{Happy 6th Birthday Travin}

6 years ago, 

my life was forever changed 

when I became the mommy to a sweet baby boy. 

My son has taught 

patience,

understanding, 

the art of imagination, 

that exercise can be fun, 

that dirt is a requirement when playing, 

and above all

a love that can only be shared 

between a boy and his mommy! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVIN!!!!

{Run For Remembrance}

If you were to ask me what I did last Tuesday, I probably couldn’t tell you. But, if you were to ask me what I was doing 10 years ago on Tuesday September 11, 2001, I could recount my entire day with exact details.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. Most of us remember where we were when the devastating story unfolded. We all probably felt a range of emotions that we had never experienced before; shock, anger, deep sadness, confusion, frustration, fear, love, and appreciation to name a few. We all probably sat in front of our television sets and watched in awe for the next several days at the aftermath and response to the devastating attacks against our country. We all probably were more overwhelmed at the unity and bravery we saw from our own country, the American People, than we were with the evil and hatred from those who set out to hurt us.

10 years ago

We learned that evil does exist in our world

We learned that hatred is destructive

We learned that life is fragile

We learned that time is a gift, not a guarantee

We learned to hold our children a little tighter

We learned to say the words I love you a little more to the people who mean the most

We learned that good can be found in the midst of something bad

We learned that America really is a great place to live

We learned that heroes surround us and that courage does not waver just as bravery has no limit

We learned that community brings us together and strength creates unity  

Because

Loss is worth remembering

Sacrifice is worth honoring

Freedom is worth defending

As today’s date approached, I knew that I wanted to do something special. I wanted to show my appreciation for the sacrifices that have been made and the sacrifices that continue to be made every single day so that I can live the life that I choose to create for myself and so that I can watch my children make their choices as they pave their own paths in life.

When I heard that the organization Soldier’s Angels was hosting a special 5K in honor of 9/11, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it (my goal is to one day make my way to New York City for the Tunnel to Tower run which honors one of New York’s fallen firefighters). I couldn’t think of a better way to spend today (the 10^th anniversary) than being surrounded by local firefighters, policemen, and of course, the brave men and women who defend our country’s freedom.

When we pulled up to Veteran’s Memorial Park, the first thing that we saw were two fire trucks holding up nothing other than Old Glory. My body was literally covered in chills as we drove by all of the firefighters as they stood next to their trucks with the huge flag waving behind them.

As Jason and I made our way through the crowd, we noticed that we were surrounded by signs and banners all of which were in support of our troops as well as first responders and the people who lost their lives. Trees were covered with flags and yellow ribbons. The ambiance of the crowd was truly amazing.

The 5K was nothing short of amazing. I can honestly say that today’s run was absolutely one of the best runs I have ever experienced. The energy as well as the atmosphere was truly incredible. Taking the time to pause for a moment of silence, reminding ourselves why we were all there ready to move forward in our running shoes, made the morning that much more meaningful. I felt so honored to be able to run alongside the people who work day in and day out to keep us safe.

Words can’t describe the pride I felt in my heart as I watched military members run in formation. I literally had tears in my eyes as the Young Marines (which included 6 and 8 year olds) crossed the finish line together.

After the race, the runners were asked to take a seat for a special memorial ceremony. It was emotional to stand and listen to the words of our National Anthem. It was extremely emotional to listen as kids stood in front of the crowd and read their essay’s about what 9/11 meant to them. It was emotional to recognize the sacrifices that have been made and that continue to be made each and every day. It was emotional to watch our country’s flag wave her colors as Taps played in the background. However, these were the things that reaffirmed my pride as an American. These were the things that made me look at the people around me, especially my husband, and appreciate all that has been given to me in life.

 

This was the first event Jason and I have been able to run together since his return from Afghanistan.

The t-shirts were by far the best shirts we’ve ever received!

We both walked away with more than we could have ever hoped to gain and....
a few bragging rights too.

Jason surpassed his goal

and I walked away with an awesome medal 
for placing 1^st in my division!

   

"American’s are stronger than ever. We will forever remember those we lost on September 11, 2001. In honoring their memory, we will remain true to our commitment to freedom and democracy" Evan Bayh 

God Bless America

{Week In Review}

{Embrace} the Camera host Mrs. A is taking a break from the blogging world for a bit.

There is no link up this week. However, since Thursday photo sessions have been a tradition for us for over a year now, I couldn't just stop clicking and not get in a shot or two. 

I’m trying something a little different this week so bear with me.

Here is a thing


or 


two 


that happened this week.

Travin lost a tooth on his own!

No sucker punches on the bus!

No extractions from the dentist!

All N~A~T~U~R~A~L!

And the BEST part...

He was excited about the Tooth Fairy making her visit.

"Mommy I want to put it in my pillow because I think she will like it for her tooth collection"

Bryanna finally got to wear her uniform to school!

 And

she got to cheer at her first middle school football game.

Kalyssa has been working hard on her big musical debut as a big 2nd grader!

Last but not least,

Bryanna is trying to teach us how to find our inner chi.


Okay not really.

She really just wants to show us all up by proving that flexibility isn't inherited... 


More like self taught =)  

Hence Mom can't even come close (with added assistance)

Kalyssa tried to cheat by curling her toes

and
Daddy chose to stretch.

 It finally came down to finding something they ALL could do!

{Back to School 5k}

I’ve been lacking a little in the motivation department the past few weeks. I haven’t been feeling all that great and my not so best friend Mr. Migraine has been creeping up on me a lot lately. I’ve been doing my best to keep up with my running. I am doing ok but, I’m not exactly where I want to be.

When I read that Ms. Kayla over at Running Through Life was hosting another virtual 5k, I got really excited because first of all, she makes the cutest bibs EVER and her handmade “bling” is probably the cutest one I have ever received and second, I needed something to pick up my spirits.

Yesterday morning I got up and decided to hit the trail. We are getting remnants of Tropical Storm Lee here in Northern Louisiana so the weather was perfect for running. The cloud cover and the cooler temperatures felt pretty amazing while running the Back to School 5k through my pretty little neighborhood.

I made sure to set up my Garmin so that as soon as I hit 3.1 miles, I would be alerted of my time.

I ended up running a little over 3.1 miles because I wanted to get in a full 30 minutes of running time. My training schedule for the WDW Goofy Challenge has me running at least 4 miles on my short runs so, I didn’t want to cheat myself too bad =)  

Back to School 5k

3.1 miles

26:17

On a side note, I do have to mention that yesterday I joined forces with Bryanna and started another training plan. Last week she tried out for the Cross Country team at school. She had been waiting patiently to try out. As soon as she found out that her school offered cross country, she told us that she wanted to try out. She is working towards running her first 1 mile meet and asked me if I could help her train. Of course I was beyond excited (or “tickled pink” as Kalyssa would say) that she asked me to help her.

I found this great website for her to explore. It listed a few different training plans for kids. We picked one together and printed it out. After I got back from my run, I walked in the house and she was ready to go, running shoes and a cute outfit to boot!

We did her first 1/2 mile workout and she did fantastic!

     

A BIG thank you to Ms. Kayla for hosting another great virtual event!! And a BIG thank you to Miss B for helping her mama find some much needed therapy!     

{School is Cool}

I don’t think there is one word that can describe how our family of 5 operates. I don’t even think that I (the planner/coordinator of any and all events) could begin to explain how we get through each day. Somehow we manage to make it all work out and most nights everyone seems to still like each other =)

The kids have been back to school for three weeks and so far things are going fantastic. Every day they burst through the door excited to share something new about school. You have to know that this completely melts my heart. As the parent of three kids, my hope at the beginning of each school year is that at least one of my kids will love school. So you can imagine how thrilled I am that not one but ALL 3 kids are ecstatic about school this year. 

One of my favorite parts of each day is when we all sit down at the table together for dinner and share all about our days. The kids each have a turn to share their whole day. It cracks me up that they literally break down their whole day just so they don’t miss any information and if they happen to remember something while someone else is talking, they raise their hand and "patiently" wait to be recognized. They are really great about asking each other questions too. I love watching and listening to them explain to one other about specific topics and what certain things mean.

I am still trying to come to terms with the fact the Bryanna is in middle school. I don’t get to see her as much during the school day anymore. If I am lucky, I might get a peek at her or one of her friends during snack break on Popcorn Friday. Popcorn is a very popular item to purchase, so you can only imagine how crazy it can get with all of the big kids trying to buy their own bag.

We did have the opportunity to meet all of her teachers at Back to School Night. It was a little weird to travel the halls of middle school but it was neat to see what her day to day schedule looks like. The excitement of her new schedule has followed her everywhere since the beginning of school but being able to actually get a feel for it was a little different.  Jason and I are very happy with all of her teachers. I always love to hear about future plans and I am pretty sure that this whole year is going to be exciting for Miss B.

Our big 2nd grader has adjusted very well. She loves her teacher and is very excited about the fun things that 2^nd grade has to offer. She has been practicing her cursive skills at home so that she can be ready when they start to learn it in class. One of the fun activities that we learned about at Back to School Night was Snazzy Snacks. She is so very excited about this because she remembers helping make them in Bryanna’s 2nd grade class. It’s always cool to do something that your big sister has done =) The class is already gearing up for their first fieldtrip of the year (something about a corn maze, a hay ride, and some pumpkins). I’m sure we will have a little something to share from that event!

As for Trav well, where do I begin? In a couple of weeks our little guy is going to be 6. He will have to hold up two hands to show his age now :( In the past year he has grown so much. I’ve been a little worried about things with him academically but I was reassured this past week that he is doing awesome. I felt bad for keeping his teacher late after Back to School Night ended but, she was fantastic and answered all of my questions and helped ease my worries. It’s nice to know exactly what is going on with our son while he is at school and it’s even better that we get to be involved with his education.

Question of the day for all my SoCal family & friends

How do you know when you have left behind the realms of LA (the city) and moved on to the the ways of LA (the state)?   

When gold and purple represent the mighty Tigers!

  

      

Or as Travin would say "Geaux Tigers!!!"