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!