Is He Crazy?!?

The title to this post is a question you may be asking about my husband after reading this post. Well, I'll tell you, no, he is not crazy, but just very determined (a trait I have always loved about him). This past Saturday morning Carl fulfilled one of his lifelong goals and dreams---he ran a marathon! That's right, we got up at 4:30 am, traveled about an hour, and Carl ran 26.2 miles, all before noon! : ) The race was through a town on local roads, so I was able to drive the route as Carl ran it. After the race started I waited a bit, and then went and parked at different spots along the route, passing Carl and then waiting for him to pass me. Doing this I was able to snap some pictures throughout the race and chart his progress. He did a FANTASTIC job! He finished in 4 hours and 1 minute!! That is AMAZING considering this was his first marathon ever, and it was his goal and he RAN the whole way with no walking! GREAT job husband! Below are some of the pictures I snapped along the way.

The sun was beginning to rise as we pulled into the parking lot.

The start of the race line up. There were around 100 runners total.

The first time I caught up with Carl and his friend. This was around mile 7.

Mile 7 again. Pretty happy for running a marathon, huh?

Around mile 10--the course gets tougher.

Around mile 13--finally he stands alone, pulling ahead. :)

Finishing strong!

Finally--Victory! Grabbing his ticket signals that he is at last finished.

Spring Break

I spent the last week in Illinois visiting family. While there, I went on a little spring break trip with my mother and younger sisters. We went to Mall of America in Minnesota. My great aunt and uncle live there, so they graciously let us stay with them during our shopping spree. It was a great time, and we definitely found some great deals. I found some great buys for both baby and I. As you may or may not know, the Mall of America is not just a mall, but also has a mini-theme park in the middle of it. It is 3 levels of shopping with any store you can imagine, and on the 4th floor has a movie theater. In addition, there is a little Legoland within it. Oh yes, and there is an aquarium in the bottom level. It's HUGE and it took us a full day and a half of shopping to hit all the stores we wanted to visit. We didn't ride any rides as only 1 of us was able to, it cost extra, and we didn't have time. Here are a few pictures of the trip. What fun!

Mom and my sisters with one of the Lego dinosaurs. Isn't crazy what they can make with Legos?

Me and a Lego Stormtrooper (I think?).

The top of the indoor log ride.

The two large indoor roller coasters.

This was a 3D picture of the shark, as you may be able to tell.

Lunch with our Aunt and gracious hostess.

The Answer

Near the end of August, we will become the proud new parents of a bouncing baby BOY!!! Yea!!! I will tell you that our hearts desire was for a boy for our first and I always felt that's what the baby was (though we would have been perfectly happy with and felt very blessed to have a girl as well). We are super excited and now I can start looking at and purchasing clothing for him from sales I see. We are so thankful to have a baby at all, as we know children are a blessing from the Lord. Thanks for partaking in the poll, and as you may notice, majority was correct! : )

Weigh In At The Poll

Okay, we found out what our baby is!! YEA!! I thought it was so fun when Charissa had us guess what her baby was, that I wanted to do something similar. So, at the right of this post you will see a poll. Please cast your vote, if you like, and I will reveal the answer no later than Wednesday. : ) Thanks!

Just The Beginning

So I am finally starting to actually LOOK somewhat pregnant. : ) Though this picture is not the best, it shows how my tummy is starting to grow. The second one is a funny outtake---I sneezed right as Carl was snapping the photo.

I had another appointment today. Though I have not yet felt the baby move, the doctor discovered that it is definitely active as she found it's heartbeat. It was quite active when I saw it in the first ultrasound as well. This all leads me to believe that this child will take after it's father! High energy! : ) I have still only gained 1/2 pound since the last time I went in, and am still under my original weight, but the doctor said not to worry, as I am definitely eating more than normal, and when my body tells me to. So, that is the progress thus far. I will keep you posted!

Oh yes, and I have purchased one of those belly sleeves I asked about in a posting a while back. I just got to use it for the first time last night, and I agree with Cindee, I LOVE IT! It is SUPER comfortable and worked like a charm. So nice to have an intermediate between regular and maternity clothing.

It's Been A While

Well, I have been remiss on my blog posting as of late. Not too much going on here, so I thought I'd just report what we've been up to lately.

First, I have made the rounds to another consignment sale, and found a fantastic deal on a jogging stroller for only $15! I also found a bouncy/vibrating seat, which was highly recommended by you mothers who know. : ) We are really set now, outside of a stroller/carseat combo and umbrella stroller. We also will be getting a swing, but as a gift. Thank you again for all your great advice, mommies. I have continued to read it and will continue to use it for the future.

We are having a mission's conference at our church this week, which is a great time of preaching and learning about new missionaries.

I have been going through boxes and throwing out stuff we do not want to keep, or that we may sale at a garage sale. We are trying to thin out some things that we have not gone through in a while, including stuff from our college days. Ick!

Carl is training to run a marathon in April, working hard and running far. I will be going, but for moral support only. : )

Other than that, things are going well here. I am feeling much better, and am excited about progressing to 4 months today! Yea! We are working on names, and I think we have nailed down a couple, though I will not be revealing them until we at least know what we are having. : ) It is an exciting time, and we feel so blessed to be going through this gift called pregnancy.

Here's a quick pic of the jogging stroller--

A Good Deal and A Good Question

A friend of mine at church told me a while ago that there are 3 big kids consignment sales at 3 different churches in the area during this time of year. At these sales people can bring their clothing and equipment and tag their prices themselves, as well as get a percentage of the sale back. Since I do not yet know what we are having (boy or girl), I really am not in the market for clothing, but certainly for equipment. The great thing about these sales is that they do not take anything that is too worn, stained, or out of code (like car seats). So, I have just a few big equipment items on my list to look for and one of them is a Pack n' Play. I have always thought these were handy, especially since we travel to see family often, and have dogs inside the house (it keeps baby off the floor when very small). Last weekend I went to the sale with my mother-in-law, who happened to be in town (yea! a shopping partner!), and found just what I wanted--a Pack n' Play in perfect condition for only $20! Amazingly, I have also mastered how to put it up and take it down (practice makes perfect :) ). I LOVE finding great bargains, and just wanted to share my victory! I also found a super quality baby carrier, that can carry baby in 3 different ways for only $5! All this equipment talk also begs the question--what have you experienced mommies found that is the one or two things you have for your babies that you would not want to live without? Thanks!