Nike Women Half Marathon in DC! I did it!

There is so much to tell! I don't feel like I could ever possibly catch up. But let me just say in all caps, "I LOVE VIRGINIA!" Seriously, I do. There are so many reasons to share, but the one I'm focusing on today is the opportunity I had to run my first race because I'm here....in Virginia. I've always wanted to run the Sound to Narrow in Tacoma which is a 12k. But I have always either been pregnant, had a small baby, or just generally lacked the confidence to go out and try it. But this was the year! I have a wonderful new friend who got Thomas and I in even though registration was closed. And I commited to run 13.1 miles!

I've learned some lessons through the process of training for this. Most important is this...Your mindset is everything! Everything I tell you! The most I had ever run consecutively was four miles and I just truly believe it was impossible for me to do more. I've always been an exerciser, but it just seemed so hard to go more. So, one day I just said to myself, "Self, we're going to go six today. And it doesn't matter how long it takes." And guess what? I did six that day, I walked some but ran most of it and it wasn't really too hard. The next week I did seven, and on and on until this Sunday when I ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours 12 minutes. It was such an awesome experience. I've learned that when I'm thinking negatively that I can just STOP and change it. I've learned that I can do  things that seem really hard(of course I already kind of knew that, what with the seven kids running around here).

I love running! I'm seriously thinking that a marathon might be up next. At the very least I'm running another half and shooting to do it in less than two hours.

I have to thank Marley and Townsend for all the hours of babysitting they did for me. I could not have accomplished this goal withou you two!

Museum Day-Air and Space

We finally did it! We ventured out in the freezing cold to the Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space. What an amazing place! I vaguely remember going there as a kid and I thought going into a space ship was THE coolest thing ever to happen to me. There is so much history and information to absorb in this place. I have to come back without the kids sometime soon so I can actually stop and read everything.



 

Our awesome friend Terrill braved the chaos and came with us. Ephraim loved being his museum-buddy.
 

 

 

A skeleton in the trenches of WWI. Townsend and Jairus liked that one.

 

We got to touch a moon stone, see every kind of airplane imaginable, touch and see the capsule that the first man orbited the earth in and we didn't even loose a kid, not even once!

We only managed to make it half way through. The littles were worn out.

Tomorrow we have another exciting day in store. We're going to Mt. Vernon and to the George Washington Birthday Parade in Old Town Alexandria. I am so excited!

Karen Davidson/An Answer To Prayers

Our wonderful Aislyn is quite often the subject of my prayers. So much of the time I feel completely inadequate in raising her. Things I do with the other children just don't work for her. Sometimes things can feel pretty hopeless. But where do you turn when things are hard, when things don't make sense, when it all just seems pointless? I have learned that there's only one place you can turn. Heavenly Father. So it was at the beginning of this summer. Aislyn had spent a year in public school with tons of special help and attention and still had not made any progress academically that I could see. And her self esteem had been decimated because of the human tendency for comparison. I took her back out of school. But now what? I just wanted so much for her to start reading, to see a glimmer of hope. And so I prayed and I prayed. I prayed that this would be the summer that Aislyn learned  how to read. In my head I pictured it being a torturous summer of crying, temper tantrums but that if I persevered enough, if we worked hard enough, she would learn. 

And then I met Karen Davidson. I met her just two weeks after I began earnestly praying for my baby girl to learn to read. I do not have the words to adequately describe my admiration and love for this wonderful woman! She raised seven boys of her own and home schooled them part of the time. She has developed, written, and had published her own reading curriculum called Number Phonics. She spends so much of her time in charitable pursuits. She is such an example to me. 

She started coming to our home two days a weeks and working with Aislyn with her reading program. It has been nothing short of a miracle. Where no method or approach seemed to reach her before, Karen Davidson did! Aislyn has progressed by leaps and bounds. I have even found her reading for fun all by herself. The process has been nothing but a joy. No crying or temper tantrums. And although I was willing to do just about anything, I didn't have to. An angel was sent and did the work for me. Sometimes all we have to do is humble ourselves and ask!

I am so thankful for this miracle in our family. I am so thankful beautiful people who live their lives so as to be the answer to other peoples' prayers. Most of all I am thankful for a heavenly Father who knows and loves me and my family. He provides everything and knows best how everything can work out. 

The Newest Judd

No, I'm not pregnant(yet). But we do have a very cute and sweet new member in our family. Meet Hazel!

Marley has wanted a bunny for a very long time now. She even put together a lovely power point presentation on why bunnies make excellent pets. Hazel has been with us for two weeks now and Marley has been in heaven! I have to admit she is ADORABLE. Joan-Claire almost starts hyperventilating with excitement every time she sees her. She makes the cutest little crunching sounds when she eats lettuce and carrots. And when she's happy... oh my, you've never seen anything cuter than when she hops and runs like a crazy bunny all over the house.

Virginia Is For Lovers.....And The Judds!

             
I've been thinking I should do a better job of updating the blog and what better way than to announce that WE ARE MOVING TO VIRGINIA! It's certainly not the place we expected to go and yes, we still feel that Utah is our ultimate destination. But how fun to take a little detour all the way across the country! We are so excited to be in a place with broad-leaf trees(rather than pine and fir trees) and don't even get me started with all the amazing history and museums we'll be able to see. My most FAVORITE historical figures are Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. And now I get to go see where they called home!
There is a lot of stress ahead. A lot of plans to make and details to work out. But I just feel so at peace. God has been in control and He always provides and takes care of us. I'm excited to see what happens next!
We will miss so many people on this side of the country. I hope everyone will come to visit! We'll take you to Washinton  DC and the Smithsonian. Did you know it's free! I didn't. How cool is that?

My Motto

This is us. The Judds. All nine of us. This picture almost didn't happen. I had really wanted to get a new family picture ever since Joan-Claire was born. Picture day ended up being just one of those crappy days were everyone was grumpy or sad or whiny or just plain antagonistic. Frankly I just didn't have the energy to try and get everyone to pretend to be happy and smile. But, my sweet husband who loves me(but doesn't love getting his picture taken) saw my frustration and worked his magic and made it happen. Somehow everyone ended up happy and their smiles for the most part are real ones. I love looking at these pictures. I love having a small visual to represent all that we've accomplished together. All of these lives working together, to learn, to grow, to be happy, and to try and make others happy.
I never, ever in a million years would have thought that I would end up with a such a large family. To be honest I never particularly enjoyed children in my younger years. I was the oldest of six kids and felt my whole life was just one big injustice because of my big family. What did I know?! I was just a kid. Now, I am so immensely thankful for the experience, the work, the capacity to handle chaos and the capacity to love   I gained from growing up in a big family. It is such a blessing.
That is not to say that it is not hard. Oh, my! Most days I feel completely overwhelmed, not up to the task. Some days I just don't want to get out of bed. On the really bad days I just want to run away. But somewhere among all the trial and chaos of my day there is a beauty and a joy that is indescribable. We stand together on a foundation so solid that we cannot fall completely. And we built that foundation together, we continue to build it every day. Life is hard, it is for everyone, and truly it was meant to be that way. But the good news is- we can do hard things! I have adopted that as my personal motto lately. I CAN DO HARD THINGS!

Five Months With Joan-Claire

How did we ever live without Joan-Claire?

 

She is such a smiley, sweet, and social little lady. She loves to be paid attention to. How fortunate for us that there are so many people around to love on her.

 

Each baby that comes into our family seems to grow up faster than the last. She is rolling over, laughing, and of course putting everything she can get her hands on in her mouth. She sucks her fingers and it is just so darn cute!
 

I sometimes think,"What if I had stopped at six?" Of course I wouldn't know what I was missing. But truly our family would have been missing someone beautiful and a bringer of great joy. Oh, how I love our baby girl!