Wordless Wednesday

Bowling Boys

On Wednesday morning all the boys put on their bowling shoes and hit the lanes.

I left the bowling to the guys and helped Sully with his game.

 Patrick and Finnegan had some very interesting techniques and 

shared their skills with Daddy and PopPop.

 Even with the ugly bowling shoes, they are a cute bunch of guys!

Turtle Back Zoo

While MJ was at work, Dad and I took the boys to the Turtle Back Zoo.  It was cold and some of the animals were staying inside to keep warm, but we had a fun time exploring, none the less.

 While the wild animals may have been hiding, the carousol was filled with animals ready to play!

It was a great morning, and it definitely wore out PopPop!

NYBG Train Show

We had an amazing outing with Nannie and PopPop to the New York Botanical Garden.

The Annual Train Show fills the Conservatory with model trains zipping over bridges and past replicas of New York landmarks made of plant parts such as nuts, bark, and leaves.

 My boys were thrilled to find the trains hidden in between all the amazing foliage.

 Sully was mesmerized...

and the big guys just kept searching for more hidden engines.

 Finn and Sully spent a ton of time watching Percy go around and around...

 and all of the boys loved the little insect trains whirling around.

 After the train show, we visited the Gingerbread Adventures on the garden grounds.

It was a fantastic way to spend the day, 

and I hope we can make the train show a family tradition.

Golfing with PopPop

On our first morning in New Jersey, Pop Pop took the boys to the golf course.

Patrick and Finnegan took a ride on the golf cart and then headed over to the driving range.

With PopPop's help, they both did really well hitting the balls with their irons 

and played for over an hour.

Sully tried to help, but I decided it might not be the best idea.

 So, we played on the golf cart,

 got a bucket of balls...

 and had a blast filling up the bucket and then dumping it out.

It was a happy morning for all four boys, especially PopPop!

We are Thankful

This year we made a Thankful tree and filled the leaves with things we are thankful for.  Patrick wrote on the red leaves and Finnegan on the orange.

Patrick and Finnegan are thankful for;  friends, family, safety scissors, each other, food and Percy the train.

I know I can speak for Sullivan - he is thankful for his big brothers, cookies, balls and the ability to say "no".

Our hearts are happy and we hope yours are too,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Too Big Tuesday

Sully is ready to start going to work with Daddy!

Wordless Wednesday

Racing Day!

The Thunder Road 1/2 Marathon was an amazing experience.  I am proud to say that I finished the race without stopping or walking.  Even with all my months of training, it was hard, but I finished strong with a time of 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Not bad for a girl who refused to run a mile in junior high for fear that she might sweat!

Between the Marathon and 1/2 Marathon runners there were over 11,000 participants.  It was an amazing feeling to be part of a crowd with such energy.  Throughout the 13.1 miles of Charlotte, people were out with signs, bells, cheering squads and musicians - routing for their loved ones and complete strangers.  It was amazing!

The last 2 miles were not easy, but I had one motiviation - my personal cheering squad that I knew was waiting for me at the finish line.  And they did NOT disappoint!!

I was able to see Gill and the boys as I approached the finish line.  It was emotional, to see them routing for me - I threw my hands in the air, cheered back at them, and finished my first 1/2 marathon!

After getting my medal and some nutrition, I was able to find my boys.  They loved my medal.  Patrick announced that it meant "Mommy won and everyone else LOST".  

(We'll just ignore the 1,600 people that crossed the finish line before me and go with that.)

 After we got home and I took a very long nap, Finn and Patrick helped me cross of my last

run on my training checklist.  I think they felt as much of a sense of accomplishment as I did - they had been supporting my every run for the past 4 months.

I won't lie, as great as I felt - my body hurt.

As a matter of fact, by the end of the night I could not even make it up the stairs!!

It was a fantastic experience and I can't wait until next year when I try the (gulp) full Marathon!

(I'm waiting for the official pictures from the race, as soon as I get those, I'll post them as well)