Gwyn turned 4!

Gwyn turned 4 on April 3. She had a several parties - two with family and one with friends. (It was a bit overkill, but it was all for scheduling purposes.) Her friends party was at the zoo, just like her brothers'. She had been excited about it, and kept reminding us that her "birthday party is going to be at the zoo with trains."

Kevin made her cake (again) and this year is was a crown. And since her favorite colors are "pink, purple, white and green" we added the colors that we could make with icing and sprinkles. She loved her cake!

We got her a big Barbie house (I know, it does not seem like me, but she loves dolls.) so her brothers got her Ken dolls. This way, according to them, "when we play with her we can still be boys." I hadn't said anything about playing with her. They are so sweet.

At her party at our house, she is wearing a green dress. This is a hand-me-down from my cousins Rachel and Emily. Gwyn wore it every time it was clean for weeks, including both of her parties that I have pictures of. Just a cute thing I want to remember.

Anyway, here are some pictures.

Zoo Run 2015

I think this is our 5th year running the zoo race. It is a zoo right next to the zoo, and we run the event with the Nordgaarden's. This year Kevin raced, I ran with Gail, and then the kids ran. (Shaun was recovering from surgery.) Kevin placed 1st in his age group! (He usually medals.) Chase got 2nd in his age group.

The boys both ran the 1/2 mile, and they were the 5th and 6th to finish! (That is why Colin is holding up a "6.") It was great! And Gwyn ran her first race, which was 1/4 mile. She attempted it last year, but I think spent most of the time on Kevin's shoulders. This year she was ready to quit and looked like she was getting ready to cry until she heard all of us cheering for her. Then she smiled and ran! She was SO PROUD of her "medal."

Let's Catch Up

It is obvious that many things have happened in the 6 months that I last blogged. I really do get sick of it, and I wish it was more user-friendly, but I know I will miss the posts if I stop them.

So I will do my best to update events that have happened. I know I will miss some. I know they will be out of order. But at least they will be posted.

So let's start with family news. We didn't really know if Kevin, Colin and Gwyn were going to have cousins for a while. And then, wham, they get two within a few months of each other! My sister Cathy and her husband Dave welcomed Ruby Helen on February 5. This little girl is a.ma.zing. I am a bit crazy when she is around, but I have learned to share her with other people. (Inside I am still screaming for her.) She stayed overnight with us a few weeks ago, and naturally she loved the Baby Whisperer (Kevin). We also discovered Baby Whisperer 2 with another Kevin.

BUT THERE IS MORE! Aunt Kelly and her husband Kev (Yes, another one.) are expecting a baby at the end of July! This baby will be part Aussie, and we will have to survive on pictures only for a time, but the kids are still excited. Especially BW2 (Baby Whisperer 2 AKA Kevin). And Gwyn loves babies. Colin is more "Meh" about everyone's babies.

More updates:
This picture was found on the camera. Someone knows how to take selfies.

Update on me:
I had a very busy spring. I ran two half-marathons! I started training in November, and I really didn't tell many people. (I think Cathy told more on accident than I told on purpose.) My first one was the Go! St. Louis half marathon. I kept thinking about my friends who have run and how they all said they started out too fast. And I was also told by people that I will be happy to just finish. So I ran it sooooo sssslllloooowwww. I am not a great runner, but I really felt like I just wasted my time out there. I was not happy just to finish. So I cried for a day and then registered for the Via Christie Illinios half marathon the next weekend. Kevin was going to stay home with the kids (I had to drive to Champaigne-Urbana for the run.) and I was going with my mom. But Kevin wanted to be there, so thankfully his parents took the kids. I know that he was very happy to be there, and I was happy he was there as well. So thank you to them! As for the run, I finished 24 minutes faster, and I am pretty confident that I could have finished 5 minutes faster had I planned it differently. Kevin met me 3 miles from the end and finished with me. He said the entire time no one passed me! Much better than last time. And my mom was in the stadium at the finish line to cheer me on! The photo company somehow has ZERO pictures of me at the finish line, and I am a bit mad about that. I do have a photo from the start line, but I can't find it in my email. I will upload it later. The best part? I trained once and got two shirts!

Kevin ran Read Right And Run! It was in Forest Park the day before my half marathon, so it was a big weekend for us! He did GREAT! He was one of the first in his school to finish! He had trained at school, and running around the neighborhood. And he got his own medal!

Colin looking pretty cool. Gwyn is just happy to have a sign and get to yell at people.

He actually lost his shirt and bib, so he borrowed a bib from his daddy. ;)

Colin is playing baseball! His team is the Sharks. This is the only face he would make for me. He is having fun, and it is adorable to watch him play!

An attempt to get a picture of all 3 of them.

That is all for now. But tune on for more! Until I decide to stop again.

I am back!!! And my first post is: Zoo Wild Lights 2014

 I started this post in December, so I will post it "as is."

Last month we went to the annual Wild Lights event at the St. Louis Zoo. We meet at the zoo for dinner, walk around and look at the lights, get desserts, listen to carolers, and drink hot chocolate. The kids really enjoy it, and the boys remember past Wild Lights. (Here are the links to our past visits: 2012, 2011.)