stories (alternate title: things Josh talks about before falling asleep)

On one of my last days at home for the summer the kids and I were sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch and I started a game with them.  I would quote a movie character and have them guess who it was. It worked pretty well because I could alternate between each child and as it was appropriate I could give them a different level of difficulty for each quote.

I called out several questions and they were getting them all right. Then I got to a question for Josh and I simply hollered out, "Scooooo-by Doooooby Doo!" in my best crazy dog voice.

Julianna and I died laughing when Joshua enthusiastically answered, "I know it! It's Tigger!"

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Josh was telling me about how he decided he didn't want to grow up to be a firefighter anymore and that now he wants to be in a band because he likes musical instruments.  Julianna was quick to say, "Josh, you can't be in a band! You can't sing. I'm the one that can sing in this family!"

I was trying hard not to shatter dreams when I asked, "How do you know you can sing so well, Jules?"

She answered, "Because I sang Baby Jane a lullaby and she went to sleep, remember?"

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I tell you, some of our best conversations happen in the car.  Josh asked me on the way home from school today why tornadoes could pick things up into the air.  I tried my best to explain and then he asked why God would make such a thing. Oh boy! That was a toughie to answer!  Yet he wasn't finished.  Next he asked how God could do that... "How did God learn to make tornadoes?"  Yikes.  I struggled through all of his questions and mostly I just told him that there's a lot about God that people really just don't understand and that nobody really knows all the answers.  Hopefully one day we will know.

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Josh was supposed to be taking a nap at my parents house and after he'd talked to himself for a long long time he finally got quiet.  My dad said he was pretty sure he had finally gone to sleep but he didn't go check and instead headed up the stairs himself for a quick nap.  It wasn't long after that before he heard Joshua yell out, "OH HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD!"

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Trying to fall asleep one night in his bed Josh was talking to himself and he emphatically said, "Stupid teenagers!" Of course the funniest part is that he really had no idea what that meant.

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Another night before bed Josh was singing "Daddy's Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird" but instead he was replacing the word "Mockingbird" with pizza and struggling to find a word that rhymed with pizza for the next line.

how to wear this mama out

Tell her to do a long run, followed by a sprint triathlon on little sleep, then have her start a new job which immediately requires moving furniture and unpacking 25 new computers.  Tell her to work long hours including two nights of open houses while adjusting to 5am mid-week runs.  Then ask her to be ready to do it all again next week. At least flowers, coffee, and eggs courtesy of my husband helps.

I promise I will resume blogging.  It just won't be in the next day or so.

by the numbers

Goodness!  This week is going to be a doozy!  It's only Tuesday and here's the week so far, by the numbers.

annoying but necessary phone calls made: 3
number of doctor's visits: 3
number of trips to Target: 2
x-rays taken: 2
miles run: only 2.6 (BOO!)
episodes of Breaking Bad watched: 2
almost 4 year old's who wet their pants as we were walking out the door: 1 (What?)
trips to the vet scheduled: 1
additional errands already run: 5
temperature today: 93
7.5 year old who left clay to melt in my hot car: 1
things still on my To Do list: 1,248,911

I hope you are enjoying your last few weeks of summer, friends!

community

The running community never ceases to amaze me.  I was shopping the other day and a man stopped me and asked if I ran the race that was advertised on my shirt.  After a short conversation with him I shared my experience with several half marathons and no fulls.  He was hesitant to share that he had indeed run a marathon, in fact after I pulled it out of him I learned that he'd completed more than a dozen full marathons and he encouraged me greatly.

He talked about how amazing our bodies are and how races are more mental than physical... a fact all runners already know.  I shared my apprehension for tackling my first full next year and he was nothing more than encouraging about it.  He suggested some great first time races.  It was a pleasant conversation and I left feeling so encouraged.

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Today we ran the Mission 5k with our Run for God group.  My husband, daughter, and father all ran. I built this race up in my head so much that there's no way it could have lived up to my expectations. But then it did.

I had one of the worst 5k's I've had in a long time.  I made almost every mistake you can make before a race (i.e. needing to pee, going out too fast, tanking and having to walk the last half mile, not taking in enough water) but all along the way I saw faces I knew and received encouragement from so many people that none of that mattered in the end.

It was Julianna's first 5k and she placed in her age group.  They announced that she was the youngest finisher but we know there was also a little 5 year old boy who ran too so I'm not sure about all that... anyway, she ran all of the hills... she recited the books of the Bible going up some... she all-out sprinted the last tenth of a mile.

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I have never been a part of a community quite like the running community.  I may not win awards or break records, but I'm a part of a special family... one that cheers for each other and lifts each other up.  I am so thankful for the friends I have made through running and I am so proud of our group for being able to run this race for God.

Edited to add: Julianna placed FIRST in her age group, not third as we originally thought.  One proud mama right here!

on aging and Buffalo part 1

How much fun would this be? Ok, so I may be a little more adventurous the older I get, but I'm probably not quite adventurous enough to do most of these things. However, I still think it's an awesome list and I learn to be even more adventurous as I age.

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Jonathan had to fly to Buffalo, NY at the end of July for work.  He only had to be there on Wednesday so we flew with him on Tuesday and came home Thursday.  It was a short trip, but also loaded with fun and a great adventure for the kids.  Since Baby Jane's arrival I've never taken the time to post about it until now.

on the way to the airport

on the bus from parking lot to airport

so excited waiting to board

It was both Julianna and Joshua's first time flying.  They thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm so glad we got to go.

just before takeoff

We had a layover in Atlanta on the way there and in Detroit on the way home which was fun because we got to tour multiple airports.  We rode the subway in the Atlanta airport to get from one terminal to the other.

looking at a map

on the train

We got a rental car for Jonathan to do his work thing and we made sure to stay in a hotel with a pool since we knew we'd be trapped for a little while without a car while he was working.  The kids loved the rental car and they loved the chance to swim in a hotel pool.  It's such fun to see what brings them joy especially when it's little things that are no big deal to us.

putting car seats in the rental car

My favorite part that first day was of course our dinner at Cheesecake Factory.  I've never eaten there and always wanted to and my burger was delicious! Also probably a thousand calories, but worth it.

After dinner and walking around the nearby mall we headed back to the hotel to get a good night's rest since we knew we'd have a big day the next day.