Lil’s first run

This year I have been trying to get into running and have been enjoying it much more than anticipated (surprisingly!). It is still one of those things where I don’t ever want to go run, but once I do I feel great and enjoy the alone time. I have done a few short runs with friends and Lily is always jealous, so my friend and I decided we should do a run with our girls so they could be a part of the action and be proud of their accomplishment. Lily was waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her color run and was too thrilled when it finally came. The morning of the race we had to get up extra early to pick up our gear before we started running and when I woke Lily up she told me “No, mommy. It’s still dark, we’ll go when the sun is up.” Oh, how many times have I had that same thought! We spent a chilly December morning getting ready for the race and meeting up with our friends and had a blast. Lily and her friend Parker were troopers but a few times during the run Lily flat out refused to move because she was tired. We started almost near the end of the runners so for a little bit we were dead last (not that we really cared). It was a 5k but we ended up cutting a few corners since the girls were having a harder time with it. The nice thing, though, about being almost last was that at each “color” station the people had a ton of left over color and we got to throw as much as we wanted on each other. Lil just loved getting to throw colored powder on me and it definitely gave her a little boost each time we stopped to play. Near the end she stopped and said “Mommy, you carry me, and when we get to the end with the flags just put me down and then I’ll run and beat you, ok?” This kid knows how to work the system . After we finished the girls got medals that I made and they felt on top of the world (while simultaneously being very pouty since they were pretty wiped out). I don’t know when Lil will want to do another one but I hope she realized how much fun it can be to be active and do silly things together.

 

(oh, by the way, we put paint on each other’s faces before the race, if you’re wondering about my fabulous make up)

…And another trip to the beach

 

I love our Indian summers. September/October is the best time to go to the beach! I love it, the kids love it, who wouldn’t love it?

 

Lily spent the day running back and forth to the water and making new friends (pretty much anyone who was similar in size and would talk to her)

Miles decided to take a nap on my legs

I can’t believe how much this kid loves the sand…

…Seriously, he was practically bathing in it

Crazy kid :)

Beach day

The kids and I went out to the beach this week to enjoy the sunshine and, of course, had a blast.  I wouldn't really make any mention of this particular trip but I wanted to remember Miles' experience with the sand. As soon as I set him down he put some in his mouth and decided to get onto his stomach and face plant right into it. He got the biggest smile and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to eat as much as he could.  I tried to stop him but he'd just get angry with me. What are you going to do? At least I know my kids will have very strong immune systems ;)

(P.S. this is my first attempt at blogging from my phone, so we'll see how it turns out :))

More Adventures…

On Thursday morning I happened to find a great park about 30 minutes away from us and we decided to call up “uncle Dean” and go on another “adventure”. Huddart Park has lots of short trails, picnic areas, camping spots, and a playground or two so we figured it would be a great place to take the kids. After a short drive we picked a spot to park and started hiking. Lil, of course, vacillated between complaining about how hard it was and running ahead shouting “come run with me Mommy!”. She wanted to pick up almost every stick we came across to take home with us, who knows what for. Miles continues to be one of the most chill kids I know and enjoyed riding along on the pack. He even managed to pass out for a while and sneak in a nap. It’s always fun to have Dean around and Lil just can’t get enough of him. We spent about an hour and a half hiking with a little picnic stuck in there somewhere. This is definitely somewhere we’ll visit again and would even be a great place to try out camping with the kids since it’s so close. Someday soon when we’re done with school and managing apartments I hope we can do lots more things like this. I have so many fond memories of camping and exploring California with my family while growing up and I hope we can do that with our kids as well. Gotta love the great outdoors!

Exploring

As we round the corner into Clark’s last year of school we have spent the shortest ever summer break exploring some of the fun places in our area. We took a drive across the Golden Gate bridge (Lil called it the Shiny Gate) and did some hiking in the Marin Headlands area. We lucked out with the weather and spent a beautiful sunny afternoon on the beach. Lil just loves any chance she can get in the water and had a blast. I quickly regretted not bringing an extra change of clothes for her as she just couldn’t resist getting wet. The hike was super short, but just long enough for Lil to get tuckered out when heading back up the hill. Lil can’t stop asking when we’ll go on another “adventure” so this is definitely something to do again!

Miles loves when we growl/shout with him :)

We left just as the fog was rolling in

County Fair

This week we took a little trip down to the Santa Clara County Fair with the kids. I had a Groupon and it seemed like something Lily would love. We had shaved ice, saw lots of animals, watched about 3 minutes of a sea lion demonstration (before Lily lost interest), let Lily do a little “fake” farming in the name of education, and rode a few rides. This wasn’t the best fair I’ve ever been to but Lil sure had a blast and it was nice to get out and get Clark away from his homework for a few hours.

We made the mistake of getting Lily an unlimited ride arm band before realizing that she was only big enough to ride a handful of things. Of course, the only thing she REALLY wanted to go on was the giant “ring of death” ride (seen below). Now every time we mention “when you’re bigger” she likes to add “Then I can go on the circle ride!!” She’s such a little daredevil…

Tub Time

The kids have been spending a lot of time in the tub lately due to the heat we were experiencing and the fact that Miles just can’t get enough of the water. Every time I turn on the water he pulls himself up next to the tub and starts bouncing up and down until I put him in. Lily, of course, has to be a part of anything I do with Miles, so she usually hops in with him. I can’t resist snapping a bunch of pictures of those little wet kiddos!

 

 

 

Below was our experiment with Jello ice cubes. Definitely a hit with Miles and something fun when our apartment gets too hot!

 

Beach Time

The kids and I were able to slip out a few weeks ago and head to the beach with some friends. The weather was perfect and we had a blast. Lil got to run around, I got to sit in the sun, and Miles got to experience some new things as well, like how “beach” sand tastes. As per the usual, the water here is pretty cold, but that didn’t stop Lil from begging me to stand in the water with her while she played. My feet were so frozen! I know I did the same thing to my parents, and for that I am sorry…

I love my kiddos and I love the ocean!