Fundraiser

You have to eat, so why not eat for a good cause? We're having a fundraiser tomorrow (Wednesday, March 24th) with Moe's Southwest Grill three locations in Birmingham (Lakeshore, Lorna Road in Hoover and Vestavia at the City Center). Just print off the below flyer and present at check out and they will donate 10% of your check to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This is part of my efforts to raise money through Team In Training to fund research for these nasty blood cancer's. Its a great way to contribute in a huge way....take a friend (be sure to print off more than one) and go and eat at one of these Moe's locations!

Thanks so much. Your support means more to me than you will ever know!

I'll be back soon with some BIG milestones that Collier has reached this week...YIPPIE!

Latest

Here are a few of Collier's latest happenings:

I'm trying to do the whole sign language thing and MORE is the first that that he has picked up on. And honestly does it the whole time he is in his highchair. I have to make him stop eating and stop sharing with Brinkley. I'm thrilled that he is such a good eater, but he is eating me out of the house and isn't even 15 yet! Beginning of March I started giving him whole milk and he is doing really well with it. I'm still nursing twice a day and I am not ready to give that up quite yet!

Ssome of the latest foods he is eating: peaches (not cooked), blueberries, chicken (not pureed), pasta, normal backed potato and of course sweet potatoes, french fry, grits and sometime cheese grits that Grammie makes for him, cheese, eggs, pears, lima beans, bread/rolls, chicken salad and the latest...cucumber!

Yes....the child is WALKING! He has gotten better and balanced as the week has progressed. We took this video on Monday so I'll take another this weekend and share with everyone how good he is doing. He realizes that he is faster by crab crawl, but really prefers to stand and walk if he can be patient enough to get his balance. He is just growing too fast! He has also started showing a bit of a determined/stubborn side. If you take something from him that he doesn't need to have or move him away from something he will tense up his whole body and scream one loud squeal! Growing pains, right? Yet, he is such a blessing and has the sweetest smile that melts my heart!

I have so much to catch up on and share and I don't even know where to start. I'll start with the beautiful weather that we've had the past few days, the end of last week and over the weekend I took full advantage of the perfect weather and ran several times. It was a joy and delight to be outside running (with no knee pain!!) in the cool but not cold temperatures and the bright sun shinning. I loved not being bundled in layers of clothes and gloves, but to feel the fresh air all over...it has been perfect. Although we did have a day and night of showers and storms...those are almost forgotten because the beauty of the other days. Such a joy and I hope that spring will arrive and stay for as long as possible!

Last Thursday my mom packed her car and took Collier to the lake a day ahead of the rest of us. Which left Justin and I alone for a night and we almost didn't know what to do. I felt like I was functioning with out my right arm. But we totally enjoyed ourselves and even got up early on Friday morning to enjoy a delicious breakfast at the Ranch House (If you're in Bham and haven't eaten there...you should) Friday afternoon we drove down to the lake and met Mom, Dad, Chris, Amanda, Ashlyn and Collier to celebrate my Mom's birthday for the weekend. It was so much fun to relax and spend time with everyone and boy was I glad to see my sweet boy....even just one night away and I missed him a ton! Mom and Dad were awesome to have such an adventure with Collier and Ashlyn joined them on Friday for the day as well. Fun to have two cousins play together with their grandparents! I couldn't ask for better grandparents for Collier (all of them), but his Grammie (my mom) is so special to us and I am so thankful for her. I love to watch her interact with Collier and the love that radiates from her brings me such happiness. She is a wonderful mom and friend to me and I am so thankful that God gave her to me as my Mom! She has served as a great example of a women who loves the Lord and shares His love through all that she does! I'm thankful that we live in the same city and that we live so close to one another and I am so thankful for all that she does for my family! We talk, laugh, cry and love together and it is simply wonderful! We're greatly blessed and we wish her a very Happy Birthday with all of our hearts!

The other thing that we did this weekend was attended a sweet friends 1st Birthday party in Dothan. Justin's friend Eddie and his wife Jennifer live in Dothan and they have a little girl, Elizabeth, and she turned 1 this weekend! It was so fun to see so many sweet babies. There were 4 other children there and they were all boys and within 3 months of each other. We got to see some friends we haven't seen in a long time and it was so much fun! I was so glad to be invited and that we were able to make it. They really are very special friend and mean so much to us....Eddie is Collier's godfather. A very special Happy Birthday to Elizabeth!

One of Collier's newest discoveries are Popsicles! Justin gave up chocolate for Lent and so we have fruit Popsicles instead....Last week Justin decided to give Collier a taste and oh boy HE LOVED IT. Now when he sees us with a Popsicle he starts bouncing his arms and squealing with excitement....usually mouth wide open waiting for a bite!

Ok.....IS ANYONE STILL READING?...The final and most nerve racking exciting thing that occurred this weekend was that Collier took his first REAL step...all by himself. We were eating dinner Saturday night and he was crawling around the table and playing. He crawled over to me and stood up and was walking in between our chairs holding on - which is totally normal. All of a sudden he let go and was standing there and suddenly stepped forward and stayed standing up. I couldn't believe it. Tonight he has done it more and more and has taken a few more steps. I've tried to catch it with my camera and can't seem to get the timing right. We can't believe it and to be honest I am not ready for my sweet little baby to be walking yet! I want him to stay curled up in my arms but the hard truth is that he is growing up and quickly becoming a big boy!

Knee Update

After a week and a half running break and lots of stretching, I ran for the first time yesterday. I feel like I'm so far behind in my training but I keep telling myself that this short break now is better for the long term success. When I ran yesterday I took it really slow and easy on the flattest road I could find. It hurt off and on for the first mile. When the pain increased I just walked for a minute and then the pain was gone again. By the end of the 3 miles it wasn't hurting at all. Praise the Lord! I've prayed hard that this would not be a major issue through all of my training and now I know that its just going to take a little extra stretching effort but that I can make it. I was greatly relieved by the end of my run yesterday and look forward to slowly increasing my miles in the next two weeks! I said this when I started this whole marathon process...I will only be able to do this through the strength of God...not on my own! When I look around (people around me and around the world) I see people that are facing hard times: financially, sick children, loss of loved ones, no where to live, destruction of Haiti and it makes me think that my knee is so insignificant and maybe it is in the grand scheme of things....but what a great God who cares even about my silly knee. Nothing is too big for Him, but also nothing is too small for Him. I think that is where I am quick to 'take care' of things on my own because I don't want to bother God with a little silly knee problem...but the truth is that God is in every detail and He does want us to lay it (hopes, concerns, desires, dreams, fears, etc) before Him and trust that He is in control of every little tiny detail of our lives. True test is if we let Him be in charge of that tiny detail or if we take charge of it ourselves...in doing this we are telling God that we don't trust Him. Makes me step back and realize how much He loves me and how His love is unconditional and endless...nothing is so satisfying!

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

Psalm 144:2

YUMMM

Please hurry and make this. It is so delicious and the recipe is from the back of the Cinnamon Cheerios Box! I've made it almost every day for the past week and I love it and my mouth waters the whole time its in the oven.

The recipes calls for a whole baking dish of it and if I made that size I would probably eat it all. Therefore I do my own individual portion (from the looks of the pictures looks huge, but its really not) and as a result mine isn't actually measured and more like dumped together for some fruity goodness!

Crispy Topped Fruit (Apple Cinnamon Cheerios)- 9 Servings

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1Bag (16oz) frozen unsweetened sliced peaches (do not thaw)
1Bag (12oz) frozen unsweetened raspberries (do not thaw)
2Cups Apple cinnamon Cherrios cereal
1/4Cup chopped walnuts, optional
2Tablespoons packed brown sugar
2Tablespoons butter, melted
Raisins, optional
1. Heat oven to 375. Mix flour and born sugar. Stir in fruit until well coated. Spread in ungreased 8Inch square baking dish. Bake uncovered 20 min.

2.Meanwhile, place cereal in ziplock bag and crush with rolling pin. In medium bowl mix cereal, walnuts, 2T. brown sugar and melted butter until crumbly. YUMMMM

3. Sprinkle cereal mixture evenly over hot fruit. Press lightly. Bake 15-20 minutes until light golden brown and fruit is tender. Top with raisins. Chow Down.

I personally use frozen mixed berries with the peaches!. Can I just warn you that the topping is really delicious. I am dying to try it with fresh fruit but wouldn't need to cook it the first time, can't wait for this summer to have all of the yummy fruit in season! After all, its really the topping that is so yummy and crunchy. DeeeeLicious!

This weekend we spent some time outside since it was so stink'n pretty! I love the sunshine! Collier likes to sit and pick up sticks and give them to Brinkley. Brinkley loves every minute of it. Collier tried to find out what is so great about the sticks....Yuck. He does the same thing to her food. If she has food in her bowl, he picks it up by the handfuls and holds it out for Brink to eat out of his hand - he has been doing this for about a week now. This morning he thought he would try it himself. YUCK.... don't worry I quickly removed it and he didn't actually eat it! Brinkley is so patient with him and Collier loves her. They are already big buddies!

TRAINING UPDATE....or not! Last week during a few of my runs my knee started to bother me. Nothing major but a little irritation. After my run on Wednesday my knee was actually hurting. I decided that I would take off Thursday and give my body and knee some time to rest, but when I woke upon Thursday just walking around I could feel my knee. It concerned me because on Saturday we would be running 11 miles and I was really excited and looking forward to running such a long distance. I had really been mentally preparing for such a long run. But the knee thing was really bothering me and I had heard the coaches say that its better to listen to your body and take it easy than to push yourself and really cause an injury. I emailed the coaches and they both advised me not to run on Saturday. I was bummmed, to say the least!!!! But I also knew it would be best in the long run. Sunday I decided to just try and run maybe 2-3 miles to see how it felt. In my first 10 steps I could already feel the pain. I could walk with no problems but the minute I started to jog it came back. I'm doing some research and stretches in hopes of it getting better but most of all I am PRAYING that God will just heal and take away this pain. I'm so eager to get back to training. I want to be prepared and not running isn't helping that train of mind. I would appreciate your additional prayers for me as well!

My Man

Today is our anniversary. 4 Years ago today was the best day of my life...to be married to the man of my dreams. I'm so blessed and oh so happy. I love this man with all of my heart and am so thankful to have him. I love every moment that I have with him (even when he doesn't want to talk in the mornings and wants his quite time..which isn't easy for me), he gives me a sense of security and love. I miss him so much when he is out of town, even if its only for one night. He is supportive and very loyal. He makes me laugh - sometimes so hard that I cry. He is the worlds best snuggler and warms my cold hands and feet every night. He can build an amazing roaring fire to keep us warm and cozy on these cold winter nights. Not to mention he is hot...when I first met him I thought he was so 'fine' (do kids say that anymore?) well and he still is which is just the added bonus. He is a wonderful daddy to Collier. Justin, thank you for asking me to marry you and for the love and support that you give to me everyday!

Man in the Mirror

This sweet little man loves to play on my mirror and I finally was able to grab my camera and capture his sheer delight. Oh my goodness, slobber gets everywhere...I could make a really good windex commercial! But he loves it and laughs and oohs and aahhhs the whole time. ADORABLE!

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:1-14

Mid-Week Ramblings

This past Saturday our early morning running group cancelled our run due to ice and snow on the roads. I was glad because I really wanted to sleep in and I did! Whoo Hooo! But Saturday afternoon when the sun was bright and shinny and the snow and ice was all melted away my running partner and I ran 9 miles. It was actually fun! Yep you read that right...fun. Yesterday, I took Brinkley with me and we ran 4.7 miles. It is much harder to run alone and most of it is a mental game. When I started all of this I had no idea of the mental aspect that plays into training for a marathon, but I think that it is MORE mental than physical! Mind over matter! In two weeks we'll be running 11 miles and I will be beside myself when I finish that run! I'm sure we'll need to celebrate after that run!

Today is Ash Wednesday and as we enter this Lenten season and begin the long walk to the cross, I've been thinking about lent and what it is all about and what it means to me! I have also been thinking hard abot what to "give up" and have been praying about it. One of the preachers at our church wrote a really good commentary that I thought put it in good perspective. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:
REND YOUR HEARTS
by Steve DeGweck
Ash Wednesday is nearly upon us and with it the beginning of Lent. Lent has become associated through the ages with fasting and doing without. Thus many Christians give up something they enjoy for Lent ‑‑ some eat no meat, others no chocolate, etc. Such things are all well and good if they remind us to focus our hearts on God, but the real intent of Lent is that we should look inside our hearts. The prophet Joel writes: “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing . . . .” Joel is saying to his listeners in Israel, “You people make a great show of repentance, enacting the rituals of penitence, tearing your clothes, wailing, weeping, and putting on a great act. But nothing changes. The next day you begin again to forget the Lord your God, and go your way, until the next time you are called upon to “perform.” Joel is saying that true repentance is sorrow for sin, not an empty ritual.
The first task of Lent is REPENTENCE. “Return to the Lord, your God . . .” We are invited to bring our sins and our burdens, and all the false gods and selfish choices of our lives and lay them before the throne of God. Sometime back the newspapers told of a man who walked into the police station to confess a crime he had committed fifteen years before. The reason for his confession? This is what he said: “I have not been able to get it off my mind.” Here was a man willing to subject himself to punishment in order to restore his peace of mind. Some of us are troubled and we don’t even know why we are troubled! The issue is unresolved guilt. Lent is a time of repentance. It is a time for confession of our sins and the beginning of a new life.
Lent is also a time of ABSOLUTION. “Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love . . . .” It does no good for us to confess our sins if we keep beating ourselves up over those same sins. This may be the chief reason why so many people fail to truly repent and begin new lives. They never experience the absolution of God. They hear the words but refuse to believe it could be true. An old Scottish clergyman once said that the devil has two lies he uses at two different stages. Before we commit a sin, he tells us that one little sin doesn’t matter‑‑no one will know. The second lie is after we’ve sinned when he tells us we’re hopeless. Friends, the good news is that no one is hopeless! We never venture so far from God that he cannot reach us — if we will open our hearts!
Finally, Lent is a time of RENEWAL. “Who knows,” wrote the prophet, “whether he will not relent, and leave a blessing behind him . . . ?” Lent is a time of renewal and refreshment. If we have repented of our sins, we can experience the absolution of God, and we can turn over the burdens of our hearts to Christ who is far better to bear them than we are. But rend your hearts, says Joel, and not just your garments. Do we have the courage to repent of what really troubles us in the deep watches of the night? The question is never, “Can I change?” but rather, “Am I willing to change?” And am I willing to pay the price? Am I willing to take a stand for something I believe in? That’s repentance.
So I challenge you to RETURN to God today and begin a new chapter in your journey of faith this Lent. Lay down your sins — every burden, each regret — at the foot of the cross, and leave them there. Believe that God has forgiven you and experience his absolution today. Tell yourself that today begins your new life. In the words of the prophet Joel, “Rend your hearts and not your clothing.” Only then does Lent really begin. But only then does new life begin, too

Snow

I am so glad that its snowing! It is so much fun and just so pretty! I think that Justin and I were meant to live somewhere that it snows more because we both become like kids when it snows and just get so stink'n excited. If only we could move Compass Lake and Lake Eufaula north it would be more likely for us to live there...but we really need to be close to these two locations during the summer time! Oh well, I'm just thankful it is snowing right now. Gosh it is pretty!

Yesterday afternoon I got home from picking up Collier and we were sitting on the couch with Brinkley too! Collier was rubbing all over Brink and I decided I needed to get a picture. I got the camera and bent down to snap the picture and through my lens I see Collier move quickly to the crawling position...I lunge forward, drop my camera and still wasn't quick enough to catch him. He fell straight on his little head. I freaked out, I was scared and worried. He was screaming and I know it must have hurt. On top of the fact that it was time for him to go down for a nap....tired and hurt...not a good combination. Justin was at a neighbor's house and I called him to come home. By that time Collier was calmed down - I was not. I didn't want to lay him down in the bed since he just fell on his head but Justin said he was fine and so I watched like a hawk on the monitor to be sure I could see him moving and breathing. I felt like a horrible mom and I knew that I shouldn't leave him on the couch or the bed or the changing table but sometimes I do because up until recently he hasn't been in much of a hurry to go anywhere when I set him down. That is the end of that and I have certainly learned a HUGE lesson! I know that he is going to fall and have bumps and bruises but just hate that it happened. I still feel really bad.

I am sure that we're going to play in the snow this afternoon and I'll share more pictures then!

Have you ever needed a third hand and then decided to just use your mouth instead?

We had such a fun weekend. Saturday morning I got up bright and early and completed my 7 mile run with my running group. It has yet to be sunny and warm for our group runs....although I think I would rather it be a little cooler than to warm! Anyway, 7 Miles is my LRE 'Longest Run Ever' and I'll have many more of those in the coming weeks. Then on Sunday I ran my CRE 'Coldest Run Ever' 33degrees! That was very cold and would rather it be a little warmer or at least have the sun shinning bright to warm me up a little! I'm getting sidetracked. Back to saturday afternoon...we drove to Talladega with 6 other friends to go to the AWF Wild Game Cook-Off. We got to taste all kinds of 'wild game' and enjoy the festivities. It was certainly different and people watching was certainly at its prime in such a location!

Sunday brought the 6th Annual Butt-Off....Our very own cook off. Every year on Super Bowl Sunday we do a Boston Butt Cook Off and it always is full of fun, food and laughter Oh and the Super Bowl of course. The butt-off is a very big deal in our family. Justin starts smoking VERY early and cooks all day and does all that he can to ensure that he has the best BUTT. This year we had 4 cooks and about 40 people present to vote (if you don't cook, you vote!) I normally take a ton of pictures but when you have a little money it sort of changes your ability to walk around and snap photo's. It was really so much fun and although Justin didn't win....he only lost by ONE vote.....I certainly thought that he deserved to win! His butt really was delicious. To give you an idea of how big a deal it is....we even have t-shirt's and a trophy, how great is that! Collier had fun at his first ever Butt-Off although by the time the game was over he was WAY past nap time and I couldn't get him to go to sleep in my arms. Pop's had to take him home and Grammy gave him a bath and got him all ready for bed! Aren't grandparent's just the best!