Daddy's got Brownies!

Sydney and I have made a batch of brownies quite a few times (probably more than a few:) ) Of course, you have to lick the bowl and the spoons and your fingers making for quite a messy face and hands. This is after we have stirred the bowl 100 times or more! Sydney loves to "cook," but is not so keen on cleaning up the brownie batter afterwards!

A few days ago, Kris walked in covered in mud and grease after repairing a cotton picker all day. First thing out of Sydney's mouth, "Daddy's got brownies!" Apparently, the mud and grease reminded her of her own messy brownie face and hands. Sadly, he didn't smell near as good as she does when she has "brownies!"

My brownie loving girl!

Harbor Half Marathon

On October 17, in celebration of my 29th and Keaton's 1st Birthdays, I, along with my good friends, Ashley and Sara, will be trekking 13.1 miles in the Harbor Half Marathon in Corpus. This is my third attempt to train for a half marathon and I'm determined to finish this long time goal of mine. (And also to keep up with my sister, Jima, who just recently completed a half marathon.) Jima and I have competitive sister syndrome and are not allowed to achieve more than the other. I cannot let her one up me! :)

My training runs are sporadic right now. Sometimes I run in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings, depending on Kris' schedule and Keaton's wake up time. I would MUCH rather run in the evenings. I am NOT a morning person. Stroller Strides has been a wonderful cross training workout that has made me so much stronger and is definitely helping with those dreaded hills. If you notice from the pictures below, we will be running up and down the Harbor Bridge TWICE! I'm a little freaked out about that, but going down that bridge is going to feel so good!

After running cross country in high school, I thought I would never WANT to run again. There were so many other forms of exercise, why would I ever have to run again? I've noticed over the past couple of years, how many stay at home moms have become runners. And I think it's an escape from all the chaos your day mostly holds. When I walk outside by myself and get grooving down the sidewalk with MY music, it's pure freedom! I LOVE my family and enjoy every chaotic moment with my kids, but sometimes you just need some ME time. It's a way to set personal goals and give yourself a pat on the back.

Early Sunday morning, July 4th, Ashley and I competed in the "Run 4 on the 4th" in downtown Corpus. It was a fun, laid back race and everyone seemed to be in such a good mood because of the holiday. We even placed 3rd and 4th in our age division! However, we missed the announcement of my name to receive a trophy, because we were gabbing and gossiping too much. Oops! I felt like a goober going up to the announcer after it was over to see if I could get my trophy. The tiny plastic 3rd place trophy is now proudly displayed on our mantel thanks to Kris!

We have a couple of other races between now and the Half. Wish us luck and pray we survive!

My running buddy, Ashley and I in our patriotic attire on the 4th!

The Harbor Bridge

This will be our view going up! Yikes!

Brother turns 9 Months

Our Keaton who goes by the name "Brother", "Sweet Keat", "Keanut", "Bubby", "Keanutter Butter" and "Eatin Keaton" turned 9 months old July 16th! He is such a wonderful blessing to our family and has been such an easy and content littly guy. However, I can definitely see the mischevious little boy in him starting to take over!

Keaton"officially" started crawling at 8 months 7 days and has not slowed down since. He finds everything and anything on the floor and tries to eat it. So far I have caught him trying to eat a grape, a Barbie necklace, a pebble, and a Turfco receipt! He has 4 teeth and 2 on the way and LOVES to use them. He is such a good eater and has not been picky with anything. He babbles ALOT and is loud, loves to flirt with waitresses and LOVES to pull his sister's hair. He usually has a scratch, a bruise, a mosquito bite on his face and he is always dirty. Keaton's rough tough real stuff, but is the best cuddler when he's all played out. He is a super sweet little boy!

His 9 month stats were somewhat hard to believe. He weighed 18 lbs and measured 27 1/2 in. Both in the 10th percentile. He's always been described as "fat," so I was shocked when I saw the charts. Oh well, he's healthy and that's all that matters!

I am definitely behind in my postings. We've had some computer issues , so I cannot upload our pictures from my fancy camera on the computer I am currently using. Hopefully soon, I will be able to share more of our summer and Sydney's latest developments!