My mornings go a little like this.....

So, this morning wasn’t unlike most mom’s mornings (minus the specifics) before school and the race to work…. Those mornings are hectic and fast paced for everyone (well, not my children, they move slower than a turtle stuck in peanut butter…. But for all mom’s out there)

Here is a run down of how my day started:

• Rise & shine it’s 5:30 am and time to start the day!
• Spend couple peaceful moments to myself, the standard: bathroom, wash face, check out social media & the weather channel (which ruined my day “Feels like 7”… you’ve got to be kidding!), do makeup, and pick out my work clothes (let’s be honest this is the easiest part of my day, I only have to choose whether or not I want long sleeve or short….. I wear jeans and orange everyday. #uniform #MakesLifeEasy).
• Go to let the dogs out and our lovely mamma dog who is fully house broken has taken a giant dump and peed 5 gallons on the floor. Perfect, just what I wanted to do at 6 am.
• Time to whip out the carpet cleaner
• Now that that’s taken care of it is time to take care of (i.e. clean up more messes) and feed the 8 adorable puppies.
•  Insert me sitting on the ground for a good 15 minutes just playing with the little fur balls!!
• 6:30ish- kiddos come alive and demand milk and breakfast… now let’s be real I didn’t slave over a hot breakfast but they did get homemade muffins with their fresh cereal.
• Immediately start hounding them to hurry up & eat “we can’t be late today” (I say that almost everyday and it gets me nowhere, you’d think I’d learn)
• Start load of laundry and nicely fold throw onto my bed load from the dryer and start dish washer now that turtles have finished their cereal. 
• Sure, I could skip these chores in the AM but they are there when I get home so it makes me a happier person to get things started.
• Insert, “get dressed now” discussion
• As I am hanging up clothes on drying rack I get attacked by a ninja with his sword. Thank you Leonardo, now go potty and brush your teeth.
• Thank the lord Kailee is old enough that I don’t have to bug her 100x to get dressed.
• Help Kailee brush out her hair and remind her to brush her teeth.
• “Pate! Go to the bathroom before you pee on the floor!...... now!  I am turning off Mickey…..”
• Start packing lunches, all homemade items uncrustable & lunchables were on the menu today. 

• My lovely husband calls me to remind me that since I failed to plug in the truck (oh diesels in the Midwest winter!) I should go outside right now and start it. 
• At this point I was not in the mood to be “told” what to do, in his defense he was trying to be helpful but I was not too friendly in my response. Sorry Hubs!
• “Pate, did you wash your hands? Nope? Go back in. and put some clothes on” I swear, 3 year old boys think being naked is the best!
• Run outside in the “feels like 7 degree” weather to start the truck… it started right up! (Praise the Lord!) and feed the cats.
• Oh geez… crying kid “Kailee, what’s wrong?”  She wanted to play with the puppies but I cleaned the whelping box & put the puppies back before she was up.  I explain to her that we were going to be late so she needs to wake up earlier if she wants to play with the puppies before school. Which only led to more crying because I didn’t tell her to set her alarm…… really kid? Stop it.
• Okay, everyone is dressed… “jackets & gloves on!"
• 10 minute prep to get jackets zipped, gloves, hats & shoes on. Only to have to take Pate’s jacket off when actually getting his in his car seat.  What a pain in the ass that is.  I get it, he is safer (which is why I do it) but it’s not fun to stand in 10 degree weather to get his jacket off and then back on when we arrive at our destination. #ImissTheDesert
• “Pate, did you ever wash your hands?” Ugh, come on lets go.
• Okay, get your bags, it’s time to go!
• Do the drop off with both kids and race to work because my 15 minute reminder just went off for a meeting I thought was 45 minutes away. Shit, I'm gonna be late.
• Pull in the parking lot with 5 minutes to get inside to my office, change shoes, fill my coffee cup and make it to the basement to the meeting.
• Walk in the door and literally one of my employees is there bombarding me with questions that I already answered yesterday!  #AintNobodyGotTimeForThat

• Make it to the training with 2 minutes to spare, take a deep breath and start the day.
• The training was actually pretty good and I was actually enjoying it….. when my phone rings
•  “Mrs. Tuttle, this is the school nurse….. Kailee is in here and….”
• I slowly gather my belongings and walk out of the conference room.
• The thought "Well, I guess this morning was a waste" crosses my mind has a start up the truck again. 

A dog and his girl

In talking to perspective puppy parents I've talked a lot about Hitch & Reba's personalities/temperaments.  In doing that I explain how Hitch (the dad) was my 1st baby and how Kailee is "his girl".  They've grown up together and she is his favorite. 

There is not good way to describe the love between those two other than in pictures.

                           

This dog has put up with a lot... but they love each other. :)

I run because

I like medals? Just kidding..... Kinda, I do love getting those racing medals.  Everyone gets a trophy! #IAmAMillennialAfterAll ;-)

I run because I can.  I don't HAVE to or dread it as much as I used to, not to be fast (there is walking).  It is me time, my time to think, my time to get away, to pray, I run for my kids & husband, I run to get away from my kids, to breath or TRY to breath, it gets hard,  I run to not think about work or life's stresses, I run for me.  It's something I never thought I would do or enjoy.   

I run because I never regret it. 
  

My first race at the end of March and I signed up for the 2nd one as we were driving home that day. I caught the bug.  If anyone as the chance to do the diva dash, do it, the atmosphere was awesome for my first race. Not so awesome was the 25 degree weather before the race started. 

  

Running an evening race in 95 degree weather with a heat index of 102 = Not so awesome.  

But it just makes finishing even better!

I was so excited to run with my sister, (who as I like to call her is a "real runner"- I do NOT fall into this category), little did I know she was going to push me harder than I imagined only to have me PR by 3 minutes!!! #HatedHerDuringTheRun Now if she just lived closer to be a pain in my ass more often. 

 Oh, I also didn't know this race was uphill for the first 2 miles.

(FYI- during this run 1/2 of my face & my entire body was swollen/covered in poison ivy. It was really awful) 

So, I'm starting to become one of those people, the annoying ones on social media who talks/post/pins/etc (I know, I'm already THAT mom!) about running.  I'm okay with that, I'm proud of myself and if you don't like it. Well, un-friend me. :-) 

**Disclaimer- doing a blog about running does not mean I think I'm a real runner or fast-ish.  I know I'm inconstant and pretty slow (or lazy?). I also know this was all over the place! :) 

Godparents

Two weeks ago the whole family traveled to Texas for Nora and Tres' baptism.  We are so happy we were able to be there and share in such a special day. Reed and I had the honor of receiving the title & responsibility of Godparents to this amazing little girl!!! We are humbled and beyond blessed to have been chosen. 

'All of God's grace in one tiny face'

Would you look at that smile?  Even with the cereal all over her face you can't help but want to kiss her all over!!! 

The Tuttle cousins after church.  (Pate thinks her muscles look really strong in this picture!)

As always the weekend went by too quickly and never enough time with the family. However the time we did share was full of laughs, story telling, quick trips to ALLSUP's, cuddles with kids, leg wrestling with Aunt Lonnie and love!  Can't wait for the next Tuttle reunion. 

The moments to remember

I have over 1,600 pictures (between what I took, Lonnie, and then the Photopass people) and I was going to do a post of good pictures and stories from the trip then I realized that's the same thing I have in my facebook album (though not all of them) so I thought I'd share the pictures that I will remember forever.  Not the pose in front of the castle or get a picture with Mickey Mouse type pictures... the pictures that I make my heart smile, the moments.

Running their little hearts out at the hotel....

Add caption

spelling out her name

Kailee jumping up and down when she got her "first" real view of the castle... 

His little hand waving SO hard during the parade... and I don't have a picture of it but when his hand shot straight up to ask "Crush" a question during Turtle Talk.  I would give anything for him to have been picked to see what he was going to ask! 

Dancing with the kids at the "Move-it Shake-it" Parade

Kailee when she saw her first princess (it was Cinderella).

These two kids who rode around in the double stroller (Thanks Aunt Lonnie for hooking us up!) and looked too cool for school.... and of course fought about who was taking up too much room!

I waited in line for 1.5+ hrs to meet Anna and Elsa and it was worth every minute, it made her trip!! Not to mention she was in her Elsa dress... EVERYONE commented and asked where she got it, that made her feel so special!

Pate always wanted to see the princesses but only from afar

The characters were all awesome, they made the kids feel like they were the only kids in the world. They were funny and the kids loved them!!!! Gaston made them (and me) laugh so hard. 

Just having good old fashion fun with my family....

It was the biggest pain in the ass that Pate would NOT look at and certainly would not smile at a camera... he resorted to closing his eyes during pictures.

Mine & Kailee's "kiss fight", as she calls it, at dinner

Pate was BEYOND ecstatic to meet Buzz & Woody (picture is him jumping to "infinity and BEYOND!") only to be so shy when we finally made it up to see them. 

 Pressing Buzz's buttons

Doing anything to keep Pate busy while we stood in line, which may have included handing him a phone or letting him poke my eyes out.... hey, he was happy!

The look Kailee gave the princesses when they talked to her (seriously, check out facebook... the look is there with all of them!!!) or the giggle when Alice made faces behind Kailee's new fan.

This hot sweaty little boy who just wouldn't stop!

The only place I wanted to eat was the Biergarten, I am sure you can guess why but here is a hint... 

and I was nervous the kids wouldn't make it... well they had the time of their lives! 

One of Kailee's favorite things was being a "wilderness explorer" at Animal Kingdom, she was so into learning and getting her badges (we did NOT schedule enough time at this park... we won't make that mistake again).

Being with this guy.... we have to spend far too much time apart during the week because of his job....

I made an effort to be "in the moment" and not behind the camera (though the thousand-ish pictures say otherwise). There is SO much we did and saw that we have no pictures of and just didn't pick up the camera but regardless I will never forget those things!! I can't wait to go back, next year! ;-)