Boys Laughing

BOOOOO for this being sideways and not being able to flip it. BUT, I can't help it, I have to post it anyway. Enjoy!!

Preschool

We found a preschool less than 2 miles from our house that was a perfect fit for Brayden. He was so excited to start! We found out on Tuesday that he was accepted, and his first day was Wednesday! It was "Parent's Day" so it was only half the class and their parents. The 2nd half and their parents came on Friday. He will start preschool for real on Monday. It is 3 times a week for 2.5 hours. It is going to be an adjustment for me to give up my baby for 7 1/2 hours a week but in the long run, I think it will be really good for him. I think he is going to thrive there! I was really grateful that the first day was parent day, because it allowed me to get lots of pictures! Without further ado...

Hood to Coast 2010

Hood to Coast is a 2 day 197 mile relay, where 1,000 teams with 12 runners each run from Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, to the beach at Seaside, Oregon. It takes anywhere from 17 hours to 38 hours, depending on how fast your team is. This year the race was August 27th - 28th. On Wednesday, my friend Ksenia instant messaged me on Facebook and half-jokingly said "You don't want to run Hood to Coast this year do you?" I asked her when it was and she said "Friday." That morning, 2 of their original teammates dropped out, so they were desperately trying to find anyone to fill the gap. If that gap didn't get filled, a couple people would have to run 4 legs instead of 3. In asking Ksenia about how far I'd be running, she told me that I'd have a 4.09, 5.85, and a 4.35 mile leg. So...just over 14 miles. I thought about it for a little bit and figured "Why not? I don't mind a little bit of a challenge." Now, I hadn't run since I ran the 10k in June with Mom. At all. I had been working out on the elliptical at the gym but only a few times a week and never more than 4 miles. So this was definitely going to be an adventure.

Thursday night I went to Ksenia's for the team dinner, then Friday morning, teammates and soon-to-be really good friends Rachel and Keith came and picked me up and we were off! (I met Keith and Rachel Thursday night at the team dinner, but other than that, I had never met any of my Van mates before!) We picked up a couple more teammates on our way to Sandy, Oregon where we were meeting the Van 1, that started at Mt. Hood at 8am. The exchange between leg 6 (from Van 1) and leg 7 (in Van 2) happened around 1pm. I was leg 8, so I ran my first leg around 2. It was hot, and long, and it was definitely an eye opener as to how much I was NOT in shape. I was so glad when that leg was over. After cheering everyone else on, and meeting Van 2 in Portland sometime that evening, we headed to Outback Steakhouse for some calories and protein! Sean was able to meet us there, and it was fun to hang out with him for a bit. Then we headed to Keith's parent's house in Rock Creek where we slept for about an hour, before heading up to St. Helen's, for our next exchange. My 2nd leg was 5.85 miles, and in that distance, we gained 1200 feet elevation. It was 5 miles uphill at a pretty good incline, and the last bit was downhill. It was MUCH appreciated! I ran this leg at 12:30am. Overall, this was my favorite leg. It was dark, so I couldn't see anything but a few feet in front of me (I had a wimpy flashlight!) which meant I couldn't see the incline of the hill! It was a freshly laid gravel road, so it was a good distraction on the feet, and I KNEW from the get go that it was going to be a challenge. So I took it slow and didn't try to beat anyone else or push my pace. I did this leg in 1 hour 19 minutes and a few seconds. I was proud! Even though that is a 13 minute mile :) After this leg, my legs were DEAD. I tried to stretch but I didn't do a very good job. My quads, calves, and hips were all throbbing. I was grateful for a rest!

After this exchange, we got a tiny bit of shut eye in the van, then we headed out to our last exchange. My last leg was again in the heat of the day, and  it was a miserable run as well with my legs feeling every step, but I did it! I have never been more grateful to be done with a run.

After a few more legs that my teammates ran, we were in Seaside! There were thousands of people there, and it was so nice to be greeted by friends! Hood to Coast was definitely an adventure. It is something that I never thought I would do, but now that I've done it, I hope to do it again someday. This time, training for it first!

To My Sons

I have had so much fun with each of you lately. I wanted to take a moment and just let you know how much I am loving being your mommy right now.

Asher,  you bring a smile to my face a million times a day. You are talking a ton, and saying the cutest little things. You are talking in full sentences, and (almost) every word that comes out of your mouth is one that we can understand. You are super curious, and are a little busy body. You love to run around and discover and learn. You are the sweetest little boy, that loves to cuddle, loves to smile, and loves to laugh. You still only have about 10 teeth total (although another one is starting to come in! yay!) but your little grin melts my heart. You have a light behind your eyes that brightens my days. I can't stay mad at you for very long because you are so sweet. You are a mischievous little guy and you love to run. If we say "Asher, come here" you bolt the other direction. You still eat more than I do. You consume so much food during the day, I already wonder how I'm going to keep you fed when you are a teenager! You love your food, and you love your brother's food too :) You love love love babies, and cannot get enough of them when they are around. You are fearless. You climb to the top of the tallest slide and slide down without any fear or hesitance. You love it when Daddy throws you around and rough-houses with you. You say the cutest little prayers and we adore watching you learn so much every day from your brother. You fill a place in my heart that I didn't know existed, but I cannot imagine how I survived life before you. You bring me so much joy!! I love you AsherBaby.

Brayden, where do I begin? You are my bright, stubborn, and oh so lovable first born. You love making us laugh. You recently learned to play "Tag" and we spent a good 45 minutes this afternoon chasing each other around the house. Your laughter is so infectious that I can't do anything else but laugh when you are laughing. You make a good oldest brother :) You like to take charge, and make sure that Asher stays in line. You like to tell me "Mom, I'm in charge of myself." and "I know you said no, but I said Yes!" You are a handful, but a handful of joy. You love to read, but even more, you love it when we read to you. You love your letters. Today, you were playing with the letters on the fridge. You spelled "jam" and said "Mom! Come look! I spelled Jam!" I am continually shocked and amazed at what you know, and how fast you are learning. We toured a preschool for you last week and we will hear soon if you received a "scholarship" or not. Mommy and Daddy are praying that you did. We think you will benefit so much from 2 hours a week of preschool. You are such a big boy. You are old enough to put on your own shoes, and buckle yourself into your carseat (almost.) You can go potty, wash your hands, brush your teeth, and get yourself dressed without any help. You haven't had an accident in at least a week, and as soon as you wake up in the morning you want us to take your diaper off and put you in underwear. You like being a big boy! You have a deep fascination with all things electronic. Computer, TV, Video Games. We'll have to keep our eye on you! You still don't have a very big appetite, but sometimes, you shock us with how much you can eat. I don't worry about you because I know you'll let me know if you're hungry! 

I have had so much fun with you boys lately. It has been a blast reading lots, laughing lots, tickling lots, and just having fun. I feel like our bond this past week has been strengthened so much, and I can't even begin to tell you why. I am just so extremely blessed to have you both in my life. Thank you, for loving me unconditionally, even though I am still learning how to be your mother. And thank you, for all of the ways that you show me you love me! Your kisses, hugs, smiles, laughs, and giggles are what keep me going, and I thank you for that. 

All my love,

Mommy

Presenting: Mr. & Mrs. Isaacson!

Heather and Dylan got married! It was a beautiful ceremony, amazing reception, and as always, a TON of fun. I will let the pictures tell the stories.

(All of the pictures are taken from facebook so they aren't as good quality. Also, I really don't like the new version of blogger. It is so hard to rearrange pictures! So, please ignore the few out of order ones. Thanks!)