First Days, First Words, & First Dashes, Oh My!

Did no one think to warn me that I'd be much (much, much, MUCH) busier "staying at home" than working full-time?  Far too often I find myself looking at the calendar realizing how much time has passed since I last captivated you with some Hjelmstad tales of yore. At any rate, sorry it's been so long...again. As such, I'm copping out and resorting to the all-in-one update. Apologies.

On the docket:
1) The Warrior Dash
2) Ethan is 10 Months Old!!!
3) Marie Starts School!!!!
(Note: Understand that #2 and #3 bear far more significance than mere exclamation points can convey).


DASH ONE, DASH ALL!
For those who haven't the privilege of being accosted by our exciting Facebook news feeds, I must share that last weekend we became official Warriors! We drove into the mountains with some friends for the long-anticipated Warrior Dash, a 5k obstacle course in which one jumps over fire and scales plywood walls insurmountable cliffs and clambers through the muddy depths to emerge victorious! (All while benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)! In our case, we did so with gusto...while sporting some fabulous costumes. I volunteered my old Army uniform items so we could run together as Army gals, and Peter (who refused to be seen in uniform so soon after being set free) chose to honor his other great love (second only to me and the kiddos): a Chipotle burrito! What with a few rolls of green bubble wrap and a few yards of aluminum foil, he couldn't have looked more delicious. Seriously, I was almost appalled by the looks he was getting...I mean, it's not every day you see both men and women, old and young checking your husband out. A few people even asked to have their picture taken with him; it was almost like escorting a celebrity around! The race itself was a ton of fun, and not too difficult considering the fact that it was our first adventure race and we did zero--and I mean zero--training. Peter burrito shuffled his way ahead of all of us, and the amazing marathon runner of our group was nice enough to stick with me so we could cross the finish line together. And also to make sure I didn't end up collapsed and wheezing in the mud at 10,000 ft. Thanks, Kristin! And many thanks to the rest of you lovely ladies who convinced us it would be worth it! (If you're really intrigued and have time to kill, you can see the professional action shots of Burrito Man and me here ...bib numbers 77166 and 77165 respectively. There are some real gems).

Ladies before the race, a tasty burrito, the muddy aftermath,
and one fabulous Warrior helmet/medal! 

10 MONTHS--WOAH, BUDDY!
Moving along...guess who's 10 months old today? And has already said his first word?? And took a (sort of) first step and is about to walk?!?  I'm sticking to pictures and videos on this one since I'm sure I'll need to save every ounce of my sappiness for two months from now. In the mean time, my battery is constantly dying while I keep my phone on video trying to capture those first real steps. Slow down, little man! Sigh.

The Fabled First Word (melts my heart):

E-man on the move: Climbing the stairs, mad that I locked him behind the gate so he couldn't escape to climb the stairs again, and rifling through the cabinets testing every single empty sippy cup to see if there's a delicious beverage awaiting him. Also discovering that he open can the oven drawer and deposit the aforementioned sippy cups. How is it that I've never had to childproof an oven drawer until now? And how does one exactly go about childproofing such a thing? Suggestions welcome...I'm also thinking it'd be worth it to never move again simply to avoid having to install child locks on another entire set of kitchen cabinets!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Speaking of slow down...
Let's all take a moment to honor the millions of tissues sacrificed this year for first-time school moms everywhere. I only went through one box myself. (Only one!) For the longest time my sweet pea has been super excited to start pre-school; she's been marking off each day on the calendar with an X, constantly walking around scribbling in her notepad delightedly doing "homework" (we'll see how long that one lasts!), and on the First Day of School Eve we surprised her with her first backpack and a little old-school supply kit complete with ruler, pencils, and a pencil sharpener. In her excitement, both pencils have already been sharpened into studs. She loved every second of her time at school, and I foresee lots more Kodak moments as our avid little learner continues to amaze me in the year ahead. My, how fast they grow!