Fall

Today was a beautiful fall day, so this afternoon we went to Ault Park. The girls were not so cooperative, but with such a beautiful day there is no way I was going to let them to just sit inside.

My Dorothy

Yesterday I took Bella to a Halloween party, and we chose from one of the costumes we had in the basement. The Dorothy one fit her really well, and she looked pretty cute!

Orange leaf

Oct 23,

On Friday I was able to leave work early, so we had time to stop by and get ice cream before piano class.

It happened!

Oct 21,

Today it finally happened. Bella lost one of her front teeth. She pulled it to be exact. It had been wiggly, and two of her classmates lost teeth that day too, so she went for it. Good bye baby smile!

The Little Mermaid

This afternoon we went to the Children's Theater to watch the Little Mermaid. Sofia did not want to go, so she missed out. Sometimes those shows are hit and miss, but this was one of the good ones.

My Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a fabulous day. It was a cold one - the fall has arrived after all - but it was sunny and I always love that. After the half marathon in the morning I took it somewhat easy. I even took a nap! We then cut cake, and went out for dinner with the family. I had already celebrated with friends earlier in the week, so I wanted my birthday to be all about spending time with my family.

Lionel forgot to buy candles for the cake, so instead of my whole age we only had the digit. We still had it from Sofia's birthday last year. We then had dinner downtown, for a change. I had thought that if the weather was nice we could also stop by Smale Park, but after dinner it was getting dark and we were all tired. So we came back home instead and relaxed the rest of the night. I spent some time replying to all the Happy Birthday wishes on Facebook, and then went to bed. As the Fresh Beat Band used to say: What a great day!

Loveland Half Marathon 2015

As my birthday gift from me to me, I decided to also run the Loveland Half Marathon this year. The marathon happened to be exactly on my birthday, and I had already trained for the Queen Bee, so I figured I could push it and do it. 

Parking was very limited, so Gabi was kind enough to get up early to pick me up at 7:00 am and take me. We actually ended up getting a pretty good parking spot, so Gabi was able to sit at a local restaurant, relax, get a coffee, and wait for me there Vs having to go away.

I had never done two half marathons back to back, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but as it turns out I did really well. My overall time was 3 seconds slower than last week, which means my average time per mile was exactly the same. What are the odds! I am glad I did it, and I am more glad that my sister was there for me.

Bosom Ball 2015

As part of my birthday celebration, this past Thursday Gabi, two friends and I went to the Bosom ball, a charity concert a local radio station puts together every year. Since October is breast cancer awareness month, the concert is to raise money for the breast cancer research. I had never been, and decided this would be a good girls night out. We also had dinner before hand, which gave us plenty of time to catch up. And the concert, which always includes artists on the rise, was a good show.

Any day now

Any day now Bella will lose not one, but both of her top front teeth. AND one of her bottom front teeth. And I am still not prepared to lose that baby smile. 

The path

It's hard to believe, but this path is in our backyard. It is peaceful, and you feel like if you were far away. Maybe, on a bad day, I need to go sit there and just think and relax.

Pumpkin patch

Yesterday afternoon Gabi and I took the girls to the pumpkin farm. Lionel was playing soccer and watching the Bengals, and Raj was still out of town. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm, so we had a great time. We also ran into the neighbors, which the girls enjoyed because those are the kids they play with. 

We did the hay ride, the corn maze, and the kids ran around all over the place. I was tired, having run the half marathon the previous day, but it was worth going there.

Dinner with friends

Last night, after all the Queen Bee fun was over, we went to our friends  Markus and Lara's house for dinner. It had been a while since we got together, so it was good to also catch up with them and the other guests. The kids played nice - for the most part anyway - so the adults were able to talk and hang out.

Queen Bee Race Day!

After much anticipation, yesterday morning was the 2nd Queen Bee Half Marathon and the day was absolutely beautiful. Truly we couldn't have asked for better running weather. I drove downtown with a few girls from the running group I joined, and we all wore our matching shirts.  

This time around I couldn't train as well as the previous times, because work got in the way, but I still had a strong result. I finished slightly faster than the Flying Pig in April, which gives me a new personal record. And it was great to have Lionel and the girls there to support me, and to also see my friend T at the end. It was a great race day! When we got home I proudly hung my new medal next to the others - the collection I still can't believe I have.