Race Report: Hot Chocolate 15k/5k

We ran the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k again this year...and had a big group again which was so much fun! John and I ran the 5k together. Emil also ran the 5k but was further back in the corrals. Angie and Natallie ran the 15k. Mom, Gwen, and Kayla walked the 2 mile walk (which ended up being more like a 5k) so they could push Ada in the stroller. The weather looked a little iffy but luckily the rain held off until after we had all finished. All in all, it was a great time!

My goal for this race was just to run the whole thing. It was my first race since Kelvin was born and I hadn't managed to run 3 miles in training...but I was getting close. John and I started in the same corral so we started off together. He warned me that he'd have to take walk breaks. His first walk break was just after mile 1. I started going on ahead but then decided that I really didn't care what my time would be so waited for him. It was fun to run the whole race together, even if it meant not reaching my goal. I felt great!

The Hot Chocolate post-race party is the best! I thoroughly enjoyed my delicious chocolate fondue and everything that was dipped in it. Poor Ada fell asleep during the walk (she was up early as we got on the train at 5:30am) so she missed the chocolate.

Distance: 5k
Time: 32:06
Cost: $45.73 ($44 + $6.73 processing fee - $5 discount)
Pros: Awesome goodie bag, fun expo, family/friend tradition, post-race chocolate!
Cons: Huge race, strict corral closing times and long lines to get in to preferred corrals, weather, no strollers allowed in the 15k or 5k
Would I run it again?: Absolutely!

2 years

Ada is 2 years old! I just reread my post when Ada was 21 months old...wow, a lot has changed in 3 months! Obviously, the biggest change is that Ada became a big sister. Kelvin Sy Lenz was born on August 6th. It was definitely a transition for all of us to become a family of four but we're getting the hang of it. Ada has been very interested in her brother from the very beginning but was pretty rough with him at first. She's still a little rough at times but now she's often pretty sweet too. The sweetest thing is when I put Kelvin to bed, Ada carries the boppy pillow and my phone back to the bedroom for me, turns on the sound machine, gives Kelvin a kiss on the head, and then closes the door. In the last few days, she also wants to hold Kelvin's hand when we walk from one room to the other. I hold Kelvin down low so she can hold his hand while we walk. Adorable.

8.10.18

8.24.18

8.26.18

The next biggest development for Ada is that she's potty trained! We decided to potty train her on Labor Day weekend. We may have been insane but John thought it would be best to do it while I was on maternity leave and also while I was waking up at night with Kelvin. It definitely wasn't easy but she's doing so well with it! At school, I don't think she's had an accident since the second week or so. At home, she still has them occasionally, usually when she's super busy playing (or when we forget to prompt her). We did night time training too and it's going well. John usually wakes her up before he goes to bed around midnight and then she usually makes it the rest of the night. We have so many potties...and we take one with us everywhere!

9.8.18

We had quite a few visits from Grandma Jul and Grandma and Grandpa Lenz in the last few months. Auntie Natalie also came with Grandma and Grandpa Lenz to meet Kelvin. We traveled to Door County in September for the GA Lenz Annual Meeting. It was quite a trip with two little ones, one of who was new to potty training, but we made it! We also spent 10 days in Cochrane with Grandma and Grandpa Rohrer. We attended a friend's wedding in Minnesota, visited Great Grandma Rohrer, and celebrated Kelvin's baptism while we were there.

10.11.18 - Helping Grandma bake cookies

10.14.18 - Ada with her "TWO Grandpas!"

10.21.18 - Walking through the leaves with Grandma Jul

Ada still loves going for walks (and doing the walking), playing at the park, and her friends and teachers at school. Purple is her favorite color. She loves her cousin Ella. Her vocabulary is exploding! Since her birthday, her favorite song is "Happy Ada" aka Happy Birthday. She also knows the numbers 1 and 2. She's not consistent on the answer to "How old are you?" but she's getting there. This girl is a force. She can be so, so sweet but also so, so strong willed. She is smart and observant, picking up on little things we do all the time. I pray every day that I can be the Mama she needs me to be.

10.28.18 - Lakeview East Trick or Treat

10.31.18

10.31.18

Happy 2nd birthday, Ada Jo. I love you so very much.

Kelvin is 3 months old!

Kelvin is 3 months (plus 12 days) old! He's such a smiley and giggly little guy. He cries when he's hungry or tired and when he gets hurt but that's pretty much it. His likes and dislikes didn't change much this month though he is definitely taking more of an interest in his toys these days.

We spent the first week or so of Kelvin's third month at my parents' house in Cochrane. We went to a friend's wedding in Minnesota, visited with Great Grandma Rohrer, and celebrated Kelvin's baptism. Kelvin also slept through the night the first three nights we were there!

10.6.18 - Melissa and Dylan's wedding

10.13.18 - Buena Vista in Alma

10.14.18 - Kelvin with his godparents

10.14.18

Grandma Jul visited the weekend after we left so John and I could attend our friend Keith's wedding. Luckily for Kelvin, the events were all in the evening so when he struggled with Grandma Jul giving him a bottle, he could just go to sleep and wait for me to come home. We had a great time...and Ada loved having Grandma Jul around again too.

10.19.18

10.22.18 - Visiting Marcela and Elias

We attended a couple different events for Halloween. Ada wore her pineapple costume again this year and Grandma Jul made Kelvin a watermelon costume to wear in the carrier. Maybe Kelvin will be the pineapple next year and we'll make it work three years in a row! 😂

10.28.18 - Lakeview East Trick or Treat

Kelvin started going to daycare on Halloween. I went back to work on Monday that week but Mondays are John's days with the kids. Kelvin did OK with the bottle for John on Monday but then I had a call from them by 9:30 Wednesday morning that Kelvin wasn't taking the bottle well. John ended up going over there in the afternoon to show them how he had had the most success giving Kelvin a bottle. Eesh, talk about mama stress! Thankfully, we tried a new bottle the following week and Kelvin is doing great with that one now! Other than the bottle fiasco, Kelvin has adjusted well to daycare. The teachers all say he's a really good baby and he seems happy when I pick him up.

10.29.18

Grandma Jul visited again the weekend after Halloween along with Angie, Gwen, and Kayla for the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k. We had a great weekend, though having two kids definitely makes the weekend a little different than it was in the past. Kelvin hung out with Grandma Jul, Gwen, and Kayla while I ran the 5k, then I picked him up from them before they did the walk. It worked out pretty well!

11.2.18 - Smiling at Gwen

11.4.18 - The Hot Chocolate crew

11.4.18 - Kelvin with Kayla

Happy 3 months, little man! Thanks for being so sweet. I sure hope you stay that way!