My baby girl....

Is starting pre school in just two weeks! I can not believe that we are at this point. She is starting with a bunch of her cute little boyfriends and girlfriends and i can't help but get emotional about it. She is going to go out into this world and have a life of her own, she is going to make a difference and change peoples lives, i just don't want her to go yet. 

I know it's only pre school, but everyone says, your going to blink and it will be college. Its like the snowball effect, once you hit that first day of school the days fly by and before you know it your sending her off to college. Ok, well maybe not that fast. I am also so excited for her. I am excited she is going to meet new people and figure out how to maneuver in her own little world. I just love that thought of that. 

Olivia is going to a nursery school called Mustard Seed. It's an adorable little Christian school down the street from our house. All the kids in our neighborhood have gone there. The teacher is actually a friend of Brads and mine from College. She is amazing and so kind. I know she will be in good hands!

The one problem we are running into is making it to the potty to poop. She is a master at going pee pee, but the poo poo not so much. So in the next two weeks we will be working on that. She has to be potty trained before she goes. I know she can do it! 

It still shocks me that she is going to school this fall. I am so excited to meet all the moms in our class and make more friends. I am so excited for this next chapter in Olivia's life:) 

Your can't run for a while....

Words that a runner never wants to hear! I started having some problems with my IT Band a few weeks before the half marathon. I was determined to run anyways. I saw my knee specialist and he told me it looked like my IT band. He said, "rest it until the race and if you feel good enough to run it, then go ahead." I was determined. This was a goal of mine since i gave birth to my second daughter. I figured if i could have a baby totally naturally then i could do anything. Let me tell you, a little IT Band pain was not going to stop me. So i did the race and ran decently, but now my IT Band is bothering me more then ever.

I went to my Internist today, (i love her by the way. She is maybe two years older then me, has kids my kids age and is a big runner. We have a ton in common. She actually said to me today "let me know when you plan on #3 because we most likely will do that at the same time". She is the best. She understands all the stresses of working, raising children, stress, house hunting and everyday life. She is amazing.) she checked out my leg and sure enough, she had the same issue after running the half last year. She told me i HAD to stop running if i ever wanted my running career to continue. AHHHHH Running is one of my passions, not to mention it makes me feel amazing, strong and full of energy. She went on to tell me i need to ice it twice a day and use a roller. I am determined to have this fixed!

On another note she did say i could spin, do my weight classes and anything else that doesn't involve running. Still there is nothing like running. So i am kind of sad about it. I am looking at it as a way of cross training and getting other muscles strong so that when i do get to run again i will be faster and stronger!

Faster and stronger, i like that!  

Rock and Roll

This last weekend i completed my first of many half marathons. It was the Chicago Rock and Roll Half! It ROCKED to say the least. It was absolutely perfect out. The weather started off 66 and cloudy. You have to understand that was my biggest fear signing up for this race. August in Chicago is usually very hot and very humid. We had clouds, sun, rain, sun and more rain as we crossed the finish line. It was amazing, hard, exciting, emotional and exhilarating! I felt strong!

My darling husband came down with his bike and met me at 4 different miles. Mile 3,7,12 and the finish line. He was an all star.   i started feeling tired i turned the corner and there he was. It gave me strength just to see his smile. My dad came down and biked as well, he was at mile 6, 12 and the finish line. Finally my amazing friend Meg came and cheered me on at mile 5 and then at mile 12.5 she jumped in and ran with me about a quarter of a mile. She was amazing. Then there was the man who was there cheering me on through the whole run in my head and in my heart. I saw him at every turn! He kept my head in the game and kept me light on my feet. I felt like every mile i crossed i thanked God for giving me the endurance and strength to be able to accomplish all of my goals! I LOVE YOU ALL! The support really helped get me to the finish line.

When i got home my babies ran right up to me and my little Olivia said, "mommy great runner" she is just too cute. Honestly i was in a lot of pain on Monday, but today i feel awesome! I can't wait to run the next one. Dare i try for the 20 mile pre marathon race in September. I know if i do that, then the marathon is unavoidable. It makes me nervous even writing that down. Will see how i feel and what these new Brooks will do for my running. Brad got some great pictures below.

Oh yeah, my time was 2:23 with my two long bathroom breaks it was 2:10. My watch said i ran just under 10 min miles. I was pretty happy with that!

It's amazing how they are always watching...

Today i sat down to do my Beth Moore Study, Breaking Free (second time doing the study, i recommend it to everyone) the particular day i was studying couldn't have come at a more perfect moment in my life. Beth gave a little excerpt from a book she had just read called, It's Always Something, by Gilda Radner. 

"When I was little, my nurse Dibby's cousin had a dog, just a mutt, and the dog was pregnant.  I don't know how long dogs are pregnant, but she was due to have her puppies in about a week.  She was out in the yard one day and got in the way of the lawn mower and her two hind legs got cut off.  They rushed her to the vet and he said, 'I can sew her up, or you can put her to sleep in you want, bu the puppies are okay.  She'll be able to deliver the puppies.'

Dibby's cousin said, 'Keep her alive.'

So the vet sewed up her backside and over the next week the dog learned to walk.  She didn't spend any time worrying, she just learned to walk by taking two steps in the front and flipping  up her backside, and then taking two steps and flipping up her backside again.  She gave birth to six little puppies, all in perfect health.  She nursed them and then weaned them.  And when they learned to walk, they all walked like her."

I mean how crazy it is to think that your little ones are soaking up EVERYTHING your saying and doing. Always following you around to get the "right" cues on how to act in the crazy world. It literally made me cry reading this. It just solidified the way i want my girls to grow up and in order for that to happen i am going to have to change a few things in my own life. They aren't massive changes, but defiantly necessary ones. 

So happy after the morning i had today that this is what God, literally placed in front of my face. Thank you for the reality check:) 

I want my girls to learn from example. To always give and not expect anything in return. To volunteer your time and enjoy it. I help others always. To love unconditionally. To always have a heart for God. I want them to be prepared for this world in the best way possible, and thats exactly what i intend to give them! 

Its Official...

Wanted to share in the excitement with all of you. My business is official. The forms are filled out, the business have come in, the website is done Kathryn Hastings Photography my Facebook fan page has been created, check me out and "like" me:) and i have a new blog address specifically for the business, http://kathrynhastingsphotography.blogspot.com/.

I. AM. So. EXCITED! I wanted to share all of this with my wonderful blogger world of friends! If your in the Chicagoland area and like what you see, give me a call and we set up a date:) I can't wait for this business to just take off.

I wanted to thank my awesome husband for pushing me to start this with the amazing confidence, love, motivation and determination he instils in me. I love you, your my rock!

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

The BIG 30

Yesterday was my birthday and i turned 30! YEAH! What a great day it was. I woke up at 4:45am to go for a run with my friend Kelley, remember we are in Chicago and its a sweaty 103 degrees here. So at 5am it was probably only 85 degrees with 100 percent humidity, you can guess we didn't run the whole time. When i got back i walked my dogs and went to breakfast with Brad and the girls. Olivia gave me two cards, one from her and Whit and the other from Brad. The girls card was hand made and was as sweet as could be. Brad's card was so exciting. It had a trip for two to CO in October! I was so excited i could hardly stand it! 4 night away from everything. I can't wait!

When we got home i had a sitter come and watch the girls so i could get my licensees renewed, seriously they make you renew it at 30 and charge you $30 to do it. Oh the state of Illinois how i do love your scandalous money sucking ways. I got home fed the girls lunch and then we all napped for 2.5 hours, heavenly! I got up and Brad got home early, so a girlfriend and i went to get pedicures. They were amazing. We got home and set up for a small BBQ we were having with a couple friends. It was so nice to be able to hang out with everyone and spend some quality time with the people i love.

I was exhausted by 930 and we hit the sack!

It was a great 30th birthday. My hubby and i are hitting the town Saturday night for dinner, i can't wait!

Whitney's 1st Birthday

My Darling Whitney turned 1 on July 3rd. I can't believe that she is already a toddler. This year has just flown by. She has brought so much fun, joy, laughter and a ton of LOVE into our lives. She again in my heart walking outside my body. It was so great going from a family of 3 to a family of 4. The transition felt pretty natural to us. It's still shocking to me when i look at both of my girls. They are the loves of my life. They are little mini mes and i just adore them every single day! We had a great party with great family and friends. We are so grateful and thankful for our family and friends. Miss Whintey just had a blast and so did we! Happy Birthday Whitney we love you with all our hearts!