Summer Fun - Aunt Sarah Comes to Visit!

Aunt Sarah came to visit a couple weeks back for several days and we had a great time! We had a grill out with a bunch of the family, got nails done, went to Incredible Pizza, did some shopping and went to Maddy's last soccer game. It was fun!

Colby and Sarah:


Sarah showing Maddy and Colby all of her makeup stuff -- they were very intrigued by this!:


Riding the rollercoaster simulator at Incredible Pizza:


Go-Karts!


Watching Maddy's last soccer game of the season:


Acting goofy at the BBQ:


The giant whale that took way too long to blow up ;-):

Summer Fun - Rathbun Lake!

We took a trip down to Honey Creek Resort at Rathbun Lake last week with Grandma and Grandpa Kennedy. The cottage we stayed in was very nice and new and the indoor waterpark was perfect for Maddy and Colby. Maddy could touch in all the pools and Colby was content staying in the "little kids" area as there were 2 pretty decent sized slides for him to go on. The weather was colder and rainy, but we still got a lot of swimming in, fishing, golfing (Jeremy), and a guided nature walk. It was a fun week!

Maddy getting ready for her kayaking lesson:


There she goes!


Colby testing out the water:


The really cool playground on the resort:


Grandma loving the playgroud as well!


Me and Jeremy:


Climbing the real rock wall:


We made it to the top!


Colby chillin' in the cabin:


Taking a break at the deer look-out on our nature hike:

Summer Fun -- Father's Day!

We had a nice Father's Day this year. We went to church and then headed over to the Blank Park zoo. It was a nice day and not too crowded. We spent the afternoon just relaxing at home and grilling for dinner!

Jeremy with Maddy and Colby on the bridge -- they love their Dad!!


Maddy and Jeremy on the train:

Last Day of Kindergarten!!

Monday was Maddy's last day of Kindergarten! I can't believe it! She had such a great year and really loved school. She has learned so much this year and made a lot of new friends. Now time to relax and just enjoy the summer!!! Great job Maddy!!! We are so proud of you!!!!

Pictures before heading out in the morning:




Going out for ice cream after school to celebrate:

Dam to Dam - Thoughts.......

Distance - 20K (12.4 miles)
Runners - 8,000 registered 7,037 finishers
Overall place - 1,029
Division place - 217 out of 755 (women 30-34 age group)

Personal Goal - Under 2 hours
Actual Time - 1 hour 59 min. 53 sec.
Pace - 9 min. 39 sec. per mile

Wow, that was close! I made my goal within 7 seconds. I did drink lots of water before the race and was not able to get out of the line-up to use the bathroom, so I had to make a bathroom stop at mile 3 (and wait in line), so I figure that added about 5 min. to my time (without the bathroom break I would have been at a 9 min. 15 sec. pace per mile). I am still pretty mad at myself for not planning that better, but I guess you live and learn!

The race was a cool experience. Running from Saylorville Lake all the way to downtown Des Moines was pretty neat. It was harder than the half-marathon I ran last year as this was not a flat course like the half-marathon was. There were several hills along the way and a pretty long and tough one at mile 11 that was rough. It was also hot and humid (72 degrees when the race started at 7am). The marathon was in the 60's and was pretty much perfect running weather. This race was also a little early for me in terms of running. I am not a good early morning runner, so it definately was more challenging for me (and my stomach!) to push through it. My best runs are generally late afternoon/early evening.

All that aside, I am glad I did it and can now say that I ran this very well-known race here in DSM!! I am feeling great and love the fact that I have the time, health and energy to keep running!!

Right after the race -- I felt pretty decent for awhile and then pretty sick for awhile :-):


Maddy and Colby sitting with me while I recover:

Hello Blog!!

Where have I been?!? Running a lot and chasing the kids around outside --- whew! I am back on a roll now that Dam to Dam (which I have been training for the past couple months) is done! 12.4 miles with 8,000 other runners (where do these people come from?!) was quite the experience. I will update on that in the next post!

In the meantime, here is a picture of Colby doing one of his favorite summer activities......Mowing with Dad!!!




Colby in a zone -- He gets really serious and pushes his mower the entire time Jeremy is mowing -- it takes almost an hour!


Some more mowing -- Colby will talk about it all day long if he knows Jeremy is planning to mow the lawn that night....he will say "Dadda mow" over and over all day until Jeremy gets home from work!