Happy Graduation, Ni'ke!!

Well, two down, one to go! Hard to believe we've had THREE little people graduate from kindergarten already! My how the years are flying....

Ni'ke reveled in her special day, just ate it up! She was super fast when she grabbed her diploma, I couldn't catch a good picture! We are so very proud of our little Ni'ke... She ends the year with a fabulous grade card - reading at >3rd grade level!! Looks like lots of trips to the library for us this summer!

Today was also the LAST day of school - sooooo happy about that! Things just slow down and get a little more calm and relaxed. I "heart" sleeping in. And so does my husband. :) We are not fans of waking up to alarm clocks. We are ALL night owls in the Smith house. That's how we roll. So bring on the summer!! Let the adventures begin!

First adventure up: garage saling tomorrow!!

Happy and safe Memorial Day weekend to everyone!

Surviving the Half!!

I did it!!! WE did it!! And boy are we sore this morning...

Angie, you're awesome, and I'm so glad we could accomplish this together!

What a fun opportunity this has been for me, to train and work hard for something and reach that goal. A couple years ago I never would've thought I COULD do it, let alone WANT to!! But I'm pretty hooked, at least till after I finish my bigger goal of the full marathon in August!

Running the half yesterday sorta felt like a test run of how to do things better the next time. I learn a little more each time I do one of these crazy events, and hopefully I'll have it all down pat in a couple months!

Here's what I learned yesterday:

1. Don't EVER ever forget your Kleenex again. (Even if you have to stuff it into the waist band of your pants. It's worth it to not sniff and snort for the next 13 miles.

2. If you get a rock in your shoe at mile 12, don't try to make it that last mile. Just stop and get it out. Really.

3. Never try something new on a big event day. Aqua-gel is nasty and sticky and hurts your sensitive teeth and makes you even thirstier. Stick with water!!

4. Take more pictures! You want to remember this forever! (Still mad I couldn't capture all the hot air balloons taking off and landing right in front of our noses, in the middle of the most gorgeous wine country ever!!)

5. Carry Ibuprofen. At all times.

Unforgettable! So fun! Can't wait for the next one!

Oh, and my time was 2 hours and 43 minutes!

500th Post!!!

Wow! I just happened to notice that this was my 500th post on our little family blog!! What fun it's been to chronicle our family's adventures and blessings these past few years!

We enjoyed a GORGEOUS weekend here in Sonoma county, and we ended up seeing alot of Sonoma county in the process! I spent the morning up in Healdsburg on Thursday, and then Saturday we all road-tripped up together to Windsor to pick up my pre-race packet of goodies at the Marathon Expo on the Town Green. Windsor is such a cute little town! I'd never really been to the downtown area much, but I may have to take an afternoon and visit some more!

After we left Windsor, Daryle suggested we take a little drive... So we ended up at Doran Beach at Bodega Bay! It was still a beautiful day, but predictably the temperature dropped from about 80 degrees to 60 and VERY windy as we got closer to the ocean! The kids haven't felt too well over the past few days, so we didn't stay too long. But how beautiful! TONS of wind-surfers in the Bay - wish I'd gotten more pictures of them - amazing!!

The "Lap-a-thon"!!

Wednesday last week was the first "swim meet" that Ma-lak and Rea had since advancing to the swim team! It wasn't really a meet, per se with other schools, but more of a fun team event! The challenge was that they had 2 hours to swim as many laps as they could or wanted to, with just a few breaks to rest if they needed. What a challenge - I was tired just watching them!

It was so fun to see all these kids who just love the water and want to do their best - most of them didn't want to get out of the pool! Ma-lak swam 30 laps and Rea swam 54!! Good job, guys!! (And just as a point of reference - 66 laps is a mile!!)

Splashin' Around!!

After the lap-a-thon, the coaches turned on the water slides and fountains and let them all have some play time as a reward for their hard work!! They even got pizza and ice cream and a visit from the Taco Wagon!! (sigh) A good day. :)

A Happy Happy Birthday!!

I turned 37 this past Tuesday! I can honestly say that with each year the Lord blesses me with the joy and contentment in my life increases as well!

I was so grateful to have a few days off in a row last week, which is rare and pure heaven! And my sweet family took me out for dinner for my birthday - truly a great gift! (No cooking and no dishes are things to be treasured!!) Since it was my special day, Daryle said I could pick - but I couldn't make up my mind! Finally (with the help of four little people who DID know exactly where THEY wanted to eat) we settled on our favorite restaurant, Hana. THE. BEST. SUSHI. EVER!!!!! My new favorite thing - Inari!! Sweet fried tofu. (I know. But you gotta try it.)

Get Your Jog On

Yes, you can tell this is the BEGINNING of my run.... I still have a smile on my face! Training is going great, I actually feel READY to tackle 13.1 miles 1 week from today!!!

Yesterday was my longest run yet to date, at 10.5 miles. My knees hurt for the first time ever, which was weird! I was quite the picture - ice bags on both knees, a hotpack on my back, Daryle massaging a nasty kink out of my neck and shoulder, and my face the color of a lobster, a SUNBURNT lobster.

LOVE it!

Swim Practice!

Rea's favorite part of swimming is jumping in, and doing the somersaults at the wall and pushing off!

Happy Birthday, Princess Ni'ke!!

This little girl did a lot of GIGGLING on her birtday! She was so delighted with everything - she just laughed and cheesey-grinned the whole day! There's truly NOTHING better than seeing joy in your childrens' faces....

Happy Birthday, Giggles! You bring us so much joy!!

The Birthday Girl!!

How did this little petunia get to be 6 already!??! Wow!

Today she went to school in her new little birthday out fit, she looked so cute!! I sent finger jello with her for a snack with her class mates - all in the shape of butterflies, per her request! Strawberry, grape, and her favorite - lemon!!

Tonight we'll have "the real party", as she says, when our whole family gets to celebrate with her! She's so like me, I love birthdays, too, but the best part is being with family all together...

And just because it's her special day, here's my latest and most favorite Ni'ke quote from "Funny Things My Kids Say":

"Mommy, don't forget to turn off the lights! We have to save elas-TRICKETY!!"

Love it!!!

Kickin' It Pool School

This past weekend was one of those rare times when the gorgeous 80 degree weather actually coincided with me having a weekend off! Hallelujah!

And wouldn't you know it, I got sick....

Still Hallelujah!!! I sound worse than I feel, have comPLETELY lost my voice, and can't seem to stop coughing. But we enjoyed the time off together anyway! I even managed to get in a couple runs for my training. (Countdown: 2 weeks and 6 days till the Half Marathon!!)

Exciting news on the swim front! Ma-lak and Rea have advanced to the Sea Horses swim team! Up until now they've all been on the preteam (still learning to swim) but they're doing so well, the coach decided to try them with the team this week! YAY!! And our schedules are about to get really busier... (insert BIG BREATHE here!)
Is it worth it?? Absolutely!!! Of all the things we've let them try, swimming is the thing that they are the most excited about.

Saturday Ma-lak and Rea had some one-on-one time with their coach so she could see how they were doing. The rest of us were hanging around and enjoying the business of doing nothing! (See Ya'shar's favorite hanging around spot - his dad's neck!)