Go Pittsburgh!

Run mommy run!

I ran my first post-Meredith race last week! It was just what I needed as far as motivation was concerned. It was a lot of fun- not a very exciting or fun course, but it really got me back in the groove, and kick started that 'need to run' feeling. We had a crazy week here and I never ran during the week, but I got a nice run in today. I could go again right now- I love that feeling! I ran with a neighbor that I have known for a long time and never ran with- it was a great time and we will be running together again soon! I don't know how I got so lucky moving into a neighborhood with all of these wonderful active women that ate great friends on top of it all. My project now is to buy new running shoes and get a better bike for my IronGirl training.

The Holiday Round Up- the rest of the story!

Christmas day was so much fun for all of us! My mom, brother, sister and her husband all joined us for gifts and breakfast. My mom has made pecan and cherry rolls for as long as I can remember, a wonderful Christmas tradition we all look forward to! Rich and I did not have much to open as we bought exercise equipment and called that our Christmas gift. The kids had a blast opening gifts! William loved reading his name and Julia's name on the gifts, and he wasted no time jumping in! Julia enjoyed opening and wanted to play with each gift as she opened it. She did not really understand that she could not just pick any gift from under the tree and open it, that led to a few tears. As expected, Buss Lightyear and Woody were huge hits- the kids did a great job sharing those two toys- they were just so excited to open them!

Julia opened a birthday cake play set and was finished. She was most interested in that, and we all played birthday!

Two of Will's bigger gifts were a hit- the GeoTrax Airport and the Planet Heroes ship. His favorite though is the Matchbox Mega Rig Space Shuttle- it can make 30 different vehicles with the included pieces, and he and Rich are addicted. I think that was Rich's favorite as well, it seemed for a while like William was going to the to pry the toy out of Daddy's hands if he wanted to play with it!

Baby Meredith slept through everything, and woke up just as the last gift was opened! Perfect timing!
Julia tried very hard to wrap Grandma up!

After breakfast we headed over to Maryland for Christmas with the Toussaints!
Nana, Papa, Uncle Andrew and Aunt Kate were there- Uncle Will and soon-to-be Aunt Lauren were in Cincinnati and we missed them!

Suddenly camera shy while sitting on Papa's lap.
As ususal Nana had amazing food- and William was able to help with the cake. He had a piece before we left- and he licked the plate. Yes, it was that good. When Cynthia cooks we all want to lick the plate, but since I am no longer 4, can't get away with it!
Nana bought Julia a rolling backpack with an attached ballerina bear- she has played with this for hours everyday, it is so cute!

Aunt Kate's first Christmas as a Toussaint!
After the Toussaint's we headed back to VA and went to dinner at my mom's. She bought the kids an amazing art table for Christmas, and it was a huge hit.

By the end of Christmas the kids were exhausted- a long but wonderful day!
The rest of the holiday break was nice- we had some great weather so we took trips to the playground, had outdoor playdates and went on family walks. Can't beat that in December! New Years was very laid back- our power went out around 4 as a result of the strong winds- we decided to go to El Tio for dinner and then came home when the power came back on 3 hours later. I did not even make it to midnight!






We had so much fun having all of the extra family time over the break- kids all played so well together. Will and Julia just love that Meredith is so interactive now, and they just beam when she smiles and laughs at them.

Holiday Round-up! Part One

It was a busy but wonderful Holiday Season here! Everything ran smoothly, and everyone had a great time!
***One disclaimer***- Julia is now dressing herself- if we are not going anywhere I let her do what she pleases, so yes, in some pictures she may have on 4 dresses or none at all.

William and Julia had Christmas programs at school. William's was adorable- the kids have all grown so much from last year, and they all sang so well!

Julia's class sang a few songs for the parents- but it was really the teachers singing and the little ones staring! They are so cute in her class, and big brother William was so excited to see her in her classroom. They had cookies for the kids, and I think knowing that the cookies were on the table was just too much for Julia- she stared up at the cookies the whole time!
After the kid's programs we headed to the Farr's house for a Holiday Party and Puppet show that was so much fun. Will and Julia have been putting on puppet shows that are just so funny. The kids also got to decorate cookies, and Julia was thrilled to stay a little longer with Mrs. Claire (aka Mrs. Clara) and ride home in her sparkly mini-van.
The next day William had his school party and book exchange, and Julia was able to go to the Cisco Office Party with Daddy- a huge thrill!!!! She loved getting dressed up for her daddy date, and was even more excited to discover Cheetos at the party- we never have had those in the house.

The next day was a huge treat- Rocknocerous! We went to Jammin Java in Vienna and met a friend of mine from college and his wife and son. Julia clung to daddy the entire time, but said she had a ton of fun. William got out there and danced a bit, but spent a lot of the time trying to fix the decorations that fell down.



William fell asleep doing a little last minute shopping....


The next day was gingerbread house decorating with Uncle Billy- whom the kids love! They love every visit from him!

Christmas Eve was low key here- Rich was getting over the stomach bug and Julia was on the mend as well. We baked cookies for Santa and made pizza on the grill. The kids tracked Santa online and we even Sat outside on the steps for a bit and tracked him in the mild December weather!




Baby Meredith was there for it all- she is growing up so fast!