photo update

Hey ya'll!! So, lots has happened in the last month!! Scott finally took the 2 actuarial exams he has been studying for for the past 5 months (we won't know the results for another 6 weeks or so), we moved to Greenwich, and did our first Ragnar Relay race together!! Each of these events deserve their own post, but since I'm such a slaker, I'll just combine all here in a general post.

Moving day was one of the more stressful days of my life- everything went as well as it possibly could have, but I was on pins and needles all day, worrying that the movers would totally rip me off or destroy my stuff or not be able to fit everything (including our king size mattress) up the tiny stairway to our apartment. I had to coordinate things all on my own since Scott had to work and had his big exam the next day. If it weren't for awesome friends willing to babysit Peyton all day long and others offering to keep me company during the move and help me clean, I'm sure I would have had an absolute nervous break down. I can now say that I am proud of myself for doing all the packing, organizing, hiring movers, and everything else that goes along with a move on my own. I hope we won't have to move again for a long, long time. And when we do, it certainly will not be before an exam! We really like our new place and especially being able to explore a new area. We are right on the border between Connecticut and New York (literally- you can see across the river to Port Chester, NY from our front porch) so we kind of get the best of two towns. We are less than a mile from the Byram beach, the train station to NYC, COSTCO!, Michaels, the library, an elementary school, the freeway, and lots of restaurants/shops. It is truly a walking area which is great for us because we love being able to walk everywhere.

So, we moved and the next day Scott's mom, Sherry, and little brother, Jonathan, came to visit from Utah. It was so great to see them again. We ate lots of good food, visited, ran errands, shopped and just enjoyed each other's company. Then that Friday Scott and I awoke at 4:30 am to head off for the New England Ragnar relay race. This is a really unique race- it covers the 200 miles between New Haven and Boston. Each team consists of 12 runners split into two vans. While one van is running, the other van rests. The running van meets each of their runners every few miles to provide water and cheer them on, so even when you aren't running, you are actively involved in the race. The other van had some way fast runners, so our van usually only had about 3-4 hours to rest before time to run again! Each person averaged about 16 miles broken up into 3 legs. Scott and I only had to do 12-13 miles total. I was a little disappointed about that because I felt great the whole time and actually ran quite a bit faster than my usually very slow pace. Anyway, we had so much fun doing the race and would absolutely recommend it to anyone thinking about doing one. It was also just really nice to be away with Scott without having to worry about Peyton. We haven't been away from him overnight for more than a year. After the race ended on Saturday, we stayed in Boston with some friends and saw the USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, and of course ate at Mike's pasties and Mr. Bartley's burgers. We got home Sunday evening, exhausted but full of great memories. Peyton was already asleep for the night when we got home, but when I got him out of his crib the next morning, he was very excited to see us. He hugged me around my neck and clung to me for about 5 minutes, only loosening his grip to lean back, smiling and staring at my face, sometimes touching it gently as if to say "is it really you, mom?" It was one of the sweetest things!! It was nice to have a break, but so great to come home to him.

This was at one of our van exchange points: Hammonassett Beach. One of the most beautiful New England beaches I have seen

We all seemed to spend a lot of time doing this in between running. I don't know if it's nerves or what, but races just make you have to go ALL THE TIME!

We had to wear this reflective gear from 7pm-7am.

Me handing off the baton / wrap bracelet

This was during Scott's hardest leg where he ran up and down steep hills for 6 miles during the hottest part of the day. He did so awesome! See that cute church behind him? There were lots of quaint scenes like that along the way.

The Finish line in Cambridge, MA, next to Harvard Stadium!! We all got medals for completing the race and an awesome t-shir, as pictured

No trip to Boston would be complete without cannoli's from Mike's

U.S.S. Constitution

Ahh Mr. Bartley's burgers! or should I say, sweet potato fries

Since then, we have been busy setting up the house and trying to have some fun as well. I got sick with a bad stomach virus for five days, so that put things on hold, but we are now back up and running. Scott and I went into the city last weekend to see one of our favorite singers, Sondre Lerche, perform live at the Bowrey Ballroom. We thought the concert started at 8, so were a little dismayed to find that he actually wasn't scheduled to perform until 11! That put us home at around 2:30 am. It was such an atypical date for us- we rarely leave Peyton for longer than a few hours and have NEVER picked him up at 2:30 am! Thank goodness we have such nice, understanding friends! We owe them some serious babysitting in return. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera so didn't get any pics of the night. But if we had remembered it, you would be seeing pictures of Little Italy lit up for the weekend, delicious pesto fettucini at BREAD cafe, window shopping in SoHo, an unforgettable concert, and of course the past-out-cold drunk being dragged off the train by his friends on the ride home. Anyway, a great date for sure!

Here are is the promised photo update of our doings:

Peyton and I went to Cove Island beach (the closest beach to our old place in Stamford) with some friends one morning before we moved. He LOVES the sand. Especially pouring it all over his head.

Peyton at the Stamford Nature Center- he got really excited about the farm animals. I have never seen a rooster that big and feathery in my life!

These are way overdue, but they were taken on easter. Isn't that the cuttest Easter outfit?

Scott took Peyton to the city a few weekends ago while I was sick with the flu. They had fun in Central Park and at that toy store from the movie Big (you know, the one with Tom Hanks?)