Okay...blog time for Mike! It seems like a lot's been happening around our house lately, so instead of lots of posts, I going to do one full of miscellany - thanks Brad for introducing me to the noun version. Becky covered Easter and the marathon (but I'm sure I'll have a few things to say about it), I'll fill in the gaps.

Okay, one more from Easter...this is my son. Sometimes we post pictures of him sitting still and smiling, but really...this is my son. Mouth full of food, squirming like crazy, and a mischevious little smile on his face. Man I love this kid.

A couple weeks ago, for Becky's birthday, her dear cousin Ana came for a surprise visit. I picked her up at the train station and we pulled into the driveway just as Becky was getting out of the car with Jack. She looked at us like "who is that woman with my husband?" But she quickly realized who it was and we had a great weekend together as an extended family. Ana is one of the most tender-hearted people I know and she and Beck have a special bond that is a joy to witness. Jack grew quite fond of her as well!

So I had a good-news, bad-news kind of day a while back. I found out that I got to golf with some guys from work on a Monday afternoon (good news). On the way to the golf course, I got pulled over in a school-zone (bad news)! I've been ticket-free and accident-free since I got my license - never even pulled over!!! I was pretty irritated at my lapse in focus. I planned my speech for the officer, and was ready to lay on the "I'm a good person" line (a la Stephanie), but he wasn't really interested in hearing it.

"License, please"

"Here you are, sir"

"Did you realize you went through a school zone"

"No sir, I didn't"

"Is this your first time here?"

"No sir, it's not."

"Okay, I'll be right with you."

5 minutes later (and one of my golf buddies driving by laughing), and the officer handed me the $335 ticket!! Luckily, I can go to traffic safety school and prevent the ticket from posting to my record. Guess how much traffic safety school costs...yup...$335. We almost go more bad news, because the class was scheduled for the weekend we're planning to visit Wenatchee. But the Judge was gracious and allowed me to reschedule...phew!

I told you about the foam bits from work that Jack has been enjoying...here's another fun picture to make you smile.

This picture is from a few months back when we visited the coast with my family. It's an old picture, but one of my favorites. I love my fam!!

We also got to spend some time at the coast with our dear friends a little more recently. There are other blogs floating around about it, so I'll just post this picture of Jim and me climbing a rock. That's all:

So, thanks to my sweet wife for the post about the marathon. It was indeed a great experience. I'm a little irritated that my old IT Band pain has come back and is stubbornly hanging on, but I'm praying its temporary and I can get back out on the road next week. We'll see. I think the most surprising thing is that even though the pain and exhaustion (especially in the last few miles) was very real during the run, when I think back, I get excited and remember the feeling of knowing that in spite of whatever I was feeling, I could get to the finish line. I wasn't thinking "oh this is terrible, get me to the end." I was thinking "this is fantastic...with each step, I'm getting closer and closer to my goal." It was a good feeling (although I made some funny noises when my quads would cramp or my knee would lock up). Crazy enough...it makes me want to do another one. But that doesn't surprise you, I'm sure. Becky posted some nice pictures of the race, but here's how my body really felt at the end:

Well, today, we got to experience Jack's second trip to the ER!! Praise God it was much less of an experience than the first round. Just as he does a hundred times a day, Jack got moving pretty quickly and tripped up on the carpet, his shoes, his long jeans, his own feet...something and took a tumble. unfortunately, his forehead collided with the corner of a wall and split it open a bit. Becky called me at work and very calmly told me what had happend (good composure, mom!). We called the doctor, and they advised we go to the emergency room first. We decided Becky should just drive to the ER and I'd meet them there.

I arrived a few minutes ahead, but when they pulled up, I was glad to see that Jack was acting like himself and calling a cheerful "Dada...dada" like normal. Nina did a great job with the steri-strip, and once we got inside, they confirmed it was a pretty minor injury. they said we did the right thing by bringing him in, and they put on some really expensive super-glue and a really expensive band-aid and sent us home. Of course, the worst part for Jack was being held still...but that's my kiddo. Here's his battle wound all patched up.

For those of you who haven't heard how awesome my husband is...let me tell you- he's amazing! This past weekend- he ran a marathon! That's right...a marathon, and Jack and I got to cheer him on. We were and are so proud of him. The race was in Northern California at the Avenue of the Giants. We made a quick trip of it by leaving early Saturday morning and arriving back home late Sunday night. Does that sounds crazy? It was, but totally worth it. Jack was a great traveler. It certainly helped that he was entertained by Uncle Jim and Uncle Trent who also ran the marathon, and the DVD player we borrowed from Carson and Sydney certainly came in handy on the drive home.

So I'm sure Mike will post more on the details of the actual race, but here are a few highlights from the trip.

First of all- I've always loved the men that Mike has surrounding him, but this was certainly a much closer look than I've gotten before (We missed you Eric- the guys sure felt your support even though you couldn't be there ). I learned a few things about these boys..some I already knew, but it was nice to be reminded:

1) They're really funny! I found myself laughing a lot- even had tears one time- the good kind!
2)These men love meat...sausage, bacon...really any kind. They get downright giddy when they talk about it. Jim found a tiny piece of sausage hiding under his toast after eating his meat lovers omelet Sat. night and the joy expressed by all was quite impressive.
3) They love their families. After the race- they kept talking about how thinking of their families helped them going during the more difficult parts of the run and how they couldn't wait to see them when they got home.

4) They are willing to hang out in a lame hotel lobby for an hour just to make sure a certain boy named Jack gets to sleep.

5) They are self sacrificing. Jim drove the entire way there and back!

6) They aren't fans of unsalted peanuts! I really thought they were salted- oops!

7) Trent's dream meal would include a double whopper from BK and chili cheese Frito's.

8) I think they secretly liked it when I played the Wiggles for Jack. They won't admit it, but I saw some head bobbin' and toe tappin' taking place during the songs. :)
9) They really look out for each other and don't tell them I said this, but they're really thoughtful guys. They sure made me feel included this weekend and looked out for us. I'm so glad that we got to tag along.

...so I could go on, but onto the pictures and video...

Before the race

The start of the race

Half way there

Waiting for the big finish!

Crossing the Finish line!

You...yeah you...I just killed this marathon...bring on the next one!

The drive back home

Now don't you just feel like you were there!