MS Mud Run 2010

That's ME!

This past weekend, I completed one of the craziest, messiest, and most challenging 10k (6.2 miles) of my entire life thus far.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society held the Twin Cities first annual MUD RUN in Dresser, WI. This is an event that has been taking place all over the US recently, but seems to be becoming a bigger deal as each event takes place. Well over 1000 runners participated in the course, which was held at the Trollhaugen Ski Resort.
Ski resort? Yes. Hills. Lots and lots of hills.

The race started out with a run through 2 huge mud pits, about thigh-high. We went from being "chilly" in the upper 50's weather, to be soaked with cold, wet, muddy water.
We then ran up a very large hill, down an even bigger one, up and over 3 sandhills, and up yet another large hill. Then, into the woods we went!

The course contained about 79 obstacles, most of which were muddy water pits ranging from ankle deep to chest deep water. There were logs to crawl over, swim under (in the mud), sand hills to climb, and the list goes on and on.

The larger obstacles were the ones that I take most pride in. I completed every.single.one. And the only one I needed assistance on was the 6 ft log wall. I needed a "butt boost", but once shoved, I was able to get myself up and over. There was a large climbing ladder (about 20 ft high?) that I successfully climbed up and over, a similar sized cargo net (not stretched tight on the bottom...it was loose!) that was probably my biggest accomplishment and one I am most proud of. I took off with a team of 16, but finished with my friend Lisa, and my friend Diana was not far behind. I feel bad leaving her, it is still weighing on me, but she promises me I am not too horrible of a friend.

I finished the course in 2 hours 27 minutes, and am damn proud of myself. I also raised $620 for MS Research, and my team came in 4th place in fundraising efforts out of over 300 teams! THAT is an accomplishment in itself.

Will I do this again next year???

HELL YA!

Will you join me???

Team "Filthy Fliers" before the race~ Clean and cold!

The cargo net. My biggest accomplishment!

Lisa and I just after the mudslide and nearing the finish line!

Sooooo DONE!

Monte Carlo

Tim and I went to Monte Carlo, Monaco in late July/Early August.
Tim earned the trip for work, and it was a wonderful time. As I am so far behind on posting on this damn blog (and I'm sure you have all noticed!! Jacque? Rachel? Mom? Katie?) I'm not going to say much...just add pictures.
Ya'll don't want to read what I have to say anyhow...pictures are much more exciting!

Gage-Growing up!

Gage's 1st day of 4-year-old pre-school came and went like any other day. Gage is in the same school that he went to last year for 3-yr-old preschool, and he also went for 6 weeks this summer in a summer school program they offered. Many of the same kids are in his class again this year, so it just didn't seem to phase him that he was going for 4 days a week this year, rather than 2.

Being a July birthday, we still aren't sure what we are going to do next year. We may have him repeat the 4-yr-old preschool class again, so that he is older than the majority of his classmates, rather than the very youngest. We'll see. Either way, he is doing well in school and enjoys being with his friends.

Landon

My Landon. He's my ham. And my busy boy.
Gets into EVERYTHING.
He's fast.
He's a stinker, and he knows it.
Sometimes, he'll just sit by the door of our bedroom or an open bathroom and wait for you to come looking for him, and when we find him...
he crawls as fast as he can, giggling all the way.
He has a temper.
He is difficult to change, so I have to use my leg to hold him down sometimes!
Love his laugh. And his smile.

Bronson

My Bronson. Tends to be a bit quieter than his brother, but he does have a temper. Especially when he is trying to do something (pull himself up) and he can't quite get it.
Loves to Cuddle.
Loves his nuk.
Loves to make silly faces, especially when the person behind the camera says, "Cheeeeeese".
He loves to just sit and look at books; doesn't crawl yet, but does a very quick "butt-scoot" that is drawing attention everywhere we go...

Alive and Well and Busier than Ever

All is well in the Fox household. I have been very bad at updating this blog in the past year or so, but I just have to say it's one of the last things on my mind. Well, that is not true. I DO think of it...and many times a day, or when I am taking pictures, I will think, "This would make a fun post". But then I just never get around to it.

My days are very much the same. They start at anywhere between 5:30-6 AM, and consist of two very happy/very crabby boys that need a little TLC, milk, diaper change and light breakfast before going back down to sleep for an hour or so. In that time, Gage gets up and the twins are soon to follow.

We go "somewhere" in the morning hours at least 4 days of the week. Either to the gym where I can get my workout and daily shower in, or to a playdate, or to the grocery store...
then we are home for lunch and nap, which still only consists of the twins taking a 1.5-1.75 (2 hours if I'm really blessed) nap and then waking up and being ready to go for the afternoon. Gage has not napped for me all summer long, and even though I try to enforce "quiet time", it's rare that I even get a quiet 15 minutes to myself during the day.

The afternoons are the most difficult as it just seems as if everyone is so hard to entertain and keep happy until dinnertime. When it's nice, we go outside, but it's been so hot this summer and it's hard to keep everyone comfortable outdoors when the temps are 90+ and muggy. Tim gets home around 5-6 pm, we do dinner, baths, bedtime for the twins, playtime for Gage, and then he is down by 8:30.

This is when I crash. And I am not kidding. I don't want to talk on the phone, I don't want to go anywhere, even if an errand "should" be ran, or 2 or 3 baskets of laundry are ready to be folded. I just sit on the couch, play "Bejeweled" on Facebook (mindless and frustrating), watch some TV and then I'm in bed before 9:15 on most nights.

I'm done. Cashed. Exhausted.

Then I get up and do it all over again the next day!

So....

if you don't hear from me, or wonder why there aren't more posts, please go back and refer to my daily routine and you can see there is not much time to be running down to the computer (where my photos are) and putting up posts. I think that I named my blog well...

It's truly MY crazy little world.

After 3 consecutive arguments in a row, all about random and pointless things, this was the conversation that followed:

Me: Gage, why do you always insist on arguing with me about everything?
Gage: I don't argue
Me: Yes, Gage, you do. Every time you ask me a question and I give you an answer, you say, "uh-uh, no...." and then you disagree with me.
Gage: No, I don't.

The kid is seriously driving me over the edge. My mom used to tell me how she used to ask me to "Please, just be quiet for a few minutes", because I used to talk too much. (Who, me??) I guess paybacks are a b*tch. I ask him that all the time...

And it doesn't work.

I don't think it did for my mom, either.

Sigh.