With a nasty chest cold, severe shin splints and not having run for 2 weeks prior due to tendinitis, Mark FINISHED his second Marine Corps Marathon! Thank you for your prayers. Mark was a little down about his performance and and was in a lot of pain. His goal was to beat his time last year. He hung with his 3:40 pace group (that's 3 hours and 40 minutes finish time) for the first 10 miles.

When the cell phone updates I was receiving every 5k started showing him slow down, I started to panic. Later, I discovered he had to stop every mile after mile 16 to stretch his legs. They were cramping up from not being able to run for the past 2 weeks (while letting his leg heal). He wore a leg brace which helped with the shin pain. Then his ankle started hurting. Poor guy.

I had 2 angels helping me Sunday. Renee kept Colten for me for over 9 hours! and my friend, Kathryne, went with me and helped me with Hunter while her husband stayed home with their 2 under-the-weather kiddos. I could not have done it without them, so I'm throwing a shout out to my girls!

I was thankful that Hunter didn't decide to run into the midst of the runners and get trampled as if he were running with the bulls in Spain. I made him a sign for him to hold for his Daddy but he lost interest after holding it for, oh, about 2 minutes! Mark said he only saw him once.

We saw Mark three times: by the Tidal Basin, the National Monument and finish area in Rosslyn. The finish line is fenced off, so virtually no one can see their loved ones cross. However, when we arrived in Rosslyn, I had a crazy idea- to run the last part with Mark. K told me to go for it and she would hang out with Hunter, so off I went!

While I have no pictures to show you, let me help you envision what it looked like when I caught up to Mark at mile 25. He was shocked to see me, much less that I started running with him... in my jeans, hair done, dangle earrings in and make-up done. Boy was I a sight to see. I got so many looks as we approached the finish. Even another racer was joking with me that he was going to wear the same shirt that day and how do I keep my hair looking so good while I run. Very funny!

As Mark and I took the left turn to head to the finish line, a lady Marine jumped out, "Ma'am! You can't come through here!" I readily obliged her and exited the race, no longer able to see my groom. We were to meet by the W's in the Family Link Up area which was quite a distance away.

The three of us waited (me, K and H)... and waited... and waited. Finally! I got a call from Mark who was at the free Verizon call center for the runners to call their loved ones to link up. He couldn't make it to the Link Up where we were because he was in too much pain.

When we finally found each other, there was sweet relief from an very exciting, yet draining day.

Mark, I couldn't be more proud of you, honey.

PS: So, what does a marathoner eat after his race? Make your guess in the Comment section.

I have good news and bad news. Good news is... Mark has been training for his second marathon for about four months now and it is finally is HERE! He runs this Sunday and I am just so excited for him. I've been telling Hunter about it for a while now, too, what the day will be like to see Daddy running with lots of other people and the crowd around will be yelling the runners on. I am pretty sure he doesn't recall going last year. Just to think that Colten was still in my tummy last year.

The bad news? After practically forcing him, Mark made a doctor's appointment for this morning because he has had tremendous pain in his ankle/calf and hasn't been able to run since last Monday. Fortunately it is tendonitis and not a stress fracture, but it is very painful. He and I are both very disappointed about this but we trust that God has a reason... even if to teach Mark that he's not invinceable. ;)

So... I am asking you, friends, to please be in prayer for Mark's ankle this week and, especially, on race day. I am nauseous to think something could happen to him and for me not to be there with him. Plus, he really wants to not just finish but BEAT his time from last year! Go, baby, go!

My hunka man was such a stud this week.

With Halloween around the corner, Hunter told me he would like to be an airplane. I researched this on the internet to see where we could buy one of those things. That's when I realized we can't! I continued to ask him several more times what he wanted to be... and everytime he said airplane.

Back to the computer I went to find out how we would go about making one. My friends know that I am not a crafty one, so I needed to enlist MARK. He's not so artistic but very handy and innovative.

He labored for about 6 hours over two nights. Here he is working on the wings.

I will hold out on you for the final outcome (although some of you saw it today at the MOPS Harvest Festival).

One of the fabulous moms in my 'hood organized a play group co-op, so each mom is assigned a week to organize something low-key and fun. I chose for us to go to The National Harbor in Maryland to play in the sand, have a quick lunch and, most importantly, eat cupcakes!

One of the moms was late, so it was just BOYS! They are the only boys in our whole workout moms group because everyone else has girls. Most of my friends have girls, so Hunter should make a nice gentleman since that is with whom he is used to playing and interacting... I hope and pray. I digress...

When we arrived, the boys immediately took the trucks that were brought and began to drive them through the sand. There is a sculpture there in the sand that looks like the hands of God, in my opinion. It makes for fun pictures!

We ate lunch and immediately headed over to the newest trendy dessert chain. I was not impressed; however, my three friends loved their cupcakes! Hunter wasn't impressed, either. As a matter of fact, he handed me his after 2 bites. I gave Mark the rest of mine. Their cupcakes are $3.50 each! $1.50 for a mini-cupcake. We didn't dare throw any away. ;)

Mom P and Mom C enjoying their little bites of chocolate.

Mom C snagging a bite from J. Okay, she was pretending.

To top it off, I was enjoying the experience so much that I lost my brain and fed Colten, my 7 month old, a bite of cupcake, too! He really loved it.

(I think Hunter looks just like me in this picture.)

Come on, sing it with me: "...sleepin' the Day Away." We went to Sesame Place this weekend with our friends (and neighbors), J&T. The weather was supposed to be a little cooler, so we started in jeans on Saturday but ended up in bathing suits on Sunday. It was just beautiful!

I don't have much to write about- nothing dramatic happened or funny, really. Hunter got a little scared of the rides, but that's normal at this age.

It was a little different of a trip for Mark and I, since we like more grown-up oriented trips. We were relegated to riding on Big Bird balloons and Elmo fish and eating at Ernie's cafe. We just wished that we had gone on the more exciting water rides so it would have been more enjoyable for us. We enjoyed our time with Hunter, though. He mostly enjoyed it.

When we first arrived at the park, J and I took the kids on Grover's roller coaster. They record a video of you on it, so you can see yourself. Hunter looked MORTIFIED! Poor guy. After that, he didn't want to ride the rides he rode last year when he was just barely 2. He was so nervous. The good part about Hunter is that he warms up to things, usually. He eventually got on some of the rides in Elmo's World.

We were able to see Dan Zanes, from Playhouse Disney. He was really fun and rallied almost ALL the kids and grown-ups to get up and dance. Mark and I got a little boogie time together, which was nice. ;)

This is where Hunter started while we waited for the parade to start...and eating his Dippin' Dots.

This is where he finished watching it. He was, apparently, a little nervous during the parade.

I enjoyed it, though.

This may have been Hunter's favorite ride:

Dinner Saturday night when the kids were wired and Hunter was acting a little crazy...but cute. This is the culmination. (I can't get the picture to move down, so it is the one at the top.)

We go to an Adult Bible Fellowship class at church, called Family Builders. The ladies in the class have a baby quilt ministry. They organize a craft night whenever a new baby is born (and there are LOTS of babies!) and shortly after, a decorative quilt is presented to the parents for the baby.



I had my quilt night in July, er, I mean, Colten had his quilt night then. I was able to invite one non-Family Builder, so I asked Candice to come. I was told this required no talent or creativity, so I was able to actually help! I am not a crafty person, except for what I force myself to do to scrapbook, so I was a little apprehensive about it.



The night was so much fun, to my surprise, being a craft night and all. It was a little challenging, though. I had to use puff paint but it was a good time. We had prayer time for Colten and our family and had some fabulous treats on top of everything else.



Here's the end result:









Thank you, ladies!