He Turns Three in a Few Short Weeks

Here's a quick conversation I had with Pax today on the way to the gym:

Pax: Mommy why you go running today?
me: Because I like to run. It makes me feel healthy.
Pax: Oh, you wike it?
me: Yup, I like it
Pax: Oh, well I am just a wittle boy. When I turn into a big boy I am going to work out all da days too.
me: Really?
Pax: Yea, but wite now I still just a wittle boy. Big boys are da ones who work out all da days, and when I am big I will work out all da days too.

Silence for a quick moment.

Pax: Yup, just a wittle boy. I still just wittle.

Yes, precious boy, you are still little.

Never grow-up.

Sometimes it Just Feels Good to Cry

The library has saved me more times than I would like to admit. I could have nothing planned to do, be bored out of my gourd, the kids are running crazy wild, and then it occurs to me, "We should go to the library!" It keeps the kids entertained, they have to be quiet, you get to leave with stuff for free, and oh yea, there are so many different books and movies there to choose from. We can stay entertained there for at least a good 45 minutes. Then you get to bring a bunch of books and movies home with you which can provide hours of entertainment.

I guess it depends on how many movies to book ratio you allow on each trip, but if the movie count is high, you can have your whole afternoon planned.

Sometimes we hit the library quite often, even as much as once a week. Other times, months will go by before we go again. It had been a while since we had been to the library when I announced we were making a trip last Friday. The kids were beyond excited, and talked about what kind of books they were going to check out. Lanie wanted all kinds of dinosaur books, and Pax just copied whatever Delanie said. He also threw in a long list of movies. My boy is a true TV hound just like his parents.

When we got there Lanie went straight for the books, and Pax he went straight for the movies. I went with Pax because, without parental supervision, my boy can single handedly destroy a library in about one minute and 30 seconds.

He went straight for the Elmo videos. It's strange because I thought for sure we would be done with Elmo by now seeing as though he is almost three and all. Lately though, there has been a fierce resurgence of the little red monster in our home that I feel may not be over any time soon. He wants to watch Elmo all the time right now, and Delanie, she doesn't stop him. I guess it's a fresh change from Dora and Diego. I am just thankful that the Backyardigans are still around.

Man, I love that show.

Back to the movies.

As I was looking through the movies with Pax I came across a movie called "Far From Home". It was one of those "Family Channel" made for TV movies. You know, they use up and coming actors/actresses, the story line is totally predictable but completely touching, and the best part is it had to be from the mid-90's. I thought, "WOW! Delanie would really like this movie!"

Just as I was about to go show her what I had found to see if she wanted to check it out, I second guessed myself. This movie had tear-jerker written all over it. I know I love me some tear-jerking dramas at times, but that is just cruel for a mother to even suggest it to her daughter, who she knows is a bit on the sensitive side. I quickly remembered how much she bawled at Homeward Bound and Eight Below (which, by the way, was one of the worst parenting decisions Scott and I have made. Just because a movie is made by Disney DOES NOT MEAN IT IS FOR KIDS). She loved both movies, but she bawled like a baby for both.

Which made me bawl.

And then we snuggled and bawled together.

I decided that it wasn't a good choice to get a movie that I knew she would like, but that would also make her bawl. I put the movie back on the shelf and went back to looking for Elmo videos.

Delanie then came back over to the movie section after checking out all the books she wanted to look at. She asked if she could check out a movie too, like her brother, and I told her she could if she saw something she thought she might like. After a little perusing she came to find Pax and I over at the baby book section to show me what she wanted. She was all excited when she showed me the movie.

"Look Momma! Far From Home!" This looks like a really good movie. Can I get this one?"

Without even being rational, I said "YES!".

I remember thinking, "Oh my word! I can't believe we picked up the same movie. It's a sign! We have to get it!" All that rational thinking I had done not but 30 seconds prior, went right out the window.

I am so impulsive and feelings driven it should be illegal at times.

So we brought home Far From Home. After we got home, I did come to my senses a bit and decided that she could not watch that movie alone. She needed to watch it with either Scott or I just in case it lived up to all the cover promised it would be.

Well, we finally got around to having enough time to sit and watch that movie. It was everything the cover eluded to and a bit more.

Delanie bawled her head off.

I bawled a little bit, but mostly because I knew this was going to happen and I couldn't believe how stupid and irresponsible I was to allow my tender-hearted baby to get a movie I knew was going to put her in a depression for the rest of the day.

She didn't cry for the rest of the day, but she is still going on and on about how much she loved the movie. She keeps talking about how she can hardly wait to see it again.

I knew she would.

That's one strong sick little gene we share.

Also, I Got in a Decent Workout

It's been a busy weekend, but fun none-the-less. Memorial Day weekend always brings on a feeling of excitement that, I guess, goes back to childhood. It's the official kick-off to summer, which if you didn't know by now, is my most favorite season, the pools open, school gets out, and it's a three day weekend to-boot. Even though the weather disappointed this weekend, we still had a great time.

One of our newest traditions is Scott and I running in the BolderBoulder. It's a race that is totally do-able, yet you do need to do some training for. Although, I have heard some people run it cold. That's the beauty of that race though, it can be totally serious, and you might be running for your own Personal Best, or it could just be a day you spend having a good time running. I loved the way my friend, who joined us this year (along with a bunch of others),wrote about it. Since she did a fantabulous job, I won't re-hash some of what she wrote about. I will talk about something that I learned, though.

I know I have mentioned it before, but I had hurt my hamstring about 3 months ago. When it happened, I was a little bit concerned because I would have to take a break from training. I had decided last summer that I would be going for a personal best at this particular race, so to take a break from training was not really in the cards. Since it was February though, I thought I had plenty of time.

Not so much.

Apparently, hamstring injuries can take a REALLY long time to heal. Even better yet, once you have one, they are very easily re-injured, which is something I learned the hard way. As race day crept up on me, I very sadly realized that I wasn't going to be able to accomplish a Personal Best at the race I had trained almost a year for.

I'll admit it, I was a bit angry and bitter as well.

It turns out, I had no reason what-so-ever to be upset. Something I have learned in the past year is that when God says, "No" to something, it's because he has a bigger "Yes" waiting for you instead.

What he had waiting for me instead was a wonderful day full of fun. A day that was completely free of any sort of pressure to perform. A day where I could enjoy running. Even though I hadn't run for about 3 months, the week before the race, my Physical Therapist cleared me to run minimally and encouraged me to do some running in the race as long as I took it easy. So, it was a day that I was able to run. I ran all but just a few steps of the 6.2 mile course. It was a euphoric feeling.

Just to add a cherry on top, I was also blessed to be able to run with a friend and my Sister-In-Law the whole way. This was the first time I was able to run a race with someone for the entire distance. It was such a blast! I had so much fun having people by my side the whole way encouraging each other. We also talked about silly stuff and laughed a little.

Laughed.

During a race.

Thank you, Lord, for knowing right where I am at, and knowing just what I need.

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." --Psalm 119:71

Future Doctor and a Fashion Designer?

It's graduation season. The time of year that many young adults take on the next big step in life, whether it be college or the working world. Delanie too, took the next big step in her academic career, one that spans a lengthy two years. Today she graduated from Pre-K and will be joining the k-12 ranks starting in the late summer/early fall.

It's debatable if a Pre-K graduation is even necessary, but it was very cute none-the-less. Each child got to be called up for a certificate, and while they were receiving their completion diplomas, the teacher talked about what each child had said they wanted to be when they grew up. In the week previous to the ceremony, she had asked each child and then recorded what they had said.

Delanie decided she wanted to be a Doctor. Oddly enough, her two best friends in class also said the same thing. Since it seemed as though they were just repeating each other, the teacher delved a bit deeper to try to get some originality out of her. When asked if she wanted to be a doctor that worked with kids and babies or a doctor that worked with adults she said, "I want to be a doctor that works with mommies that have babies in their tummies." Grandma was proud since she is a Labor and Delivery Nurse.

After the diplomas were all presented, we were ushered into the auditorium to see a slide show of the past year set to music. It was really cute. There was also a celebratory gathering at a park with a picnic lunch.

Paxton, on the other hand, picked out a very special outfit all by himself for the occasion:


OK so the boots aren't exactly new, but check out the goggles! Summer accessories at their finest.

I also might add that I think it is a bold move to go sans pants. It could be all the rage this summer, you never know! And look, shoes on opposite feet....I LOVE IT!

Paxton's World

There has been much talk about Delanie these past few days around our home, what with all the learning to ride a bike thing. I am feeling like I am not giving Pax his due air time. Here's Pax from the last few days.

1. Paxton is wearing flip flops now. After a trip to Old Navy to pick up a pair of their famous "2 for $5" flops, Pax spotted a pair of what I like to call Flip Flops with Training Wheels. They are flip flops with straps on the back. While they are not quite the flips that Lanie and I live in all summer long, they are a start. He loves them. He just can't put them on by himself...he can never remember which toe the strap goes in between.

Baby steps.

He should have those training wheels off maybe by next summer.

2. A phrase that I can not get enough of, and if he ever grows out of it I will be so sad. He says it when he gets very excited about seeing something. He says, "Oh Mommy/Daddy, just wook at dat/dos______" You can fill in the blank with stuff like Hummer, fast motorcycle, chocolate, candy, pancakes, tall things, big things, bugs, pretty much anything that he is really into or catches him off guard. For me it's the enthusiasm. He is so excited that the "just" is added for dramatic effect, and the fact that he still says "wook" instead of "look" and can't say "that" or "those" and instead it is "dat" and "dos".

Ya, so pretty much the whole sentence gets me.

Because whatever he is trying to get my attention to usually makes me laugh too. Especially when it's chocolate.

3. He was so excited when I pulled out his summer pj's yesterday and there were a set of Cars jammies in the mix. He just kept asking over and over "Mommy, did you get these for me?" and then saying things like "Just wook at dese Cars jammies" and lastly "Mommy, thank you so much for my Cars jammies. I just wuv dem." I think he thanked me about 10-12 times. I graciously accepted each "thank you" and decided to keep from him the fact that they were from last year.

Tonight when he put them on he said "I need some speed!" right as the shirt when over his head. That was quickly followed with a, "vrrrrrrrroooommm!"

4. Lastly, I know that I have shared with everyone already my boy's love for accessories, but we can now add to that a love for shoes. Should I be worried here? I think it all started with the flip flops, but it could go back to when he first learned how to put on his Crocs that he started becoming fond of shoes. Well, whatever, all that matters is that this:



That right there, makes me laugh. Check out those boots! I guess I will have to come back to this picture in a few months to remind myself that, at one point, the boots made me laugh. I don't know what is funnier, the fact that the boots are bright red galoshes (of all the choices) or that they are on the wrong feet.

To me there is nothing more precious than a little one that has shoes on the wrong feet. It gets me every time.

They did it all by themselves.

And it looks so silly.

And sweet.

I just want to scoop them up and squeeze them, and tell them what a good job they did.

Then daddy comes in and says, "Hey dude, your shoes are on the wrong feet!" and I can see the pride just deflate right out of him, as he looks down at his feet.

So I give him (Daddy) the look.

And he says, "What? You don't want him walking around looking all dorky do you?"

I guess he didn't see that they were RED GALOSHES!

It's Like Watching Her Learn to Walk

Like I mentioned yesterday, Delanie just got her training wheels off on Sunday. I thought for sure it would take her all week to learn how to ride with just two wheels. I just can't believe how quickly kids learn things.

While I was watching her, it reminded me of what it was like to watch her learn to walk. One day she was nowhere near letting go of the furniture, and then the next day she's taking a few steps. Even though there was a huge jump in ability, practice still was in order.

I remember what it was like to watch her walk those first few days. So wobbly, and instead of her deciding where to go, she just followed her body. The momentum of her body deciding which direction to turn, and when she would stop. Sometimes she would let go of the furniture and head straight to the ground. I would wince watching her, and sometimes gasp as it looked like she might smack her head on something.

Tonight was no different. Only instead of being one, she's five, and instead of walking, she's riding a bike. The starts and stops are difficult and the bike is still boss, dictating which direction she'll turn and how fast or slow she goes. I still wince and even gasp at each wobble. Just like walking, when she was practically able to run by the end of the week, I am sure she'll be ready to enter the junior version of Tour De France in a few short days. And sadly, just like walking, there will be a day when I won't remember what it was like for her not to be on a two wheeler. It's only through video and pictures that the days of crawling and scooting around still live in my memory.

Thank goodness for video and pictures.

And We Spent the Day at the Pool

You know that I love that the weather seems to have finally changed for the better. I don't want to speak too soon and jinx it all (if I believed in that), but we have had about 3 days in a row now with pretty decent temps, and if the weather reports hold true, we should still have 2 more days in store. That's 5 days people! I can't hardly stand it.

What I could do with out though, is the seasonal "changing out of the closets" that needs to be done each and every season with growing children. First off, it's a pain in the neck (you know I wanted to say somewhere else, but I am all about restraint). To dig through all the clothing, refold, rehang, and bag up the old is a nightmare that lasts all day long. I usually wait to do this chore when it's really yucky outside so that I don't have to miss too much outside time.

Then there is the figuring out what fits still from last year. This always surprises me. I can't get over how much they grow from year to year. I could just cry when I hold up those size 5 capris and shirts. I sit and think back to when they were little and I would look at kids clothing that was that big and think, "There is no way, at least not for another decade, that my baby will ever be that big." Then BAM it's five years later, and some of the stuff, she is just barely squeezing in.

And I refuse to buy size 6.

Not until I have had ample time to mourn over the fact that my sweet little girl is a size five.

It's all the mourning, really, that takes up the whole day. If I could just change out the closet and not sit and look at how big things look/how small she used to be, I could probably get this chore done in half the time.

But what's the fun in that?

Then there is the boy's closet. It's just more of the same year in year out. Boy's clothing is khaki, navy, and jean. Then there are a few different colored shirts thrown in just to mix things up, and there you have it. The only difference is the sleeves and pant legs get longer/shorter depending on the season. Socks stay the same color and only need changed when their feet get too big. Instead of hair bows and barrettes, it's baseball caps which need no coordination what-so-ever.

Don't even get me started on the shoes.

Really though, I am going to look at it as a blessing because I could be stuck indoors for two full days had Pax been a girl.

Besides trying to find something to wear, this wonderful turn in the weather has allowed me to force the children outside. One of my most favorite things about summer time is that after the kids eat their breakfast, they slip on their shoes (while still in their jammies) and head out to the back yard for some play time while I still wake up IN PEACE AND QUIET. It's wonderful. Then after dinner, the same phenomenon happens.

Except that I am not waking up. Instead, I'm winding down, and again it's NICE AND QUIET.

Yesterday, Scott took the training wheels off of Delanie's bike. I was worried about ruining a good thing. I mean the kids where just really getting into playing bike races with each other. The thing of it is, is that Pax now can ride his bike (2 wheeler with training wheels) almost as good as Delanie can. It just looks weird to see the two of them on the same type of bike. So before either Delanie or I could start having a complex, we took them off.

Man, I was worried. My girl wouldn't really be described as perseverant. Nor do the words, easy on herself, laugh it off, or get up and try again really fit the bill. She has surprised me. I can't believe it when I see her and her daddy working together to get this 2 wheeler thing learned. There are tears, and sometimes the arms cross and the foot stomps a bit, but then she gets back on and tries again.

Oh, and she's been bribed with ice cream and a new bike if she learns to ride with out training wheels.

It's the art of Intrinsic Motivation that we are working on in our home.

You should have seen the way she made it around the cul-de-sac a few times tonight. I was dumbfounded. Yesterday, she couldn't even peddle with out us holding on to the bike. Tonight, she is riding around with out us. It's amazing to watch kids learn new things. I wish my brain/body still worked that way.

I had said to her yesterday, that I thought she would have it down by the end of the week if she kept trying each night. At the time I thought that I maybe over exaggerated, and was worried about how upset she was going to be when it didn't happen. There she was proving me wrong tonight. I am pretty confident in the whole end-of-the-week statement I proclaimed yesterday.

Between bike riding, hitting the pool, and changing out the closets we should be full-on ready for summer in no time.

Next on the list: teaching Pax how to wear flip flops (apparently this is not something boys just know how to do). He is trying so hard though.