2010: Overall, an un-eventful year in the respects to things that can shake life up, but with 2 kids, life is never un-eventful.
Lots of Snow....
In May we welcomed a new member to the family. My niece Karleigh Brielle!
And celebrated my grandmoms 80th birthday!Eric and I found out we really loved hiking...Glen Onoko Falls in Jim Thorpe..Maybe we will make it a yearly thing?!
I ran my first "race" since high school(i'm in there somewhere), and Mia ran her first race ever! We ran for Alexs Lemonade Stand in honor of our cousin Bobby Croyle! I went on to run a few other events over the summer/fall.
Gavin: Its amazing how fast the days go, and today when i was putting him down for a nap, I honestly got a little choked up (okay, a lot, like snot tears and all), b/c I am so amazed at how this little guy is turning into a full blown kid. He is still a baby in some respects, despite his size (36-ish inches and 30-ish lbs at 2?) he is obsessed with his paci (ugh, 2 1/2 is my age where it goes byebye...which he calls his bubby) and his blanket (at times think linus, and its not a small blanket, kinda heavy, so not the easiest thing to lug around). He loves to be rocked (and i love doing it, but again, one of those things that SHOULD stop, but i cant, im addicted) at bed time while we watch his light go in circles and talk about the stars and planets, he will grab my face and say "hug momma". He is the complete opposite of Mia, they are pretty much night and day, but I would have to say that Gavin is my silliness, high energy and maybe defiance, coupled wiht Erics stubboness, analyitical thinking, neat freakiness. He is a born leader (eric's gene) and with little words can convince a table of toddlers to bang their elbows and scream "ow" and then look sweet and innocent when the teacher turns around, clearly not banging. I know why grown men are babies, its all their mothers fault! So G-man is doing all the things toddlers do...I wish he was talking a little better, he can manipulate others to talk for him and only get by with using one or two words...maybe he's an opportunist? I love this age, the tantrums suck, but I can tell he is really starting to get things...i think my sister explained the essence of Gavin the best, she said " Thank you for teaching me to jump first, look second, and to laugh so hard I can't breathe"...ahh the tears again...but thats my boy!
Mia: Wow....She scares the shit out of me!!!! She is smarter then me by far, has more global understanding for things then any pre-K kid I know (okay, so its not that many, but i think shes pretty smart on the whole). She just learned to spell her last name...big deal you may say, HANDSCHUMACHER...thats 14 letterrs, okay..but she learned it in less than a day, like she spent 5 minutes going over it, then came up stairs and said, "mom, I can spell our last name, listen" no cheat sheet, no prompts...She is HUGE as well, (46 inches, 43lbs) shes the size of a 6 year old! She will be built like me Im pretty sure, I always looked huge (saying that like I dont anymore). She lost 2 of her bottom teeth, the dentist yesterday said "your kids are just dentally advanced" She has her 6yr old molars before 5! I want to slow her down, she is my baby girl and is way too big! So she's smart, and logical (hmmm, eric) but sensitive and emotional (thats all me!), she tries to be stubborn, but if she is pushed, she gets her feelings hurt (where the other one just blows it off), she has a crazy imagination, and has a love hate relationship with G. She is so matter of fact (eric) about things, its kinda funny to hear it coming from a 4 year old. She is wise beyond her years!! She still remains my sunshine, she has an intoxicating smile, that makes you smile too. She does not hold a grudge (me) and love unconditionally. Dont get me wrong, she is a whiney 4 year old who can make me crazy...but when i reflect, i dont see that too much with her. She made me the mom I am, and she will always be special for that.
Eric: Holy proud of him!!! My "im not a runner, running is stupid, running sucks" is a full blown runner. He made it part of his schedule and he sticks to it (wish i had some of that). He's dropped like 30lbs, and i think is happier and healthier. I hope that once spring and summer comes, we can start to run more ofter together. We went out a few times over the year, and I just feel better when hes running with me. Plus, he give me the motivation I need to keep going. He's kinda awesome. Having kids, moving, new jobs, another kid, loosing a job, surgery, another new job and life had us at each others throats the last few years, I really feel that we have found our footing here and are getting back to were things should be. I dont think a lot of young couples have the changes we had over the past few years, but we stuck it out and I feel the fog lifting. He is my best friend, the only person I really want to talk to at the end of the day. And while we have our moments, in the grand scheme of things, I could not be who I am today if it wasnt for him. He makes me so angry sometimes, but its b/c he will say the things that no one else will, he will be brutally honest and its hard to hear, but Id rather know it then not. And it amazes me that even after beging together for 10 years, we still find new things out about each other!
Me: oh me...Let me think...my highlight of 2010 would have to be the Make a Wish Triathlon I did with my aunts, sisters and cousins. We divided into 3 teams of 3. It was a fantastic experience, and while my run sucked and I didnt do nearly as well as I wanted to, I still am amazed at how awesome my family is and how proud I felt watching each of them come in. (agh tears again). My sisters were my rock for this, Kim's perseverance kept me running, Beth's motivation scared me into giving 100%. I can't wait to do it again. Having a family that will participate in these events is a lot of fun, I hope Eric will play this year. I really cant express my feelings in words on this one. It fills me with such pride to know we all were together on this. So I ran a little, did a few races. Placed 2nd in my age group on a 5K that I never intended to do well on (ran in my co-teacher who was new to running, another great feeling). And I hope I can continue with it once this weather warms up!
Up and coming for 2011: Ohhh, I am really excited about this year.
- 1.PHYSICAL CHALLENGES: Eric's running is bound to get my ass in gear and we will do some races together. I plan on doing Broad Street (10 miles) in the spring. Fingers crossed I get my self into a pool b/c i want to do a sprint tri in the summer, if I can there is a possibility of a swim in may in Fl (family event), and i will say a strong to quite strong possibility of the Philly Half in the fall, sprinkled with 5 and 10ks along the way. While I hate the daily training, finishing races is fantastic.
- 2. COSTA RICA??? still up in the air, my high school is taking a trip with kids, I am the 4th chaperon, meaning i need 24 kids to sign up...last I checked we were at 22...Eric might go as well, so that means maybe 1 more kid to sign up.....zip line in the rain forest, volcanoes, hot springs, beaches, howler monkeys...and its with my 2 besties from school, could not be a better trip!
- 3. MASTERS: I will be done my masters degree by the summer!!! Then my raise will pay off my credit card debt...but I will officially have a masters degree..
- 4. KINDERGARTEN! Mia will start kindergarten in the fall, holy shit I have a school aged kid?! Thats weird. I think Im more nervous then she is. She wanted to go this year b/c she was taller then all the other kids!
- 5. KEEPING THE PEACE: so other then the previously mentioned, I hope to just chill and keep things the way they are. I know life will throw some curve balls at us, but I feel like we are in a really good place. fingers crossed my district does not go on strike, that everyones health stays in check, and that its smooth sailing!!!
Special Thanks:
- To my family: Eric, Mia, and Gavin, you make me try my best every day, keep expectations high, I need it. I love you guys more than anything in the entire world.
- To the rest of my family: Thanks for you help, love and support throughout the years.
- Sisters: Words can't express how much I need you even though I never say it...matching jammies are my favorite!
- Friends: Such a weird friendship year, new connections made (and stronger then Id expect) and old connections lost (sad but expected). Those of you reading this, thanks for caring enough to keep tabs. you are all special to me in different ways and you all serve a purpose in my life. Those that come in and out of my life, thanks for the reminders of who I was, who I am and who I can be. "A reason, a season, a lifetime"
