Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Bolder Boulder 10K


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Not going to lie, when my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. I definitely was regretting signing up for this race. Once we met up with our friends, Jared and Sjanna, and starting driving to beautiful Boulder I was really excited to run.  Mike was unable to run because his knee had been bothering him throughout training so I told him he wasn't allowed to run.  It's not worth messing up your knee for a race.  He was really bummed not to be able to run with me, but he came to cheer me on at the finish line and I was so grateful for that.  Jared, Sjanna's husband, was also planning on running in the race but unfortunately got into a car wreck last month.  Since he is still recovering from the wreck he and Mike dropped Sjanna and me off at the starting line and met us at the finish line. 

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Don't strain your eyes.  I am not in this picture. I took it as we were leaving the stadium. 50,000 people ran.  It is the 5th largest 10k in the world.
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Sjanna and I ran together.  Our goal was to run the whole race without stopping and we were able to achieve it!   We had a blast.  We just chatted it up, people watched, pumped each other up, and encouraged each other all the way to the finish line.  I think we are going to make this a tradition. 

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I also bumped into Brittney and Lindsey(Hadley) Ellsworth.  It was so good to see them.  Oh and thanks Jared for your dork face in our picture.

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This is the last .2 stretch of the race.  The last half mile is all up hill until you get to the stadium.  As you are running towards the stadium you get a burst of energy because you can hear all of the people cheering.  It's so cool.

Next month my ward is having a 5k run/walk. If any of you are interested in running it and live in the Denver area let me know.  It's free!  I can give you more info if you want. 

Friday, May 27, 2011

Last week Ashlyn, my mom, and I were in Mesa AZ visiting my Grandma Leona.  It was nice to relax in the warm Arizona sun and drink freshly squeezed orange juice all day from Grandma's orange tree.  Ashlyn is the first great grandchild on my mom's side of the family so we had to get a four generation picture of the girls. Grandma Leona is 84 and still plays golf everyday, doesn't color her hair (only highlights it), dances, dresses cute, and is a zips around in her car like no ones business! Watch out!  She is quite the lady. 

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This was Ashlyn's first time in her bathing suit.  We weren't able to put her in the pool because they didn't want baby poop in the pool.  I don't blame them.  So Ashlyn and I just dipped our feet in and hung out under the cabana.  Don't mind my whiteness.  I seriously have not been out in the sun since last August.  We are going to the beach next month so I am definitely going to get some much needed color.

 

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So while Ashlyn and I were hangin out under the cabana this older lady comes marching over from across the pool to talk to us.  I figured she wanted to look at Ashlyn, like most people do when you carry around a baby.  I was completely caught off guard when she proceeded to chew me out because, "grand kids and babies are not allowed at the pool during these hours!"  Are you kidding me,  I thought to myself.  First of all, I never put Ashlyn in the pool, and second of all she was hardly being disruptive.  She was like, "Can't you read the sign?!?"
I said, "Well she isn't going in the pool so we are just hanging out under the cabana."
"She isn't allowed to be here AT ALL! If my grand kids aren't allowed to be here during these hours than neither are yours!  I am calling security."
I probably made her even more mad because I just laughed. I couldn't believe she was calling security on a 4 month old. It was comical how hot and bothered she got. All of the other people at the pool were telling her to get a life.  It was funny.  When the security guard showed up he listened to the lady and then came over to talk to us.  The first thing he said was, "Oh how cute is she! I wouldn't handcuff you for a million dollars" and then he gave Ashlyn a kiss. He wanted to hold her so I took a picture. 
The older lady got so mad she stormed off and yelled on her way out, "Fine! I am bringing all of my grand kids back then!"  She never came back.  Anyway, Ashlyn's first pool experience was quite an event!

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A little out of order, but this picture was taken the night before Ashlyn and I left. Poor Mike had to go eight days without seeing his baby girl.  He was so happy to see Ashlyn again and couldn't believe how much she had changed in a little over a week.

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Ashlyn had her 4 month check up yesterday, which meant she got another round of shots, hence the tear.
Here are her stats:  Height 24 3/4 inches -50%, Weight 13 lbs. 4 oz. 30%, Head circumference 41 1/4/cm- 50%.

She is now on formula, which has made my life a heck of a lot easier.  She has transitioned fine.  The only downfall is now her diapers really stink and she is way more gassy.  I am going to introduce rice cereal this week along with fruit, so that will be fun. 

Memorial Day is the Bolder Boulder and I am actually getting really pumped for it.  While I was in AZ I ran quite a bit, mainly because it was so much easier due to the lower elevation.  Hopefully I can complete the race without stopping.  Wish me luck!!!


Thursday, May 12, 2011

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Ashlyn is 4 months now! All of my friends who have babies tell me about how by 4 months you have a whole new baby, and now I see how true that is.  In the last two weeks she started laughing, holding her own bottle, and last night she rolled over (stomach to back)!  She is way more interactive and fun now.  Not that she was boring before, but now it is so easy to make her smile and make noises.  She is just getting so darn fun. I notice her personality the most when we are around other babies her age.  I have noticed that she is very easy going, loves to see whats going on, usually has a serious look on her face, and likes to make "hoooo" noises at people.  We have her four month check up next week so I am excited to see her stats. 
She is growing, growing, growing and we are loving every minute we have with her!


Other things going on....   Mike and I are still training for the Bolder Boulder, and let me tell you it has been hard, well for me at least.  I hardly worked out when I was preg.  I am not going to lie, I sat on my butt a lot and ate what I wanted. Never in my life have I been so out of shape. You know when you work out so hard that your lungs hurt?  That's me. I am making progress though and am almost back to my pre preg weight so that makes me happy.  However, that 10k run is always in the back of my mind.  I am determined to do it, even though I really don't want to. Now that the weather has warmed up I have started running outside with my jogger stroller.  Running outside has been much better than on the treadmill, however, I definitely struggle pushing Ashlyn up those hills.  It's good for the rear end though. I am running the race with my good friend, Sjanna, and we both agreed that no matter how slow we run, we are not stopping.  That's my goal.  Wish me luck! The race is Memorial Day so it's crunch time!