Running

For the first 26 years of my life, running was something that I actively avoided. In college I was forced to run and lift, and I swore that I would never do those things again.

Soon after graduating from college, I realized that my metabolism was not the same. I was no longer participating in two hour practices everyday. I was no longer waking up at 5:30 am in order to take part in a "Hartman" workout three times a week. In other words, I could no longer justify the 10 pm large cheese pizza order. (FYI it took me way too long to make this realization.)

I begrudgingly continued to do cardio and lifting for a couple of years until I became pregnant in 2007. I then spent the next 9 months eating my way through my pregnancy. McDonalds cheeseburgers were my favorite. After I had Lucy, I became motivated to be more active. I then discovered running, and while running had always been there, I now thought about running in a different way.

Running allowed me to do a lot of things:

1. Get out of the house - with or without a small child in a jogging stroller
2. Get my body moving which always made me happier after the run
3. Become competitive again - I started challenging myself to go longer and run faster
4. (Eventually) Have some time to myself

After having both girls, I began to carve time out of each day in order to run. I signed up for road races and have started to (gasp!) think of myself as a runner. Steve has come along with me for the ride, and we often run the same races.

The interesting thing about all of this is that the girls, Lucy in particular, have become very interested in running and races. They come to the races that we run in, they enter "fun runs" for kids, and Lucy even asks to go running with us. The best part about all of this is that it is initiated entirely by the kids. They have an interest in running that I never had.

Why am I rambling about running? Because I went through my Instagram photos and realized that many of them dealt with running and races. So here is what we have been doing for the past 6 months:

4th of July road race

Lucy doing the Meikle Run 

Lucy going for a jog

Caroline doing the Meikle Run

Father's Day road race

Hazelwood 5k

All of these races have been fun to participate in, and they are made even better by having a great group of people there to cheer us on. A special thanks to Cookie and Grumps who were at nearly all of these races.

Being Brave

For a long time, Caroline would not put her head underwater. If, for some reason, her head accidentally went under, she would reemerge to the air sputtering and coughing and would then say to anyone who passed by, "I was so brave!"

Much like Lucy, Caroline took swimming lessons at Cookie and Grumps' beach, and (again like Lucy) it was these lessons that finally gave Caroline the confidence to willingly put her head underwater. Since these lessons, Caroline has celebrated the fact that her head can go underwater, and she has become enamored with jumping off of the dock where Cookie and Grumps keep their boat.

Earlier this summer, while Steve took Emily, Cate, Cooper, and Lucy out on the boat, I stayed on the dock with Caroline and let her jump over and over and over again.

So excited

Ready ...

Set ...

Go!

Very proud of herself

Warming up 

Eventually the others came back because the allure of jumping off of the dock was too much:

My favorite shot of the summer:

Beach Part 382,823

Boat Ride

As I have mentioned previously, I don't love boat rides. That being said, the idea of being on a boat in really deep water full of sea creatures without being able to see the bottom ... I am wrapping my mind around it.

Also? This guy LOVES the boat:

We headed out early in the morning to see the Charles W. Morgan set sail from New Bedford, MA on its way back to its home in Mystic, CT. My knowledge of the ship is nothing compared to Steve's, but it's a big, beautiful whaling ship that is on only its 38th voyage.

Here are a few pics I snapped in between trying not to think about all that lurks beneath the water:

After this boat ride, we all headed to the beach so that the girls could have swimming lessons. Then we stayed and played in the water before finally coming home.

I think Caroline was a bit tired.

More Birthday

While Steve slaved away and sanded down half of the girls room (our room makeover will have to wait for another post), my mom and I took the girls to the beach. We had a great morning of swimming, sand, and snacks. Then we came home and Nana went to work making a birthday cake for me with the girls. There was Indian food for dinner and a little cake before heading to bed. Big celebrations definitely aren't my thing (side note: if any of you are planning on throwing a big party of any kind for me, please don't). This was perfect.

This is my face when I realized that Steve put 33 (32 plus one
to grow on) on the cake.  

Got 'em all!

32

Today is my 32nd birthday, and tradition calls for a picture of me with my girls. Here is a look back at 31 and 30. 

And now here's to another year. I am so lucky. And I hope to spend the next 365 days appreciating just how good I have it and how many wonderful people I have in my life.

Aquarium

Today's forecast was hot, humid, and eventually rainy. Not really ideal for a beach day, slip and slide day, playground trip, etc. So instead we headed to the aquarium that is conveniently located just ten minutes from our house.

When the girls were younger, trips to the aquarium typically consisted of them running around wildly pressing buttons, madly pointing at animals, and then sprinting to the next exhibit. It was still fun, but it has been really enjoyable to see Lucy's visits evolve. She is interested in reading about the animals, identifying the fish, and spending more time examining the habitats. Caroline is still a little crazy, but it's indoors and air conditioned so everyone is happy!

Also, this is the first summer in a long time that I have not worked, so these trips are particularly enjoyable because the four of us all get to go together. How lucky we are to be teachers and to have our summers free!

This is a little devil.

Reading about the frogs in their habitats

We caught part of the seal show

Casually checking out the sharks

Being a turtle

I can't look at this without laughing -
especially with the arms sticking out