and make an italian sausage and fresh basil pizza. It was amazing!

Saturday, we spent the morning running a few errands and then we headed off to the local golf course for the Kiwanis Kostume 5k run. The terrain was terrible haha, the course was on the golf course, so lots of hills and pinestraw to contend with. It was not fun pushing a stroller on. Once Kyle finished found me and took the stroller so I could finish strong. I did feel like a beast for pushing that stroller up some ridiculous hills.

E pretty much slept the whole time as she always does. Kyle is awesome and placed 2nd overall for men! Despite the crazy terrain it was a really fun race. We ended the night with Subway and watching WSU beat Oregon State!

Sunday, we had a family donut date and then headed up to Target so we could take advantage of the 50% Halloween sale. It was definitely worth it. 

After we got home, we put E in her highchair for the first time (she looks so big and it makes me sad), and carved pumpkins. She ended up falling asleep. Haha.

We love our family of pumpkins!!!

I hope you all had a great weekend and that you have a safe and fun Halloween!!

Seven In A Row

When I got the okay from my doctor to start running again, I knew I wanted to fill my calendar with some fun races. I wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather and our last fall in Louisiana. 

1. Kiwanis 5Kostume Fun Run (10/29)! We loved this race last year, it will be ran in the evening this time which is perfect because the Halloween shirt we got Kyle glows in the dark haha.

2. McNeese Cowboy Gallop 10k (11/5). This is the first race we even ran after we moved to Louisiana and we loved it. It's fun because the finish line is on the football field of the university.

3. Pensacola Half Marathon (11/13). I was supposed to run this race last year but rain put the damper on that. This year though I will be running it with Kyle and my sister! I can't wait.

4. Great American Smokeout Turkey Trot 5k (11/19). This one is being held at the hospital on post and it's free, plus you can't beat helping people stop smoking.

5. Turkey Trot 5k (11/26)! This is the first year for this race and we always love an excuse to promote the towns surrounding us. We even talked my Dad into doing this one with us!

6. Ugly Sweater 5k (12/3). We had a blast running this last year and we are excited to include E in on the ugly sweater fun haha. However, it will be hard to top our sweaters from last year but I'm sure going to try.

7. Cajun Country Half Marathon (12/10). This is my 3rd year running this race and it's amazing. I was actually 4 weeks pregnant last year and I had no idea. I can't wait to for that side by side comparison photo now that we have Emmy.

It's going to be fun running 7 races in a row, I'm not going for speed, I'm aiming to just have fun and enjoy the races.

2 Years

I can't believe it has been 2 years since we made the move to Polk. I remember the day at Bliss when we found out that Kyle's unit would be shutting down, we knew we didn't want to stay there so it was a mad dash to figure out our next move. Thankfully, Kyle was given an opportunity by a former boss and that put Polk in our future. We sold our house in El Paso and 30 days later we were on the road to Louisiana. Of course the thought of having my family only 7 hours away made the decision that much sweeter.

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. Had Kyle's unit not shut down we would not have moved to Louisiana. Had we not moved to Louisiana Kyle would have likely not been given the referral to the fertility doctor in San Antonio. Had he not gone there and had surgery we would not have our daughter right now. 

I couldn't imagine not having this sweet little face to look at everyday.

Even when she is angry at me for making her sit up lol.

Every now and then the Army does something right! :) This was definitely one of this times.

What My Days Look Like Now

People told me that when you have a baby the days seem to fly by, I had no idea how true that statement really is. 

Trying to fit all of the things I need to get done in the span of a day can be tricky. Here are what my days look like now:

E is usually awake between 7:15-8am, which let me tell you having a new baby give you over 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is absolutely glorious! I bring her downstairs, change her, feed her, and then she usually hangs out in her bassinet so I can start my to-do list. Kyle is usually gone to work by this time but if he is home he takes her. :) She will fall asleep for an hour or so.

I spend my time eating breakfast, cleaning up, putting away dishes or laundry, and taking care of Emma and Fishy.  I also usually shower and get ready and then get E dressed so we both aren't lazy and in pajamas all day haha. If we have errands to run we will knock those out early in the day.

We always have time on the playmat including tummy time which she absolutely hates haha. It's funny because Emma and Fishy usually hang out close to her when she is on the floor and they just watch her. :)

She is usually hungry around noon and then she hangs out on her boppy and then falls asleep again. This is my prime opportunity to get school work done. My view now is completely different than before. :) 

The classes I am currently taking have been going smooth so far (Psychopathology and Professional Ethics and Standards), but I need to focus and when she is napping it's the perfect time.

Now that Kyle is done with rotation he is usually home by 3pm and he will take over for me. I will have an hour or so for some me time which usually includes a run or just playing mindless games on my phone haha and then I'm in the kitchen making dinner. If Kyle isn't home by then E is in her bassinet watching me cook. :)

It has actually been a lot smoother of a transition than we expected. She is such an easy going baby that I am able to get things done that I need to. She prefers to not be held all the time and that has made things so much easier. 

She has been the best addition to our family. :)

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Nature

Louisiana, you never disappoint with your scenery! 

While I am excited to start a new adventure next summer in a new place, I will definitely miss this beautiful trail and Louisiana in general. I never expected to fall in love with this state.

Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Happenings

I feel like it has been so long since Kyle has been able to enjoy a weekend! We wanted to make the most of it and we definitely did.

Friday night we headed out to an early dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, it was nice to just relax and enjoy each others company.

Saturday morning was spent baking and cooking for Kyle's work BBQ. I have to say it is a pretty funny concept getting military intelligence soldiers together, it is such an interesting group of nerds haha. I always look forward to an opportunity to contribute something and this was mine:

Strawberry lemonade cupcakes, s'mores cupcakes, and hot artichoke and spinach dip. Everyone seemed to enjoy them and we came home with no leftovers, thank goodness!

The rest of the night was spent relaxing and watching WSU beat UCLA. Woo!

Sunday we headed up to Alexandria for a morning of errand running. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, then it was off to Target, Old Navy, and finally Sam's Club. I was able to pick up some new running items at Old Navy, thanks to a pretty rad sale. 

Afterwards we decided to take Emmy to her very first pumpkin patch. We have a really cute one about 10 minutes from our house and it was perfect. We did the hayride so we could pick our own pumpkins from the patch. We even saw the race horses that the farm breeds and also where they harvest crawfish. E slept during the whole hayride but was wide-eyed the rest of the time. 

We had the best time and it was so fun to make these memories for her since she won't remember them. 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Me Time

There is nothing quite like your doctor telling you that you are cleared to run again! I had my 6 week postpartum appointment yesterday and I'm not going to lie I was super nervous that he was going to tell me to wait and that I wasn't quite healed. Despite my fears he gave me the thumbs up!

After my appointment, I came home, put E in the stroller, laced up my shoes and off we went on a quick 2 mile run. It felt amazing! Running has always been my time to just zone out and clear my mind. My training for the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon begins on Monday and I am so excited to tackle my second marathon. We also have 8 races coming up in the next few months, a few 5k's, 10k, and 2 half marathons.

I've had a lot of people ask me why I was so eager to get back to running. I'll be honest and say that it's the one thing that is truly mine. I absolutely love being a wife and mom but I need time to myself, I need that time to regroup and refocus, running is that time for me. I am reminded when I run that I am so much stronger than I ever thought I could be.

It's empowering!

I need to feel good emotionally, mentally, and physically if I am going to be of any use. I firmly believe that everyone needs something that is "theirs", something that helps them decompress and regroup.

Do you make time for yourself? What do you do for "me" time?

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Family Time

Last week Emmy took for her very first road trip! I have to say that I was extremely nervous to embark on a 7 hour road trip with a 1 month old and a dog. I have done that drive so many times (I probably could do it with my eyes closed) but adding a baby was going to be a true test. A few people thought I was crazy for attempting this trip.

Come to find out I had nothing to worry about, she did amazing!! She slept for the first 4 hours, woke up to eat and be changed, and then slept for the remaining 3 hours. Just like me though she was happy to get to my sisters and be out of the car.

We enjoyed 3 1/2 great days with my family, relaxing, and enjoying the beautiful Florida weather. She loved being snuggled and loved on by everyone, including my sisters 2 dogs.

One of the highlights of the trip was picking up her Halloween costume! We will all be matching with our costumes, it's going to be so much fun. We won't be taking her actual trick or treating (she is still too little for that) but we will be sitting in our driveway passing out candy.

I'm definitely glad I made the decision to go down to visit for a few days, you can never go wrong with family time. We will be headed back there Veterans Day weekend to run a half marathon with my sister and then again for New Years to celebrate a belated Christmas. I'm so glad that we are close enough to my family that we can visit on a somewhat regular basis, the Army doesn't always make that easy. 

 

Enjoy your day!

Friday Favorites!

I love these Friday posts, they are always a perfect way to end the week!

Here are some of my favorite things as of late.

1. Sirius XM Radio! Mainly because gems like this come on. I mean who didn't love Savage Garden back in 1997. Haha!

2.  Panera's spinach bacon egg quiche. I forgot how delicious these things are and now I want one every day. I guess it's a good thing the closest one to me is over an hour away. My sister and I used to have them all the time when we worked together years ago for a bank, Wednesday was always the day our boss brought them in.

3.  Ink Master! I love tattoos and this show is pretty much amazing. To understand the technique behind it is pretty awesome. Makes me even more excited for my next tattoo.

4. This awesome wood snowman that my sister bought me. I can't wait to display it!

5. The snapchats that my sister does with Emmy. They are pretty darn adorable.

What are some of your favorite things lately?

Have a great weekend!

A Night Out

Well, it's the season again for Military Balls! We have a ball coming up in December and I always enjoy looking for a dress. Last year I rented a dress from Rent The Runway and I had a great experience. I have found a few that I like, I want something different and outside of my comfort zone. 

These are the dresses I am looking at right now and I love how unique and different they all are. I got a lot of compliments on my dress last year and I would love to top it. Our ball is at a hotel about an hour an away so it will be a nice overnight date night with Kyle. My Dad is going to be here to stay with E for us.

I have already reserved one of these dresses but I'm going to wait to share which one until I know for sure. I can be pretty indecisive so I may change my mind after a while haha. I know there are some people that say wearing a short dress to a military ball isn't the best thing to do but I've seen several people do it and I've done it before. 

I can't wait to get dressed up and enjoy a night out. 

Do you enjoy getting dressed up for special events?

Life Lately

How is it already October?! This is just crazy to me, but it also makes me happy because it's one of my favorite times of year. 

1. Today is the first day of classes for me, woo!!! I never thought I would enjoy school as much as I do, but it will be nice to dive back in, I'm sure I won't be saying that after writing a few papers haha. 

2. I am starting to plan my Halloween baking! One of my most famous treats are the chocolate cherry mice, my Mom used to make them all the time and they are always a hit. They are a lot of work but definitely worth it (so people tell me, I've never eaten one haha). I can't wait to make these with E when she is older.

3. We have a ball in December and the task of finding a dress is always the worst. What's even worse is having no idea what size you will be when it happens. I used Rent The Runway last year and I've found a few that I like but nothing is really jumping out at me. 

4. Tomorrow, Emersyn, Emma, and I are heading off to Florida for a few days to see my family. With Kyle working long hours I figured why not. It will be nice to see them for a bit, I'm also a little nervous traveling with Emmy but I'm sure it will be fine. 

5. I have registered Kyle and I for a few more races coming up, a few 5k's and a 10k which I am really looking forward to. I have my 6 week postpartum appointment next week and I can't wait to be cleared to run.

6. My sister and I bought tickets last week for a Panic! At The Disco concert in April, my niece loves them and it will be her first concert. It's going to be such a fun girls night! 

7. Last but not least this little beauty turned 1 month old on Saturday!! How is that even possible?! She is definitely the best thing to ever happen to us.

I hope you all had a great weekend!