Monday, September 28, 2015

My Spartans - 2015

It's been a while since I've felt compelled to post but this weekend my kids were amazing and it deserves to be recorded for posterity! They completed in the first ever Spartan Kids Race. If you aren't familiar with Spartan Races, they are basically races with obstacles. That makes it sound so mild. They are not. They are physically demanding and hella hard! The kids version was certainly toned down but that doesn't mean it was easy. They had to scale and jump all sorts of barriers, flip tires, run through water, throw spears (blunt, of course), carry heavy bags of dirt, you get the idea! 

Bud ran first and put on a show! We couldn't see all the obstacles but every time he disappeared, he reappeared ahead of everyone else! His most impressive feat was the inverted wall. We were waiting at the wall for a while because the course before that point was hidden from view so we had the opportunity to watch other kids try. The majority couldn't do it. They had helpers there to lift the kids up and over when there were struggling and I was very curious how Bud would react to the obstacle. He came sprinting out of the woods, ran up to the wall, and attacked that thing like he owned it! I had to hold back the tears (and I have to do that now as I write) watching him make easy work out of a difficult obstacle. 



Inverted Wall
If you can't view the video above, try this link: http://vid1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd462/momnextdoorblog/Blog%20pictures/A0B40D4A-B805-4520-993F-1F44607606CA_zpslu55b4mb.mp4

I knew he was running a 4k but I have no concept of distance, especially when it's in kilometers, so he got done with all the obstacles I saw and figured he was done. They had workers guiding the kids where to go and I heard them ask if he had gone once or twice. He said once and they shepherded him through a shoot and back over to the first obstacle. I was so confused until I realized it meant he had to run the course twice! I could only imagine how he felt when he made the realization too. I asked him afterwards and he said, "Yeah, I wasn't expecting that but I just kept telling myself 'you can do this! Keep going' and I did." I was so thankful that I had my sunglasses on so no one saw me get teary eyed again! 

Bud has always been athletic and freakishly strong so I knew he'd kill this race but I wasn't prepared to feel the absolute pride that coursed through me. Every child got a medal and every child got a shirt but seeing him in that "winners circle" was indescribable. He's an amazing kid!


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His second time over the inverted wall

Babe is super competitive so I knew she'd want to do the race just because Bud was. She's athletic and strong too but she's much more timid and doesn't love to push her physical limits as much as Bud. We got there early and they had practice obstacles set up. Bud immediately attacked them but Babe was very uncertain and hesitant. She was scared to do them by herself and wanted me to hold her hand to jump down. Eventually she did start doing it on her own but she was still very timid. I was concerned for the race. 

Her race was a 2k so she ran the course once. At the starting line she stood in the back and timidly made her way to the front as the line moved forward (they staggered the start so it was kind of chaotic). She jumped over the first barrier and took off with the group. The first few obstacles weren't visible (that's where the tire flipping was) but eventually I saw her making her way towards us. She was flat out running and took the obstacle with ease (run up and down a steep hurdle). Next was the balance beam and she took about 3 minutes to get across because she was so nervous about falling off (it was 2 inches off the ground). At this point I was proud of her but I was also really nervous for her. The next few obstacles took her out of sight again and eventually she popped up over the other side of the river and we cheered and waved to her.


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Waving frantically from across the river

She was still running flat out and was waving like crazy to us. Eventually she came back around and it was her turn to do the inverted wall. Her wave was very crowded and it was a younger group so everyone was going slow and there were often delays at the obstacles. She had to wait her turn to climb and she was too short to jump and grab the top but her brains took over and she figured out how to use the middle support beam to climb and reach it. One of the helpers came over at that point and I was a little disappointed because I think she could have done it entirely on her own. But in any event, she cleared it and sprinted to the next one. 

She had to carry a sack of dirt around a track. I was kind of far from her at this point but could still see her. As usual, it was chaotic and all the helpers were assisting other children. I saw her trying to pick up the sacks but they were too heavy. I lost sight of her in the mob, until she finally emerged from the crowd with a sack slung over her shoulder. She staggered with each step. Her legs were wobbly as she tried to carry the sack that was probably half her weight. The sack didn't have a good handle so it kept slipping and she had to readjust but she kept it on her shoulder and just kept moving. Slowly, methodicall, shakily, she made her way around the course. All around her bigger, older kids were dropping their bags and leaving them to continue around the track without their sack. But there was my girl, struggling but sticking with it. Step by step she kept going. She got to the obstacle, put her bag to the side like everyone else, hopped over the barrier, and went back to get her bag. Most of the kids that hadn't dropped their sack earlier just left it at the obstacle. Not my girl. She picked her sack back up, slung it over her shoulder and finished off the track still staggering under it's weight. Her fortitude and perseverance was awe-inspiring! She was AMAZING! I had never been more proud of her! She never gave up, didn't complain, and just got the job done. Her spirit was/is amazing! 

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Sack o' dirt

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Hangin' Tough

They both loved the experience and are ready to do it again next year! Bud was disappointed that there wasn't any mud pits involved but he felt appeased by the water crossings. 

Here's some more pics of the event:

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Easy peasy!

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Hesitant but determined! 


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No sweat!


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On the practice course. She finally got the "hang" of it!

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My Spartans! AROO!!

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He makes it look easy!

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Rolling under!

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Winner's Circle!

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Finishers!!

I knew they'd both do well but they both KILLED it! I've never been more proud of them! 

They slept like babies that night but they did so with their medals next to their beds and their bandannas on their heads. They are Spartans! AROO!!!

Lily

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Obligatory first day of school pics

Time flies. Children grow like weeds. All those things are true. But seriously, how do I have a 1st and 4th grader already?? A beautiful, exuberant, smart 1st grader and a handsome, witty, and smart 4th grader! Mind.Blown.

It's been our tradition to take pictures at their grandparents house on the first day of school. I'm so glad that's still alive and well!
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Lily

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Work Hard and Be Nice

One of the most important things for me as a mother is to teach my children how to be happy, compassionate, understanding, and hard working. I know that I must lead by example and I have made great changes in my life so that I can accomplish exactly that. I believe little bits of inspiration can lead to big changes and I want to expose my children to as much wisdom as I can. One of the ways I like to find wisdom is in quotes. I’m big on quotes. (My Pinterest boards can attest to that.) I love drawing inspiration and wisdom from all kinds and I have begun to use quotes in my decorating.

When I was little my mom had a quote hanging in her kitchen and it always resonated with me. It was, “To know you is to love you and I know you very much.” So simple and yet it has stuck with me all these years. 

My kitchen is my favorite room in the house and it has a style all its own. I knew I wanted a sign to hang above the rafters and a few weeks ago I found the perfect one. It’s everything I want for my children. 

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It's such a simple sign, but it contains so much wisdom. I hope it will rub off subconsciously on both of them and I will also use it as an inspiration in my own life so they can see this thought in action. 



Lily

Monday, April 13, 2015

The Perfect Day

Things have been crazy hectic lately. I had to work late for most of last week and it ended up that I didn’t get to see the kids for a whole week! By Friday I was having serious withdrawals and was seriously itching to spend some real good quality time with them! Friday was pretty decent so we got outside a little bit. Saturday we had to run some errands (including buying new shoes because they suddenly have monster feet) but it was cold so we didn't stay out long. But we had to get out there for a short time to try out their new skates!

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But Sunday! Oh Sunday! It was glorious! The weather was warm, the sun was shining, and we couldn’t WAIT to get out there! We spent pretty much the whole day outside and it was everything we needed! We started out at the park next to our old apartment. As we walked by the old place, Bud turned to LC and said excitedly, “Look! That’s where we first met you!” My heart could not get any more full!

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Best Bud's

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This old school jungle gym makes for the best pretend play!

LC is a workout fiend. So for him, all the world is a gym...

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Don't you want to smack him for making this look so effortless?

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Notice how Bud is closely observing and then had to join in! :-)

Ok, so this next picture is by far my favorite thing ever. LC was trying to get out of the jungle gym and decided to go out the top. It was NOT easy. He had to get his legs up through and then flip over. This first picture was him trying to get his legs over.

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This makes me laugh all the laughs!

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Got one leg! It looks like he's breakdancing in the air!

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He made it! LOL!
(I also tried after him and made it, but I was so thankful he didn't pull out the camera!)

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Here he is helping Babe on the teeter totter while getting in some squats! LOL!

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And some tricep presses 
(if I got the exercise wrong, mea culpa)

The rest of the day we spent outside playing on the driveway and in the yard. We have a nice set up! Before dinner Bud pulled out one of his Christmas presents (that was packed shortly after Christmas in anticipation of the move) and we excevated some pretty rocks from a bit of plaster. The kids really had a great time with this!

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We rounded out the evening with some more time on the driveway after dinner. I showed Bud some of my razor scooter skills and Babe followed us around on her skates. It was the perfect end to a perfect day!  


Lily

Monday, February 9, 2015

It's my Blog-aversary!

Yesterday marked 4 years since I started blogging! Can’t believe it’s been that long (while at the same time I can’t believe that’s all it has been)! I wish I had kept up the pace all these years, but I’m still happy to have this place waiting for me when I have something to say. It’s been a roller coaster for a while now, but I’m so thankful that I’m on a major upswing these days! Let’s cover a few things, shall we?

The house is coming along nicely! If you recall, I bought this GEM recently.

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I still can’t believe it’s ours! The outside is completely perfect. Sure, we might add a swing set in the summer, maybe do a little planting here and there, but if we left it as is, it would be still be absolutely perfect! 

The inside however…well that leaves a little to be desired! The previous owner liked red. A lot! A lot, a lot! So these last few weeks we've been working to make it NOT red! So far, we are making good progress. For instance, our living room…


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Bye-bye red!

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Different angle (better shot of the color)

It took a lot of hours with all that trim (that had gold and black to cover…yes, she had gold and black painted everywhere to accent the red!) but it was all worth it! I absolutely LOVE the way it came out! And how about those doors?!

We are still working on the master bedroom. Don’t you just love the red pastoral scenes? BARF!
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Different angle...more red! 
(But look at those windows!)

All the paper is off now and we have started priming it. The walls are cement board so it’s going to take several layers of primer to make it look good. When it’s done it’s going to be chocolate and mint! Can’t wait!

The last project before we officially move in is the family room. This is what it looked like at the start of yesterday...

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After scraping away all the red, we found…PINEAPPLES!

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Extreme close up!

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[Insert Sponge Bob jokes here]

Aren’t they nauseating beautiful?! Actually, it’s pretty cool because this paper is VERY old! The seller left behind a folder of history on the house, including some old pictures from around the 1920’s-1940’s. In one of the pictures you can clearly see this wallpaper, so it’s incredibly old! I find that cool! (But also ugly.) We aren’t sure yet if we’ll paint over it or undertake the tedious task of scraping it all off. Neither is going to be easy, so we have to decide soon. Once we are done, this room will be green on top with white below the chair rail. Can’t wait!!

The house has been consuming most of our time lately, but we haven’t let that stop us from having a good time in other areas as well. For instance, my dad and I took Bud to his first NY Rangers game last weekend! OMG you guys!! I’m not sure who was more excited!! He kept saying “I can’t believe I’m really here! I can’t believe I’m one of thousands that gets to come!” (At first he said “hundreds” and I had to tell him it was WAY more than hundreds…that made him in awe even more!) It was such a great night (helped by the fact that they spanked the Hurricanes!) and one I will never forget!! I don’t think he will either!!


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You have to have a soft pretzel when you go! He thoroughly enjoyed this tradition!

Babe is a bit too young for a Rangers game (attention span, interest, etc.) so my mom spoiled her at a kid’s spa for the evening! Talk about exciting! This place was amazing! It couldn't have been more perfect for her!! She had her nails and toes done and a blue hair extension put in! She was in her glory! 

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She just belongs in a place like this!

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She never misses an opportunity to ham it up!

So yes, we've been busy these last few weeks but enjoying every second! Here’s to another year!

Lily

Friday, January 9, 2015

Next Week




You guys! See that house! That's going to be MY house...next week!! Holy Good God I'm so excited!! I cannot wait to become a homeowner again! This will be the 3rd home that I've owned, so I know it's not all sunshine and roses, but I am SO SICK of renting and dealing with landlords and having my kids shoved into one bedroom! This is a four bedroom house on a half acre of land! Yes please!!! 

I really feel like this is my new beginning. I've been in a suspended state of transition for so long and I am SO READY to be settled! This will be my 7th move in 10 years. So very ready to settle! 

Talking to my family and friends, I try to put into words how happy I am with where I am in life and how happy I am in my relationship with LC. It's not easy to express the level of happiness I feel. I appreciate him more than words can express. It is true that my point of view is slightly altered because of what I dealt with for so long, but it doesn't change how wonderful he is, all it does is make me more appreciative of what I have now. As one friend commented, "Welcome to a healthy relationship." I think that sums it up perfectly. I feel so relieved to be appreciated and respected and valued. Those are really no-brainers in a relationship, I know, but I didn't have that for almost a decade. The shift is indescribable! Did I mention I'm happy?

As I get closer to closing on the house, my excitement level is increasing exponentially! I can't wait to paint and arrange and decorate and all the other stuff that goes along with it! We have decided to delay our move-in so that we can get all the painting done before our stuff is in there. We have a LOT of painting to do. The previous owner liked red...a lot!!! Everything is red! Even the molding has red stripes! It's going to be oh-so-fun to cover but YAY for good primer! We'll make all. the. red. ancient history!

Speaking of ancient history...the house was built in 1837!! How cool is that?! It's the second oldest home still standing in the town! It's one of the few homes that escaped the great fire of the town in the 1860's. As you can see, it's brick, which I love! I grew up in a brick house so there's a lot of sentimental attachment for me. The previous owner bought it in disrepair but spent the last 11 years fixing it up and restoring it. I am hugely benefiting from her hard work! The brick was all repointed and everything is in tip-top shape! 

My Pinterest boards are blowing up with new ideas and fun ways to decorate and make it my own. One of the things I'm most appreciative about is the full support that LC gives me with this whole thing. As a typical guy, he doesn't particularly care about the color we choose or the style we go with, but he indulges me and goes with me to pick things out and is fully invested when we do. He doesn't put down my choices or make me feel like I don't know what I'm doing. He has great ideas and is great at making decisions and he supports my decisions, not just in words, but in his actions. He backs up his words with the way he treats me and responds to me and works with me. Again, welcome to a healthy relationship! It's a breath of fresh air and it makes me truly excited about this whole process. I know I won't have the stress I used to have in these situations. I know he's in it with me and that means everything. And it makes everything so much more exciting!

Thankfully the house is really in move-in condition. All the changes we are going to make are style choices (I choose not old lady style). I will be taking lots of pictures as we transform the house into our home. I hope to detail it here, but let's be real, it will probably be one post with a massive photo dump...but who doesn't love a photo dump?!

NEXT WEEK AND IT'S MINE!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lily