Remembering

N and I were driving home from church last weekend and we passed a cemetery.  I told N that, with Memorial Day coming up, I wanted to make time to go to the cemetery.  His immediate response was, "I'll keep Zoe home with me." 

I looked at him like he told me he doesn't believe in Santa.  Thus began the discussion.

Going to the cemetery wasn't something he did or even does now.  Granted I don't believe the going to the cemetery means I'm visiting the souls of my loved ones.  I truly believe I'll see some of them again.  Going there is just part of my family's tradition.  It's an annual trip that was always something I did as a child.  It's actually one of the most vivid memories I have of my grandma. 

All of my mother's side of the family is at one cemetery.  Each Memorial Day my grandma would cut down half-gallon milk containers, cover them with foil, fill them with water and some flowers from her garden.  My grandma (who never learned to drive), my mom and I would go to the cemetery and place those milk-carton vases on the headstones of my great-grandparents and an aunt that my grandma lost right after childbirth.

I can remember being in the car, driving to the cemetery and when we hit a certain point prior to entering, the stereo would be turned down and all conversation in the car would get quieter.  I'm not entirely sure why we had to be quiet in the car at the cemetery, but I do remember my grandma becoming very somber as if the grief of their loss hit her again.  Even today I can tell you where each of the headstones are, even the ones that are a plastic marker that's been covered by decades of grass. 

There's a history at the cemetery.  Each vase that we placed brought with it a story of the person it remembered.  My great-grandpa H was my favorite.  He died years before I was born, but the year of his birth and the year of my birth are exactly 100 years.  For some reason that bonded me to my unknown relative.

Cemeteries aren't a place of loss for me, even though I'm sure to cry as I remember fond memories of my family.  They are a place of remembrance.  N still thinks I'm crazy for having fond family memories that take place at a cemetery. 

It's the remembering that I love.  As I take Zoe to place flowers on my grandparent's grave, I'll tell her about the time that I played doctor with her great-grandpa.  Playing doctor is one of her FAVORITE things.  As I left the room to get something, he filled the bed pan with water.  Upon returning, he told me it needed to be emptied.  He got a lecture from a 4 year old me about pretending and not peeing in the PRETEND bed pan. 

I can still remember his uncontrollable laughter from doing that to me. 

It's one of the greatest gifts my grandma ever gave me.  She taught me, even briefly, to take time to enjoy the memory.

On The Defensive

One of my favorite types of movies is action movies.  I like the rom-coms (romantic comedies), but they're not my favorite.  They'll do if I mindlessly want to watch TV or it's a girl's night out, but I tend to be a bit cynical to truly enjoy them. 

Not to say that action movies are realistic, but there's enough action that it doesn't drag, a bad guy and a "how are we going to catch 'em" problem/solution.  Sometimes this is really well done and sometimes it's not, but they are one of my favorite types of movies.  Which makes N extremely happy.

Lately I've felt like we're in our own action movie.  Granted there's not a villian per se, but there are problems, many moving parts, suspense and solutions that will eventually be revealed.  We're dealing with people who have different value systems than we have, different communication styles and quite frankly just frustrate me. 

In exactly 24 days N will be starting his new job.  He'll be relocating to another town and commuting home on the weekends.  That really doesn't change much to my schedule, but it does require us to buy things to get him set-up there.  We're not talking little things.  Which is needed, but terrifies me at the same time.  I have extreme peace that this is where God wants us, I'm just in the middle of the whole action-moving plot.  I'm trying to see the next step and get solutions to some of our concerns.  I'm trying to see around these people on this path, but they aren't the silent spectator on the sidelines.  They're are in our face and beating us down.

I know this will all work out, it always does in the movies.  I'm just half-way through this plot and have no idea how we'll succeed.  Yet I know this is a path chosen by someone much greater.  Even thought I don't know the end, He does. 

My New BFF

Last night as I was getting Zoe ready for bed she looked at me and says, "mommy, will you be my best friend?"

Of course I will!

Do you think daddy will be my best friend too?

I think he will.  Why don't you ask him.

DAAAAADDDDDYYYYY!

What baby?

Will you be my best friend too?
Of course I will.  I can't think of anything better than being your best friend.

Mommy, I have two best friends!

We have no idea where she got the idea of best friends.  At church yesterday there were some older kids in the nursery that may have given her the thought.  It could've been Tigger & Pooh.  I have no idea.  I'm so glad that her two best friends are her daddy and me.  I couldn't think of two better people to be my best friends either.

It Only Took 2 Months

In February Zoe got a big girl bed.  I got the bright idea to handcraft some artwork for her walls.  I had some cut-outs that matched her bedding and thought I would create scenes like her bedspread on fabric and then wrap that fabric on canvas. 

I'm pleased to say, 2 months after starting this little project it's done.  I was in need of a staple gun.  I totally didn't think to ask my mom about one until yesterday.  Of course she had three for me to choose from.  She LOVES tools. She had a semi-automatic type staple gun that worked great.

Here's the fabric and the canvas that I used:

I put some fusable web on the back of the fabric and cut out shapes to match Zoe's bedspread.  Then laid out the design on the yellow background fabric that I had laid over a canvas.  You don't want to make bigger art than you have canvas.

Once I liked the layout, I ironed on the pieces to the yellow fabric.   Then I sewed around the edges of the design with my sewing machine to 1) ensure the design wouldn't peel off and 2) to give it a cute, handcrafted feel.  My sewing machine has a blanket stitch that I used.

Then came the assembling part, 2 months later because I'm efficient if anything.  I pulled the edges to the back of the canvas, folded the fabric once so it was a nice edge in the back (and it strengthens the fabric too) and got my semi-automatic staple gun ready for action.

Once opposited edges were in place, I worked on folding the other edges into place.  It took a few before I knew how to not make it so bunchy.

Then I folded the fabric edged again, like I was wrapping a present and to reinforce the fabric.

Because I like secure and semi-automatic tools, I stapled and stapled and stapled until nothing moved.

Because some of the staples were sticking out a bit, I hammered down the ones that didn't get in far enough.

Viola!  Art!

I have to say I'm pleased with how they look in Zoe's room.  She even helped hang them up. 

Now if I could just hang some pictures on the other wall, we'd be golden.  I'm pacing myself.  I hope by Labor Day!

The Tourney

On Saturday D & E participated in a soccer tournament.  For May 15th it was 80 degrees.  For the soccer tournament, with no shade and very little wind, it was more like 90 degrees. 

The girls did awesome.  They hustled, they cheered and they let me take a crazy amount of pictures to document the event.  Considering this is E's final season of the game, I needed pictures to document this event ever happened in her life.

In her first game she got close to making 2 goals, as you can see below:

and one assist.  The girl was on fire. 

Then it was time for D to play.  This is her like 15th year.  She's playing a full field now.  Her team has been together for most of the 15 years.  They're awesome.  I mean, look at that defense?  Would you want to be on the receiving end of that kick?

Because she wants to be exactly like her sisters and do everythign they do, she had to get in on the action.

I see volleyball in her future though.

Thank you D & E for having a tournament.  We loved watching you play.  I didn't so much enjoy the Honey Buckets though.

Even Thought It Was the Same Temperature As The Sun, the River is Still Cold

For May 15th, it was hot.  For a Saturday it was busy.  N had to work overtime on Friday night, so I got to spend time with all three of our girls.  We talked about boys, mean girls, homework and how ice cream fixes everything.  I may have used that last one as my solution for the former topics.

We had to get up early Saturday morning for an all-day soccer fest that turned into more of a sun overload.  N got some extra sleep, while I ushered the older girls to the largest soccer field known to man.  I'll have more pictures tomorrow.  I took about 175 pictures from the soccer games.  I'm still doing some editing.

N and Zoe showed up later in the day to cheer on D & E.  It was also a trade-off.  N stayed with the older girls while I took Zoe to a party for some friends birthdays.  G & M are dear twins that turned 4.  They are some of Zoe's best friends and she will pray for them by name at night. 

What made their party even cooler was that it included a river.  We came dressed to play in the water.  Not so much me since it's only May 15th and it's been hot for exactly 1 day this year and I'm pretty sure the river isn't warm yet.  Not to mention G's & M's mom always has a camera.  I'm not too keen on wearing a swimsuit around people who bring their camera everywhere.

That doesn't stop the 3-foot and under crowd from getting in, throwing rocks and splashing around. 

Zoe with the birthday girl, M.  Before we left, Zoe gave her a big hug and said, "I love you so much!"  M was totally unphased, but two mothers got a little verklempt.

This is Zoe with the birthday boy, G.  It's also about 5 seconds before Zoe's first encounter with how cold the river really is on May 15th.

Zoe loves G.  She calls him her "silly boy."  If you know G, that's a good description of him.  He's 100% boy.  He loves to throw stuff, climb stuff, wrestle you and all things the opposite of Zoe. 

He also has amazing strength.  He's one of the strongest kids I've ever met.  He's so strong in fact that during that sweet hug, Zoe lost her balance and went booty first into about 1/2 inch of water.  Okay 1/2 inch of freezing water.  That water on your toe isn't a big deal.  That water higher up than your ankle is too much water.

As Zoe's crying and G's wondering what she's crying for, he said, "I'm so sorry."  To which my girl replies, "that's okay, (sniff, sniff, gasp for breath) G.  I'm (sniff, gasp, gasp) okay!" 

Again, two mothers were verklepmt at how sweet their children are.

Thank you G & M for being born.  Thank you for being such great friends to my Zoe.  Silly or sweet, you bring a fun balance to our lives.

We can't wait to join you at the river again soon.  Maybe after we've had more than 1 hot day of weather.

Her Secret Place

Zoe likes to play with just about anything.  The other evening she found me cleaning a tub and said, "look mommy?  Isn't this perfect?"  When I turned around I saw that she had my flip flops on.  They were like boats on her.

She also loves my gardening shoes.  They are green clogs that are scuffed up and dirty.  I keep them in the laundry/mud room.  She keeps them close to where she is most of the time.

The other day I was throwing a load of her clothes into the washer and when I went to get them out of her hamper I saw my shoes on top of her dirty clothes.  When I asked her about them, all she said was "huh, how'd those get there?"  Huh indeed.

Fast forward to last night.  I was putting her dirty clothes in her hamper and absent-mindedly threw the clothes in.  They made a plop sound.  I looked into her hamper and saw a beach ball that I'd just blown up in the bottom of her hamper. 

Apparently that's her secret place.  All her treasures go in the hamper. 

Or maybe these things are just dirty and need to be cleaned?  I'm a little terrified of what I'll find in there next. 

I realize this is a little bit boring post, but in light of the weekend, it's all I can muster.  I don't actually think I've dreaded a weekend before.  I do this one. 

D & E are coming over for the weekend.  I'm excited about that.  I love seeing them.  It's been about 2 months since E has come over.  It's extra special.  N has to work overtime tonight, so it'll be a girl's night.  There is something about having it just be us girls.  We have giggling that turns to belly laughs and all the secrets come out.  I get a glimpse into my girls in a way that I don't other times.  I'm thrilled for some of that time tonight.

What I'm a little more worried about is tomorrow.  Both of them play soccer.  Tomorrow is the big, final tournament.  We'll be spending all the live-long day at the polo grounds.  Watching soccer.  Fortunately it's supposed to be nice and not windy.  Honestly, spending 8 hours on a polo field in the heat doesn't sound like the best time to me. 

Zoe has a birthday party tomorrow for two of her favorite people.  N and I get to experience the craziness of three, popular, athletic girls.  We're both coping right now by wanting to pull the covers over our head, take some allergy medication and wake up on Monday. 

It Was Spectacular

A couple nights ago Zoe and I had the awesome priviledge to attend D's second violin concert.  Not that she plays two violins, but that's she's played two concerts.  The first one took place in the gym of her school.  I went to that same school and I really remember the gym being much bigger.  Parents had to crain around people at the enterances to see the kids.  As far as concerts go, it was like being in a mosh pit.  Women were waving and silently mouthing "I love you!" 

Actually it was just like several concerts I've been to, except it was an orchestra and a band.  I don't really see groupies doing that at the symphony.  Maybe they have gotten a little wilder over the years.

We were excited about this concert because it took place at the Arena.  Which is big enough to house 20,000 people.  I had a pretty good idea that Zoe and I wouldn't be in the mosh pit of this concert.  If we yelled "we love you D" it would be okay.

What I learned a mere 24 hours before the concert was that it was the entire district playing at the Arena.  That's 34 elementary schools or 68 music classes.  Now, in our district, learning an instrument is mandatory.  Granted choir counts in that too and this concert was just band and strings.  As I tried to do the mental math of this type of concert, my mind actually went blank. 

As I mentioned it to some other people they were like, "oh yeah, the Band & Strings Spectacular.  That's a big deal."  I was all, "what is the Band & Strings Spectacular?"  That's when I got the low-down.  Fortunately for me, while I did play the flute in elementary school, this spectaclar didn't start until I was out of elementary school by like 1 year.  Apparently for the last 20 years I've been completely unaware that this event has happened. 

When we talked to D's mom, she said we would need to go to "G Section Yellow, 107-108."  While that was like speaking a foreign language, Zoe and I decided to figure it out.  My mind, although blank, starting to comprehend what we would encounter when traffic was backed up for three blocks just to get into the parking lot.  And we were 25 minutes early.  All the while Zoe was in the backseat naming off songs she was sure D would play.  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Hot Cross Buns, Row Row Row Your Boat...

As we found the G section with D's school name underneath it, I was not prepared for what I was about to see.

2,800 students filled the floor of the Arena.  To give you some type of perspective, this floor is the size of a regulation hockey rink or an arena football field.  We're talking HUGE.  The National Figure Skating Association choose this location for the nationals this year before the Olympics.  Now, it's filled with 5th and 6th grade students who play an instrument.  It was beyond impressive.

Even though we were 20 minutes early, our section of G Section Yellow was totally filled.  I've circled it so you can see.  I think we got the shaft.  Our section was one of the smallest, so we had no chance of even seeing E or anyone we might know.  D might not have even been down there, but we did see her name in the program so I'm quite certain she was there.

We had to go to the top level, walk the steep stairs of death to find a seat in a rival school.  N sent me a text message that said, "tell her I'm so proud of her."  I sent him this picture and said:

"Happy to.  If you can tell me where she's at."  To which he replied, "holy crap, that's a big band."  He's so perseptive.  Me, being up for any challenge, really tried to find her without binoculars or knowing what she was wearing.  Apparently I am delusional.

D, while I have no idea which head you were in the middle of the Arena floor, we truly enjoyed your concert.  Zoe clapped and asked for more.  We are so proud of you for learning the violin.  You are excellent at it.  I really hope next year to remember to buy you a fluorescent orange dress so we can easily spot you.  Love you sweet girl. 

We Are All Princesses

Being a mom of young girls, we are all about being princesses.  At Zoe's age it's about dressing up like Cinderella and singing "a dream is a wish your heart makes" while combing her hair.

For D & E it's more subtle.  It's getting their hair done, wearing their new dress to church or just being made to feel like they're the only girl their daddy sees.

For me it's watching N scrub something clean, like a tub or a dish. 

My friend Jorene and I decided we needed to do something for the ladies of our church.  If we call Him our Father and He's also our King, that makes us princesses in His kingdom.  Instead of having a dress-up party for young girls, we decided to do a party for all age princesses.  Dressing up was totally optional.  Although next year it may not be!

For the last three months we've been planning this Princess Party.  I found some really adorable crown frames everyone could decorate and crowns made of pipe cleaners.  We got to work. 

My counter was covered with these beauties:

We had a cake pop party a couple days before the event.

I cannot confirm or deny if a few of them may have accidently, totally innocently been tested before we served them to the princesses. 

We got to work getting them ready to showcase as a centerpiece on the table.

The room was full of pinks, purples, flowers, balloons, sandwiches in the shape of tiaras and every so often a glimmer from a pipe cleaner.

We had 60 ladies show up to make crown frames, get their pictures taken with their tinsel crowns, hear a story about Gigi and hear of God's love for His princess, no matter how young at heart we may be.

It was a wonderful time and we've been asked to host it next year too.  It's great to see the ladies of our church, of all ages, come together, wear pipe cleaner tiaras and realize their place in His kingdom. 

Especially this little one.  Who, if you ask me or N, is already a princess in our hearts too.

How I Celebrate Being A Mother

I love having a day to celebrate the fact that I chase around a preschooler, live through tantrums and get exhausted just thinking about entering the "no" phase.  Which we entered last week.  It's been fun. 

Zoe, please put your toys back in the toy box.  NO!

Zoe, you're doing the potty polka, let's try and go potty.  NO!

Zoe, do you just love having me as your mommy?  NO!

Zoe, do you think your mom is weird?  YES!

She's full of all kinds of love...and honesty.

After a hectic weekend, which I'll tell you about tomorrow, and church in the morning, I was pretty much ready to lay on the couch, pretend I never had children and drift off into a dream land where a maid, a masseuse and a pastry chef were all ready to do whatever I needed at a moment's notice.  Also that I have the metabolism of a teenager.  If I'm dreaming, may as well dream big.

Then Zoe climbs up on me and in her sweetest voice says, "mommy can we play?"  Even though I'm apparently weird and she doesn't like having me for a mom, I gave in.  Seriously, I can't say no.  Maybe this no phase will be a learning time for me.

After some play time which translates into freeze tag, Wii yoga, gardening, weeding and reliving the Marmot March from a couple weeks ago, she let me get some pictures from my day.

I'm glad to see my weirdness has rubbed off on her.  I would hate for her to be a mom someday and not experience the joy of hearing her own daughter say, "mom you're weird."  It just gives makes a mom's heart grow with love.

So does this:

Nothing like being weird and giving unwanted kisses.

Thank you Zoe for helping me keep my head level, my self-esteem in check and my heart full of love.  My life wouldn't be the same without you. 

A New Normal

Almost four months ago today I wrote a post about being in the tunnel. What I didn’t know at the time is that we’d be in that tunnel for four, long months. We’d go from being tired, to being exhausted. We’d go from being hopeful, to being anxious and back to hopeful. We experienced an array of emotions that was similar to being on a rollercoaster.

Our minds have been preoccupied. Anytime the thoughts of “what if” and “maybe” would enter, we committed to praying. Not necessarily for the outcome we wanted, but for wisdom to follow the outcome God wanted for us.
In January the program that N is in at school started to prep the students to enter the workforce in their given field. The program itself is two years long, but after the first year they can get jobs with companies who are willing to work with their school schedule in their second year. They started having career fairs and introducing hiring managers to the students, which is beyond awesome. Nothing like helping a college student network in a new career.
In January a gentleman from the Army Corps of Engineers came to the class. His sales pitch was strong. He talked of high salaries, rich benefits and veteran buy-backs. That basically means if N goes to work for the Army Corps, he could buy back his time from the Air Force. Instead of starting at ground level with vacation benefits and retirement benefits, he would start out at 9 years (which is the amount of time he was in the Air Force). It would mean that his time serving in the military wasn’t totally in vain.
The process started. Over some Arby’s one afternoon we decided to pursue this opportunity. We believed that if this was the path God wanted us on, He would open the doors. If it wasn’t, our prayer was for God to slam those doors shut, lock them and then distract us with something shiny.

To our amazement, the doors kept opening. N went down to McNary dam for a tour. Then we went to Walla Walla to the district headquarters and N took a four hour aptitude test. Then we ate some fried cheese that was the size of a salad plate and wondered if he answered questions about isosceles triangles correctly and if the meaning of life really was this delicious cheese. Then we waited to hear the results. Then we filled out applications, refined resumes, wrote cover letters and sent military forms they name by letter and number that got me really confused. What is a DD214 and where do I find it again?
We waited.

Finally, four weeks ago we got the call. N was asked for an interview. They were interviewing eight people for three openings. He was top eight out of hundreds that applied. As he left McNary, they told him we’d hear in a couple weeks.
We waited. Thinking each day could be thee day.
Two and a half weeks later we heard. He got the job...with a twist. When he interviewed they told him he wouldn’t be able to return to school. He would start with his new career and no degree. N assured them that was okay. When he talked to them today, he gets to come back and finish his degree. Which is an answer to my prayer.
If he comes back to finish school, he won’t have to work. He can focus on school. Instead of working at night, he’ll be home in the evenings with me and Zoe. He’ll get more sleep. We’ll see some type of new normal. Which is exactly what we’re hoping this job will do.
God was faithful. Not because of the outcome, but because He gave us a peace that His plans would happen. At one point both N and I realized that, no matter what, we would be where God wanted us. When that hit, it was like we had conquered our fear of something great.

Now His plan is everything I had hoped. I can’t tell you how great it feels to have the desires of my heart be the same desires as God’s. It is humbling. It is rewarding. It is still the unknown.

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

A Science Experiment: To Flush or Not To Flush

Zoe isn't a breakfast fan.  She just doesn't like to eat until she's been up for awhile.  Typically during the week her and Grandma have things to do.  We like to make things that she can take with her for breakfast that she'll eat.

One of her favorite things is mini muffins.  Usually on Sunday evenings we make a couple dozen mini muffins for the week.  We like to have one right after they get out of the oven and cool a bit.  Sunday evening N was cleaning the tub in Zoe's bathroom.  She wanted to help.  She sprinkled the cleaner in the tub and N started to scrub.  She was ticked she couldn't scrub too.  I bribed her with a mini muffin.  Don't judge.  A tired, pre-schooler meltdown makes a mom do drastic things.

She insisted that she take it into the bathroom so she could "keep daddy company."  A few moments later N heard a plop and "oh no!"  Zoe dropped her mini muffin.  Not just anywhere in the bathroom, but it was a direct shot into the toilet.  Zoe really wanted to get it out, but I told her she needed a new one. 

N thought it best if we wait a little bit, let the muffin get soggy and then flush it.  After all the scrubbing and all my eating of mini muffins, we both totally forgot.

On Monday morning my mom came over to watch Zoe and had to use the bathroom.  She took the Dora lid off the toilet to find a jumbo muffin staring at her.  Not sure if she should reach in and try to get it out or what, she decided that flushing was the best option.

Fortunately the mini-now-jumbo muffin went down okay, but it didn't really ever dissolve.  If you ever drop your mini muffin in the toilet while you watch a man clean your bathtub, because really, what's better than mini muffins and watching your man do some chores.  Maybe if you had just come from an all-day spa treatment and then had the muffin and chore-watching.  That could just be me.

I digress.  The real moral is:  muffins are like sponges in the toilets of life.  They don't dissolve, they just get bigger.

I'm not sure that's a moral or just something I hope you never encounter.  If you have to go, you don't want to have to decide if that muffin is too big to flush.

Sometimes Smiling Just Isn't Enough

A few weeks ago our small group met and instead of the usual, Pete and Lindi offered to make us dinner.  It was an impromptu birthday celebration for their daughter.  We ate entirely too many waffles, pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, strawberries and cake.  It was awesome. 

As I was looking through the pictures from the event, I realized that, while the kids smile, the adults are a mixed bag.  You have the people who smile:

Thank you Lindi and Jamie for posing for me and indulging my need to document every second of our life.

Sometimes they like to pretend I'm not even there:

Granted Pete is working at a hot grill, so I'll give him a pass on that one.  Steve likes to pretend he's talking to someone, while Shawn smiles, knowing he's being difficult. 

Never fear, I'll still post the pictures on the internet.  I'm ruthless like that.

Neither of these things happen as often as this:

I'm not sure if they just ate too many waffles or what.  It seems to be a common pose for the people we socialize with.

Then again, I also found these:

It's nice to know we found our people.

Friends Make The Good Times Better

One of the things we're most grateful for is our friends.  N's family doesn't live close and my family is small, so we like to bridge that gap with friends.  We're so blessed to be part of a church and small group that want to encourage, support and love on us.  They've accepted us without question, which if you know us, that's no small thing!

One of the biggest blessings has come in the form of friends for Zoe.  Being an only child most of the time makes it difficult for her to relate to kids her age.  She can be in a room full of other kids and want to play with the adults.  To have her form friendships with children who come from homes that value the same foundations that we do is immeasurable. 

To have friends who will play dress-up, as either a pirate or a princess, well, that's just something this mom would like to personally thank each of the children.  Perhaps buy them something special, like gold.  I can only explain how hard it is for mommy to wear a size 4T Sleeping Beauty costume to Zoe so many more times before she stops asking.

To invite us to their house for a lovely dinner.  Then throw in a trip to their chicken coop, a ride on their swingset and to sit around a campfire to roast smores.  That kind of love just warms the heart of this mother.  Not to mention having time to socialize with another mother who is also chasing her kids around, wiping noses and having her eyes in 600 places at one time.  It's nice to find people who are a kindred spirit and have an understanding that being distracted doesn't mean lack of interest.

Most importantly, to be loved on just because they can and want to. 

It's not uncommon for Zoe to wake up asking what her friends are doing and if we can play with them.  Or including them, by name, in her prayers before bed.  After all the fun times she's had with them, it's safe to say they're in her heart. 

I think it's one of God's greatest blessings.  To have your child have good friends, but to also have their mommies and daddies as your good friends too.  They add a depth to life that makes each memory a little more colorful and each get together a little more exciting.

Thank you friends for loving on us, accepting us and making our weeks brighter.  Our life wouldn't be the same without you.

Well, we'll see what you say tomorrow after you see that post!

It Was An Overnight Phenomenon

At beginning of fall D, E & I planted over 100 bulbs of flowers in the backyard.  It was exciting to see how the flowerbed would look in the spring with all the pretty flowers and signs of better weather.  I was secretly hoping that hole in my thumb was worth it.

One evening, after talking to the ladies at work who said their crocus were blooming I decided to check it out.  This is what I saw:

Signs of life were beginning.  Most of my tulips were up and with small buds on them.  My crocus were totally through, but didn't have blooms on them.  My hyacinths were coming in too.  That hole in my thumb was worth all the effort.  It was so pretty.

Then fast-forward to a week later and this:

The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming. It was like a little patch of spring right out my door.

But it doesn't stop there. There's more beauty just a couple days later:

They are so pretty.  I have a vase on our dining room table that is full of tulips.  It's wonderful.

Except that my crocus never bloomed and only two hyacinth ever bloomed.  Now, I'm sad to report that all my tulips have lost their petals and it's almost time to uproot them and plant some summer flowers.  I can't believe in 2 weeks all my effort is gone. 

The good news is that my rose bush is bigger than it's ever been and my hydrangea bushes are coming back!  I'm sure I'll be seeing more color in no time.  It just means that I'll have to dig and plant some more.  I'm sure I'll have three helpers to get the job done.

Running Won't Kill You, You'll Pass Out First

This weekend was full of marching and running.  On Saturday we participated in the Marmot March.  It's a 1.2 mile walk through Riverfront Park.  It's for the 8 and under crowd. 

On Friday we picked up Zoe's t-shirt and paint set.  Because it's an untimed event, the kids get a shirt to decorate and wear during the race.

Zoe was very excited to have a number.  She wanted to be number 3 like her age.  Unfortunately all the tags are #1.  Which is good for fairness, but bad when your daughter has different ideas.  We had to come up with a compromise:

Which worked out pretty well for me since it's her age and we can document that on her shirt. 

Saturday morning we woke up and got ready for the race.  Actually I think the first words out of Zoe's mouth, after good morning were, "are we going to my race yet?"  She was not excited at all!

When we got outside it was sprinkling.  Neither rain, nor sleet, nor the coziness of a warm bed were going to keep us from this race.  We loaded up the jogging stroller because even though it was only 1.2 miles, there was no way I was going to carry her.  There was also a chance that I would need to be pushed since my training for these types of events usually involves some good intentions and lack of actual doing.

Please notice all the snacks.  A walk for Zoe means snacks to enjoy along the way while someone else actually walks.  I will take credit for it.  I have the same philosophy about walks too, but N won't push me in a stroller anymore.  He's so insecure! 

About 2 minutes into the race, our girl decided she wanted to run too.  Actually ended up running most of the race.

The entire race was within our park downtown.  The course was lined with mascots and cheerleaders.  Zoe got approximately 50 high-5's along the course. 

Our girl with her ribbon and balloon for completing her very first race. 

After this, you went to get snacks:  frosted animal cookies and a mini loaf of bread.  Since she didn't get to snack at all along the way, she dove right in:

Ever since her race, we've been recreating the event at the house.  Sometimes I get to be the cheerleader and do the high-5'ing and sometimes I get to run.

It was actually just a warm up for my race on Sunday.  Bloomsday is a 12k race that's been going on here for the last 34 years.  My mom took me along in 1985 when I was a mere 7 years old.  I've been hooked ever since.  I've missed a few years along the way, but it's so nice to be back at it. 

I say that now, after the Aleve has kicked in and bed time is near.  I had other thoughts right around mile 4 when I was starting the biggest hill known to man. 

It was an absolute reminder that next year, I'm getting the stroller and N can push me.  Better yet, maybe I can pass for an older 8 year old and do the Marmot March instead. 

If Zoe has any say, I'll be getting practice around the house while she's my cheerleader.