Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  Mimi, Poppa, Maymay and Poopah all joined us to celebrate.  Jackson loved having so much family around!  Here are some fun photos from Christmas morning:

Trying Something New

I have decided to try barre.  I like that it combines aspects from yoga, pilates and ballet.  A studio is getting ready to open here, so they are having a few community classes to get people interested.  I took a class this morning and loved it.  I am sure I will be super sore for the next few days, but I like that it worked muscles in a different way than running.  They took this picture of my class today:

He's Getting So Big

Jackson is looking more and more like a kid now and less like a baby.  Sometimes I can't believe how big he has gotten.  Here are a couple recent photos that make me wonder when he got to be such a big boy!

Poor Bevo

This is how I found Bevo this morning.  Poor thing.  Jackson was a little distraught.  Thankfully he is back right side up again.

Frosty 5k

I decided to kick off the Christmas break with a little 5k race.  I haven't raced short distances in a long time, but thought it would be a fun way to get ready for the big race in a couple of weeks.  Guess what?  I set a PR with a time of 21:21!  I guess that just shows the impact of my marathon training over the past few months.  I finished 2nd in my age group (and received a nice silver medal!) and finished 3rd overall.  I was in 2nd place for a good part of the race, but a woman was on my tail and had a little more kick at the finish line. All in all a very fun morning!

Working hard!

Tough to be passed at the finish line

Winter Festival

Jackson had a blast at Creme's Winter Festival!  He participated in almost every single activity.  The only one he didn't do was Santa.  We waited in line to see Santa and then once it was his turn he froze, he wouldn't get anywhere near him.  But here are some of the fun photos from the evening:

Writing a letter to Santa; he wants "rocks"

Mailing his letter

Pin the nose on the snowman

Craft time

Creme tree

Surprise!

When I picked up Jackson today at school he had two special drawings to share with me.  They were both Christmas related.  Each included a Christmas tree with presents underneath and Santa and his sleigh.

While these are mildly entertaining drawings, the real entertainment came as we were walking outside.  As we were leaving Jackson wanted to show his drawings to Ms Brenda.  Brenda asked a few probing questions to get him to talk more about his drawings.  As he was explaining the presents below the tree he showed Brenda the "necklace for mommy".  Everyone immediately looked at me and we all laughed.  So I look forward to my necklace and my pink teapot!

Icepocolypse 2013

We are in the middle of the craziest ice storm.  The entire city was blanketed by a very thick sheet of ice on Thursday and the temperatures have remained well below freezing ever since.

For most people this was a time to stay indoors, not even worry about the weather until it eventually melts. However, today was supposed to be the Dallas Marathon.  A marathon that I was very well prepared for, having run 1,000 intense training miles over the past few months.  But it's not like I woke up Sunday and realized I wouldn't be running, the forecast made it clear for days that we had an issue:

On Friday they delayed the opening of the Expo, mainly because the convention center was without electricity and the streets were impassable.  Then at some point on Friday afternoon they decided to cancel the race.  It was the right decision, but still a heartbreaking one for the many runners who were trained and ready to run.  I spent a stressful number of hours trying to decide what to do next.  I was in marathon racing shape, BQ trained, but with no where to race.  My best options were a small park out and back (x4) marathon nearby in a few weeks. Or Disney in January.  I have always wanted to run Disney, but extending my training 6 weeks and dealing with the logistics of traveling to a big race solo, I decided on running the local race.  With just 3 weeks to the new race day, and just coming off a taper, that meant that I need to get right back in to training.  So 16 brutally boring miles on my treadmill was now key:

The only thing that kept me going was the scary thought that this would be perfect preparation for the repetition of my upcoming new race.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

There always seems to be a lot to be done to get ready for the holidays.  Cleaning.  Decorating.  Shopping.  Celebrating!

Jackson decided to pitch in this year and help us clean:

After all that hard work, it was time to relax and wait for all the family to arrive!

Goofball

Jackson is a goofball.  I'm not sure which part of this photo is the funniest:
- The silly expression
- The desire to wear his Santa hat in November
- The fact that he is subtly giving me the finger for taking yet another picture of him

Maggie

Love this pic of Maggie:

Bevo!

Bevo has come to visit for the holidays!  I have been wanting a lawn longhorn for quite some time and we finally found a place that sells them.  So here is the new addition to our Christmas decorations:

Baby It's Cold Outside

He was dressed for the elements today:

Art on Display

Creme has a little gazebo where they display artwork from various students.  Jackson has one of his masterpieces on display right now!  He is so proud of his "Giant Mountains"

Dad & Diana Visit

Dad and Diana visited this weekend to see us and pick up their new puppy.  We had a great weekend, with dinner at Nicola's, acorn hunting and time at the park. Jackson had a blast!

Happy boy during a long dinner

Collection of acorns

At park with Dad & Diana

Dad & Diana's new puppies

Uncle Joe

Uncle Joe came for a quick visit this weekend  Jackson had a blast hanging out with him!

Happy Little Guy

I love this photo of Jackson...you can really see his cute, fun, mischievous personality: