Family Vacation

This year for our family summer vacation we again went back to Myrtle Beach, SC. The kids love this vacation spot and asked to return this year. 

This year Sybella and Cooper were both able to really enjoy the waves and sand...

We always boogie board while we are at the beach but this year, the boys also used the skin (skimmer) boards to glide across the top of the water in the shallow areas. And yes, our most adventurous child, Cooper, spent lots of time trying to figure it out. He discovered it's harder than skateboarding.  :)

We had 7 days just swimming, running in the sand, building castles, and enjoying the sun. It was amazing! David took a special day with each of the kids to do something one-on-one that they wanted to do. He took Colin golfing. Connor chose a 3D movie, Sybella took him shopping. And Cooper took him outside for a walk and to throw the ball (every day---apparently, the youngest gets more dates!)

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The Big Doll House

I have a friend who calls The American Girl Store the Big Doll House...and that it is! I had a chance to visit the store when David and I were in New York last year. In June, a brand new store opened in Tyson's Corner. I knew that the first time I took Sybella I wanted her to bring her Bitty Baby (Sophie) and have lunch at the cafe. 

So, the week it opened, we had a girls' day. Sybella and I, along with my mom went for lunch and our friends Shauna and Kylee joined us. We made reservations for opening week over 2 months in advance--- who could've known this was the toughest reservation in DC to get? 

The girls LOVED it and now Sybella is asking for both her first of the American Girl Dolls and wants to have her birthday party there....we'll have to see about that. 

Getting ready to eat. 

The girls loved the high chairs for their babies.

Taking home their wares

Father-Daughter Dance

On June 18th, David got a special Father's Day gift. He and Sybella attended a Father-Daughter Dance. It was a special date night. There was dancing, games, activities, and lots of fun had by them both!

Daddy even picked out and bought Sybella a special new dress for the event.

How adorable!

Virginia's Gold Cup

In early May, David and I had the opportunity to attend Virginia's Gold Cup in The Plains, Virginia. For those who don't know, this is a horse race on a grass track. It is great fun. There is food, hats, horses, more hats, seersucker suits, the races, and lots of socializing. Thanks to our friends Jamil and Lambeth for inviting us!

Cooper's Second Birthday

For Cooper's Second Birthday, April 25th, we decided to have a family party. Here are some great shots of the Birthday Boy. He enjoyed everything about the day-- singing, clapping, cupcakes, candles, presents, and of course, ALL of the attention on him!

Camping!

Over Spring Break (April 2011), David and the older boys went on their first camping Trip. They spent three days in the Shenandoah National Park. We aren't campers (anymore...we did enough of that when we were in the Army). But, David wanted to create a special Father-Son Memory and he felt like the best way to do that was to take all of them a bit out of their comfort zones, away from their electronics (His and the Kids') and just have some fun! They enjoyed hiking, climbing, and Smores-making. 

My Running

I have now had the opportunity to process for 48 hours and I am ready to share what the Sports Medicine doctor told me Tuesday. As suspected, my injury is plantar fasciitis. I had this 5 years ago and successfully treated it, but it's back.
Unfortunately, I have a much further progression than I have ever had before. Ultrasound shows that at the point of connection to my heel bone, the fascia is measuring 7mm in thinkness (swelling) with a 4mm pocket of fluid surrounding it. Looks like it was heading towards rupture...not good.
The solution: no running for 3-6 weeks with physical therapy (2x/wk) and cross-training (3-5x/wk), then reevaluate. If it heals, back to running with modifications (gait, stretches, etc.). We would evaluate other options such as five fingers or shoes with orthotics at that point. If the fascia is not healed at 6 weeks, we will talk about interventions (steroid injection potentially- ouch).
I do not have a bone spur and I do not desire surgery. I am a runner. I want to run long into the future. So as heartbroken as I am, I am going to get well and focus on the long-term. And, yes, that means no Marine Corps Marathon for me this year.

~(a VERY sad) Sharon

Listening

I am a rule follower. I have said it often and it's never really bothered me that I follow rules. I mean, doesn't that mean that I have integrity? I suppose in moral evaluation rule following is great but I have discovered over this summer that it can also be a pressure point or a driver to some of my behaviors (can all my nurse friends say OCD).
I am marathon training. It's a feat! It's harder than I ever anticipated. It's as much mental as physical and sometimes I even wonder if mentally I've gotten soft (b/c I wouldn't have in the past considered myself soft). So, I have found that I lean to my "rule-follower" tendencies to keep me on track with my training plan. If the plan says I am running 6, 3, 5, 7, 12 this week then in the past, that's what I would be running...no matter what. Injury, fatigue, schedule, life, crisis, nothing would stop me. But I have found that this training is a "marathon, not a sprint" -- pun intended. I MUST LISTEN to my body; sometimes it can do the plan, sometimes it needs the plan to be modified. If I want to make it to Race Day healthy and prepared (mentally and physically), there has to be a balance between my listening skills and my "rule following." I know this is likely not news to many of you out there but this is a true epiphany for me. And, it doesn't just apply to running, it applies to life.
I said to a friend last week that I have discovered: I am best off when I allow guilt to result in grace.
My new commitment to myself is now to keep the end in mind and listen before I act.

~Sharon