Crossfit and Half Ironman

Six weeks ago I started taking classes at Crossfit Bloomield and I am hooked!  I was looking for a new wokout regimine after completing the half marathon so I could switch things up a bit for the Winter.  An acquaintance from high school opened this branch of Crossfit and I had heard a lot about it before I signed up but I really had no idea what I was in for!  It is bootcamp/athletic training at its best and I can’t believe how much stronger I feel after just 6 weeks.  I was never an athlete growing up so this has been a real physical and emotional challenge for me but I feel on top of the world every time I complete the WOD (workout of the day).  Right now I go twice a week while Lilly is at school and Aunt Martha and Aunt Terry help to watch Robin.  I’m hoping to bring Bill along on weekends.  A great place to check out!

Here is a video that explains a bit about the class:

Meanwhile Bill is in ‘pre-training’ for the Lake Stevens Half Ironman on July 15, 2012 – 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. He swims in the early mornings in Salt Lake City during the week (still travelling there for work) and bikes and runs (we usually run together) on the weekends. He has the biking and running down pretty well and is taking private swim lessons at TWEAK in Birmingham on occasional weekends. 70.3!

Robin at 7 Months

Dear Robin,

Can you please stop trying to grow up so quickly?  I cannot imagine you any more sweet than you are right now.  I LOVE 7 months!!!

It’s hard to describe Robin at this stage because every moment with her is so special.  She is ‘for real’ crawling (started doing the army crawl and getting around a month ago but the past few days she has been doing a real hands and knees crawl) and communicating with us more and more.  We have to remind ourselves not to laugh at her little protests because even her whining is so darned cute!  Robin always has the most adorable open-mouth smile.  I can’t believe she is 7 months already but at the same time I’ve always felt like she is the most capable person I know.  Is that strange?  It probably has something to do with the fact that Lilly demands a lot of attention at this age but Robin is always content when she’s left alone to watch her surroundings but also loves attention.  She’s so involved with the world around her now, it’s amazing to watch!

It took 7 months but both of Robin’s naps are getting longer (the morning nap has been about 1.5 hours for awhile now but her afternoon nap was always short until recently) and she is finally sleeping through the night (knock on wood – 7pm to 7:30am for about 1 week now)!!!

NYC 6th Anniversary Celebration

MoMa

MoMa

Carriage ride through Central Park

Carriage ride through Central Park

Top of the Rock

Top of the Rock

Bill and I spent our 6th Anniversary in New York City this year!  This was my first visit to NYC and we both enjoyed every minute of our getaway.  We missed the girls so much and talked about them all the time but I knew they were having a great time back at home with Nana Judy (Aunt Martha and Boppa were a big help as well).  I left 6 pages of information for Judy to follow which pretty much covered every single scenario in my absence 🙂 (more for me than for her).  We were very fortunate to have unseasonably warm weather, it was low 60s and sunny during our stay. 

We used up a good portion of Bill’s Starwood Points to stay in a Tiffany Stuite at the St. Regis Hotel, which was beautiful and in the best possible location for us.  I’ve stayed in a lot of nice hotels but being greeted by our own personal butler when we got off the elevator was a first!  We checked all the major items off our list and had time to catch up with a friend as well.  We spent two full days touring and were away for one night – left the house at 7am on Friday and returned home on Saturday around 11pm after the girls were sound asleep. 

Our trip:  We arrived at Penn Station and walked the 1.6 miles to our hotel, checking out Times Square on the way.  We had lunch at Pizza Arte (best pizza I’ve ever had), toured 5th Avenue and the amazing shops and department stores in the area (including FAO Schwarz and Bergdorf Goodman).  Everything was decorated for Christmas and the window displays were out of this world.  We then went to the MoMa and got ready for our dinner at Candle 79 on the Upper East Side.  The vegan restaurant was exactly what we were looking for, a truly special dinner. We finished the evening off with a carriage ride through Central Park and drinks at the top of The Peninsula.  On Saturday we went to Top of the Rock and the Met, then we toured Greenwich Village and walked through Little Italy and China Town to meet Mimi for lunch on the Lower East Side.  We walked around Columbus Circle and the Time Warner Center before getting ready to head home.  Bill and I were both exhausted from everything we packed in and all the walking but had a wonderful time celebrating and touring the city together.  Next time we will return with the whole family!

For the complete set of random photos we took in NYC, click here.

From Inchworm to Crawl

4 days ago Robin was still doing the inchworm, but this weekend she decided to crawl! Check out these videos to see her in action!

Staycation and Vacation

Bill has lots of vacation time with PWC but it sure is hard for him to find an opportunity to use it! This year he has 4.5 weeks of vacation plus 3 additional weeks of paternity leave. He’s using 2 weeks (paternity leave) right now and will take 2 weeks while we are in AZ for Christmas. Hopefully he’ll have an opportunity to take some more off early in the year. We love having daddy home!!! <3

Thanksgiving 2011

With so much to be thankful for this year it’s no wonder why we had such a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We watched the parade with the girls and went to Nana and Boppa’s house for an early dinner with the family.  Aunt Terry and Gary, Aunt Martha, Uncle Jack, Jessica, and Gordon joined us for dinner.  Bill and I made a sweet potato torte from vegetarian times which turned out really well.  Lilly and Robin were on their best behavior and Lilly loved the chocolate mice that Aunt Terry made for dessert.  We talked to Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Todd, Nana Peggy, and Uncle Mark, who spent their holiday with family and frieinds.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For the complete set of photos, click here.

Halloween 2011

Our caterpillar and butterfly had lots of fun on Halloween! Bill worked from home for the day so he was able to celebrate with us. After finally convincing Lilly to wear her costume, we took the girls to several houses in the neighborhood and saw plenty of kids dressed up for the night. Lilly was excited at first but seemed to get a bit overwhelmed at the end, probably because she had one of her rare ‘no nap’ days. She ate her first candy bar (a miniature one) and talked about the ‘silly monsters’ and ghosts that she saw. Her sugar high made an appearance earlier in the day when we decorated cookies for Halloween. A fun day!

For the complete set of photos, click here.