Well, the end of February was SUPER busy for me!
At work, we put together a 5K run to raise money for the American Heart Association. We plan for this to be an annual event; however, this was our first one…so there was L-O-T-S to create and plan!! We started planning this event the latter part of December, and I am glad we did as it was much more time consuming than we ever expected. But, it was well worth our efforts and time! And, on Sunday, February 26th, we held Ottawa County’s 1st Annual Red Dress Run. This 5K run/3K walk event was better than we could have ever expected…we had 468 participants…many of which participated wearing red dresses…and we raised $5,000 for the American Heart Association. You can find out more information on the Red Dress Run here.
It was SO MUCH FUN! Our girls, along with Grandma Johnson and Aunt Gayla participated in the 3K walk and wore their red dresses to support the event (and to get the free water bottle – which you can never have enough of those around this house!)
Chris helped me by volunteering as I was “Directing” the event as Ashlyn said. Truth be said…I was not the “director”…because we had a committee that put this event together…but Ashlyn was proud of her mama…so I have to smile at that!
One of the more important things that happened in February was that Ashlyn turned 8! Sometimes I really just have a hard time with the fact that my girls are growing up so fast. Chris saw a picture from Ashlyn’s 1st birthday party the other day on his mom’s computer and sat there in shock to how much our Ashlyn has changed and how big she is getting. See what we mean…
Speaking of big…she has definitely surpassed her big sister in height! She is probably one of the tallest in her class. And, she wears a 4½ size tennis shoe! How can that be? I guess she gets her height from her Great Grandpa Birket!
We were able to celebrate her birthday with family on her actually birthday (February 25th)…which was a day before the big Red Dress Run event, so I wasn’t sure I was going to get it pulled off. But, we DID! She received lots of fun things for her birthday and we got to enjoy spending time with family.
Ashlyn loved on her cousin Dylan, (remember Baby Dylan?... who I watched back when he was a baby…almost 4 years ago!)
Well Dylan has a little sister now…Baby Emma, and we got to love on her for a while at the party. She is such a pretty girl!
Makes me want another one!
WAIT!...NO….I HAVE PLENTY OF GIRL DRAMA IN THIS HOUSEHOLD ALREADY!
Well, maybe we can just “borrow” her on occasion to get a little “baby snuggle time” in!
Ashlyn was kind enough to postpone her “friend” birthday party until a couple weeks later so that I could concentrate on getting the Red Dress Run done and over with at work. She was super sweet to let me have a breather before we had 6 little girls over for a slumber birthday party!
But, that’s my Ashlyn! Always thinking of others!
So, a couple weekends ago, Ashlyn had 6 little girlfriends over to spend the night.
We ended her “friend” birthday party at the bowling alley. The girls had such a good time bowling and spending time with each other. They really were pretty good…no big drama issues…and that was a miracle in itself with that many little girls!
I love birthdays…but I am sure glad when they are over! All the birthday “mania” wears me out!
The newest thing for me is that I have been reading books lately…which is new for me as I usually do not like to read books. I’m not sure why, but that is something that I never have liked to do much. I read the Twilight Saga a while back and really enjoyed those books, but other than that…I haven’t found much that catches my interest.
Well…I must have had a change of heart! I have started reading more and more and have really enjoyed everything that I have read. I recently read the book, The Lucky One, by Nicholas Spark...mainly because I saw it was going to be made into a movie and I really enjoy watching the movies after I have read the book. I also read The Vow, which is the real life story that the movie was inspired by. It is a wonderful book about a couple’s faith, which helps them through probably one of the most difficult challenges a marriage could face…losing the memory of your spouse! It was GREAT and INSPIRING!
Now…I am reading The Hunger Game Triligy, which has been a book that I cannot lay down. It’s really be a lot of fun, because my mom is reading it at the same time I am, so we talk every night about what’s happening! It’s awesome! And, I can’t wait to see the movie this weekend, when we take my mom to it for her birthday!
If you are an avid reader and have any suggestions of other books that I could like…let me know! I would love to have a “TO READ” list!
Well…that seems to catch up to now!
Till next time,
Jen
