Happy 7th Birthday, Aubrie!

Today is your birthday. Another year has gone by and you have aged by 365 days. You are a whole 7 years old. When did that happen? When did you become so big? When did 7 become such a big number when it comes to age? 7 is teetering on the edge of thinking mom is the most awesome person ever, to thinking that mom is the most embarrassing person ever. Right now you think I am pretty awesome, and for that I am grateful.

Seven years ago I was 42 weeks pregnant (you will hear when you are older that this 2 weeks longer than "normal", but don't pay mind to that). I knew all along that you would come in your time, when you were ready. I had a feeling you would be the daughter that danced to the beat of her own drum, and boy have I been right.

When you were born I had dreams of what it would be like to raise you and I can say that my dreams are coming true. I dreamed of a daughter that was smart and silly. Fun and crazy. I dreamed of a daughter that would try new things and accept challenges with open arms. And you have done that; look how amazing you are in your Dual Immersion school. I dreamed that you would be a leader and a teacher. And you are, your strong-willed personality has taught me to be patient in my parenting (at least I try to be). I dreamed of a daughter who would amaze me in ways I didn't think possible. And you do. You amaze me every day.

Over the past year you have grown and challenged me. You have embraced a second language with open arms. You have learned to make bracelets on the rainbow loom. You have learned to honor the Hispanic culture we call our own. You have learned to take one for the team and let Haylie be the rotten dinosaur egg. You are learning to fight fair and when to pick your battles. You are learning to love even when you don't like. These are all important things in life and it makes me proud to watch you embrace them.

Every day that I get to spend with you is a perfect day. You make me smile, laugh and make my days of being a mom great.  I hope that in 7 more years we will still be having just as much fun then as we are now. I hope you'll always think I'm awesome, because I know that I will always think you are awesome.

Happy Birthday to my awesome girl. You are the perfect numero tres in our family. Thank you for picking me to be your mom.

xo,
Mom

I Run For Me - My Running Story... So Far...

This post isn't about my kids, crafts or any of that jazz. It's actually all about me. Yea, self-absorbed much. ;) But stay with me. This is my running story. My story of how far I've come in a very short period of time. How even me..a mom with SIX kids...5 of them 8 & under...can find the time to be fit. 

It's my story to tell you that even if you don't think you can, don't think you have time. You can do it. Do it for you. Do it because it's for you. Do it because it makes you better. And a better you means a better person. And not only that, but you'll be setting a fantastic example for your kids. Being healthy isn't a fad, it's a lifestyle. Be the lifestyle.

I've always run. Not fast. Not often. But over the years I have run as part of my exercise routine. I can honestly say that I never really loved it. Didn't even really like it. But I tolerated it as a necessary evil.

Then I met a friend. She runs. She runs a lot. She runs fast. She seems to love it.

Then I had twins and ended up with 3 kids 2 & under. Then I ended up having 10 lbs of "I was pregnant with twins, and I'm am still nursing them" weight hanging on. So when the twins were just about 9 months old I made a decision to drop those extra pounds and get fit again. After two back to back pregnancies and twins that were still nursing I knew I would have to be smart about it and do it right. And I also had to find something to do that I could drag 3 little kiddies with me.

Enter...Running...

So I asked for a new double jogger and because my husband is pretty great, I had one by the end of the week. I started loading up the 3 littlest kids and hitting the pavement.

And this is what my training group typically looks like. That's a lot of kids! And a lot of weight to push on a stroller!

 (This time is recent - I was not running 9:43's at the beginning of my running journey.)

I wasn't very fast. I didn't go terribly far. But as time went on I went faster and went farther. I started to realize that I really did not only like running, but I loved it.  For the first time in my life I loved running. Who knew?!?

So back to my friend...She runs...a lot...and she races... She inspired me.

So I signed up for my first 5K for October in 2013, actually I signed up for 2. I had a goal of finishing them in 30 minutes or less. And guess what, I did!

Then I signed up for another 5K in December with a goal to do better than the before. And guess what, I did!

Then I did the Tink 10K in Disneyland this January. That would my true test. My goal was to complete the 6.2 miles in an hour or better - guess what?!? I did it and beat my goal with a time of 58:02!

 I started to realize that I'm pretty good at this running thing. I started training to be faster. To challenge myself I decided to sign up for a 5K or 10K for every month. And with those races I knew I needed a goal to challenge myself.

February challenge: Run the 5K with sub 9:00's. That would be first race to run that fast. And guess what, I did it!

The next challenge was to run my 8K in 45 minutes or better. But to make it even more intimidating...Remember my friend? The one that runs..a lot...and fast? She was running "with" me. I already made sure to tell her to NOT wait for me if I fell behind. But I have to say I hung in there pretty good for about 3 miles, then had to slow up a little. And I met my goal. In fact, I beat it!

Here are my stats - 408K style.

Age Place 53 out of 613 :

Time of 43:10.72 : Average Pace:

8:41/M

And my kid are even getting into it. They are participating the Kid Fun Runs at the races that have them. We're doing it as a family and that makes me happy.

My next race is in a week - another 10K. I have a goal to beat my Tink 10K time of 58:02. I'm still debating about what is logical, but I'm thinking of trying for sub 9:00's again. I did it for 5, I think I can add another mile. :) And I also signed up for 2 half marathons (summer and fall), always have to have a challenge, right?

People that ask about my running journey say "I'll never run that fast". Honestly I didnt' think I'd ever run 8:30's ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. But guess what, I can! I stuck with it, set goals and worked for it. It's an amazing feeling accomplishing goals. So set them and achieve them. You'll feel amazing too.

But it doesn't matter how fast you are. If you're out there, you're still faster and going farther than the person sitting on the couch.

So get out there and run or walk or ride a bike. Do what you want. Just do it. Take your kids. 

Do it for you. Do it because it's for you. Do it because it makes you better. And a better you means a better person. Just Run.