Jon graduates!

So, Jon finally graduated (for realz this time!). Although, he's technically been a doctor for the last four years... now he's REALLY a doctor. I'm so proud of him and all of his serious hard work. It's been such a long haul through med school and residency and it's been so nice to see all the hard work pay off as he has really enjoyed starting his first attending job.

A few highlights from graduation:

the "this is finally happening" picture

graduation ceremony

the "can you believe we did this?" picture

classmate shot

the "we seriously couldn't be happier" picture

couple shot

the "time to celebrate" picture

Central Park Boathouse

Updates!

It's been way too long, I know! We've had a lot going on this summer and things are finally starting to settle down (just in time for FALL!) Let's see... a few highlights include: Jon graduating residency!, us moving to a new apartment, the first annual Snarr Family Reunion in NH, me running a 10K and half marathon to name a few.

stay tuned for updates...

New Jersey Marathon

So, I ran a marathon! I know I didn't post anything about my plans to run it or any of my training -- most likely because I was worried if I announced it, I might chicken-out and then feel like a failure. So, I just waited until after I actually did it (about a month after to be exact!) to let the blog world know.

Three other friends of mine from church and I registered for the New Jersey Marathon back in January and trained for about 4 months to get ready for it. Originally, I was hoping this would be a great way to keep a rigid work-out routine and stay on track through the winter (which it totally was!) but it turned out to be much more than that. We trained long and hard through some serious winter weather and there were many days when I didn't think I could push my body another inch. Having taken up running just in the last 2 years or so, I had never done something so athletically extreme before. But to have this goal in mind and slowly start to achieve it, long run after long run... it felt so amazing to actually accomplish it.

Leslie, Carol, Heather, me

The actual conditions on the day of the marathon were pretty horrible. It was one of the hottest days of the spring we had up to that point and the race didn't actually start until 9am. It was SO hot by the time we even started! But I tried my best to stay hydrated and actually felt really good through the half-way point. I stayed with the 4:30 pace group up until around mile 18, where I totally hit a wall. Since I had only done one 20-miler through my training, this was definitely the point where things could totally fall apart. But all I kept thinking was that I had trained way too long and way too hard to quit at that point. Jon stayed home with the boys, so they weren't there to cheer me on -- which I could've totally used at that point, but I took a walk-break and kept plugging along. I eventually caught up with on of the girls I had been training with, which was nice for the company. We ended up motivating each other to finish and we crossed the finish line together.

Carol and I coming up on the finish line... finally!

As horrible as the conditions were and as horrible as I felt afterward... it was still such a great feeling of accomplishment. I had a pretty rough recovery. I kinda couldn't walk for like 3 days! But then the 'marathon amnesia' kicked in and I actually started considering doing it again (the whole experience was hauntingly similar to childbirth)!

I'm really glad I did it and I'm also glad it's over! It's been really nice to get back to a more regular workout routine and not be totally exhausted after my weekend long runs. I've been running some other shorter races, which has been really fun and I'm even contemplating a triatholon... so, we'll see!

the t-shirt we bought at the expo...

emphasis on 'kinda'!

Noah turns 4!

Noah turned 4 a few weeks ago and we celebrated by having a soccer party with his friends! It was a total hit and the kids had a blast. We decorated sport cups for our "water break", did some stretches, played "Simon Says", ran a few drills, and then scrimmaged! It was fun to watch how competitive some of these little guys are already. And one of Noah's little friends came out of nowhere with some serious soccer skills! He was dribbling down the field, scoring goals like a pro. After the game, we had bag lunches and soccer cupcakes.

I can't believe my little guy is already 4! When did this happen? I'm really loving 4... he's turned into such a great little helper and really is an amazing big brother. We're excited for some serious 4-year-old adventures.

Noah and Eddie ready for some soccer action!

Ella and Aubrey decorating their sport cups while waiting for more guests to arrive!

getting name tags...

ready for some soccer fun

stretchin' it out!

Gabey gets in on the action

Gabey's party date, baby Violet!

a few drills...

water break!

time to scrimmage!

a little extra coaching

GOAL!

a little lunch

and a cupcake!

kicking practice!

Great Wolf Lodge

We decided to take a little family trip with Noah's BFF, Eddie and his family this spring break. The boys had 2 weeks off from school and we needed some kind of distraction from the 'Heights, so we headed to the Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos! And what a distraction it was!

I'm pretty sure the masterminds behind the Great Wolf Lodge had like 6 kids of their own and had gone on enough family trips to realize that the best time of the whole trip was at the hotel pool! So, they capitalized on that idea and created the Great Wolf Lodge, a massive indoor water park in a giant lodge where you wouldn't ever find a reason to leave during your entire stay. If any of you have ever been to a Great Wolf Lodge (apparently it's a chain... genius!) then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The place is completely self-sufficient and kid-friendly with an arcade, a pizza place, an ice cream parlor, and food stands all within feet of the water park (they even had a spa for the moms and tweens!). So you could check in and never leave until your check out time...

The boys were pretty much stoked about the whole adventure. We even booked a suite with Eddie's fam so they could have a little slumber party and maximize their time together (which was funny because they totally crashed within seconds of hitting their pillows from exhaustion). Their jaws dropped as soon as they saw the giant water slides and water adventures that were ahead of them and they pretty much played non-stop until dinner time. We went back the next morning for some more water fun and the excitement continued. Noah and Eddie even went on the huge water slides with their dads... which, btw I had no desire whatsoever to try... and had a blast.

I had a serious Great Wolf Lodge hangover from that place on the ride home. It was so loud in the water park and there was so much stimulation that I got a crazy headache. One night was definitely enough to enjoy the whole experience! But, we're glad we went. Noah had such a great time and continues to ask weekly, "Can we go to the Great Wolf Lodge again?" To which I usually answer... "maybe next year!"

here are the pics:

so excited!

weeee!

water b-ball!

did I mention how much fun Gabey had?

re-fueling

so awesome!

nothing beats the breakfast buffet!

splashing around with mom

drying off with dad

the lazy river

the arrival

the boys in action!

Gabriel Turns 1!

We celebrated Gabriel's 1st birthday a few weeks ago. I can't believe this kid is already 1! The last 6 months have seriously flown by. I'm pretty sure he turned into a toddler the day of his birthday because it seems like he's 1 going on 3 now. He decided to start walking the week before his birthday. He's now running, climbing, dancing, signing, talking (in what sounds a lot like Hebrew), and doing lots of pointing. He also refuses to be spoon-fed any kind of food and demands an adult-sized utensil at every meal. He's pretty easy going most of the time, but definitely knows how to throw a tantrum when things aren't going his way. He's a total daddy's boy and loves his big brother. He follows him everywhere! They play together really well but when the occasional argument arises, Gabriel knows how to hold his own (i.e. pulling hair, pinching, and full-body tackles are some of his favorite moves). He is a really fun little guy to have around and we're glad he's part of our family!

first words: da-da, ma-ma (finally!), hi, no-na (Noah)

favorite food: shredded cheese, avocado, cottage cheese, apples, black beans

favorite song: "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

favorite book: "That's Not My Truck"

favorite toy: talking Elmo doll, mommy's keys

favorite naughty activity: turning the computer off, unplugging the TV (usually when he wants attention!)

first signs: "all done", "milk"

We had a great time celebrating his birthday with family and friends. Here are some pics from the festivities:

Gabey walks!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hi everybody, Noah here. I couldn't think of what to get my mom for her birthday and my dad had some lame ideas about flowers or making her a card so I decided to take matters into my own hands and hack into her blogger account. You see, I'm a child of the 21st century so even though right now I write all my letters on top of one another and my stick figures look more like spiders with multiple limbs coming out of the same place, computers allow me to overcome the limitations of my fine motor skills and verbal abilities.

So, for my mom's birthday I'd like to tell you all some things that make my mom great. First of all, she is incredibly patient with me and my little brother. I mean, we go out of our way to make her life difficult. This isn't malicious in any way, it's just what we're supposed to do and trust me we are good at it. In fact, Gabriel may be better at it than I am (he's a quick learner). She's also really good at dealing with my dad, who, let's face it, is not well in the head. I'm pretty sure that med school and residency has turned him into some sort of medical robot so that he knows fancy words but none of them make any sense. The good thing about this is that he pretty much does whatever mom says but otherwise he's really not very useful in any way I can see. I mean it would be one thing if he made good money but we all know that hasn't happened. The best thing about my mom, though, is that she is really, really interested in me and everything about me. I mean I can tell her anything that I did during the day that I thought was interesting and it's like I discovered penicillin. I never have to worry that she's going to be there when I need her, I feel safe and taken care of and she also lets me express my individuality, supporting my clear talent for dance with great enthusiasm. So, here's to you mom, happy 31st birthday and thanks for being the best mom an almost 4-year-old could ask for!

Also, here's a video my dad made me make. Don't worry about Gabriel screaming in the background, it's not because I knock him down 10 seconds into the video, he just can't stand that I look better on camera. Plus, you'll see, he freezes up when the camera is on. Anyway, my poor dad, he's really grasping at straws for presents this year and is using me and my brother to try and get away with not getting her anything good. . .