Extra Frosting for Twinkle Toes!

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“The only way to ake sense out of change is o plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” 

― Alan W. Watts

Oldest daughter celebrated her birthday in a style,  a  running mom can be SO proud of :

She ran by herself on her birthday! On her own accord!

I was not yet ready to run this afternoon, and she said, "Well, I'm going now!"

Before I knew it, she had her running gear on, her headset, and determined look on her face.

3 days ago, we ran  together. It has been 2 years since our last run.

this picture was first shared on the blog -

Bling It On!

J recently had her Cooper test and felt out of shape. So, she decided that she'll begin with running again (she actually prefers sprinting) at the same time support me with my running streak challenge (see #halfcrazyrunnerscrewoctoberchallenge on Instagram).

J plans to run with me each time I ran 2 km this month. She said it after our run because she had fun! She even said she will build up to run 5 km.

At the beginning of our run we saw a beautiful sky together and did not feel sad that we both did not have a phone to record the moment. It was a moment we simply won't forget.

This is the sky I do want to share with all of you; a landscape the girls
and I see on the bike many times in the week.

I took this about 2-3 weeks ago, biking home with youngest and her friend from school. Cute moment of inseperable friends.

Last month I ran here a lot again, picking up  the youngest from school
with my Happy Feet instead of going on my bike.
Hitting two birds (school pick up and training run!) with one run!

I did not want to let go of J though, this morning of her 16th birthday without taking a picture together with her before she biked off to school.

As you can see, I am still visibly tired from the Breda Singelloop half-marathon yesterday.

Our J on the other hand, looked soooo happy here! It makes me happy to see her happy.

We've gone through many ups and downs;   I am SO very proud of how  J and her sisters  have blossomed amidst all the major changes in their lives - their parents separating, moving to a new country, living with a new family structure, adjusting to a new culture, learning a new language etc.

J was 11, a few months away from turning 12 years old, when I ran my first 5K. 

She watched me use running to cope with changes, strengthen myself, help myself be a better person, be a better mom.

My first ever 5 K:
20 days after I began (first power walking) with my adventures with running.
Oldest daughter, was a few months shy away from turning 12 years old.
Middle daughter turned 9 years old on this very day.
Youngest was 3 years old (3 months from her 4th birthday)

Now, 16 years old, she created a goal on her own of building up (training scheme from Nikeplus app) to be able to run her first 5K in 8 weeks.

I am permitted to record this adventure! 

She'll be documenting her experience on her own (currently still private) blog.  I know from my own experiences, this is a challenge, so to make sure nothing gets forgotten, I'll write as much as I am permitted to share.

In the future, I will refer to her in my blogs as, "Twinkle Toes!" per her request. It was that or "Fancy Feet".  I guess this is her homage to her ballet beginnings. I chose the former because it makes me feel, that I still have my baby - at least with her blog nickname. :D

She is taking a pause from ballet dancing and I am unsure when she will resume it again, at this point.

I've wished for a running buddy, and at least for the short distance, there is a special running buddy in the making. :)

Hurrah! Hurrah!

The first  official running event (collective long time wish!) we want to share is a Santa Run.

Wish us luck?!