Crispy Sage and Green Apple...on a Grilled Cheese

Thinly sliced green apple and crispy sage (pan fry in butter) are actually really good on a grilled cheese sandwich. Sage was one of the herbs we planted last year and it has lasted ever since, with very little maintenance. It's huge now. I needed to find ways to use it and found this Martha Stewart idea. We still have more sage than we know what to do with. Sage anyone?

1/2 Marathon, Air Show

Jade likes to try on new things. She walked out on the patio with Daddy's hat on this day. Through out the day, she brings me multiple shoes and clothes to put on her. I guess this is what a girl does.

Jade likes to play with Westin's toys.

Jade likes to play in the pantry.

Westin in a helicopter.

The Thunderbirds (above) did an show and it was pretty awesome. Westin wasn't as thrilled, but Wes and I really liked it.

Also on the 30th, we went to the Air Show at Beale Air Force Base. It was free and Westin loved seeing all the planes. Here he is sitting in the cargo plane. He was looking around at everything in awe.

I ran my first half marathon on the 30th. It was alright. The first five miles the trail was completely packed (3000 runners), and we (s local running friend, Becca, and a couple of her friends) were bobbing and weaving through the best we could. The first 9 miles we were passing people. I completely ran out of steam at the end. I actually walked on the last mile, for a little bit here and there...oops! It didn't seem like any of my long runs before had been that bad, but they had been done a month or more prior to the race. I think I would have liked to have trained better the last month., but Ragnar had been my focus. All in all in went ok with a 9.30/mile average.

The Ragnar. Westin is 3! Grandma, GG, and Papa Wayne Visit!

GG and Papa Wayne came to visit and took us to the Oakland Zoo!

Westin and Izzy.

Izzy, Papa Wayne, GG, Whitny, Jade and Wes.

Papa Wayne, Jade and Westin.

The elephant...most of the reason we went! San Francisco and Sacramento don't have elephants. Westin had wanted to see one for quite some time.

Jade walked most of the time.

The boys weren't in the stroller much either. These 2 are 6 months apart and have a good time playing with eachother. Westin is always so excited when he gets to see cousing Aidan.

Wayne had a birthday while they were here, so we got to help him celebrate. Westin and Aidan had fun dipping their fingers in he frosting.

Westin being a flamingo.

My mom came down to help out with the kids while I was gone for the Ragnar Relay. They had fun with Grandma. She was a big help.

Church Mommy and Me Easter Egg Hunt.

One of several birthday celebrations for Westin's 3rd birthday...excited about his new fishing pole! GG and Papa Wayne brought yummy lasagna and cake over. The pictures turned out blurry, even worse than the other blurry pics on this post.

In the morning he got his birthday pancake. We actually do this a few times a year, because occasionally he asks and I see no reason not to!

The Sunday before Westin's birthday, Grandpa Mulligan, Shirley, Whitny, Bruce, Aidan and Izzy came over to help us celebrate Westin's birthday. Westin got some giant supre soaker guns from Grandpa and they came with a Slip and Slide. He is going to have fun in the sun this summer!

Westin is 3! He is so much fun to watch and definately gives us a run for our money! He is constantly moving and making noise. He likes to pretend he is all kinds of things. Sometimes when we put him to bed at night, he will refer to me as Mommy Jaguar, Wes is Daddy Jaguar, Jade is Sister Jaguar, and he is Baby Jaguar. He likes to sing and he often is singing bits and peices of one song or another. We can't wait until he is old enough to play soccer. It will be so great for him to run, run, run, and he already can dribble the ball across the lawn really well.

Jade and Bruce.

Great picture of Westin and Grandpa Mulligan.

Westin doesn't fall asleep with stuffed animals. He does often take tools, his fishing pole, Buzz Lightyear, or trucks/cars to bed though. This night we thought it was funny that he grabbed his crazy Oregon duck to fall asleep with. We thought GG and Papa Wayne would appreciate this picture, considering what avid fans they are of the Oregon Ducks. They gave him this duck last Christmas.

Jade being cute. She is a talker, likes to dance, eat, and stay active just like Westin. At her last appt (14 months), she came up on the lower 5% for weight. She is a tiny little thing, almost 19 pounds.

Ragnar is a relay series run by a team of 12. Our 200 mile run started at Huntington Beach and ended at Coronado Island. I only had to run 21 miles of it, broken into 3 separate legs-an 8, 6, and 7 miler. I ran through Corona, Carlsbad, and Imperial Beach (San Diego Bay). It was a lot of fun, but we were pretty much awake for 37 hours, which didn't hit me until I got home. The next few days were a little rough. My team was the Domestic Divas. Ha, ha...yes, there is nothing "diva" about my domestic skills! We wore aprons. It was funny.
This is a rattle sdnake that approached us at one of our exchange points (where you drop off one runner and pick up another). Apparently it was about a foot from me and rattling. Fortunately at this point a crazy man (he kind of went off on a tangent of inappropriate things) sitting at the picnic table told us to get out of that area, because it was an active aviation zone and thus a restricted area. Starting point.
The team at the start.
Us and the other team (friends from church) at dinner the night before the race started.

Me with the big timer. Our first runner started at 715am.
Me in action. Flattering, I know. I always had to wear a reflective vest, because any running before 645am and after 645pm required "night gear." We were also required to wear head lamps at these times, but I usually just held mine.