Adam is right about running

Warning: You will not at all be impressed by my athleticism (or lack thereof) when you read this post. If for any reason you want to think of me as athletic, don't read this post.

Since I'm running a 5K in September (see previous post), it seemed like a good time to start running. A couple weeks ago (before I signed up for the 5K) I ran 2 miles... and I felt good. I didn't go that fast, but after not having run regularly since before 2 pregnancies and 3 babies, I felt pretty good about it.

So, I signed up for a race, and set about my plan to train. I thought, hey I just ran two miles fairly well a couple weeks ago, I think I'll try to run for 10 minutes, walk for 2 minutes for the entire run. Adam, my well-trained runner husband, said "Why don't you try 3 minutes running, 3 minutes walking for your first couple of runs?" To which I replied, "Nah, I can do more than that! I don't need to start out that slowly!"

Off I went on my first 3 mile run in several years. The first mile I felt great. I mean, GREAT. I trotted along, thinking about how I would get home and look at my watch and be amazed at how quickly I was able to run. The second mile, I had to slow down a bit, my hip was starting to hurt, but I still felt confident that I had made the right call. Pace, schmace, I can do this!

The 3rd mile I almost fell over and died. I felt like I had nothing left in me whatsoever. I had to break my 10 and 2 plan and walk a block. At the end of that break, I tried running some more and woops, my legs forgot how. So I had to walk just a little more. Luckily, some Black Eyed Peas came on my iPod at that point, and I was able to shuffle forward in a slow jog. Say what you will about the BEP's lyrics, some of their songs just make you want to move.

Ok, so long story short, it took me well over 40 minutes to run 3 miles.

I decided that I should take Adam's advice on my next run, and I shaved 4 minutes off that time. On my 3rd run, I shaved off another minute.

He knows what he's talking about with this running thing.

p.s. if anyone has any ideas about how to keep my shorts from riding up between my thighs, I'd be all ears. As long as your advice isn't "Get smaller thighs."

My first 5K

First, let me say... yes, this is Caryn writing, not Adam. Adam has run thousands of 5Ks. But I've just committed to run my first one. I am saying it out loud, in public, months in advance... so that I cannot back out.

But the truth is, for this one, I really don't want to back out, and I'm not even that tempted. I'm running to raise money for Susan G. Komen because of my amazing and inspiring friend, Ellen (DeYoung) VanOss. Ellen is fighting breast cancer. She's fighting like crazy every single day. And the people who love her are doing a lot of praying and we're trying to help - help with her kids, help with her house, help raise money, help make her laugh - even though we can work our butts off and it will still pale in comparison to the hard work she's doing every day to survive.

The very least I can do is get over myself and run. So, on September 24, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, here I come. It won't be pretty or impressive or noteworthy to anyone. But, good, because that's not why I'm doing it. Maybe the reason that I know that I can run this race is that it has nothing to do with me at all.

Ellen participated in this event in 2009 and 2010, captaining Team VanOss-ome. I'm so honored to join this team this year. So, please, check out my fund raising page if you are at all inclined to donate money to this essential cause.


Lifelong friends...Sarah, Sunny, Jillyn, Ellen, Tena, me, Suzanne
(photo courtesy of Jillyn Segroves - thanks Jillyn! Her photography site is linked on the right.)

Violet is 9 months old

9 months old! I can't believe it, time is just flying by. Violet is doing really well. She has hit a major growth spurt. As of her doctors appointment last week she weighs 19lbs, 14oz. Her leg rolls have leg rolls. There is no longer any sort of concern whatsoever about her growth. She went from being in the 38th percentile at her six month check up to the 69th percentile at her 9 month.

(Reckon with the chunk!)

Violet is totally ready to move. She is very close to crawling and she is already wanting to hold on to fingers and try to take steps. While the last 8 weeks or so she has been completely satisfied to sit on her little blanket and just play play play, lately, she seems more frustrated at not being able to move on her own. I'm waiting for her to just take off one of these days. (Then I guess I better start vacuuming more regularly again.)


(This is her monkey boyfriend. She loves him)

Her two favorite new tricks are holding her hand up to her eye to play peek-a-boo and reaching her arms up for "So big!" She thinks she is the cat's pajamas when she pulls these things off. (Which, of course, she is.) Vi is very close to clapping, too. And she goes nuts for Puffs and would eat them all day every day if we'd let her. I am also fairly certain that she is calling me "Mama" occasionally. Several months ago, I thought she might be saying "Hi" but that stopped, and now I think it was just babbling. But now I feel like I should count this as her first word. (Partly because Sebastien and Eden both said "Dada" way before they said "Mama." So, it's my turn!)

(This is her cheesy "check out my cute teeth" smile!)

She had some issues with ear infections over the past couple of months. Turns out she is allergic to Amoxicillin, which is unfortunate. But now that we know that, we know how to treat her ears, and after a couple colds and a couple ear infections, she has been healthy for the last couple of weeks.

Of course, she is still just an absolute joy. Sebastien and Eden are more and more interested in her, as she is interacting with them more, too. It is so fun to watch the three of them together. Eden in particular loves to help with Violet - feeding her, singing to her before her naps, giving her hugs and telling her it's going to be ok if she fusses. It's very sweet and Violet loves it.

Credit to the fabulous Sara Leo

New family picture at the header and pics of kids on the sidebar are credited to the fabulous Sara Leo. (Link to her blog at side.) Sara's our good friend, and she took some impromptu pictures of our family when she was over one Saturday evening in April. They turned out great - we are truly blessed to have such a talented photographer in our "inner circle." :) I posted the whole album on Facebook, and had planned on posting some more here, but blogger is not cooperating. (Just like how the pic of Violet is so much smaller than the pictures of the twins. What is going on here?)

More Twin Stuff

Sebastien and Eden have great communication, and they say a million funny things every day. Sometimes they hear common phrases and then repeat them just a little off, like, "Please and Gentlemen!" and "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when stars are grey" and "on your market, set, go!"

And of course often they hear things in books and stories that they don't understand or haven't heard of before, like their "Bedtime for Francis" book refers to spankings. So yesterday I hear them saying to each other:

E: Spanking? What does spanking mean?

S: Spanking is kinda like a mountain.

E: No, Spanking is kinda like a train.

Eden is very into "Why?" Everything is answered with "why?" It's still very cute to us, but now extra funny given this interaction:

Adam: Eden, please do not touch that

Eden: Why?

Adam: Because it's not safe

Eden: Oh. What does 'why' mean?

While Sebastien and Eden never really developed any kind of "twin language" they definitely have a few things that only they do that we didn't teach them, that they developed between the two of them. Two examples:

Sometimes they are singing or reciting little scenes from Veggie Tales or something and there's a phrase that they don't know exactly how it goes. So they both say "Didda Didda Didda" to fill in whatever they can't perfectly recite. It's perfectly acceptable "filler" in both of their minds, and they don't challenge each other to say it right if "Didda Didda Didda" is used.

Any time they need to name characters, and they don't use their favorite fictional characters (current favorites: George, Larry, Bob, Linny, Tuck and Ming Ming) they are named "Balotch, Baleetch and Balootch."

Another funny trend is saying something and then adding, "said Eden with a little small sigh," or "said Eden, as she yelled down the stairs." Or my favorite from today, "...said Eden wearing her undies under her pants." (Or any number of creative endings.) Sebastien also ends many sentences with "Said Bashy." He just doesn't get as specific.

It's definitely their world and we're just living in it. It's a very entertaining world.