It's been a LONG time.....

It's been maybe TWO years since I posted here!  I kind of forgot about it, and stumbled upon it while viewing my FB profile.  Well, maybe it's time I start again.  I supposedly have lots of free time now (yeah right)! It appears I dropped off the summer before all the craziness of Vegas happened.  I think I was a little tarnished, a LOT defeated that year.  When I look at the last post, it's hard to believe that happened.  Anyhow, that was also the year my brother and sister-in-law got married in beautiful Minnesota.  It may or may not have been the cause of my sickness, but it really doesn't matter.  That weekend was a very fun weekend in Detroit Lakes.  It was nice to see where Leigh grew up and celebrate their special day :)

Let's see, what else happened.  It's hard telling, I have memory problems.  So...... 

FAST FORWARD A YEAR AND A HALF!

These are pictures taken about a month ago - Wade is 5 1/2 and Alia is 4.  My how they have grown quickly!  

I am gearing up for a garage sale - finally time to let go of all the baby gear that has been sitting around in corners and closets of our house.  These two angels are happy, healthy and make our lives complete :)  

In other news, it's May, there are inches of snow on the ground and we are all a little tired of it!  We have a busy month planned with the kids in tee ball, blast ball, finishing up dance and tumbling, activities on the weekends, end of the school year and Memorial Day.  It will be a fun month!  And this summer will be fun as well.  I sat down and wrote calendars out and it seems we have arrived....at the point where the kids are busy and it's my job to get them everywhere!!  I have already this month almost missed dance pictures and almost missed a swimming lesson.  I am sure there may be a few more misses in my future, but I am going to try :)  

Cheers to all!

Sarah

Who's Counting?

Well, I suppose I am :)  I am 5 weeks into my 18 week marathon training plan and so far, I have run a total of 98.05 miles!  In 5 weeks!  I have to say, the heat sure makes it hard getting in the miles but I love the early sunrise so I can get most of it done in the mornings.  Once fall hits and the mornings become dark and cool, getting out of bed gets a little more difficult.  At least I've got some good friends to keep me going!  I also keep this calendar on my fridge, right in my face everyday, asking how many miles I've run today.  Wouldn't want to let this pesky calendar down!

This weekend my friend Mary and I are going to Davenport to race The Bix.  It's a hilly and hot course, but we love the popsicles and food at the end.  This is only my 2nd year, but I love it!  And from there, my long runs start increasing 14, 15, 17, 18, 20 (eek), and so on.....oh boy, I hope I can do it!  Wish me luck, 13 weeks and counting!

Playscape Playin'

Today is such a beautiful day!  It's shameful we were running errands this morning and have Wade's doctor appointment this afternoon.  We did, however, have a chance to go to the Jester Playscape today.  I have heard about this and have never been, so we decided to venture out and see what it's like.  First, I wasn't exactly prepared as there were several kids out in their swim suits and swim shoes splashing around in the pond, but that didn't stop the kids from exploring.  Most of all, I enjoyed taking pictures since it's so easy to get great pictures out in nature.  Here's some shots from our "photo shoot" today. 

 And then after we were sufficiently hot from playing, we found a shady place for a picnic.  Picnics always sound like such a good idea...but the kids just want to go play.  They managed to eat a few bits and continue playing at the other playground we found.  We really had a great day!

Better Late, Than Never?

So, I suppose maybe I should update my blog since I know my loyal family likes to read it :)  I don't think I can sum up what we have all been doing in the last, oh, 3 months, so here's a few pictures:

Alia loves to play with her purses...and chapstick, lots of chapstick!

I ran Dam to Dam and the kids came to cheer me on with their bells!

We visited the Omaha Zoo...an annual tradition for us!

My favorite, the Flamingos.  Why, because they are pink I guess :)  Also, the flamingo in Gnomeo and Juliet cracks me up!

Alia got her first official haircut (she had a small cut earlier, no proof of that though :)

We have visited the beach!

With floaties! 

And have seen many parades so far this summer!  We have three bags of candy to prove it!

And we helped Aunt Jenny surprise Uncle Matt with Grizzly Bear :)

We LOVE the pool!

So, there's no way that sums up our last, well actually, 4 months, but that's a start. Look forward to more updates soon, including updates on my official marathon training! 

Alia's Party...

Yesterday we celebrated Alia's 2nd birthday!!  She was so excited to have a day that revolved around her.  All day, even after all our guests were gone, she was beaming from ear to ear.  Wade had a bit of a rough time with all the attention that she got, but overall he was pretty excited about the gifts she received.  He thinks they are his :)  Alia will be 2 on March 15th.  It's been a wonderful two years with this little girl.  She has a lot of personality and we love her bunches.

Alia's first present opening!

Time for pizza!

More presents...with Wade helping :)

Pretty hair accessories!!

Time for cake!

Alia's new place to get pretty!

And her new kitchen for her room....I think it's time to declutter a bit!

The pink "gator" as she likes to call it. 

And a second helping of cake..why not, it's my birthday!

So the girl got a little spoiled for her birthday.  :)  And now, I will continue to get her room reorganized and transformed into an official girls room where she can keep all this new stuff! 

A special thank you to our family who came to help celebrate Alia's special day.   

Ketchup Time

It's time to "ketchup" with what's been going on at the Zimmerman's.  We've been awfully busy since last Thursday and finally today I've had a chance to breathe!  Saturday we went to a movie and out with some friends for the night.  I wasn't very camera happy that night, so here's me almost dropping the cake that Leigh brought for us!   

     

   Sunday we had to go get the kids in Ames and then spent Sunday just trying to stay awake and do a few things around the house.  Clint and Alia did find some time to do this...all while Wade was sleeping. It's best he didn't know about it :)

 We also watched the Super Bowl (well I watched some of it) and then it was Monday.  I had a great birthday that involved all of this:



Flowers and Balloons at work




Birthday Cake!!!





Wishes :)



The kids trying to steal my wishes :)





And today Wade started session three of swimming lessons.  His usual teacher was out sick which meant there was a sub and he started with a few tears, but he quickly got over it and was scooping and kicking in no time. 

So, that's what we've been doing...hope you have a great week!