About Me
Name: Lauren         Location: Middle Tennessee, USA

Welcome to my blog! I am a Christian, wife, and mother who enjoys reading, running, and all things Disney. Stop by regularly for a glimpse into my life!
My Complete Profile           Email Me


Sunday, October 31, 2010
Introducing Oreo
Since I started my "Real Food" saga, I have tried to limit junk food in my house. This, however, is one Oreo that is welcome in our home anytime!

We picked out Oreo this afternoon. She is six weeks old and will be coming to live with us in 3 weeks. I knew she was the puppy for us when both kids looked at the litter and said, "I want that one." Then, they both started calling her Oreo spontaneously. We can't wait to bring her home!

Labels:


  posted at 9:16 PM  
  6 comments



Saturday, October 30, 2010
Softball Finale
On Monday night, my Best Girl played her final fall softball game. She has really enjoyed playing, and she is becoming a little slugger! Although her hitting is going very well, she has some work to do in the field. Most importantly, she needs to quit playing in the dirt while the other team is batting. She is definitely a little girl who loves dirt as much as her dresses and jewelry. I guess it's good to be well-rounded! :)

For my Best Girl, the highlight of the entire season was getting a trophy on Monday night. After watching her brother bring home the goods for several years, she was very excited to have a trophy of her own.

My Best Girl had a fun season, and I hope she will enjoy many more!

Labels:


  posted at 8:40 AM  
  1 comments



Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Happy Birthday to My Best Girl!
Six years ago today, my Best Girl entered the world with a bang. On Saturday, we were able to celebrate with Grammy, Papa, Grandma, and Papa Don. A party at Chuck-E-Cheese with friends is coming up later in the week, but I thought I would share my six-year-old's excitement from Saturday.

A Pillow Pet! (She loves anything snuggly.)

Wow! More Silly Bandz to add to the collection. These are the Disney Princesses, so they are extra special.

Can you tell she's excited to have her own Mario Kart DS game? Her brother is excited about this as well because now she won't borrow his.

At the end of it all, she decided to rest. This didn't last long!

My Best Girl's main birthday present will arrive at our home in mid-November, but we are hoping to meet our new puppy next week. We'll share pictures when we have them!

I am so thankful for my Best Girl. I can't believe she is six. I hope she will always be my girl, even when she is not so little!

Labels:


  posted at 7:06 AM  
  5 comments



Monday, October 25, 2010
Encouraging Words
My Best Girl can be a handful, but she is also my big encourager. Ever since I started running, she has been my number one fan. On Sunday morning during worship, she passed me this note:

Just in case you can't read kindergarten writing, the note says, "I know that you can run your race at Disney World." She knows I am working hard, and I am so thankful to have such a supportive cheerleader!

Labels:


  posted at 6:59 AM  
  2 comments



Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Pitcher
It seems like yesterday that my Favorite Boy was five and playing in his first baseball game. I remember his first game vividly because it was 32 degrees outside! (Click here and here to read two posts from my former/deleted blog related to his first game; but, I didn't add the pictures in when I recovered the text.)

It's difficult to believe that he is now old enough to pitch! This fall, he has gotten to try his arm out, and he has had a good experience so far. Here's my lefty (in his rec specs that he thinks are totally cool):

Fall baseball is winding down, and I know my Favorite Boy has enjoyed his season. As always, I have enjoyed watching him play. I know the spring season will be here before we know it!

Labels:


  posted at 11:51 AM  
  1 comments



Saturday, October 16, 2010
It's Official!
I registered last night for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, and I made my room reservation this morning. I am so excited that my friend Rachel, a college buddy and great runner, is going with me. Although she will finish much more quickly than I do, it will be so much fun to have a friend there. Also, we are planning to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour, which is a behind the scenes tour in Magic Kingdom. I am so excited about this! Since kids can't take this tour, it's not something I would do during our family trips. The tour will be perfect for a girls' weekend, and I know it is something that Rachel will enjoy as well. Both of us will be celebrating our birthdays around the time of the half-marathon, so by the end of the weekend, I hope we'll both be wearing Disney birthday buttons as well as our race bling!

Now...I guess I better get back to training!

Labels: ,


  posted at 9:27 AM  
  4 comments



Thursday, October 14, 2010
Motivation
I have mentioned this before, but I work much better when I have a goal in mind. I currently have a few things that are motivating me to get moving!

DH Dash 10K: I signed up for a 10K on November 6th. I am already motivated to stick with my running schedule because of the Princess Half-Marathon in February, but I am glad to have an event coming up soon. It's nice to have short-term goals while working on a big, long-term goal!

Our Upcoming Addition: We will be adding a puppy to our family the weekend before Thanksgiving. This is giving me a huge amount of motivation to get my house in order. I am cleaning, organizing, purging, etc... Get ready, Goodwill. I'm coming with a van full of stuff! I realize that we are getting a dog, not a baby. But, I do feel a nesting desire like I did in the end stages of pregnancy. I know the puppy will take a lot of my time in the early weeks, so I want to be as ready as possible!

Vacation and Christmas: Before the puppy arrives, the kids and I are heading to Disney World. So, preparing for that is on my list as well. Between a vacation and a puppy in November, I would like to have as many Christmas things taken care of as possible, including decorating and gift buying before we leave for our trip.

Scrapbooking: When the kids started school, one of my goals was to catch up with scrapbooking. I have done none of that. Since I know I will have lots of puppy, Disney, and holiday pics coming up, scrapbooking is high on my to-do list (just not as high as the other things in this list).

I am super motivated right now, so I hope I will be able to report that I have checked many of these things off my list very soon. Realistically, I know I won't manage them all, but I hope to make great strides!

Labels:


  posted at 4:06 PM  
  2 comments



Sunday, October 10, 2010
Fall Fun
We enjoyed a beautiful fall weekend. Well, it was actually 90 degrees (which I am completely fine with), so it felt like summer with a fall flair. My Favorite Boy had a baseball game first thing on Saturday morning, so my Best Girl and I dropped him and his dad off at the cages for batting practice and then headed to the local farmer's market. The market was having a scarecrow festival, and there were free pumpkins and face painting for the kids. After picking up my eggs and produce, my Best Girl and I headed over to pick a pumpkin. My Best Girl selected her favorite and was able to paint it as well.

After painting her pumpkin, she got a pumpkin patch painted on her face. She loves having her face painted, and the threat of having to wash up after the baseball game was enough to keep her relatively clean during her brother's game (she is normally covered in chalk and dirt after baseball games).

In the afternoon, we headed to a chili supper/bonfire/hayride with my husband's extended family. His cousins host this every year, and it is so much fun. This young lady, who was my flower girl over 14 years ago, offered to take my Best Girl to see the barn when we arrived. She may have regretted this later as my Best Girl was attached to her hip for the rest of the evening.

Several people had dogs, and my Best Girl enjoyed them. They gave her a good sniffing, which she thought was hilarious. I can't wait to see how much she will enjoy having her own dog!

This is my hubby with his mom (aka Grandma) and aunt. The dark spot on Grandma's chin is not a beard. :) She fell this week and has some bumps and bruises. Papa Don (my husband's father) had a bike wreck this week as well, so they both looked banged up. We are glad they weren't hurt more seriously!

My Favorite Boy always enjoys playing with his cousins. Accidentally, I managed to get a picture that included him and his three first cousins. The girl and boy behind him in the tug-of-war line are his twin cousins, and the blonde in the background is their younger sister who is same age as my Favorite Boy. They live in Georgia, and we don't get to see them often enough!

After dinner, the younger crew set out for a hayride. Dad rode along with them, so I snapped one not-so-clear picture before they left.

Finally, the kids enjoyed S'mores around the campfire.

It was such a fun day, and we know the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. My Best Girl was asleep by the time we hit the main road, and her brother followed soon after!

Labels: ,


  posted at 12:43 PM  
  2 comments



Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Unexpected
Unbelievably, Dad gave into the puppy request in less than 48 hours! We are getting a dog! It will be at least six weeks before we bring one home, but I am on the hunt for the perfect pet. I'm hoping to visit a breeder next week, and I am picking up a pile of books at the library today (anyone who knows my obsessive tendencies won't be surprised by this).

This is truly proof of how much dads love their little girls!

Labels: ,


  posted at 1:56 PM  
  0 comments



Monday, October 4, 2010
On the Road Again
I am happy to report that I am running again. I started back a little over a month ago, and this morning I ran 4.5 miles, which was my longest distance before I stopped in June. Although I missed the 10K that I wanted to do on Labor Day, I found a 10K for November 6th, and I am planning to register for my goal, the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, by the end of October. My dream of participating in the Disney half seemed so far away when the idea first hatched in January, but it is getting closer and closer.

I am using the Jeff Galloway/interval style of running. Before I stopped in June, I was doing a 4min run/1min walk ratio. Right now, I am doing 3/1, but I'll bump it up at some point. I am really enjoying this format because it breaks long runs up into manageable segments. I am sure there are some hard-core runners out there who would call this cheating, but since Jeff Galloway was an Olympian, I am not going to worry. If he can do it, I can, too!

I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I am really looking forward to reaching my goal at the end of February!

Labels:


  posted at 8:18 AM  
  0 comments



Saturday, October 2, 2010
Hodge Podge
Hooray! My template is back! I am so happy about this. I know I've had the same template for a while, but I love it, and I would have been sad to lose it. I don't know for sure how it was restored, but I do think that information from a friend helped me out. Thanks, Stacy!

Here's a brief run down of some things that are going on around here.

We have been very busy lately, but in a good way. I've posted about my Best Girl playing softball, but my Favorite Boy is playing baseball and flag football as well. (We normally don't allow him to participate in two activities at once, but we made a one time exception this season for various reasons.) We have some kind of practice or game almost every night, but it has been fun, and it has gone more smoothly than I expected.

I've been eating much healthier in the last few months, and I have lots of food posts in my brain. I didn't make these changes to lose weight, but I have lost about 18 pounds. This puts me at my wedding-day weight, and I never thought I would be there again! Today, however, I threw caution to the wind at ate cupcakes from Gigi's. We had our annual fall festival at the kids' school last night, and I won the cupcakes at the silent auction. Let me tell you that Strawberry Shortcake and White Midnight Magic are delicious, and I still have Peanut Butter Cup and Banana Creme Pie to sample. The kids finished off the Texas Milk Chocolate version. I guess if I am eating healthy most of the time, a little bit of junk won't hurt!

In other news, I am trying to talk my husband into allowing my daughter to have one of these (I really want it, too):

It's a Shichon (or Zuchon), which is a Shih Tzu/Bichon mix. Isn't it adorable? It would make a great pet (as soon as we crate train it). I am hoping to persuade Dad in time for my Best Girl's birthday, but I don't know how much luck I will have. We'll see!

Labels: , ,


  posted at 5:16 PM  
  3 comments



Previous Posts
  • A Disney December, The Final Chapter
  • A Disney December, Part Five
  • A Disney December, Part Four
  • A Disney December, Part Three
  • A Disney December, Part Two
  • A Disney December, Part One
  • Backtracking
  • December Happenings
  • Update on Me
  • Thanksgiving

  • Categories
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • Children's Books
  • Disney
  • Family and Friends
  • Fun
  • General
  • Hodge Podge
  • Life Lessons
  • Me
  • My Best Girl
  • My Favorite Boy
  • Running
  • Small Talk
  • Wordless Wednesday

  • Archives
  • January 2007
  • February 2007
  • March 2007
  • April 2007
  • May 2007
  • June 2007
  • July 2007
  • August 2007
  • September 2007
  • October 2007
  • November 2007
  • December 2007
  • January 2008
  • February 2008
  • March 2008
  • April 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2008
  • July 2008
  • August 2008
  • September 2008
  • November 2008
  • December 2008
  • January 2009
  • February 2009
  • April 2009
  • January 2010
  • February 2010
  • March 2010
  • April 2010
  • May 2010
  • June 2010
  • July 2010
  • August 2010
  • September 2010
  • October 2010
  • November 2010
  • December 2010
  • January 2011
  • February 2011
  • March 2011
  • April 2011
  • May 2011
  • June 2011
  • July 2011
  • August 2011
  • September 2011
  • October 2011
  • November 2011
  • December 2011
  • January 2012
  • February 2012
  • March 2012
  • April 2012
  • May 2012
  • June 2012
  • August 2012
  • September 2012
  • October 2012
  • November 2012
  • December 2012
  • January 2013

  • My Reading Pile



    Credits
    Blog Design by:


    Images from:
    istockphoto

    Powered by:


    Meter: