Farming and Running

THE FARM!

I am trying to come up with a cool connection between farming and running, but all I got is that they are both hard work. Pretty lame, considering farming is REALLY hard work 24/7 and running is just kinda' hard sometimes for a little while during the actual act of running. Anyway, the only reason that they are both a part of the same post is because I took a field trip to The Farm and ran a half marathon during the same weekend...

I'll start with The Farm. Some of my Ortho Wives have toddlers who are really into farm animals, tractors and farmers right now. So I thought it would be fun to take a little (budget-friendly) field trip out to the King Family Farm with the kids. Boy was I right! :) The kids loved it and my grandma and dad were wonderful hosts. My dad gave us a tour that included petting Baby, the orphaned calf, riding in the Gator and tractor, and feeding a herd of cattle. The kids were so cute, and even referred to my dad as, "farmer" when talking to him. For example, my dad gave Kinsley a cookie, and she said, "Thanks, Farmer." My grandma cooked an amazing home-cooked meal for everyone which included BBQ beef sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, apple pie AND her award-winning rolls! I really love spending time at The Farm and I am so happy to be able to share that with my friends!

This is Baby. He is an orphan. He's really sweet and cute!

This is my dad showing the kiddos how sweet Baby is.

Sari and Witt watching the herd of cattle scatter as Kinsley ran towards them.

My dad, the farmer, gave all the kids rides in the tractor!

He also drove everyone around in the Gator, or as Rebecca called it the Gopher or Golf Cart.
During this particular ride, Rebecca, Ella, Sari, Witt and Helen were in the back.
My dad, Catherine and Kinsley were in the front.

The following day, I ran the Rochester Half Marathon. It was my 9th half marathon, and I had a blast. I am already looking forward to my next one and would like to try to find another one this fall if possible. The course was scenic and there was only one hill right at the beginning. Kylie hung out with my mom, Grandma King and Aunt Debbie. They were able to see me at 4 or 5 different spots, which was highly motivating for me. Jon had to work, but made it over to see me cross the finish line! And a bunch of my friends were there supporting me as well. Sari (and her kids), Kristen and Halle, Catherine and Kinsley, and Mel and Mike all made it out. Seeing their smiling faces and hearing their cheers helped me finish strong. I felt so loved! And I beat my goal of 2 hours. I finished in 1 hour and 56 minutes. I was definitely happy with that time, and now I have a new goal for the next one! :)

Thanks for all the love! I love you all too!

Getting old...

There are days when I can't believe how old Jon and I are getting ...How can I possibly be less than 2 years from 30 years old? How is it possible that I graduated from high school 10 years ago? It feels like just yesterday that I was roaming the halls of SHS with the Pink Stars linked in a chain playing "linky or you stinky." Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I had one of those "I'm so old" weekends. That's probably because we spent some time in Hudson for Jon's 10 year high school reunion.

Along with lots of Barlow family time, we spent tons of time with Jon's high school friends and some of our college friends. We started the weekend off by meeting up with the Hudson boys and their wives (the babes stayed with their grandparents) at Barkers, a classic Hudson establishment. We chatted about old times and caught up on what is new in everyone's lives. And there are a lot of new things going on...New jobs, new houses AND a baby on the way for Chris and Tara! YAY! I can't believe how successful Jon's high school friends have become. That group of guys includes a doctor, dentist, lawyer, chiropractor, computer guy and chef/brewmaster/winemaker. They are pretty amazing!

These are Jon's buddies from high school.
Bill, Nick, John, Jon, Chad and Chris
I think I this is the same pose they did on graduation day in their robes!

The next day was the reunion, which I was more excited about than Jon. I just like to see where he came from and what he was like before I knew him. The reunion was at a cool venue...It was in a cave! The cave was cold though, so we stood outside most of the time. In the end, I think Jon was glad that he went, as he was able to catch up with some friends that he hadn't seen in a long time.

We ended the weekend with a brunch with a bunch of our college friends who now live in the Cities. There must have been 12 or 14 of us there, plus 4 babies. It has been about 6 months since we have seen most of them and it was our first time meeting the two baby boys. It was great to see those friends and their new additions too.

These are the 4 Badger Babies: Kylie (9 months), James (5 months), Caleb (almost 2 months) and Alexis (1 year).

Me, Kylie and Jon down by the river in Hudson.

9 Months!

It's that time again...I can't believe another month has passed. Kylie is 9 months old and still the best Bean around! :)

We continue to fall more in love with Kylie everyday. She is such a sweet, good-natured girl. She smiles constantly, chatters like only a little girl can, and loves to play and wiggle and roll. She is still loving her thumb, especially when she is tired or hungry. I have given her a "lovey" to sleep with....It's a little bunny stuffed animal with a rattle in it. As soon as she gets it in her hands she puts her thumb in her mouth and starts to put herself to sleep. She loves her exersaucer, her bouncer, and the stroller. We go for a walk or a run every morning with the jogging stroller, and that is usually where she takes her morning nap. It's wonderful! She also still loves to eat and drink milk. She has a bit of an impatient streak when it comes to eating. As soon as she sees her bottle, she starts to whine as if we are torturing her. Once it is in reach, she grabs for it and pulls it into her mouth.

Kylie currently has a few dislikes, including being tired and/or hungry. She doesn't do too well when she is overly hot or cold. She gets mad when she wants to roll over and there is a toy blocking her way. But overall, she doesn't upset too easily.

As for Kylie's milestones, she is still rolling like crazy. I'm afraid that this might delay crawling because she is so good at it. She is able to get everywhere she wants by this mode of transportation. She can sit independently for 30-60 seconds before she tips over, and honestly she usually tips over on purpose. She really likes to be laying down. She can stand up with our help for extended periods of time....She is getting really strong. Like I said before, she is chattering a lot and has actually made "ba" and "da" sounds. I'm really looking forward to "mama" and "dada." I try to practice those sounds with her on a daily basis. She has her two bottom teeth and is working on her top teeth. I think I can feel the top left tooth just below the surface. She is eating more and more solid foods. She eats rice cereal in the morning, fruit for lunch, and a vegetable for supper, along with her bottle of milk. She is drinking about 28-30 ounces of milk each day. She is still getting breast milk, but I am done pumping now, and only have about a month's worth left in the freezer. So we are going to have to go to formula for a month or two. She is still an excellent sleeper...She sleeps from about 8:30pm-7:30am, and naps from about 9:30am-10:30am and 1:30pm-3:30pm. Lastly, Kylie had a well-child check up with Molly on Tuesday. She did great! Her weight was 21 pounds, 8 ounces (89th percentile). Her height was 28 inches (68th percentile). And her head circumference was 17.6 inches (80th percentile). She truly is a Barlow Girl!

A Wonderful Week!

Kylie and I have enjoyed the warm weather in a few different ways this past week. My friend, Rebecca, gave us a week pass to the Rochester Athletic Club (RAC), so we have been lucky enough to hang out at the pool there. The pool has been great, but the best part is the socializing. :) Many of my friends go there, so we have had a lot of fun hanging out with them.

We have also been running and walking a lot. I am doing the Rochester Half Marathon next Saturday (Aug. 27), so we are busy training for that. On top of that, we have been walking with some of our friends. We try to walk on the trails at least once a week with Traci (and her 4 month old, Naomi), Sari (and Witt and Helen), and sometime Melissa when she is off from work. It's great exercise and another socializing opportunity for us social butterflies! :)

Last Sunday, we celebrated Kinsley Stryker's 2nd birthday. The party was at Essex Park, and they served delicious Mexican food. There were a lot of friends there, and it was good to see everyone!

The birthday girl, Kinsley, blowing out the candles on her cake!

It's been a busy, but really fun week!

A birthday bash!

This Barlow clan spent last weekend traveling around western Wisconsin for some fun with friends and family! We headed up to Hudson to stay with Jon's parents on Friday night and Saturday...We hung out, ate homemade food, and chatted the night away! Eating at the Barlow's is like Thanksgiving everyday...The food is amazing. We ate bbq ribs, mashed potatoes, baked beans, corn on the cob--it would be my last meal, if I had to choose one. On Saturday, we went to a Barlow wedding in Maple Grove...Jon's cousin, Justin, got married to Janie. It was a beautiful day and a fun wedding. It was good to see some of the Barlow relatives that we haven't really seen since our own wedding. We can't wait to get back up to Hudson soon...We love it!

Here is Alex with her birthday cupcakes!
Her mom is a dietician, and has trained her to be a healthy eater...She is the only child I have ever met who didn't want to gobble all the cake down! :)

On Sunday we headed down to LaCrosse to celebrate Alexis Engstrom's first birthday party! Alex is John (Hacker) and Kristin (Bac-T) Engstrom's daughter and one of Kylie's best friends (whether she likes it or not)! John and Kristin have a beautiful home on a hill...and they are growing a vineyard! It's soooo cool! I love visiting their home! At the party, the kiddos played in the kiddie pool, slid down the slide and opened presents. Obviously, most of the kids were older than Kylie because she isn't really into playing yet. But she did spend most of her time in the exersaucer/bouncer observing all the other kids! The food was excellent and the company was fantastic...I only wish we could have stayed longer! Happy 1st Birthday, Alex!

John, Kristin and Alex

Kylie and Alex played together for a few minutes.
This is the beginning of a great friendship caught on camera!

Kylie loved the exersaucer/bouncer.
It is way cooler than the one she has at home!

Weekends like that make me realize how blessed we are to have such wonderful family and friends!