25 Christmas Adventures!

After I came home from the doctor this week- the first thing I did was call David and ask "Are we getting a real tree this year or not- I want to start decorating... like now... to cheer me up."  I am trying to hold out until the weekend after thanksgiving, however, I have a feeling I will be digging out the christmas decorations tomorrow before David wakes up!  He's going to come down the stairs (on his birthday) and pee himself from the winter wonderland that it going to explode before his eyes! 

I can't wait any longer! I've been playing Christmas music for weeks and even spent 30 minutes in the singing/animated christmas toy aisle with Olive while I was getting my oil changed.  The passers-by thought it was for her enjoyment- I'm ok with that ;)

I was going to wait until next week when I was off work to post my bucket-list but there is not time like the 'present' bahahah!  Below are my 25 planned adventures:

1. Blog every day of December!!
2.  Do as many Christmas crafts involving fingerprints, footprints, handprints, buttcheek prints, as I can with Olive for keepsakes!!
3. Sew a Christmas bedskirt for Olive!! I already have Green Christmas moose fabric!!
4.  Bake Christmas Cookies with my mom! (this is a given on everyone's list!)
5. Take Olive to see Santa for the first time ever... At BASS PRO SHOPS!!! I can't wait to see her reaction I love looking at the fish too!!
6.  Go on the Harley toy giveaway ride!  A bunch of bikers dress up as santa every year and team up with one of many organizations that deliver toys to deserving kids!! My parents do this every year!
7. Take pictures of olive surrounded by Christmas lights! and anything Glitter :) Lots of glitter!!
8. Finish Christmas Shopping!  We have barely started- but we aren't going crazy this year- everyone decided to focus on just being together!!
9.  Drive somewhere (either Southern or Northern Arizona) to show Olive snow!!!
10. Attend the GIRLS ornament exchange brunch!! Mimosas, besties, and ornaments- need I say more?!
12.  Win Take part in the stroller decorating contest being held during our annual IronGirl Fountain Hills 5k!
11. Go to the Desert Botanical Gardens with Olive and some mommy friends and see the Chihuly exhibit complete with lights!
13.  Have a few lemon drop martinis  and some sushi on my Birthday (or around it- December 5th)!
14.  Hop in the car with David and Olive and check out our subdivisions Christmas lights :)
15. Kiss David under some moostletoe!

16. Go to the Farmers market and stock up on winter vegetables and have another soup making fest!
17.  Buy matching footie jammies for David, Olive and I and have a                               family Movie, PJ, fun day!
18.  Make some new Christmas traditions for Olive, David and I!
19.  Create fabulous name cards and centerpieces for our kitchen counter and table for Christmas! (We are hosting at our house for the first time this year!)
20. Build a lego town to go around my dad's model train- like when I was a kid!
21. Count the number of times I watch Elf, and try not to cry from happiness.
22.  Bake loaves of banana bread for day after christmas shopping!
23.  Have a bonfire complete with roasted marshmallows and have olive try her first Smores!
24. Watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" while drinking Jack and cokes with my dad!
25. Most importantly, go to Christmas eve mass and then have breakfast for dinner :) A long standing and yummy tradition handed down from my dad's family!


Next year we are going to spend a long weekend in Flagstaff after Thanksgiving and go to a Christmas tree farm to chop down our own tree!! I AM SO EXCITED!!

What are a few of your Christmas adventures for this year?!! I can't wait to hear some of yours!!!

~*X*~

Bad Knees Bad News!

So this week baby Olive and I went on an adventure to the orthopedic surgeons office!  As I mentioned in my last post I signed up for my first Triathlon since I was pregnant with her! Everywhere she goes she's an absolute doll and is such great entertainment.  She is the center of the room wherever we go and I love it :)

I made the appointment because my knees have been killing me since Olive was born and I have heard from a number of people you can be injury prone after pregnancy due to all the changes your body goes through! Not just muscles but bones, nutrition, you name it! (You mommies know what I mean) So before I got into an intense workout plan I wanted to see what therapy I should do!

So a little back-story....

 I have a lengthy history of issues with my knees!  My family is very athletic and I spent much of my life playing all sports (it wasn't until college that I got into running and triathlons for fun).  I used to play volleyball, basketball, softball, and was an occasional golfer in addition to recreational activities such as surfing, boogie boarding, snorkeling, etc.  

At the age of 14 I had dislocated my right knee for the third time (left once) and underwent surgery to repair the damage from the wear and tear as well as the issues that may have been genetic!  Long story long, the grooves in which my knee caps resided were too shallow and not symmetrical (one side higher than the other), my tendons were weak and stretched out from growing almost a foot in one year (and genetics), and I had managed to rip out a small piece of bone from my knee cap.  I had what is called a "patella transfer"- basically my knee had to be "re-tracked" in a new groove and held there by creating a bone-tendon-bone sandwich that was held together by two screws!

I was told I could never play all the sports I loved again. Scholarships were off the table. My life was changed forever and I spend years in therapy.  Even now I will never be able to ski, snowboard, do anything that requires extreme lateral (side) movements many other activities.

But after years of therapy, doing a lot of research, and finding an amazing and supportive running community I slowly became a runner and then triathlete.  Statistically speaking it was something the doctors said I wouldn't be able to do!  In 2011 I competed at the USA Triathlon Collegiate nationals 1 month after defending my dissertation (Ph.D.), if you were to ask me which achievement was more monumental in my life, I honestly couldn't answer...

Back to the present day: The X-rays ....

The orthopedic surgeon painted a grim picture- that my racing years are limited depending on my own perceived pain and quality of life. With my hips widening from pregnancy, my loss of a large amount of muscle in my right leg from reduced activity, my previous condition and getting older.... my knee problems are  now more severe than ever. I have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis (bone spurs) in both knees and my "grooves" have gotten worse.  The OS insinuated  I was a lost cause and will inevitably have to have knee replacements in the near future whether I continued to pound them on the pavement or not.   

I had a few hours of extreme sadness- I cried multiple times that day.  The idea that the activity that brought me so much joy, I might never be able to do again after a few years (or risked having knee replacements before I was 50 if I did).  Of course this came 2 days after watching the Ironman Championship from Kona- where my dreams of participating in Ironman AZ in 2015 had me on cloud 9! I get choked up at the end of the program every year- so the thought of never crossing that finish line was hard to swallow!

But, if you find yourself depressed while reading this....

Please turn that frown upside-down! 

I am going to do whatever it takes to race- but taking care of my body as much as possible!! I am more determined than ever to race, and train with Olive in front of me!!

  I start therapy the week after thanksgiving with Triathlon specialized physical therapy group!  I'll spend 6-8 weeks with them building the strength up in my leg and planning a safer training plan!  I also am seeing a specialist for all natural supplements, a chiropractor, and revolutionizing my diet to be more of an arthritis reducing- anti-inflammatory diet! (I want to race but also preserve my knees for years to come!)

One thing that helped me stop my pity party was I just got notification that I was selected to be one of the Athleta Espirit de She Ambassadors!!!  I get to share my race experiences and learn from women all around the country!

"Beyond the finish line, Athleta Esprit de She is a community of active women connected by a shared desire to celebrate fitness and fun, sisterhood and strength. Our Athleta Esprit de She Ambassadors are the personification of the spirit of her, sharing their journeys and inspiring other women every day."

 I am so excited and am ready to take on this challenge!  I am so thankful to have the support of my family, friends, and my Espirit de she, Stroller Strides, and Sweat Pink communities!! Keep posted- I plan to load my therapy plans as well as my modified training plans for anyone who is interested!

~*X*~

Pretty in Pink!

I love the color pink but I swear I did not realize until yesterday (when I was having to delete photos to make space on my phone) that every day this last week baby Olive was in something PINK!  As I used to always say (my girlfriends in Houston always made fun of me for this).... 

"Everything always has to have a theme!!!"

This week it was all PINK!

My little stink butt is all over the place in her walker, and every time she gets stuck she yells "ma ma ma ma maaaa ma ma ma ma" incessantly or she just yells it as she's walking around the kitchen to ensure I am watching her.  She hates anything in order- especially the towels being hung nicely on the stove or the dishwasher!  She walks up, pulls them down, throws them behind her and leaves!

I had to get a selfie in with this cutie- she goes bonkers in front of a mirror so it was impossible to get a good shot where she wasn't jumping!

She is just too happy and the best part of all her smiles is....

HER TWO NEW TEETH!  They are hard to see but they are there!

Sunday it was a GORGEOUS DAY that we used to clean the house & garage, run errands, and start doing other little tasks!  Of course I had to put her in a fun and flirty romper and blare the Christmas music on Pandora!  I couldn't wait to start wrapping her presents in the PINK paper that I picked out especially for her while I was pregnant!  (Day after Christmas Bargain 4pk of delicious Pink goodness!)

Sharky just had to make an appearance! LOL

This little girl isn't up on all 4's crawling but she can low crawl/scoot like it's nobody's business and I loved how she would fiendishly huff and puff towards the packages! I think babies are born with the instinct to rip paper... I couldn't stop laughing! 

After wrapping some packages we wrapped up the afternoon by playing on the pilates ball and she held my feet while I did my crunches and sit ups for the day!  She loves when I sit up and then tickle her- I knocked out 100 crunches in no time with this cutie at my feet!!

Monday we had a grocery store adventure after an amazing stroller strides class (check out my guest appearance as their Mommy Blogger!)  Our grocery-getting involved practically putting her in a parka from how cold the store was, but she LOVED the attention from the cute senior citizens who do their shopping at 11 on Mondays!  

(Fall Reversible Shopping Cart Cover)

I added a bow to her little reindeer hat :) so they don't keep calling her a little boy!

Tuesday was full of lots of playing, preparing meals, laundry, and planning for the busy work/family week ahead!!  I know it's after halloween but I can not get enough of these leggings!

Plus we can't find pants long enough that aren't too big around the waist!  She's always wearing capris!

And finally one of the best (still in pink) moments of this week.... is the inspiration for my newest Monthly post that will be titled:

  Mommy and Mini Milestones!!!!!

Mini Milestone: Olive's adorable milestone this week is she can officially hold her own bottle!  Sometimes I don't shake the formula well enough and would previously stop half way through the bottle to give it a good whirl- not with these little paws!  She death grips her bottle now!!

Penguin Sleeper!

Mommy Milestone:  I signed up for my first Triathlon Post-Prego!!  I'll be participating in the Espirit De She Sprint Triathlon  May 4 of 2014!!!! I know it is a ways away but I need the time to train and we have a wedding to take care of first! So excited for 2014!  

As a motivator to keep to my training and sharing my progress/workouts/fun stories with you all I wanted to become an Ambassador for a number of fitness related organizations!! I just got my acceptance this week as a Sweat Pink Ambassador!  (Find me as HoneyGirl05 on both FitApproach and Pinterest!)

Sweat Pink is a great organization that connects women around the US and in their community that supports healthy and active lifestyles for ALL!! It's a great way to meet up with fellow women, read great fitness tips, join a running group, and just support a healthy and active lifestyle!  Please check it out and follow mine and other women's progress in reaching their fitness goals!!

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for my Holiday extravaganza revel and the up and coming exciting opening of my Zazzle store!! :) 

~*X*~

5 days of Fun around Mesa/Phoenix!

David and I are not originally from the Phoenix area!  We are transplants and moved back to AZ because of our parents and job opportunities so we are quickly trying to find fun things to do in our area!  Just a little background we both came from military families and love experiencing new places, also I only work part time so it gives me the opportunity to spend a lot of time taking Olive on adventures!

The last few days have been chalk full of driving around the Phoenix and Mesa area and finding fun things to do!

I forgot to share last Tuesday!  It was a gorgeous day and I did not want to just hang around the house so Olive and I went to two of our favorite places- Joann Fabrics and PETCO here in Mesa AZ!  I love the fabric and she loves the fish!  I found some great clearance deals on shadowboxes for our IronGirl medals and unfortunately left my wallet in the car when we went to petco- otherwise we would've come home with a bunch of fish! hahah Dad was happy about this!

Oops- crooked glasses hahahah! Love her hair!

I'm hoping we can go to the Sea life aquarium next week because WE LOVE THE FISHIES!  If you live in the Pheonix area they are having a great deal with their Fall Friday's!!

Saturday was a BLAST and we felt like Native Phoenicians!  A dear friend of mine invited us to join her for a full day of Birthday celebrating in downtown Phoenix!  We had David's parents watch Olive and for the first time since Olive was born we spent the day sans baby out with adults doing fun adult things hahaha!  It was so wierd and so refreshing!

Our first stop on the agenda was the Local First Arizona Fall Festival downtown!  We parked at the Phoenix City Center and walked about a mile to the super packed festival!

We proceeded to have amazing burgers (mine was turkey and mushrooms) from Burgers Amore! and of course after we walked around to look at all the vendors we took our sweet time in the "Adult Tent" which consisted of local brewers, wine makers, and Arizona's only distillers the Arizona Distilling Co!!  (how is it that I always find the Whiskey and bourbon?)  Their bourbon was INCREDIBLE and their group was so fun!  I can't wait to buy a few bottles!

   

After we ate, drank, pet a million cute dogs and chatted with a bunch of people, we walked back to the city center and watched THOR!  It was an over the top energetic day that reminded David and I of the "old days"! If you ever are in the Phoenix area you definitely want to put this festival on your to-do list!

The best part of the night though was coming home to little Olive, she was still awake and was crawling all over us!  Such a great day!

Sunday we upgraded Olive's carseat! She is officially too big for her little newborn Chicco Keyfit so we upgraded her to the Chicco Nextfit!  We love their brand and ease of use- and it didn't hurt that we get a family discount at BuyBuyBaby!!  We also bought 2 more chairs for our dining table since we are hosting our first Christmas this year!  We will have 13 people in our house so we spent the day running errands all around the Phoenix area to get ready- I think I'm going to decorate next week- I can't wait any longer!

It has already begun!!

My Monday's are now turning out to be the best days ever!! No more "case of the Monday's" for us, as I mentioned last week Olive and I are sooo excited to attend the new Stroller Strides in Mesa!!!  The workout is phenomenal, the coaches are so strong and creative, and the weather is perfect!!  It is held at the safe and beautiful Monterey park!  If you are looking for a place to walk or take your kiddos and pets this place is perfect!

That hill you see there- we owned that hill doing sprints and squats haha!

I'm definitely sore but it feels so good to get back into a workout routine!  We did incredible routines that involved sprints, bands, and lots of sweat!

 When we get home is when I like to do my "30 days of Abs" workout and Olive loves to do yoga stretches on my tummy or help chew hold my feet while I'm doing situps and crunches!  Future athlete right there! LOL


Tuesday was just as amazing as Monday!  My mommy friend Michelle almost couldn't make our weekly walk due to a tire blow out- but she got her wheels fixed just in time for Olive to have a blow out- in her new carseat- thank goodness it didn't escape her onesie but of course I wasn't prepared- somehow I had pants and socks in her bag but no onesie or shirt.  I wasn't going to miss the walk so I improvised- my nice Express sweater looked great on her!

I couldn't stop laughing watching her flap her arms :) she didn't mind much- I felt like a bad mom for a few minutes though!  

Our walk around Tempe Town Lake was super awesome this week because we got to watch the city set up for the Ironman AZ that is happening this weekend!! It really got a fire going under my butt to get back in shape! SO EXCITING!

All in all we had a good day after our 3 mile walk, I even took my mini to work for a few minutes to see Christi and my fav coworkers (More driving around Phoenix!)! They hadn't seen her since she was a month old! Time flies when you're having fun with hubby and baby in Phoenix!

Love her leggings!

Keep posted in the next few weeks for more Phoenix Adventures!  Olive and I have play dates planned for the Desert Botanical Gardens (they have the Chihuly exhibit open), The Butterfly Wonderland, and will be starting baby gymnastics!!  

So excited!!!!

Belated Halloween! Oops!

I have been a slacker!  Every day I am bursting with energy, up until 6pm, and I naively think to myself "Oh My word I can't wait to blog tonight- I will get Olive to bed, wash bottles, and then get my Blog on!!"  Last week was no exception- I had every intention of posting every night but instead my evening consisted of unplanned chores, taking care of a sick hubby to be, fighting my own cold that he gave me, and falling asleep at 830pm- got my "Nyquil" on instead haha.  Let's just say last week was a "baby powder in the hair" and buying lunch rather than packing it kind of week!

So before it's Thanksgiving I'm getting our Halloween pics up finally!!

For Olive's first Halloween my biggest fantasy was to have a family theme for our costumes!  Of course I have been going pinterest happy for years with a whole board full of cute baby costume ideas and on the top of my list was 1) the lobster in a pot! 2) cabbage patch baby and 3) a peacock!  

I thought once we got Olive's costume picked we could then match our costumes to hers!  Lets just say every idea I threw out got vetoed in 1.2 seconds and we were left with only 3 weeks to shop and nothing that I felt like wearing in the end either!  We finally decided on a "sea theme" but without being too matchy matchy!  David wanted to be a pirate, we found the cute shark costume for Olive, and I decided to be a mermaid!  We bought our costumes but our plans were foiled with David having to go out of town for work last minute :(

Without hesitation my dear friend and photographer (from soup girls day) Christi saved the day though!  She came over after work to walk the neighborhood with Olive and I, help hand out candy, and take pics of the funniest 1st halloween ever- she even came in costume with her dog lucky.  Scuba Christi and Lucky the shark/pirahna were amazing!!!

Just for those who don't know, Arizona can stay pretty warm in the early evenings even in lat October!  I think I sweat a gallon of water just dressing Olive and getting her out the door!  I was not organized so Christi and I ran around all crazy like trying to figure out the game plan for the evening- funny thing was we were going to be walking less that an 1/8 of a mile and have like 10 kids in the neighborhood but the night started out like a frantic shit show! haha

We got out the door finally, walked a figure 8 loop around our neighborhood and saw only a handful of neighbors but Olive loved seeing the kid's costumes and of course chewing on her glow stick- aka chew toy lifesaver.

We got back to the house, handed out some candy, and enjoyed a nice COLD adult beverage while taking hilarious pics in the ocean known as my driveway!

Best. Halloween. Ever!

Funny side note: my halloween costume was not kid appropriate as it came in the mail.  I had to basically wear a black skirt and black tube top underneath my mermaid costume. In the online pic it looks like the "black material" in between the silver gills was opaque- it was not.  I found this out at 3pm Halloween night.  I realize now that my Halloween costume priorities have definitely changed since college ;)

Which brings me to a costume flashback.  This was my most favorite Halloween as a single girl and I made my most favorite costume ever!  When I was living in Houston I had a group of amazing girlfriends!  We decided in August that we were going to be "furry animals" and were going to use my sewing machine to sew our costumes!  Of course we chose our costumes months in advance but still ended up staying up til 3 am the night before actually finishing our projects!  We thought about buying the costumes but ended up saving about $230 by making our own!  In total it cost $15 each for the fabric and repurposing of old clothing (patternless) as opposed to the $245 for the whole get up at an "adult store" hahahah!

Let me introduce you to our Polar bear, Fox, and wolf!!! 

 

 

Can't wait to share our costumes next year :) I already have been scheming! 

Keep posted for our weekend adventures including one of mine and David's first dates since Olive was born! Hope you had a great halloween! XXX