Happy Halloween!

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Happy Halloween!

Kenley started her day with a Character Parade at school with the kindergarten and 1st grade classes. She chose to be Pinkalicious from the book Pinkalicious and Aqua, the Mini-Mermaid. We also have the book Aqualicious which has the same characters in it. She was excited to be able to take her pink mermaid to school with her and dress in pink from head to toe. Crosby had his Storybook parade yesterday and was Spiderman.

Tonight, we headed out for trick or treat fun with the Jenkinsons. They kids were all superheros! Kenley was Batgirl and Crosby was Justice League Batman.

Greg and I keep talking about how much fun we had tonight. The kids had such a great time too and crashed as soon as we got home.

***

Halloween through the years.

2011 // 2012 // 2013 // 2014 // 2015 // 2016

29Oct2017

my weekend in photos

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

we started the weekend celebrating crosby’s 4th birthday on friday!

early morning miles with the girls on saturday, followed by boot camp.

we had so much fun celebrating this sweet boy on saturday.

hanging with the birthday boy!

friends.

matching monster cookie for the cookie monster.

date night on saturday at epcot for the food & wine festival.

sporting our finisher shirts!

we found more friends.

giant pretzel in germany!

we were the very last people on spaceship earth for the night.

despite the rain, we had so much fun.

after epcot closed, we jumped on the monorail to head to magic kingdom.

so magical!

we finally got onto the seven dwarfs mine train and it was so great! apparently 11:30pm is the time to go to beat the crowds.

he stayed in his pajamas until about 3pm today, playing with legos.

we celebrated the kids’ birthdays with some special friends tonight.

***

we had a busy weekend.greg and i stayed out way too late on saturday night, but it was a great last weekend of october. we actually had fall weather too!

how was your weekend?

27Oct2017

Four Years Older

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Crosby is four years old today! I know it seems like I say this every year, but I’m not sure how this is possible. He is quickly changing from a toddler to a little boy. He’s fun-loving, ornery, wild, and loves to give hugs.

The biggest change from in the last few months is that Crosby has started at a new school! This was an abrupt decision after the school year started, but we couldn’t be happier with the surprising turn of events. We love his new school, new teachers, and new friends. We had our first parent-teacher conference last week and he’s doing so well. The Gilbertson children thrive when they are in a routine and on a schedule. Crosby had been without a solid routine for majority of the summer and into the start of the school year and his behavior wasn’t great. After a few weeks getting into a good routine at his new school, he’s been doing so well.

I will let Crosby tell you a little bit about himself with our birthday interview.

What is your name? Crosby
How old are you? Four
What is your favorite thing to do? Play outside with Kenley
What do you want to be when you grow up? An officer and fight bad guys
What is your favorite food? Pancakes
Who do you like to spend your time with? Kenley
What do you do really well? Jumper
What makes you laugh? Kenley in the bathroom saying poop
What is the best time of day? Me and Kenley playing inside our house
What are you afraid of? A bear eating my head
Who is your best friend? Kenley
What do you like to do with your family? Play toys
What do you love to learn about? School
Where do you like to go? With Kenley to church
What is your favorite book? Dracula’s Last Birthday
If you had one wish, what would it be? I wish I would be a witch
What is your favorite color? Red and orange
What is your favorite TV show? Paw Patrol
What is your favorite animal? Uh, I don’t like animals
What is your favorite movie? Cars
What is your favorite drink? Strawberry daiquiri (still reliving vacation over here)
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Chic-fil-a
What is your favorite place to go? I like to go to my school
What is your favorite song? Uh, I don’t know
What is the best part about school? Playing in Lions (his classroom)
What is your favorite cereal? The pink cereal (very berry Cheerios)
What is your favorite snack? Cheese and crackers
What do you like to take to bed? Clean movies
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play on the play set
What is your favorite fruit? Grapes
What is your favorite ice cream? Vanilla, I mean chocolate
What is your favorite outfit? The one that I am wearing (pajamas)
Where do you live? Florida
What is your favorite sport? I don’t know

Crosby is hilarious. Not a day goes by that Greg and I aren’t cracking up about something he does or says. He loves to give hugs and knows no stranger…though we frequently talk about stranger danger. He also loves Legos. He has a very creative mind and will build and re-build creations all day long. He’s also very symmetrical when he’s building with Legos. He will tell you all about the car, spaceship, rocket, boat, or plane that he’s built. He has a long list of things that he is going to do when he’s four years old, like play soccer again and ride his two wheel bike with pedals. I’ll keep you posted on how both of those things go.

Happy birthday Crosby Martin!

23Oct2017

Brick or Treat 2017

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

After our trip to Legoland for Brick or Treat last year, I was sure to put it on our calendar for this year. It’s such a fun event and this year did not disappoint. Even better, the Herolds joined us for the fun.

We started with The Groovin’ Graveyard which was a show similar to STOMP. It was super cute, but I think Greg and I enjoyed it more than the kids. We also met Frankenstein!

After riding a couple rides, we headed over to Brick or Treat! The line looked crazy long, but it moved way faster than we expected. The girls loved walking from station to station while the boys opted to ride in style. We loved looking at all the decorations. Greg really wants a pumpkin Lego head for our front yard.

After Brick or Treating, we went back to ride some rides. Crosby got to ride the horse ride for the first time! You must be four years old to ride the horses, but since he was less than a week away, I led them to believe he was already four. Kenley was sure to correct me on the fact that he wasn’t four quite yet. Either way, Crosby was a happy camper.

We had a quick dinner and stayed for the 3D fireworks show. Afterwards, we loaded up the car in our pjs and headed home! The kids fell asleep pretty quickly in the car after a long day.

We had such a great time!

22Oct2017

my weekend in photos

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

i’m not sure why they are sitting in that spot, but she’s “reading” to him and it was the cutest moment of the night.

we headed out to the fall festival that was held at crosby’s school on friday night.

ooey gooey fun!

brains and eyeballs!

crosby was excited to show us his class science project!

i was back at it on saturday morning with an early alarm to meet the girls for a run. i wasn’t sure how it would go, but i got in five miles and some quality time with the girls.

after our run, we chatted over coffee at starbucks. it was a great start to saturday.

we took on the monster taco for lunch at tijuana flats for the day of outrageousness. greg and i definitely shared it.

we headed down to legoland for brick or treat on saturday. it was so fun! more photos to come tomorrow.

***

sunday consisted of church, food prep, and family photos! we had a great weekend home after two weekends away. this month is flying by!

how was your weekend?

19Oct2017

6 Years Old!

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Kenley Dee is six years old today! I will let her tell you a little bit about herself with her annual birthday interview.

What is your name? Kenley
How old are you? 5, I mean 6!
What is your favorite thing to do? Going on roller coasters
What do you want to be when you grow up? A hotel keeper (Can you tell we’ve been traveling?)
What is your favorite food? Donuts
Who do you like to spend your time with? Caelyn and Caleb
What do you do really well? Jumping on the couch
What makes you laugh? When daddy tickles me
What is the best time of the day? I don’t know. Afternoon because you don’t nap in the afternoon
What are you afraid of? Monsters under my bed
Who is your best friend? Kyler
What do you like to do with your family? Go on roller coasters
What do you like to learn about? That you have to listen
Where do you like to go? Amusement park
What is your favorite book? The spooky spooky book
If you had one wish what would it be? To hug Mommy and Daddy 100 times in the night
What is your favorite color? Purple and pink
What is your favorite TV show? Sophia the First
What is your favorite animal? Zebra
What is your favorite movie? Trolls
What is your favorite drink? Strawberry daiquiri (She still thinks we’re on vacation).
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Wendy’s
What is your favorite place to go? Kyler’s house
What is your favorite song? Fight Song (Rachel Platten)
What is the best part about school? Playing computers
What is your favorite cereal? The square things (Frosted Mini Wheats)
What is your favorite snack? Muffins
What do you like to take to bed? Minnie!
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play hide and go seek
What is your favorite fruit? Grapes with no seeds in it
What is your favorite ice cream? Mint chip
What is your favorite outfit? Dress, a long long dress
Where do you live? (says street name), I mean Florida, United States
What is your favorite sport? Soccer

Kenley started gymnastics at the beginning of the summer and has really enjoyed it. She’s taking a little break now with the craziness of October, but we’re planning to start it back up again soon. She also just finished her soccer season. This was the first season with goalies, so it was a little more challenging. She had a great time despite missing a couple games due to the hurricane and our trips.

The transition to kindergarten has gone really well. We meet with her teacher next week for our first parent/teacher conference. It’s hard to believe she’ll get her first report card this week! She really likes school, her teacher, and recess. She’s been making new friends but also mentions that she misses her friends from her old school (who all go to different elementary schools now). I sometimes forget that we are “elementary school” parents. It doesn’t quite seem possible! I am excited to get involved with the school this year.

Happy birthday sweet girl!

16Oct2017

Chicago // October 2017

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

It’s been a whirlwind the last eleven days and I have a lot to catch up on! Two weekends ago, we headed up to Chicago for a long weekend away and for me to run the Chicago Marathon! We had an amazing, action-packed weekend filled with family, friends, and running.

From the moment we stepped on the plane, there was such amazing energy the whole weekend. Our flight attendants had all the runners stand up and there was about 20 runners on our plane alone. Jaime and I were on the same flight so we each enjoyed a complimentary Bloody Mary on the way. The kids were in heaven too.

The weather was gloomy on Friday but it didn’t slow us down. My parents arrived at our hotel about the same time that we did, so we headed out for lunch and shopping.

We headed to the American Girl store and the Lego store for the kids to pick out some early birthday presents. Julie came home with us and Kenley just loves her. Afterwards, Greg and I headed to Portillo’s for dinner then Bar Louie for drinks and baseball.

Saturday morning, we were up early to head to the race expo. The expo was insane and I think I could have spent the entire day there. We picked up our race bibs, did some shopping, took a lot of pictures, got beers, and met Bart Yasso. All in all, it was a successful morning!

After the expo, we headed to the Taco Joint for tacos and beer before heading back to the hotel to shower. About 20 minutes before Greg and I were out the door, Mary Beth and Mandy showed up to surprise me! Mary Beth and I had planned on meeting during the weekend, but I had no idea that Mandy was coming in from Kansas City! It was such a fun surprise!

The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) pre-race dinner was on Saturday afternoon at Grant Park. It was good to see all of the other RMHC runners both from Orlando and all of the United States.

It was a gorgeous, but rainy evening in the city. After the RMHC dinner, Greg and I met up with MB and Mandy again before it was time for me to call it a night.

Meanwhile, the kids had an amazing Saturday at Michael and Rachel’s house. They had a birthday party, made a cake, built forts, and made race signs (which I saw the next day!).

Sunday was race day which will have an entire post dedicated to it!

We headed to Niketown on Monday morning to get our finishers gear and get our medal engraved. The medal engraving didn’t happen due to the two hour wait, but we did some shopping so the trip was worth it. Afterwards, we took the kids to Maggie Daley Park which was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it and we will definitely be back the next time we’re in Chicago!

We had such a great trip to Chicago! It was great to be back in the Midwest. The entire city was so welcoming of all the runners and really made the weekend so memorable. A huge thank you to my parents, Michael, and Rachel for watching the kids while Greg and I did all of the pre-race festivities.

2Oct2017

Marathon Training {Week 15}

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

On Sunday, I will be running the Chicago Marathon {cue minor panic attack just typing those words}. I was really looking forward to taper time following our 22 miler at the end of week 13 but these taper weeks have proved to be really hard. My calf started bothering me last week and continued this week. I also was put in an antibiotic on Thursday due to a lingering sinus infection, so it was a light week for me training wise.

Monday

Rest day.

Tuesday

This was our last speed work day! The work out was as follows:

1 mile warm up
200m (8:15-8:45) — This pace was set from the last time we did Fartleks.
30 seconds recovery
Repeat 12 times
1 mile cool down

My 200m splits were: 8:00, 8:26, 8:06, 8:22, 8:15, 8:07, 7:51, 7:35, 7:40, 7:52, 7:14, 7:03. I’ve improved so much since the last time we did this workout in week six. However, I walked three quarters of the last mile back since my calf was bothering me. I busted it out for this workout and I am so proud. However, I probably could have done without it.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

I rested and rolled my calf all three days.

Saturday

Our long run was supposed to be 10 miles, but I stopped after 3. My chiropractor and everyone kept reminding me that I really don’t need this run. The hay is in the barn at this point and there was no reason to run if my calf was hurting. I didn’t want to stop and I had some tears, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I stretched, rolled, iced, and walked on my calf the rest of the day Saturday.

Sunday

Rest day.

I am trusting in the plan and trusting in the taper at this point. Week 16 will consist of me resting my calf and fueling all week for the race on Sunday. I’ve put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears over the last 15 weeks for this marathon and I intend to go out and crush it.

1Oct2017