Tower

This year we have the unbelievably good fortune to have an after school nanny for the girls.  Dolly (aka Dolly Poppins) picks the girls up from school each day and brings them home.  Which means they are home, quiet, calm, settled when John and I arrive after work.  It also means my drive home from work (which used to take almost an hour and a half by the time I picked everyone up and got home) has been cut down to 30 minutes.  It is no exaggeration to say this has changed my life.  The girls love Dolly - and I am so grateful to have her as part of the family. No joke - you might spot her on our Christmas card this year!

Dolly's husband works as an air traffic controller and Sunday he took the girls (and their Dad!) to visit the tower.  They all had a ball.....

Spotting planes on a beautiful, clear day.....

Future career?

Proud dad....

Proof

When they are bickering, tattling and poking at each other I will pull up this picture and know that they really do love each other.....

This is how I spotted the girls this morning after sleeping in a bit and enjoying some pancakes.

Shoes

 You know the old parenting cliche - the days are long but the years are short?  I am feeling that so much the last couple of weeks.  Busy work and travel schedules for both me and John. Soccer and dance for both girls. The daily juggle to manage the calendar can leave me feeling worn out by it all.

And then I get these reminders of how fast everything goes.  How on Earth will I remember all these small moments with the kids?  I think I will remember forever the look, the conversation, the funny saying and then it is gone.  This morning Amelia told me she was "totally used to Kindergarten already."  How funny is that?  And I looked over my shoulder at Ava, who was riding in the backseat with a totally dreamy, contented look on her face and I felt so grateful that my sweet Patito has such a good heart.

When Amelia was little she put her shoes on the wrong feet every.single.time.  Over and over. No matter the shoes, no matter the occasion, they went on the wrong feet.  Except now they don't anymore.  I watched her this morning get her shoes, set them down on the ground, line them up the right way, put them on and tie them herself. A totally tiny thing, but I was struck by her efficiency, her independence and wondered where it came from?  When did this happen?  When did she stop being the girl who always put her shoes on the wrong feet?

I mean, look at this crazy girl.  This is the outfit she picked out this morning....

Bonus picture - the girls and I took Orbit to the dog park, but it required a pause to play on a dried tree stump and pose for a picture.  We couldn't get Orbit to hold still to be in the shot!

Friday Night Lights

Last night I took the girls to their first high school football game - the Indianola Homecoming Game.  The plan for the game hatched innocently enough.... The girls nanny from this summer (Cassie) boyfriend plays for the high school football team.  I mentioned, off handedly, we should go to a game.  And then:

"Mom, which game are we going to go to?"

"When is the football game?"

It quickly became clear specific plans were in order.  What other game to see besides Homecoming?  John was off to Mississippi to help Lane move home (!!!) so it was just us girls! And Jessica could sleep over!! The excitement has building for weeks. 

The girlies in their front row spot, watching more of the cheerleaders than the football....

Cassie is here!!!!!

Sweet Amelia, a litte tired from a busy week, a little overwhelmed by all the activity.  We left after half time, but the evening was declared a total success.

Homecoming

There are many things I like about living in a (small-ish) town. Tonight was the Homecoming parade, so I loaded up the girls, Jessica, and Orbit to head to the square to partake of the festivities.  We saw a bunch of people we knew, Orbit was quite the parade candy magnet, the girls had a ball and we were in and out of there when it was over with no parking or traffic hassles. 

I've been in Washington, DC the past few days for work, soaking in the urban bustle and the special place that is Washington, DC.  Tonight I soaked in a different feeling and was reminded again of my good fortune.  The girls are outside playing frisbee with their friends right now, wringing every last drop of daylight from this lovely day.  Evenings like this make me feel good about our choice to settle in this community - watching all the kids in the Homecoming parade, watching all the parents and spectators show up to support them. It all makes me a little wistful for how quickly time is passing.  Before I know it Ava  and then Amelia will be riding the Homecoming float for dance or Science club or cross country..... 

The girlies on the law on of the square, waiting for the parade.....

Sisters....

I totally love how Amelia photo-bombed Ava (who's a little bit behind her) with a big jump in this picture....

Some More Pics from the Race

It is fun to look at the pictures from the race that John took with our little point and shoot camera.  The view of the race from his perspective, from the kids perspective. The accomplishment is still very exciting, even as the post-race blues settle in.....  My legs are still tired, but I am antsy to get out for a run. I am at some loose ends as I wonder what to do next, even with the Zooma Great Lakes Half Marathon on the calendar for next month. 

Miss Meghan with the little girls after she finished her first road race!

A whole mess of Moorlach kids busting a move to some tunes while they wait for their moms to run by!

Here they are!!

The finish line is in sight!

Safe to Drive

Amelia Rae is a force of nature. She has all kinds of quirks and preferences that make her uniquely Mimi. One prominent -fear?- is that we will begin driving before she is buckled. We get in the car and she immediately starts shouting from the back seat, "I'm not buckled, I'm not bucked!"  Even if the car is not turned on. 

After numerous attempts to calm her fears ("Honey, I promise, we will not drive until we know you are buckled....") She has started telling us in her husky little Amelia voice that it is "SAFE TO DRIVE" when she gets that seat belt buckled.  It is so funny to me now and I am ridiculously aware of the fact that someday she will grow out of this fear and I will miss her backseat pronouncements.

Amelia - Safe to Drive.....

26.2, Take 2

There's a lot to say about running 26.2 miles, even if you've covered the distance before. Saturday I raced the Women Rock Marathon in St. Paul Minnesota. I had the great fortune to run this race with some wonderful ladies, including my sister in law Hilary on her first (but almost certainly not her last) marathon. Also on the course, my friend Molly, Lauren and Nicole.... plus Meghan toed the line in her very first race - the Women Rock 10K. 

Here's me, Molly and Hilary, rounding the corner I think near mile 8, still feeling pretty good.....

And then there were a lot of long, hard, hot, tough miles. I will write a full recap, but here's the standout moment.  Hilary and I parted ways around mile 20.  I didn't know until a mile or so had passed that she was struggling - I thought she had just stopped to switch water, re-fuel and re-group.  I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to see her.  I knew she would come - she can dig like none other. And around mile 24 she caught me.  We were both struggling to cover those last hard miles, but we covered the last 2 or so together, passing whatever tiny bit of energy we had back and forth between us.  We approached the finish line and 3 of her 4 boys jumped in to run a few steps, shouting encouragement.  Then my girls jumped in for a few steps, cheering us along.  We sent the kids back to their dads, clasped hands and headed across the finish line hand in hand.  I will never forget it.

Marathon moms!

A hug from my mother, I couldn't hold back the tears....

My sweet Patito..... wondering how close she has to get to the stinky mom.

Look at all these kids!!  Hilary's baby Luke is missing from the picture, but I love the visual!

No one can undertake something like this without a lot of support.  And I wouldn't be able to do anything without my number one person....

So glad I took this on with Hilary, who has become like a real sister, not just a sister in law....  We look pretty good for a couple of women who ran for 4:47!

Further proof that no one runs alone - another big part of my support crew - my mom and dad.....

And my sister in law, once removed, Vivi, who took all these pictures, but somehow managed to stay out of the frame herself. She covered a lot of miles with me, real and virtual, and even more with Hilary.  I will be there cheering like a fool for every single mile (if) she decides to tackle 26.2....