It's Wildflower Season!

I love living in a "Wildflower Season" area! I know bluebonnets are a big hit because they're the state flower of Texas but I love them all, really. I love the colors and textures and the depth they give the landscape. They're gorgeous and I wish more people would add them to their landscapes/flowerbeds.  They might look a little weedy before they bloom (trust me, we got a warning from the city last year because we had an "unslightly" yard but I won't get started on that!)... but they are oh so pretty once they do bloom!

I'm ever so patiently waiting for our Lemon Mints to bloom but we have lots of Black Eyed Susans to make up for them. We also have some Scarlet Sage blooming in whites, reds and pinks. A red Sage is peeking out from behind the Black Eyed Susan below.

But enough about flowers... I took Auggie out to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Thursday evening since Tim was working out of town. It's hard filling in a full day when we don't have him coming home to look forward to. It sounded like the library was the place to be for bluebonnet pictures... well, aside from along the highway! I understand taking adults to the highway but not a 2.5 year old. Auggie wasn't interested in pictures when we got there. He liked jumping on the flowers and pulling them off their stalks. We stayed towards the outside so we didn't disturb too many flowers.

By the time I was ready to go, though, Auggie wasn't! He had fun finding dandelions and twirling around with them to make the seeds float off. He also discovered a ton of lady bugs. He liked watching them crawl but when it came to touching them... No Way! He had a great time watching one crawl around on my hand.

And without further ado... Auggie photos in the bluebonnets

Got a good one turning back to me :)

Jumping on the Bluebonnets

Heeeeyyyy!

He was yelling "WHERE???" because he kept hearing a train whistle

Auggie LOVES airplanes!

"Where's Mommy?"

love this in BW too!

He loves to blow the dandelions.. Bluebonnets should work, too!

He kept saying "push me" and he'd put his legs up so I could push him

A REALLY GREAT "cheese" for Mommy!!

He was fascinated by the lady bugs.. on his hand, not so much! I had to hold them

our giant lady bug friend

A Mommy Adventure: The Girls Just Want to Have Fun 5K

The Girls Just Want to Have Fun 5K was on March 23 in College Station. We had a blast preparing for the race and actually a ton of fun on the day of the race! There were over 1,000 women running and we had all-male volunteers in t-shirt tuxedoes at the water and food stations.

Kristy and Paxton

We ran the 5K for Miss Paxton, Kristy's 2.5 year old daughter. Paxton was diagnosed with neutropenia, a rare blood condition that causes a reduced number or complete lack of neutrophils. In the fall of 2011, Paxton went through a few bacterial infections, some viruses and even had fevers with no other symptoms before they found out she had neutropenia. On March 19, bone marrow tests came back confirming she had Autoimmune Neutropenia which means she should outgrow it. We're all praying she does so her parents don't have to worry about the little things so much!

As Paxton's Princess Posse, we raised money through Long Race 4 Tate for the Ella Jewel Foundation. The initial fundraising goal for P^3, was $500. That goal was quickly accomplished so we raised it to $1,000. I am happy to say we passed that goal and we raised $1,421!

The Ella Jewell Foundation’s mission is to “Raise awareness in the area of Neutropenia and funds to put towards research for Neutropenia and Childhood Bone Marrow Failure Disorders; to one day find a cure and make a difference.” And that $1,421 goes toward the Ella Jewell Foundation! 

Our princess poses

Race Day started bright and early for us.. 7 am isn't so early for most of the Princesses. But it was early for me! Well, it wasn't too bright, either, since a front came through that brought cooler temperatures and the threat for rain. Some of us had practiced the route a few times before and of course, our lovely Texas weather had been warmer than what we ran in on Race Day!

Every princess needs some glitter!

Every princess needs some glitter!

We were all prepped and ready to walk to the start of the race together. We crossed the Start Line together but we all ran at our own paces. I was happy with my ~35 minute 5K time and I know everyone else was happy with theirs. This was the first race for some of the Princesses and it sounded like everyone enjoyed it. I hope it's the start for them because I know I enjoyed my first 5K earlier in March. 

There were a ton of women in pink, neons and in costumes. There was a great atmosphere throughout the race itself, too. At the end of the race, there were awards for best individual and team costumes, overall best time winners and then each age group had 1st and 2nd place awards. The group costume contest winners were dressed up at old ladies. They were awesome and hilarious! The leading Old Lady blogs about her running experiences and Kristy had a chance to meet her at a meet-n-greet sponsored by the race officials in February. You can read about it on her One Tough Mother Runner blog. 

The start of the race

Paxton was there to cheer her Posse along!

Finished my 2nd official 5K at 00:35:05
Axe 'em Jacks!

As much as I wanted to give TWO enthusiastic thumbs up as I had this picture taken, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew I felt great and had beaten my old 5K time by almost 3.5 minutes! "Thumbs Up" has a whole new meaning once you move into "Aggieland." I don't want to be mistaken for an Aggie... I am a Lumberjack, after all!

And before I end this, I want to thank Kassi for coming out to take pictures of us! I know it was cold and dreary but our pictures turned out fantastic! Thank you so much!

You've Got a Friend in Me

Auggie's been seeing more of his friends lately. He has such a good time being around other kids even if he suffers from the "only child" syndrome once in awhile. He's not a big fan of sharing his toys.. or anyone else's. He's learning, though! He let a 10 month old play with his book this morning at Mainly Music. Baby steps, right??

I've been watching Paxton and Reagan every so often so Kristy can run some errands. Paxton walks around calling Auggie "Sir" since I say "no, sir" to him quite a bit. It is so cute! Auggie likes playing with Paxton even if he doesn't play dress up. I'm looking into getting some dress up clothes since Paxton asks to put dresses on him. As much as I think it'd be funny to see, I won't put Auggie through that! Paxton's little sister, Reagan, has fun with the older kids, too. I know both Pax and Auggie like pushing her in circles in her walking toy. They first time they did it, I about had a heart attack, though. They went a little too fast for my liking.

Auggie and Miss Paxton (February 8)

Auggie wanted to push Reagan around her
toy so bad! (February 8)

Paxton and Auggie playing peek-a-boo (March 21)

 Paxton and Auggie together is completely different from Zane and Auggie together. It must be a boy thing! They are constantly on the move- chasing after each other, going in opposite directions, playing in dirt or with their trains. But they get along so well. Hopefully that will continue!

We got a babysitter (well, 2 sisters actually) to watch the boys one night so Jen & Dan and Tim & I could have a crawfish date! Jen and I figured since the boys were together, we'd give the girls the advantage so they couldn't gang up on just one babysitter. We went to Shipwreck Bar and Grill in Bryan to enjoy a few pounds of crawfish and a couple drinks. One of the first things the babysitters said was "Auggie is fast!" We had a good laugh about that. The boys had a good time together and were actually in bed when we got home. It didn't last long- Auggie was crawling out as soon as I got to the door. But I'd call it a successful night.

rub a dub dub, two boys in a tub

watching the ducks at Brother's Pond Park

Cheers!

Auggie pouting while Zane played with his truck

They both got in there without help

Getting out was a different story!