Andrew's 4th birthday

I can't believe Andrew is now 4 years old (and apparently neither can he because he still tells everyone he is 3). :) He had a pretty low key birthday, but it was still loads of fun because my parents were in town from after the marathon.

I ordered some cupcakes from a local woman who makes them at her house. I got into a very lazy cooking mode for the last month so wasn't up for baking any myself. :)  Because she thought the color for the printouts came out "too pink," she "upgraded" the chocolate frosting to the ghirardelli chocolate and WOW!! It was heaven. I have a cute video of him opening his present from us (he also got a bicycle), but I can't figure out how to upload videos to youtube. Something I need to figure out! Here's a quick snap shot from the video I took. :)

On his cool new bike! :) 

  

He was so excited to rip that gift open! 

                                                  Diggin in to those delicious cupcakes! :)

I started a tradition of blowing up a bunch of balloons and sticking them in the floor of their rooms the night before and they love it. :) Again, cute video of when I did it for Abby's birthday...but technology and I just don't quite get a long. ;-)


We took the train into Boston and went to the New England Aquarium.  It was really rainy that day so we wanted to stay indoors. The kids really enjoyed it because we got to see lots of neat fish, penguins, snakes, and other crazy creatures. I felt a little bad because I asked what Andrew wanted for dinner that night and he had requested, "Cheesecake" meaning "Cheesecake Factory" which has actually become a random traditional dinner/celebration stop (we ate there for Abby's first and 2nd birthday, my birthday, and then after the Boston Marathon). :) We ended up eating at Legal Sea Food right by the water and mommy got to enjoy a delicious white Sangria. :) They are the best from that place!

And then we went to the amazing IMax theatre connected to the aquarium so we could watch some lemurs in 3D. :) The kids liked it at first but got a little restless before it was over. 

cool glasses :)

I wouldn't doubt it if my daughter strategically placed that figure...hmmm ;-) 

yummy popcorn!!

My kids are at such a fun age. Don't get me wrong- it's a very messy, stressful, ALWAYS testing your patience kind of stage....but it's so fun to see them enjoy the small things in life. :) Like this for example- 

We drove up to Lowe's and Andrew started shouting- "I want to ride the race car!!" I thought he was talking about a car in the parking lot so told him we can't ride in someone we don't know's car.  Nope. He knew what he was talking about and it was the shopping carts at "The dad store" (AKA Lowe's). :) Todd goes on little "daddy-son dates" to Lowe's which is pretty cute. 

Andrew has come so far in the past year, and I am so blessed to have him as my son. He is the most caring, empathetic, energetic little boy I know and I can't wait to see what 4 brings for him.  He's already starting the early process of reading. On paper- he recognizes every month of the year, his full name (first, middle, last), and pretty much any word he has seen multiple times. He saw my name written on my water bottle and said, "That says Mommy Templeton!" :)  He knows all the sounds the letters make and is already trying to sound out words!!! He has such a visual memory that he can recognize where we are going by which route I take, he is incredible at putting together puzzles (he is now up to 100 piece puzzles!), and as I said- his sight words are already amazing. He is a very smart little guy. He's still a big momma's boy and I never want that to change. :) He comes in our bedroom and snuggles up next to me between 4-7 every morning. I love it! He still loves trains and pretty much ALL vehicles (taxi cabs, buses, cars, trucks, jeeps...) and will correct me if I call a jeep a car. :) He is still a pretty good eater (he loves fruits and veggies), but also has a huge sweet tooth like mommy. :) His favorite "food" is probably either pancakes or cupcakes! He recently filled out a questionnaire at school about me (for mother's day), and I laughed so hard I was crying! He told his teacher I was 10 years old (everyone older than him is "10"),  my favorite food is beans (??), favorite color is red, hair is green (LOL), I like to "make some food", and he loves me because I play with him. :) AWE...I don't feel like I play with him enough so that last one really teared me up! So sweet and adorable. What a great idea too. Andrew Maddox is the sweetest little guy (even when he's driving mommy a little crazy) ;-) and I am so so proud of him. 

"mommy, can you take a picture of me with this lion?" :) 

My essential oils journey

So, I've taken the next step in my essential oils experience- I'm now an independent distributor for Young Living! After experiencing, reading about, and talking to others about all the different brands of essential oils, I've discovered that the young living line is by far superior to the others. I still have so much to learn but have already made so many amazing discoveries and am thrilled to start sharing the positive impact they've had on our overall health and wellness.

I started off a skeptic. Maybe one of the biggest skeptics (aside from my husband). :)  I thought it sounded too good to be true and didn't really want to steer away from the "modern medical ways." My son, Andrew, was diagnosed with autism in October of 2012. It was hard to understand "why" (there is STILL no way to be sure what exactly causes it), and it was even harder to watch him struggle with sleeping, hyperactivity, not being able to communicate, having major digestive issues which eventually lead to major rashes, and having lots of upper respiratory problems (mostly in the winter months), leading to weekly use of a nebulizer, it being "the norm" for him to  be wheezing, and eventually thinking he may have asthma. Well, along with changes in his diet (taking out a lot of processed junk, dairy, limiting gluten), and using essential oils (RC for his upper respiratory, lavender for sleeping/rashes on his bottom, and thieves for overall immunity), we have had a MUCH healthier winter (last winter was ROUGH), and he didn't have to use his nebulizer AT ALL this winter!!!! WOOHOO!!! :) I no longer think he has asthma and we have already been told he may be able to be "tested out" of his pervasive development disorder!! He was excited out of his speech services, and recently excited out of his physical therapy services at school (I was told he is above average on all skill levels). I can't begin to tell you how my views have changed on the natural methods of healing your body.

My daughter, Abigail, had her second ear infection this winter. I was given antibiotics (which is really a guessing game because they don't even know whether the infection is actually bacterial). I took a chance and decided I would follow another mommy's advice on how she used Young Living oils for her son's ear infections (lavender, lemon,melaleuca-tea tree oil).  Well, IT WORKED!! :) Ear infection GONE!

There has been lots of evidence showing that people are becoming resistant to antibiotics (because of overuse), and there are now these fatal "super bugs" that have become resistant to antibiotics. I recently went to urgent care (2 days before running my first marathon) because I had a fever and felt yucky. I was told that doctors were being told to avoid unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics because of this new research. That was shocking to me. So what did I do- once he told me it was probably viral anyway and that antibiotics will only mess with my stomach and I would just need to let it pass- first thing I thought was ESSENTIAL OILS! I had already been applying thieves on my feet (this is my favorite oil so far), but started taking some under my tongue ( to get into my system faster), rubbing it up and down my spine, diffusing thieves and RC at night (RC helps with any congestion/upper respiratory problems such as coughing), and then diffused lemon and lavender during the day. I'm telling you- IT ALL WORKED!!! Modern medicine TAKE THAT! :) I ran the marathon and felt fantastic! The days after the marathon- I continued using the oils and was fully recovered in a little over a week.  WOOHOO!!

So after my personal experiences with these incredible oils extracted from plants that come from an organic herb farm, I was 100% on board. Yes- modern medicine is still needed, but I strongly feel the drugs on the market are being over-used and our bodies are paying the price. So why not start using nature to naturally heal??!! :) I recently got my "everyday oils" kit and have had so much fun reading about, using, and talking about how incredible they all are!! I mean really- a "stress-relief" and "Peace and calming" oil? AWESOME! They smell SO GOOD too. :) Let me know if you have any questions or are interested in owning your own set of healing oils. Have a great week! 

that's how motherhood goes

It's been a very busy, stressful, beautiful (weather-wise) week filled with lots of crying, laughing, and little sleep. Here's how it went-

My parents left last Sunday and I swear my body just suddenly went into recovery mode the second they were gone (a week after running the marathon). I was so stinkin tired ( I mean like 1st trimester while pregnant, working, and raising a toddler tired...). The saddest part was- I was over exhausted and couldn't get any sleep. My toe nail was just killing me, and after my first official run, my hips hurt really badly. I still have the Ragnar relay next weekend so still need to be in good running condition.  I was very cranky, loading up on coffee everyday, and my house was a total disaster...worse than it's ever been. I fell asleep after cooking dinner on Tuesday (it was like 7...), but continuously woke up throughout the night. And I just realized I never wrote a blog about Mr. Andrew's 4th birthday which makes me feel like a mother-failure...but it was a great day, he was very happy, excited, and my parents got to celebrate with us so that was great. :) Abby's first birthday blog was a year later, so I guess it's ok if Andrew's is a few weeks after the fact...to be continued...that's how motherhood goes. 

Last week, we made these awesome feather boa skirts for our 200-mile relay. I stayed at Amy's house until 11:30 just laughing, talking, and crafting away at our skirts and hair clips. It was much-needed girl time that was so much fun.

not sure why I look so red in this picture 

Wednesday was very busy- we went to Kylie's house to watch her while her mom was at a meeting and then the plan was she would come home and watch the kids so I could go to my meeting for Andrew. Didn't work out as planned so I loaded all 3 kids up in my car and took them to the meeting with me. :) Andrew and Kylie's teachers are awesome so they didn't mind watching them while I was in my meeting. I only have great things to say about his school. They ROCK! And so does Kylie's mom- she has watched my kids multiple times and even let Sadie out to potty while I was running the marathon. The moms at his school are awesome! We ran some errands and went to the gym later. Then I  had my last Ragnar meeting until the relay which is always fun times. We decided 3 of the women in our van would be bringing air mattresses (considering we will be sleeping in a high school gym along the route), and possibly light some candles and spread out some rose pedals all while wearing our mud masks...might be joking about that part. ;-) I'm really excited about this relay!


I just have to give a shout out to my husband because he's been watching the kiddos a lot this week.  I've been so busy/tired/and my next story may have been the most stressful moment in his life and I was at work at the time.

SOO..I started working at the gym a few weeks ago. I've had a few shifts during the day (a friend of mine from Andrew's school watched the kids once and then my parents watched them while they were here). I'm scheduled to open on Mondays and Fridays which means I  need to be at the gym at 4:30..meaning I'm up at 3:30. Yes, you heard that correctly. Have I lost my mind?-maybe. But in all honesty- it's been kind of refreshing to get up before the kids and have some kid-free time to talk to adults and read magazines when no one is coming in.  :) And you would be super surprised at all the people waiting for me to open the doors at 5 am. SOOO many people working out before their day officially starts. That is itself is giving me a new perspective to driven.

On to the stressful moment- On Thursday (while at work), I got a text right before 8 am saying- Urgent please call. Todd is definitely not one to over-exaggerate urgent, so I started kind of freaking out. I tried calling and finally he answered after about my 9th try. Andrew had shut his bedroom door on Abby's fingers that morning..and her nails were completely coming off...yikes. :( I can't even count the number I've times I have yelled, "Stop shutting doors!! Someone is going to get a finger stuck!! It's not safe" And now here we are-lesson learned the hard way.  I told Todd I would send him the address for the hospital (I've been  there a few times- Andrew stitches/testing for the dietician).

            looks so stinking painful :( 

Todd said when it happened, it kind of sounded like the typical "Abby/Andrew fighting over something silly" kind of scream (which usually DOES sound a bit like a death scream-but that's kind of typical "abby screaming"), so he didn't think it was bad until he got to the door and saw her fingers shut IN THE HINGES. :/ So, I drive like a crazy lady to get to the ER as fast as I could.  My baby girl is quite the over-exaggerator so as you can imagine- this was definitely something to be upset about and SHE WAS when they got to the ER.  :( They had to do x-rays (they weren't broken thank goodness), so ended up having to reattach the nail beds/nails back onto 2 of her fingers (!!!!) and now her little fingers are just a sad sight. :( Since I was the one to help hold Andrew down during his stitches experience, I told Todd I would walk Andrew around while they did what they needed to do and when I got back- she was completely covered in sweat from fighting. :( OHHH...it made me so sad.

She had bows in her hair from the day before- I'm sure they were thinking, "daddy took the time to put bows in her hair before taking her to the Er??" haha! 

The rest of that day was kind of a blur for me- I had been up since 3:30, my nerves were shot from the ER trip, I didn't take Andrew to school because Abby was napping...so yea- stressful experience.  We had actually ran into some friends from school at the ER (she was having an ultra-sound done-she's expecting her 3rd), and she offered to take Andrew to school that day, but I just kept him at home. I totally took her up on the offer the next day (which felt like 4 days later). I opened again Friday and Abby fell asleep before I could take Andrew to school so she took him to school AND brought him home!! So so absolutely awesome. I had bought flowers for Andrew's 4 teachers at school (it was teacher appreciation week), but didn't want to send all those flowers to school without me there to help, so I ended up keeping/giving some to Jenna instead. I'm telling you-raising 2 young kids is so hard that it is an absolute MUST to accept help. I have a very difficult time admitting I need help but I definitely did last week and the moms I've met through Andrew's school are incredible. I will definitely be repaying the favor when Jenna has her 3rd!! That's how motherhood goes! 

This blog is so long but I also wanted to throw in the fact that Abby has suddenly decided to try potty training this week. Talk about the wrong week to become interested. She's been successful several times but she's also peed all over the house several times too. LOL! My parents got her this cool potty that plays music when she potties (it has a sensor)- and so there were a few times when Abby would say "I went potty" and I'd reply- "No baby it would have played music" so my sneaky little daughter would say- "Oh...ok..." reach under the potty and press the hidden button that also plays the music...she is so...stinkin...smart. Then Andrew figured this out so they were both trying to trick me into believing she was going potty (he was helping her with pulling her underoos up and down and was also being rewarded with gummy bears when she pottied). :) They are so funny sometimes.

     wearing "Roos" as she calls them :) 

Andrew brought his old potty out and was pottying in it with Abby. fun times cleaning up 2 potties! ;)

So that's been our week. Full of ups and downs and lots of chaos...but that's how motherhood goes. :)

"Don't ask me how my week went.." ;) 

Boston Marathon 2014

There are so many things I learned throughout this Boston Marathon journey. During my training in the long/cold winter, through a few of my "bumps along the way," the people I've met as a result, and even over-coming my illness in order to still cross that finish line last Monday. I can't believe it was a week ago tonight that I was frantically awaiting the morning for my chance to show what I was made of. I'm still in a bit of denial that I was actually able to finish that challenging course with the biggest feeling of accomplishment I can imagine.  

When I first moved to Boston, I had voiced my desire to run in the Boston Marathon to a few people. If you've read my post about my first attempt to run in this prestige marathon, you know I was denied  in 2013 (which I've already said- was definitely a good thing!) A few people that had run marathons told me that training for a marathon was very hard work and I was probably better off.  A few said that the Boston Marathon was one of the hardest and that I may not be able to do it. When my mom told my uncle that I really wanted to run in the Boston Marathon (he is also a runner and has run many marathons), his response was- "You can't just decide to run the Boston Marathon. It's really hard to get that opportunity." So throughout my training the past few months and on the actual day while running on that course- I was definitely beaming with excitement and joy thinking about anyone that had doubted it could happen.  Because I DID IT!!!! :) I've seriously been a walking inspirational book that just wants to shout at the top of my lungs- "NEVER SAY NEVER and aim high because if you put your heart into something, ANYTHING can be accomplished!!"

I did not get much sleep the night before (as expected), and woke up pretty early to make sure I ate a good breakfast, had time to get my "game face" on, and slather essential oils (from sickness) and body glide all over myself before getting dressed. My sister made the most awesome shirts EVER (the first one she gave me said- "If found, please deliver to the Boston Marathon Finish Line." HA! that's not the one I actually wore) ;-) While I was eating breakfast (and frantically awaiting my black car service..another story...haha!), she slipped these awesome shirts on my kiddos and it was the best surprise ever.

The shirts say- "team Kristi" with a huge picture of Texas :)

As I was saying about my "black car" service- I used an app called "Uber" where you can find a driver in your area (they've had background checks and own their own "Uber phone" so you know they are legit), and they come pick you up. :) So- I got a pretty awesome ride to the bus loading area in Boston Common.

I got to the bus loading area (it's close to the finish line but you can't really SEE the finish line which is kind of a teaser), and had plenty of time to grab a water and relax before loading the bus. I sat next to the nicest girls (they were from right around where I live), and one of them had run the course before. Ironically, I had almost the exact same pace as they did for most of the course until we reached the hills in Newton, and I noticed they had started walking (there were A LOT of people that walked once they got to Newton..all I have to say is- thank goodness I trained on those awful hills!! LOL!)  The bus ride took SOOOOO long (we were joking about how we were about to RUN that entire trip back to Boston....wowzer!!), but we finally made it to the "Athlete's village" in Hopkinton. 

they had security on the buildings with binoculars 

They had tons of food, a medical tent where I put on lots of sunscreen (thankfully because it was really hot and sunny that day), areas to stretch, and lots of port-a potties with very long lines which explains one thing I did NOT expect to see right after getting off the bus- a line of men (and a few women...) just leisurely using the restroom in public...and I mean it was an entire row of about 60 men no joke!! No pictures of that...it was pretty awkward...haha! 

I wasn't in the athletes village long until it was already time for my wave to start loading the corrals. I was in corral 2 but actually waited until corral 5 was loading because I wanted to stretch in the grass. And then it was time- the moment I had been waiting for: the START! It took me a good 10-15 minutes to actually get to the start line after the gun went off (there were a total of I think close to 35,000 runners this year!!!) I got a pretty good video of me at the start. Talk about nervous!! :) 

                   start line!!! 

One of the funniest things I saw that day was before mile 1- a bunch of "duck-dynasty looking men" holding out a tray and a sign that said "Need cigarettes, beer, or wine??" It was great. :) So from Hopkinton, to Ashland, and then into Framingham- that's where I unexpectedly saw my cheering squad!! 

Cade, my mom, my dad, my sister, and my kiddos :) 

My sister and mom :)

Giving out some high-fives :) 

Andrew and Grandad

There I am!! :)

My sister ran out to exchange phones (mine was not going to make it) and got to run with me for a second or 2 :) 

Right before this- I had hit the 5K marker and thought to myself- "This is where it all started-a 5K-" and I seriously had never felt so great in my life. :) 

The first part of the race was filled with incredible fans (and people). A few notable things I saw before the half marathon mark- I almost ran a guy off the course trying to high five a kid (opps....), a random dime in the middle of the road (not sure why but I thought this was symbolic...). I saw a shirt that said "Running in memory of my mother in heaven," lots of "Collier Strong" and "Boston Strong" shirts, some "Marathon Survivor" shirts and some of the toughest people I've ever seen in my life. People that were already limping and yet kept going, people that had a guide with them because they were visually impaired, a runner with a shirt that read- "I'm able to run because I have a donated heart," runners with prosthetic legs, and runners the same age as my grandmother (no joke!) All of those people with a story to tell- why they were running, how they got there, and what was keeping them motivated. Absolutely incredible to share a course with such fantastic people.  

After Natick came Wellesley (along with the half-marathon mark). I had remembered reading a quote about the Boston Marathon- "If you feel bad at mile 10-you are in trouble. If you feel bad at mile 20-you are normal. If DO NOT feel bad at mile 26- you are NOT normal" :) So when I was feeling really good at the half marathon point (13.1), I was very excited. Not to mention my cheering squad surprised me here too!!! 

someone had shouted "GO TEXAS" :)

"KRISTI!!" :) 

I technically ran more than a half marathon because I ran back :) HA!

I handed off the arms bands I had been wearing that morning (not for long because as I said- it was a hot day that day), and headed off for the 2nd half of the race. :) 

Something to be said about this course- they tell you not to see this as the "half-way point" because you've only gotten through the easiest part. They say the 20 mile point should actually be considered "half-way" so thankfully I was still feeling really great at the half-marathon mark. :) 

The Wellesley College is known for their "scream tunnel" of women, so this was fun to see and hear. :) It wasn't the loudest part of the course for me, but was still pretty fun to see the girls with their "kiss me" signs.  Ironically-the part of the race just before this was the quietest it ever got that day. I had my iPod off so I could hear the "scream tunnel" and it just seemed kinda quiet for a little while. 

When I was training, I actually did my 22 mile training run on the course. I started in Newton (on the hills), ran to Natick (the 11 mile marker), and turned around and came back through Newton (back through those nasty hills). In all honesty- this training run was harder than running the marathon so that was an awesome feeling.  It was also good to recognize this part of the course that day. :)  So when I got to the Newton sign I said out loud- "Here we go" :) 

The biggest, loudest, most motivating crowds that day were in Newton and then in Kenmore square...the 2 places I needed them the most. My friend Tara actually waited for me at mile 19 in Newton and had pretzels for me to snack on. :) I got the biggest hug and a burst of energy knowing so many people were cheering me on that day. She is truly one of the nicest people I know and has actually also ran the Boston Marathon. I remember telling her- "I'm making it!!! I feel great!!" And I really did. :) This is a funny pic of me (her friend took it) but truly shows how excited I was that she was there. :) 

pretzel sticks in hand at mile 19 :) 

I saw quite a few people that day "hit the wall" so to speak. I saw a man collapse, lots of people stop to walk, and some people stop for medical attention. But on the hills- that's where I saw the most "walls hit"  These hills are no joke, but I really did feel so powerful going over them and seeing the sign that said, "you're done with the hills!!" was amazing. :) If only I'd know there are technically some other hidden hills along the course afterward...haha! :) 

Mile 22-24 were a big blur...I remember seeing a cemetery (I guess they call this the "haunted mile" because so many elite runners are passed going down  after running all those stinkin hills...your quads are not real happy going from uphill to downhill so fast and furiously).  I remember searching for the mile 23 sign and thinking "surely I missed it...there's no way I haven't gotten to mile 23 yet" but I had not...then I finally saw it.  After this, I remember seeing the infamous "Citgo Sign" by Fenway Park (where the Red Sox play) and hearing a man very loudly exclaim to himself- "there's the Citgo sign!!!" because most people that have trained for the Boston Marathon know that you only have 1...more....mile once you've reached that glorious sign. But it is very misleading- it seemed to take an eternity to actually reach that sign. I also remembering seeing the city sign for "Brookline" and thinking, "I didn't remember reading anything about going through this city....I remember Brighton....but not Brookline?!!!" Delirium had hit- I guess I was never technically in Brighton and DID know Brookline was right before I would be in Boston. :) I remember passing a guy with "how does my dust taste?" written on the back of his shirt and being very tempted to make a snide comment about him tasting my dust...but I felt a little bad. ;-) And Finally- Kenmore Square. The Red Sox played that day and a lot of people hang out to drink and watch the marathon. It's only a mile before the finish line so is a very excited spot to see the runners. I saw a runner shot gun a beer, throw it to the ground and run victoriously away. That was fun. :) My body was definitely feeling it at this point but the crowd was incredible. So much noise, excitement, and people yelling my name ("Go Kristi from Texas!!!")...it was amazing. 

And then under the bridge- this is actually where Todd and Cade accidentally saw me and got some good pictures. I had no idea at the time that they were right above me. Again- lots of people slowing down (I was dodging  around lots of walkers at this point). I think the heat really got to a lot of people that day. I couldn't have asked for a better day personally! I hate being cold while I'm running so it was awesome! 

And then the moment of glory- "right turn on Hereford-left on Boylston" :) This is where my emotions got the best of me. I was so.stinkin.excited. I had done it and this was my moment to really take it all in. I couldn't believe this was right where I had been watching the year before as a teary-eyed spectator dreaming of how incredible it would feel to be running toward that finish line. I'm crying just thinking about it. And in all honesty-I was not scared one bit. It was on my mind- but I didn't feel afraid. I felt I had conquered a fear and had achieved what I thought may never happen- I had finished the Boston Marathon. :) The crowd was amazing. The volunteers were so friendly and were congratulating us left and right. What a fantastic moment. And then I got a massage and cheesecake afterward which really-how can you beat a day like that???!! :) 

We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel in Copley Square that night which I think was the best idea ever. I got to talk to so many other runners and then was able to take some awesome pictures the next day. I was also able to sport my medal and jacket around Boston like the other runners were. :) 

I've been reading this book that Todd bought me a few weeks ago 

One of the best quotes I've read- "the decision to to run Boston can come from impulse or deliberation. But from the time one decided to do it until the moment they cross the finish line, runners are introduced to the depths of who they are, what they have undertaken, and why they are there. They have the resolve to confront life's challenges." and I completely agree. I now feel I have the strength and determination to conquer any of life's obstacles. I feel #texasbredbostonstrong :)