Steve's 40th Birthday

We celebrated Steve's 40th Birthday on May 20th. It was nothing fancy, just a low-key day of driving in beautiful countryside around Reno, running some errands, opening his gifts and having a nice dinner at home. Judah isn't much of a singer yet but here is his first try at singing Happy Birthday to his Daddy. Enjoy!

Outfoxing the Fox

This morning Judah and I had plans to meet two other moms from church and their toddlers at the Sparks Marina to play at the playground and splash around in the lagoon a bit. As usual, we were running a bit behind schedule and Judah wasn't helping things any. I needed to do a last minute diaper change and he wasn't cooperating in the least bit. I finally said, "If you don't let me change you, we won't go swimming with Grant. Do you want to go swimming?" Judah then replied, "No." Figuring I'd challenge him enough to get him to cooperate, I said, "Well alright then, I'll go call Grant's mommy to tell her we're not going swimming with them." I then went to fetch my phone thinking that he would change his mind and say he did want to go. I brought the phone back to him and he wasn't budging on his decision about not wanting to go. The little stinker had called my bluff!! Plan B kicked in and I decided to distract him with the picture I have of him on my phone so I could change his diaper. It worked! Until...as I was changing him, I realized he had pushed some buttons on the phone and was talking into it saying, "Heyo (hello), no going." He said it a couple of times before I realized that he was pretending to call Grant's mommy to say that we weren't going. Judah definitely outfoxed the fox this time! We did go play with Grant and Annalita and their mommies today and had a great time, however.

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. As I sit here enjoying a few quiet moments to myself to catch up on things while Judah naps, I am overwhelmed by the incredible blessings that I have. My own mother is one of my best friends and is one of the most loving, compassionate, non-judgmental and sacrificial godly women I've ever known. Steve's mom is a genuinely loving, caring and selfless person as well. I look at the amazing women around me at church (and my own sisters, aunts, etc.) who juggle the many special people, roles and responsibilities in their own lives and am humbled that God would grant me such a wonderful gift and blessing of being Judah's mother. I'd heard it said many times before I became a mother--"Being a mother is the toughest job you'll ever love."--but never truly comprehended the depth of that statement until becoming a mother myself. Motherhood can be thankless and frustrating, heart-wrenching and perplexing (and so much more!) but to have the opportunity, responsibility and privilege of nurturing, teaching, guiding, directing, loving, serving, disciplining and shaping the life and character of a little person whom you pray will grow to be a godly man or woman is the greatest gift that God can ever give us outside of the gift of His Son, Jesus. Thank you, Lord, for entrusting this precious little guy to me. I ask for your wisdom, courage and strength to raise Judah in a way that is pleasing and glorifying to You. I LOVE YOU, MOM! Happy Mother's Day!

Let me brag a bit...

...not about myself but about my wonderful (and humble) husband. Not only did he help ME prepare for the 1/2 marathon but he was also training for it himself. The Rock N River Half was Steve's 3rd 1/2 marathon. Each one he has bettered his own finishing time. His goal for the Rock N River was 1 hour 23 minutes. He didn't quite make that time (his actual finishing time was 1 hour 25 minutes) but it was STILL a PR for him. Not only that but he placed 13th OVERALL out of approximately 700 participants. Am I married to an amazing athlete or what?! Of course he downplayed all of his own accomplishments so that I would be able to fully savor my own accomplishment. I'm the luckiest (read: blessed) girl in the world!

Teri Rocked the River

I'm so proud of my wife. She set a goal, she trained hard and then went out and achieved her goal! 2 hrs 17 minutes!

Tomorrow's The BIG DAY

Well, it's finally here...the day I've been training for since early winter...the Rock n' River 1/2 Marathon. Although I don't feel "ready" to do the distance (13.1 miles) in the time that I have set as a goal (2.5 hours), but I have a peace about it. I know that, although my training has been plagued with knee injuries, sinus infection and other "life" issues, God will give me the strength to persevere to the finish. I am so thankful that God has given me a strong and healthy body and the opportunity to challenge myself in a way I never have before. I suppose you could call it a mid-life crisis (I turn 40 in July) but I think it's just another way that I can give glory and honor to God, who made it all happen. I will definitely be glad when it's over but will celebrate the fact that I have accomplished a lofty goal that I set for myself. Steve has been a tremendous encourager, coach and running partner and has helped a great deal with Judah to make this happen so I also thank God for giving me such a wonderful husband and best friend. I couldn't have made it this far without him! Thanks for your prayers and encouragement through my training. I'll let you know how it goes...