Hobby, rediscovered

Once upon a time I used to run. I picked it up in college as a way to spend time with friends/stay in some sort of shape, and continued it into my early years in Charleston. I ran the Cooper River Bridge run three times. And then we spontaneously got an adorable puppy in April 2010 who needed lots of exercise and BOOM my running career ended and I became a walker. Throw a couple of pregnancies (which produce kids, by the way) into the mix and my motivation to run sank lower and lower.
This all changed about three weeks ago when I went to watch the end of Thomas' Tough Mudder race. My friend Caroline, who is an incredible natural athlete, had casually decided to run the race that week and only finished a few minutes behind the guys. To be completely honest, my first reaction to this was pure jealousy of her awesomeness and frustration with my own lack of fitness. So I took a deep breath and told Thomas that I wanted to start running again, and we strategized about ways to make this happen. [Sidebar: one of the keys to staying sane while staying at home with small children is my supportive husband, who is quick to help me get out of the house or change up what can sometimes feel like a stifling routine, whether it's Bible study, writing blog posts, running, or working part time. Love that man.]
I invested in some good running shoes (Brooks, if you're curious), and have started pounding the pavement 3-4 times per week for the last couple of weeks. I'm certainly not going to be breaking any land speed records any time soon but it feels great to be out doing something challenging. Yesterday a man drove by as I was finishing a double stroller run and yelled "You go, Mama!" and it totally made my day. (Quick! Spot the words of affirmation girl!) I prefer running with Elliott, who hangs out quietly playing with toys until he goes to sleep--man do I love that kid-- but have survived a couple of runs with Lillian, too. And I even went by myself once, which I appreciate about 1000x more than I did back in 2010. There's nothing like responding to a two-year-old's unending stream of questions and demands while you're winded and pushing a double stroller. #goodtimes
I'm hoping to do a few races this year with local friends and college friends to help keep my motivation going.

Instagram repeat, sorry. Running in the springtime is glorious!

It's fun to be running with Thomas again! Plus our three additions.

It's a race!

I am so proud of Thomas for running in the "Rugged Maniac" race at Boone Hall this morning. The "rugged" bit refers to the obstacles the 5K course included, items such as barbed wire, trenches (but not like WWI), walls, tire throws, etc. If you look at the picture I have included, I think the "maniac" bit becomes self-explanatory.

He ran it with a few buddies from our community group-- by the way have I mentioned how much we LOVE our community group? They are definitely family to us. For instance, six of the (almost) 11 kids in our group were there to cheer on their parents and as I"m helping to corral various small ones, this guy sitting nearby says to me, "just how many children do you have?!" Yep, so we love these peeps and their kids. Also pictured with Thomas here is his longtime friend Tony, who looks a tad bit happier and jauntier than my man. They all had a blast though, and Thomas is psyched to run through freezing cold water and mud again next year! And I think that all of this has inspired me to start running again and I'm putting this in writing so that I can't chicken out.

Proof positive...

...that Lillian is a climber!

glorious mullet

my mantra at these times is, "don't think about the germs, don't think about the germs"

getting as close to the germy surfaces as possible

"are you watching, Dad?"

Pictures courtesy of Thomas on Tuesday's daddy-daughter date night at Chickfila. I tutor and go to Bible study, and Thomas takes Lillian on an outing. What a sweet daddy he is--I love watching him delight in her. And she's pretty cute, too.

Little moments

Okay, so it looks like writing monthly updates and taking monthly pictures is not going to be my bag. While this is somewhat unheard of in "mommy blog world," I am letting go of the guilt and embracing my parenting style, which I think is a little more laid back and more into the little moments in between those doctors' appointments and monthly milestones.

Lillian is growing very well and changing before our very eyes. It is truly amazing to watch. I'm pretty sure Sullivan laughs his head off watching us sit on the floor with Lillian, coaxing her to grab toys, roll over, sit in the Bumbo seat "like a big girl" and to perform her latest trick--buzzing her lips at us. Hilarious. I look at Lillian and I can't imagine her talking to us or running all over the house, but I know she'll be there before we know it. I read somewhere that "the days are long, but the years are short," and so far I concur with that wholeheartedly.

On to the main point of this post.

Three months has been a really fun age so far. She is much more engaged and a lot more responsive to us, which makes all the difference in the world. I think that this is especially true for Thomas. In the past week or so, I have noticed an amazing change in their relationship--one that he noted as well. Now, Thomas has been a great dad from the very beginning. He has done countless diaper changes and outfit switches; he has rocked her to sleep and soothed her as many times as I have. He has shown her off to his family and bragged on her "accomplishments" to his friends. In short, he has cared for her, loved her and taken pride in her. But this week he has truly started to delight in her, which is something different altogether. It has changed the way I read verses like Zephaniah 3:17 (which is incidentally our "theme" verse for Lillian).

"The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Delighting in someone is part of loving them, but it's so much more than that. I see it in the way Thomas rushes through the door after work, looking for Lillian, ready to see her burst into a happy grin at the sight of his face. Ready to watch her bat at toys in the activity mat and arch her back like she's going to roll over. Ready to watch her look at the pages of the books we read to her. Ready to buzz his lips at her 5 times for every 1 time she does it back to him. Ready to press a kiss into the downy yet spiky hair that covers her head. He looks at her and loves her in a way that is entirely new. It is completely overwhelming to me to know that the Lord delights in us in the same way (obviously more though). And it's not because we've done something amazing or that we're so skilled but just because we are His. We don't delight in Lillian because of her accomplishments--a pretty small list at 3 months, 1 week and 3 days--but because she is ours and we made her.
Watching her grow and change and develop is an enchanting, joyful process, and I can't wait to see where we go from here.

Pop quiz!

Sad to say it, but I am a fairly worthless blog post. Forgive me, faithful blog reader (s). I think my mom and my husband read this, so there are at least two of you. :P
Now that school is out, I hope to be a more diligent poster. Plus, soon there will be a cute baby girl to post pictures of! eek preposition at the end of a sentence.

Let's see, what have the Grooms' been up to lately? Here is a multiple choice quiz.

1. In the month of May, which of the following exciting things happened to the Grooms'?
a. Thomas got a long overdue haircut and observed his 28 1/6 birthday. He also continued to be the best husband and dog daddy ever.
b. Sullivan was nominated by Ashley and Thomas as "most likely to be a cat in a dog suit."
c. Ashley finished the school year with a bang (and a surprise baby shower!) and began a new season of life, currently known as "I feel lazy right now but know that not working will make sense when the baby arrives."
d. Started working on the nursery and loaded up the baby girl's closet with gifts from two lovely baby showers.
e. Enjoyed hosting several of Ashley's college friends (yay for Audrey, Jess, Alli, Katie and Gavin!) on three different weekends.


Have your answer ready?









Congratulations, if you picked "all of the above" (which was tricksily not an answer choice), then you are correct!
Here is question #2, the final question. It's going to be harder.


Which of the following things happened to Thomas and Ashley in June?
a. We joined a hair band and began touring the country. Rock on, man.
b. We traveled to Colorado and enjoyed 10 days of blissful, child free traveling while trying to calmly envision how our lives will change. "HA!" says everyone who already has children.
c. We gave Sullivan away and bought 10 cats instead.
d. Thomas celebrated six years at Blackbaud.


Okay, how did you fare?








Yep, b and d it is! We would no sooner give away Sullivan than we would our baby girl, so option c is clearly out. Not to mention the cats.
And since it is only halfway through June, more excitement is to come. And more blog posts, methinks.
Stay tuned for a pregnancy update, pictures from Colorado and in process pictures of the nursery!

By the way, the picture is of Sullivan stalking our day lilies in the backyard.

I'm back!

Because my husband is the awesome-est, I now have a revived will to blog! He made the header himself (drew those b.a. penguins from scratch!) and used a picture from the last time we went skiing in Vail.
Seriously, if our kids (and this is NOT an announcement of that) are half as cool as he is, I will be thrilled.