Christmas Time

This was a pretty busy Christmas for us. As we battled off sickness, we attempted to visit with Grandpa, Great Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Jon and Aunt Jenn, and The Bardsley clan. We were grateful to visit with Nana and Uncle Bobby, Aunt Cassie, Uncle John, Nolan and Mazie earlier in the week during my 30th surprise birthday party. (No photos were taken- to my knowledge).

Any way, I do have a few photos from the festivities.

So, I could not keep Colin's Christmas gift a secret until Christmas and gave it to him a week early... it was a GREAT deal and he loved it! His old BBQ was pretty pathetic... rusting and falling apart.

Kellen's birthday party was the Saturday before Christmas, and we sang to him and then he blew out the candles on his cake (his favorite part).

 

His cake didn't taste so bad either :-)

Christmas Eve-Eve we headed to San Diego. We watched/sang Karaoke, we saw Santa (Woody) and Kellen got his first Christmas gift!

Christmas Eve we headed to the annual Baptista party and ate BBQ turkey and hung out with the cousins. I don't seem to have any photos from this either. :-(

Christmas morning however, I have a TON of photos. If any of you know me, the last year my poor camera has been under the weather missing the side panel because the screws fell out and got lost. Well, all I have to do is get new screws, but they don't make it easy to do this. The camera still works (really well), but Colin was fed up, so he got me a new one for Christmas. It came with a case, so it won't get damaged. I got some great gifts... but watching Kellen enjoy Christmas is always the best part. 

This was the first year Kellen seemed to enjoy himself while opening his presents (at least after he got over his horrific grumpy morning... was kinda weird. Here are some pics and a video of his Christmas morning adventures.

New sippy cup from Nana and Papa... we put it in with the Santa gifts because it matched. :-)

Next we headed to Grandma Shelley's house to open some more gifts.

Kellen is in love with everything Veggie Tales, Uncle Tymon and Aunt Brittani got him a coloring book with crayons!

Olivia opened her gift from aunt Haley with Uncle Colin.

Kellen was in desperate need of a nap by the end of that visit, so we headed home to nap and then went to Grandma and Grandpa B's house to visit with them and Uncle Kenny, Aunt Jenny, Laura and Josh.

Kellen and Olivia were chasing each other around the living room! It was really cute.

Watching Polar Express with cousin Josh.

Daddy and Uncle Kenny wanted to watch too!

Both the kiddos were ready to sleep on the way home in their PJ's. Here is a really cute one of Olivia.

Today I tried to put Kellen's new slippers from Nana on his feet. They tie up, so I don't think he can get them off without some real effort. For whatever reason he doesn't like to keep slippers on, and he has a few pretty cool pair. I was able to snag a picture before nap time, and I think they may still be on his feet.

So, after all the traveling, sickness, and CRAZINESS that this holiday has brought, we are all ready for NAPS!! And 2011...

CAR FOR SALE

Hey Everyone!!
We are actually trying to sell our car for reals now. Here are some photos followed by some details.

 Side view... 4 brand new tires

 Front view

Drivers side door

CD player, AC/Heat controls, Auxillary plug

Center console

Arm rest, with additional storage

Drivers view of the back when turn around

Middle set of seats, they recline and fold forward

Odometer, almost 56,000 miles

Back of car

Seats up

Seats down

Front/side view

This car seats 8 people. We purchased it from Carmax in 2009. All of its scheduled maintance has been completed, and again the tires are about 2 weeks old, and the alingment was just done. We are asking $22,500 OBO

If you know of anyone that is interested in purchasing please email:

Mindieg@gmail.com

Our First Mud Run

Last weekend, Colin and I participated in the Gladiator Mud Run in Lake Elsinore. It was a 3 mile run with muddy obstacles to tackle. It was really fun. We dressed up in old Murrieta Valley Cross Country uniforms- didn't really matter if those got dirty, there are a million of them and we are trying to get rid of them any way. Colin looked pretty hot in his little outfit if I might add. :-) There were 12 "obstacles" some included jumping over things while others required you to go through mud. We had mixed reviews from veteran runners, but we had a pretty good time and we got nice and dirty... here are some photos.

We are still nice and clean, Renee took a picture of us before we headed out to the race. Thank you so much Renee for taking pictures and for watching our little kid!! He will love you forever because you gave him his first snow cone!!!

Kellen enjoyed playing in the rocks before the race in the little amount of shade we could find... behind the BBQ pork tent!

"It's hot, let's get this race started already!" Kellen was patiently waiting for us to get going.

Cheese! Two minutes to race time!! One last final clean photo... even though we were already sweating a lot.

 You couldn't see much of the race except the end, here we come approaching the last mud pit!!

 Oh yeah, I pass this girl... Colin was right next to me! The mud was kinda warm... gross.

 I'm pretty sure this is where Colin said he was trying to breath and got mud and dirt all over his teeth! Ewee!

Coming down to the finish... I haven't seen any pictures on the website, but this was pretty sweet looking. 

 Yummy, mud all down my arms... or at least part of them. Kinda weird how that happened.

Just finishing the race... yay we made it!! It's hot out here! Where do we go now??

Muddy kisses! And I'm pretty sure his face was nice and sweaty too.

Our first completed muddy race... where do we clean off??

Another month gone by...

It's amazing to me how fast the time seems to go by. Yet, some days seem like they never end. Kellen is now only 3 months shy of his 2nd birthday. He continues to shower us with his many talents... he seems very aware of his surroundings. He points out everything; the moon, cars, trucks (trash man in particular), water, slides, etc. However, his ultimate favorite is still LIGHTS!!! He will not hesitate to scream it with excitement when he comes upon them and they do not have to be outside at night time, they can be in the house too. Nana just gave Kellen a little monster truck with tires that light up when you push a button. He will go into the bathroom and close the door so he can see the lights shine bright on the tires.

I never thought having a kid would make me more friendly, however we are very adamant about Kellen being polite and saying hello to people (as well as saying please and thank you of course) and well, he makes sure to say hello to everyone! We go to the park in our complex almost daily to burn some toddler energy and whenever there is another kiddo (or adult along the way) Kellen makes sure that he says hello to them all! He made 3 new friends tonight at the park (5 if you include parents, and 7 if you include the neighbor walking her dog).

Kellen is fascinated with the dish washer as well. He will watch me unload the dishes and put them away. He has started removing items one at a time and handing them to me. He will grab a cup, walk over to me and say, "here," and then go back to the dish washer to get more. Colin decided it would be a fun idea to show him how we use the dishwasher one day. He even showed him which button starts the dishwasher, and now if we aren't careful, Kellen will start the dishwasher and wash the same set of dishes several times!

The hardest part right now about having a toddler is the inability for him to always communicate with us. He gets upset when we can't figure out what he needs and of course the tantrums begin. We've found that if we change his attention to something else he usually calms down.

We have been bouncing the idea back and forth several times as to whether or not we want another kiddo one day, we know it will eventually happen probably. However, for now, we are happy with enjoying our little man.

20 Months Old Already

Time seems to be flying these days. Here is the most recent video of our big boy with a whole bunch of food in his mouth!! Black beans and biscuits... pretty sure that was a left-over night dinner. Thankfully the boys don't seem to care!

After dinner we cleaned him up and he proceeded to run around the house in just a diaper. I was able to snag him for a moment and after several pictures we got a smile!

Even though he's had SEVERAL hair cuts, this kid doesn't particularly enjoy the trims these days. I've tried giving him snacks, entertaining him with the blow dryer (his favorite) having him look in the mirror etc. I think he just doesn't like the actual salon, too much going on and it distracts him. I think the next attempt will have to be at our stylists house... in the mean time he has so much hair it allows us to do things with it like the picture below!

It has been so hot outside during the day that sometimes we lack creativity in finding things for him to do. When the playground in our condo complex isn't hot to the touch he enjoys the slides and at church he plays with the kids on the slide too. Sometimes we watch an occasional children's video. His favorite is "Finding Nemo, and Walle." He also enjoys an occasional "Veggie Tales," courtesy of Netflix. Here he is watching "Nemo or as he says it, 'Memo and Dorie.'"

Ahhh yes, driving. Kellen would sit in the car for hours a day and pretend to drive if we would let him. Not only does he LOVE to drive he loves to push ALL the buttons in the car and even the hazard lights! Here he is sitting in the car at camp after our Cross Country kids ran up Killer Peak. The Varsity girls all had "Toy Story" themed shirts with temporary tattoos. They gave one to Kellen to wear and he sported his MV pride by wearing an old racing singlet courtesy of Bethany Bilton (his babysitter).

This final video is of Kellen trying to look in the mirror at himself. It was so cute I just had to tape it. He kept giggling when he would see himself in the mirror. So easily entertained, I love it!

Now that Colin has started back to school, Kellen and I hang out all day every day. :-) Nolan still joins us on Wednesdays. He is such a great boy, we are truly blessed to have him in our lives and are thankful that God has allowed us to be his parents. We constantly pray for him and his daily journeys. Hope you enjoyed the new pictures!

Our Summer

We have had quite a summer so far... here are a few photos and videos to capture the magic! :-)

Kellen enjoys our trips to Costo... here is a picture of him playing with the boxes, ... and trash.

Kellen... and the costco boxes from Mindie Gilliland on Vimeo.

Wearing his new shoes.Driving at Vons...

Shot gun with Mason Jr at the Penwarden's

SLIDE!

New tricks on the bike!

4th with Brian...& Pops!

BEAN FACE after dinner!

Happy Anniversary

On June 14th, my husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. We usually go out to a nice dinner and a winery in Temecula, however this year we haven't been able to do that. It is funny how having a kiddo changes things. Regardless, we had a nice evening IN and Kellen celebrated with us. Happy Anniversary Colin. It is crazy to think we have been married already for 7 years and together for 10! I wouldn't change a single minute. I love you!!

The San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Well, it is finished. I am FINALLY fully recovered from last weeks AMAZING events and I have some time to tell you all about it. This will be my final entry.
Last Saturday (the day before the race) was pretty busy. Kellen and I went to Lakeside High School to help Colin with the final SAT testing of the school year. He is in charge of ALL the SAT testing at the school. (And does a fine job might I add). There were over 500 students taking the test so he needed some extra hands. We arrived around 7am and helped out until about 9. It's funny, the one week I needed to get plenty of rest by going to bed early, eating right and just relaxing turned out to be the most crazy-busy week of the year! (Isn't that how it always happens?)

Kellen stayed with Colin the rest of the day and I met up with some of my team mates in Temecula to carpool down to San Diego. Our hotel was off of Friars road somewhat near the Charger stadium. Upon arriving we parked under the hotel near the elevator (thinking we were smart because we would have to haul our luggage a shorter distance) only to find out that it was the service entrance where all deliveries were made! (Go figure).

The hotel had like 15 floors!

So, we put all our luggage back in the car and headed up to the main entrance of the hotel. It was $15 a night to park in regular parking (um... no thank you), so we parked a little farther away. Thankfully we were still pretty early so we checked in and dropped off luggage.

This was the view from my room...

We met up with the rest of our team for lunch (the beginning of my carb load) and then headed to the trolley (wow that part was confusing) to the Expo at the San Diego Convention Center. It was HUGE! I wasn't prepared for all the vendors and excitement and the crowd! We were given a TON of free samples of all sorts of things. I wish I would have brought my Garmin watch with me, I could have had them help me out with my wrist band (Kellen broke it a while back). Any way, so after we picked up our race packets and goodies, we headed back to the trolley. I was VERY thankful I wore my running shoes and not flip flops.

Waiting for the trolley...

Posing at the Expo.

We finally made it back to the hotel and had to rush to the TNT meeting. It was basically a celebration of funds raised and pats on the back for the top fundraisers from the Inland Empire and Orange County areas. One of my teammates, Judy, pictured in an earlier post below... was the top fundraiser. She raised over $7,000! He husband Peter passed away last year from blood cancer. We found out some pretty amazing statistics. Let me relay them to you:

• Our Temecula Team raised, over $85,000!!! (There were only 25 people on our team!!)

• The OCIE chapter raised almost $400,000!! That will provide funds for doctors to research and find cures for the next 4 years!!

• The top fundraiser was from New York raising over $53,000!!!

• There were 4,000 TNT participants that ran the marathon and half marathon and we raised a total of 12 million dollars!!!

It felt really great to be a part of such an amazing cause. After our team meeting we had a chance to get washed up for our Inspiration Dinner. We had to ride the trolley again (oh dear) and then we walked to a near by hotel and had dinner. Pasta, salad, chicken and even cookies!! It was REALLY good. I was surprised at how great it tasted since they had to feed 4,000 people.

John Bingham (he writes an article in Runner's World Magazine called, "The Penguin's Chronicles") was the guest speaker. He is an average man that has just happened to run over 45 marathons! He was really funny and encouraging for our race. We also had a survivor guest speaker that participated in the race with us. All in all it was a great evening.

We headed back to the hotel and prepped for race day. Surprisingly I think I went to sleep before 10 pm. It went by so fast before I knew it, it was 3:20 am and time to wake up! Everything I needed had been layed out the night before and I got ready in less than 10 minutes. We checked in with TNT and then hopped on the charter bus that took us to the start line. It was pitch black when we arrived. I had my water jug over my shoulder and somehow it leaked all over my back! Terri was kind enough to let me have a sweatshirt that I could take off and "toss" after mile one. It was a Great Oak High School sweatshirt, ha ha!

All my gear...

OCIE TNT

This girl's name was Mindie. SPELT the same way. She lives in Riverside and is the first person that I have ever met in my ENTIRE life that spells it the same way that I do.

We took some photos (and went to the bathroom 3 times) before the race finally started. I wish I was not so competitive because it would have been great to run with my camera and take pictures along the course. I can't remember much of it. I do remember running past the Natural History Museum, Petco Park and the Convention Center. We ran on the 163 North Freeway, got off the freeway near the Charger's Stadium, we ran near a gas station I have stopped at many times before driving home, we ran along the bay and Fiesta (Satan's) Island, and finally finished in the Sea World parking lot. There were some interesting views along the way. Including several people (male and female) dressed up like Elvis. One man drank a beer around mile 10. There was a man wearing a diaper with a blow up monkey around his neck. LOTS of TNT purple shirts,

At the half way point (13.1 miles) I was at 1:58 and felt great, I thought for sure that I would finish in under 4 hours and make my goal time of 3:55. However, when we reached Fiesta Island, or as I now call it Satan's Island I almost had to walk! Up until that point there was a band every mile, with plenty of water stops and TONS of people cheering you on. However, once we hit the island, the breeze stopped, the sun was out by this time and my face was on fire! I just took my final Gu at mile 20 and was ready to quit. I didn't stop, but I am pretty sure my mile pace was WAY off. I finally made it around the back side of the island and there was a great breeze. The last band was pretty lame (why would you play slow music during a marathon??) I finally made it to the final mile, and I spotted my coach (Brian) wearing his bright green shirt. He was cheering me on, and I MADE him run with me the rest of the way. He was able to pick up my pace so I finished really hard. It would have been fantastic to have him on the back side of Satan's Island running with me, but he did have to coach 24 other people.

I finally made it across the finish line with a time of 4:04.08, (1,939th place out of 10,000 over all ha ha!) roughly 10 minutes off of my goal time. When I finished, I said to myself... no way I do this again. But after almost a week of recovery I am now thinking, heck yes! Is there anyone I can train with in Lake Elsinore?? I am too competitive to leave this distance without making my goal time. I LOVE the half marathon and will continue to compete at that distance for as long as my body will let me, but I have to find friends to run with to train for the full. It is very time consuming and hard to drive all the way to Temecula to run, but I am so glad I did it at least once!

THANK YOU so much to everyone that donated and inquired about my journey! I am so glad that I was a part of this marathon. My dad (yes my 54 year old stud-of-a-father), husband (his second half marathon) and brother in law (first half marathon) completed the half and I am pretty sure I have made Jon (my brother in law) into a half marathon-er. Looking forward to the next race!!

If you are interested in running with Team in Training just let me know. I can answer most of your questions and lead you in the right direction!

Thanks again!!!!!
These are some pictures of me from the race... I DO plan on purchasing some of them, I just can't decide which one yet...

Happy running everyone!!!