My Man is a Stud Marathon Runner!

On Saturday, March 19th my amazing husband ran his first full marathon!! He did awesome and I was so very proud of him.

Here is the marathoner! The day started very early in the morning. It was the Grasslands Trail Run, so we had to drive way off the beaten path into the LBJ National Grasslands near Decatur, Texas.

And they are off! Run, baby run!

There were about 100 people running the marathon that day. After I saw Andrew off, I headed back to the hotel room to have a wonderful and relaxed morning where I was able to take a shower and get into the Word. Andrew texted me at the half mark and he was feeling great and making good time.

And here he is about to cross the finish line! He did it! Way to go babe!

LOVE this pic! Love you too, babe!

As it turns out, he had a little hiccup at mile 17 where the race officials made him sit for about 15 minutes to get some color back into his face. He didn't realize it, but was pretty dehydrated. It got very warm AND he was running trails pretty much in sand the whole time. Many people couldn't believe that he chose this as his 1st marathon and kept telling us that this is one of the hardest courses in Texas. Who knew?? He did awesome and we loved being in the temporary community of runners and spouses. We also learned a lot (the hard way) about trail running. :)

He was wiped out when he finished, but he FINISHED! One of the many qualities I love about this man is that he finishes what he sets out to do. So proud of him! (And pretty sure he will be doing a road marathon in the near future. ;)

While we were out of town, Grandpa and Grandma Werley came to spend time with the kiddos.

They all had a blast together!

And they worked hard on a beautiful new flower garden in our back yard! Love it!

Thank you so much! We love you both dearly!

New is FUN!!

We were hanging out at the park with some friends and one of the moms asks me if I would be interested in a little power wheels car that her daughter doesn't fit into anymore. YES!! So they brought it over...

and these two cuties were in HEAVEN!! Thank you to this sweet (you know who you are!) family for such a fun gift!

Every time I see this picture I think of a 16 year old boy driving his 15 year old sister around one day. I AM NOT ready for that!! These two have spent many hours the past few weeks in this cute little car. Austin loves to drive and Audrey loves to be driven around like a princess (of course!! ;)

Ains loves it too. :)

We lovingly called Spring Break Week 'Spring Wreck Week' at our house this year because within 1 week our dryer, dishwasher and car (yes, my car!) died. It was stressful, but in the end (after all of our savings was depleted and my sweet hubby was D.O.N.E), we found an awesome deal on a....

'New-to-me' car!! I can't even tell you how excited I was to get this car!

Story: When Austin was an infant, we went on a little trip with Andrew's mom. She borrowed a friend's car for that weekend so that we could all ride together. I loved it and commented several times how I would love to get a car like that one day. So when it was time to search for a new vehicle we found my "dream car" that was the same model (and year) of the car I loved 5 years ago. So cool!

I am so blessed and really don't feel I deserve a vehicle like this. I am so thankful to the Lord and my sweet husband for such a wonderful gift.

Happy 4th Birthday, Audrey!

Our Little Princess is 4!! Happy, happy Birthday sweet Audrey!

At school before her birthday I brought cupcakes to celebrate with Audrey's class - Princess themed of course!

It was so cute how excited she was to see me (or maybe the excitement was for the cupcakes...;)

Silly girl!

I loved the sweet little crown her teachers made for her!

They even gave her a little gift. She felt so special! Thank you, Ms. Sandra and Ms. Vicki! You two are the BEST teachers!

Audrey, your Daddy and I are crazy about you! We thank God for bringing you into our lives and for your sweet and compassionate heart. You are a true joy and a gift from Him! We are so excited about you turning 4!! What a fun age! We can't wait to see what God does in and through you this year. We love you more than you will ever know and are so very proud of our little princess!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Pajama Party pictures to come!!

Cullen

This is one of my cousins, Cullen. He is my youngest cousin on my dad's side of the family and he is leaving this week as part of the United States Marine Corps to serve over seas for 7-9 months. To say that me and my family are proud of him would be an understatement. We are so proud, but will also anxiously await his return back to the states after he serves this country so faithfully. We went to east Texas a couple of weeks ago when Cullen was in town to see that side of the family and to give him a little going away celebration/lunch - Mauritzen style. ;) It was a great day!

Austin found a new friend right away! It was so precious watching him play with my cousin's dog! (You can't tell in this pic, but he was huge! A-town had no fear taking that red ball out of his mouth over and over again. Honestly made this Mama a little nervous!) And yes, Austin is posing in this and the next pictures. ;)

"Mommy, take my picture now." Too cute!

This beauty isn't a daddy's girl AT ALL!!

This is Ainsley's smile these days. :)

Here are some of the Mauritzen boys...

...And then a pic with me and Brooke added in. (We missed you - Cory, Suzanne and Blake!)

Papa was the "keeper of Lamby" for the day assigned by Ainsley. :)

Here is my dad's youngest brother, David and his family. Please pray for them while Cullen is gone. Both David and Jackie are strong believers and have been such an inspiration to me since I was little. Love you guys!

Love this pic with Papa and Grandma!

Ains soaking in her Papa time. :)

You never get too young to sit on your Mam's lap. Love it!

Great Granddaddy Mauritzen was there and this was the best pic I could get of him with all 5 of his great grand kids.

Love this pic of sweet Hallie and Austin!

Cullen, we are so proud of you and will be praying for you daily!