This my friends is the reason for my lack of answering phone calls/txts and avoiding all other forms of human interaction. I don't hide pregnancy well (dang morning sickness), so it's finally time to share the exciting news!

Party Time

Here are a few highlights from Banana's big day!

She had a garden fairy party so we ate flower shaped sandwiches,
painted flower pots and planted some seeds,

had faces painted by the fairy queen (a.k.a. Aunt Cole),and caused a little destruction with the pinata. We tried to convince her to get a flower shaped one, but she wouldn't back down from getting the princess crown.
My grand plans for her cake fell through, but luckily Running Man came to the rescue and 1. calmed me down 2. decorated it for me.
Our favorite new bday tradition? Dinner and swimming at Little America. It's so fun for me to be able to share some of my favorite childhood memories/traditions with my kids!

Where Does The Time Go?

I can hardly believe that this little girl has gone from this tiny baby,

to this sweet 1 yr. old..and this spunky 2 yr old...

and an adorable 3 yr old...and this gorgeous 4 yr old...

to this amazing 5 yr old.
Banana, we love you so much. You make us smile every day, and are such a joy to be around. You are sensitive, sweet and are always so concerned about others around you. I am honored to be your mom and am so proud to call you my daughter!

Happy Birthday!

"Women rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing them by, because they know they hold tomorrow tightly in their arms. When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire - or the shaping sounds of lullabies? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in Congresses?" - Neal A. Maxwell

Chirp, Chirp

I'm pretty sure that's the sound of my brain lately. We have been going non-stop these last few weeks trying to get things in place for Running Man's practice, and I think my brain reached a point where it just had to shut down. :)
So the pictures in this post are the ONLY ones I have taken in the last few weeks. How sad is that?!

Running Man started P90-X again and the girls love it just as much this time around! I, on the other hand, am perfectly content watching from the couch. I survived the first go-around of the program and that was enough for me!

Em's new fave hangout? The potty. But only because she does things like this...

When I haven't been running around doing stuff for the business, I've been following my sister (the coach), and another sister (who's on the team) to some of their drill team competitions. I love being around that stuff again, and may or may not have cried when one of the teams did an AMAZING number. Sigh. To only be 16 again...
Banana loves it cause she gets to hang out with her BFF!

Here's to a productive week!!

Change Is In The Air

Here is just a little glimpse of what our future holds... (all it needs is a new paint job and some re-decorating)!

The back area we are putting all of the spinal rehabilitation equipment. We are also putting in a childern's area along one of the walls.Looking towards the front from the rehab room. There are adjusting rooms/and a massage therapist's room along the hallway.

Looking at the front desk from the front door. There is a room we're turning into a consultation room on the right hand side, but I forgot to snap a pic.
The x-ray room. We won't be doing anything fancy in here...it's hard to make a room look cute with that monster staring back at you!
It has been the most trying five months of our lives, but with every disappointment there was a small miracle waiting around the corner. When we left Palmer I never imagined the ups and downs, heartbreak and joy we would experience in such a short amount of time. Losing our baby was (and at times still is) the hardest thing we've had to face in quite a long time. But each day brings just a little more peace and I wouldn't be where I'm at emotionally if it weren't for the many shoulders to cry on, and many listening and empathetic ears.
We also realized fairly quickly that the practice Running Man was at was not the right fit for us. We learned a lot, but knew we needed to pursue our dream. We felt the sometimes overwhelming promptings and knew we needed to take the plunge. Each step brought peace, but there were so many more setbacks than I ever thought we would have. I am so blessed with a strong/solid as a rock hubby who took on most of the burden and carried us through. And to everyone (and there are so many) who found some way to be that tiny miracle we needed at so many points, we can never thank you enough. We have felt your prayers, and are amazed at the selflessness and generosity you have shown us.
There are many months/years of hard work ahead of us, but it is so exciting to know that it will all be progress towards making our dream come true!

This is one of the things that made me fall in love with Running Man...