Some family time

Work has been very hectic for me lately and the season is starting to pick up for Aaron as well. We have been going non-stop and working crazy hours which means that the 3 of us have not had a lot of time to spend together. I think we were in all in need of some "quality" time out of the house so we headed to the zoo. Granted, we only hit up the Miller Park Zoo which took us all of an hour to walk through, but hey, it was a zoo and Avery enjoyed herself. The weather was really nice and we took our time strolling around. All Avery wanted to see was the tiger. When we finally made our way to his cage, he was asleep on his back way at the very back and wanted nothing to do with the crowd. The next best that had to do was the cheetah. We had a really good time and are thinking we need to get in a few more outings with Avery before baby sister makes her arrival.

Up close and personal with the meerkats

Checking out the reindeer

Isn't he a funny looking guy?

The runner-up cheetah since the tiger was sleeping

She probably enjoyed the carousel the most!

My 29th

Growing up I'd get so annoyed with my mother when I would ask her what she wanted for her birthday and her reply was, "Just be nice to me." I used to roll my eyes and think "Well I can't exactly wrap that up and put a bow on it!"

Fast forward 15-20 years and on my 29th birthday I caught myself saying to my own daughter, "Come on, Avery. It's Mommy's birthday, could you please be nice to me today?" as I struggled to get her to settle down and take her nap.

Funny, but true. The older I get, the less I interested I become in gifts, presents, parties, and bows. Now, it's about family and relaxation. Sure, I'll always take a present if offered, and in fact, I received some very nice ones this year, but I was more excited to spend the day with my family where we all put forth the extra effort to make it "quality". My mom and Bill were up for the weekend so we all enjoyed a yum lunch at Biaggi's before they headed home. The rest of the day was spent at home and soaking in the quiet.

Half Marathon

Aaron decided to take up running a few months back. He began by walking and then gradually worked himself up to running. Aaron is athletic but he's never really run before. This was a new challenge and I have to give him quite a bit of credit. He got up almost every day before daybreak just to get in a run before his day began. He and our neighbor, Matt, paired up and took this on together, but they needed a new challenge. They found this in the Mahomet Half Marathon on August 21st. Aaron completed the 13.1 miles in 1 hour 53 minutes which beat his goal of coming in under 2 hours. Now, Aaron runs almost daily and has become fluent in "runner's talk" and honestly, I couldn't be more proud. His next goal? Running a full marathon.

And they're off in the streets of Mahomet (about 45 minutes east of where we live)

Go Matt!

I was already proud of Aaron for his huge accomplishment but watching him come down the hill (far right) as he finished the race was a completely different feeling. The emotion just welled up in my chest and brought tears to my eyes as Avery and I jumped up and down and cheered him on.

Almost there!

Finished!

Matt and Aaron after the race

Wearing Daddy's medal

Putting Daddy's medal on him

So happy for Aaron!

An unexpected but welcome visit

Aaron's parents gave us a call, said they had some extra days, and asked if they could come visit. Our reply: "How fast can you get here?!" They got in the car and arrived the next day! Aren't some of the best plans some of the unplanned? It was a quick trip but still good. Avery was able to stay home from the sitter's house and spend time with Grammy and Poppy- I believe she managed to get them to take her to the park every single day. Add in some walks and cooking- she was pretty well spoiled! Aaron's dad helped him build storage shelves in the basement. What a relief! One more project completed before baby gets here! We absolutely loved having them here and were glad that they were able to come visit.

Hanging out with Poppy

Sliding with Grammy

Grammy found a WonderPets toy- Avery's latest fascination

Posing for the camera

Cooking with Grammy

Helping Mommy open some early birthday presents

Monkey see, monkey do

Oh, how this little girl loves to be where Daddy is and doing what Daddy is doing. Aaron had just finished with a run and was stretching out on the deck. Avery followed. Then later, his back was hurting and he was trying to stretch that out. And Avery followed.

All joking aside, I'm so grateful that Avery has such a wonderful Daddy to look up to and follow around.