The Terrific Twos

Last Friday Harper turned two. I cannot believe two years has gone by since I brought this little lady home from the hospital.

Having a two year old is so awesome. She is funny, smart, cute, and makes me laugh every singles day. Her second birthday has been really hard for me. When she turned 1 I was like "cool, she's not a baby anymore." Turning two means she's really not a baby anymore. I love this age so much.

For her birthday, we woke up and opened presents. We got her a Happy Birthday Thomas the train, some Thomas the Train wall clings (she's obsessed with these things), and a Dora puzzle book. She LOVED opening presents.

Then, she and I actually got to hang out because I had a personal day from work to attend a funeral. So we made brownies to take to her friends at daycare and had lunch with Auntie Em who was in town for the funeral as well. My sister picked her up from daycare and she spent the night with my parents. They had a little party for her where she got ice cream, some new toys and an adorable new outfit.

This weekend is her party. I have been crafting some things which I will share, but I think the best part is going to be the bounce house. She loves to jump so I know this will be a hit.

Here are some of my favorite picks of my lovely little pumpkin head.

{I love this picture because she is concentrating so hard}

First running injury

I put in 7 miles today which is the furthest I've ever gone. I felt pretty good. It was raining, so I did it at the gym which was totally boring, but it was a good mental game to push through. I suffered my first injury. Apparently I cut a toe with the toenail of another toe because I took my gym shoes off to find a bloody sock underneath. Made me feel like a reel runner. Only three weeks til the race!

Saturday in DC

Another great day in DC. We woke fully rested after a long day yesterday, and apparently under-nourished because Harper at three bowls of cereal and half a peanut butter sandwich before we headed out the door.

(our hotel room is like a mini apartment, so we bought supplies at the CVS)

We hopped on the subway, Harper's new favorite mode of transport, and got to the Natural History Museum when it opened at 10. We got to see fish and lots of bones. In the insect zoo, Harper held back at first, but after seeing other kids do it, she walked right up and petted the hissing cockroach.

After a couple hours in the museum, we headed out to the National Mall and found a grassy area to eat lunch and watch people fly kites. Then we just wandered around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and views.

We headed back to the hotel, where Harper napped, and keeping myself honest, I went for a run. It was a great run because I had so much to look at to keep me preoccupied. Before I knew it 3 miles had gone by.

After nap time, we wandered past the White House and just meandered around until dinner time.

The restaurant we went to served soft pretzels as their bread basket, and once her dinner arrived Harper had the brilliant idea to dunk her pretzel into her macaroni and cheese. Sometimes she amazes me with the things she thinks of.

Tomorrow we plan to spend the day at the zoo and then we head home.

Friday in DC

For Joe's birthday this weekend I planned a family trip to D.C. We started out bright and early Friday morning with a 7:30 flight. The plane only had like10 passengers, so even though Harper was technically a lap child, she got her own seat.

We landed and rode the metro to our hotel. We dropped off our luggage and headed out. We made our way to the American History museum. Being the train lover she is, Harper was fascinated by all the big "chop choo's"

After the museum, Harper was so exhausted, she passed out in her stroller while we ate lunch and walked around the mall. She woke up as we were walking around the Washington Monument, so she got to enjoy her lunch in the shadow of the "big tower."

Then we headed to the tidal basin to see what brought us here...the Cherry Blossoms. We rented a paddle boat and headed out on the water.

WE had heard that the trees blossomed early this year because of all the warm water. We were expecting to see trees that were half green and half blooms. We were wrong. All around the basin were just green trees. We saw a single tree still in bloom, so we paddled over.

The funniest part was the crowd of people around the one tree. They had come to see cherry blossoms, so by golly they were going to.

A great first day in our Capital City.

Up Hill Both Ways

At least that's how it felt last night when I logged my first five mile run. It was a beautiful night and I started out pretty well, but after the first mile I think the next two miles were at a small % uphill grade, which in small amounts you probably wouldn't notice, but over longer distances I could really start to feel in my butt. So when I hit the turn to head back home and knew I would be getting some small declines I was stoked. That's when the wind hit. Apparently I had the wind at my back the whole time. So even though I was headed down hill, the wind in my face was pushing back against me.

All in all though, I did 5.05 miles in 50 minutes. I'm very pleased with that. Now that I know I can do the 5 mile distance, I can focus on picking up the pace a little. Just a little over a month til the quarter marathon!

Spring Break

In my opinion the best perk of being a teacher. Just when you feel like you need to shake the winter grossness out of your closet, house and car...you get a week off to get it all done. I've never been a trip-to-Florida type of spring breaker. I prefer lazing around, getting things done that I've procrastinated, and resting my brain in preparation for the last quarter of the school year. Here's what I have accomplished so far and what I have planned for the rest of my spring break.

Monday: Took Harper to Daycare so I could run errands. I had to take my engagement ring to Jared's so they could fix a bent prong, return some clothes to Sears, buy Harper some new clothes because she is growing like a weed, and shop for a few things for Harper's birthday party. Then I had a HVAC guy come to our house and deliver the fabulous news that we need a new furnace. As far as cleaning, I got all my doors washed, cobwebs vacuumed, curtains washed and Harper's room cleaned

Tuesday: Took Harper to Recreations Outlet to enjoy their indoor playground. We love this place. I am truly amazed at how well she does with taking turns and waiting in line for her turn on the trampoline. Today I swept the floors, wiped down all kitchen surfaces and appliances, washed out bedding and cleaned our room. I also washed a couple loads of laundry.

Wednesday: Harper and I will be hanging around the house while they install a new furnace. The weather should be warmer so we can get out and pull weeds and practice riding her bike a little more. Since I got all my cleaning done already, I'll kick back and catch up on some DVR shows while Harper naps.

Thursday: Harper will spend part of the day at daycare so I can pack for our trip to Washington D.C. Plus, Miss Joanie comes and sings songs on Thursdays and that is her favorite, so I know she'll enjoy going in.

Friday: We take off for a weekend in D.C. We are celebrating Joe's birthday and going to see the cherry blossoms. I'm really excited to get away and show Harper all the cool museums.

That's my week off. I good mix of chores and relaxing. The best part is all the time I get to spend with my little girl.

Weekend Update

What a great weekend. The weather was fantastic. Saturday morning Harper and I went to a puppet show at the library and played outside. The weather has made the curls in her hair super crazy.

Saturday night I went out with some friends from work for St. Patrick's Day. Had a blast.

This morning Joe took Harper to the Train Expo. Apparently they had a blast. The peak of the morning was when she got to ride this awesome train ride.

Joe had to help her, but she had a blast.

And just for kicks, here's a shot of her in one of her new Spring outfits.