Past the Point of No Return

I just signed up for my first half marathon.

The furthest I've run is a 10K. (half of a half marathon)

Running is harder post-baby, especially without my precious 8 hours of nightly sleep.

But I can do it. There's no turning back now.

The race is August 21st in beautiful Hobble Creek Canyon.
Right now I am running three miles one to two times a week and doing yoga or weights the other days.
I'll be able to start training more seriously once this little beauty arrives (Clay and I got it for ourselves as an anniversary present.)

Any training tips from fellow runners? Or encouragement from non-runners? :)

happy four-year anniversary to us.

Here's to many more years of fun.

Oh, and check out my little post on how to keep your post-baby marriage strong here.

Tiptoe through the Tulips

My friend Karlee and I took our annual stroll through the Tulip Festival with the little ones.

{These almost look fake, right?}

{It was a wee bit windy. And yes, Ellie is already sucking her thumb.}

{BFFs}

{Awesome shot of crazy upsidedown tulips by the budding [ha] photographer, Karlee}

 

{This is Ellie being camera shy. She kept turning away from the camera, but Karlee snuck this shot.}

See ya next year, tulips!

Sucked in.

We went to Bed Bath and Beyond with the sole purpose of buying a Skookie kit ...

Not only can you use the little skillets to make huge, delicious cookies and top them with ice cream while they are still warm, but you can use them to make personal pizzas (thanks for the tip, Jessie) and omelettes. No-brainer, right?

Well, we didn't excpect to discover these cute little kitchen scrubbers. I mean, the colors are fantastic! {Only $2.99!}

 Or this set of three mesh strainers, which I've been needing to wash my newfound favorite grain — Quinoa. {Only $9.99!}  

Or this set of glass containers we had been looking for to put leftovers and Clay's lunches in. It's not good to microwave plastic, because the chemicals can release into the food, so the purchase was necessary for our health, right? {Only $19.99!}

Or this salad spinner. Dries lettuce and keeps it fresh longer! Great for washing fruit too! {Only $9.99! OK, that really is a good price for a salad spinner.}

Last but not least, we found these awesome blackout curtain liners to shield the sun from Ellie's room. {Maybe they'll help her sleep past 6:30 a.m. And you can't put a price tag on sleep, so I'll skip the "price" on these babies.}

Then, we passed a little TV playing on a shelf advertising the new, the improved, one-of-a-kind tomato slicer! And that's when it hit me. Bed Bath and Beyond is a breeding ground for informercial products. And they are designed to suck you in to their promises of convenience.

I should have been suspicious when I realized I was going to the store for something called a "Skookie." It was probably right next to the Snuggies for dogs. 

Good thing Clay and I are sitting down to do some serious budgeting this weekend.

But I won't say I regret purchasing my salad spinner. That baby can spin romaine like nobody's business!

A to the Z

My sisters (almost all of them) and my mom and I went down to Tucson, Arizona to visit my sis last weekend. It really is a beautiful place with its desert flowers and blue skies. The perfect weather definitely adds to its appeal. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

{Ellie's first swim}

{How cute is Kate and her matching mama, Jen?}

{Cousins in the tub}

{Check out those pigtails}

{Riding the train at Old Tucson Studios - where 3 Amigos was filmed}

{Jess, me and Ellie sitting outside after dinner at Sauce and gelato at Frost - yum!}

{Pretty little poser}

{Cutie in a hat}

{Ellie's crazy morning hair was too serious of a matter to smile.}

Coming back to snow on the ground was ... interesting.

A little bit of sunshine.

The weather is nasty lately, but this little lady could brighten up anyone's day. Especially when she giggles, which she is doing more and more these days.

{her dad can always get a big smile out of her.}

{she's not so sure about her Easter Bunny get-up.}

{Waking up from a car seat nap. Love those pouty lips!}

{Ellie's first "ponytail." Looks pretty awesome with her hair sticking up at the top, huh?}

{I would play with her hair more often if she didn't give me this look every time I try! Not such a fan.}

Speaking of sunshine ... my sisters and mom and I are visiting my sister in Arizona right now. The weather is in the mid 80s and beautiful. Bliss! Sorry to rub it in my fellow snowy-Utah-weather friends, but it is pretty awesome. Especially after basically being stuck inside since December 1st. I hear it's supposed to start warming up though!

Miniature Athlete

Ellie has been seriously considering her sport of choice lately.

Tennis?

Soccer? {Her hairdo is way cooler than Beckham's}

Swimming?

 

Pilates?

Ballet?

Or cheerleading?

What do you think?