It's HOT!

This is how we shop now...

I didn't take a single photo on Sutton's first 4th of July (the photo above is courtesy of Walker's iPhone). In fact we did nothing particularly celebratory or exciting. We actually went to the.... (gasp)....... mall! You see we have been out of power since a wind storm struck VA and WV last Friday. They clocked 80 mph winds in the valley.  Coincidentally we are also experiencing a heat wave. I've seen the thermometer on my car climb over 100 degrees three times since Friday. We have lovely friends who have offered us shelter. But alas, it is very difficult to pick up a dog and a baby and move yourself into another family's home. So we have been making the best of it. Walker cooked as much of our frozen meat on the grille over the weekend so we could limit our spoilage. And he is a master on the camp stove as well. We had pancakes and bacon Sunday morning, delish! That same husband and camp stove combination has provided me with hot water each day so I can wash dishes and bottles. But at this point I've issued a complete moratorium on the use of all dishes and brought out the paper plates in order to maintain some sense of sanity. This pains my normally green sense of ethics. I've not been the most pleasant mother or wife. The heat just makes you cranky and then after  a while it makes you downright angry! The boys have been total troopers, both have had a virus that carried with it some very unpleasant side effects. So again, it feels as though the timing of this outage couldn't have been worse. But I know we are lucky. We have running water, Sutton's school is open and has AC. We both have jobs with AC and a great gym where we have utilized the pool and the shower facilities. We have a cool basement where we can sleep. And speaking of which, we have been in the house for a month and I've tried to avoid the basement like the plague. You see, when I wasn't paying attention, the movers shoved every last "miscellaneous" box down there and stacked them as high as the walls. There isn't much room to move around. And the floor is ummm....gross. I don't know that anyone has actually been in the basement of this house for years and therefore the bugs and spiders have taken residence big time. On top of that, we may have let the dehumidifiers spill over and add to the lovely floor mixture. Ooops! I'm in need of some serious motivation to get us through. The power company doesn't estimate our service returning until Saturday night. And on top of that, little man turns 1 one week from today. I need all my energy to get the house cleaned up and in shape for a PARTY!

New Digs!

Inspection Day at Brightwood

We did it! We sold our house and moved into this pretty lady in the city at the very end of May. I love her!!!! It was a rough week to say the least. Our closing was delayed for three days while all of our belongings were in boxes locked in the new house while we paid rent to the old owner. We finally moved in Saturday morning. Then Walker and I ran a trail marathon Sunday morning. Yup, we are nuts! But it was planned, paid for, and the babysitters had been scheduled for months. So what were we to do? It was a beautiful day out at Carvins Cove with wonderful friends and the Mountain Junkies put on a great race just like usual.

Courtesy of Mountain Junkies

Courtesy of Mountain Junkies

I should mention that Walker immediately left the next week for business in Vegas. It definitely helped to have grandparents just a few blocks over. But now most of the craziness is behind us and we are really settling in. Sutton didn't miss a beat. His new room is bigger and is filled with sunshine. This makes us both happy. We bought him a pool for the backyard and we also visit the big one at our gym.  That gym is now only 4 minutes away. And my office is 7 minutes away. And there are trails 1 mile away. I love the new house!

Sweet baby!

Hana is neurotic as usual. We've had a string of nasty storms that had her hiding in Sutton's bathtub. She has run straight through her invisible fence on multiple occasions. The flags are out in the yard and she clearly knows it's boundary but we think perhaps she is deaf and can't hear the signal when she is in hot pursuit of fat city squirrels. 

Who put all these lilies here?

In other news, Walker went on to run his first 50K this past weekend. Sutton and I slept in since I was just back from a conference. But we drove down to crew the last half of the race and were super proud of his accomplishment. He finished in great spirits.

Eastern Divide 50K Finish Line

Next up, the little man is turning 1! We are so excited to celebrate. He is so big. He is cruising around the house with the help of a hand or his push toy or furniture. But if he is not paying attention he will let go and stand on his own just fine. We could have a walker by his birthday. Ahhhh, its so nice to be in house that can be baby proofed easily. Did I mention that I love, love, love the new house? It's our forever home.

1st Place Age Group - Thank you Mountain Junkies

We are overwhelmed...

I don't have the time for all the words. Perhaps pictures can catch you up.....

New Ears!

We haven't had many happy kid photos to post because it seems every weekend for months, Sutton has been sick and Hana has been hiding. Super loud March thunderstorms cause strange behavior out our house...

Somebody please buy me a thundershirt!

And then there is the issue of mud. With the rain comes soggy trails and we bring alot of mud home from our runs. This is an issue for me under normal circumstances because I am somewhat OCD. But while our house is on the market, it becomes somewhat of a larger issue.

Speedy finish at Montvale 10 Miler photo by Mountain Junkies

We ventured out of our El Rodeo comfort zone to hit up Red Robin recently. Sutton ate green beans and proceeded to bang a rattle loudly on the table for a solid ten minutes. It was great, I kept peering around at all the other tables expecting evil stares but nobody cared! YUM!

This is so fun!

The day before Sutton's tube surgery he was home with 103 degree fever. He is not your average sick kiddo. No cuddling in the rocking chair for him. He likes to be outside, preferably moving at a decent clip. So we've put in some miles on the deck and in the yard. As you can see he has a new toy that went everywhere with him that day.

Thanks Dad, I love my strap!

Our little dude is obsessed with straps. Straps on his carseat, on the jogging stroller, on his high chair, on the umbrella stroller, my race belt, etc. So this 5 inch strip of webbing that Walker gave him and has become his most prized possession to date.

Despite the fact that he had an ear infection the day of, Sutton's surgery went well. The tubes should stay in for 6 months to 2 years and we are hopeful they will kick our ear infection cycle. With new ears he seems to hear a great deal more and he is sooo much happier.


He is still an incredibly content baby just sitting. He has absolutely zero desire to crawl, roll, or scoot anywhere. We had our first play date in the park with friends today and the boy loves to swing!

Friends!

Snow and a Tooth!

Three inches on the deck and several more to come according to the weather report.

Betcha never thought you would associate those two things! Well, we are having a beautiful snow storm right after a gorgeous sixty degree day. Weird weather. But we are enjoying both extremes. Sutton seems to be feeling better. Which could mean his ears are clear but we won't know for sure until his checkup tomorrow.

Peek-A-Boo...I see you under the table.

Or it could mean that he has been a fussy bear because he is teething and is feeling better now that the big one broke through! I just felt gums on Wednesday but by yesterday there was definitely a whole tooth there! He is a baby no longer. He sat up in a big boy high chair at El Rodeo last night right next to his friend Jack. And today he sat up in the grocery cart all by himself. He was looking pretty darn cute in his monster hat so he got lots of ooohs and ahhhhs from the old ladies.

I'll smile at you Dad, but not the old lady in the meat department!

Walker made an excellent fire, make that two excellent fires since we have one going upstairs and down, so we are toasty warm and all settled in for the evening. Who knows how many more of these we will get to enjoy here.

Perfection!

We've been running!

These fools finally put my cape on the right way.

I just can't take all the fun.

I've only just begun and already I've dropped the ball on posting. It's February already and we have been busy! We had back to back race weekends and then back to back yard/house work weekends. The "gear room" is no longer. It is painted and set up as a sitting room. And the rotten pine tree is now partially in the dump and partially sitting at the curb in many many pieces. Progress.


 Sutton has started his new school and it is wonderful! It feels like we are running all over town now, but it is so worth the effort and the expense. He is suddenly rolling around the house, sitting up by himself, and thoroughly enjoying tummy time.

Sitting up strong.

And the little man loves food! He definitely inherited his Dad's appetite, thankfully. But he had his third ear infection this past week and it was accompanied by Croup. Which meant another barking cough and lots of wheezing. But this time we loaded up with antibiotics, a steroid, and nebulizer treatments so he is well on his way to being 100%. Next up, a flu shot on Tuesday!

Still jumping......look at that air!

Walking practice.....soon to be running!

This Week...

Sutton had his six month check up. Sixteen pounds, eight ounces and twenty six inches long.  A big boy, compared to where he started. He is finally nearing the fiftieth percentile in both weight and length.  He still has a little noggin but our pediatrician assured us that so did Einstein. He is finally feeling good and he fills our days with so many smiles, giggles, and lots of chatter. I ordered his first pair of big boy shoes last night, Keens!

So super cute.They won’t fit him until late summer or early fall but I couldn’t pass them up for $19.95, yay for www.endless.com.  Speaking of shopping… I’m trying Rue La La ladies. But it’s so hard! I need serious time to ponder purchases and these things sell out in a matter of hours. I know I’m weird. I put items in an online shopping cart and then analyze their worth and my level of need for days before hitting the “complete your order” button, if I do it at all. But it’s how I roll. I digress. Back to Sutton’s appointment. He is ready for lots more solids. And it’s supposed to be the same table food we are eating every night. And it should be consumed at the table with us. And it’s supposed to be fresh! I should explain that nobody in our family currently eats at the same time. Nobody eats at a table (unless our coffee table qualifies). And five nights out of seven, dinner is not fresh, it’s a Red Baron pizza or it’s microwaved! I feel so guilty about this. Feeding our family is another ball that I’m trying to juggle along with work, running, and last but certainly not least, good quality time with Sutton. It was perhaps a tough week to hear how poorly we are doing in the nutrition category since I am struggling with work and our current daycare provider. So there is my resolution for the new year, it’s only one, but it is a big one. Find balance! And speaking of balance…check out this guy doing his thing.

He is so happy to be upright. Thanks Granny and PopPop, we loooove the Jumperoo.

P.S. We are racing our first trail race of the season tomorrow. So excited. It’s a little one put on by our favorite RD’s and it’s close to home, but next week we go big. 35K at Swinging Bridge. My right knee and foot hurt just a teeny tiny little bit and Walker has struggled to get in his long runs with all the illness Sutton has brought home to us from daycare. Fingers crossed we can hold it together.

The Year In Review

This Time Last Year (January 2011)

     Christmas has come and gone and New Years is upon us. I can't believe 2012 is here and I haven't accomplished this first post yet. It was on my maternity leave to do list for August! (Along with a few other things yet to be checked off.) Well here goes... This blog is mostly for Walker and I . A way to record this precious period of our lives with a few words and images. Something we can look back on for years to come. And perhaps if I am brave (and go public), it will be a little something for loved ones that live some distance away and we see far too little of.

    This year was filled with chaos, craziness, and amazing joy. After I conspicuously skipped out on the 2010 Richmond Marathon (poor Walker had to run that awful ROAD race by himself), we finally announced to family and friends that we were expecting a baby last Christmas. Whether it be a "he" or a "she" was to remain a surprise until our due date in July. In the meantime our first "baby", our dog Hana, was showing signs of age and what her vet diagnosed as arthritis and hip dysplasia. We were told nothing could be done.  But while I traveled to Las Vegas for business in the spring, Walker gently tried to prepare me over the phone that Hana was considerably worse and now only standing on two legs. Her front two! It is indeed, an amazing canine feat and one that I hope you never witness in your life. I can only imagine the pain that would cause such behavior. Thankfully, a running friend recommended a vet in Franklin County that specializes in orthopedic issues.  Our new Vet advised us that Hana suffered from neither arthritis nor hip dysplasia, but had instead, torn the doggie equivalent of an ACL in each of her back legs. Two operations at Virginia Tech, many many bills, and eight months later we have a brand new puppy on our hands (with million dollar knees)! I must say the recovery process for a dog undergoing two TPLO operations was harder than having a human child. And I can officially say that now because Sutton has arrived! The sweet stubborn child that he is. In early July we went in for a check up and learned that he was still sitting upright or breach. This made perfect sense to me considering I had been complaining of something feeling stuck under my ribs on my right side for weeks. We tried lots of tricks to turn him but the little dude was perfectly happy where he was so we scheduled a c-section one week before our due date.  And on July 12, 2011 we had a baby boy 6lbs 12 oz. I had assumed that with eight weeks of time on my hands and a brand new camera I would start this blog right away. That obviously didn't happen. That time at home with him flew by and we still didn't quite have our rhythm down when I returned to work in September. But we have found our groove now five (almost six) months in! And I am thrilled I might be able to post this year in recap before it's officially 2012. I don't believe I have any special knack for writing and I'm not certain I have anything of interest for the world to read or see.  But I am so looking forward to capturing this time in our lives in a special manner that we may appreciate for years to come. 

Christmas Day 2011

Mistletoe :)

A Jumperoo for Christmas!!!