River Bank Run

It's official. I ran the River Bank Run!

I have wanted to run the 25K race since college but something always seemed to get in the way and the timing was never right. Since I was in desperate need after my pregnancy to improve my health, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to finally reach this goal. So, about 6 months ago, my friend Cricket and I began training and met every Friday since then, for a long run.

Frankly, our main goal was just to finish but we also needed to work towards something during our training so we were hoping to come in somewhere under 3 hours. I am happy to say that we finished the race in 2 hours 43 minutes and had such a great time along the way! We really had so much fun and I feel truly grateful to have had this opportunity. I can hardly believe that 9 months ago I was on bed-rest and taking high blood pressure medication. It is through God's amazing grace, the encouragement of family and friends and the support of my running buddy, Cricket, that I finally accomplished this goal. Thanks to everyone for your support!

Walking?

Lane has begun to take a few steps while pushing her favorite friend (Big Bird) on her new favorite toy (on loan from Auntie Jenn and Uncle Kyle..thanks!!!). She has been slowly cruising about the living room gaining confidence and then usually bites it when she hits the fast-paced hardwood floor in the kitchen. This is a fun new phase to watch but before I know it she's going to be off and running on her own!

MS Walk

Last weekend my family and I participated in the MS Walk in downtown Grand Rapids. My cousin, Larissa, had t-shirts made for us with the words Team Kwantes (my Mom's maiden name) on the front and We walk in memory of Francis Joseph and Richard Allen Kwantes on the back. It was a beautiful morning and such a nice way to honor our loved ones as well as raise money and awareness for those afflicted with MS. Our team was able to raise just under $2,000.00 for the cause! Thank you again to all of those who donated to the MS Society on my behalf, I truly appreciate your support and kindness!

Welcome Caleb John!

Chris's sister, Katie and her husband Justin welcomed their third child, baby Caleb, on April 29. Caleb joins big sister Addie (4) and big brother Colin (2) who are excited about the new addition to the family (for right now :) ). We are super happy for their family and love having a new nephew!!

St. Louis

My Mom, Lane and I spent last weekend in St. Louis visiting my sister, Karissa. She is near the end of her first year of teaching and although she loves her new home, we miss her dearly and just had to pay a visit. Lane did great on the 7 hour car ride there and back, and overall she was such a trooper. We had a wonderful time together touring Grant's Farm (Anheuser Busch) where we learned a little history, interacted with a ton of fun animals, including those famous clydesdales and of course taste tested the beer! Our weekend was packed full of eventful things and a lot of laughter but I think we had the most fun just all being together again.

Dad's Suitcase

I'm not sure if Laney is more excited that her Dad is finally home from one of his recent business trips or that he decided to unpack his suitcase in the middle of the living room floor. Exploring this new object kept her busy and very happy for quite some time. Ahh yes, the simple pleasures in life!

The Bathroom and the Stairs

Lane's newest obsession is the bathroom. I constantly find her in there now that she is moving about on her own. Her favorite past-times while there include; sitting on the scale (next to the toilet), looking longingly at the toiletpaper roll and wrestling with the bath mat.

This morning, she also completely surprised me and climbed our entire set of stairs!! (Don't worry Grandmas, I was right behind her the whole way :) ). I guess we should look into a baby gate for the bottom of the stairs now too. Yikes.