LITTLES + LOVES // DECEMBER 2016

We have had quite the week this week.  But, I can't complain... It's meant a lot more cuddle time with my kids.  And the weather is turning colder, so we've been able to cuddle up next to the fire place, with the Christmas lights on!// littles //We are only a few weeks away from Miles' 2nd birthday!  He is growing SO much + SO fast!  All of a sudden he went from a baby, to be a walking + talking toddler who can tell us exactly what he wants.  He is just as opinionated as his sister, and also another BIG talker in the family.  Between the other 3 in the house, I will barely be able to get a word in.  I do love listening to him chat up a storm though.  Nothing makes him happier than playing with his trains and eating cookies!  We can't even mention the word cookies anymore because he will start asking for them relentlessly.  The best thing is, if we ask him a question, he can respond yes or no now too!  He has also started calling MacKenna "Kenna" instead of "sissy", which is just about the cutest thing ever.  He is a silly, busy little guy and I'm hopeful he stays that way through the "terrible twos" (as all of us veteran parents know, 3 is SO much worse than 2 though).The big news really is with MacKenna, though.  MacKenna had her 2nd (and hopefully) final eye muscle surgery on Monday.  If you are new to my blog, MacKenna's left eye suddenly started to turn in a week after her first birthday.  After an MRI, we were able to rule out anything serious causing her eye to cross (you know, like a brain tumor) and she was diagnosed with acute 6th nerve palsy.  We did patching for several weeks but did not see any improvement in her eye, so she had her first eye muscle surgery on both eyes when she was 15 months old.Her first surgery was very successful and fixed the majority of the problem; however, with trying to move the muscles around correctly, it takes a lot of "guessing" (which I guess it's nice for a surgeon to have some leeway in accuracy during a surgery) and while it definitely straightened her eye out, she still had some movement up and to the outside from time to time.  We did a little more patching and continued to see the eye doctor every 6 months, and decided to have a second surgery done to fix the problem once + for all (hopefully) before she starts Kindergarten next fall.  This was much more of a cosmetic procedure than anything since it is not noticeable all the time, but we were all a little nervous that it would start to become more noticeable by other kids + teachers.  We always warn her teachers ahead of time just in case they notice it, but it just wasn't correcting itself so we knew another surgery was probably our best option.She was SO brave before her surgery, chatting it up with the AMAZING nurse anesthetist, and not crying one bit.  After surgery was a different story.  Once she woke up from anesthesia, she was just not happy.  They had a patch on her eye that kept her eye closed and it pulled on her skin.  But, once she fell back asleep and we got her home, she was SO much better and was her old self again.  She ate + drank well and didn't stop talking.  Her eye is still healing, but the alignment is near perfect now!  We really won't know how successful the surgery was until after Christmas, but we are definitely hopeful that we can stop going to the eye doctor every 6 months...// loves //So, is anyone else enjoying the fact that it's not ungodly hot anymore?  No?  Just me?  While I don't necessarily love this weather, I definitely prefer cooler temperatures over the sweltering heat.  Colder weather means jeans, sweaters, scarves, coffee, and lots of nights spent by the fireplace.  It also means lower mileage and less time away from home for Matt + me since we aren't coaching school sports right now (run coaching is a year-round deal for the side hustle though).  It means more time with family + friends, and lots of gatherings!  I think October, November, and December are BY FAR my favorite time of year for those reasons in general.  I just absolutely love being surrounded by people I love, eating + drinking good food + beer, and stay warm + cozy inside!The other thing that I am absolutely LOVING lately - and is probably no secret - is investing in my business with a business coach.  I cannot brag about Jasmin enough!  She has helped me make this coaching gig a reality and the girl knows her stuff!  I've had a HUGE success with my Facebook ads and she has really helped me put value on my services.  She has a new Run Coaching Business Starter starting up at the beginning of January, and I am telling you, it is a STEAL for everything that you are getting!  Basically in the two months of this new program, you are getting everything + more that I got in my 6 months of working with her!  Let me know if you want more info - I get absolutely nothing from it, I'm just going through it myself!  If you are thinking about becoming a run coach, whether you work full time or just want to do something you are passionate about, this is the way to go!  I'm so super sad that I don't get to talk one-on-one with her anymore (or at least not about MY business), but she has brought me so far in 6 months time!Oh, and can I just brag on my runners a little too?  First of all, one of my besties is KILLING it with her running!  I've been coaching her for about 8 weeks now for her first half marathon at Rock 'n' Roll Arizona in January.  In these past 8 weeks, she is eating better than ever and has set a new 5K PR by at least 4 minutes - on her treadmill I might add!  She has a great support system in her husband at home (who is also running the race with her) and has helped push her to be such a great runner!  I absolutely LOVE when my friends become runners and I am able to share with my passion with them!