five on friday (03/10)

Posted on March 10, 2017 by tara

ONE. Michael is my knight in shining armor. Actually, I’m certain he was made for his role as such a tender-hearted, patient husband and father of daughters. I started the week off being sick (again, which is typically unusual for me), and he came home early from work just to take care of us. All four of us adore him, and I’m so grateful for this guy who gives us his all one hundred percent of the time.

TWO. The “March comes in like a lion” expression has certainly been true around here lately, with our area experiencing everything from extreme gusts of wind, to snow, to rainstorms, to 60-degree days. Kaya was beyond excited about the random snow we had, and although none of it stuck around, she loved catching the flakes and twirling outside in it.

THREE. Two of Kaya and Kaelyn’s favorite things: jammies and baby dolls! These little girls play “babies” together nearly all day everyday. Kaya’s baby, Alice, was apparently born and celebrated her 3rd birthday party all in the same week. Kaelyn’s baby, Doll, learned to walk today. These are very busy babies!FOUR. I’ve made some major strides (haha, running humor) in my pace in these past few weeks. Doing speed work has really been paying off, and although it might not look like much to some, I’m so happy to see improvement. I’ve never been a very fast runner, but getting back to where I was pre-Nella is encouraging.

FIVE. When I’m nursing the baby, the girls love to make a “tunnel” under my legs between the ottoman and the chair. Kaelyn thought it’d be fun to hide and then surprise me… I think this little .GIF is pretty hilarious (and oh so representative of her personality)!

Happy Friday!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (02/17)

Posted on February 17, 2017 by tara

ONE. Michael finished making his work desk/table this week! He’s really excited to have his own space for doing coding projects and using an extra monitor when he needs it. Naturally, Kaelyn had to try it out!

Kaya thinks it makes a pretty good fort for coloring.

TWO. We have a tendency to hold on to the same old library books for several weeks, but we finally went and chose some new ones! I love that the kid section also includes puzzles, Duplos, and coloring pages. Kaya put this giant puzzle together on her own!

THREE. We haven’t gone out for dinner in a few months, so last weekend, we enjoyed some Chinese food. This picture sums it all up perfectly- Kaya is too busy eating to stop for a photo, Michael has a mouthful of food, and Kaelyn is wild about eating Jello.

FOUR. I finished a local running challenge (complete 100 miles in January), and I finally got my free shirt last week! In summer, a hundred miles in a month is a piece of cake, but I’m actually pretty proud of getting it done in the winter… and I kind of forgot about it until the month was half over. Oops. Nella was pretty excited too!

FIVE. I knew my kids were growing up fast, but who knew they were old enough to drive? Haha. They love pretending. Cutest little drivers ever.

five on friday (02/03)

Posted on February 3, 2017 by tara

It’s February! The countdown to my birthday begins (9 days)! But for now, here are my top five moments from this week:

ONE. These little girls were so excited to celebrate Groundhog Day this week! For preschool, we learned all about groundhogs and made these adorable hats. They absolutely love learning about animals and the world around us, so they really enjoyed this activity. Kaelyn has been wearing her hat ever since she made it (except for sleeping, of course)! TWO. We finally got outside for some fresh air this week! Overall, I feel like it’s been a relatively warm winter, but I’ve still been wary of taking the baby out in chilly temperatures (although she’s probably the warmest of anyone, what with being curled up against me in the wrap with all her layers of clothing).

Anyway, there is nothing that seems to rejuvenate us more than some sunshine and cool, crisp air.

THREE. When the cutest baby in the whole world stops nursing for no reason other than to look up at you and give you the best gift she can… a giant smile!

FOUR. This might not look like much to most people, but at 3 months postpartum, I’m proud of both my pace and distance from Saturday. I saw a meme this morning that said something like “It doesn’t matter how far you go, how fast you are, or how long it takes… it just matters that you DO it!” I’m improving and feeling so good about it. FIVE. And apparently, when I run a lot, I start craving pancakes. Big, soft, fluffy pancakes! Michael whipped up this recipe for the first time, and it’s definitely a keeper. I made this syrup, but instead of a full tablespoon of maple extract, I used half maple and half vanilla. If there are pancakes in heaven, these are them. Mmmm.

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (11/18)

Posted on November 18, 2016 by tara

ONE. We jumped back into our homeschool preschool routine this week! It feels good to have a little more structure to our days, and the girls have just been loving doing activities again.

We kicked off the week with the letter L. What better way to decorate the letter L than with your lipstick-covered lips? Kaya and Kaelyn love any reason to play with makeup, so this activity was a big hit.

“Show me your lipstick!” I said, and she instantly puckered up.

We also learned about lions and painted paper plates to look like them. Kaya wished hers was a mask.TWO. I had my postpartum check-up with the midwife this week, so Michael watched the kids for about an hour. He ended up taking them on a Daddy-daughters date to Sweet Frog, which is pretty much heaven to these ice-cream-lovin’ girls. I always seem to miss out on froyo, but I love seeing them have a good time.

THREE. I made it through my first solo shopping adventure with all three girls. We just went to the dollar store, so it really wasn’t much shopping, but it’s still confidence-building to get out and get used to juggling three little people.

Of course, this little pumpkin needed a snack break in the car, because hello, she’s got to maintain those gloriously chubby cheeks.

FOUR. My body is finally starting to feel stronger and I am so happy to get outside and get my heart pumping. After having a baby, I always want to hit the ground running (literally), but it really is worth taking the time to rest and recover before pushing your body too hard. For now, I’m not fast and my mileage is low, but I’m proud of this body and all it has done.FIVE. This little baby has already outgrown almost all of her newborn clothes! Shouldn’t that be illegal or something? I’m holding on to this snuggly, sweet stage as tightly as I can, but the days are already flying by way too fast.

With that fauxhawk, her tongue sticking out, and her finger in the air, it almost looks like she’s saying “rock on!” I love this crazy baby.

Happy Friday!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (04/22)

Posted on April 22, 2016 by tara

How is it Friday again? In a way, it feels like it’s always the weekend… and then sometimes, it feels like all we do is wait for the weekend to get here. Time is a funny thing. We’ve spent a lot of time outside this week, so I have a lot of happy, bright photos for today.

ONE. Last Saturday was “Virginia Tech Remembrance Day” (officially named so as of this year, by the governor). The university always hold a 5k run in memory of those who were lost that day, but I never sign up for it… all because I get too emotional about it. I lived on campus when the tragedy struck and lost a classmate, so it’s easy to feel sensitive about April 16th. Anyway, I ended up completing a solo. 7.8-mile, run that morning. It felt good to be in the sunshine, push my body a little harder than usual, and still spend time remembering the Hokies we lost 9 years ago.

TWO. Michael has been working so hard these days with his regular job, revamping his online camp registration system, and teaching a real college course. He hasn’t had a whole lot of time to play games, so I was happy to see him enjoying some time online with his brothers last weekend. Of course, Kaya had to join in! THREE. Lately, we’ve been walking up to the bus stop to “pick up Daddy”, as Kaya says. She begs me to let her bring her baby doll stroller with us, and because it’s a short walk, I say yes. This is the happiest girl in the world right here.

Kaelyn loves to see Daddy get off the bus. She was running to him as fast as she could when she saw him walking toward us! Of course, New Piggy has to go everywhere lately, too.

FOUR. We’ve been taking short family walks (which somehow still end up taking an hour when we let the little people stretch their legs), and enjoying all the sights of spring. Kaya loves to sit on any big rock she sees, so naturally, we had to sit down by the pond for a bit.They also love the horses in a nearby field. This gray gelding is named “Chance” (I used to work over at the barn he’s at, so that is actually his real name), and he’s Kaya’s current favorite.
It’s on these warm sunny days that I really miss riding. _MG_1626

FIVE. We tried a new soup recipe this week, and it was definitely something to make again. This Italian minestrone reminded me a lot of my days in Switzerland. It required a lot more vegetable-chopping than I normally like to do, but it was worth it!

Happy weekend!

Linking up here!

monument avenue 10k race recap

Posted on April 20, 2016 by tara

After being a runner for just over 7 years, I finally completed my first race! I probably never would have done it if Jeff and Lelia hadn’t signed me up, and although I will admit to being very nervous in the days leading up to it, I’m glad they encouraged me to do something new.

I was worried about the weather (it was projected to be freezing with some serious wind gusts), running around so many people (I always run alone!), and just coming out of it with a pace that I wouldn’t feel embarrassed about. Thankfully, mother nature surprised us all with much warmer temperatures than we were expecting, and all those other worries ended up not mattering at all.

Also, I apparently look very serious when I’m running.

Since this was my first time, everything was new and amazing to me- all the people holding hilarious signs (my favorite was a lady with her dog: “Keep running, the dog farted!”), some people’s costumes (one person was wearing a full-on unicorn suit), the live bands, and just the surge of collective energy between all the runners.

Michael kept these super-cute kids entertained just a few tenths of a mile before the finish line while they waited for me. He snapped some photos, and they’re just too cute to not include, so…

Apparently Kaelyn was keeping my gloves warm for me!

Jeff, Lelia, and I all finished within a few minutes of each other. I think we were all freezing as soon as we stopped running!

I think Lelia summed up the day best when she posted this picture below on Facebook, so I’ll quote her here: “I cannot begin to express the love and pride going on in this picture. We’re one hardcore family!”

She gave me the best pep talk just minutes before the race. It was so heartfelt and motivating that I replayed the words several times in my mind as I was running… and I might have been tearing up a bit, too. I also started to tear up anytime I saw little kids holding stuffed animals on the sidelines, waiting to see their moms run by. Oh, motherhood-induced emotions.Here’s my official race time! I felt really great about how I did. My official pace was 9:12 min/mile, and my GPS watch said my splits were as follows:Of course, after running a few miles, you need to replenish your energy with donuts, right? Jeff and Lelia took us to a little donut place in Richmond called Sugar Shack, and it was amazing. That one on the bottom left is covered in KitKat pieces!

We spent some time relaxing with Jeff and Lelia at their apartment before heading back to my parents’ house for the rest of the day. My girls loved playing with their puppy, Fallon, and actually ended up tiring her out pretty well.

I’m so glad I was able to have this experience with some of my amazing family members. If you’ve never run a race… try it! I’m not sure when my next one will be, but this most likely won’t be my last.

five on friday (08/14)

Posted on August 14, 2015 by tara

Happy Friday!!! Here are our recent top five:

ONE. I never posted about our weekend, but I had an awesome run on Saturday! The weather was so perfect (we finally had a short break from all this humidity) so I took full advantage. Some people have told me that if I can just go out and do 8 miles like this, I could easily train for a half marathon. I was sore for two days afterward, but it’s definitely something I’ve thought about doing. Seasoned racers, any thoughts?

TWO. Somebody discovered how delicious graham crackers are this week! Sometimes when I look at that four-toothed grin, I see a little girl instead of my baby. THREE. This little $5 stroller has given Kaya so many hours’ worth of fun. I let her take it outside this week to meet Daddy at the bus stop, and she pretty much thought it was the best thing ever. Various stuffed buddies have taken turns getting rides!FOUR. The easiest way to get my two sweaty, sunscreeny kids clean lately has been to put them in one bath! I’ve done this a few times now, and they LOVE it. They laugh and splash so much that I usually end up cleaning water off the floor, but I love how much joy they find in each other’s company.FIVE. This has been our last week with Brittany and Caroline before they move far far away to Texas. We’ve been relishing our playtime and trying not to think about the fact that soon they’ll be gone. I love these little baby buddies! (photo cred to Brittany!)

Happy weekend!

Linking up here today!

five on friday: farewells, footwear, and fuzzy cuddles

Posted on July 31, 2015 by tara

We’re here at the end of another week… the last in July! I know the rest of summer is going to be over in the blink of an eye, and it’ll be Fall before we know it. Here’s our top five for the week:

ONE. This last week brought our very last play date as a full group before Brittany moves away and Katherine headed off to visit family for a while. I knew this day was coming, but it seems like it came and went all too quickly.

We’ve shared so many good times together and watched our children grow alongside each other. These ladies have been there through thick and thin for me, and I am so grateful. There’s nothing like knowing that somebody’s got your back.Aaliyah wasn’t too excited for a picture. Real life, you guys. I love it.Talyah, Luke, Kaelyn, and Caroline!TWO. We made it to the pool a grand total of one time this week! Kaya is getting more comfortable with swimming in her puddle jumper (with support from Daddy, of course), and really loved kicking her way from the middle of the pool to the edge. I love these two goofballs.

THREE. After 3.5 years of running in barefoot shoes, I wanted to switch to something with a little more support. I went to a local running store, and a knowledgeable clerk set me up with these. They’re a great median between barefoot and traditional shoes, and he suggested that I can switch between these and my barefoots as needed. I’m loving them so far!

FOUR. This little girl still loves her baths. Is there anything cuter than a giggly baby with shampoo in her hair?

FIVE. There’s nothing like a girl and her Panda…

… or a girl and her Piggy. We’ve got a couple of regular stuffed animal lovers over here.

Happy weekend!

Linking up with April today!

run bike eat (weekend)

Posted on April 21, 2015 by tara

We had the most beautiful weather this past weekend, so we took advantage of it with plenty of exercising and cooking out. My favorite days are the ones we spend outside (and with friends)!

The morning was perfect, so I started running and just kept on going. Michael also put in 42 miles on his bike!

My running buddy definitely earned his right to lick the bottom of the peanut butter jar! 🙂

Later in the day, we had a cookout with Ben and Brittany! Hotdogs, grapes, and cookie bars were on the menu.

Also, it’s really hard to get three babies smiling (or even looking) at the camera all at once.

I love these two buddies! 🙂 It’s a good thing I took this when I did, because not long afterward, Kaya saw a bug and was so afraid that it ruined her whole evening. Every little speck of dirt turned into “a buggy!” and she was almost inconsolable. Poor baby.

Kaelyn was happy as a clam just sitting on a blanket with baby Caroline!

Until she started throwing punches (not really)! Haha.

On Sunday morning, I had a Young Women meeting to go to. I brought these muffins. They’re a lot different from my usual recipe, but if you like your muffins fluffy and looking like they came from a bakery (and who doesn’t?) you need to give these a try!Michael somehow ended up sleeping in Kaya’s bed, and this was the position they were in when I left for my meeting. I’m really not sure how Kaya could be comfortable, but I guess she was, since they slept in until 9:30!

Happy Tuesday! How was your weekend?

how to be the worst online shopper ever

Posted on March 24, 2015 by tara

1. Find something cute that you really want to buy.
2. Spend copious amounts of time making price comparisons with other websites.
3. Decide that the deal isn’t going to get any better than it already is, and add the item to your cart.
4. Spend more time to thoroughly make sure that there aren’t any coupon codes you could use.
5. If you’re paying for shipping (AKA you didn’t find a code for free shipping in step #4), spend even more time contemplating if there’s anything else you need to buy from the same website. If you’re already paying to send something to your house, you might as well make it worth it, right?
6. Remember how much you really hate to spend money.
7. Stare at your shopping cart for a while before deciding to just go ahead with the purchase.
8. Click “checkout”, only to find that your super-cute item is now sold out. WHOOPS!

I apparently take waaaay too long to make decisions, because the above scenario keeps. on. happening! I was hoping to get my girls some sunhats and flip-flops for their Easter baskets… but so far, I haven’t had any luck. It also seems like Kaya’s size is always sold out!

Anyway, we had a great, relaxing weekend (yeah, I’m totally blogging about the weekend on a Tuesday. That’s what all the cool kids are doing. (and by cool kids, I actually just mean me…)

I’ve been wanting a big breakfast for a couple weeks now, so I finally just went ahead and made one. Bacon, eggs, and this recipe for pancake squares. They tasted just the same and were SO much easier!

I also had a pretty great run. Maybe I’m not the fastest, but I’m so happy with a sub 9-minute average pace! It was a gorgeous, sunny day (with some wind), and I definitely enjoyed some time to myself (well, you know, with a crazy dog). All of us girls have either had seasonal allergies or a slight cold… so this little sweetie wasn’t quite as peppy as usual. You’d never know it from this picture though! That scrunchy-nosed grin is my favorite thing about my baby.
Happy Tuesday! We’re off to a great week so far! 🙂

Michael and Tara

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Category Archives: running

five on friday (03/10)

five on friday (02/17)

five on friday (02/03)

five on friday (11/18)

five on friday (04/22)

monument avenue 10k race recap

five on friday (08/14)

five on friday: farewells, footwear, and fuzzy cuddles

run bike eat (weekend)

how to be the worst online shopper ever