Merry Christmas!

Halloween with my Gnome-Boy...

As much as Branden and I enjoyed taking the opportunity to dress Wilson up and show him off last Halloween, it was that much better watching Wilson interact with people, learn that strangers offer pretty "sweet" treats, and oooh and aaah at the costumes this time around.  We trick o' treated at my work on Friday afternoon and then went to Truck o' Treat at a local church.  

Branden and I had a bit of fun, too!  Just call me cupid... :)

I Completed a Half Marathon!

Well, I did it.  I completed a half marathon!  The marketer in me just couldn't leave my phone behind, so I've decided to give a quick recap through photos, videos and quotes.  Enjoy!

Before the race... I think you can see the nerves on our faces!

Team!

And, we're off!

The high of seeing a flood of people as I looked down the hill toward the Capitol was incredible.

About a mile and half in to the race, I felt a familiar foot pain - one that ended a run at three miles a few weeks ago.  I decided to keep going and just go as far as I could.  I probably made changes to my form to accommodate my sore foot because by the time I reached mile 5, my knee was hurting.  But, just fake it 'til you make it.  I kept telling myself that if I made it to mile 8, it would be smooth sailing...  well, that turned out to almost be true!

There were several quotes (modified to fit my needs) running through my head - especially throughout those last five miles.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. 

(Sign along the route)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (Team 413)

Your body will always hurt and want to stop. It's your brain that pushes through. 

Other people have struggled through battles worse than this.  Keep going.

I had a baby... I can do this!

The faster you run, the faster it's over...

And, then, I came to the last half mile.  To hear and see all of those cheering as I approached the finish line is an experience in itself.  I took off my head phones to just enjoy this moment.  For the last few minutes, I forgot about how bad my foot and knee hurt, I forgot about achieving a certain time... I just took a second to realize that I was actually going to finish!

Lookin' good!

Mom: 2:12:45   |   Michelle: 2:37:45   |   Me: 2:32:43

You Fancy Huh

The cats are officially high-maintenance.  Check out their schnazzy new haircuts!

It's not as obvious on Smokey, but Dwight was meant for a lion cut!  I was telling Branden that he could work at Ice Lounge in Cedar Falls because of his white fluffy legs... I'm so funny!  I think they are a bit cold now as they have taken over Berkley's kennel!

*Ignore the boxes in the background.  Oh, the joys of moving... 

Birthdays, Valentine's Day, A Move, New Jobs, Mothers Day and Everything In Between

Life is finally settling down, and we are finally settling in to our apartment in (or should I say "back in") Waterloo.  Wilson is getting so big it's crazy, and time is flying by due to the excitement that new jobs and adventures bring, but at least the days are longer and the weather is finally beginning to perk up!

To recap what has been going on with the Kimmichs, I will start with my birthday.  I came home to some wonderful artwork from Wilson and enjoyed a fabulous night out with friends at a comedy club in South Bend.  Also, that week, I found a job posting for a marketing position at a CPA firm in Waterloo.  I applied and, as you probably guessed, was offered the job!

We are moving to Iowa!  How exciting, but oh my word, what have we gotten ourselves into!  Since we hadn't really been planning on moving, we now needed to get our house ready to sell, find a place to live in Iowa, find a daycare and find a job for Branden - all within five weeks and from five hours away.  I don't know how, but we did it!

The house looks fantastic (and is still on the market). As hard as it was to say goodbye to the amazing staff at Over The Rainbow Daycare in South Bend, we found a great option in the Cedar Valley.  Branden started with TruGreen and has been hammering away at creating beautiful and luscious lawns for customers all over eastern Iowa, and my job has been worth the move as it is exciting and brings new opportunities daily.
 

I'm going to wrap up this lengthy blog with my first Mother's Day recap.  We visited my grandma, my mom and Branden's mom and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  Being a mom is fabulous and I'm almost positive Wilson knew that it was my special day!  He is such a charmer and knew that I would love a beautiful necklace.  I guess that Dad might have helped, too!  Now I have to plan something extra special for  Father's Day... pressure is on!

More to come... and hopefully more regularly!

Canned Meat...

I wanted to just post a quick video of how the canned meat went over.  I think we found the one thing that Wilson just won't go for!  The meat with veggies is fine, but straight beef and gravy is a no-go.  I don't blame him...

Starting Solids...

Reaction to first bite of cereal.

Wilson had his first spoonfuls of cereal on December 2.  There are three thoughts you might have right now.  First, you might think "what is cereal?"  You might even be thinking "I gave my baby cereal when they were --insert age (probably around 2 months)-- and they started sleeping through the night."  Lastly, you might be thinking, "WHAT!! They gave their baby solids before 6 months!!" 

Well, I went middle of the road on this and started cereal at almost 5 months (in between the suggested 4-6 month range) and we did cereal for a couple weeks.  Then, we entered the world of veggies.  So far, Wilson LOVES his peas, green beans, squash and carrots.  We actually haven't found a food yet that he doesn't like--looks like he inherited that trait from both Mom and Dad!

He gets pretty serious about his food.

Just a few days ago, we introduced fruits.  There was some concern on our part (probably uncessarily) that Will hadn't pooped enough recently, so we dove into the prunes first.  Of course, Wilson loved them too, and they gave us the results we had hoped for.  All is well in the Kimmich house!

Sweet potatoes, apples, pears, and bananas will be on the menu in the upcoming days and weeks.  According to my reading, we can introduce meat now if we would like, but I'm not sure that canned meat really sounds all that appealing...we'll see.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, introducing solids has had no effect on Will's sleeping habits...