Running

So I've broken down and taken up running. I was feeling very unhealthy and after Dale's great effort to change his lifestyle, I decided I owe it to our family to do the same. I started out by walking with friends a few times a week and have now moved up to running every other day. Yesterday, I ran 5 miles. As most, if not all of you know, we are holding a half-marathon in honor of Aron this November. Dale and Dan really wanted to run the Seattle Rock and Roll half-marathon in June. They went to register and all the spots were full. They were both very disappointed as they had started to train for it. They decided they didn't need any organized course; they'd just make their own! What better honor than Aron, whom we sadly lost in May. We are opening the race to family and friends and if anyone is interested in participating, let us know. We may take donations that we will then give to a local animal charity.

What's new?

It's been quite a while since we posted so I'm going to fill you in on all we have been doing. After Max was born a few weeks ago, we were delighted to have the chance to spend some time with Carter. Grandma Green, Grandma Weaver and I took the boys to Charlie Safari in Olympia. It is basically a room full of climbing toys and bounce-houses. They were a little young to really enjoy it but we still had a good time.













We have been doing a ton of work in the yard and I have started a very small vegetable garden.



It's 10x4 and currently includes lettuce, spinach, radishes, red onions and walla walla onions. The picture on the right is a close-up of the onions just starting to shoot. These are pretty much the only things that could be planted thus far due to the cold weather. Eventually, it will also include cucumbers and squash. We will be building a second garden bed for pole beans and peas. We are also planting tomatoes, green onions, garlic, potatoes and strawberries in barrels.

We had a recent scare with Aron's health. I noticed that he was starting to look thin so I took him in for a check up. He had lost 9 lbs in about 6 months and the Vet said she didn't like the way he was breathing. She thought it sounded like he was trying too hard to breathe. We had chest x-rays and blood work done and it was determined that he could have one of 4 pretty serious conditions and she recommended that he go to a specialty veterinary clinic in Kirkland. This clinic was amazing; it was like a pet hospital. They even had an ambulance! Long story short, it turns out that Aron's lungs were just fine. They suspected he may have had some type of infection but being on antibiotics the previous 10 days had cleared it up. She said he is an old dog and may sometimes have to work a bit harder to breathe when he gets too much exercise, but otherwise, he is in great health. As you can see, he is feeling much better.

Jackson has been very into 'helping' in the kitchen lately. He really enjoys baking cookies, which we don't do often because Mommy can't keep her hands off the finished products! Here are a couple pics of him 'baking' and licking the beaters.



Hope you are all well!

Maui Mania

We just got back from a week in Maui for a friend's wedding. We had such a wonderful time and fell in love with the island immediately. It has been very hard being back in the rain. I am feeling a bit depressed knowing what kind of lifestyle I am missing. It is just so laid-back and fun. Everyone there was very friendly and happy. Nobody can be grumpy when it is 80* in February. We spent a lot of time on the beach playing in the sand, swimming and boogie boarding.

We went to a Luau at the Royal Lahaina Resort. It was a good show and Jackson watched intently the entire time.











Mom, Jennifer and I went on a whale watching cruise as Maui is the breeding/birthing site of choice for the humpback whales. The whale population from December to April is in the thousands. While on the boat, everyone was watching the some whales on one side of the boat, when suddenly, we all heard the whoosh of the water and looked over and there were two huge males about 10 feet from the boat. It was awesome, but a little scary too. The males then got into a little bit of a fight over a female and one male slapped his tail on the water at least 15 times in a row. The crewmen said this was a very rare sight and were taking pictures too. It was so amazing.

Here are a couple of family photos. The first one is Dale and Jackson in a really cool tree in an oceanside park and the second is all of us at the wedding reception site in Makena. As I sign off for now, I just want to note that it is snowing like crazy here. I think I'm gonna check the Maui classifieds for a job opening. Hope all is well with you.

Its snowing like mad now, crazy to think in six days we will be curled up on the beach in Maui!

Can you hear me now??

I'm just posting this to test that everyone can see/read/comment on my blog. I know Mom (green) was having some trouble viewing it and I just want to make sure I don't have some weird setting on or something.....so...if you would, please leave a comment so I know you are seeing my posts.
Thanks and I hope this finds you all well!

Jackson is 2!!

Sunday was Jackson's birthday and we celebrated with a small party at home. We kept it simple with pizza and cake. As you can see from the picture, the cake had a little mishap in the grocery cart but I think it disguised it cleverly as a 'shipwreck'.





Jackson got a lightsaber and was so thrilled! He is becoming quite the Star Wars fan. I can't imagine where he gets that from. It really was cute to see him duel with the Parkinson twins.






Overall, it was a great day and I just can't believe how time flies. Now were are just waiting for the terrible two's to begin. Wish us luck!!

2 Years Ago

As I was making Jackson Cheerios and milk and toast and jam for breakfast, I was thinking how his 2nd birthday is one week away and I just can't believe how far we've come. Things started out a little rocky, but now we have a beautiful, smart and hilarious little man! He is so much fun and is just everything to us. I couldn't imagine our lives any other way and we would do it all over again in a heartbeat. He is our little miracle.

We will be having a family party on Sunday, January 11th at 3 pm. We will have pizza and snacks and of course, cake. We would love to see all of you there!