90/365:2 /// Week 13 of 52

90/365:2 /// Week 13 of 52, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

on me: Converse All-Stars hi-tops in orange
on kenzie: Converse All-Stars hi-tops in blue with purple polka dots
on aubrey: Converse All-Stars hi-tops in pink

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Daddy wears Converse too, but he wasn't home. ;)

88/365:2

88/365:2, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

orange
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I snapped this yesterday, but forgot to upload it until today.

This is my photo for Tuesday, March 29th.

89/365:2

89/365:2, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

monkeying around at the playground with the kids after doing a 3.50 mile run.

the monkey bars were a good way to do some arm strengthening, and these bars were a great way to do some calf stretches.

87/365:2

87/365:2, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

bright & happy colors
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one of the perks of roller derby is finding fun new socks to wear to practice.

86/365:2

86/365:2, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Kenzie roller skating with Shannon...daughter of my derby pal "Molly Hacker".

I met up with a couple of girls from Derby Lite to go skating. Sunday morning there is a Kidskate, so strollers are allowed on the floor. I thought I would just push Kenzie around, but she really wanted to skate like the other kids. Luckily, one of my friends had two kids that were really happy to skate around with Kenzie, so that gave me a chance to do some of my own skating. I was also able to skate around in the center area of the floor where Kenzie was skating and practice crossovers and stopping. It seems like she had a fun time with me, and I hope we can try to do this more regularly.

85/365:2

85/365:2, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

I've been getting kind of bored with my hair lately. I've been thinking about growing it out. Not really to a long length, but longer than what I normally have. Whenever I get to a certain point though, I get frustrated and feel like it's boring. When I added the streak that helped punk it up a bit, but it was still getting kind of blah. I had thought about cutting a long choppy bang, and just went ahead and did it this morning. So...Much...Better. I still have long enough bangs to push to the side, and the rest of my hair is unchanged. However, now it looks like it actually has some sort of style. The color looks better too.

84/365:2 /// Week 12 of 52

84/365:2 /// Week 12 of 52, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Sam & Libby ballet flats

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Got my shoe fix at DSW today. I've been wanting a new pair for awhile now, but haven't seen anything I really wanted. I had a coupon, so went to see what DSW had, and I ended up with these fabric ballet flats and a pair of Teva cork wedge sandals. I haven't owned a pair of Sam & Libby shoes since...well...hmm...junior high? The print is a little washed out in the photos, but they are a creamy color with a pink paisly floral print. They are so comfy too. I almost didn't try them on, but when I did I knew I was getting them.

83/365:2

83/365:2, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Not much to write about today. I ran over 4 miles today on the treadmill, then just did laundry and some other things around the house today. I threw all my derby pads in the wash today so they can dry in time for the start of the Spring session. They were pretty rank after 12 weeks of practice.

John went out to pick up some Brazilian food for dinner and went to buy some beer. I asked him to pick this up for me, if the store had it. I had never had until the other night when I went out with some of the girls from derby. I think I have a new favorite.

82/365:2

82/365:2, a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

These were just a couple shots I took earlier today. I need to do shots with a proper backdrop. I ended up just doing a layer to "erase" all the junk that was behiind me.

We had a professional photographer come to practice tonight, so anyone who wanted photos could show up and have their photo taken. I always end up looking like a fool when other people take my photos, so I'm not expecting anything awesome. But who knows...maybe I'll end up with at least one good photo.

81/365:2

81/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

"You are exactly
where you are
supposed to be."

--

Last night the Winter session of Derby Lite ended. We have a week off before Spring session starts. I'm excited about starting the new session. It will be so different to see how I am this time around. I'm taking this session to really nail down the things I haven't been as good at before I move on to intermediate. It's amazing how, in just the last few weeks, things I didn't think I could do, I can. I'm not sure if I will do summer or not, since it's not air conditioned and I heard it gets really hot. I think summer will just involve a lot of outdoor skating.

I'm hoping to start some outdoor training with the rest of the Derby Lite ladies next week. I'm skating in The American Cancer Society Walk and Roll here in Chicago in May. It's a 10 mile skate and I've already surpassed my fundraising goal, which I'm excited about.

80/365:2 /// 168/365

80/365:2 /// 168/365 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Day 168
Trying to sit up
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I still have to do a photo for today, but this for yesterday. Aubrey is posing with her pink penguin that I bought her at Shedd Aquarium last week.

79/365:2 /// 167/365

79/365:2 /// 167/365 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Day 167

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"When you’re in my heart, you’re in my family,
When I’m in your heart, I’m in your family.
When you’re in my heart, you’re in my family,
When I’m in your heart, I’m in your family!
Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers,
Cousins, friends, sons and daughters,
Uncles, aunts, and grandparents
I’m so glad you’re my family!"

- laurie berkner band, my family -


It was naptime for Kenzie, so I settled Aubrey in next to her for some photos. Lately, Kenzie has been singing this song, so last night I downloaded the best of album. She was really excited to hear songs that she was familiar with. It's also really amazing to see what things kids pick up on in songs. When she heard certain words or phrases she would follow along with what was going on in the song. It was pretty cute to see her so excited about a song. I have a feeling this album will be getting lots of plays now that we own it.

78/365:2

78/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Lincoln Park Zoo
Chicago, IL

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After going for a 3.25 mile family run this morning in preparation for the 8k that is just a few weeks away, we decided to go to the zoo for a couple of hours. It was nice and sunny, though a touch chilly when the wind blew in off the lake. We had a good time though mostly visiting the animals that were outside, only briefly going inside a couple buildings to warm up a touch. The last couple times we've been to the zoo the polar bears were not out, so that was disappointing to not see them again. Kenzie really wanted to see them and got pretty crabby when she realized they weren't swimming around. She was also just tired since it was close to naptime. So we headed home, and just stayed in the rest of the afternoon and evening. Sometimes I forget we live close to so many things like the zoo. Apart from having to pay for parking, the zoo is free, so we can stay for as long (or as short) as we want to.

77/365:2

77/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Shedd Aquarium
Chicago, IL

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One of my friends has a membership to the Shedd Aquarium. Since she was off work today she asked if I wanted to take the girls. So we did. She stopped here first, then we headed over to the aquarium. Kenzie saw Lake Michigan as we walked toward the aquarium and kept calling it an ocean. I told her to go stand so I could take a picture of her in front of the "ocean". It was pretty cute.

She had a lot of fun looking at all the fish. We picked out a couple toys in the gift shop (members get a discount....yay!). Kenzie chose a little stuffed turtle, but I also chose a cute pink stuffed seal for her. I chose a pink penguin for Aubrey.

After the aquarium, we stopped for a late lunch at Panera Bread, then headed home. I hoped Kenzie would nap after all that walking around and fun earlier in the day, but I think she maybe only slept for about half an hour.

In the evening, we went to a potluck at one of John's co-workers homes. Kenzie had even more fun there, getting to play with the older girls. When it was time to go, John went to go find her. She was putting together puzzles with the older girls and told him "She was playing puzzles." When we got home, I carried her into the house and asked her if she had fun. She told me that "Kenzie had fun playing at the kids' house." Even though they were all older, the youngest maybe was 8 or 9, it was good for her to have interaction with people at least a little closer to her age.

76/365:2

76/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

The day was relatively good. Ran some errands in the morning, played some board games with Kenzie (or at least tried to!) in the afternoon, got some laundry finished (not yet put away though!) and even had a little down time where I could have an afternoon coffee and watch Gilmore Girls (yes....guilty pleasure....though I've seen every episode many many times).

It's frustrating though, when the toddler decides to throw her board game pieces all over the floor after playing with daddy, and then refusing to pick them up. It's frustrating when I have to clean up EVERYTHING in the kitchen after dinner, plus put all the clean dishes away so I could load the dishwasher. Not to mention, it's extremely frustrating when the husband says I'm yelling at him for various reasons (telling him to move his cell phone because it's laying on a wet kitchen counter next to food that is being prepped, asking him if he's being careful with the baby, etc....) when I'm not...trust me, he's heard me yell, so apparently he forgot what that sounds like. So a relatively good day can turn sour because *someone* else apparently has had a bad day.


*** I might edit this text later, but sometimes it's good to document the reality of the day, right? I feel less annoyed and frustrated now that I stepped away from all the everybody and got some quiet time of my own....though the toddler seeked me out and is playing at her desk behind me. ***

75/365:2

75/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

It was a beautiful day here in Chicago, so I took full advantage of it. I did a 3 mile run with both kids in the jogger stroller and then we went to the playground for awhile. Kenzie loved it and it's amazing how different it is to be at the playground now that she is older. I didn't have to follow her around as much, and she could climb up and down everything really well. I had to help her out a few times, but for the most part she was doing everything on her own. After playtime at the park we came home, had a quick lunch, then headed out again for a walk with the dog. This year is going to be so different than last year. There's going to be a lot more outdoor time and more trips to the park so Kenzie can play.

74/365:2

74/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

I had a great workout last night at derby, and usually I take Tuesday's off from working out. This morning, however, I decided to go ahead and do some circuit training. Tomorrow I have to run, but at least it's supposed to be in the low to mid 50's so I'll be doing another outdoor run. I'm hoping to try and do 3 miles tomorrow. I'm definitely on a good fitness kick, and I'm even counting calories, and staying relatively on track. It's pretty darn awesome to already have surpassed my weekly calorie burn and it's only Tuesday!

73/365:2 /// 161/365

73/365:2 /// 161/365 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Day 161

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Aubrey still has a touch of her cold, but she is definitely getting better. Her appetite is starting to come back, though not 100% yet. Her cry is MUCH louder, so that's a good thing too. I had derby practice tonight, and before I left she was crying a lot. I thought for sure John was going to have a rough time with her tonight, but he said she wasn't so bad. She was sound asleep when I came home, which was nice too.

72/365:2 /// 160/365

72/365:2 /// 160/365 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Day 160
It might be upside down, but she's "reading".

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I went to "Get In Gear" day for Derby Lite this afternoon with a friend of mine. Basically, it's a day where prospective ladies can come and see what Derby Lite is all about. They watch a demo of what we do, and then get to strap on skates and gear and try it out for themselves. My friend is interested in signing up now that she knows what it is I do. Current members got to go out and skate first to warm up, then we did some demo's showing how to fall, stop and then we skated in a weaving paceline. Fun and scary because we "beginners" were skating alongside the skilled "original" members. Those ladies know how to skate! I can't wait until I can get to that level too.

71/365:2

71/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Aubrey is still getting over her cold, so we're just having a lowkey day. Just ordered dinner for delivery from one of favorite local Italian restaurants, since we didn't want to have a crabby baby out on a Saturday night.

A big thanks to Karin for this awesome dress. We love it!

70/365:2

70/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

The weather was beautiful today so I took advantage of it. Since I have to run an 8k in a month, and I have yet to really run outside I decided to get outside today instead of doing my run on the treadmill. I ran/walked 2.50 miles while pushing the jogging stroller with doubles kit attached. I survived it, and I can only imagine running without pushing two kids will be easier than doing so while pushing a stroller. After my run, I was itching to get a good skate, so I came home, grabbed my skates and skated a little over 1.50 miles...just doing laps around the park. It was fun. I may have gotten a few strange looks, but who cares, right? After that, we came home had some lunch then we headed out again this time to walk the dog. I put Aubrey in the carrier and let Kenzie walk with me, since we were just going for a casual walk with the dog. I think she enjoyed it, and the dog seemed to like walking without the stroller.

This sad, rusted bike was chained up to a pole but laying on the sidewalk as we walked home.

69/365:2

69/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Headed out to visit my parents and grandparents today. My grandparents haven't seen the girls in awhile, and since John is out of town it was a good day to go. We had lunch at La Carreta and spent the rest of the day at my parents house. I put my outdoor wheels on my skates and tried them out in their driveway. I really just wanted to see how it would feel and since they have a pretty good size paved driveway it was a good place to try it out. Kenzie tried her skates out too, though I think the build up of skating was more exciting for her than actually doing it. I thought it was cute when she said she was going to go "roller skating with mommy".

Now onto night 3 of sleepless Aubrey. Once she actually falls asleep for the night she makes it til morning, but it's been rough getting her to fall asleep. I feel so bad listening to her little, raspy cry. I just wish this cold that she got would move on. I wish babies could be immune...it's hard when there isn't much you can do for them.

68/365:2 /// 156/365

68/365:2 /// 156/365 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Day 156

poor baby got the cold that everyone else in the house got. kenzie was sick too, but seemed a lot better today. I keep making sure I use the nose bulb to clear aubrey's nose, and I used saline drops earlier today to help with her nasal passage. she has a raspy, mucousy cough and I really am hoping the humidifier in her room will help with that. she's sleeping really peacefully in my arms right now. I'm sort of afraid to move her to her crib. last night she only would sleep if she was in my arms, but at about 3 a.m. I had to move her to her own room because I couldn't sleep with her next to me...fear of rolling on her or covering her by accident with the blankets. she didn't even wake up, so I'm hoping I can get a repeat of that and she'll sleep through the night.

67/365:2

67/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

John is in Minnesota for a few days for onsite client training. With both kids being under the weather, I have a feeling this is going to be a long few days.

66/365:2 /// 154/365

66/365:2 /// 154/365 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Day 154
5 months

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This wasn't quite the shoot I planned to do for 5 months, but these turned out pretty cute, so went with it. It's just been a little busy around here, and I have some catching up to do with some projects.

65/365:2

65/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

I had so many things I wanted to get done today, but didn't really get as many done as I wanted to. This morning I went to a skate clinic with the Windy City Rollers. It was an hour long, but a really great class. We focused on t-stops, plough stops and crossovers. All things I really needed to work on (still do!), so it was nice to get that extra time to do that. After I got home we went out to get lunch, but before that stopped at a sports store to pick up some stuff. John wanted to get some more weights for his weight bench, and I wanted to get a new mouth guard...one that has a strap to attach to my helmet. I actually like the fit of my cheapy strapless one better. It just seemed to mold better and stays in place better, but I'll give this one a shot and see if I like it after using it at class.

Apart from that, I didn't really get much else done. I wanted to do a 5-month photoshoot with Aubrey, but didn't get around to it. I did do a 2 mile run on the treadmill, so at least I got that accomplished. Hopefully tomorrow and the rest of the week will be more productive.

64/365:2

64/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

I got a little behind on uploading my 365 shots. This is from Saturday. She has a touch of the same cold I have apparently, and wasn't really in the mood for photos. She looked so cute, I had to get some shots.

John's parents came by in the late afternoon to see the kids and then they babysat while we went out for a couple of hours for a friend's birthday.

63/365:2

63/365:2 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

dark circles be damned! turns out I do have a cold, including sneezing and watery eyes. I've been loading up on cold meds to try and kick it to the curb, but I don't want to be too out of it as I'm going roller skating tonight with one of my derby gals. hopefully, I won't be so out of it that I'm falling all night. fortunately, it's just an open skate, so nothing competitive and all I have to do is skate at my own pace and take advantage of extra skate time. yay!

aubrey turns 5 months old tomorrow. where the hell have the last 5 months gone??

62/365:2 /// Week 9 of 52

62/365:2 /// Week 9 of 52 a photo by daisy plus three on Flickr.

Toms classics

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Woke up with some congestion and a runny nose today. Not sure if it's allergies or a cold. I feel fine apart from the nose, so I'm thinking it might just be allergies, or maybe a touch of a cold. I apparently jinxed myself on Tuesday night because I said to John that I've been lucky and haven't gotten sick in awhile (the last time I was sick was right before Aubrey was born, and that was 5 months ago). I'm going to hope this is just allergies. I guess I have to see if it gets worse.

61/365:2

61/365:2
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

cupcakes!

I finally went out to get some Flirty Cupcakes while they were in the neighborhood. It was cold, but I only had to walk about a block and a half. A long block, but not that far. There was quite the line of people waiting to get cupcakes, and since I was there I thought I would stock up for a couple days. The minis were perfect for Kenzie. She was excited to have one her size. She was excited to have a cupcake period. She wouldn't eat lunch, and I finally just gave in and gave her a cupcake. I wanted to eat mine, and at least she ate something. They were pretty tasty. I have to keep them out of sight otherwise I'll want to eat them all. That would just defeat the purpose of my 2.50 miles on the treadmill this morning.

60/365:2

60/365:2
Originally uploaded by daisy plus three

Since the sun was shining and the temperatures were a little warmer, we went for a walk. Ended up doing a 2.50 mile walk with both kids and the dog. If I thought pushing Kenzie in the stroller and walking the dog was a workout, pushing two kids in the stroller and walking the dog is even more of a workout. The dog needed a long walk, and I think she was pretty happy to get it today.

After Kenzie's nap, I went up to her room so she could come down for dinner. She was pretty crabby, not uncommon especially if she's still sort of sleeping when go and check on her. Sometimes she is just cranky and we just have to leave her alone. I had a feeling she wasn't feeling well since she kept coming over and wanting to cuddle with me. She went to sit by herself in the leather chair, and was all curled up with her Eeyore and Monster stuffed toys. John sat down by her and was asking her if she felt ok. We were trying to get her to tell us what hurt, but the next thing we know she threw up...right in the chair. Ugh. We cleaned her up, gave her a nice warm bath and tucked her in bed. She felt warm, but isn't running a fever. Hopefully she can sleep it off and feel better tomorrow. This is the first time we've experienced this kind of sick. She's been sleeping soundly for the last couple hours, so hopefully will sleep through the night. I'm prepared to be awoken tonight though. I just hope whatever she has doesn't spread to the baby.