BIRTHDAY PARTY + is this on your brain all of the time too?

In case you missed out on last week, the most viewed posts were:

*I wore jeans + I HAVE SOMETHING TO WORK FOR NOW!

*What your Body Does & Friday Favorites

*Quiet the negativity + my fastest mile + don’t you love it when this happens?

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Sundays are my off days from pretty much everything besides snuggling and staying in pajamas until the last second possible.

I really gotta make sure to get Skye’s neck clean during bath time… there are a lot of rolls there these days!

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Eventually we did make it out of the house to go to church.

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And then we came home to Skye and Andrew.

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The kids were pretty excited to get decorating for the birthday party we were having at our house.  We celebrated my dad’s bday, my nephew’s bday and mine all in one party.  PS I have celebrated my birthday with my dad every single year of my life… It’s our thing.

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I was very impressed with how well the kids know me… they put together my favorite trail mix of candy and did a good job mixing it all up.

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I bet you can guess what we requested for dinner—>  my mom’s lasagna.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Garlic bread, veggies and salad too!

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Skye loved her time with grandma.

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And her great grandma too!

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And then Andrew pulled out his masterpiece.  My love language:

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A four layer yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  It was incredible.  He wins.

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My little nephew was speechless (and shaking with excitement… I’m not even exaggerating) when he opened his new Cars toys.

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Curly wrote me a letter that made me cry.

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And my mom gave me this book.  I can’t wait to read it!

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Pretty sure it feels like it was just a year ago when I was holding my niece just like this and now she is holding Skye.

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And now let’s talk about the random things I’ve been thinking about:

*Does anybody else love the athlete profile stories sometimes more than watching them actually compete?  I LOVE watching the behind the scenes of what these athletes do to get to where they are.  I love seeing how they have overcome so many different obstacles and goosebumps/tears are usually included for me whenever I watch any of these.

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*Wow.

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*Brooks (they have cute V-day stuff here) conducted a survey with runners for Valentine’s Day the other day and these were their findings!   I am torn on the ideal run date… a romantic beach run sounds really good right about now but so does an adventurous trail run!  I want to choose both on that question.   On my first run date with Andrew (it was our second date) I took some time thinking about what outfit to wear.

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*I loved Jane’s comment the other day and I’ve been thinking about it a lot ever since.  It really is all about the little efforts that we are making in each area of life that mean something.  I get it in my head that I need to get ALL of the things done each day and I never do so it just leaves me feeling defeated… paying attention to making little efforts each day instead sounds like a much better plan.  Also, does anyone else think about their to-do list a little too much every day?  I feel like some days I think about all of the things I should be getting done way too much so along with focusing on ‘little efforts, everyday’ I’m going to focus on putting the to-do list off more often!

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What is your ideal run date?  Romantic beach run or adventurous trail run?

Any goals that you have this week?  Anything you are focusing on working on?  Anyone else think about their to-do lists too much?

What is your favorite Olympic event to watch?  

What would you choose for your bday dinner and dessert?

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61 comments

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That cake looks amazing!!!

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I grew up sharing my birthday with someone too – my brother! These days we celebrate my mom’s birthday on the same day too, so a 3 for 1.

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What a fun celebration with your family! It makes me miss my niece so much :/ I did get to FaceTime with her yesterday, so that was good! And this week I’m focusing on waking up each day and setting a positive tone for the day by inviting in the things my heart desires. My brother’s mother-in-law (she is the BEST) gave me this advice yesterday. So today I woke up and told myself that I will find the job that fulfills my purpose and calling, and I will meet my true love. Sure, those things might not happen today, but I’m reminding myself that they will happen in God’s timing, so knowing they are ahead helps me be more positive.

For my birthday dinner, I would eat a Potbelly sandwich and have cake batter froyo and gummy bears for dessert. :)

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NATALIE!! Okay, now you have me craving a Potbelly sandwich:) I LOVE that advice so so much. Life changing advice really:) God’s timing is the best… it doesn’t always seem like it when we are in the hard times but it always works out somehow. You are amazing Natalie! xoxox

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Happy birthday! Sounds like such a fun time with family! Skye has so many amazing cousins! Andrew’s cake looks awesome ?

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Happy, Happy Birthday Janae! Looks like you had a wonderful party….I hope the day is just as special:) That cake looks magnificent!

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Thank you so so much Amanda! I hope you are having a great day!

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I’d take a trail run! My husband would pick that too. Running in sand makes me tired really fast. I’d weather be laying on the sand not running in it.

We have a busy week this week so I guess my goal is to take it one day at a time so that I don’t freak myself out and think I have to do everything all in one day.

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I absolutely think about my “to do” list WAY too much. I am better at checking off my work list and not so good on my personal to do list.
My favorite dessert is homemade cheese cake with either fresh strawberries or raspberries on top. Yum!

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And that picture of your niece holding Skye is so heartwarming!

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Thank you so much Kate. I hope that you get some homemade cheesecake with berries on top asap (now I’m craving that too;)! Have a great Monday!

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I thought that was you holding Skye in that picture at first! Your niece looks like you. You’re so lucky to have so much family near you.
I really like the idea of “little efforts”. I’ll make a to-do list but then get stressed out about it and end up doing nothing.
My favorite part too are the stories about the athletes. Honestly I could just watch those and not the actual events.

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Adventurous Trail, hands down.

I do not focus on my to-do list too much probably because I have the list, and then pick off a couple that are to be done that day. Honestly, I do not feel the need to just keep checking off any more than then the few I set for myself…….classic underachiever. :)

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Oh my God! I’m LOVING that cake!! IT must have been delicious.

My Birthday dinner request was Italian food for three years straight. Then on my last birthday, my husband (who was my boyfriend back then) cooked steaks for me and he NAILED IT. Now that’s my favorite birthday food:)

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Happy Birthday! I always share a bday party with my sister, we were born 7 days apart (plus 3 years lol). I always want chocolate cake, preferably with some sort or raspberry component.
I just wanted to say that I loved that you included that image of Mark McMorris – us Canadians love him. He almost died 11 months ago and now is a bronze medal winner (though, he seemed pretty upset he didn’t with the gold!) Here is a little documentary about him coming back from his injuries https://olympics.cbc.ca/video/athlete-stories/unbroken-the-snowboard-life-mark-mcmorris/

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I cannot wait to watch his documentary, thank you for sharing Krista. Such an incredible story! GO CANADA!! Oh I love that you and your sister have bdays so close together. I hope you are having a great day so far!

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Adventitious trail run for sure. I love the mountains and feel like the romantic beach run wouldn’t be so romantic because I would be too sticky and sandy.

Fave winter Olympic sport is figure skating (any event) followed by and of the ski/snowboard events.

I love the idea of small efforts. I recently listened to a podcast by Bold New Mom where she talks about an all-or-nothing mentality (which I have, and didn’t realize). I would procrastinate doing things because if I couldn’t get everything done at once I felt like a failure, but she totally made sense in saying you can do one little thing at a time and still be accomplished.

My birthday dinner is always celebrated with my hubby (same day and year!), my mom and my brother. We are all February. And my bday dinner is coming up soon and we always request lasagna also, and I like strawberry poke cake with whipped cream cheese frosting.

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Karin… I am JUST like you. I totally do that too. I need to listen to that episode asap (I love her podcast). Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to listen. I LOVE that you and your husband have the exact same birthday. How fun is that:) Happy birthday this month and enjoy that lasagna!

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Another fan of “Bold New Mom” here. So many good episodes. Feel I hit a goldmine when I discovered her podcast. ;)

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My husband doesn’t run, so my ideal run date is anywhere he can bike with me!
I love watching ice skating at the winter olympics and women’s gymnastics at the summer olympics.
Goals this week are a 10 miler (maybe more if it feels good.) Just about 3 weeks out from my half, and I feel a bit undertrained, but I guess better than being over trained or injured. I made it 9 miles Thursday, so I am not that far off.
My birthday is this month, too! I would choose pizza for my meal, ha! Or possibly french toast. Depends on the mood. It’s easier to eat cake after pizza though, rather than french toast. ( I give this too much thought. )

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I have two goals this week: run three times. This will be my first time running in almost a year. And my other goal is to eat more veggies. I don’t really care for veggies but I need to throw them into more meals to get those vitamins!

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THANK YOU for sharing the “little efforts” idea – I will take that with me!
I had to write to comment that your niece looks JUST LIKE you and your sister! :)

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Oh that just makes me so happy… thanks Kate:) I love that girl so much! I hope you are having a beautiful day!

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My idea of a perfect run date is trails. So much amazing mountain scenery!!! Love it. Goals this week: up my mileage some more and push my comfort zone. Also I got engaged over the weekend, so wedding planning!!! I love curling for winter and swimming for summer olympics. My bday dinner is always sushi and red velvet or carrot cake. Yum yum. Andrew’s cake looked so good! Happy birthday!!!

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congratulations on the engagement!

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It feels like yesterday that my niece was holding my daughter as a baby and now my daughter is 11 and my niece is holding her very own baby! It’s crazy!
My birthday dinner for years was roast chicken and stuffing then yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I still do the dinner but the cake tends to vary. It makes sense ’cause Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so I like to do a mini Thanksgiving for my birthday dinner.

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Ironically, I would love a dairy free cheesecake for my birthday! No idea how to make that. Without using too much nuts. My favorite event in the Olympics has to be either gymnastics, or skiing, or figure skating! Go, go, Canada!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY! That cake looks incredible!
And I teared up reading that letter from Curly…I remember when she was just a tiny little girl with those lovely ringlet curls :)

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YESSSSS… it’s crazy how much she has grown up. I hope your day is a fabulous one Erinn!

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I really like what you (and Jane!) wrote about the little things. I’m getting at a point where my training is increasing, and there’s just life in general, and work, and family, and trying to keep up with yoga and strength, and I look at my calendar and start to get that overwhelmed feeling. I’m trying to stop myself though and say, “ONE DAY AT A TIME!!!!!” Some how it will all get done, and if some days we have to make concessions, we have to make concessions. “Biting that elephant one bite at a time”, right?! I like the idea of even on those tough days, doing the little things will help.

YOUR CAKE AND BIRTHDAY MEAL AND THE CANDY TRAIL MIX!!!!! All wonderful things! Happy EARLY Birthday today!!!!

Birthday dinner = cake, cake, and more cake with tons of buttercream frosting and flowers :)

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Thank you so much Jen! You do have A TON on your calendar. I love what you think when you start feeling overwhelmed… I’m going to start using that too. Thank you. It really is crazy how everything always gets done, so why worry about it? Thanks for sharing Jen, I really appreciate you and your comments! Enjoy your day:)

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Oh my gosh, I totally forgot all about those Chicken Soup for the Soul books!! When I was younger I read a ton of them!! I bet that will be a good one!
That chocolate cake looks SO GOOD!!
Your niece holding Skye is precious and made me tear up!!
Have a really great week, Janae :-)

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Oh thank you Torrie. I couldn’t believe how good my niece was with Skye! I hope you have a real great week too! xoxo

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That picture of Skye in the bath….oh my gosh. She is precious. And your birthday celebration sounds just about perfect.

We actually haven’t watched any of the olympics yet, but some of my Sunday School girls were telling me this weekend about some new event involving a frozen water slide that I definitely want to see!

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Thank you so much Allison, I agree:) WHAT… I haven’t heard about that event. I need to watch that asap! I hope you are having a great day!

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Hi Janae, Happy Birthday! Quick question for you – I have a newborn just a few weeks younger than Skye (it was so following along with your pregnancy since I was so close – our Reau was born on Jan 3rd) and I have been keeping her homebound and away from people because I’m still so afraid of the flu and other bugs. I remember when Skye was born you talked about keeping her away from kids and not taking her out in public at the recommendation of your brother the ER doc, but lately I’ve noticed you’ve been taking her out more and more (like to the BYU game). We have still even been limiting visitors to our house, which is probably a little overboard, but I’m paranoid… Would love to get your thoughts on this!

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GREAT QUESTION KAYLA!! And congrats on your little one.. I love the name Reau! I totally get what you are saying! We were super careful for the first 6-8 weeks and then our doctor (and my brother agreed) told us at the last appointment that I don’t need to be so crazy cautious anymore. Now that she is a little bigger, I don’t need to worry as much about taking her out. There are definitely still situations that we avoid but most of the time she is just in her carseat covered when we go somewhere and only taken out for a little while. We use sanitizer like crazy and keep her away from anyone that is sick. I think you just have to listen to your mother instincts too… if you are feeling like you need to stay homebound for four months, then do it… if you start feeling better about going out… then do it! The last little while I have felt better and better about taking her out so I’ve gone with it but those first few weeks I felt VERY strongly that she wasn’t to leave the house so I did that. Good luck and I sure hope you are getting some sleep and rest:)

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I love cross country skiing and the biathlon. Utah’s winter has not been good enough for me to go cross country skiing yet. I am so sad about that and would love a really good snow storm. I don’t think that I have a favorite birthday dinner. I try to get as many people to buy me a meal, the week of my birthday, as possible. I need to come up with something better than that and I also don’t have a dessert. My birthday is in a couple of weeks so I will get to work on this.

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Seriously, this winter has been nuts! I hope that it snows for YOU! Cross country skiing is SO hard… good for you. It’s a killer workout. HAPPY BIRTHDAY in a few weeks and I hope that a bunch of people buy you a meal:)

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sorry that you haven’t been able to go XC skiing yet. we typically have that problem as well, we typically have to go far north to ensure we get some XC skiing in, which we’ll be doing over president’s day week. good luck on figuring out things for your birthday! and happy birthday

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I always have too much on my list. My mantra: do what you can, when you can.

PS- that chocolate cake is everything.

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OH I LOVE that mantra… I’m going to use that one! Thank you Kathy! I hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

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“My mantra: do what you can, when you can.”
what a great approach

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SOunds like you guys had a really nice weekend!!! I would choose ahi tuna and something chocolate for my birthday meal!!! Hope you guys have a great day!!

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No you have me craving ahi tuna so bad… maybe I’ll get some of that today;) Thanks Taylor and enjoy your Monday!

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That’s an impressive looking cake!
I’d pick brownies and ice cream for my bday dessert.

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Happy birthday to everyone!

I’m all about the snowboarding and hockey.

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Hey Janae, so I know a little bit ago we talked about the Full/Half Marathon that Chip & Joanna Gaines are hosting in Waco. I signed up today for the half! I still think you and Andrew need to come down to Texas to do it :) Your precious Skye is just so adorable!

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That picture of your niece holding Skye!!! So sweet. Keep it-one day Skye will be holding your nieces baby!

I love trail running and being in the woods……but on a date I think the beach sounds less of a tripping hazard. And, chances are if you’re running on the beach it’s warm so stopping and sitting in the sand watching the ocean sounds pretty nice.

For birthday dinner I don’t really care too much what it is-maybe a big salad with lots of ingredients that I didn’t have to chop up myself. I like a really good cake. That’s my highlight. A darn good cake.

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i agree with you that the beach is less of a tripping hazard for sure!
and i love when i get to put together a salad and had to do minimal to no prep work and it tastes amazing. it almost never happens, but every now and then the stars align.

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What is your ideal run date? Romantic beach run or adventurous trail run?
i have done the beach run, and it’s mostly miserable b/c of the heat (no shade!) and the sand getting everywhere. we do a lot of hiking, but the trail runs we’ve done are so hard and miserable too. i think we’d have to do it more often for it to be enjoyable. we’re also not the same pace (husband is so much faster) so we don’t really stay together for very long. most park laps or pier runs (up and down the NYC coast-line with piers to run around) i would say are the most pleasant.

Any goals that you have this week? Anything you are focusing on working on? Anyone else think about their to-do lists too much?
to actually run – i’ve been sick and injured as well as cross training prior to that… ugh!

What is your favorite Olympic event to watch?
snowboarding, but as a kid i loved figure skating. i’ll watch ice hockey and snowboarding now, along with alpine skiing XC skiing and speed skating.

What would you choose for your bday dinner and dessert?
a chef’s tasting menu at a well known restaurant. if money were no object there are a few sushi places i have in mind. dessert probably a pie place that we frequent!

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I just celebrated my birthday and from now on I’d like Andrew’s chocolate cake for my birthday dinner :) I fad forgotten about his mad cake skills. You picked a good one!

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Definitely adventurous trail date – I would prefer to swim in the water and lie on the beach:)

Favourite Olympic event – figure skating and snowboarding – we are Canadian and seeing 2 Canadians on the podium for slopestyle especially Mark Morris was amazing:)

Favourite birthday dinner – I probably would choose lasagne too – and also ice cream cake.

Goals this week – to stay focused and to stay present – I am always thinking, whether it be about whether I have hit my running mileage, my career goals, relationships, etc. and sometimes I forget to just be present. My partner is really good at reminding me to be present. We have a long weekend in BC as it is a provincial holiday for us – Family Day and it is pretty sweet to have the extra day off.

Have a great day!

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I have always like the Olympic profile stories as well, but now every time I watch one, it reminds me of watch the Oscar Pistarious profile / interview during the 2012 games that Mary Carrillo did with him and thinking how amazing that story was at the time. Yikes!

I wish Andrew would do a cake post or something. I tried to make a cake the other week for my husbands birthday and it ended up lopsided and frosting the sides was so difficult to do and it was only 2 layers tall!

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Your niece + Skye = Priceless!!

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I have that same book! :) And your niece looks so much like you. Cute!

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Also love the photo of your niece and Skye. It’s so precious.

And yes I agree that Andrew wins at making cake ? that looks amaaaazzing. I so want cake right now! Hah

I second Kelly’s request for a cake post by Andrew –

AND happy birthday. ?? ? it looks like it was an excellent one.

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Happy birthday!! Such a great feeling to snuggle a baby for your birthday present
Chocolate cake forever!

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Happiest of Birthdays to you, Janae!! Long time reader who needs to be better about joining in on more of the conversation. Someone mentioned an awesome idea above…save the gorgeous photo of your niece holding Skye for them both to see when Skye is holding your nieces baby! Awwww….life is a miracle!

What is your ideal run date? Romantic beach run or adventurous trail run?
Trail run for me. Beach running is hard and I live near a bunch of them! Lazy girl here…

Any goals that you have this week? Anything you are focusing on working on? Anyone else think about their to-do lists too much?

I have big work goals this week and a big to do list…I also have an 8 mile race this weekend. Yikes! I am a bit nervous but am just going to have fun and meet some new people. That is one of the best parts of races for me!

What is your favorite Olympic event to watch? That is tough,I really enjoy all of them in different ways. …the stories they show on some of them in their journey to get to the top of whatever sport they are competing in is so inspiring also means makes me root them on in whatever they are doing.

What would you choose for your bday dinner and dessert? I have an April birthday and have decided i am waiting until then for a Benihana treat! Bring on all the egg spinning, onion volcano and flying lobster tails! Dessert…I just would like the frosting off a cake like yours.

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Happy birthday, Janae!

I don’t know what it is like to NOT share a birthday — I’m a twin!
Also…my husband was born on his moms birthday, so it’s always a double celebration!

I am in full-on Olympic fever mode!!! I just love watching the games. It is so motivating and inspiring. And anything that has to do with their lives ‘behind the scenes’…so interesting!

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happy belated birthday! that’s so cute that you and your dad always do a shared celebration. and i can’t believe andrew that cake! nice job, andrew!

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