I DID IT!! . . . sort of!

This weekend was the first annual Stonewall Long Haul 5k Health Walk/Run benefiting the Alzheimers Association! It was a first for my family and it was very exciting!! I see now why people do this.

We got the kids all bundled up and we all had on our running shoes bright and early on the chilly Saturday morning! Ryan had decided he wanted to run it to see how he would do so that left me with two strollers and two boys! Thankfully, I had a host of family and friends out that day to support Josh & Erica and Alzheimers who could also help me . . . a big thanks to Granny, Aunt Jackie, Amy, Blake, Mom, Dad, Terry Mac, and whoever else ended up pushing a stroller with a child in it or pushing an empty stroller while some other nice soul walked with Mason!

At about Mile 1, while bringing up the rear, I came to the conclusion that Conner is not a stroller baby! We are not super on the go people so he rarely rides in his stroller and when we do go places I usually either carry him or let him roam free so he was NOT happy to be in the stroller and I was DEAD LAST in the race trying to make him happy! We ended up turning around and quitting mid-race, altogether I maybe did 1.5 miles . . . but not my fault!

Here are some pictures of Conner non-verbally expressing his thoughts and feelings of being woke up early and stuck in a stroller. By the way, yes, this is a public road in a developing subdivision where there are lots of dump trucks and other big trucks who don't really care if a 19 month old is revolting against his mother in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!!






If and when there is a #3, he/she will have to learn to love the stroller!

My hubby did place 18th in under 30 minutes - CONGRATS!! He hadn't really planned on running until the last minute so I think he did great!

Kelly & I relaxing after the run

The Williamson clan walking in memory of W.N. Williamson, Sr.

Sisters in Christ (and one little brother) supporting each other,

Mom, Conner, Margie, Renee, Megan, & Donna

The Williamson girls, Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Jackie, Granny, MeMe, (Conner), & Mom

Cheryl & Brian

Adventures in Jean-ology!

Saturday I had a rare shopping day in "town." I was supposed to have a massage and facial that morning . . . supposed to being the key word here. When I arrived at the spa there was a note with my name on it taped to the door saying my appointment was cancelled! And apparently, sometime between Saturday and the last time she cancelled my appointment she "lost" my number and couldn't call me.

So there I was dressed and ready to go with nothing to do . . . I decided for the first time in 4 years I'd go blue jean shopping. Currently, I wear mostly hand-me-downs from my super fashionable sister and her super fashionable co-worker, which suits me just fine because they buy nicer clothes than me and it saves me money. But I needed a pair of jeans bought just for me.

Off to the mall I went - first stop Dillard's . . . there I just got a little overwhelmed with the vast amount of jeans and the departments I'd have to stop in to try them all on. I just left without trying any on.

Surely, the Gap will have a jean for me!! Nope, somehow between my size in regular length and my size in average/ankle length we lost about a foot - I felt like Goldilocks - one was too big and the one was too small, except unlike her I didn't find any "just right."

My last jean purchase came from New York & Company so I knew they'd have the perfect fit . . . perfect if I was a plumber! This momma cannot do super low rise!!

To prove I was still hip, I tried Abercrombie, ultimately that just proved I'm almost 30 and shouldn't shop there! The music was loud which is the usual old lady complaint but that didn't really bother me. What bothered me I couldn't see!! It was so dimly lit that I had to basically get on the floor and gaze intently at the labels to figure out what size they were! I guess they were trying to save money on electricity since they spend all their profits on pouring bottles of cologne everywhere. My head hurt so bad from the smell. Still determined that no amount of light shortage or headache inducing smells would stop me I decided to try on the Emma Bootcut jean. Not really sure what "Emma" looks like but they was no way in Hades that a boot was going to fit anywhere between my leg and the pant. Finally told the ultra-cheerful sales girl I was too old to shop there I left!

Ugh, four stores down and still no jeans!

I go to the Buckle and stop at the first table to look at jeans, I just figured my strategy would be to pick up every style in my size and camp out in the dressing room. Well-meaning sales girl approaches and asks if I've tried on their Stella fit before, I say no, she polites explains that its their ultra low rise jean and is that what I'm interested in. I'm thankful for her help but really all I hear is "there is no way your post-baby C-section body is fitting into ultra low rise jeans!" A little discouraged I allow her to suggest some styles - word to the wise if trying on Culture, go two sizes bigger than what you normally would! That was my first style to try and I was still a little discouraged by the fact Savannah (super helpful sales girl) could tell I didn't need ultra low rise so the fact that my first jean only had room for one leg made it ten times worse!

I ended up leaving the Buckle broke (seriously, with jeans at this price there is a reason I only by a pair every 4 years!) but with fabulously cute jeans!

Maybe jean shopping isn't so bad after all! After all, along the way I picked up three tops and a pair of shoes!

mindy

10 Things I love about Rain!

10. The smell

9. Finding frogs in my living room! Thanks to John Ryan & Nora for giving Mason a butterfly net for his birthday. I was the crazy lady chasing a frog around with a net last night!

8. Rainbows

7. Its provides a good excuse to lay on the couch and do nothing all day!

6. The fascination I still feel when the creek floods in our road - there is just something exciting about driving through a flooded road!

5. The sound the rain made on my second story bedroom under my parents tin roof. Love it!

4. When it makes the power go out, except on hot days or days I HAVE to be somewhere. I love holding my family hostage and making them play games with me or curling up with a book and a candle!

3. Sitting in the living room beside our big window and looking for worms in the puddles(you know looking out the window - we may have frogs but not worms!) with Mason and Conner!

2. Singing Rain, Rain Go Away with my kids!

1. The delight on two little boys faces when the rain stops for a brief moment and I announce its time to put on our boots and go outside - PRICELESS!

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Check out my big boys at the Imagination Movers this weekend! So much fun!

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Happy Birthday Sarah!!!

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Thoughts to ponder . . . be looking for a future blog post about "What would you do if you weren't afraid of _____________?" Fill in the blank yourself!
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Mindy

Do a Good Thing!!

Register today for the 1st Annual Stonewall Long Haul!! It will be worth it just to see me do it!! Think about it for $15 (if you register NOW) you get a free T-shirt, 100% of your race fee will go to the Alzheimer's Association, the satisfaction of knowing you completed it, and free drinks & snacks after the race, plus bounce houses for the kids and a concert!! Seriously people all that for $15!! And if you bring your race # in to Anytime Fitness in Stonewall you will get one free workout or one free month, if you decide to join!

Hope to see you there! For more information you can call Erica at (318) 775-5474!

GREEN SMILEYS ALL AROUND!!

Conner & I couldn't resist the beautiful weather yesterday so we threw on our shoes and headed for the great outdoors! Then a "melt your heart" moment - he picked me flowers for the first time!! How adorable is that! In his cute tiny little hand were 4 yellow wildflowers (I REFUSE to call them weeds!)!

It dawned on me that the day before Mason had picked flowers for me and it really touched me that Conner was able to follow his big brother's example and give his mommy beautiful treasures!!

I spend so much time asking Mason not do things so that Conner won't imitate him that I forget what a splendid example he can be!



I was a little apprehensive about my oldest angel on Wednesday though . . . I was definitely up for worst mother of the month!! Saturday we had pizza, Sunday Mason asked for pizza, Monday Mason asked for pizza so when I saw that the cafeteria was serving pizza on Wednesday I assumed it was a no-brainer - of course, he'd want pizza!! Think again - he complained the WHOLE way to school and in the parking lot and in the hallway and demanded to go back home and get his lunch! When we finally made it to his room he ran away twice and wouldn't go in his room because HE DID NOT WANT PIZZA!! HE HATES PIZZA! (Why didn't I know this???)

He has done absolutely wonderful at school but I feared my pizza fiasco would ruin our record of green smiley faces . . . but it didn't!! Turns out he doesn't hate pizza that much after all because he ate the whole lunch and got a month's worth of green smileys!! HOORAY FOR MASON!!

He did however tell on me this morning to my mom that I "forgot" to make his lunch and said that he never wanted to eat in the cafeteria ever again!! So keep your lunch suggestions coming because I'm going to need them!!

**Off to Canton this weekend so I'll be sure and take pictures of all my fabulous finds!!**

mindy