Our Weekend in Birmingham

Last month we visited  Birmingham, AL.  We had a great time at the Birmingham Zoo, cheering on Casey at his 21k trail race at Oak Mountain State Park and taking in some local restaurants and breweries.  We had a great time together.  There were so many pictures I wanted to share I just decided to make a slide show.

We Love Chattanooga

Last month we took a weekend getaway to our favorite southern city Chattanooga, TN.  We had a great time together visiting some of our favorite places while taking in new tourist attractions as well.  Here are some of our favorite pictures from that weekend. 

Buddies!

Catching some water at the splash pad in Coolidge Park.

Enjoying a family run together.

Colby was excited to take a trip on the incline railway.

Ella and Bitty.

Taking in some views of Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain - the top of the incline railway.

Running . . . . a Way of Life

Casey and I have been reading a lot of running quotes lately.  Here are a few we like:
"Run for your life" 

"Make an effort not an excuse!"

"If it was easy, everyone would do it!" 

 "Believe you can do it. Think no other way but 'Yes you can.' The human body is capable of considerably more physical endurance than most of us realize."
-Paul Reese

This one we especially love:

"People ask why I run. I say, If you have to ask, you will never
understand. It is something only those select few know. Those who put
themselves through pain, but know, deep down, how good it really
feels." -Erin Leonard

In 2008 after Ella was born Casey lost 80 pounds.  He did this by eating healthier and running on a daily basis.  He has been in a total of 40 races (a couple of 25k's, several half marathons and countless others).  I watched how Casey would come back from his runs with a calm over him.  I was always envious.  After Colby was born in 2010 I decided to try my hand at running.  It wasn't easy to get started.  There were many times in the beginning when I felt like crying and quitting.  My muscles hurt, my lungs burned and my mind told me to quite.  With Casey's encouragement I kept at it and now I am addicted!  I once said I would never run a half marathon and I just completed my first one this spring.  I have signed up for another this fall.  Casey will be doing a 50K and a marathon this fall as well.  When people ask us "Why do you run?" I can honestly say it is more than just the act of  running.  It is the rush you get during a run, it is the euphoric feeling you get when you have pushed yourself to run further than you though you could, it means family time together, it means running "dates" for Casey and I, it means being out in nature, it means feeling a general body calmness when you are done, it means being lost in your thoughts and it means teaching our children to live an active healthy lifestyle.   Running has become a way of life for us and we are a better family unit because of it. 

Our blog is usually about our kids but this time the video is about the many running events we have taken part in :)  I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it! 

Daddy Daughter Dance

Last Saturday Ella and Casey went to a Daddy Daughter dance at church with a renaissance theme.  After looking around for costumes in the area and on line I decided to make them myself.  I added the skirt to a play dress Ella already had (the existing skirt on it was very short).  I also made her head piece.  I copied Casey's costume from a picture I had found online.  They both had a great time and finished their date together with some frozen yogurt at a new store that had just opened. 

 

Ella participating in the may pole activity.

Happy Easter

Colby Dancing

The other night while we were listening to music Ella and Colby started dancing. Colby really got into it this time! I was grateful my camera was handy to catch the moment. Although the lighting for the video isn't the best you can see why Colby put a smile on our faces.

A Night at the Gaylord OpryLand Hotel

Last week Casey had to travel to Nashville for a conference. The kids and I decided to go with him. We had a great time staying a night at the beautiful Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

Ella and Colby checking out one of the many fountains inside the hotel.

Ella thought these horses were really funny!

Checking out another fountain with Daddy.

Playing checkers at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant after breakfast.

The kids loved taking a ride on the Delta River Boat tour at the hotel.

Our Trip to Florida

Our trip to Florida in March was wonderful. We did lots of fun things while spending time with Mimi and Pup. We even got to spend a couple of days with Nina and Bonka because of their travels in the area. There were so many great memories and lots of awesome pictures that it was hard to pick what to put in the blog. I have attempted to highlight all of our adventures but be sure to check back for a slide show I will be posting in a day or two.

Our drive to Florida took 13.5 hours and our drive home took 14 hours. The kids and the dogs were excellent travelers.

My parents were attending a Shrine event in Tampa and decided to make the short drive to Venice to spend a couple of days with us.

The first weekend we were there I ran my first half marathon (Sarasota Half Marathon and Relay) and loved it. I can't wait to do another!

We spent some time downtown Venice shopping, going to the farmer's market and playing in the little splash park! The kids loved getting wet :)

Ella and Colby enjoyed trying to catch the water.

During our week we got lots of beach time in. Colby wasn't so sure he liked the waves at first.

One of our favorite things to do during our visit is go to drum circle at Nakomis Beach. While the sun is setting there is always a big crowd of drummers and dancers on the beach. It is fun to watch. From year to year we have made sure to take family photos in front of the sunset.

Ella and Colby in front of a fire truck at a local car show.

Chloe and Fenway love going to the beach too!

Each year we always try to see a Red Sox spring training game. This year we saw a game in the new JetBlue Park. Colby picked out his first Red Sox baseball hat after the game.

While visiting Historic Spanish Point Ella was quite amazed by this shell waterfall. For those of you who don't know Ella LOVES shells.

In February Ella, Colby and I went to Maine for a week to see family. The kids had a blast playing with the cousins and loved being around their aunties, uncles, grandparents and great grandmother. We went bowling, visited the American Girl Store, had a movie night and went sledding. It was really sad when we had to leave but we are already counting down the time until we visit again in the summer. Below is a video that shows most of the pictures from our week.

A Trip To Maine

We love our dogs!

Chloe has been a wonderful addition to our family. She loves all of us and we love her! Here is a picture I took one night of Fenway and her cuddling together on the couch!

Chloe loves to cuddle! This is one of my favorite pictures of her napping with Ella.

Fenway loves Ella too!

Fenway especially loves to hold hands. He is always putting his paw on us when we are relaxing . Here is a picture of Fenway holding Casey's hand while on a road trip.

Ella Turns FOUR!!!

On February 4th Ella turned four years old! She celebrated her birthday with many of her special friends. Her Mimi and Pup were also able to join us :) The theme of her party was Mommy and Me. Ella picked it because she loves to play with her Bitty baby and all of her baby doll toys. At the party everyone brought along their special doll :)

The cupcake Ella decorated at her party. The big ones were for the Mommies and the little ones for the babies :)

Ella and her Bitty Baby. They love each other VERY much!!!!!

The baby carrier Ella got as a birthday present.

Mimi and Pup got Ella a guitar for her birthday. She is becoming a wonderful musician :)

Ella was very excited to celebrate her birthday at school. She shared these pink cake pops with her class. They were a big hit.

Go Patriots!!!

We are ready for the game tonight!!! Go Patriots!!!

Ella wanted to add a funny face picture too ;)
Go Patriots!!!

Happy New Year

Casey and I began dating ten years ago on New Year's Eve. To celebrate our "anniversary" we went for a family hike to Rainbow Mountain and took in the last sunset of 2011. When we got home Casey made the most delicious dinner! He made beef wellington, roasted fingerling potatoes and a warm wilted winter greens salad with parmesan cheese shavings and pomegranate seeds. It was the best dinner ever!

Casey cooking the meal. He has become quite a chef!

Not only was the dinner fabulous but it was beautiful too!