first 10K

Margie drove all the way from Arizona so we could run a race together.  Sadly it was pretty junky weather.  But we managed to have a good time despite the downpour.  Andrew and the kiddos tagged along since little H bear won't take a bottle and the race was about an hour away.  I pretty much have the awesomest friend, husband, and kids.  

We got soaked.  It wasn't raining too hard at the start of the race but that didn't last for long.  We ran in Malibu state park and ran through some of the place they filmed M.A.S.H.  Andrew and I finished watching all 11 seasons of it about a month ago, so it was lots of fun to see an old M.A.S.H. jeep and other stuff from the movie set that's still out.  

I had such a nice weekend with Marge.  I'm sad we don't live closer to each other, but I'm glad she's so kind enough that I've been able to see her twice this year.  She's a lovely one.  I also went to my first movie in the theater since "Les Mis."  We went and saw "Philomena."  It was pretty good.  Not my favorite ever, but I do love me some Judi Dench, and girls' night out is always restorative.

marmee and papi

are not my parents lovely?

i'm going through pictures as i work on our photo album 

and i had to share these gems.

i love all these shots of my parents 

because all these angles show how lovely they are.  

and how SILLY my ma is 

and how CUDDLY my pa is.

i certainly inherited nostril flaring from marmee.

 

have i really not written

since July?  yep, longtime, little old blog of mine. i feel i lack much creativity with words, and even thoughts of late, and so i just don't even try. alack.

but i did pour some of my creativity into my little ones' halloween costumes. i put some pictures of them on our family blog and i'll add one here that a friend sent to me.  i had fun making my little scarecrow and crow.  they are the sweetest kids around.  they're oh so tiring too, but this is the stage we're in right now.  hoping i can hold on to the dearest moments and write them down as best i can for they are a joy to me.

18 july 2013

Today started early as E woke up at 6:30.  The sound of garbage cans rolling against the rough asphalt disturbed his slumber.  My eyes and body craved more sleep but H was stirring as well, so up we got up.  Getting up does not equal waking up.  In other words, it took a while to wake up.  We all got moving eventually.  

We went on a walk up through the quiet neighborhoods and back home again to shower.  Rew left for campus and instead of going to the grocery store I let H sleep.  I feel like I'm always interrupting her naps by running errands or by getting E out of the house.  This resulted in no nap for me today because she woke up minutes after E crashed for his.  But I was glad for the one-on-one time with E.  we read, colored, and ate lunch together.  We also tried out our new camera. 

With E asleep for his nap, H and I got to do some pretty fine cooing and singing and smiling.  I also got the laundry started. E slept for almost two hours and we finished up the wash.  Rew returned home and I sunscreened up to go teach a couple swim lessons.  H was wailing something fierce by the time I returned.   Poor girl still won't take a bottle.

I fed her while Andrew made dinner.  We ate and then got ready to skedaddle so Rew could participate in and record his scripture roundtable (I adore his whistling at the beginning).  With the two cherubs in tow, I went to Kohl's with a ten dollars card.  We came out with a new puzzle for E.  I didn't have to pay anything.  Great, eh?  Then we went to Sprouts for some fruits and veggies.  After arriving home, H was hankering for another feeding, so I obliged while Rew washed all the dishes.  Scripture reading with E was next on the list and then stories and prayers.  

We've been struggling to know how to get E to stay in his bed, but Rew sat by his door and he finally fell asleep.  H went to sleep with no trouble at all.  I got a chance to look over my lesson for Sunday school and now I'm fighting to keep my eyes open.  Sleep sounds like a good idea.

the last day of june

this was what i was doing the day before we took off for utah.  

these kids wear me out, but they fill me with so much joy.  

reminders

I thread the stalks and leaves through the tomato cage to straighten the plant.  The smell remaining on my hands reminds me of Dad's garden and summertime.

Starting on the eve of Memorial Day and then the whole day itself, I thought of Grampa Clark.  Last year at the annual picnic he sat there with a spangly cowboy hat atop his head.  This year he's been gone almost ten months.

I hear Hattie coo, converse, and communicate in a language I feel is real, but I'm not fluent in.  She reminds me of heaven.

Almost daily I'm reminded of how much I miss the close connection I had with Heather when we only lived a nine-minute run away from each other.  Nothing in particular has to trigger that.  I simply miss our boys playing so easily and comfortably with each other and miss sitting and talking with her.

Cool gray mornings, like today's, remind me of Ukraine--one word to encompass faces, moments, and more from my time there.

I pull on a tee-shirt, triathlete emblazoned across my chest.  I got it five years ago; it reminds me of the different seasons of my life.  Swimming, running, and biking (triathloning) enraptured me in that season.  Now exists a softer season.  My body is softer from growing my children, and hopefully my heart is softer too.

As I sit and read books with Eamon, I think of my mom.  There she is, years ago, sitting in the hallway light.  She reads and reads aloud as I fight sleep to hear just one more word.

so sweet

These kids of mine, I tell you what, I sure love them so much.