Today we celebrate the life of Norah Gail, who is turning four today!!!! Oh how we love her!!! For the past four years she has been both blessing and stretching Mark and I in ways we could have never thought possible. She is the sweetest and spunkiest one of the group. She is filled with persistence and strength. She is the first to say thank you and the first to ask if you are ok when you get hurt. She loves clothes, purses, Barney, Memory, and babies. She loves people and loves talking, what a chatterbox!! Much like me, I suppose!! LOL!!! She has brought some of my hardest days and my sweetest moments. At night she hugs my neck and says, "you're not going anywhere!! you are staying here forever!" What a little lovebug!!! She has been really growing lately in loving and obeying mommy and daddy and being content much more often. What a blessing that is to me! Lots of training and prayer!! What a little joy, she is such a cutie. I didn't know what I would do with a fourth baby in a fourth year, but now I don't know what I would do without Norah!! Our life wouldn't be nearly as exciting without our wonderful Norah in our lives!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Here are a few pictures of the first days of Norah's little life. Look at that precious, chubby face. Who would have known all that would be coming into our lives in that tiny little package? She has blessed us and stretched us every day since then and we are so thankful that God blessed us with her. The day that I found out I was expecting Norah, I was in a Target bathroom. I was shaking and trembling and wondering what on earth I would do. With 3 little children all 3 and under, I wasn't sure I was up for a fifth so soon. Why the baby at the time, Maryann was only 5 months old!!! But the Lord has another plan. I was concerned about finances and shortly after finding out of her conception, God provided Mark with another job, a better paying job. Oh and the strength and grace that came from the Lord in the days after her birth. I could never have done it without His strength, but oh how He lent His strength and grace to me. I can say that with 4 babies in 4 years time, I was and am still a testimony to myself of what God can do in a life. All glory to God!!! All glory to Him for forming in me life all that time ago and for the precious life of Norah Gail today. She is becoming a wonderful little lady and I look forward to what God will do in her life in the years to come. I pray she would love and serve Him all the days of her life!!! I LOVE YOU, NORAH!!!!!

Ear-piercing Day Arrives!

Today is the long awaited day that the girls got their ears pierced. Maryann did not want to do it on her birthday but decided she would do it if Norah did it. Yesterday morning, Norah did it, in honor of her birthday. After watching Norah cry in pain, Maryann decided NOT to do it. But without any coaxing she eventually changed her mind again and decided to do it. When I asked her what changed her mind she told me that because I told her she might not be able to do it again for a long time, she thought she better go ahead and do it! I was proud of both of my little beauties and the bravery they showed. Here is a few pictures from the occasion!

Princess Half-Marathon, My first Half!!!!

Well, the time finally came for me to run, the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, this past Sunday. Wow, what a day!!! Well, really what a ride for me just in the training and preparation to get there. I started training for the race in the end of November in hopes that I would get to run it. My gallbladder threatened to stop me, but Lord willing, that was a breeze to be done with and I was able to continue training three weeks after, on my first 9 mile run. For my 11 mile, 12.5 and 14 mile runs, my friend Danelle, an experienced runner helped me out and trained with me. That was such a blessing and encouragement to me. I know it helped me get better too!!

The morning of the race, I woke up at 3 am and got a shower and got ready to go, arriving at the race before 4 am. In our corrals by 5 am, I met some really nice girls (meaning girls my age or a little younger) LOL! Two that were in front of me, Kelly and Amanda, had made these shirts for themselves. So cute, I had to ask if I could take a picture. That is how we got talking...meeting them and another girl, Lee, really calmed my nerves and made the event an even more special day for me.

Mark took a few pictures of me as he dropped me off. Here I am getting myself all adjusted and ready to roll, I mean run. LOL! I was really excited and a bit nervous, but WAY more calm than I had expected.

Before each corral took off across the finish line, they lit off fireworks to start us off!!! Very exciting!!!!

Here I am with my new friend, Lee, she was so sweet and seemed like a really neat person. Also to her credit, she is a veteran, having served in the Navy and in the war for our country.

Here were the two fun girls who had the fun shirts, Kelly and Amanda. I really enjoyed meeting them, they seemed so sweet and they were really friendly, and I like friendly people, a lot!!!

The race day was a bit crazy for me, as I began, I felt the course of nature take over and I felt like I really needed to go to the bathroom, if you know what I mean. Not good, I ran like that for four miles at my pace that I wanted to 11:30/mile, looking along the way at all the porta potties, and thinking how I could not possibly wait in those LONG lines during a race, until somewhere between mile 4 and 5, I think, I saw one with a bit shorter line. I waited in line, chatted with some other runners and looked at my watch, quickly the minute per mile pace was growing, growing, growing. I don't even know for sure, but I think that it was up to 25 minutes/mile by the time I finished, that was a great bummer for me, knowing now that it would be highly unlikely that I could finish with a good time. But I ran with intensity, still taking the appropriate set walk breaks and was able to make up some time on that mile. All in all, I felt a lot better after going to the bathroom anyway and there was really no choice for me in that matter.

It was way different running in a race with so many people, there were 13,000 plus finishers. The roads were crowded and you have to do a lot of bobbing and weaving in between people to pass, it is pretty crazy. Somewhere along the way before mile 6 I stopped my watch and messed things up. I decided it was a good thing for a while but then as I got the chills and was feeling more and more exhausted, I thought it would be better to turn it back on to get a better pace for myself. I set it for what I thought I had left, but it turns out I was wrong. When we got to mile 10, I thought I was on mile 11. Not a good thing to find out when you feel kind of wrecked, an extra mile, ugh!!!! I was not happy. I had been getting the chills, even though I was pouring water on myself and drinking at every station too. This being the case, when I discovered I had still 3 miles and not 2, I got a lump in my throat, lost my will. I was having trouble making myself run and really wondering for a minute what provoked me to do this.

Somehow, I won the game in my mind to continue running, thank the Lord. I talked myself through it and kept on. When I got to the 11 mile marker, I felt encouraged, the 12 mile marker, really really glad. That last mile, I had no idea, like I usually do about how far I had left to go, I would run all out and walk for 30 sec., and kept doing this. I got to the final stretch and I started to walk, I heard someone in the crowd cheering me on, I picked it up again and ran to the finish,and as I did I saw my family along the side of the road. Oh how glad I was for that to be over!!! I stumbled with weak legs towards the photo area, with thousands and thousands of people around me. I borrowed a phone to call my family to meet me around the snacks area where they gave us, bananas, oranges, protein bars, and water. I was so glad to have them there with me, so glad. I felt relieved that it was over and glad that I accomplished it. Even though it was hard, and little unlike I thought it would be due to the running through the crowds and especially b/c of my bathroom stop and troubles, I was really glad that I did it. The finish time was 2:49. So....with all the difficulties I felt and the 10-12 minute stop for the potty, I am thankful. I did a good job!

Just as it was over, I remembered what Jeff Galloway said about waiting a week before you make any decisions about racing, either scheduling your next one, or vowing to never do one again. For me, parts of this race might have provoked the decision to not do another, but just a day later, I was already thinking about my next running goal. Thankfully, I still like running. LOL!!!

Within an hour or so after running, I had the worst tummy trouble ever, I thought I had a virus. But after a few hours with the troubles, I felt good again and then I knew it came from the stress I had put on my body during the race. I was very thankful to feel good again and very thankful that it was not a virus since we were to be vacationing in Disney this week.

Running the half-marathon was a great experience, full of it's up and downs, (literally too, there were a few hills in the race that I didn't expect, thinking I had left the hills behind in the Hill City). I will definitely keep running and hopeful do many more half-marathons in my lifetime, if the Lord allows.

Meeting Mark and the kids in the Family Reunion Area holding up my medal!!!

Look at all those people, that is just a few of them...

My wonderful mom who made this trip possible. So glad to have her there with me!!!

Maryanns shadow in her costume! My litte princess!!