Please Help Mommy Run Super Fast

Back at the beginning of December was the City Manager's 5K race for San Antonio city employees and their families. There's usually between 1,000-2,000 runners, and this was the 5th year it's happened. It's always at the park by the zoo. The first year I won for the women, and it was the first time I'd ever won a race in my life. The second year I got second, I think. Then I was pregnant with Lance and just ran/walked with Lily and Robby the third year. Last year I won it again, so this year the pressure was on! From Lily mostly. I really just wanted to run as fast as I could. Robby decided not to run it this year, so that he could be there when I crossed the finish line; every other time I've finished and then I go and run about a mile going the wrong way to run it with him. It was fun having him and the kids there at the end this year to cheer me on. Before the race the whole week Lily kept asking me if I was going to win-I told her I didn't know but I'd try to run fast, so in her prayer that's what she prayed for-that Mommy would run super fast. This is at the finish line.

And after the race. While I was running Lily had fun splashing in puddles.

My time-this was the fastest I'd ever won a 5k; I'd never finished under 21 before. We have the picture from me finishing last year and it was 21.19, or something like that.

And I won! I kind of feel silly blogging about it, but it was a a fun part of my 2011 and when I turn this blog into a book I'd like to have it in there, I think. The trophy is sitting in our garage. I'm trying to not be like the Modern Family episode from last week, if anyone watched it! Sometimes Lily will have races in our back yard and then win the trophy.

Lily my love

I want to write this in my journal, but it's much faster to type it up, and I know I'll turn this into a book eventually, so...

This morning while leaving the gym Lily was very excited at the idea of going to her friend Rachael's house this week to play... on her stairs. Apparently at Janica's and Mom and Dad's that was a bonus. Stairs. I asked if she'd like to have stairs sometime and she said, "Yeah, maybe we can get some for our house." I told her in order to do that we'd have to buy a new house and she said, "When my daddy gets home I'll ask him to get me a new house with stairs in it." I tried to tell her we couldn't just do that, but she wasn't convinced.

Then tonight she was upset with me because I was taking down the Christmas tree. I told her since it's after Christmas we have to put everything away for next year. She did not like this and said, "Do I have to put away my doll house?" I tried to then explain to her that she could keep all her presents that she got for Christmas. But I don't think she got it because a few minutes later she had a microphone and said, "I'm NOT giving this back to Santa Claus!"

Then in the bath I was wiping away the heart that was painted on her face while at the gym. She cried and cried that her heart was gone and was insistent we go to the gym to get a new one.

She told me that she fell out of her crib and broke her arm and had to go to the hospital. (This happened to Lance over our vacation-he broke his wrist at Janica's). I tried to tell her that didn't happen and it is a story (i.e-lie) and she said, "Yes I did!"

Tonight when she got out of the tub I wrapped her up in Emily's old towel and she said, "This is my towel that Emily gave me for Christmas. i got it for my birthday yesterday." I think she now gets that Christmas and birthdays are when you get presents.

While putting the ornaments away we found Lily's pink high heeled shoe that she picked out this year as her ornament. She did NOT want to put it away and told me her daddy told her she could keep it. She then took it and put it away. When I just went to put her shoes in her closet, sitting next to them is this little plastic pink high heeled shoe ornament.

I told Robby last night it's just amazing to me how much she understands and can interact. I remember when Emily was her age I had fun, but I always had a little ache that she couldn't communicate with me like a typical 3 year old could. So now that Lily can I find myself constantly laughing to myself over the things she says and does. It's hard to take her seriously sometimes, though I know to her the things that push her buttons are a big deal!

South Padre

In November we went down to South Padre Island. Originally we did it because we thought my mom was coming and she always says how she wants to sleep and hear the ocean, but she ended up not coming. We had a great time, though we missed her! We had really beautiful weather and the kids loved playing on the beach. And we actually ate good food. Really good food. We had just got our new iphones so my better pictures on it, and I haven't downloaded them to the computer yet. I also need to figure out how to blog from my phone, I haven't tried that either. Our camera is not taking the greatest pictures.

Halloween-just for me

I want to turn this blog into a book but need to get the rest of the year in to do it. So here's Halloween. I was pretty proud of their Peter Pan and Tinkerbell costumes.

Randomness

So I know I haven't posted in awhile, and it could stay like that for a bit. Things are just crazy busy, and I know they're not even as busy as they have been in years past. We had a good Thanksgiving going out to League City to see our friends (more like family) Austin and Amy. Their daughter Avonlea is the same age as Emily, and it was interesting to see Lily and her play together. I had one of those "could have been" moments-if Emily would have been born without her different challenges, this would have been their age difference. But it didn't make me super sad or cry or anything, it was just an interesting thought! Lily is in a hitting faze, so we're trying to work on that. I remember with my little sister the three's were way worse than the two's, so I was somewhat prepared, but they really are worse! I think it's because when they are two, they are still learning things, but when they are three, they know better! I decided not to do Christmas cards this year. Something had to give, so that was what gave. I'll try to post something on here and maybe send out an email, but I'm sorry that we won't be sending them out! I still love getting them from people, and I will plan better for next year. I'm going home Dec. 14th with the kids, so my month is kind of cut in half, plus with church stuff I just am quickly running out of time! I'll try to post pictures, too. We got smartphones for an early Christmas present and I haven't really figured out how to upload pictures from my camera phone all at once onto my computer. Can you do that?

Sea World

The weekend of Halloween we went to Seaworld with Robby's work. He's been at the city 5 years, and every five years they do something to celebrate; usually it's a free day at the zoo, but this year it was a free day at Seaworld! We haven't gone since Lily was about Lance's age, so it was really fun to go. This picture was at the end of the day, in front of the dolphin zone that splashed us.

So we actually fed the dolphins, which I was so excited about. The dolphins were excited, too. They jumped up and splashed us, with the kids taking the brunt of it. They weren't so happy about feeding the dolphins after that!

Lance did like watching the Sea Lions, though.

Lily and Robby watching the whales. Lance slept through it.

Lily and I actually went on this. We're in the second row on the left. She was very brave. She cried a little bit afterwards because she got wet, but she wasn't too traumatized! Probably not our best parenting decision to take her on it, but oh well!

The front part of the ride. You go backward down that roller coaster part.

Shamu!

The kids got to wear their Halloween costumes for part of the day. Lance, as you can see, was thrilled about it.

Morgan's Wonderland

Lily with her best friend.

Last Friday I had the chance to take Lily and Lance and go with a friend to Morgan's Wonderland. I have wanted to go there since it opened last year, and on Friday everyone got in for $5, so it was the perfect time to go. Morgan's Wonderland is the first park of it's kind that was designed and built with people of all abilities in mind. It was amazing! When Emily was here we knew it was being built, but it wasn't completed before she passed away. I really didn't take very good pictures, but every aspect of it was created so that individuals in wheelchairs or with other special needs can experience everything. They have swings that you can place and buckle your child in, or, for bigger kids/adults, you can actually wheel the wheelchair into place, fasten it in, and then let push the entire wheelchair so it swings! It's the same thing with the carousel. You can wheel a wheelchair into place, and then the entire spot moves up and down, just like if they were on a horse. The playgrounds were so much fun, and were all ramps. They have cars you can drive, a sensory village-basically a mini children's museum, a minature train that goes around the park, a full sized gym, and the list goes on.

When we entered the park I just started crying. I was totally caught off guard by the emotions that hit. It was just amazing to me that one man's vision created this park, and that children and adults like Emily could go and enjoy it side by side with their families. What a blessing! I loved seeing all of the kids and adults walking around and being pushed around in their strollers/wheelchairs. And I loved that it was just so natural. Lily and Lance absolutely loved it, too. They could have stayed all day. I'm just really grateful for people like Gordon Hartman.

I was talking with one of my friends about my last blog post, and what do you say to someone who has a child with differences/special needs other than, "What's wrong with them?" I think for me the thing I appreciated was when people didn't say anything! Not that I got offended when they asked what was wrong, because I know that's natural, but when people would say things like, "She had beautiful eyes." Or, "Tell me about Emily." Or who just treated her like she was a typically developing kid, and would talk to her and acknowledge her. Because "what's wrong?" just seems like you're focusing on the negative and not the positive, and who the person is not, or what they can't do, instead of who they are and what they can do. I guess it just puts me on the defensive. I think we can all be a bit "mother bear" about our kids! And for the most part people were great about really trying to see Emily and understand her.