Annie Jr

Yesterday, despite being sick, I made the effort to take the girls to Annie Jr, at the Cincinnati Children's Theatre. I had bought tickets a while back, and didn't want to miss out. Sofia really liked it, and although I think it was a little long for Bella, she didn't freak out at any point on time - which was already progress from the last time.

The longest week ever

This past week was the longest week ever. I truly do not remember the last time I had such an exhausting week. Sadly, by the time it was finally over I also got sick. And sick is exactly how I spent my weekend, and how it looks like I will spend the beginning of the week.

Columbus Half Marathon

After 3 months of training, today Lionel and I ran the Columbus half marathon. It was my second half marathon ever, and Lionel's first. Tia and Tio also came along with Diego to help us out with the girls while we ran, and to be our cheerleaders.

Going into this race I didn't feel as great as for the other ones, because my right leg had been tense. But I wasn't hurt, so I decided to give it my best. The bad news was that I got blisters early, and started to cramp during the last mile. The good news was that I achieved my goal of running 10 minute miles or less, and finished 5 minutes faster than when I ran the Cincinnati Flying pig back in May. Unlike the flying pig though, I was hurting by the end. When we ran the pig, and crossed the finished line, I literally felt like I could have kept running. Today that was definitely not the case.

The bad news for Lionel was that his knee started to hurt during mile 8, and from that point on he had to run some and walk some. The good news is that he finished as well. Now the question is if there will ever be a second half marathon for him. As for me, I still fully intend to run in Miami next February.

Lunch on our way to Columbus

Ice cream break the night before the Marathon

It was freezing in the morning, but we were ready!

The finish line

My Birthday!

This past Thursday was my birthday, and even though I couldn't take the day off, I still got to enjoy the evening surrounded by those I love. I also enjoyed Lionel's birthday gift, my parent's, and the cards the girls made for me.

Notes from Lionel

Notes from Sofia, since she didn't want to stay behind

Card from Bella

First card from Sofia

Second card from Sofia

Pumpkin

Being that the fall is right upon us, you can find pumpkins pretty much at every store. So earlier this week, when we went to the fruit store, I took a picture of the girls in front of a bunch of pumpkins that they had right by the entrance. The picture turned out great! ... you would have never guessed that we were not at the pumpkin patch.

Zoey

Zoey is so cute. How can I not love that face?

The Towers

The other day, in Sofia's art class after school, they had to paint any building they wanted. My sweet Sofia chose to paint "the buildings where mami works". That would be the P&G Towers, and if you have seen them before, they are indeed gray and have a circle in the middle.

Cumberland Falls

This past weekend we did a quick getaway trip. I booked the hotel several weeks ago, but given how busy we have been as of late I kept debating whether I should just cancel the whole thing. Besides, I could tell that Lionel wasn't necessarily dying to go. But at the end I didn't cancel it, and I am glad we went ahead with it. The weather was great, the place was beautiful, and going away prevented us from spending the entire weekend doing chores.

12 miles!

Today I ran 12 miles, with almost 6 of them in the pouring rain. The trail where I ran is beautiful and basically flat, hence why I chose it for such a long run. But running in the rain was definitely exhausting. The problem was not that it was raining, but that it was absolutely pouring. It was raining so much that there were too many puddles, and I couldn't even try to avoid them. I could hear my wet shoes at every step, and I could feel my socks completely drenched. I could feel my feet seriously rubbing, and I feared blisters were forming, but my goal was to run 12 miles, and I didn't want to give up. Today was my last long run before the Columbus half marathon in two weeks, and I needed to make sure I am ready.  It wasn't easy, but I finished my run and at a pretty decent good pace.

French 101

Yesterday morning the girls had their very first ever French lesson at the French Alliance of Cincinnati. Bella was not yet registered officially, but I was told I could take her and see how she did in class. After the class Sofia said "Bella kept interrupting when I was trying to learn", which I thought was not a very good sign. But apparently the teacher said it was normal, and that Bella was most definitely welcome back. So with some hesitance, and with hopes that I will not be wasting my hard earned money, I am officially signing her up as well.

The dancing giraffe

Sofia made this giraffe in art and was very proud of it. So one day last week, when I picked her up, the two of us walked together to her art classroom where all the giraffes the kids made were displayed on a big board. Usually it is me asking the girls to pose for a picture, but I definitely did not have to beg for this one.