9 weeks

WOW! We are going on our 10th week of this. It really is hard to believe .

9 weeks down, 43 to go. 

Something to think about:

If you haven't heard of this story... check it out. 

https://www.facebook.com/BringingHomeTheBrowns

Things to remember:

1. A busy fun weekend for all of us. Not only did the boys get to spend some time with my " sole sister" and their Aunt Milania who was visiting Wisconsin, I got to spend a day in Flagstaff with some amazing friends for NAU homecoming. What a blast. No town is more special or close to my heart. 

2. 7 days with NO timeout! CAN YOU BELIEVE it?Mr. Pants who has probably spent more of the past year in timeout than not, has lasted an entire week with awesome behavior. I am SO proud of that little guy.

3. Put together the boys' halloween costumes! So excited to get them dressed up next week. Not only are they adorable, I am so proud to have spent 15$ all together... half the price of ONE average store bought costume. The best part are the adorable hats Grandma Fran stitched up for them :) 

4. I seriously ran for 20 miles... AND broke my half marathon record UNDER 2:00!!!!! . Like all things in life, prayer prayer prayer is what got me through. There were definitely a few miles in there ( like mile 4, and 15) where I thought there was no way I was going to make it. Throughout this training I have been turning to God more than ever. He has carried me further than I ever thought possible. With my furthest training run behind me, my distances become shorter as I rest my body for the big 26.2 on November 10. Feeling ready and extremely excited. 

5. COOL WEATHER! In Arizona this means highs below 90. Never thought it would happen. I know we came back to Arizona in June but it has literally been an oven since we got here. Cooler temperatures seem to be here to stay and we are SO happy to be able to play at the park, go on runs, and put on clothing that does not consist of shorts and tank tops FINALLY.

Things to forget: 

1. Homesickness. Yes we are at home, yes I have my boys and the beagles here, but without him it just isn't home. He misses his boys so much it's heartbreaking. Aching for the time in 10 months when we can just all be together again, at "home" wherever that may be.

2. Trying to get a Halloween picture of the boys together- WHAT A JOKE! I think I give up and will just stick to the candids :)

3.NEED something to occupy my lonely time. I am between book series'/ TV shows and needing something to get wrapped into during those rare few hours of downtime I have. HELPPP!! 

4.  At home toddler haircuts. Ok, doing it myself not only saves money but it also saves time and the inconvenience of going to a hair salon. It would really be fine if I could figure out how to get him to sit still. Thomas on the Ipad? Check. Lollipop? Check. The second he sees the scissors in the mirror panic sets in as he screams OWWW and wiggles uncontrollably. Scissors and holding down an energetic 2 year old just don't mix. It doesn't  turn out too awful but what a chore! 

5. The great flood of 2012. Not sure which category this better fits into but we'll put it here. Mr. Pants was out of the bath, in his pjs, brushing his teeth ( or so I thought) while I got Kaners out of his room I heard some splashing and thought nothing of it. We walk into the bathroom to what looks like a major flood covering the bathroom and hallway. Standing at the tub with a bucket was a smug little two year old with the most sorrowful eyes I have ever seen. Yep he dumped all of the bath water onto the floor, soaking all of the towels, himself, and ALMOST drowning my phone. One of those moments as a parent you want to laugh INCREDIBLY hard but you force a straight face to play " bad cop" knowing that this behavior can not be repeated... as funny as it is. He shuffled his little butt into his room just sitting, in soaked pjs, not moving an inch. This could possibly be the first time I have seen him actually feel bad for his actions and realize what he did was wrong. It was adorable, hilarious, and a pain in the A to clean up all at the same time. The joy of toddlerhood! 

"hanging out" with Aunt Milania

NAU homecoming 2012

This was so funny.. we were posing with the cheerleader mural and this kid comes by and backtuck photobombs us! 

Downtown Flagstaff! The best <3

Love that Dome 

Pretty proud of these Race Stats

Attempting some Halloween pics...

Daddy shooting Gunnery this week 

Steven and Abby feeding the ducks, or becoming duck food not sure ;)

Hope Everyone has a great Halloween weekend and eats entirely too much pumpkin flavored everything while it lasts!!!! =D