April 2014

Finally, oh finally, spring has shown up and decided to grace us with its presence. The temps have finally warmed and the days are getting longer and more and more time is being spent outside. The kids have been in heaven now that we can spend long chunks of time outdoors instead of cramped inside watching Frozen for the 200th time (ok, I kid, but at least the 50th) time.

We finally got Mason's helmet so he could start riding his trike outside. He's not quite a fan of the trike just yet.

Free cone day at Ben and Jerry's

Enjoying the bubble machine on the porch. One of the best outside inventions ever.

A surprising moment of the month was that both of Mason's last 2 molars finally broke through. I noticed the left one had broken though in 2 places and the right had just barely peeked through the skin on Easter Monday. He has never gotten 2 teeth at one time so seeing them both was surprising. And then in typical fashion, I teared up a bit thinking it was the last time I would spot new teeth in our house. As much as I've moaned about the teething drama in this house, and here I was was being all sappy about it. We've still got a few more weeks of drama while the teeth come all the way through, but we can see that light at the end and I know he'll be happy to be pain free. 

One of our most exciting events in April was the Charlotte Racefest Half Marathon. Todd decided after I finished my first half in November he wanted to do one, too. So, I kept my training up over the miserable winter, mostly on the treadmill. I was so burned out on running those last few weeks were just torturous. I've decided that I like running well enough, but the long distances are just not for me. However, we both stuck through training and made it to race day. The weather was perfect and all conditions were great for the race. The course was really nice, except for this beast of a hill at mile 7. I was also a little perturbed that we were running down Providence Road in one lane and cars were zooming past us in the next lane. But, I managed to deal with all of the challenges and beat my November time by about 30 seconds. Todd was happy to finish the race in 2:45 and I was so proud of him. We are both rid of the running bug for now but I am considering running Thunder Road again in November just to prove I can have a better race. I will make the final decision in August on whether I run it again. Right now, its a no. But, my stubborn pride might get me when it starts to get closer, so we'll see.

We celebrated Easter this month and I promise, it gets more fun each year. Aubrey hyped it up so much this year that by Easter Sunday, we were all excited. What's even more important, though, is that she is understanding a little more about what Easter means. I love that she goes to a Christian preschool that can teach her those lessons. I sometimes wish she could continue in a Christian school where she can learn more about God and Jesus and not be afraid to talk about it. But, that's a story for another day.

However, I can say that she was still a 5-year old little girl when it came to the idea of the Easter basket. She even shocked me by taking a picture with the Easter bunny at school. She was so excited to see her basket and enjoy all of the Easter egg hunts. Mason was excited just from being around Aubrey, but it was still fun to watch his enjoyment. We also did our annual spring pictures at Todd's parents' house before the kids enjoyed their egg hunt.

The last piece of excitement for April was that I got a new car! Our local Toyota dealership had been harassing me for months to trade my Highlander in by saying they could lower my payment. I knew better than to fall for that line of crap, but my curiosity got the best of me so Todd and I discussed going in to talk to them. I finally went in and test drove a new 2014 Highlander and it was love at first drive. But, I knew I had a feeling it wasn't going to work that night and I was right. The dealer was crazy on their offer for my car and interest rate for the new one, so we left. I was sad, but determined that I wasn't going to be screwed. 2 weeks later, the dealer called asking what it would take to get us in the car. We named our terms and magically, they agreed. My new payment is $4 more than my old payment, which really makes me laugh. The whole car buying process pisses me off, but it is what it is. Todd and his family are good at the car buying and negotiating so they've trained me to play the game, despite my hatred of it. I did have a moment of sadness when I handed over the keys to the old car because there were a lot of memories tied to that car. But, I know I don't have to worry about maintenance or car repairs for the next few years and that's a good thing considering my old car was coming due for some work. And this car should last a good long time and be able to handle all our little family can throw at it over the next however many years we drive it.