We ran in our first 5K!

Chris and I ran in the Redlegs 5k race on Saturday! This was the first time either of us had ever run in a 5K so we are very proud of our accomplishment! We chose the Redlegs race because it seemed like a good route for beginners. Cincinnati has many hills so a lot of races around here are up and down but the Redlegs was mostly flat and actually ended on a down hill which was nice! Running does not come easy for us and we both hate it! Chris has been training for this 5k by using a program called from the couch to a 5K. I did not use the program but slowly worked my way into being able to run 3 miles. I had gotten to the point of being able to run 3 miles but it was a struggle so I was nervous about the race. Our only goal was to be able to complete the race without having to stop at any point. We did far better then I expected! Not only did we not stop but we ran at a decent pace. We finished in under 30 minutes! I was thinking we would cross the finish line around 30-35 minutes. I am waiting for our official times to be posted but my unofficial time is around 28 minutes and Chris was right behind me with 29 minutes. The race was sponsored by the Cincinnati Reds which was really neat because we got to finish at home plate! I got so excited seeing the finish that I went into a full sprint the last 50 or 100 yards. Chris took off after me. I got a shout out from the announcer saying, "Nice job little lady!" It was pretty funny! Chris said it took everything he had not to vomit and I was definitely tempted to stop at certain points but we persevered! I am really proud of the both of us! Our next goal is to be able to make it around Lunken which is a five mile loop. Thank you to Oggie who babysat Grady during the race. We have been horrible recently about taking videos and pictures. We forgot to bring our camera but thanks to the camera on Chris's iphone we were able to capture Grady getting to meet all three of the Red's Mascots! It was hilarious to see Grady looking at them and probably thinking to himself, "What in the heck are these creatures?!" He did seem to be entertained by them, he is a Reds fan in the making!! Congratulations to all who ran in the Redlegs and to anyone looking for a starter 5K to run in I highly recommend the Redlegs for your first 5K.

Grady is in Kansas City!

Grady playing at Grandma and Grandpa Stahl's house

What does a duck say? "quak, quack,quack"


Chris and Grady left yesterday for KC to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Stahl until Thursday. I opted not to go because I actually loved the idea of having absolute free time to get some things done! Plus we will be going to KC in June for a quick visit. Saying goodbye is always the hardest part, I did get watery eyes. However I really needed this break! I am getting all sorts of things accomplished and don't feel as scattered brained. It has been a little hard to adjust because I still feel I have to rush to get things done and that I am missing something or am suppose to be somewhere. It is really weird to have this absolute freedom! I am taking a pause to blog because the next thing on my list I am dreading doing but it has to be done! I am going to make trash bags full of crap that needs to be removed from this house, starting with my closet! Then I will reward myself with some shopping and hopefully a pedicure if I have the time. One way I won't be spending my time is worrying about Grady. I miss him but I am not worried because he is in great hands! If anything I need to worry about how much he is being spoiled right now! I am getting updates and he sure seems to be having a lot of fun! It is wonderful to have a husband capable of traveling alone with his kid. I know many hubby's out there would not have a clue what do if left alone with their child, that is sad to me. The days of Dad's not being involved with their children are over! A child needs his/her father just as much as his/her mother. Grady is so lucky to have such a hands on Mother and Father! We love you Grady!!!

Grady's first trip to the zoo

The gorilla grabbing his foot like Grady :)

polar bear

bear

kaitlyn feeding the goats

silly girls Kaitlyn and CeCe

Aunt Emmy, CeCe, and Oggie


At the end of April Grady took his first trip to the zoo with his grandma Oggie, Aunt Abby, and cousins Kaitlyn and CeCe. It was a short trip and he slept for most of it but it was still fun! I am sure we will be back many times once he is walking. I still love watching the monkeys! The polar bear was entertaining on our visit as well. I love going to the zoo and it is so pretty in the spring!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day Yola!

Boppa and Grady

Enjoying the park with my little buddy

Grady loves to swing!

Oggie pushing Grady in the swing


I had such a wonderful Mother's day yesterday! I woke up to homemade blueberry muffins, chi latte from Starbucks, flowers, and cards! Thank you Grady and Chris for making me so happy, I love you! The weather was perfect so we planned a picnic in the park with my parents. I introduced my parents to Barbecue City, and they loved it! We shared a nice bottle of wine and Oggie got to push Grady in the swing. I could not have asked for a better day! I loved every second of it and I love being a Mom! Cheers to all mother's out there! It is a tough job that definitely deserves recognition. I don't think you fully appreciate what your mom did for you until you become a mom yourself. Thank you Mom for being so wonderful, I love you! You did an excellent job raising me, you deserve more then just a pat on the back! Grady, Kaitlyn, and CeCe are rewards of all the hard work you put in throughout the years. I know they already love their Oggie so much!

Grady and his two Easters

family photo

playing with a plastic egg

Sorry Grady had to do it

Grady finds his Easter basket

We did not have big plans for Easter this year. Chris was originally going to be gone camping and my parents were out of town so I just did not think to plan much for Easter. I thought it would be no big deal since Grady really won't remember anyway and he is too young to enjoy the fun activities such as an egg hunt. Chris's camping trip got canceled so he went golfing Easter morning and then Grady and I met him and friends at the club for brunch after wards. We got invited over to my Uncle's house who was having friends over to celebrate Easter so we spent the rest of the afternoon watching the Masters and hanging out over there. I did not take a single picture or do any of the typical Easter celebration stuff. We had a good Easter but then I started to feel bad as I saw everyone and their cute Easter pictures! I thought to myself, "I am a horrible mother for not giving Grady a real Easter celebration!" Plus I am documenting everything for our family photo album and I had nothing to document for Easter since I did not take any pictures. The guilt was really setting in so I decided that yesterday on Sunday I had to recreate an Easter for Grady! I ran out and made him a little Easter basket. I got everything on sale so this was a good thing! The weather was not as nice as it was on Easter so I did not get Easter pics outdoors with pretty flowers. However giving him a basket and walking around and showing him a few hidden eggs was satisfying. I got a couple of Easter photos that I can now record in our family album. Our family stopped making a big deal about Easter once we grew up but now it is time to bring the holiday back! I promise to be more on top of things next year Grady!

Grady scares the babysitter!

Let me start by saying that apparently it is common for infants/kids to work themselves up so much that they don't breathe. Well Grady happens to be one of these infants! He has only done it a few times so I never think to tell a sitter, "Oh by the way he may cry really hard and temporarily stop breathing resulting in a blue/purple face!" You can guess where I am going with this. The poor sitter called us in a panic because Grady had shown her his magic trick of freaking out and turning his face blue. We went home immediately to assure her everything is ok. All you can do when he does his magic trick is gently blow in his face or just pick him up and calm him down. He just needs to take a breath! Some kids pass out and others even seizure after doing it. We are lucky in that so far we have been able to get Grady to calm down and take a breath when he freaks out. As scary as this all sounds it is not a cause for major concern unless it is happening frequently and of course if it results in a seizure! I think I will panic if he passes out but apparantley the passing out is not as big of a deal as it seems! They just wake up a little lethargic. The passing out actually gets them to take the breath they need. Hmmm I am sure I will probably FREAK if he passes out! We are now well aware that we need to tell sitters and anyone who will be watching him that it is unlikely but he may throw a fit and temporarily stop breathing. He has done it maybe four times now on different occaisions. The last time he did it was about 2 months ago. They are unpredictable so we never know when he might do it. I wouldn't be so calm about this but it is a behavior of many infants/kids so I know there is nothing wrong with him, it is just a phase he needs to grow out of. He could be doing it up to 3 years old! Hopefully he will stop before that because it is scary to watch him do it! The poor babysitter had no clue what was going on! I felt really bad!

Wednesdays

Grady, Ava, Shareef, and Kellen

Grady, Ava, Shareef, and Kellen

Cole, Grady, Ava, Shareef, and Kellen


Grady and Ava

Cole, Grady, Ava and Shareef


Wednesdays are so much fun now! I meet up with four other mommies and their little ones. We each take turns planning a play date. Usually the play date consists of going to lunch and then doing some sort of activity with the kids. Last week it was my turn to plan so we had lunch at Allyns and then I had them all over to our house to interact with one another. There are three other boys, Cole, Kellen, Shareef, and one lucky girl Ava :)! It was great to get to see them all interact for a little a bit. It was pretty commical as well because they were like dominoes. One would cry and the rest would follow, ha ha. It was a little chatoic but overall it went really well. Grady enjoyed the day with his new friends! I am looking forward to next Wednesday!