Drowning doesn't look like drowning.

First read this excerpt from the article linked below:

To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning

Andy and I read the following article this morning, and it was so informative and eye-opening that I am going to share it here as I just did on Facebook. It is especially helpful if you have children or spend a lot of time around water, but I think anyone can benefit from reading it.

http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Have a safe and happy summer!

Big girl undies!!!

I can now say with confidence, "No more diapers for Camryn!!!" A little over a week ago, we decided to go cold-turkey with no diapers for her, and within 3 or 4 days she was using the potty exclusively! We are so proud of her and her little big girl undies! She tells me when she has to go, even if we are shopping or at someone else's house. We were at the Shelton's lake house for Memorial Day weekend, and I think she had once accident the whole weekend. It is really incredible!

Carson is growing and changing like crazy too! He can do the army crawl now, and sometimes gets on his hands and knees. He pulled himself up to standing on my arm today, and is starting to try to stand up in his crib. In addition to his milk diet (haha), he feeds himself real food at every meal now. He cries when his food is gone, and wants whatever you are eating (he doesn't care what it is, if someone else is eating it he wants it). It is hysterical.

Besides potty training, eating, and crawling, we have been busy taking the boat out, getting ready for our beach vacation (in a little over a week!!), and trying to stay cool in this 95 degree weather! Here are some new pictures:

At Jordan Lake:





Carson:



Eating Grass:


As I mentioned, a week from Sunday we are headed to the Outer Banks for a week! We rented a beach house with two other families, and we can't WAIT to get there! Preparations are underway...

The Produce Box: UPDATE

I am so loving this!! We have received two awesome deliveries from The Produce Box so far, and it has been great! We have gotten blueberries in both boxes, which are Camryn's favorite. The green squash that came last week was unbelievably good, as were the tomatoes we received this week. I have cooked with radishes, kale, and garlic scapes...items that I would not have otherwise used. It is like one big adventure that I am excited for each week, and as a bonus we are eating TONS of extra vegetables. I have been trying to take some pictures both of what we get in each box, and some of the things I have been cooking.

Last week's box:



Close up of the NC roasted peanuts that were in there...sooooo good!!


Pan-fried green squash...this was amazing:



This week's box:



Garlic Scape Pesto and Parmesan Stuffed Tomatoes:






Pasta Salad with Parmesan, Tomatoes, Onions, Radishes, and Kale:




Also on the menu for this week: grilled zucchini, cabbage rolls, kale chips, and strawberry smoothies!

Now I can't wait for Friday (the day I get to choose my box for the upcoming week) and Wednesdays (delivery day!) every week. :-)

The Produce Box

Ok, I am so excited about this little thing called The Produce Box that I had to write a blog entry about it!

The Produce Box is a local service that delivers produce grown in North Carolina to your home on a weekly basis. You pay $15 for the season (March through November) to cover boxes and containers, and then you pay $22 a week for your [BIG] box of produce. There are four boxes to choose from each week, each with a different combination of in-season vegetables. You can choose to add on more of certain items for an additional cost as well. The vegetables are harvested by local farmers the day before the boxes are delivered, and only in the amount ordered by the produce box founders, so everything is super fresh and ripe. I just ordered our first box which will be delivered next week, and I CAN NOT wait!! Here is what it will have in it:

Box A (Grilling and Snacking!!)

TWO pints of Blueberries
Romaine Lettuce
Sweet Red or White onions
Green Squash
Garlic Scapes (like scallions)
Roasted NC Peanuts
Local Herb Seasonings

You also have the option to skip a week (or skip several weeks) if you are going to be out of town, or don't need more produce that week. I will post an update and a review with pictures next week!!!

Smoky Mountain Relay-A Success!

Last weekend proved to be one of the most challenging, sleep-deprived, exciting, and satisfying weekends I have had in some time. We set out from Raleigh on Thursday evening, headed for western North Carolina to participate in the Smoky Mountain Relay. The race started at 6am on Friday, and of course we did not arrive in Brevard, NC where we were staying until 2 am. A 4am wake up call meant that we all got about 2 hours of sleep the night before the race...NOT GOOD!! Despite lack of sleep, a horribly marked course, and severe disorganization of the race directors, team Wii Not Fit came through with a stellar performance! Every runner on our team completed all 3 of their legs, and the support we showed for one another was outstanding. We also helped other teams along the way (shuttled runners and loaned out socks and shoes for a team who locked their keys in their van, helped get another van out of the mud, and shared water with runners for other teams along the course).

Here are some pictures from this crazy adventure:

Van 1 (the first 1/2 of our team) at the starting line:


Andy and I, on the course in the middle of nowhere:


A pretty view from the course:


Mark "Track Coach" Fisher handing off to Andy at the leg 12 exchange:


Andy celebrating the last 1/4 mile of his 3rd and final leg:


We are already in the planning stages for future relays...stay tuned :-)

A special thanks to Nana for taking wonderful care of the kiddos while we were away...events like this one would not be possible for us without her help!

Strawberry Picking 2011

Andy and I took the kids to the strawberry farm on Sunday to get our hands on some sweet berry goodness! Camryn LOVED it. Last year she liked it too, but this time she actually got to pick some strawberries and carry her own bucket. What a riot! I had Carson in tow on my back, and within 30 minutes or so we filled two big buckets, one for Nana and Papa and one for us.














I can't help but think of strawberry picking with my mom and sister in my younger years. I hope Camryn's strawberry picking memories will be as fond as my own! <3

Camryn's Birthday Festivities

On Camryn's birthday, Andy left work early so that we could all spend the afternoon together. We (Andy, Nana, Carson, and I) took Camryn to Monkey Joe's and then out for ice cream. Monkey Joe's was a huge hit, as was Coldstone Creamery:







Then on Saturday, we got our party on with a cookout at our house in honor of our little princess' second birthday. We had burgers and dogs, pasta salad, strawberries, watermelon, goldfish, juice boxes, and a cake made of Krispy Kreme donuts. Bubbles, balloons, chalk and the water table out for the little ones. Here are a few pictures:










I think it's safe to say a good time was had by all (especially Camryn!!). Cheers to an even brighter 3rd year for our little girl!

I can't believe our little girl is 2!

Bridge Run 2011

We went to Charleston, SC this past weekend to run the Cooper River Bridge Run. Andy took off Friday and Monday from work, so we were also able to do some "exploring". It was our first true mini-vacation as a family, and we had a BLAST.

I wasn't sure how Camryn would do, but she loved every single minute. She loved the novelty of being in a new place and seeing new things. She loved the hotel. She even loved her "big girl hotel bed" (aka the pull out couch in our room). Seeing how much fun she had made the weekend infinitely more enjoyable for Andy and I.

When we arrived in Charleston on Friday afternoon, we went to the expo to pick up our race packets, and then took a rickshaw to an italian restaurant for dinner. Our driver (biker?) took us past several horse drawn carriages which Camryn thought were wonderful. She loved seeing the "Nay Nay Nays". Our food was amazing.

Shelton family on the rickshaw:


We hit the sack early on Friday night, and got up around 5 on Saturday morning. Camryn woke up once during the night and was upset because she didn't remember where she was, but once we went in and reminded her, she went right back to sleep like a champ. We got ourselves ready, then got the kids up around 6, and we all jumped in the truck and made it through traffic to the starting line around 7. Thank you Great Papa Hines and Great Uncle Bill for pushing the kiddos so Andy and I could run. We met up with them for the hand off, and Andy and I made our way into our starting corral. It was then that I realized I had been so preoccupied with ensuring that the kids were comfortable, had snacks, etc, that I forgot to leave my pants in the car! It was cold-ish in the morning when we left the hotel, so I put pants on over my shorts. But it was warming up quickly, and I knew I would be way too hot if I wore them. I took them off and hid them in a bush so that Andy could go back and pick them up after the race when he got the car.

Andy and I at the start line:


View running over the bridge:


Post-Race:


We both had a good race, finishing in under an hour. I am proud to announce that I beat Andy by approximately 3 minutes :-P The kids did great with Papa and Bill. We all went out to lunch, and then parted ways. Andy took a cab back to the truck and to get my pants. The pants were gone! Wahhhhh! So I guess my price for having a good race was a pair of running pants sacrificed to the running gods (or theives).

Andy went out Saturday night to watch the Kentucky/UConn game, and I put the kids to bed back at the hotel. They were utterly exhausted after such a long, exciting day. We planned on heading home Sunday morning, but then decided that since Andy didn't have to work on Monday, we could take our time and do something fun before hitting the road. We decided to tour Magnolia Plantation, which turned out to be absolutely breathtaking. I took a TON of pictures, none of which do the place justice.







Hunting for 'gators:


One of the many alligators we saw on the boat tour:




We are back home now and getting back to reality. We did yard work all day on Monday, which included me spreading 33 bags of mulch in our front yard. On Tuesday, I had a physical and got a tetanus shot, which has made my left arm SO incredibly sore!!! Then today, I had an appointment with the eye doctor, and they dilated my eyes. So now I have blurry vision and a headache. However, the weather is beautiful and my kids are happy, so the day is good. I have taken a few days off from running, but I will start things up again tomorrow.