Exercise and Productivity

After a several-day hiatus from running, Curt and I mustered the strength and energy to brave the cold and go for a late evening run last night. With the cold weather and the soon-to-be time change upon us, evening runs are getting harder to do together. So, we did a circuit-type workout last night. Curt ran hard on our 1-mile loop around the corner while I stayed home with Danae. When he returned, I headed out on the same loop. While waiting for the other person to return, the at-home person did our usual sets of sit-ups. Then, when I returned, Curt headed out for a second mile, and vice versa. When we were both home, the leg lift exercises began, along with push-ups (not my favorite). Boy, it's definitely hard to get back into the groove after a few days off. Plus, I've been feeling rather fatigued lately, so that definitely didn't help. (To answer the question that is now gaining strength in your head...no, I am NOT pregnant.) :o)
In the end, it was a much-needed workout that led to better sleep and more productivity the next day. Now THAT'S what I needed!

Speaking of productivity, today is...

So far, Danae and I have tackled breakfast and painting, followed by hand, floor, and face-cleaning. :o) Now I think I'll go and organize our television/living room that seems to have blown up with toys and Cheerios. Welcome to life with a two year old!

Weekend of Travel - Part 2

After completing Part 1 of the weekend of travel, Danae and I tackled Part 2: getting to Emmaus, PA for a baby shower. After morning rain showers, (and cleaning up my little lipstick maiden)...

...the weather cleared up, and we had a terrific ride up! (Danae slept the entire way...adding to the terrificness of it.)

It was great to see my long lost friend, Janelle, again. We haven't seen each other in 4 years, so reconnecting was a lot of fun. And, of course, Danae made herself right at home, sitting with Janelle's sisters and their kids for most of the party.

Weekend of Travel - Part 1

This weekend is full of travel adventures for the Ulrich family! Curt flew one-way to Texas yesterday morning, only to meet up with a friend and start driving home right away. From there, Danae and I drove another hour (with Maryland/VA traffic, 2 hours) to visit my dear friend and old college roommate, Stephanie, and her family. This was the first time I met Will, Steph and Josh's 15-month-old son. I was told he's a big boy, but man! Pictures don't do any justice! Not only is he a cute little ham in person, but he's also 3 pounds heavier and almost 2 inches taller than Danae! Can you believe it?!

Handsome William!

Mr. William's parents, Josh & Stephanie

Danae & Will playing...or maybe fighting

Trying to get a decent picture with the kids

Despite the rain, we had a great time hanging out, playing, talking, laughing, and eating! It was wonderful to just sit, relax, and catch up with deeply missed friends. :o)

Today holds another trip for Danae and Mommy! While Curt is still driving home, Danae and I will drive a little over an hour (close to Allentown) to attend a baby shower for a friend I haven't seen in over 4 years. Hmm....maybe I'll just drive another hour north of the baby shower and go to The Office Convention in Scranton this weekend! ;)

Wordless Wednesday

The Weekend

This past weekend, we went to Ricketts Glen with our small group. (We missed you, Merle, Aimee, & Avery!) It was a great time of hiking, deer-spotting, walks, game-playing, shooting, and lots of food! Here are some pics from our adventures:




Care to see more? Check of the Manthey family's blog, then click on "Our Online Photo Albums" on their page.

Danae also had a fun weekend at home, with her Nana & Papa. My parents graciously came out from NJ for the weekend to stay with their youngest granddaughter. From the stories we are hearing from both ends, it sounds like they had a fun weekend, too! Nana, of course, took lots of pictures. Here are a few until I get more from her. :o)

Happy Birthday Logan

Today would have been the second birthday of Logan Stoltzfus, son of our friends Clark and Kara. This day (and week) will forever be in my memory. Kara and I were in the hospital together, she anticipating the birth of her child and me going through the labor for mine. She visited me during the early parts of labor and came back the next day after Danae was born. Logan Clark was then born a day and a half after Danae, only to survive a few hours and then be with the Lord.

While our hearts still hurt from that time, we know that Danae's 2-year-old buddy is in Heaven. Please keep Clark, Kara, and their families in your thoughts and prayers, as this day tends to be a difficult one.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Today is our Peanut's 2nd birthday! It's so hard to believe that 2 years have gone by already. The details of the day (or weekend, more like it) she was born seem etched in my memory, as if it took place yesterday. :o)

We love the curious, loving, polite, and creative little girl that Danae has become, and we look forward to more years of excitement and learning with her. (Warning: I have a feeling that our "it's my way or the highway" toddler has much up her sleeves, so watch out world!) :o)

Oh, and as far as Tackle It Tuesday goes...well, between storytime at the library, hanging up new curtains, playtime, grant writing, lacrosse e-mails, making cupcakes with my daughter, housework, laundry, and running errands, I got my day's worth of accomplishments. :o)

Birthday Week

It's birthday week at the Ulrich house! Our Little Miss turns two on Tuesday...can you believe it?!

Since Danae is a Dora the Explorer fiend, we decided to make her a Dora cake. Here she is midway...

...and here's the final outcome!

I pretty much just baked the cake and slapped on the background frosting (not much creativity there). Curt's the talented one who cut the cake and then drew Dora just by looking at a template that I printed out from the Nickelodeon website. He amazes me.

We'll post more pics/video this week! :o)

2nd Annual Mexican Night!

We had our church small group's 2nd annual Mexican night on Friday at the Geissinger's. The food was GREAT (everyone makes something), and we topped off the night with a pinata, candy, and a viewing of "Evan Almighty".

Here's Curt, hopping up two of the kiddos on sugar:

And here's the poor pinata. It started out good...

Then, after two whacks, it was decapitated! :o) So, it was given emergency surgery...

...and then the fun continued! Here's the outcome of the poor bull:

Another great Mexican night to be remembered! Can't wait for the 3rd annual!

Click on "Our Online Album" to see more October pics.

Rainy Day Activities

It's a rainy, dark day here...perfect for sleeping in. (HA...riiiight.) Well, Danae and I kind of did a little sleeping in, or more like catching up on sleep that was lost from around 1:30am to 3am this morning. Little Miss woke up a bit congested and kept crying. After a loooong time of letting her scream it out, we went in and found out she wanted to sleep in our bed. I think our desperation for sleep caused the cave-in, and in she came! (I must say, though, it was nice to go back to sleep after Curt went to work and then sleep until 8:45!) Now Danae is as perky and awake as ever, attempting to "play" bite me as I type this (it's still a bite and still hurts!).

Anywho, I finally had a chance to figure out how to post Anita Renfroe's "William Tell Overture" video on here, so click, enjoy, and thank God for the rain!

Tackle It Tuesday

The ladies at "5 Minutes for Mom" encourage something called Tackle It Tuesday. After a few weeks of procrastinating, I gave it an all-out try...and succeeded!
Little Miss Sunshine's closet doubles as our linen closet, and it's been out of control for a while. Here's the before pic:

Messy up top, messy down below. So, after only 15-20 minutes, here's how it turned out:

Yippee! I got something done...other than grant-writing work! I really encourage you to do the same. A neat and tidy house can clear your mind and give you the motivation to get things done! Have a happy Tuesday!

Discipline

Lately, Danae is really filling out the role of a 2-year-old (well, 8 days shy of being 2). We are handling daily meltdowns, whining, crying, and stubbornness (noooo...can't be from me!). :o) Along with that, though, we have a sweet, hugging and kissing, fun-loving little girl who talks all the time! She can be happy or angry at any minute, depending on the moment. Aaaahhhh...the joys of this time in life! Overall, it's important to enjoy EVERY minute of it...Danae will never be this age again, and I want to cherish the good and the bad.

Speaking of bad (wow, I really don't like using that word), here's a picture of Danae from one night after the fair. Little Miss had a REAL meltdown on the way home, feeling very unhappy about not getting to ride the carousel another time. Curt nips this kind of behavior in the bud, and after trying to talk with Danae, he made her stand in the corner for a minute or two. Hard times, but too cute to pass up a picture.

On another note: I am starting to add our pictures to an online album. You can check them out by clicking on "Our Online Albums" over to the right. Enjoy! :o)

PR's and Problems

This morning was the 5K PT Fall Blast race in Lititz, PA. The weather was great for running...not too hot, not too cold, and not raining! :o) Here are our finish times:

Curt: 25:05
me: 21:46

Now, Curt and I typically liked this race for two reasons:
1) the flat, fast course
2) the post-run give outs (goodie bag, prizes, and food!)

First problem: less door prizes and not as good door prizes as last year. (Oh, and we didn't win any.) :o(

The second problem lies in the finish times. My first two miles were right on my normal pace of 7:50 and 7:30 respectively. But when I saw the clock at the finish line, I just about fell over, realizing that it would mean I did my last mile in under 7 minutes and knowing that I have NEVER and definitely DID NOT run a mile in under 7 minutes. So, of course, I start talking with people, investigating this mystery. It took a listening ear and a few comments to realize that I was not the only one who thought the course was less than the 3.1 miles it was supposed to be. After getting home and mapping the course out, we saw that it was actually 2.9 miles...ugh.

Now, I know most of you reading this are probably thinking, "What is she complaining about??? They finished with great times, didn't they?" Yes, I'm really happy with my time and VERY excited about Curt's time (especially since, after calculating it out, we both would have had PR's in a 5K). But we didn't run a 5K, and we paid money to do that! Oh, well....there is nothing we can do about it except write to the company that organizes the race and let them in on the problem (yup, already did it). Posting what our times would have been for a 5K would probably make us feel better, too:

Curt - 26:48
me - 23:16

Yup, that helps. :o)

New Holland Fair

Last night we went to the New Holland Fair Parade with friends. It was a long but good parade, and we actually sat and watched it this year instead of walking around the entire time. Danae loved the candy, especially "Farties" (aka Smarties), as did Avery when we noticed her sucking them out of the little pack. :o) Baby Ryan slept through most of the parade, even when the loud, beeping trucks went by! Merle almost got clocked with a flag, and Jen, Bobbi, and Steve each enjoyed pork BBQ from Hess's...yum!

Danae and Mommy (with red eye, of course!)

The group (I couldn't see too well in the dark...let's try another picture!)
Oops...I cut people off again!

That's better! (somewhat)

The New Holland Band

Danae

Danae, Avery, and Aimee!

Ryan! (almost 1 month old)

Navy people (this one's for you, Joel!) :o)

Cyber Baby Shower!

I love checking out the "5 Minutes for Mom" site! (The link is on the upper right-hand side of this page.) They have such neat things to read, do, and find out about...check it out when you get a chance!

One of the things happening this week is a cyber baby shower for the two pregnant owners of the site (who happen to be Christian twin sisters...too cool!). A mom-owned company called Happy Panda decided to throw a shower for them, and they are also giving out prizes to others! So, there are three things I can do in order to try to win prizes, and I'm only going to do one of them, which is post a pregnancy picture on here. Oh, boy...

So...here's the picture:

Go ahead and laugh...I know the bump is huge. :o) So, now I need to post my top three picks for prizes (according to the list on the 5 Minutes for Mom site):

1) #17 (baby warma)

2) # 1 (Momagenda calendar)

3) #7

Moms, if you want to join in, go to their site and read more!