Inspiration

My husband is such an inspiration to me. I don't tell him that often enough, but I'm so proud of him. Today, he ran in the Park to Park 5 mile run. His goal was to run it in under 45 minutes; he ran it in just over 42 minutes. The girls and I picked him up at the second park, and we passed him along the way; he was running so well, and we got to cheer out the window at him. It took a lot of looking to pick him out of the crowd, and I tried to enlist Little Miss' help. However, she proved to be unreliable, since she was pointing out women as daddy. But, as I said, we found him and cheered for him. He beat us to the park, so we didn't get to see him cross the finish line. I was somewhat disappointed in that, but he just appreciated the fact that we came to get him.

After watching him run, I started thinking about running. Early this afternoon, he got online to check out his time, and while online, he checked out other races to run in. He mentioned the Jingle Bell Run, which is a 5K, and, after a little talk, I've committed to running in that. He just inspired me so much. So, I found a plan online that will get me running a 5K by the beginning of September. I figure that if I get up to running that distance by September, that will give me the rest of September and all of October to increase my speed. Hubby averaged close to an 8 1/2 minute mile on the 5 miler, so I know that he could go faster for the 5K. I also know that he would stay with me, so I don't want to slow him down too much. That means that I have to get to a decent time, maybe even a 9 minute mile (might be setting my sights a little high, but we'll see).

So, after we picked him up, we decided to go to the gym to go swimming. We had so much fun with the girls. Baby Girl started swim lessons last week, and she's learned to love floating (while being held) and kicking her feet. I've been trying to get her to blow bubbles, and, even though she doesn't actually blow bubbles, she thinks it's fun to put her face in the water. Today, she got a mouth full of water when she dipped her head and spit it out, just like a big girl (rather than aspirating on it). Little Miss has been our little water girl since 6 mos., when she first went swimming in a hotel pool. With her floaties, she is very good at getting around the pool. She is also in swim lessons, and she's learning to kick and blow bubble under water, too. She keeps talking about kicking like a mermaid (or was it moving her arms like a mermaid...I can't remember). She also loves to jump in to the pool. Today, she thought about going off the diving board, but changed her mind when she got right up next to it. Instead, she jumped off the side of the pool. The first time she jumped in to me, she pushed me underwater. She had her floaties, so she just bobbed right back up; I, on the other hand, came up spluttering. She just laughed at mama. Hubby and I both took our turns in the hot tub, which was fabulous. We ended with some play time in the "tiny pool", as Little Miss calls it. Both girls went to sleep easily, a feat that hasn't been accomplished in weeks. In fact, as I write this, Little Miss is still sleeping (almost 3 hours after going down). Baby Girl has been up for awhile, but she is happily playing with an empty box. Life is great! I love holidays!!