running brings me joy. it keeps me fit not just physically but mentally. it’s my time to think, decide, process, listen. to just be. here are some pics from some of my runs this past week. i’m loving the ohio country side scenery.
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happy birthday video…a little late!
here’s a funny video of us singing to mase on his birthday. the girls are super cute with their side comments here and there. love mase’s big smile. brian’s commentary is just as witty as ever. and my singing is quite awful. sorry!
remember.
we had a chance to take only the girls this week to Borders. it is fun to mix up the dynamics of our family when we can. you hear different things, notice different characteristics, appreciate personalities more and can enjoy each little person a little more. there was a moment when both girls were reading with me and listening intently to the story. as i was reading i silently prayed that this moment would be locked in my memory forever. i can’t really explain it but it just felt really special and i was filled with thankfulness.
5 on Friday
1. There is a change in weather and I love it! We have jeans on, long sleeve shirts, even sweatshirts and my UGG slippers in the morning. Ohhhhh! I love it. It’s fun to see everyone in different clothes and not the same summer outfits we’ve been wearing. We all look so different, especially the kids. I can tell how much they have grown this summer when I see them in their warmer clothes. Oh, they are looking so big. A funny thing about the girls. They. Love. Jeans. It’s almost an obsession. I just don’t know where they get this from? Ok their mom may have a liking love for jeans too:)
2. This week I got to do one of my favorite things…work in the woods behind my parents house. I know this may sounds a little odd. But it has always been something I look forward to. I like being outside, working hard, being with my dad, doing something and instantly seeing the difference you’ve made. I have a lot of good memories doing this while growing up. We cleared a section of the woods of sticks and debris and made two big fires. Brian and the kids were in the woods as well working hard. It was a fun time spent together!
3. I don’t have a house of my own to decorate for Fall so I helped my mom decorate this week. In preparation for getting all the Fall stuff out I dusted the living room first. It wasn’t until I completely finished that I realized instead of using Pledge to dust I used Lysol! Oh, I’m sure everything needed that as well:) Then I got to thinking, combining these 2 products is a pretty good idea…hmmmmmmm.
4. We are going to my high schools football game tonight. It’s been quite awhile since I have been back to my alma mater. Mase has been wanting to see a football game and where I went to school. Somehow he thinks he is going to get on TV by going to the game. I believe he is thinking of the NFL and college football he sees on TV. Well he might be slightly disappointed?
5. I downloaded the new Nike + GPS app for my iphone. I went on my first run yesterday using it and I loved it! It mapped out my course, kept an accurate pace and distance and talked to me each mile telling me what I was doing. I was really pleased with it and feel it is well worth the $1.99. The only thing I have to get used to is wearing an armband with my iphone in it.
apples to apples.
Today we spent the whole day at home. Sometimes you just need to do that. no place to be, no rushing around. just at home playing. but i have found on these days i still need to plan something for the kids and i to do or we all go crazy at some point. so to day i planned an apple stamping craft. i had grandiose ideas of talking about the start of Fall, apple trees and what we can make out of apples, how apple starts with letter “A”, Mason practicing his letters, writing simple words with the “a” sound. Well that is a nice picture. But really what was I thinking?
Here’s what really happened.
I got the craft all set up outside, went inside to get one more thing and came back out to find the wind had blown the plastic table cloth into the paint and so there was already paint everywhere. Nice. Went back inside to get the kids but first answered the phone to find out my grandpa was on his way over and needed help doing something. So our time would be cut a little short. No big deal. I got the kids, the moment they heard the word ‘paint’ they started going nut-so! I started to explain a little bit about the Fall season and how that is the time to go apple picking but… paint started going every which way so I stopped talking. Theia leaned over her already painted tree and smashed her Minnie Mouse t-shirt into her wet paint. It is then that I realized I didn’t change the kids clothes! Too late. Paint is on all articles clothing within 45 seconds. Kaia is not so much stamping her apples but slamming her apples onto paper. Bits of apple and paint are splattering. Mason has so much paint on his project that it might dry by the end of the week. There isn’t anything resembling an apple shape on anyone’s paper. Beep! Beep! Oh grandpa’s here, the kids drop their paint brushes and off they go running covered in paint. It was all of 7 minutes and I am left standing there laughing at what I “thought” this time could look like. Ha ha ha! Reality is our friend.
Still had fun though! And tonight when we talked about what our favorite part of the day was all 3 said apple stamping. Success!
let’s be curious.
i’ve been thinking about all the new things that are to come as we soon make our move to indy. the new things are countless. some are fun. some i welcome. some not so fun. some i am fearful of because it is new and i just don’t know what to expect. i liked this pic because it reminded me that we are entering a time of learning things, a time to explore and to expand our horizons, a time to deepen our dependence on Him once again, to live out the faith we try and instill in our kids everyday. yes, curiosity can be overwhelming at times but i am confident that rich blessings are awaiting us as we enter this next chapter. blessings we may not see right away but in His time. in spite of the fear that creeps in, i welcome this time.
5 on Friday
1. this week mason and i started reviewing school stuff. i was surprised how much he remembered. i’m still not quite sure how i will do “school” this year. until we get settled into our new place it will be a little up in air. but we are both eager to start. he is so sweet when he is learning something new. i love his determination and his joy when he “gets it”. which reminds me i am looking for new kid learning websites for mason. we are both getting tired of what we use now. any new suggestions out there?
2. one day this week i enjoyed an evening to myself thanks to my thoughtful parents. words cannot describe how much i needed time alone. time to just sit. think. read. browse. write. dream. plan. quietness. peace. refreshing. definitely a highlight of my week.
3. it’s the fair week! did you know that? this may be a surprise to you but i am a big fan of the fair. it has been an end of the summer tradition for as long as i can remember. my grandpa is a director of our country fair and this results in a lot of free stuff so this is a big reason i am big fan. but i also love the animals, eating food you don’t eat any other time of the year and the local feel of being at the fair. lots of good memories. we haven’t been in town at this time in several years so this was the kids premiere of the “fair tradition”. i am proud to say that are in love as well.
4. i just finished the help by kathryn stockett. i haven’t read a fiction book in forever but this was a great one to start with. i really enjoyed it. the characters were created so well, i learned a lot about the 1960’s time period. this book grabbed my attention. if you are looking for an easy but thoughtful read i would recommend this book. have you read anything good lately? i am in a reading mood now.
5. did you know that starbucks started offering pumpkin spice lattes this week?!? yay! oh yes, fall i am ready for you!
potty talk.
this week i am attempting to tackle 2 big things and it all revolves the bathroom…and me spending less time in it!
- teaching mason to wipe. we decided in our family when you turn 5 you “get to” wipe yourself. so mason is in the process of learning that and doing quite nicely.
- teaching the girls to go by themselves. get the stool, climb up, do your thing and wipe if you go #1. the girls as well are getting the hang of it.
i am giddy thinking about the possibility of not spending what seems to be the majority of my day in the bathroom. what will i do with all my free time:)
Memories.
5 on Friday…from the beach!
what have i enjoyed about our first family vacation? well, a lot but here are 5 things i’d like to share with you.
1. watching the kids play at the beach, jump in the waves, roll in the sand, build sand castles and join in the fun myself.
2. celebrating our big boys birthday…with an ice cream cake complete with a red light saber on it:)
3. running on the beach.
4. it’s a mellow and relaxing place. not a lot to do so you are forced to slow down and relax.
5. enjoying it with my awesome husband.
Hope you have had a great week too!