Obsession with Excercise

In July Jonathan and I ran a half marathon together. I ran throughout my first trimester and ran this race when I was 11 weeks pregnant. Unfortunately, for Jonathan, that meant that he had to run REALLY slow. I was paranoid about my heart rate and had to run about 12 minute miles. It was really great to be together though and came in handy when it was pitch black and we were trying to finish. I should post about how awful the race was organizationally...not to mention that we were offered cold beer at the end. After this race I stopped training. I ran for a couple weeks with Isaac but then I stopped.


After a month or so I looked into getting a pass at the community rec center. They have a really nice facility and it is a couple minutes from my house. I started swimming and could only go for 10-15 minutes tops! I felt pathetic but it was so refreshing! I have become obsessed with it and go at least twice a week. Early in the morning or right after we put Isaac to bed I run out the door to go swim. I have never really done lap swimming before and I have fallen in love with it. I can now go over 30 minutes if a want to. I love the smell of the water and feeling bouyant. I am getting bigger now, and am in the third trimester. I hope to continue swimming up to the end of my pregnancy. It is so calming. I love having the desire to get to the pool!

Caught in the Act

At least it wasn't the mascara...he was having a lot of fun.

Trick-or-Treating Galore

Isaac with his buddy Quinn. They have a lot of fun together!

Isaac and I had a crazy day! We spent the afternoon trick or treating on Main Street in Ann Arbor. It is an annual activity where the shops downtown open their doors and pass out candy. We went last year but Isaac was too little to do anything. We just walked around in the stroller. This year however, Isaac figured it out! He had multiple meltdowns at first when I tried to help him understand that we put the candy in our bag for later. His little brain just didn't understand why he couldn't have it right then! Each store had balloons out front so he would find the balloons, run to them, and then go inside and say Trick-or-treat until he found the person with the candy. Sometimes he would take two and give one of them to a child behind him. He would then exclaim, "I'm nice!" By the time we came home I was worn out. Three of the blocks didn't have candy and I had to carry him on my shoulders. I needed the work out...

Every time someone asked or stated if he was Bob the Builder he would push the button on his belt that made sounds from the show. It was adorable. Later that night we went to the church trunk-or-treat. I had never done it before and it was a lot of fun. Jonathan was able to take Isaac to the cars and see how adorable Isaac was getting candy. Isaac and Jonathan walked around in the costume parade as well. It was a really fun day. I am okay with celebrating Halloween on the 29th. I think we have had plenty of fun celebrating and have enough candy to last us (or my therapy kids...) awhile!

Jonathan and I decided that we need to get into the Halloween spirit and come up with costumes. If we aren't creative enough, we decided we would just do whatever our friends the Adamson's did the previous year. Too bad we didn't think of it in time. I think Jonathan would have made a great Tornado!

A much needed visit!

Isaac loving the cow train! He had a lot of fun but wouldn't go on it again...

Julia came to Michigan again this Fall. She is one of my closest friends and it was really good to see her.

She mainly came to see her sister who lives in Midland, but I tend to tag along A LOT!! We just hung out and played with the kids mostly. There isn't too much to do in Midland...
I turned around in this picture because I didn't want to show my pregnant belly...

Rocket Blasters!

Jonathan and his friend had been waiting awhile to get together to make Rocket blasters. I of course do not know the technical term... So Labor Day we went over to the Gibsons to hang out and make the Rocket Blasters.

It took them a LONG time to make them. They were sawing PVC pipes, sodering electrical wires, you name it. I think they finished about midnight. Despite the late hour they still had to test them out. The neighbors thought people were shooting fireworks, but it was still worth it!

The kids had a blast. The Gibson kids are so good with Isaac and he and Claire love hanging out! I love the picture where they are both pointing at something. That was not staged.

Thanks for having nerd-like tendencies Jonathan! I am sure we will use your Rocket Blaster for many entertaining evenings with our kids!

Baby /Diter/!

Isaac is going to have a baby sister in February! We found out the gender a couple weeks ago. I was so excited that I went and bought something pink the very same day. Isaac's closet is slowly filling up with Pink. I always get something on sale and there have been a few people who have generously donated clothes and blankets. I think we will be okay. If nothing else, she will look good in blue...

I can't get my scanner to work, I wanted to post a picture of our other little bean. Not many people know this, but we had a traumatic miscarriage from March to April of this year. We found out at 11 weeks. I have a sweet Ultra Sound picture of our little one that I have been meaning to post. I love looking at it and remembering the love I had for him/her. It has been a long year of being pregnant, but so worth it. While my second pregnancy was very sad, I learned a lot from it. I emotionally/mentally healed from Isaac's crazy birth experience. (Which I didn't realize I needed to do) I can relate to others who have dealt with this type of disappointing loss and I cannot even fathom the idea of having a new born right now. His/Her due date was September 24, 2010 and being in the throws of Jonathan's recruiting/job application process, I can see how this would have been an additional strain on him and our family at this time.

How grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know I will see my sweet little one again someday. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. While we may be going through trials, he will help us bear our burdens and can see the end from the beginning.

We have been blessed to be able to have another baby so soon after a loss. I love this sweet baby with all of my heart. I can't wait to meet her!

Reminiscing

Hilarious! I was perusing my blog from 2008 and found this entry. Take a peek!

http://dunfordfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/only-in-detroit.html

Trains

Jonathan creates the most intricate train tracks for Isaac. They are always different! Today the boys let me sleep in and I woke up to this. It goes under the bed to make another tunnel! I love my boys. Look at that smile! We have borrowed this train set from a friend and Thomas was a gift from Isaac's cousin Jake. He has played/held it every day for two months. I think we should invest in some more trains for him...There have been some changes in his room as well! He has been sleeping in his big boy bed for about 2 months now and someone gave us a toy organizer. It seems like a big boy room now.

Birthday Party!!

Ring around the Rosies

The fishing game!

Isaac and Elizabeth

What a Party!! Isaac shared his birthday party with his friend Elizabeth. They are a week apart so we thought we would celebrate together! (Not to mention that Anne is due with her second this week...)

Anyway! It was a success!! There were lots of 2 year-olds. Prizes, bubbles, songs, balloons, water balloons that didn't pop easily, yummy cupcakes, and presents. The kids were rolling the water balloons down the concrete drive way, throwing them on the grass/ground and they lasted! They were having a blast with them.

I don't think Isaac realized he was having a birthday party. He can't even say, "I'm Two." But he had a blast doing all of his favorite things! And he had a lot of practice blowing out candles on our camping trip so he blew out the fire (/faider/) immediately!

He is such a happy boy. I love him to pieces!

Sleeping Bear Camping Trip

The past two years we have gone to Lake Michigan for Labor Day...and this year my parents weren't doing it. So, I took the matter into my own hands and planned a camping trip to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. We invited Jonathan's mom and brother Trenton to come with us. We had a blast! The weather was not warm and sunny. In fact, the first night, while we were playing cards, it started to rain and we hadn't prepped the rain fly on the tent yet. So we scurried around to get everything to the tent and listen to Jonathan and Trenton scramble in the rain to get the tarp up. It was hilarious hearing them laugh so hard, and thankfully, they got the rain fly up in time to prevent all of our bedding and clothes from getting wet.

We were in the heart of the storm that night and I didn't sleep very well. Isaac slept right through everything though. I thought the next day would be miserable but it didn't rain and turned out to be nice. We hiked up the sand dunes and went on the "scenic drive." The overlook to Lake Michigan was sooo windy!! It was hilarious because Isaac has never really felt big gusts of wind before and he looked really confused. He also thought the boardwalk was a train track!

The dunes were fun. Jonathan and Trenton were having jumping competitions and running as fast as they could down the hills.

After dinner, we went to the shore. It was breathtaking! The beach was covered in smooth beautiful rocks, and the view over the lake was just what I needed. I am going to miss Michigan if we move.

The next night was dry, and we got up in the morning and went on a canoe trip down the Platte River. Isaac loved being in the boat, and thankfully, decided it was best to stay in his seat! He kind of had a nervous look on his face like when we went on a paddle boat for memorial day. The plan was to stay at the beach on lake Michigan after the canoe ride, but it was raining. Then, when the rain stopped we went out and were attacked by flies! It was gross and really annoying. They were biting at us! So, we decided to turn in and drive back.

What an awesome vacation! Now it is back to the grind. Jonathan is applying to some fellowships before school starts so that he can really focus on the job hunt.

I might need another vacation in another couple months from all of the anticipated stress!

Jones Cousin Road Trip

My mom, Isaac, and I drove to Minnesota to pick up Roxann and the kids in June to go to the Jones family reunion in Utah. It was a blast riding to Utah with these kids. We had so much fun. We took our time and had a blast. We even stayed at a hotel with an indoor water park! Isaac is obsessed with water and Jackson and Charlotte were going down all the slides without hesitation. Isaac needed a few pushes, but loved it.
The kids at "the presidents." That was what Charlotte called Mount Rushmore. She was so excited to see them.
Isaac refused to get on the dinosaur but Jackson was all for it! He is such a daredevil!
This is the Corn Palace. My mom was dying to stop because she would always stop with her family whenever they traveled out west. They change the outside every year using corn husks and corn to create a different look/mural.

Charlotte and Isaac wouldn't go near the creepy corn guy. Jackson, you were so brave!!

dgats^ and sharshar

We had a really fun summer hanging out with Jackson, Charlotte, and Aunt Roxann!! The title of the post is how Isaac pronounces their names. This was when they were in Midland visiting and we went to a Loons game and the park. It was a lot of fun having more than one cousin at Gramdma's house!!! We miss you guys!

A Southern Experience Part II

Katie and I went on a swamp tour and saw alligators, wild boars, egret, blue heron, and really cool trees and old beaten down weekend "homes." The alligator was huge!! They said she was almost 1,000 lbs. It's amazing the show you can get when you have hot dogs and marshmallows.

Katie and I were quite wind blown by the end of the tour, but it felt good in that Lousianna heat!
I had all sorts of great Southern food like gumbo, red beans and rice, shaved ice (I forgot what they called it) and what not. It was an awesome trip. Hopefully, next time will be in the winter time!!! We miss you Abernethy's!!!!!

A Southern Experience

In the beginning of June Isaac and I went to visit the Abernethy's in New Orleans!!! I had never been to the South and it was quite the experience!!!

Hunter and Isaac had a blast and acted more like brothers by the end of the week.

The biggest reason for going to New Orleans was, for me to see Katie!!!..(ahem) I mean, meet little Noah. He was only a week and a half old and as adorable as they get!

Per Popular Request...

Well, I took a hiatus. In some ways it can be stressful to blog. However, throughout the summer numerous people have given me a hard time for not posting. Not to mention, we have a lot of family who live all over and some really good friends have recently finished school and moved away. I would be sad if they just stopped blogging as well. So, here we go again. Hopefully, I will be more faithful this time around.

Kalahari

Isaac gave kisses to his monkey friend while Lucy and I watched.

Catching the fear on his face! He absolutely loved being in the water and will turn into fish someday.
This monkey was at the top of the stairs to some of the slides. Isaac gave an anatomy lesson everytime he went up. Eyes, Nose, Mouth, Ears, Feet...

The Resort was fabulous. We had such a great time with our friends but especially as a family. Isaac loved being in the water. I don't think he smiled very much though because he was so intent on what he was doing. There was a lot going on! We also played basketball in the water and went in the wave pool as a family.

As for the adult slides, they were pretty good. There was a "toilet bowl" when you go down a steep slide into a huge bowl. Then, it plops you down the middle into some water. I also liked going on the boogie board one. I did pretty well for a first timer.

It was such a nice get away...I can't wait for summer weather!