Scratch & Mouser

Yesterday morning the cats were doing things that were so amusing to Buttin - he had to take their picture.

Here's Mouser licking himself, while sitting up. I always love it when I find one of our animals licking themselves while on my pillow.

This one of Scratch is actually pretty cute. He's just so freaking chubby - it's adorable. I can't tell where his fur ends and his body begins.

My Mom's Predictions

My mom likes to send me these cute videos of what she thinks Lumpy might be like as a child.

Here is Lumpy boy

Here is Lumpy girl

She Said What?

OK - from time to time, I will steal another bloggers' post or idea.

In this case, I'm pretty much going to copy Heather's Post (by just posting it) because she says how I feel, but more eloquently.

Bottom line, her post is a reaction to the article "Plodders Have A Place, But Is It In A Marathon?"

The article includes arguments from some (mean people) saying that those of us (yes, I am a "plodder" - especially at 19 weeks pregnant) who take 6 or more hours to finish a marathon, really have no business running a marathon. Phooey on you running snobs! The article also includes arguments from others (like me) saying that many races are funded by all the slow pokes out there and that many of us run for the activity and enjoyment, even if we aren't world class athletes.

Like I said, Heather is much more eloquent and doesn't use phrases like "phooey" and "slow pokes".

When my mom and I run our very first marathon on November 15th our goal is to do it in 6 hours or less (which would be a huge accomplishment considering I'll probably be spending one of those hours in the bathroom), but we'll be proud of each other no matter what the time. We've put in so many months of training, spent so much money on gadgets and sweat rags and clothes and endured all the strange looks from our husbands and friends. Come November 15th, my mom and I will cross that finish line together (no matter what the time) and no one is going to tell me that I haven't accomplished something great!

Lumpy Clothes

My sweet mother in law was in town this past weekend.

I don't think she can help it - she must start buying Lumpy clothes. I'm sure that now it's begun - the flood gates are opened and she will continue to buy (by the truck load) Lumpy girl and Lumpy boy clothes.

Here is Lumpy's first sweater (although, we've determined that if Lumpy is a girl, she can wear the boy sweater - it's cute). The funny thing is, these are for 6 - 12 month olds, so Lumpy should be able to wear them this time next year.

Isn't this fur collar cute (and it's detachable in the event that she's not feeling so ferocious)?

See - this sweater really could be for a boy or girl Lumpy. Very cute either way.

Keep on supporting the economy MIL - I'm sure the chidren's clothing economic sector will be in VERY good shape come next Spring.

Today, I Will Try To Remember These Things

**Warning - possible sappy post to follow**

Sometimes (or frequently), I catch myself being negative or getting too stressed by the things that I cannot control. Today, I'm going to focus on some of the gems from my "Don't Stress The Small Stuff Calendar".

Today's (November 3rd) is perfect for me:

"Become aware of the tendency and to notice when you're focusing too much on the negative."

Here are some of my favorites from the past few months:

October 13th -

"Except for rare exceptions, we are all doing the very best we know how."

September 20th -

"As we become less judgmental and we accept that everything is how it was meant to be, we become less critical of ourselves and others, and therefore more happy."

August 1st -

"As your mind is focused in a more positive direction, and as you're looking for the gifts of your day instead of the hassles, you'll begin to notice aspects of your work life that may have been invisible to you."

April 28th (this one is probably my favorite) -

"If you could eliminate all defensiveness from your personality, you would not only have the best relationship in town but, in fact, you'd become the most loving and adorable person on the planet."

Today, I'm going to try to remember that it is more important to love than to be loved - that it is better to be compassionate than it is to be correct - and that I have all I'll ever need in my husband, my friends, my family and Lumpy.

This Is One Serving, Right?

My mom has a friend (and prior patient) who enjoys (I think) reading my blog (hi Bill!). He and I have also become friends on Facebook and I think he likes reading about all my little food obsessions (mostly cookie dough). It's also no big mystery that I love breakfast foods.

One day, while Bill was watching the travel channel he saw that there was going to be an episode of Man vs. Food in San Antonio (where Bill lives). On this episode, the host was going to Lulu's Cafe to eat a 3.5 lb cinnamon roll. He told me to watch this episode, but it only made me drool.

I started to dream about this cinnamon roll . . . I had to have it. Bill and I discussed all the wonder of this breakfast treat on numerous occassions, but even still - I didn't have one in my possession to hold it, sqeeze it and name it as my very own. Well, Bill (very sweetly) bought me one of these cinnamon roll and my mother brought it up to me this weekend (along with some cookie dough he bought me and a stroller for Lumpy - THANKS BILL!)

Here it is - in all it's glory - I shall name him, Chewy.

Just to give you some perspective, here is Chewy next to a gallon of milk:

Here is Chewy next to a fat kitty (Scratch) - doesn't look SO big now, does it?

Here is Chewy next to a chihuahua (Cartman):

Here is Chewy next to big puppy's head (Molly):

Notice how much my animals just love posing with Chewy. That's OK - Chewy is all mine and I'm not sharing. I think I could probably enjoy (eat) Chewy in one sitting - it's about one serving, right?

Marathon Training - Weekly Update

This Week: 10/25 - 10/31

Total Miles Completed: 20.34

Average Pace: 12: 22

Let the taper begin! Well, I really wanted to run about 25 miles this week, but it was raining way too hard on Monday morning.

Nothing too eventful this week - I just tried to enjoy some shorter, faster runs. I really do hope that I can complete the marathon (on November 15) without having to use the bathroom 26 times. I ran 13 miles yesterday (for my long run) and I had to stop, twice - to use the bathroom.

I can't believe that two weeks from today, Buttin and my dad will be driving my mom and me to our very first marathon. I'm getting very excited.

In other news, I'm also awake SUPER early this morning (although I'm sure I'll be napping soon) - I love Day Light Savings in the fall with the extra hour of sleep. I woke up at 4:50 with a bunch of energy (I also went to bed before 9 and slept through the entire night without interuption - thanks animals).