No Idea Why He's Always Bruised....

Boulder Half Marathon

Sunday morning was a pretty big deal for me- my first Half Marathon! Running a half has been a  goal of mine for a while. However, there really weren't many races, if any, in West Virginia. Luckily, there's no shortage of races in Colorado!! My friend Erin has helped me train and I couldn't have done it without her!! (This would be my amazing friend adopting from Africa...Check out her blog here to see how you can support them!)

 Hanging out waiting for his momma to run by!

 Seriously, check out that view!!! It was a beautiful run!

Asher missed his momma during the run!

In some ways the race was easier than I expected, and in some harder. During the run I didn't think I'd want to run another half, but when it was done and over it seems doable to do it again! Erin joined me for the last 6 miles, which really helped to have her push me. My time was 2hrs 15min...slower than I had hoped, but not bad for my first! Now I start training for the spring half!

Starting Him Out Right!

Pumpkinfest

We headed out to the local pumpkinfest yesterday. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! It was sunny and just warm enough but not overly hot! Here's a few pics of the day:

We picked out a great pumpkin! I envision myself making a great pumpkin pie out of it, but we'll see if that really happens or if it just looks great until it rots, as usual! The festival gave out some healthy snacks, which Asher loved! They had free pony rides (the line was too long to wait for us), and had some great music! We'll definitely be back next year!

Can You Give $1?

So I have this friend. Her name is Erin and she's amazing. We met about 7 years ago at the gym we worked at. Very rarely, it's totally and completely apparent that God sends someone directly into your life as an instant and life long friend. This was one of those times. We became fast and close friends. We both got married within a few months of each other- mine a 300+ amazing wedding...hers an elopement in Colorado equally amazing. I've been blessed since meeting her to be present at each of her 3 children's births. Since Asher made his appearance early, she was there waiting the day I got home from the hospital. She moved to Colorado in 2006 and we started moving from state to state in 2008. We've often dreamed and wished we lived near each other again. In March God moved us to Denver......40 minutes away from Erin. Have I mentioned how good God is to us?? It's been so amazing to be near her and watch our kids play together. I can't explain how happy it makes my heart.

Now, this post isn't just to tell you what an awesome friend I've been blessed with. Erin and her husband have decided to add to their family, this time through adoption. As a Christian, and someone who has adopted and multi-racial siblings; I fully and completely believe adoption is something very close to God's heart. The Hansels have felt led to adopt from Africa and will be trying to do it debt-free. Please, please, check out their story on their blog here. Read their story, and if you 'feel led, please donate $1 or whatever you can to their paypal account:  erinmhansel@hotmail.com. Let's show this family some love and get them that much closer to bringing home their baby!

Bridal Shower!

Yes, I realize this is horribly late, but I'm choosing to ignore that fact! While we were in Missouri for Nicole's wedding, I had the honor of throwing her a bridal shower. It was a fun day with all her friends and family. Here's a few pics of the day!

The decorations and desserts....red velvet cupcakes and reeses cupcakes! 

Unfortunately, our camera broke the day of the wedding so I don't have any pictures from the big day, which I completely hate!! Nicole was such a beautiful bride!! We're so happy for her and everything wend wonderfully!

We've Got Snow!!

Here's the view from our deck!

Asher's Favorite Pumpkin Muffins

We've been fully embracing fall around here. We love the cooler temperatures, warm soups, and pumpkin everything. Asher has been loving pumpkin! He'll eat plain pumpkin puree as happy as can be! Yesterday morning was pretty chilly, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to bake up some pumpkin bread! I took our family recipe and tweeked it so it's much healthier, but still just as delicious! Asher begs for more! Here's the recipe:

1 c Quinoa Flour
2 1/2 c Whole Wheat Pastry flour (you could use all whole wheat flour, but I like the nutritional boost of the quinoa flour)
2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/3 c water
4 eggs
3/4 c oil (I'll switch this out for plain greek yogurt next time, but I was all out)
2 cans pumpkin
1 3/4 c agave (or1 1/5c honey )

Whisk all the dry ingredients, set aside. Mix all the wet ingredients, then fold into the dry. pour into loaf pans and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out crumbly.

This makes 2 loafs. I only have 1 so I made one loaf and poured the rest into cupcake liners and made muffins! As you can tell, Asher thoroughly enjoys the treat!

 Saying 'Cheese!!' while eating! He's multi-talented!

 Easier access if you lay down next to the plate while eating.