A Little Activity is Good For the Heart

In the spring our weekends are filled with rain, wind and open fields.  It's soccer season for D & E.  However, this year E isn't playing on the field.  We bring Zoe along, so there is playing just not in an official capacity.

D's team is a force to be reckoned with.  Typically D likes to play goalie.  That makes it a nail-biting experience for us.  It does make her easier to spot.  What I find most amazing about the goalie is they scoop up the ball, head close to the ground and aren't even a little afraid of being kicked in the face.

Like I said, D's a soccer pro.  She hussles, scoops, kicks and wears the uniform well.

E on the other hand likes to provoke her daddy.  She'll hip check him when he's not looking, jump up to grab his hat off his head or try to tackle him. 

It's not uncommon for me to look over and see this:

Personally I think E's just figured out a way to be thrown around and it seems to be working for her.

When you don't find E like this, you find her like this:

Zoe is always trying to convince her that there is some great adventure to be had just over there.  That usually involves running, kicking an extra soccer ball and generally hanging out with her favorite people in the world:  her sisters.

All this activity makes my heart start pumping.  Not from over activity, but because it gets a little bigger each time I see our girls together.

How to Perfect The Roll

Up from our house is an elementary school or as Zoe calls it "the park." When the weather is nice, we take Zoe up there for some swinging, sliding and general energy-draining activities. I'm not sure what happened in the last month, but this girl has more energy than time in the day.

Perhaps I've just lost some of mine.

Last Friday N came with us. It's always a treat to have him with us because 1) he typically has more energy than I do to play along with Zoe and all her energy-draining things and 2) because he works so much, we don't get to see him for a good portion of the week. We like to have a little family bonding time when he's home. He graciously offered to have that bonding time at the "park".

When he comes along, he tends to teach Zoe some crazy things. He tried to teach her how to jump off a swing. Which she tried and ended up needing her hand kissed because she got a boo-boo from it. Poor thing got his need for adventure and my coordination.

He also taught her this, which I can't confirm or deny may have been my idea:

What? It's Not All About Me?

Our interim pastor is doing a study in Philippians about this life not being all about me.  Or you.  Actually it's not about any person.  I don't know why I feel like I have to qualify that.  Other than because I feel like I'm being kinda pushy about it. 

Anyway.  Back to where I was.  Life isn't about me.

It couldn't have come at a better time.  I'm always falling into the all about me trap.  A pity party is something I like to host for myself a few times a year.  I serve chocolate and tissues because the tears, oh do they flow.

It usually happens when I'm feeling overwhelmed.  Which is often because I tend to be a controller.  I like to plan and I expect that plan to work.  99.9% of the time God has something completely different in mind.  When the change in direction happens, I have a farwell pity-party for my great idea and go God's way.  I'm sure He's rolled His eyes on more than one occasion at my lack of trust.  And my grieving process. 

N's close to finishing school.  He's got one more year in his program.  The interesting thing is, he can get a job in his field now, with only one year under his belt.  It would be really great if he could get something in his field.  Mainly because the job he has now, while we're greatful to be employed, isn't what he wants to be when he grows up.

I can feel a snap coming.  It's not really a snap, but more of a bend.  I'm trying really hard not to let my ideas form.  I'm trying really hard to just say, "God, show us your way." 

Since that's basically the topic at church, I decided to read through Philippians and see what God was saying to me.  I came across Philippians 4: 6 & 7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Sometimes I think He's talking straight to me. 

I See A Haze of Yellow

I'm one of those crazy people who like a winter.  I like snow on the ground.  I like to shovel.  I like playing in the white stuff.  I LOVE IT.

Now I have one more reason to love winter.  It kills all the weird stuff that mild winters don't.  This spring has been horrible for my allergies.  I constantly sound like Nicholas Cage playing Charlie Bodwell in Peggy Sue Got Married.  That's not a pretty comparison.

This weekend N got some kind of charge to his system.  I think it's because one of our neighbors is this guy who on the first sunny day of spring is out mowing his yard, weed wacking and edging.  His yard is always done before anyone else's.  N has this crazy competitive drive to have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood.  He wants it to feel like carpet. 

He usually succeeds.  Our neighbor kicked him into high gear.  This weekend we spent hours outside thatching, pulling weeds, fixing sprinkler heads and generally getting the yard ready to become carpet.  Or something like that.

Zoe LOVES to be outside.  She now says, "I don't want to go home.  I don't like home."  That's her way of saying she'd rather sleep under the stars and be one with the wilderness.  As long as mom or dad is out there.  Apparently she's never met me.  Bugs love me and the wilderness and outdoors isn't really my favorite thing.  In an effort to keep her outdoors and allow me to get some gardening done, I bought her some new gardening gloves.

We pulled weeds, pruned bushes and raked bark most of the weekend.  She wore her new gloves and shoveled dirt into her wheelbarrow, then dumped it to where I was working.  Then she'd cover her ears when daddy started some yard machine.

It was just a nice weekend of being outside as a family.  We all had our jobs and worked to get the yard in good shape.

Even though my eyes are involuntarily watering today and I sound like Charlie Bodwell again today, it's one of those memories that I'll take with me to the home. 

My Best Time

Last night, after dinner, Zoe looked at me with big eyes and said, "Mommy, going to the park right now would make my heart happy."  Those big eyes are my kryptonite and she knows it.

We got the jogging stroller ready, got her snacks, some water for both of us, my keys, my cell phone and some jackets.  It's always a production!

We quickly ran to the potty before we left because the park is actually an elementary school.  There are no potties there.

Her favorite thing to do at the park is play on the swings and go down the blue slide.  Last night there were a couple boys just her age playing at the park.  They pretended to be dragons and bats together while Zoe cheered them on.  Then they all found sticks and started to make things in the pebbles on the playground.  We made a volcano that erupted and was totally destroyed.  Then we swang.  When you have three little ones who can't get on the swings themselves or get them going or know how to pump, the mommy gets to run between all three, pushing, doing under-dogs and trying to keep her balance on that pebble-gravel stuff. 

I have the coordination of a rhino on ice skates.

Anyway, by this time the sun was getting lower and it was time to head home.  We washed our hands with my water and Zoe started on her snack.  About a block away from the school and any trees, I heard the word I dread in this situation.  "POTTY!" 

I'm not really big into running.  I think I've used our jogging stroller for jogging maybe 3 times.  Since it's uber allergy season, running isn't really that great for me.  Seeings how I can't really breathe well.  You overcome those things when a cute girl, with big, wild eyes is depending on you.

It's a full 1/2 mile back to our house.  About 1/4 mile in she started kicking her legs and moving around.  She yelled, "I'm doing the potty polka mommy!  HURRY!"

We made it a block away from our house before the accident happened.  At which point Zoe looked at me and said, "I'm soaked!  Oh no, it's ruined."

In between my gasps for breath I tried to comfort her and tell her that it's okay, but she thought maybe she should be out of breath too.  She started breathing like she had just run a 1/2 mile with someone doing the potty polka.

As I got her ready for a bath and she was still doing that gasping breath thing to imitate me, she looked at me and said, "that was a really fun time mommy.  Except for getting all wet.  Next time, can we not do that part?"

Absolutely.  Mommy lesson #735, next time we'll wear a pull-up.  Mommy needs better conditioning before sprinting 1/2 mile during allergy season.

Memory Is Tricky Business

Yesterday Zoe had a follow-up eye appointment.  Because of her prematurity, there was concerns about her vision.  I have concerns about her vision too.  Not because I don't think she can see, but because I fear she's inherited my vision and it's bad.  Very bad.

We sat in a doctor's office yesterday afternoon and they peppered me with questions about her possible cerebral palsy, vision concerns, hearing concerns, her growth and every other topic that surrounded her prematurity.  As I sat there with my 3-year old my lap I realized just how far we've come in the last two years.

Zoe is absolutely equal with her peers.  She's the same size, she has the same likes/dislikes for a pre-schooler and her vocabulary is fantastic.  She doesn't have cerebral palsy.  She doesn't have hearing problems.  She doesn't have weak lungs.  She doesn't need glasses.  She absolutely normal.  It was as though her due date was January 26th and not April 6th.

I know that God has truly held her in His hands since the moment she was conceived. 

How truly blessed are we.  Not because of the great outcome, but because she's alive.  Because she was even conceived.  Because we get to spend all our free minutes with her. 

I didn't need a doctor to remind me of that.  Or to tell me her vision is great.

She can spot an ice cream shop from miles away.

Might As Well Face I'm Addicted to....Blogging?

I haven't really shared much on here about certain things in my personal life.  Mainly because I wanted to see how it was going to work before I shared.  I joined Weight Watchers. 

Hi, my name is Kelly and I'm addicted to food.

I always thought those kinds of things were crazy.  You know what, they actually work.  I'm eating better.  I'm eating less.  Most importantly, I'm weighing less.

I decided to start a blog.  I know, that's crazy since I hardly post anything here!  It's really just my journal about my WW journey, but if you're interested, it's here.

I'm thinking about posting some things that are working for me, my set-backs and really just trying to keep myself accountable.