A lot has been going on since the last time I wrote. I'll give the summarized version. :)

I witnessed my first birth when my sister Angie and her husband Matt had their son Elijah "Eli" Tracy (after our dad) Poisel. The birthing process truly is a miracle, but it became more evident to me why I didn't go into a profession like nursing!





Jason also finished his first year of law school. Can I hear a hip-hip hooray?! It was probably the toughest year we've had. I thought we were going to get a nice long summer together, but it turns out he's working a full-time job with the Legal Aid Society and 10-20 hours/week doing research for a professor. Both jobs are blessings, and we're very thankful for the experience (and extra income!) they will bring. After one day at the LAS, his eyes were already twinkling.

Janie and Maddie continue to grow up, even though I keep pleading with them to slow down a little bit. Janie is now a very efficient crawler, and is pulling up on things. This makes her so happy. I think she just wants to be like her sister.


The other day our friend Drew was in town. He's traveling with Smucker's, promoting their Sundae toppings. (May I especially recommend the Magic Shell one that tastes exactly like Rainbow Chip icing?) We got to sample a free Sundae and get our picture taken in front of a green screen.


Friday night we went to the Whetstone Park of Roses, which is very close to our house. The roses are in bloom, so we thought we'd walk through. It was breathtaking, and I was sad to have forgotten the camera. We told Maddie not to touch the roses, so instead, she ran from rose to rose with her hands behind her back, would lean over, sniff, and yell, "OOh, come smell this one Mommy/Daddy!"

Saturday we went to the Columbus Arts Festival. It was a bit hot, but we had fun looking at such neat talent. Maddie also got to do a couple art activities and a giant slide.





And finally, here are a couple more random shots. In the first, I was trying to get the girls in their matching dresses. Janie obviously wouldn't sit still. The headband shots were just for fun because it was the first time I got her to keep something on her head.

In each year of college, I ran a half marathon with my dad. Tomorrow will be my first in six years! Joining us this time are my brother-in-law Matt, my good friend Adrienne, and my friend Jenny, who I've been training with here. She's riding with me and the girls to IN today and then driving our car back tomorrow (she has three kids and a husband to come back to!).
This half marathon, or "mini" as it is fondly known by its runners, is quite exciting and kind of a big deal around there. It's the biggest half marathon in the U.S. at 35,000 participants and is part of the month-long Indy 500 festivities. The middle of the course includes a lap around the Indy 500 track, which will have a hot air balloon race taking off from the center this year.
I'm also excited because (if it's not raining) my girls should be at the finish line. No one has ever come to see me finish before (well, my dad's always been there, which has been great), and I think Maddie especially will have a lot of fun.
I'm also just a little nervous. Like I said, it's been a while since I've run this! Also, Janie doesn't do well at taking a bottle (read: not at all) and the sippy cup is slow in coming. I'm a little worried she'll be screaming a lot. At least she's eating solids, so my mom can mix the milk with cereal. I think being there at the end will also distract her a little bit.
So here's to happy running (and hopefully no rain)!

It's hard to believe so much time has passed so far!


Here she is in a dress given to Maddie by our friend Bev in Philadelphia. Compare the two girls!
Janie:



This was a silly magazine cover of Maddie I did playing around with a program on the internet: