Here are some highlights from the rest of July:
Life with a toddler: I couldn't figure out what she had gotten into at first because I don't have any flower that's accessible to her. It was pancake mix. I wish I could say this was the only time this happened...
Prepping for more fun at the pool:
Back to the gardens. This time I included pictures of the Japanese Gardens and feeding the Koi.
I don't know what this is called, but it was really neat. There were probably a hundred of these papers hanging from the bamboo, all with a wish written on it. Many of them were difficult to read as the rain had washed a lot of it off, but it was still cool.
The really neat thing about this visit was that the Butterfly Pavilion was finally open! Tons of different kinds, all free flying around. It was really cool.
This was so awesome. They have a window where you can watch the butterflies emerge from their cocoons. They have a fan doing inside these window box to help dry their wings. When they are ready, they release them into the pavilion. Not sure how that part works, but what a cool thing to see!
Here are some fun pictures from watching our friends Lydia and Luke.
On another day, Pierscen dressed up as Woody and we went shopping. He got so many compliments and smiles. At one point, Pierscen smiled shyly and said, "Everyone sure seems to like me." It was adorable.
Greek yogurt fun:
Call me crazy, but I decided around the time that I ran the 4 on the 4th, that I really wanted to push myself and run a 10k (6.2 miles). I'm not a fantastic runner. I've stated this many times. But it's something I want to be better at. And I know, with training, I could do it! Well, that's where the crazy part comes in. I signed up for the Chunky Monkey 10K, which was only a couple weeks away. In fact, it was one week before the race that I ran 6 miles for the first time ever. Figured I probably should see if I could do it, rather than run that distance for the first time on race day. (Honestly, either way, I was just as unprepared as I would have been if I had run it for the first time. Training does not equal doing something once. Ha!) Anyway, I signed up for this race even though it was way closer than I had time to prep for because of the name. Who doesn't want to run the Chunky Monkey?! (I could have run the 5k for this same race, but no, I wanted that extra.) At the end of the race they have free Ben and Jerry's, pizza, and bread. Yup. I'm apparently that kind of runner. Free ice cream? Okay. I'll run.
Because of my 4 on the 4th, Pierscen desperately wanted to do a race too. The Chunky Monkey had a Kids K (about .6 of a mile), so we signed him up. The Sunday before the race, I was talking to my friend Kristy about the race, and she decided to join me. I typically don't run "with" people simply because I can't talk and run very well at the same time. But running with Kristy was awesome! I'm so glad she signed up!
Here are some pre-race pictures with my amazing little dude.
And Kristy and I at the 10K start. Our race started at 7pm. Pierscen's didn't start until 8:15, so Ryan hung out with the kids while we ran. Kristy and I were a little nervous because there didn't seem to be that many people running the 10k. Neither of us were prepared in any way, but the fact that there weren't as many runners turned out to be a great benefit to us in the long run.
6.2 miles was really hard. Okay, I said it. The last mile was especially rough. Kristy and I both almost puked our guts out, but managed to fight through it. Though we didn't talk much, just occasionally shouted, "We can do this!" to the each other, we paced each other perfectly. It was really awesome. And although we both gave each other permission to go faster, or walk if needed, we both kept pushing and we kept the momentum going. As always, my goal was less than 12 min mile, especially this race because that meant we would be finishing at a little over 8:12pm, just a couple minutes before Pierscen's race and I didn't want to miss it. We finished at 1:09:30 (Kristy) and 1:09:31 (me). It was amazing! I wanted to fall on my face and puke my guts out, but I did be best to keep breathing. I tried to walk back to the track to see Pierscen start, but didn't quite make it. And because their race was so short, I needed to run, yet again, back to the finish line so I wouldn't miss it.
Here is my little hero:
Yes, I was starting to cry as he approached the finish line. He ran the whole thing! I was so proud of him!
This was an even bigger deal than I realized at the time because Ryan later told me P had been so excited that he wanted to "practice" and spent a good chunk of that hour running. So he was pretty winded by the time he did his actual race. I am so proud of this kid! He was so excited to get a medal!
I only got a teeny tiny taste of my ice cream before Devry took it over, which was just fine by me. Yes, I may have signed up for this race because of the name and desserts, but after running a 10K, the last thing in the world I wanted was ice cream or pizza. I did get a piece of whole wheat bread, but even that was hard to stomach. I actually spent the rest of the night feeling insanely sick. Ryan said this is pretty normal (he used to run track) but I wanted to die.
As we were hanging around after the race, we found the board posting all the times. A lady next to us said, "Oh wow! I took first place in my division." We didn't know how to tell, so they found our names and showed us our ranking. Remember how I said it ended up being to our advantage that not as many people ran the 10k? Well, Kristy and I took 1st and 2nd in our age! It was amazing!!! We missed the medal "ceremony" because we didn't expect to place, but we picked up our medals later.
Would I do it again? Well, at the time I felt it was like asking a woman who just gave birth when she was going to have another kid. Kristy and I both had a "some day" attitude. Ha. But since then, I have run this distance at least seven times. It is never easy for me. No distance is. But it isn't as hard as it used to be. My current distance record is 7.3 miles. Someday, and I mean someday, I would like to do a half marathon. I don't know how I get to that point, but we will see.
One day when we went to the library, there was a group there letting kids try out different kinds of instruments. Pierscen thought it was pretty neat.
Pierscen had his second round of swim lessons in mid-July as well. He did awesome! He was Mr. No Fear. There was one day the kids were jumping into the deep end and their teachers were catching them. Pierscen flew off and jumped really far. I heard his teacher say, "Woah! Did you see that?!" he asked one of the other teachers. After that, when it was Pierscen's turn, he back way up.
On his last day, we got his card with everything he had learned. There were two items he didn't pass off: turning over and kicking, and the prone glide (which is like free style swimming). However, his teacher still said he passed his class and recommended moving up because that's where they will work on those items the most. Go Pierscen! We will do more lessons next summer.
We met up with our Casper friends and visited the zoo. I love watching P and Emma. They are a few years apart in age, but they have always gotten along really well.
I noticed this trip that they offer giraffe feeding for $2. I thought we would try it. Oh boy. It was... kind of silly. We have fed giraffes and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Co Springs, and you at least get a good amount of food. Here, we got two tiny sprigs. Oh well. It was a cool experience for P, but one we likely won't be repeating.
One thing I love about the desert are the sunrises/sunsets, and the summer storms. The clouds were beautiful out on a walk with Dodger. But then it got even better with some lightning. I cannot believe I actually got a picture of the lightning with my regular phone camera!
One morning I came home from a run and found P and D in the backyard having a water balloon fight. I love the amazing summer mornings and the fun we have.
My amazing friend Kristy invited me over to do some sewing. I know how to sew, but I'm not super confident. Kristy can do anything. Seriously. I told her I wanted to make Dev a nightgown and P some pj pants. I was lucky enough to received a bunch of fabric for free. The primary president knew someone who knew someone who had passed away and left an entire garage full of fabric. She brought as much of it home as possible and was offering it up to others. So I got a big tote-full with the intension of making something fun. Like pjs! Here are the final products:
Thank you a million Kristy! I made something that wasn't a square! Haha.
Toward the end of the month, P started complaining about his throat hurting. He couldn't eat and was totally miserable. This started around dinner time. So I decided that if he was still feeling that way in the morning I would take him to the doc. It was a very long night. I got him in as soon as I can, and sure enough - he had strep throat. Poor boy. Strep throat is the worst!
Within a few days, with the help of good med, Pierscen was feeling much better. I was nervous because my throat had been killing for a solid week but I felt fine otherwise. So I finally took myself to the Instacare. No strep. It was a relief, but also annoying. I hate wasting money! And of course, within a day or two, I felt find. Ugh.
Here is my little monkey climbing on anything she can at Instacare.
We ended the month celebrating our 10 year anniversary. I have zero decent pictures. Just a food picture and one of Ryan looking not thrilled that I'm taking a picture. Hahaha! My friend Lauren watched the kids while we went to Red Lobster, then went to Massage Envy to get a couples massage. It was perfect! Following the massage, we went to Cold Stone and got an amazing peanut butter something. I don't know what it was, but it was incredible. Yum, yum. It was a really pleasant evening.
It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years. Time flies by! Ryan is the most amazing man I have ever known in my life. He is smart, fun, hard working, adventurous, sweet, and the best friend I have ever had. He is an incredible father and husband and I cannot imagine my life without him. Love you, Ry!
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