Justin's Birthday & Valentines Day Weekend

A four day weekend is such a blessing. Our normal Monday- Friday schedule is so crazy that we get to the point of just needing a break. Friday morning felt so great. We got up and didn't have to run out the door by 7:30. The girls and I ran errands and had a great time just moving at a slow pace. The girls helped me pick out sun glasses, Justin's cake and decorations and even let me try on a few swimsuits. We set up the house in a StarWars theme. We went out for pizza with Uncle Wheel and then we did cake and presents. Addison has been working hard to learn the birthday song. My favorite part is when she adds "cha cha cha" to random parts of the song.

Saturday morning Justin and Alexa went to recycling and then McDonalds. I love the work and reward it teaches Alexa. She told me that the harder she works the more money she gets. Next we all went to Lowes and built picture frames with Gabriel. It was a fun time. Addison was hammering her own nails in. She has been keeping up with the big kids for awhile now. After lunch and nap we decided to go fishing on the pier in Ocean Beach. The 75* felt much cooler at the end of the pier then we anticipated. The girls had short attention spans. They both learned the basics of fishing even though we didn't actually catch anything. We made it up to them by getting them Italian ice afterwards. 

Sunday morning Alexa woke up with a fever. Justin took Addison to church and Alexa and I stayed home. Afterwards we went to Mission Bay to go paddle boarding. Alexa was nervous with the idea but had so much fun. Addison was very uneasy about it for awhile. She moved around a lot more then we thought she would. She had more fun on the sand but did request to go back out a few times. Alexa on the other hand kept wanting to stand up and help row. We even talked about her getting her own board next time. I am not sure if she is strong enough but we may let her try in the bay. It was a pretty awesome and I know we will do it again soon.

Monday morning Alexa still had a fever so we canceled our play date. Instead the girls stayed in and played. Addison had a few successes on the potty. Maybe its time to give up the diapers? It was a great day to swim and prepare for the week. We are bummed to return to our busy week but at least it's only a 4 day. 

Run Disney!

After 8 months of training our big weekend arrived. We drove up to Anaheim on Friday evening and attended the expo. On our way in we watched the Disneyland fireworks. It made us all excited for the weekend and our year of having membership passes. The girls were really excited to get their shirts, bibs and some free samples. That evening we checked into the hotel and then got our supplies ready for the next morning.

Saturday morning was a VERY early morning. I had to get up at 3am to get on the 3:30am shuttle. The girls and Justin got up at 4 and were on the 4:30 shuttle. I did the normal pre-run events and then found my spot in the front of the line. I completed in my run in an hour and felt terrible afterwards. I am glad I did it but long runs are probably out of my future.

The next run was the girls races. We were VERY short on time because of having to get me back to shower, the girls to eat and changed and then back to the race area. Unfortunately we were unable to park quickly so Justin dropped us off and tried to catch up. I ended up taking both girls to the 4-5 year old 200 meter race. Alexa was so excited. She ran so fast that she left her shoe behind. We had to stop and then finish the race. I was very proud of her. She even expressed interest on training for longer races. Addison and Justin ran the race at a good pace. Addison got a lot of attention wearing the chewbacca hat. She was VERY proud of her medal and posed for several photos. It was such a wonderful event. I love promoting healthy habits onto our peanuts.

We spent the rest of Saturday playing in Disneyland. The girls both tried new rides and had a great time. The park was busy but we did all we wanted before meeting Uncle Wheel for dinner. After dinner we called it an early night. Addison had a rough night sleeping in the pac n play. She is too long for small cribs. I guess we will need to start getting 2 queen beds and having her sleep with one of us when we travel.

Sunday morning was another early morning for the boys. They were up at 3 and on the 330 shuttle. Luckily the girls and I were able to sleep in and catch up on rest. Our hotel was mile marker 6 and 11 of the half marathon race. The girls did some cheerleading at mile 6 and then we brought snacks for the guys at mile 11. It was a great set up and one I could see us doing again.

Sunday afternoon was spent at California Adventures. Alexa rode Tower of Terror for the first time. Addison really enjoyed the Ferris wheel. Addison is pretty close to hitting the 36 inch markers. Once she does she will have more ride options. Alexa may hit 42 inches this year and then she can attempt the roller coasters.

Justin has already registered for his next race in March. The girls and I are taking a little break before we sign up for our next one.