Half Marathon #2

September 11, 2010 was a fabulous day for me. I completed my second half marathon (another check off my goal list - run a half marathon after each baby)! So, here's the story:

The race was on the C&O canal towpath. Before starting the race, they rang a bell 184 times in honor and memory of those lives that were taken September 11, 2001 at the Pentagon. I found this amazing and very poignant. When they were ringing the bell, I remembered exactly where I was, what I was doing, and how I felt after finding out what had happened. We had a moment of silence after that and the race began.

This race was also a commemoration of Abebe Bikila's first Olympic marathon win on September 10, 1950 (he won 2 Olympic marathons). It was also the Ethiopian New Year's. So, yeah, a big day!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous for running. It was a bit chilly at the beginning, but after a few minutes, I felt perfect! The only thing that was not great was the smell of the canal. It is pretty stagnant water and smells horrible! I didn't expect that at all. On one side of me was the Potomac River flowing and gorgeous. On the other side, stagnant canal water. But, overall everything was great and beautiful.

I wished I would have had a watch or there would have been mile markers because really had no idea how much time had elapsed and where I was at in the race. It was an up and back race, so I knew when I was halfway, but that was about all. Note for the next half marathon: buy a watch! I want to get one of those watches that tells your pace, calories, the works (I think they are called Garmin? I am not well-versed in running watches).

I felt really good during the whole race. I felt like I had lots of energy and probably could have run a little bit faster, but was going at a good pace. Near the end of the race I found my loyal supporters: my dad, Tyson, Reed, and Eve! They actually saw me running this time (last time they missed me by a few minutes each time)! It is the best feeling to have people supporting you in things that are important to you. Thank you!!!! I love you all!

I actually ended up improving my time by more than I thought I would. I finished in 2:08:43, 8 minutes faster than my first half marathon! I am so proud of myself! This just give me more drive to keep running and to try and get faster! Yahoo! Running is great and makes me feel so good!

It wasn't as huge as my last half marathon, but there were still hundreds of runners.

Ready to go!

Almost done....

Speeding up at the end.

I finished! Here is my medal!

My cute family :)

My loyal supporters (Eve was already in the car, but she was there as well.)!

Connecticut Part 2

After a fun-filled September 4th, we all went to bed and slept (well not so well, but that's what happens on vacation, right?!) Reed and Eve are not used to being able to see each other, but they eventually figured out that it was better to just go to bed. Oh, I forgot to mention that Sammy made me a beautiful birthday card! Thanks, Sammy!

September 5th was Kate's baby blessing. She is such a happy and content little baby. She sleeps a ton (always a great thing) and is always pleasant when she is awake. What more could you ask for, for the 6th child?! Not much more. Megan (my sister-in-law) made Kate's dress, and it look gorgeous! The blessing was great, and Sunday was the day that Justin (my brother) became one of Reed's best friends. Something about riding in a car together, I guess. I think Reed just figured out that Justin was a good person and decided that he wanted to sit next to him all the time. :) Oh, Megan's brother and sister-in-law were also able to make the blessing. They live in NYC. So, it was a fun family gathering on all sides! It was nice to get to know them. :)

The rest of Sunday was just relaxing, talking, eating, sleeping, playing games, ya know, all the fun things!

Monday, I went running with my mom (used loosely - she didn't actually run with me, but we were on the same trail). The trail was beautiful - tons of green trees! I passed by a cemetery, some fun little restaurants, and more trees. Then, the boys went off to go pick up a piano that Megan bought on Craig's List. It is really beautiful! You did good on that one, Megan!

While they were away the kids just played and played. Reed loved getting to know all of his cousins. I think his two favorites were Sammy and Michelle. He still talks about both of them and how he wants to go and visit them. Sammy did a great job and letting Reed play with her. She is quite a bit older (8, I think), but loved having Reed around.

When everyone was back and lunch was eaten, we went on a tour of the Yale campus (where Justin is doing his fellowship). On our way there Sammy and I played a few different alphabet games in the 'girl' car. Because of the size of our group, we had to take 3 separate vehicles. Ours (the minivan) had only girls in it, thus being called the 'girl' car. Yale was really pretty and we found some fun little areas (like a wooden swing attached to a huge tree branch - yes, the kids all LOVED that part). We saw where Justin works and missed seeing the medical library by about 15 minutes. Ah nuts! Ah well, maybe another time. (Oh and my camera battery died about halfway into everything, so we borrowed some pictures from my mom. Thanks, mom!)

We finished off the day at a local park and then ate Thai food for dinner. It was a great Labor Day/my Grandpa Rowberry's birthday. Even though I didn't really know him (he passed away when I was 3 months old), I feel a huge connection to my Grandpa Rowberry. I can't wait to meet him again!

Tuesday the kids went back to school and my parents took them to school, then left for DC. We still had some time to kill, so Tyson, Reed, Eve, Megan, Michelle, Kate, and myself decided to go to a little animal farm and park just up the road. We decided to walk because it wasn't very far. Well, the walk took a lot longer than we had anticipated. But, Reed and Michelle loved seeing the animals - horses, chickens, a rooster, ducks, bunnies, goats, sheep, and I think that is it. Then, they played on the play ground - of course Reed monopolized a swing almost the whole time.

We walked back and realized that we were running late. We had to catch the train. So we hurried to eat lunch, get some snacks packed, and get everything in the car. We were rushing and were wondering if we were even going to be on time for the train. Well, as Megan was driving the temperature gauge went to hot in a matter of seconds. We thought that was weird, but she kept driving because we were late and pretty close to the train station. Then, her power steering went out. Then, the battery light came on and some sort of a chime was dinging. Well, the dinging stopped, so that was good? We didn't know what to do at all. We got to the train station with 2 minutes to get to our train. Luckily, the train station was small and our train ended up being 5 minutes late! Megan had to turn off the car so that we could get our bags out of the back (in their van you have to have the keys to open the back). We raced off and as we were racing, we realized that the car would not turn back on! Aaaahhhhh! What to do? At this point we had no idea if our train was leaving us. So, we raced to the track and the train had not come yet. Tyson raced back to help Megan move the car, but some taxi drivers had helped her move it out of the way. Luckily, we were very close to where Justin works, so he was able to come and wait for the tow truck and Megan took her two youngest kids home. Apparently, their serpentine belt broke which causes a bunch of problems, as we learned. We felt so guilty for just leaving Megan there! So sorry Megan! Nice house guests we are, righ?! Luckily, everything worked out ok and everyone was fine and we made our train by a couple of minutes. Phew!!! That definitely made my heart beat a lot faster!

Other than the last minute drama, our trip was fantastic! I loved seeing my brother and his family! They are really fun people and we can't wait to see them again! Connecticut gets a thumbs up!!!!

Sleepy Kate

I just thought the dress was gorgeous!

Michelle, Nathan, and Sammy having a "Chowder" party. It is a show on TV that Megan doesn't let them watch. Apparently, he wears a hat in all his shows. Thus, they must be having a "Chowder" party because they are all wearing hats.

John and baby Kate

Reed loved playing with the pretend food.

We parked in different spots, so this was our meeting spot. Reed LOVED the water!

I thought this was a great explanation of New Haven's beginnings.

Reed and Nathan chasing birds.

One of the famous Yale professors.

The clock tower

Former Yale President Abraham Pierson

These gates only open on graduation day. The graduates get to walk through. I thought that was pretty cool.

L to R: Michelle, Samantha (Sammy), and Reed

Michelle, Reed, John, and Sammy

Reed with Justin on the cool swing we found!

Eve just basking in the sun light

There's the smile :)

Reed loves to puch things around. He informed Grandma that he didn't want to sit in the stroller, but wanted to push it. Ok, then.

This is where Justin works. Don't mind the weird look on my face.

Barely missed seeing it! Oh yeah, my dad wore a Georgetown shirt on our Yale tour.

The clock tower

John swinging

Beautiful Kathryn Marie Rowberry

Happy Birthday from Connecticut

September 4th I turned 28! I cannot believe that I am almost 30! I used to think that 30 was so old, but it is sounding younger and younger to me. Anyways - I had a great birthday!

I woke up and ran 11 miles. That's right - 11!!! My half marathon was the next week (9/11), so I could not skip my long run. The weather was extremely beautiful and perfect for a long run.

When I got back, Tyson had done the dishes, gotten the kids dressed, and picked up the house! Seriously, is there anything better than that?! Thank you Tys! You are the bestest. :)

I got a phone call from Jen which really helped to make my day special. I love how she always remembers my birthday! I got all dressed and ready and opened presents :) another favorite activity! Tyson did so good - I got Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 2, a bread pan (I have probably mentioned to Tyson too many times about how I want a new bread pan), and a gift card to buy new clothes! Yahoo! I also got money from my in-laws and my parents to get some new clothes! I am excited because not very many clothes fit me well anymore. I also got a pair of earrings from my mom that she got in Fiji. I am not exactly sure what it is called, but it is the inside of a certain shell. They are gorgeous! Thanks to all, especially Tyson, who did a great job on presents. I know that presents aren't the most important things, but they sure are fun.

Then, we got all packed up and head to Union Station. We took the train to New Haven, CT!! Yes, another birthday present was going to visit Justin (my brother), Megan (his wife), and family. They moved to Connecticut this summer because Justin is doing a fellowship at Yale in developmental and behavioral pediatrics. I was really excited to see them since we really haven't gotten to see them too many times since they got married. Now, 6 kids and almost 12 years later (I think), they finally live close enough where we can visit every once in a while. Yahoo! They had their 6th child in July and were blessing her on September 5th. So, we decided that it would be fun to go visit and be there for the Kate's baby blessing.

The train ride was pretty awesome! Reed was so excited to get on a 'big train' and was even more excited to see the trains pass each other. I really do love the train. You can show up 20 minutes or less ahead of time and still have a seat. There is no huge security checkpoint and you don't have to check (or pay for) luggage. The seats are big and there is leg room. Also, you can bring food, drinks, use your cell phone, and get up and walk around whenever you want to. I brought Eve's car seat which made it pretty easy for her to fall asleep. Reed was too excited to fall asleep until the very end of our 5+ hour train ride. But, I didn't mind the time because I could do whatever I needed to do on the train.

Justin came and picked us up, and we took off to their house. I do love how sweet Justin is with kids. It's nice to have a pediatrician in the family, but more than that, it's nice that he truly cares about kids. Reed was a little hesitant at first, but by Sunday morning, Justin was a new best friend. :)

So, we ate dinner that night and Megan was just so sweet with all the meal preparation. She made sure that everything was dairy and soy free. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It was nice to not have to worry too much about that stuff for a couple of days. :) I know it must have taken her extra time to get everything ready and checked. You are awesome Megan!

They even made me a dairy and soy free birthday cake! Yahoo! It was chocolate, which I haven't really had in a long time, but still love. :) In fact, it was the cake I used to make almost weekly when I was younger! Go figure! For those who were my Belmont roommates, it was that chocolate cake. It seriously is so good! They sang me the birthday song, I blew out the candles, and then we all ate the delicious cake! We ended the night with some games (of course) and chatting.

This was a fabulous birthday! Thanks to everyone who made it so special :) I love you all!

I got some help from Eve, but she mostly wanted to put the wrapping paper in her mouth.

The goods :)

Trains are so fun! I love the look on Reed's face (he was in the middle of laughing)!

The girls...

Here comes the cake.

I am just looking at all that chocolatey goodness. Yum!

Right before blowing out the candles. (I guess we didn't get an after shot)

Silly Eve

Normally Eve as a very predictable schedule (something I like to do with my children). She takes a sort nap in the morning and a longer nap in the afternoon starting at 1 pm. August 31st started off normal, but went awfully wrong.

Eve took her morning nap just like normal. We played, ate lunch, and then she went down just perfect for her lunch nap. About 50 minutes into her nap she woke up. This is odd for Eve - she sleeps at least 2 1/2 hours, and I usually have to wake her up! So, I went in her 'room' (closet) to give her a pacifier. I gave it to her, and she quieted down for a minute. But, after about 30 seconds, she screamed and screamed. I gave her some gas drops and put my hand on her back (she sleeps on her stomach....has since she could roll) and let her know that she was ok. Then, I left again. She screamed and screamed. Well, I decided not to go back in the room - that was probably my first mistake. She screamed and screamed for the rest of the nap time.

I got her 'up' after it had been a total of 2 hours because she clearly was not going back to bed. The moment I picked her up she was all smiles. Such a silly little miss. She played on floor and was happy as a clam (are clams actually happy?).

Later that day I put her in her jumperoo so that I could make dinner. She was jumping, giggling, and have a great time. Literally all of a sudden, there was no sound coming from the jumperoo. Reed and I looked at each other and went to see what was going on. This is what we saw:


Eve totally passed out on the jumperoo.

She must have been really exhausted!

Sadly, we had to wake her up after about 20 minutes (to make sure she would fall asleep at bed time). She was a little upset, but was happy after about 20 seconds of being awake. The rest of the night went normally! Silly miss!


Bath time....

Oh and I finally took a picture of Eve in the little tutu I made. She was not the easiest to photograph!

At least we got one where she is sitting up! I know, I know, I need a little leotard or something, but naked babies are just so cute!

Zoo Discoveries

August 28th we took another Zoo trip. I am amazed that we always find something new every time we go to the Zoo! We wanted to see the seals and sea lions, but the pool in under construction, so that was out. So, we went to see the turtles and the waterfall (Reed LOVES the waterfall). Eve loved the waterfall as well. I took her out of her stroller to look at the turtles and water and she just started kicking with excitement! We ended up seeing some giant anteaters - really random. I don't think I have ever seen one before, but they were huge and just kept walking behind bushes.

Then, Reed wanted to see the lions and tigers (He does a good "roar") so we headed in that direction. The lion was the closest I have ever seen him. He was just pacing back and forth at the very front of the grass, almost as if deciding if he wanted to swim or not. We went around the circle to the tiger and he ended up getting in the water! Reed exclaimed, "Tiger is taking a bath!" It was very exciting because bath time is always exciting :) Reed also found a new love at the Zoo - the drinking fountain! Reed LOVES drinking fountains, so much so that it is hard to get him to leave a drinking fountain. So, when he saw this one (by the lions and tigers) he had to have several drinks of water. Maybe someday we should get a drinking fountain in our house! I had a seminary teacher who had one and always thought that was awesome! Who knows?! :)

Then, we walked to a building that I had never seen before - the invertebrates. Before entering that building there was a Komodo Dragon, which is always scary and exciting. Inside the building was a whole bunch of different invertebrates (hence the name of the building) and other sea creatures. We saw starfish, lots of types of crabs, lobsters, an octopus, jellyfish, hermit crabs, sea snakes, water bugs, and loads of other sea creatures. It was interesting, but definitely not my favorite building there. Reed and Eve liked the octopus because it moved around so much.

We went to look at the elephants before leaving (we were on a time schedule), but we would have to walk around almost the entire zoo to get there, so we will leave that for another day. I am pretty excited to go back because they are finally opening up the Asia Trail for the elephants - this huge walkway where the elephants can roam around almost freely.

The Zoo is always great fun for us! I wonder what we will discover next time?!

Daddy and Reed - and yes, that is the Dave Matthews Band concert T-shirt :)

Eve sucking on some fruit

She seriously love this thing! Those eyes get me every time :)

Do I get in the water? Do I get in the water?

No, not yet. I am just a teaser.

Tigers, apparently, don't tease about getting in the water.

The beloved drinking fountain!

One of Reed's many drinks.

A closer shot (same picture, but I used my fun camera to save a closer shot...I do love the camera!)