Tri 4 Life - Sprint Triathlon

The last 6 weeks, I have been training for the Tri4Life triathlon. This morning, I did it! My first one. And hopefully not my last. This was a really fun experience, and I'm really glad I did it.

It was supposed to be a 1/3 mile swim; however, I forgot to set my Garmin until about 20 strokes into the swim. When I hit land, the Garmin said .55 miles. It definitely was longer than a 1/3 mile. Whew! And the reservoir was VERY choppy making the swim a little more difficult. But even with the obstacles, this was still probably my favorite part. I've really enjoyed the swimming.

The bike. . . hmm. . . not my favorite. I got passed. . . A LOT! Not knowing how into this I was going to get, I opted to purchase a hybrid fitness bike which isn't quite a road bike. I really didn't want to blow a ton of money on a pricey road bike if this was going to be another one and done style hobby (yeah, I've had a lot of those). So needless to say, it took a lot of effort to keep from being dead last. But I was fairly close to the end and had a pretty rough bike time. It was a 16 mile bike, but surprisingly it went by fast.

The run. . .it went well. I finally got to pass a few of those peeps that whizzed by me on their bikes. And this is where a lot of people started struggling. But, I felt like the run was pretty easy, and I finished it with a really good time.

Anyways, I'm so thankful for all my friends and family that helped me out with this. So many people gave me advice, showed me how to swim, went on long swims with me, kayaked the lake while I swam, ran with me, loaned me gadgets and equipment, and so much more. My sweet husband has been so supportive and surprised me before race day with a garmin watch (which was VERY helpful during the race). My sweet girls have endured 1-2 hours everyday of childcare, babysitters, daddy, etc while I trained for the last 6 weeks. They've even patiently sat in our jogging stroller while I ran them all over the neighborhood. And my snapchat friends have also endured picture after picture of my endless training photos. Thanks everyone! I had a great time.

Sorry, no pictures of the swim. My crew didn't make it out that early to see that part. I can't say I blame them. 5 am came early this morning. 

Uncle Jack and Aunt Courtney are getting Married!

I rarely dust off my old cameras these days for photo sessions (or even for my own kids. . . that's what iphones are for, right?), but yesterday, I pulled out my gear for a little engagement session with my brother in law and his soon to be bride, Courtney. Having 2 kids, I decided to throw my photography on the back-burner for a while, but it's always nice to do a session for family here and there to keep my skills in check. And who wouldn't love to photograph this adorable couple? They make it so easy. 

Jack and Courtney are getting married this October, and we are so excited she is joining the Wood crew. My girls adore her and their Uncle Jack. We look forward to celebrating this special day with you guys and many more family memories to come. 

A Harvin Update

You didn't think I was going to leave my sweet Harv out of all the blog fun? How could I leave out this little ball of squishy love? 

Our sweet Harvin Allen is 9 months about to be 10 months. Time has FLOWN!!! She's into everything, & is ALMOST walking.... Well, we've been saying that for 2 months now. She has the strength, no doubt, but not quite the same bravery AE had at this age. So, she gets around mostly by crawling... Which she does EXTREMELY fast. 

She's into everything big sister is doing. She follows her around like a shadow. She hates her car seat & fights me pretty hard when I buckle her in. She sleeps 10-12 hrs at night with 2 daytime naps. She likes fruits & some veggies (just like mom) but mostly LOVES carbs. Give this girl bread or pasta & she'll quietly eat for an hour. Although she still doesn't have the first tooth or sign of one. 

This summer, she has started tagging along with sister 2 days a week to Mother's Morning Out. This has been great for her as lately she had gotten pretty attached to mom & dad... ONLY! She would shrill like you had pinched her if you passed her to anyone else. But since going to a program 2 days a week, she is mostly over this phase. 

Harvin is quite snugly. I love those soft cheeks, & I probably lay hundreds of kisses on them daily. Her toothless grin just pulls her dad & I in every time. And speaking of dad, this girl can't get enough of him. She kicks & squeals when he gets home from work, & will literally leap out of your arms to him any chance she gets. 

We just love this squirmy girl to pieces & are overwhelmed by the joy she has brought into our home. We look forward to watching her grow. & learn. 

Oh... And BY THE WAY.... She looks like her mom! ;) 

An Anne Elise Update

Life with Anne Elise is NEVER dull. She keeps us laughing & busy. If it gets quiet, you better check up on this active toddler. She's likely doing her usual routine of pulling everything out for fun (ie. all the wipes out of a container, all the ice out of the ice maker, all the toys out of the toy chest, you get my drift... The girl loves to clean out any given space). 

She attends Mother's Morning Out twice a week & gymnastics once a week. She just finished swim lessons & puts her new skills to work on our almost daily trips to the pool. She loves to play with Easter eggs despite my efforts to put them all away. Those little boogers seem to keep popping up by the masses. I think they multiply in the attic then make their way downstairs while I sleep (when I'm afforded that luxury). 

Our AE makes friends everywhere & addresses anyone she doesn't know as "friend." I find this so adorable as we are walking around airports, stores, parks, etc & she is constantly waiving at other little people saying "hey friend!" Across the street from our new house, the sweet family has 5 precious children. The 2 youngest girls who are a good deal older than AE have taken to her so well. When they are playing outside, AE gets excited & begs for us to help her cross the street. Sweet Quinn & Jade play so sweetly with our AE helping her to ride their scooters, bikes, & kicking balls around with her. 

Anne Elise loves her sister & for the most part, they play well together. AE does get a little frustrated with Harvin's desire to grab & take. I often overhear her telling Harvin to "be patient!" Hmmmm... I guess she's heard that before. 

She's also still a WONDERFUL eater. The girl LOVES veggies & fruit. She much prefers broccoli over desert & can wipe out a bag of grapes or blueberries in record breaking time. Her aunt KK introduced us to the Kroger cheese aisle & since has gotten us both hooked on yummy slices of aged cheese. We've just about sampled every block. 

This fall, she's signed up for 3 yr old preschool 3 days a week. I'm excited about the new adventures that will unfold for this sweet, fun-loving girl. 

Our favorite recipe

When I say favorite, I mean it! We eat this at least once a week. It's so quick, easy, & YUMMY! 

Easy Chicken Fajitas: 

2 chicken breast 

1 large bell pepper 

2 tomatoes 

Olive oil

Taco seasoning 

Optional additional vegetables we've tried & loved in the mix:

Onions 

Okra - my favorite, but we were out today... I'm ready to get the garden started! 

Banana peppers

Jalapeños 

So first, I put about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan, cut up chicken into fajita size pieces & heat it up on warm with about a quarter of the taco seasoning pack. 

In the meantime I chop my bell peppers & other veggies & throw them in with the mix. 

I then chop tomatoes & throw them in last, put about another quarter pack of taco seasoning in & let simmer. 

You can spice this up or down as much as you want & do any variation of veggies. 

Arthur wraps his up in a tortilla, but I eat mine straight out of the pan like this. 

The whole meal takes me about 15 min! 

About the air-chilled chicken I mentioned on Facebook.... WOW! My friend Ellen is a lot like me in the sense we love good food, but also know the dangers of today's groceries & we are always looking for healthy alternatives for our family.... (Ok! Ok! So put a cupcake in front of us, and we may just forget about the 3 cups of crisco in the icing. ;) )  She recently introduced me to the air-chilled chicken (I guess I was in a hole & missed the memo on this). 

So it's so yummy, tender, soaks up the flavors, & is missing out on that rubber texture of most store bought chickens. The process of preserving air-chilled chicken requires a lot less preservatives than traditional chickens you pick up at the store. So try it! You won't regret it! 

iPhone dump

It's time for that overdue iPhone dump. Spare me as I drowned you in pictures & dialogue of my girls that have accumulated on my phone over the last few months. 

Life with 2 has been an adjustment but nothing to complain about. We definitely have slowed down a little more as jumping in the car with 2 ( and usually the 2 yr old running circles around the car in a busy parking lot as I strap in the little one ) isn't quite as easy as zipping around with just 1 child. I'm loving having a baby in the house again, but saddened by the reality that this child, just like her older sister, is growing too fast. Why can't time slow down?  

Night 1 with Harvin

One of our first grins. . . This is THE happiest baby on the planet

So, the first 6 weeks with a new baby, I felt a little sleep deprived. One morning, I put this little stinker in bed with me after she woke, and turned on the TV for her to indulge while I rested. Of course, I fell back asleep, and she took advantage of the opportunity by crawling out of bed and making her way to the white linen couch where nearby sat an overly tempting bottle of bright pink nail polish. . . I can blame no one but myself for this little accident. 

I couldn't help but laugh at the cute little Shrek mask. 

Homemade pizza with mommy 

My little snuggles getting some rest

Enjoying the San Diego Zoo with KK

Family trip to Dana Point, CA. We are so thankful our dear friend Kenzie traveled with us. 12 hours of travel to Dana Point with a 2 yr old and a 4 week old could not have been accomplished without her. 

My brother-in-law's sweet girlfriend, Courtney. My girls love Courtney, and we wish she didn't live all the way in Texas. 

I'm loving having 2 girls to get matching and coordinating outfits. We play a lot of dress-up at our house. 

My first 5k. . Mississippi College Homecoming. I placed third in my division. . . I'm still not sure how that happened. 

Harvin's first MC homecoming at 8 weeks old. AE went to her first MC homecoming at 6 weeks. 

Fun at the pumpkin patch 

Anne Elise was Dora for Halloween and Harvin was a pumpkin. 

She loves to pick out her own clothes. . . the girl has style! 

AE loves her mommy and me dance class with Miss Lauren. We have really enjoyed our weekly sessions at this new local studio. 

Matching for church 

Again. . . she is the HAPPIEST baby! 

Snuggling with dad

Anne Elise loves playing baby with her sister. 

Harvin meets Mr. Tupelo Mayor, Jason Shelton. We love our JJ! 

Anne Elise loves riding horses. We have to watch her carefully at the farm. This girl will sneak through a fence and dart off full-speed towards the horses. She is not scared at all, and she loves to climb up in a saddle and take a ride.