T-3, 2, 1

T-3
In three months, I'm running the MCM. Holy goodness... I'm going to run 26.2 miles... alongside Marines... and real runners.  I'm terrified.  I've done 18 miles so far for my longest run; I know I will make the distance but damn am I still nervous!!!  I have yet to make my D.C. plans; I need to find a place to spend the weekend.  My plan (so far) is to take the train into DC, stay overnight, run the next day, stay another night (because, really, I'm not sure I can do that distance and get on a train!), then leave early the next morning.  I should finalize my travel plans... I really should...

T-2
Bobby and Maya turn three and start preschool.  My stomach just did another round of flips. We've decided on their birthday party. We're reserving the playyard at Mr. B's that they love so much. It's actually quite cost efficient, and we'll do pizza, fruit/veggies, and cupcakes. I plan on making chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, and topping them in different colored buttercream. Their party is a Saturday evening (6:30-8:30), so I can make the cupcakes that morning. My dad offered to do face painting. Should be fun! I ordered the invites, and cant wait for them to come in so that I can mail them out!

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I think they'll have a blast. We're reserving the cafe area/play area, so it will just be our friends/family, so I'm hoping the adults will have fun too, since it is an enclosed area where the kids can safely play and the adults can supervise while hanging out.  We'll see.

And then there's school... September 11th is their start day.  They will be freshly 3 years old and going off into the wide world without me. From the day they start walking, they head in the opposite direction, and this is sort of the culmination of that I suppose. It's only 2 mornings a week, but my heart already aches. I hope they like it and have fun. I hope that my tears are greater than theirs (I wont be able to handle it if they are miserable and crying). I worry especially for Bobby, since he tends to want me more than Maya at this point, and I worry for her because she will be a mess if he is upset and she cant calmn him. I keep just hoping for the best.  We still have 8 weeks or so... They'll be fine... They'll be fine... They'll be fine...

T-1
VACATION!!  Normally, we are solid autumn vacationers, but since the kids will be in school, we are going in August. CANT WAIT. We're going to VA with my in-laws for a lovely week away from it all. The kids had a blast last year and I'm pretty darn excited to go back, to take them to the childrens museum again, and to do all the fun things they seem to love. They'll be almost a year older and I'm sure they'll love the waterpark and hiking even more than before.

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I have a confession to make... I love The Mentalist. I've been DVRing it and watching episodes from the first seasons during naptime. I've seen all of season 1 and am in the middle of season 2. Not sure what it is... It's like a cross between Psych and Law & Order. I kind of dig that. :) Definitely not child appropriate though.

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Peter and I are planning a date around The Dark Knight Rises. I admit it. I kind of like Batman. Especially Christian Bale's Batman. I'm not too much for action heros, but there's always been something about the Dark Knight that gets under my skin (in a good way). So, lunch, movie, and coffee after to chat about it. Now to beg my MIL to sit the kids for the afternoon... ;) We arent usually movie theater folks, but the first two were quite awesome on the big screen, so this will be our guilty pleasure. :)

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I love making apple pies with apples from my own trees... I love making pear and peach cobblers from the fruit that drops off our backyard trees... This whole grow-your-own thing is pretty nice. :)  (I think Peter quite enjoys this too!)  Next on the agenda? Dark Chocolate Raspberry Decadence Cake, made with locally picked raspberries and preserves from our favorite orchard! YUM!  There's a local Raspberry Bramble wine we'll open with it too... YUM YUM!

On that note... We're off to Tabora's local (new!) store and to the farm store down the way to get eggs!