6 by the 6th

I have plenty more pictures from mine and my mom's joint birthday 4 day celebration to post that I'll try to do tonight after TBL goes to sleep, but just wanted to update my faithful. I did it. Back in my six 6 pants by my birthday, Sept 6th! Still have a few pounds of baby weight or maybe now just regular weight to take off, but the pants fit. Let me repeat, the pants fit!

Horses and Hawks

We started today off early when TBL woke up at 6 am. It was fine because we needed to be on the road by 6:30 to get to the Mustang Gallop, a 5K cross country race, that Bill and I ran this morning. My mom and dad are here so they came along to watch TBL. The course was SO freakin' hard. The grass was wet and slippery and there was this ridiculous hill we had to go up twice. The race was a fundraiser for the Mt Mercy Cross Country Team whose mascot is the Mustang. Instead of having a golf cart or a gator leading off the runners, they had a horse which was really cool to watch it gallop right in front of the leaders. The course was really winding back and forth so I saw the horse and leaders a few times while I was running. I didn't really enjoy smelling the dumps the mustang left on the course as he sped ahead of us. Anyway the course was super hard, Bill and I both ran what we expected but much slower than if we were running on pavement. We didn't stay around for the awards because we were off to the Hawkeye game! Bill coming toward the finish
I'm making my way to the finish as well

Happy we are done!

My mom and TBL after the race. TBL came in his dinosaur PJs

Then we went home, TBL had some milks, we got dressed in black and gold and we were off for TBL's first Hawkeye game. Well TBL didn't go into the game, my mom and him hung out around our tailgating motorhome and I left at half time to feed him and used my mom's unused tickets to get back in. At Iowa, even infants like TBL need tickets to get in which is ridiculous. It was so hot today, TBL would have melted and I think it is really toooooo loud in there for his sweet little ears.

Here's us on the way to tailgating. Bill and I like to wear matching shirts, I know, we're adorable.

During halftime milk break

TBL had a super cute football outfit on but it was too hot for him so Grandma changed him into this adorable onesie. Good thing we have plenty of Hawkeye clothes for TBL.

I'm so happy the Hawks won!

So TBL makes it to another historic Hawkeye game. He was in my belly when Daniel Murray kicked the field goal to beat unbeaten Penn State last season. He was sleeping in his stroller when Iowa blocked the first last second field goal today and the cheering woke him up. He was awake when Iowa blocked the second last second field goal today to win the game and the cheering and honking horns caused him to start screaming. Poor little TBL, he'll sleep well tonight.

Chicago Fire

For Father's Day, Nile bought Bill tickets to a Chicago Fire game which is the professional soccer team in Chicago. After the Silvis race, the boys headed off to Chicago and TBL and I headed home after lunch with Aunt Susie. They had a great time, spent the night in a hotel and came back today. This is the second professional sports game they have gone to. They went and saw the Cowboys play the Vikings preseason two summers ago. Maybe they can go to a NHL and NBA game to round out their tour of professional sports. I am glad they have taken these two trips together; nice memories for later years.

Bringing home trophies

Yesterday Bill, TBL, Aunt Susie, Nile and I went to the Silvis Family Fun Run. Nile hung out with TBL while the rest of us ran. So up at 6 am we were and off to Silvis Il. Bill has run this race for three years now and I ran it last year. Last year I was barely pregnant but huffing and puffing and dripping with sweat on a crazy humid day. I got 2nd place in my age group with a respectable 30:08 time, 9:43 mile pace. Then I freaked out when my ob/gyn said the next week 'running is fine as long as you are not getting too overheated'...then I remember being so freakin' hot and sweating running at Silvis that I cried thinking I had cooked my baby when he was trying to grow a brain and stuff. I was just hysterical of a pregnant lady :-) So this year I was hoping to better my time or at least do as well. I ran faster at Durant last week but Silvis has a huge giant hill at the beginning. All was fine to start and then the hill came. I felt like my sweet deceased Grandma Cook who used to walk so slow and hunched over when I was running up the hill, I was unsure if I was making any forward progress. First mile 9:05, wicked fast, must be short I thought. One tired foot in the front of the other I went and as I sped down the hill to the finish (the reward for going up the hill to start) I crossed the finish line in 27:47! my new personal best. 4 mo ago I had delivered Lucas and now I was running sub 9 minute miles! I can't believe it. Aunt Susie cleaned my clock getting her PR at 26 minutes something. Bill ran the 10 K and wanted to get under 42 minutes and he came in at 40:48. Nile and TBL cheered all of us into the finish. Aunt Susie got first in her age group, Bill got second in his and I defended my 2nd place in my age group. Sadly and ironically the older you get in the running world, the faster people are. I don't think once I turn 35 next week I will getting as many medals and trophies. I have fully enjoyed my last weeks of the 30-34 age group... four races, three pieces of hardware. Not bad for only running since June 17th.

Here is a super cute picture of me and TBL after the race. He loves to look out and watch all the activity. I can't wait for him to 'run' the 1/4 fun run next year at Silvis. He'll be 16 months then and hopefully steady enough on his feet.

TBL took a nap after Daddy started to carry him
All smiles after the race was over

Action shot of getting my trophy

Me and Aunt Susie. Her trophy was bigger than mine :-( and the first place gal in my age group was only 40 seconds faster than I was. Even though I was happy with 2nd place and secretly was grumpy I was just not that bit faster to get first place.

Trophy shot

Oh the Iversons are award hogs. We just love winning after a day of hard work, is that bad? I decided the thing I love the most about weight watchers and running races is the applause you get. I love a roomfull of ladies clapping for me when I lose 5 lbs. I love the random townspeople in their lawn chairs cheering as you past. I think I'm getting addicted to applause, that's bad, isn't it?

My little man

TBL looks hilariously cute in little man clothes. My friends, the Dillinghams, bought us this adorable outfit which we wore to church on Sunday. TBL was a big hit. Let's be honest, TBL is a big hit even if he is butt naked.
TBL hates socks and shoes. I put these cute little shoes on him and in like 2 minutes he had figured out how to use his other foot to kick them off his heel. I mean how did he know to do that? Primitive instinct or genius child?? I already know my answer.

Playing in his bumbo today

He is so chubby.

After his afternoon nap I caught these awesome faces as he stretched.

whoops! swallowed a frog I think.

We had a great day. Just what Mommy needed after working two days in a row. This is my last week of working full time in the ER so though I technically will work more days a month I'll be home earlier for playtime and bedtime.

Lifetime Member

So thanks to Ruth, one of the check-in ladies at Weight Watchers, I am now a lifetime member again. Once you are a lifetime member, you only have to weigh in once a month and if you are within 2 pounds of your goal you don't have to pay. I was a lifetime member for a year before I got prego with TBL. Once you are prego, you don't have to go to weight watchers and after you deliver you have 3 months to get back down to your goal or you have to pay again. So my three months probably was technically over a few weeks ago but they were 'giving' me until the 1st of Sept. I am still 6 pounds (145) from being within 2 pounds of my goal (137). Today when I was weighing in, Ruth said that for my height, 145 is in the goal range so I could change my goal to 145 and then regain my lifetime status and continue losing at my own speed (like I was losing at anyone else's speed before). So now I am back to being a lifetime member. My goal in my head is still my pre-TBL weight of 137 and I am still going to work hard to get there but I'll be working hard to get there without shelling out any extra money in the process. yippeeedddooo! every penny counts now that Gabby is in braces again and I'm going to 90% time at work next week.

We've got tile!

The tile guys came today and laid our awesome tile. Bill initially thought it looked a bit dark but I love it. It is so cozy and I CANNOT wait to snuggle on our new couch with a fire crackling and the wind howling outside. It picks up the orange walls great and unfortunately the pictures do not do it justice. tile leading from the addition through the old Star Wars room to the kitchen

Durant Dusk Hustle

So last August on 8/8/08 when the Olympics were starting, Bill and I and some friends went to run the Durant Dusk Hustle. It was a hot August evening and I ran my PR of 28:10. I was really really tired and thirsty afterwards, more so than normal because what I didn't know is that TBL had just got his grip inside of me and was starting to grow. The Durant Dusk Hustle was supposed to be two weeks ago but it got postponed until tonight. Bill was home with the kids and TBL and off I went alone to this race. My sister in law signed up for it but because of the postponement she couldn't urn. Off to Durant I went, signed in and got ready. There were 10 gals in my age group signed up and I didn't think I would be able to place. The gun went off and off we went. It was a nice beautiful night in the 60s. I decided I just want to break 30 minutes. I think that course is short but anyway mile 1 in 9:23, mile 2 in 10.26 (I think mile 1 is short and mile 2 is long) and the last 1.1 miles in 9.40 which is a 8.47 pace. I finished in 29:31 which is only 1 minute and 21 seconds slower than last year. And in the last 12 months, I have gained 45 pounds, delivered a child, lost over 35 pounds and started running again. Well last year I was popsicle stick number 91 and this year I was popsicle stick number 88. Last year I got 3rd in my age group and this year I got 2nd. There was no one there to cheer me on or take pictures at finish or me getting my medal but I got a shot of myself when I got home.