get up, get out, and run!

oh...i love running. since i had macrae, i have been trying to get back into it. but mostly, i don't feel fast enough to join my old running buddies. so, this past week and a half, i have really been pushing myself. i even made myself commit to two different people to run in the mornings. thankfully, they agreed even though they both know my condition (i mean, lack of conditioning).

yesterday i ran with my aunt, margaret, and she freaking kills me. why? oh...she's at least 5 inches shorter than me (picture her stride) and yet, she is at least a minute or two faster per mile...let that sink in for a minute...she kills me. she ROCKS! oh, and today i ran with erika and we ran this or i should say, she ran this and challenged me to sprint the last hill. which caused me to get dizzy and think i might die on the hill (at least a 10% grade, here people, i'm no wussy. i only think i'm going to die for really really good reasons). so, she killed me too. um, thanks Erika for meeting me this morning! i sooo needed it! my goal is to keep up with you.

BLAH BLAH BLAHHHG

so a few people have sent me emails like this:
"what are you up to? why haven't you updated your blog?"
answer:
"i have been busy."
retort:
"okay, then let us in on what you have been busy doing."


and well, sometimes you are just busy doing...nothing. blah blah blah. boring. um, cleaning my house, running errands, having kids over to play, weeding the yard, making lunches, changing poopy diapers...etc...the list goes on people. i know! i am sooo exciting these days. whoo hoo.

okay, so my family recently visited OLD MCDEBBIE'S FARM in graham, enumscratch or some other place way out there. we are talkin' full-on-barn,-petting-all-the-farm-animals, fishing, pony rides, and lots of dirt and grass to roam. this place might SOUND like good old fashioned fun...but my family is no ordinary family. oh no. check out the pics of my mom, husband, and brother, each taking their turn making out with a camel. and isla loved the pony rides and they even let her assist in brushing and putting the horse away!

my girl, my boy...my joy

one could wonder who their mother is...no dout about the father.

i promise, they are both mine.

miss isla parker

isla was tagged by her good friend ellie call so i am going to share 7 randoms about her and then tag 5 others to do the same...here goes:

1. isla just changed her name to rosabelle but is still getting used to it. when i call her that, she doesn't answer. she has no middle name. (neither did i until i got married)
2. isla loves to play rough with her brother just to show how tough he is. she loves her brother so much, and he loves her too. he's thrilled if she's giving him attention(as long has he is still breathing).
3. isla has 2 loose teeth (she's only 3). she had her full set of teeth including 2 year molars by the time she was 14 months old.
4. isla often tells me that i am her best. meaning, i am her best friend. yea! since i was needing one of those!
5. isla loves to pick out my outfits, jewelry, or hair accessories. she is truly a fashion designer in the making. her favorite thing to do at a friends' house is strip down to her skivvies and put on their clothes or dress up. (a little embarrassing?)
6. isla's favorite foods include broccoli, bananas, oranges, apples, salad, cucumbers, and fruit leather. this girl eats healthier than me on my best days!
7. one of my favorite quotes from her prayers "please bless us that we can be jesus' guys" which i think means, on HIS team.

now, we tag:
meredith madsen
brennan winn
eli mccubbins (a.k.a. crash)
raegan swensen
and
isabella keller

i don't like my name

when i was 4 years old, i went into my mother's bathroom, on my birthday and told her i wanted to change my name to amy. as my birthday present (no less). my mom played along for a while. until she found the perfect way to give me my new name and keep my real one. i didn't have a middle name (now it's my maiden) so she named me anna amy. from then on, to her, i was anna amy. and sometimes she still calls me that.

isla is 3 (will be 4 in 2 months). today, she asked me an interesting question.

Isla: mom, when i was a baby, why did you name me?

Mom: what do you mean? why did i name you isla?

I: yeah, i don't like that name.

M: what name do you like?

I: i like rosabelle. i really like rosabelle.

M: i like isla.

I: well, i want my name to be rosabelle. i like it the best.

M: okay.

needless to say, she's now isla rosabelle. clearly, she's smarter than i was.

he rolls!

okay, so he's 6 months old now...maybe almost 7. shouldn't he be crawling by now? well, when you've got thighs the size of game hens....it's not that easy. but he did roll tummy to back today! i snapped a few of his second attempt!

Tiny Dancer

it's no secret, isla loves to be the center of attention. her Boo Boo (my dad) coined her a new nickname "American Isla" as she instinctively and intently free style danced around his TV room with her eyes closed.
she's the little girl who loves princesses, ballerinas, and cheerleaders...though, i'm pretty sure she won't be a professional ballerina. and i secretly hope she doesn't even want to be a cheerleader once she gets to junior high. but, i'll let her be who she is...and today ISLA IS A TINY DANCER