Ordinary Miracles

As I was looking though the photos of the day, that song seemed to play in the background of my mind. I realized that much of what we did today is done almost every Sunday; just another ordinary Sunday. Yet it's somewhat of a miracle -- we leave our craziness in the city for just a bit, and go to another world. Our little world out in the country with my Mom & Dad. And on this day, the triplets as well!

All outside on this beautiful, brisk fall day

Livia just loves the swing...

Though she's not actually swinging in this pic

So Meggie gave her cousin some much needed help!

What are friends for, right?

We all had bunches of fun on this lovely Sunday.

Picking up nutes...

My Mom and Jay

And riding the tractor:

 My Dad and Sam

Then Jay got a turn to ride:

With Sam right beside him

Livia was riding her Dora bike...

when she caught sight of the tractor. It just looked so fun!

So she made her way toward the boys...

And of course they let her have a turn to try to ride!

Shd didn't go far, but she just loved being on the tractor.

And no Sunday would be complete without a trip to the farm. We usually walk over there, but it was so chilly outside that we decided to drive instead. Meg objected at first, but then we reminded her that she would have to walk the whole way over to the farm. I usually give her a piggy-back ride, and Liv gets a ride with my Mom or Dad. But my knee was absolutely killing me today. (That's what I get for doing photos in heels yesterday! I guess 5 hours was just too much...)

So here was the back seat of the truck:

My Mom and all 4 kids!

Almost as soon as we all got out, I was freezing. So I really didn't get many pictures out at the farm... But it's the memories that really matter, right? And I'll always remember this day...

The Triplets turned 5 yesterday, and I realized just a short while ago that it would be at this time that Liv would be almost exactly half their age. 2 and a half years apart in age... Each year that age difference will seem less and less significant. I'm 4 years older than my sister, but now that we're all grown up, the age difference doesn't matter at all. All that truly matters is that we love each other.

I'm sorry that I missed their Birthday Party yesterday, but it sounds like they had a wonderful time. I did go to their party last year, and I got lots of great photos! I think I'm going to have to feature their 4th birthday on Flashback Friday this week... Anyway, I'm pretty sure I won't have a wedding to attend next year! So, even though it's a tiny bit belated, HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY MEG, JAY AND SAM!

~~~~~

Just a really quick knee update:  My joints themselves look great, but they are also very loosey-goosey. In fact, all my joints are pretty loose. Without properly training my body to move, they were bound to only get worse, so I'm very glad that I finally went to the doctor...

I've been going to therapy for several weeks now, and I'm really starting to see major improvements in everyday life. I've been doing all the different therapy techniques, I have wonderful knee braces for walking, and I'm learning what they can and cannot handle. I've learned that on walks to the farm, I MUST wear my braces (especially if someone gets a ride). Obviously, last night I learned that they really can't do 5 hours in heels!

Eventually I will be able to run again... It may take a while, but thanks to therapy I'm taking the time to really get it right. Wish me luck along the way!

Future Track Star...?

Earlier this summer, Livia went to her very first little race - The Little Dutch Run in Haubstadt Indiana. I prepped her, and pumped her up, and I just knew she was going to be great! I mean, she's a little speed demon here at home and almost everywhere! I had high hopes of her even placing...!

Liv with her Nana just before the race.

My high hopes were dashed when I saw from the finish line that she didn't even want her Nana to put her down! I think it was the high crowd that got to her...
At any rate, she did start running (with my Mom) once all the others began to clear out.

And guess what? She still got her first running metal out of it!

Here she is receiving it just after the race with her Papaw.

All the kids who finished under a certain time frame got one. And more importantly, Livia really did have fun. The whole experience was just awesome!
And like any good little runner, she finished her race properly - with a banana!

So then it was my turn (OHmy...) I hadn't been running as much as usual, and this was going to be my test to see how much I'd be doing. Liv has always been my little runnin' buddy, so at least I knew I couldn't just collapse halfway through!
Perry was of course there to cheer me on, and here's a shot of all 3 of us just before the 5k... Sorry, no after pictures due to the fact that I looked like I was about to pass out!

For the time being though, I have decided it's best for me to ease up on the running... My knees let me know on a daily basis that it's just not the best idea to do so. I will be getting them checked out soon to find out what I need to do to be able to get back to one of my (and perhaps Liv's) passions!

Long Time no Blog!

So, it's only been how many weeks?? since I've written anything here! As you can probably guess, there have been some major changes in my life. Though I'm not necessarily prepared to reveal them all at this very moment, I will say that my lack of posts has been very justified...

For instance, I have been training for the Evansville Half Marathon! I've been running between 4.5 and 6.5 miles at least twice a week, sometimes 3 times. I participated in the Evansville 5K about a month ago, and will be doing the 10K in just over a week. I'll also be doing Race for the Cure - these are all great to prepare for the half marathon.

My main goal is to simply finish the half marathon. 13 miles seems so daunting, but I'm still every excited about the challenge. My original goal was to finish within 2 and a half hours, but it may actually be closer to 2 hours & 45 min - or more! That's OK though; again, my goal is just to finish.

I have been running with Livia (pushing her in the stroller) but with going longer & longer distances, I've found that it's not so great on my knee - or her patience sometimes! She loves our afternoon runs, but the Saturday morning runs aren't her favorite. We tend to run longer in this practice, and little miss sleepy-head doesn't always care for those early mornings! But here's a link to a picture from one of our earlier practices: Me & Liv runnin.

I know I have SO much to catch up on in blog-world... I can't even imagine how many events, happenings, birthdays, and fun I've fallen behind on reading. But I promise that I will soon catch up. Until then, much love to you all and God Bless!

Ready to Run... Before Age One!

Anyone who knows me also knows that I love to run. In high school & college, it was my life! And though I don't do it NEARLY as much as I would like to now, my license plate still tells everyone that I RUN4FUN.

After only a week of walking completely by herself, my sweet little daughter has decided that SHE needs to be running as well! What happened to walkie-walkie?! I worried enough when she started just walking be herself... She's been 'blessed' (or should I say cursed) with her mamma's grace - rather the lack thereof. I just know she's gonna wipe out really good one of these days, and there's no use in trying to tell her to "slow down!" (Trust me, I tried... she just looks at me, smirks, & runs away)

My Mom & Dad are really getting a kick out of this, though. Apparently, I went "straight from crawling... to running." Except, I started at 9 1/2 months! They say to be thankful I got that extra couple of months before Liv started running.

Is this normal?? To have a child running before age one??? Or do I just have a future little track star on my hands!