Finding a balance...and making the time!

So, I went to the gym tonight. I was hoping to run a solid 6 miles. I haven't run in probably 3 weeks (I went to KY for week and Christmas was part of that...)...anyways, I couldn't make it! I am soo disappointed in myself. I REALLY want to run the marathon in April. The training program I was going to use is already on week 4, which isn't really an issue since the longest run is only 7-8 miles (which is Saturday's run). I think I can make it...I will just need to push myself. Hopefully, I will be able to run the marathon in April...if not, I will at least be doing the half! It's really hard to find the balance between home, work, and exercise these days! I need to find the balance and make the time.

Ho Ho ho! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope everyone far and near has a wonderful Christmas with lots of cheer! :-)

Though I wish we could be near family, I am grateful for my time with my Kaylee bug and Clay! Kaylee had a wonderful time opening presents this morning (she got into them while I was making cinnamon rolls and Clay was sleeping...so she started a little early!). She understands the thought process of opening presents and it was so much fun to watch. She seemed more interested in opening the presents than the presents themselves...but that is the fun of having a little one (they don't care about how many presents or what they get...they just love having anything!).

My brother's wedding

Well, my brother's wedding was last night. An 8:00 wedding does not make for very happy young children! Kaylee, Brentley, Zachary, and Bryan were all fussy during the wedding. Poor poor Bryan got his heart broken when his "big girlfriend" walked down the aisle to marry his Uncle and not him! He is IN LOVE with Jessica, my brother's wife. He cried to whole wedding because she was marrying my brother and not him. While sweet and sad, it was also quite funny! Kaylee danced the night away (literally..she did not get to bed until after 11!). She loved playing with her cousins and seeing her Mamaw, Papaw, uncles, and aunt! She also got to meet some family since we haven't been home since Kaylee was born. Overall, it was a nice night!

Oh my!

I think I have officially decided that I definitely want to run the Whidbey Island marathon April 11 of next year! I know it's going to be difficult with working, Kaylee, and it being way cold outside...but I truly want to do it. I am going to order a Warm As A Lamb stroller cover. I have been eyeing it for quite some time now, but I didn't want to buy it because when we eventually decide to try for baby # 2, I wanted to just buy a double (instead of buying the single now and then having to buy the double later as well). But, I decided it would be worth it and I can always sell it on craigslist. It's really cold here and I don't have a good rain cover for the stroller, so it'll be nice to be able to use this as both a means to keep Kaylee warm and dry! The reviews on it are amazing so I hope it's as good as it seems because Kaylee is going to be my running partner/training buddy for the next 4 1/2 months (on Saturday's at least). Pushing a jogging stroller with a 20 plus pound baby in it for my long runs will definitely get me ready for a marathon! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This past year has been a whirlwind. From moving across the country, purchasing our first home, a half-marathon, a trip to Key West for a family member's wedding, a 1st birthday celebration, and much more. We have so much to be thankful for. I am especially thankful for my wonderful family. Clay and I are so in love with Kaylee. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful baby girl. Even though it's frustrating at times, because we both are ready for Clay to fly, we are thankful for the fact that the Prowler RAG is way backed up and Clay is home a lot more than our friend's who are flying the F/A-18 in CA or VA. He probably won't start flying until March/April (but this day is being pushed back every day so who knows!). It's crazy to think that by the time he actually does get to fly, it'll be over a year since he has last flown anything! It's pretty normal though here in the Prowler community for the year mark to come and go! We are also thankful for my new job....even if at the moment I don't particularly love it. It's going to allow us to save the money (without affecting our other savings from Clay's check!) to get our front yard taken care of! I can't wait for it to be cleared out and have nice grass laid down! The backyard is also on our agenda...but we want the front yard to be taken care of first. We are also thankful for the opportunity for me to go home with Kaylee in December for my brother's wedding. He kind of sprung a wedding date of Dec. 19th on us and we really wouldn't have been able to go if my mom and sister didn't go in together to purchase us a ticket! I am so thankful and excited to finally visit Kentucky after almost a year and a half of not being home! We are thankful for a healthy baby girl! At her 12 month check up she weighed 20 pounds and 10 ozs and is 31 inches long! She dropped from just over the 50th percentile to the 25-50% for weight, but the doctor said that's normal once babies start walking. She just doesn't want her to drop any lower! She is perfectly tall though (the 95th percentile!). She's going to be tall and beautiful! :-) I am also thankful for a wonderful lady, Melonie, watching Kaylee while I work. She runs a CDH in her home and she's great with Kaylee. Even though it breaks my heart to see it, when I pick Kaylee up from her home sometimes she'll run to Melonie after I set her down, BUT...that is a sign that Kaylee truly likes her, so I am blessed to have such a wonderful person taking care of my baby girl while I am working part-time. I am also thankful for a housing market that is on the turnaround here on Whidbey Island. We just got something from our realtor stating that from this date last year the days on market for homes has dropped 50%! That's incredible. I can not lie when I say that I am terrified when it comes time to selling our home (not that this date is in the near future or anyting...but it still scares me). So, I am thankful that the housing market seems to be looking up! I am thankful for our family (parents, siblings) who love us so much. I am thankful for wonderful friends (both here in WA and throughout the globe!). The Navy makes it difficult for spouses to connect with other wives because once you do start to connect, you move. I am thankful, though, that I have made some life-long friendships because of the Navy!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! We miss our friends and family who are not here with us...and we wish we could be celebrating the holidays with you! We love you all.

Happy 1st Birthday, Kaylee!!!!

Today is the day my little girl turns one! It's so hard to believe that a year ago my baby was born. It's amazing how fast you grow to love a new child and how quickly your world revolves around that child. Kaylee is my most cherished gift and I am soo thankful and lucky to be so blessed with such a beautiful child.

I love you, Kaylee! Happy 1st Birthday!

Proud of my little girl!

Today is the 2nd day that Kaylee has only had her night time bottle! She is on some anti-biotics right now for her awful ear infection that we found out about on Thursday. We're putting her night time anti-biotics in her bottle because she isn't very good at taking them (it's a lot and she spits it all out in the midst of her fit she throws when we give it to her!). Ideally, I wanted Kaylee to be completely off her bottle by her 1st b-day (just 6 days away!). Then, however, she got the H1N1 and an ear infection so i backed off the schedule to get rid of the bottle. Friday, however, while frantically interviewing childcare providers and visiting their homes I realized that most CDC providers will not give a bottle to a child over the age of 1. I would rather Kaylee be fussy with us than be put in the situation where another person is taking care of her and not providing her with the comfort of the bottle...it just seems too cruel (to both Kaylee and the provider). So, Friday night I told Clay that on Saturday she would only recieve her night time bottle. Kaylee did amazing! She has been fussy these past 2 days, but she's been surprising great at this (after all..fussiness is to be expected. Try having someone take away your favorite thing and see how fussy you are). She wouldn't drink her milk out of a sippy before yesterday, but now..when she wants her milk...she knows she's only getting it in the sippy cup! I am so proud of her. She even drank out of a sippy cup with a straw today! She is such a big girl. I don't know how long we'll keep giving her the night time bottle, but my new goal is to have Kaylee completely bottle free for when I possibly go home in the middle of December! I don't want to take any bottles/formula with me. Kaylee is such a big girl! I am so lucky to have such an amazing and beautiful little girl!