13.1 Miles

After running 13.1 miles yesterday I am more then pleased with my time!!!
2 hours 3 minutes 11 seconds
9:25/mile pace

My goals were to run the entire 13.1 miles and to finish with a pace under 10 minute/mile. I accomplished both!!

Lisa and I have been friends for over 25 years. So it was really fun when I talked her into training for a half marathon with me. However it ended up being that she was the motivator to keep going and actually reach this goal I had. So after training for months together and meeting at 6am in 20 degree weather we finally accomplished our goal yesterday at the Mercedes Half Marathon!

Lisa is a faster runner then I am but for whatever reason I was able to pick it up at the end of the half marathon and Lisa and I eneded up finishing together. It was fun to think that we trained all the this time together and then we got to finish together.

Jason, Kate, my parents, and my good friend Kristen came out to support me and it meant so much! It was an absolutely beautiful day and the race was so much fun that I am signing up for Nashville's Country Music Half Marathon in April!!

Tomorrow is the big day...

Tomorrow is the big day!! I will wake up way earlier then I have in months and head downtown to run my first half marathon! My friend Lisa and I have been training for months and now finally we will go out and run 13 miles. For whatever reason I am a little nervous but the reality is whether I run it all or walk it all I will have gone 13 miles and that is an accomplishment in itself.

So I will be back to let you know how it goes and will hopefully have some pictures where I won't look like I am dying!! I also am so behind on posting, so maybe I will get some pictures up of the snow, the circus, dinner with friends and so much more!

9 Months

Seriously? This year is going by way too fast! It was just yesterday that Whit was a tiny little baby!! :(

His 9 months stats are:

Weight 21 pounds

Height 28 inches

Whit just got his first tooth last week and the second one is coming in any day. He is quite the cranky one with teething. He continues to be everywhere. His new thing is getting into the kitchen cabinets and pulling stuff out so we are baby proofing the house tomorrow. He has conquered the stairs so the gate is going up too. I just gave him Cheerios for the first time this past week and he loved them so I need to start letting him try real food more!

He is such a joy!

I Believe in Auburn and LOVE it!

Not going to lie....this was a lot of fun!!!! WAR EAGLE!

Let me say that after seeing the Grand Canyon I am in awe of our creator. The Grand Canyon is really an amazing site and I was just in awe at the sheer size and beauty of this place.

Hopefully this won't be a once in a lifetime trip! I hope to be going to more National Championships in the future!!!

8 Months

Whit is 8 months old today! I can only imagine how much he weighs as he is not missing any meals! He is still a great baby and just as happy as he can be. However, I have never seen so much drool come out of one person before in my life!! His motor skills are impressive. He crawls everywhere, pulls up on everything and is now learning that he can get around upright while he is holdng on to tables and such.

Kate is really sweet with him....starting to play a little more rough now that he is getting bigger but will she be in for it when he is bigger then her! But pretty much life is just getting into a little bit more of routine since Whit is finally a good sleeper at night and is taking good naps during the day. I am still waiting for teeth to pop through those little gums. I have been saying this since he was 5 months old but I swear he is teething! :)

Recap of December Happenings

Instead of doing a lot of different posts I thought I would just try and recap our month of December with a few bullet points and pictures.

We went to zoo light safari with some of our good friends. It was freezing and we barely stayed an hour but Kate loved it.

One of my dearest friends is moving from NC to TX. So I was glad when Shea called and wanted to do a little pit stop in Birmingham. So Shea, Jake and Shea's little sister Kelsi made the road trip here and stayed with us. Shea's family is like my second family so while they were here they got right in on the action. Jake read books to Kate...Kelsi fed Whit his breakfast and protected Kate from the crazy dogs running around all at the same time! I am thankful for these sweet friendships and that it is like no time has passed when we are together.

Whit found the toy stash the other day and his eyes just lit up! You have to imagine that he was thinking "where have these toys been all my life?"

Did I mention that he is ALL OVER THE PLACE???

Tyring to get pictures of the kids in front of the Christmas tree...like I said, trying.

Jason and I took a weekend trip to Orlando early in the month for his company's Christmas party. We left the kids behind and had a really great time. Too bad I brought my camera along but never took it out of my bag to take any pictures!!

We had lots of Christmas parties but one that is dear to me is where a group of my pledge sisters get together for an ornament swap. I don't see the girls that much so it is a sweet time to catch up and spend some good time together.

Christmas Eve and Day were a lot of fun. Kate is a little more tuned in to Christmas and Santa so that was fun. Whit was just into the tissue paper! But here are a few pictures from the day.

Until next year!!

Beautiful Savior

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6
Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas!
Love,
The Brantleys

Happening Way Too Fast

It still feels like Whit was just born yesterday and should be this little bitty baby. However the fact is that he is 7.5 months now and crawling all over the place and he is even.......pulling up and standing! Really? This is all happening too fast for me!

Kate is a lot of fun these days. Jason and I got her this huge lollipop and it was fun watching her try and eat it! Three year olds crack me up!

It was sweet because she really wanted to help daddy put the star on top of the tree!

Sorry for not posting much. We have been doing the Christmas party stuff and Jason and I just got back from his company's Christmas party in Orlando. So it was a great time away with no kids! But unfortunately I haven't been taking a lot of pictures so not much to post!

Movin' and Grovin'

This week Whit started crawling. It is more like the army crawl but he is learning how to work those hands and knees together! It was funny because we had put him on the ground at my parents and there was a magazine out...well Whit wanted that magazine and he started moving and grovin with all his might and went all the way across the room! I have video of it and would download it if my computer wouldn't time out every few minutes, so a picture is all you get today.

Never a Dull Moment

Lets start out with some good news....Whit is sleeping better at night. I am thankful to be getting sleep too. I put him down around 7pm and am only getting up usually once to put the paci back in his mouth and then he wakes up around 6am. Before I was up multiple times with him as he just never got into that heavy baby sleep it seemed.
Our neighbors little girl who is 8 years old loves to take care of Whit. She is really great with him and I love that it allows me time to get a load of laundry folded or part of the house picked up when she is around. I came outside to find this the other day. Kate was playing out front and this little girl had gotten Whit all set up with a chair and toys so that he could watch too...she even got him a blanket!

Just love this little guy!

We took Kate bowling the other night while Jason was in town. She loved every minute and it was a great time to just spend as a family. Jason learned that night that the bumpers aren't just for kids! :) He actually bowled well but a few of them would have been gutter balls if it hadn't been for the bumpers we were using for Kate!

And on the transparent side of things...After two babies I am ready to reclaim my body and even reach a size I haven't seen in years. But its hard. I have actually really enjoyed working out as I can see myself getting stronger and my body changing and I have been running which has been great if for nothing else then sanity! But can I just say that I have a love relationship with food. I LOVE IT! So choosing a salad out to eat, or passing on the bread that comes as an appetizer is miserable for me. Not finishing Kate's chicken nuggets or passing on goldfish...I mean really people! But I know that I won't reach my goals on working out alone and I don't necessarily want to diet but just become healthier all around. I did great for a month but this past month I probably cheated a little too much. So I needed a friendly reminder every time I went to the fridge or the pantry!

And for the not so fun news...I think my children know when Jason is out of town. He is gone right now and this was the view last night at 11pm. Oh stomach bug, please stop frequenting our home!

(on the positive note, the stomach bug is somewhat of a clean process in our house. I think Kate observed me throwing up so much when I was pregnant with Whit that she has it down pat and she can even tell me before she is going to be sick)