Some Sessions on Sunday

This past weekend was really busy...between Tough Mudder on Saturday, and a full day of church and three sessions on Sunday. It was fun to have two of my sisters along to help also. We had planned for a lot of these sessions to happen last weekend, but then we had a monsoon and had to reschedule. It worked out to be a gorgeous day, though!

One of our sessions was with one of my coaches from last year when I was training for the Richmond Marathon...it was fun to hang out with her again and get to know her family a little bit. Such a good looking bunch. And I'm still a little in awe of how this lady can run marathons like a beast and wear those killer heals. (She's run at least 11 marathons I believe...wow!) How she got everyone to the session and wearing such perfectly coordinated outfits too I'll never understand. I'm lucky if all of my kids have on clothing when we leave the house.

One of our other sessions was with some of our good friends from our church. It was so fun to finally be able to take their pictures...we've been hoping to make that happen for a little while now. They are such an awesome family. We are really glad we've been able to get to know them, and love getting our energetic kiddos together whenever we get the chance. (Which isn't often enough...we need to hang out again soon guys!)

I mean, don't you want to eat this guy up? :) Too much. I hope there are many more opportunities to take this little guy's picture in the future...and hang out with his parents, too, of course. They're pretty good looking too.

Tough Mudder of 3

Finally! Billy and I can say we have done Tough Mudder. (After frustratingly having it cancelled back in June.) Admittedly, I didn't come up with that title myself, either. I saw it on the back of a lady's shirt, and we stopped to chat about our kids on the course. Really, moms love to talk about their babies. Even while doing a 12 mile obstacle course.

So, what is Tough Mudder, you say? Pretty much the toughest of the obstacle-style mud runs, where you run 10-12 miles and do up to 25 obstacles. (It's no girly race where your tutu stays clean...and yes you will break a nail, or your leg. Thankfully I bite my nails and God spared me any broken limbs.) But it was crazy tough. Not as tough as I expected...ok feared...but I am still achey all over and covered in bruises and scratches. My shins look like I played soccer without my shinguards, and my elbows/forearms are purple from army crawling through the mud.

I have enormous respect for my bro-in-law, who is in the military and had done this type of thing all while being chased by scary men and not given any food. The scariest man I saw was wearing shorts he shouldn't have been and wasn't chasing me, and I ate most of the banana supply along the course. So I have no excuse.

A few of the obstacles just required a lot of strength that I am made aware I do not have by the way I can't lift my arms over my head today, and some required a lot of crazy. Like Walk the Plank, where you jump about 25ft down into muddy 12ft deep water. Or Electroshock Therapy, where you are literally electrocuted when you run through the obstacle. (It didn't get Billy. It got me. I was suddenly knocked flat on my butt with one of the shocks. It hurt more than I was prepared for I think.) And then there is the Arctic Enema (sorry, mom...that's really its name) where you jump into a huge tub of ice water (so much ice they put it there with a front-end loader). I thought that being a runner who has taken ice baths would prepare me for this, but no. I was so cold I couldn't stop yelling. It wasn't cute I'm sure.

(Here are a few shots of the obstacles that I snatched from Tough Mudder's Facebook page...I didn't take a camera with me obviously.)

So if the "You Did What???" post didn't convince you that I'm a glutton for punishment (to quote my chiropractor) then maybe this will. I think I'm due for a little resting right about now too. But fortunately there are hooligans to chase. (Yes I said fortunately. Unfortunately I've used way too many parenthesis in the post.) No matter what crazy race I do, they're always my favorite way to be a glutton for punishment.

Merrick the Entertainer

Merrick has been really busy this week. Obviously, taking selfies on his LeapPad while he is supposed to be resting. This is a bit overprocessed for my tastes, but the subject is certainly handsome. ;)

He also has been busy entertaining now only himself, but other people. Such as the diners at Chipotle the other night. He was pouting, and decided he was going to sit at his own table. I said "help yourself, and maybe next time buy your own dinner while you're at it". Well, I might have just thought the part about buying his own dinner, but I did tell him with that attitude of his there probably wasn't room at the table for it to sit down. So mid-way through the meal I look over and he's climbed up the umbrella outside on the pavilion. He was in a much better mood, so maybe next time he's acting like a butt, I'll send him outside to climb....anything.

After we got back from dinner, a few of my sisters were over at my house. When one of them went into the other room Merrick hid around the corner (yes, in his underwear and his hat...he was fresh out of the bath) and told me he was hiding so he could "fight her" when she got back. Fight her he did...I think she lost.

We helped out some friends the other day by watching their youngest daughter/sister, and when Merrick first came out of his room that morning he was mortified that there was someone he didn't know in his house. (He's can be a little shy like his mama.) But as is typical of my hooligans, they warm up fast. He was soon very attached to our extra "hooligan", and felt the need to impress her with his typical stunts. I discouraged the repeating of this particular stunt, but was pretty impressed, as usual, at his balance. 

Merrick, the oldest of my wild animals, never ceases to keep me (and lots of other folks) entertained and laughing. He does also occasionally surprise me with his sweetness, too. The other night we were watching TV, and he started rubbing my feet out of nowhere. (Yeah, someday he's gonna make some girl, who I will try not to give too much grief, one heck of a hubby.) I never know where I'm going to find him next, or what he might say, or what stunt I will catch him trying. Speaking of...I should probably go get him off the kitchen counter.

How Many Barrons...

...can you fit on one couch? When there are little knees and elbows going every direction, as you can see from these pictures our kids don't know you're supposed to sit on your butt, it feels like there are a lot more people on the couch than there are.

This was last night, all snuggled up watching The Voice. We are newly obsessed with this show, and admittedly late to the party, but the hooligans watched it one night and now they ask me every day if The Voice is on tonight. Merrick's favorite part is when people hit their buttons...he doesn't understand why they occasionally choose not to. It sends him into a swirling pit of despair when this doesn't happen. Thankfully we've moved on to a round where button pushing is less of an issue. ;)

Jericho's belly...I just can't help myself. This has nothing to do with The Voice...but you're welcome anyway. Also he's wearing mittens...he brings them to me (along with his sister's minnie mouse slippers) and whines until I put them on him. I just...whatever.

I'm always grateful on nights I can say "yes The Voice is on", because it seems to be one of the only reasons they will sit on the couch for a minute. Even if it is in weird positions.

"I Only Believe in Science"

(I really don't, but name that movie and you get 10 points...you'll get the reference later.) I figured that discussing animals and the sounds they make constitutes as a science lesson right? RIGHT? I mean, made sense to me. And what good is homeschooling if you can't have fun?


I recently was made aware of this video. I cannot stop laughing. Admittedly it may be the fact that we are all stir crazy from this ridiculous rain, or it was a terrible horrible no good day yesterday and even the tiniest thing was a good distraction, or just the kids dancing to it and out of the blue being caught saying "what the fox say?"...but either way I can't stop. I get it's not everyone's type of funny...but coming from the girl who quotes movies like Nacho Libre ("Get that corn outta my face!") and The Other Guys ("Desk pop!") in casual conversation, it's just right. Happy weekend, people.