Blue or Pink: What Do You Think?

Last week was our big ultrasound appointment in which we got to see our little one swimming around on a fuzzy black and white screen. We discussed whether or not we would find out the gender, and both agreed we needed to know! We wanted to plan for Baby # 2's arrival and prepare Grace for the life-changing addition of a little brother or sister. 

She is very sweet to my belly, and she seems to understand there is a baby in there. She pets it, plays little drum beats on it and kisses it goodnight. Although I'm pretty sure she has no idea that the baby will eventually live outside of my tummy... crying, pooping and touching her stuff!

Grace wore her "I'm Going to Be a Big Sister" shirt to school

The appointment and ultrasound went well, and we even found out that our little one was measuring a week ahead of my original due date. 

We sent announcements to our families via snail mail, so that meant we knew the big news, but had to waaaaaiiiiit a few days until their packages arrived. That was torture, and they were very impatient to know whether it would be a baby boy or girl. 

But the boxes finally arrived...

Quail Egg Pregnancy Announcement from TheQuailCottage

With special instructions...

Cute packaging keeps the egg safe during shipping. 

and a special announcement..

IT'S A BOY!

Due January 16, 2015

Eek! A Boy! Now we are busy organizing, preparing and discussing names for our sweet little boy's birth. Over half way there!

#21weeks

Cravings: cheese

Feeling: the need to organize

Summer Fun

Long time, no blog. Bad Allison!

But... I have a good excuse. We've been busy enjoying the summer. Our college friend just got stationed in N.C. What a small world! We also went on a getaway to a house on Lake Wylie and got to spend some time with my Mom, sister and her boyfriend. 

Sunrise on Lake Wylie

Grace (and the rest of us) got a little sick, but she was a trooper and for once was willing to lay on the couch and be cuddled and held. (I don't think Grandma minded.)

Finally, Grace is the esteemed graduate of a music class!These pictures are from Grace's last Music Together class. If you live in Fayetteville, this class is awesome and the teacher is wonderful. This was by far my favorite activity Grace has participated in! She learned so much and really seemed to enjoy every minute of the class as well as the CD of songs. We LOVED it!

Now, if I can just get her past her obsession with Trot Ole Joe!

Ain't Nobody Got Time For Zombies

In the past few weeks, I've been busy running from Zombies, bumpin' it up with the Lovely Lady Bumps, cultivating my green thumb and acting like a complete DIVA.

Let me explain:

A group of my Stroller Strides mama friends and I did the Zombie Escape at Panic Point. It's a 5K mud run with 20 obstacles and "zombies" roaming the coarse trying to steal your flags (like capture the flag).  It was a dirty, disgusting mess, and it was a blast. We made matching shirts using iron-on transfer paper that said, "Zombie Bait."

Font: Gogozombie and Cracked

I designed it in Photoshop, and then flipped the image for printing. With a simple iron, I was able to transfer the image from the paper onto the shirts. Fun! 

Here are some of the other t-shirt sayings/designs we were considering:

 

This picture was after the very first obstacle- so much for white shirts! 

Finish line glory! Way to go ladies!

I've also been spending some time with my favorite pastime- volleyball! MWR hosted a women's volleyball league, and we were able to pull together a pretty darn good team of ladies. We made it to the 5th round of double elimination playoffs, and I think we finished in the top 6 out of 15 teams. So proud!

After our final lose in the playoffs. End of season lays courtesy of Amber. 

Also vying for my attention was our new front yard. We finally (I know, sorry neighbors!) got grass put down in the front yard and added some trees. I will freely admit that I have never been able to keep a plant alive, but Cole seems pretty committed to the grass' well-being. With sod, I guess you have to make sure it gets plenty of water the first month so that the roots take and all of the strips of sod grow together. This means morning and evening watering... BY HAND! I've been doing some rain dancing for the sake of our water bill.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago, and luckily we've got some rain, so it's even greener now!

Finally, the last weekend of April, was the Diva Half Marathon in North Myrtle Beach. I've been nursing a IT band injury, so I was questionable about running this race....but....I paid the nonrefundable entry fee....and booked the nonrefundable hotel room... and really wanted my finisher bling....so I ended up running anyways. 

L: At the starting line at sunrise. Top R: Pre-run smiles Bottom R: A sea of pink, and I love the "Preserve the Sexy" shirt! 

Cole, Grace and I headed to the beach for a little R&R&R (rest, relaxation and running)! The course was very flat, well marked and had tons of spectators along the way. As I ran the first mile, I passed our hotel and Cole and Grace were out on the balcony waving! It was awesome. My knee felt pretty good until about mile nine, but at that point I wasn't about to give up. I finished with a 2:05 time, but I feel pretty positive that without my knee bothering me, I could have beat 2 hours... Maybe next year! 

Here's the finisher medal that was awarded to me by a shirtless fireman. They also hand out long stem red roses and flutes of champagne at the finish line. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I also got a teeny-tiny t-shirt and tiara and pink boa to wear as I crossed the finish line. 

So that's the scope from the last month. Now I'm trying really hard to rest my knee before I gear up training for my first marathon in October- the Marine Corps Marathon!  Rest is no fun, though. I'm thinking about signing up for the Fort Bragg Army Birthday 10 Miler and the Airborne Special Operations Museum 10K. 

Ain't nobody got time for injuries. 

Lily Bomb Review

When it comes to work out gear, I’m addicted! Honestly, how many pairs of running capris and Dri FIT shirts can I have? Housewives and stay-at-home moms get a bad rap for staying in their pj’s or yoga pants all day, but I GET IT! My workout gear is super comfy, easy to move in, and can survive a run, grocery shopping and feeding meals to a toddler. However, sometimes, I do like to spruce it up and add a little pizazz to my gear. Good thing there is Lily BombAthletic Wear. 

The nice team over at Lily Bomb offered to let me try out one of their running skirts. I have a couple of running skirts with built-in shorts, but Lily Bomb’s sparkle skirts are made to wear over your favorite shorts, capris or pants. This makes them perfect for races or team events! You can still wear your road-tested gear, but throw on a sparkle skirt for some extra flair.  

AT FIRST GLANCE: I received my Lily Bomb A Line Sparkle Running Skirt via regular snail mail. The skirt is made of sequins and a stretchy nylon mesh fabric, so it’s very light-weight. The cut of the skirt is flattering, but I do wish that the bottom edge had a hem to make it look a little more finished. (I also worry that eventually it might start to fray…)

Sparkly sequin material of the skirt in Kelly Green

TEST DRIVE: I decided to wear my skirt for the first time on a 5-mile trail run with my daughter and husband. My hubby thought the skirt was a little flashy and unnecessary, but later admitted, “…it might make it easier for traffic to see you when you’re running.”

Pre-run photo courtesy of my obliging husband

I wore the skirt over my Nike capris. The ¾ inch black elastic waist band is thin enough that I couldn’t even feel it over my normal pants. It stayed put while I ran, and I basically forgot I was even wearing the skirt.

I did feel a bit self-conscious stepping out for the first time in my sequin skirt, but I think it put a smile on my face and made me feel a little like Tinker Bell! Grace especially loved the sparkly fabric.

To wash the skirt, I just rinsed it by hand in the sink and hung it up to dry. I usually hate anything I can’t just wash with the rest of my clothes, but it was easy, and I wasn’t really worried about the skirt being dirty-seeing as I wore it over my capris.

GET IT OR FORGET IT: I would absolutely recommend a Lily Bomb skirt if you are planning on doing races or fun runs. I am planning my outfit around my new skirt for the Diva HalfMarathon at Myrtle Beach next month! The skirts are perfect for teams or relays, too, because everyone can match, but still wear whatever gear is comfortable for them to race in.  You can’t beat the price, either. Starting at $15 a piece, Lily Bomb Skirts are very reasonable priced.

If you are looking for a running skirt for everyday runs/workouts I would caution that this skirt is seriously sparkly. Be ready for some attention if you’re sporting it around town! You may want to stay tuned for “The Training Collection” Non-Sparkly Running Skirt, which is supposed to be coming soon. I think that is definitely the skirt I would like to rock for my next workout! 

GET IT: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LilyBombAthleticWear

PRICE: Youth- $8-$10 Misses- $15-$27

SIZES: XS-XXL

COLORS: Black, Purple, Silver, Turquoise, Lavender, Royal Blue, Red, Gold, Lime, Kelly Green and Fuchsia  

In other running-related news, I think I've narrowed down which marathon I'm going to sign up for... It will be my very first one! Open registration for the Marine Corps Marathon in October is this Wednesday (tomorrow!). I"ll be gunning for one of the 30,000 spots! (Fingers crossed!)

Photo Credit

 If not, my back-up is the Asheville Citizen-Times City Marathon in September. 

Photo Credit

*I received a complimentary skirt from Lily Bomb in exchange for my review. Opinions expressed are that of the site owner. 

B Is For Book (and Baby)

YAY! I finished Grace's baby book! Here are just a few of my favorite pages:

I made it using Booksmart from Blurb. I'm obsessed with Blurb. There are tons of book making sites around now, but I started using Blurb a few years ago. The quality is great, and the free design software lets you customize your layout however you like!

I decided that I am going to fill in the information by hand. My sister convinced me it would be more special and meaningful for Grace to have the book handwritten when she's older.

I agree! There's nothing I love more than using a great pen on a shiny new piece of paper... taking my time to make sure my penmanship is perfect... Soooo excited!

I'm placing my order tonight, and I can't wait to buy an awesome new ball point pen, and start journaling the entries!

Use the code NEWBK2012 at Blurb to save $10 if you spend $50 or more by January 31, 2012.

You're welcome! ;)

Hey Baby, It Looks Like Rain

I just received an invitation in the mail today for my baby shower! Wow! I'm having a baby shower! Crazy! My amazing sister, Jennifer, and my friend, Jessica, are co-hosting it! (I'm so lucky!) Check out how adorable they are:



They are from a company called Tiny Prints, and I am utterly obsessed! They also carry stationary and personalized greeting cards for any and every occasion! I'm so excited for all of my friends and family to get their cute invites, and I'm hoping I'll get a chance to see everyone before we ship out to North Carolina.

Current craving: maple donuts (don't judge me!)

Bisbee, AZ

Being at home all week while Cole is at school makes me really look forward to the weekends! This weekend we headed up to Bisbee, AZ with some friends. While I'm not very good with directions or geography, I can tell you that Bisbee is a little over 30 minutes away from Ft. Huachuca/Sierra Vista. It's a pretty easy drive as long as you can get past the whole "hills have eyes" feeling... Anyways, Bisbee used to be a mining town, but now it is more of a hippy hangout tourist attraction. There are tons of mini art galleries, antique shops, bars and B&B's. It kind of reminds me of a cross between Placerville and Coloma. We ate at Santiago's (cheese enchiladas), walked down main street, met a pot head potter, had drinks at The Copper City Hotel Bar (virgin strawberry daiquiri) and hung out at the Old Bisbee Brewing Co. (homemade root beer).

Current Craving: Bangkok Cuisine in Reno (chicken yellow curry and chicken pud thai with the potato flat bread...mmmmmm)