Happy Birthday OLD Pop!

Dad, I love you! You were sometimes a pain in the rear during my child and teenage years, but I love you now and always! Thanks for your love, support and advice!

By the way, the rugrats have something to tell you:

My 1st (and probably last) 1/2 Marathon

Wow! What a day! I completed my first, and more than likely last, 1/2 Marathon this morning! I am sooo sore today! You have NO IDEA! It was a beautiful course taking you through historic Winston Salem, through the Wake Forest University campus and back through.

Anyways, I beat my goal but was discouraged that my body was done before I was. Usually when I run a race, I have to walk or slow down when I am winded and can't breathe. Today, I was fine with my breathing but my legs/butt/knees were BEGGING me to stop! I am not used to my body telling me to stop since it is usually my lack of oxygen. Either way, I completed my 1st 1/2 Marathon. It is too early to tell if I will do it again but give me a week and I will let you know! :)

I have a Garmin GPS watch that tracks my every move while running. It's a nifty little thing! Click the link and see my stats:

2010 Mistletoe Run 1/2 Marathon

The worst part was that the "Hot and Now" sign was on at Krispy Kreme! Guess who got a dozen? Hey, you don't burn 1500 calories for nothing do you?!


Sorely,

No Caroline's Allowed!!

Caroline has had the sign above hung on her door for months. Apparently, Cooper just found out what it said. He came in my room tonight and asked me to help him make a sign so Caroline cannot come into HIS room. He wrote it all and I just help him spell "allowed". All other was written and spelled by him. So cute! Below is Cooper's retaliation to her sign:

He giggled and first gave her "grandpa hair" and then chose "snowman arms".

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween from the Bliss Pumpkins! Caroline decided to be Dorothy and Cooper was Curious George. That child has been some sort of a monkey for the past three years??

Even Bandit got into the Halloween spirit. This is his "Bandito the Burrito" costume. We actually bought it for him when he was our only "child" and much, more younger. The kids got a kick out of his costume!

We went to our friend's house for pre-Trick or Treating festivities. They served the best (and the only) Chicken Stew! It must be a NC thing?

left to right: Jackson (Luigo), Cooper and Jake (Mario)

Caroline and her BFF, Mary Kate, both dressed as Dorothy this year.

Here are some outtakes of when I was trying to get a nice picture of the kids. Is it so hard to stay still for just one nice picture?

Our visit at Uncle Nut and Aunt Jane's house

On Wednesday afternoon, we sadly left Disney and drove 2 hours south to Cape Coral. The kids were sad to leave but still very excited to visit Uncle Nate (they affectionately now call him "Uncle Peanut") and Aunt Jane. The first thing they wanted to do was go swimming! The pool heater was broken, but that didn't seem to stop them!

I was having fun with our fast camera taking pictures. Can you tell?

Cooper's Turn!

Guess who was running around the pool and fell? Boy, did that stay for a few weeks! Amazingly, Cooper never cried?

Our 1st successful fishing day! Cousin Keith was able to come down from New Jersey to join us this year!

Scot proudly added the pinfish on the end. :)

After our annual dinner at the Sandy Hook!

More of the same fish from Day One

They could have stayed in that pool all week. If the water wasn't so cold, I am sure they would have. Until next year....

Disney Trip 2010

We finally made it to Disney! We were fortunate to go all together with Scott's parents and his sister, Brooke's, family. In total, there were 11 of us. The kids, as well as the adults, truly had a great time. I haven't been to Disney since I was a little older than Caroline, so I felt like a kid myself there!

On our 1st day, we went to Epcot. Cooper calls the Epcot "that place with the great big golf ball". Here he is giving me a gigantic hug. Love him!

Scott was lying on the ground here to get this picture. I am sure we looked ridiculous!

Cooper hanging out in the United Kingdom

Silly cousins at Hollywood Studios!

The Magic Kingdom castle at night!

Look at that smile! Cooper has told everyone that his favorite ride was Dumbo. Can you tell?

Best Buddies Cooper and Brady. Those boys are so funny together!

The Rapids ride at Animal Kingdom. Cooper, Brady and Caroline were NOT happy about this ride. They were soaked and MAD when they got off! Scott said that they all were laughing at each other getting wet but were not too pleased when they themselves got drenched.

Caroline and Cooper being silly with Gram and Grand-Bob !

Us waiting for the fireworks

Gram & Grand-Bob with all of the grandkids

Cooper and Brady occupied their time playing trains until the fireworks show started.

We stayed at The Yacht Club and would highly recommend it! They had the best pool complete with a sand bottom and a pirate ship slide. The kids rode that slide until they were worn slap out!

We ended up staying Saturday through Wednesday and left Wednesday afternoon to go visit Uncle Nate and Aunt Jane further south in Cape Coral for our annual fishing voyage. More pictures to follow!

I "Tri-ed" It!!

Well, I did it! Last month, I participated in my very first Triathalon! (Disclaimer: It is not as bad as you think.) This Triathalon, The Ramblin' Rose, was a Woman's Only triathalon. It was a 250 meter swim (10 laps), 8 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run. My goal was to finish within 1:10:00. I beat it by 10 seconds! Click on the 10 to see the overall results.

Afterwards, Scott said that he didn't think that I could/would actually finish it. I guess I proved him wrong! I had so much fun that I am actually planning another on on Sept 19th in Wilmington. My friend and I are going to try to beat our time and push ourselves further. I am hoping to be closer to 1 hour.

I was DYING!!!

My biggest fans!

Hello 2nd Grade and Pre-K!!

School officially started last week. Caroline is starting her 2nd grade year. She lucked out and got a great teacher! She actually won Teacher of the Year at her school last year. Caroline is really loving her new class so far!

Although Cooper just turned 5, we decided to hold Cooper back one more year. After a lot of thought, we figured he had a lot more to lose if we sent him this year. This year, he is going to the More @ 4 Pre-K at Caroline's school. This way he will be totally prepared for kindergarten. So far, so good. He really likes it and has made a lot of friends. (But then agan, who are we kidding? Cooper hasn't met a stranger yet!!)

It's hard to believe that my baby is already 5 years old!