How You Doin' (Part Two)

I told you I was committed to updating this little blog of mine. In a way I'm a little surprised myself. I had always sworn that if I got backed up I would just pick up right where I was and not back track. This certainly isn't the first time I'm going back on something I swore I would never do. You should just ask the youth leaders I had growing up about everything I said I would never do.

The thing is, with the blog I never really wanted this to be a journal. For now I feel like it's been a good spring and summer that needs to be documented. So, no...I'm not journaling. I'm simply documenting.

Early Celebrations This year marks 10 years of wedded-ness.Being that this year is the really the first whopper of an anniversary, we decided to go on an adventure sans children. It was the first time. Ever. Ever, as in since the girls entered the picture. Okay, our anniversary is not until November, but who says you can't celebrate a milestone of this magnitude for an entire year.

So we left the children in the capable and loving hands of Grammy and my niece, Victoria and headed to the rainy Northwest for a week.We had never been to Seattle, and the stars aligned in such a way that the city kind of chose us. For the record, the only time it rained was the day we left, but it was much colder than I anticipated.

We found a week away to be too long not only for what there was to do in Seattle, but it was difficult being away from the girls for that long. We divided our time between the northern Puget Sound/San Juan Islands and Seattle. Seattle has some fun and whimsical neighborhoods that we loved, and hiking up north was breathtaking. The antique stores weren't too shabby either.

The week away certainly did it's job: we were able to reconnect in a way that isn't possible when the kids are around. It's amazing how much effort is required before you remember how to have conversations without the typical interruptions and that don't revolve around the functions of life at home. I think we're sold on an annual couple's retreat. Maybe not for quite as long next time. 

My Happy Place Once again we are participating in the Great Country Farms CSA. Getting out to the country once a week where the girls have an opportunity to play after we pick produce from the fields is just about the happiest thing we've done this summer. I don't think there has been one time the girls didn't want to go.

Though they were very ready to leave this past week when we were DRENCHED by buckets of rain that lasted only while we were picking our peaches and raspberries. It started as the hayride to the fields left and stopped when we pulled up to the store coming home. It was kind of nice to have use of the heater in August.

More to come. Certainly the best is yet.

How You Doin' (Part One)

I'm a failed blogger. Regular updates lasted roughly six months. Sounds about right. I really do have a short attention span. But just when I think I've reconciled myself to that fact I get the itch again.

I really do enjoy it. It's therapeutic for me. It's just time consuming. Maybe I need to reevaluate my blogging expectations. Does every post need to be a book? Of course not, but apparently I have a lot to say. And does every post need to have an image that has been edited?  Not really, but it's fun and I'm obsessive.

When asked by friends what I've been up to, I honestly have to think about it for a while. Things have, for the most part, been status quo. I guess that isn't completely true. There have been goings on. And status quo for spring is definitely different than that of summer. Spring ended along with school routines. Summer began bringing with it a desperate attempt to make some kind of routine.

So, in case you've been wondering, I'm going to give you a glimpse into the goings on of my life since spring. Now that I'm actually sitting down to do this, I'm realizing that it's just not going to happen in one, quick blog post, so here is Part One. Not to fear...you won't be left hanging. I'm in sincere catch-up mode. Which I swore I would never do, but that's a different story.

Without further ado, I bring you Part One:

Run You Mother: Yeah, not so much 
Remember how I announced I was signed up to run the Charlottesville Marathon? Well, that didn't really happen. See, I found out that it's really, really, hard training for a race through the winter. Especially when I ended up training solo. And then I got a pain in the butt, literally. Technically I injured my right piriformis (which is in the butt) and hamstring. It made running lots of fun. I was forced to take some time off.

I did end up running the half-marathon injury and all. Not only did I run it - I KILLED it. I wanted my time to be below 2 hours. Not only was I below 2 hours, I did it in 1:56 and placed 133 out of 629 women. Injured to boot. WAHOO for me. It helped that my sister ended up coming from Arizona to run the full marathon. Seeing her cross the finish line was fabulous. What was even more fabulous was that I wasn't sad that I couldn't run the full marathon. I was content with 13.1 miles.

After the race I took about 4 months off to heal. Which didn't work so I went to Physical Therapy. Good times. While I'm not yet 100%, at least I'm running again. Slowly. It's just good to be able to run.

The Little Dirt Diva Sweet Cheeks was on a softball team for the first time this spring. It was so much fun for her to play, and even more fun for us to watch. By the end of the season she understood what was going on, but even then she often found the pile of dirt she was building or something that caught her eye in the distance more engaging than the game. I have quite a few videos of it, which I'll eventually get around to editing.



Stay tuned for Part 2.

All I Want is A Bouncy Cow

Friday was my Sweet Addie-Cake's birthday. Who knew three years could go so fast. No longer the chunky 8lbs 8oz babe, she is full of personality, happiness, and a mind of her own.

Did I mention that she knows what she wants? We're going to the farm again this year, where one of her favorite things to do is play with the bouncy cows. Silly thing.

So that's what she got. And she bounced all evening while she played with her cousins. What can I say, the girl likes to move.

It was more than a little difficult getting her here, but who could resist those chunky cheeks and rolly-polly legs. And that cute smile.

A Discovery a la Last Post

On the topic of great music, I just found some. There is a production group called The Occidental Saloon out of good ol' Provo, Utah that produces music videos of up and coming artists. Let me clarify - Utah artists. Be ye not skeptical. There are some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and talent peeps that write great music. Neon Trees, anyone?

So, this is Emily Brown. I'm amazed by her. Her voice to me is innocent and wise, playful and pensive. All at the same time. This song, Nocturne, is hauntingly beautiful. I'm in love and wishing for about the gazillionth time I could play the piano.

Those Pesky Consequences...

If I've learned anything from being a parent, it's that you frequently get bit in the be-hind. That does happen literally, but right now I'm speaking figuratively. Even the most innocent things you do and say will inevitably come and bite you. I'm thinking along the lines of letting the girls sleep in bed with me while Otterpop is out of town means an entire week of re-sleep training. Or giggling at a potty joke at home usually means embarrassment...nay, MORTIFICATION...when said child shouts to the world that same potty joke in the most inappropriate of places. 

I'm not especially a fan of "kid music". It kinda drives me nuts. Okay really drives me nuts. My sanity is hanging by a thread as it is, so why push it, right? I want my girls to cultivate an appreciation for music across all genres, which I feel means they need to be exposed to real music early on. Kid.z B.op doesn't count. I have my own feelings on that, mostly because I don't think a moderately edited song should receive a stamp of approval simply because a kid is singing it. In fact I think it makes it worse. There I go on tangent. Back to my point...

This has backfired on me more than once. The girls listening to adult music, that is. There was a time I heard Sweet Cheeks singing a very inappropriate Black Eyed Peas song while listening to my iPod. While I made it clear to her that song wasn't appropriate and turned it off she kept singing it for days. I could just imagine her doing it in public. I suppose it would serve me right. After all, I'm supposed to be the gate keeper.

Did I learn my lesson? A little. I am more vigilant than I was about the music in our home, but not as much as I ought to be. Consequently, as of late I am constantly being serenaded with somewhat less-than-appropriate songs by a 21/2 year old.

Okay, it's not so bad.  Full disclosure...I regularly put on "Single Ladies" for the girls. I think it's fun and basically harmless. But I hate La.dy Ga.ga. Even if her songs are catchy and not all are completely inappropriate, I think she is a horrible example to young girls. I'm not sure where Addie-Cakes picked up that song. Well, actually from her older sister. Who I think heard the Kid.z B.op version at the gym. Dang that Kid.z B.op.

I guess the consequence of children listening to adult music is children singing adult music. Yet I have not one bit of remorse. There is a lot of good music out there, and I want to teach them to choose good music as they grow up. Maybe I do need to be more careful about what they listen to. And nipping it in the bud rather than videoing it because it's funny. What can I say? It's my punishment.



 P.S. There are a few exceptions to the awful kid music. When Addie-Cakes was born my former boss gave me a kid music CD Barenaked Ladies wrote and produced, which is really good. The Curious George soundtrack by Jack Johnson is great, too. Who are we kidding, though? I would bet money those albums were inspired by their very own battle with kid-induced insanity. Thankfully they had the talent to do something about it and helped talk parents everywhere off the proverbial ledge. 

Music to My Ears

 
Scrubbing the toilet the other day wasn't quite the chore it typically is. Yes, I actually said that. Only because of the lovely background music, though.

You see, Sweet Cheeks was reading her sister a book. They hovered over a book all close and cozy-like the entire time I cleaned the bathroom. Crazy, right? Crazy and wonderful. Both that Sweet Cheeks is already reading, and that she's reading to her sister.

The girls have been playing incredibly well together lately. Of course there is the typical bickering, tattling, punching, kicking and hair pulling that all sisters put each other through. But more often than not they are best friends.

And those days when I'm not forced to referee every two minutes make me remember why staying at home to raise my girls is the best choice I've ever made. Until tomorrow when the truce is broken and Referee Mama is on duty. All day. Then I'll need another reminder.

There and Back Again

To Arizona. Back home, and some places in between - mostly this place called Life, really. That's where I've been. Somewhere along the road I lost my way. I once wondered how I would ever find enough material to supply a blog that's not a complete yawn fest. Then a transformation occurred and I began to see life as a series of potential blog posts. Well, that I saw the possibilities of blog posts in every day life is more accurate.

That's where I lost my way. Enough time passed between posts and I went from noticing a barrage of potential blog fodder to forgetting to even look for those things. Thus, the lapse in time. Worry aside - I have returned. The prodigal attempted blogger. Not that anyone but the nagging at the back of my conscious has even noticed the absence. At this point I wasn't planning to document our adventures. But then I was sifting through pictures remembering how much fun we had. I can't just pass by as if it never happened. I figure a glimpse will do. You can see pictures on my other blog.

• Arizona was wonderful albeit not as warm as I had hoped it would be
• I will admit to wishing we lived there on more than one occasion
• All of my siblings made it, though we were all together for just hours rather than days. At least we got family pictures.
• Ragnar was spectacular
• My parent's lemon tree was prolific. As in lemons the size of grapefruit. Seriously. I came home with 35lbs. Don't be jealous.
• Sweet Cheeks went to school at her Auntie Kenna's preschool
• And we visited Auntie LaNae's family in Yuma - what I've always called the armpit of Arizona. It's really not that bad. Once you get passed the smell of the lettuce plants. Plants, as in factories.

I had said I was going to visit Arizona to run Ragnar, but of course the real reason was so my girls could make actual memories of their family. Addie Cakes was an infant the last time we were there, so she was essentially meeting her cousins and some Aunties for the first time.

Before we left she had a hard time grasping the idea that she had cousins other than her "Virginia cousins", whom we see regularly. That is one of the hardest things about living far from family, which is actually why we are in Northern VA. Otter and I both wanted to make sure we were close to at least some family after we graduated from college in Utah. Virginia won. This was before we had children and the difficulty of ensuring meaningful relationships with my side of the family hadn't registered. Of course had we moved to Arizona instead the situation would just be reversed.

But now both of the girls have memories of their family. They see pictures and know names, and make associations that in all reality are probably just a vague recognition of a memory - for Addie Cakes, at least. But the associations are there. And for now that's all that matters. So while I miss my family every day, at least now I know it's not impossible. My girls love and miss my family - their family - more than the space that divides us.