obligatory pumpkin patch pictures

What would fall be without pumpkin patches?  I have decided that my new favorite season is Fall.  I love how fierce and crisp the blue sky is against the changing leaves of yellow, gold, brown and red.  I love how the wind bites at my skin, but the sun warms my back.  I love how the fresh, cool air blow through my open windows, leaving my house feeling new and clean.  I love how the blankets always come out for impromptu picnics and story-times in the grass.   I love the pumpkin patches and fall festivals, the reflections of thankfulness and blessings, the excitement of preparation for the coming holidays.  I love the fall races, the spryness I feel in my step as I run in the cooler temperatures.  I love the sweaters and jackets, the brown leather boots and burnt orange colored accessories.

Mississippi may not have a lot of distinction between the seasons and although many people complain about this very thing, I take relief in it.  God certainly put me in Mississippi for a reason.  I quake in my winter boots at the thought of an actual winter.  My little flip flops rejoice in their tattered soles from being worn 9 months out of the year.  I love that I can fully enjoy a season without having to commit to it (well, except for summer...but then there are pools and snow cones and air condition for that, so that's okay).

Okay, on to some pictures....

 

Our plans, but not really

Know what you get when you mix an over-thinker (Eric) and someone who thinks pretty much every idea is absolutely thr best idea ever after a few minutes of convincing (me)? Absolutely nothing!

Several years ago, Eric and I bought some land out in the country with plans to build.  We originally thought we would just pay on it for a few years and then start building.  Well, according to those plans, we should really have our house on the market and, actually, probably have it sold right now and be making some serious and real decisions about our dream house.

But, see.  Well, the thing is....it goes like this....Eric starts thinking about what would be the best long term plan for us and what kind of house would really fit our lifestyle.  And we talk about it and of course, I agree that yes, we really do need a Swiss family Robinson treehouse.  It would be perfect!  And then two weeks later: a dome shaped abode made from concrete really would be better if we have to survive an apocolypse.  But then again, I always wanted to live in a ski chalet.  But hold on to the hammer, I actually love the house we are currently in now so let's wait 3 more years to sell and then build.

And I think that's probably our biggest issue- we really do love our house.  It's not any larger than the house we will build.  It's the house we brought Adler and Hazel home from the hospital to, the one we have made a part of our family.  It's just a quick little zip to anywhere in town, and well, there is absolutely nothing fundamentally wrong with it.  It's just not our dream home, our dream location.  And while I know we will be so happy when we finally do make the move, there is no big rush to do it now.  We are perfectly happy where we are now.

Right now we can't decide from a house made entirely from toothpicks and a modern barn.  We can't decide if we should pay off the land completely (one year!), wait a little longer so we can pay for the beginning of the building process without taking a loan out until later, or if we should jump right in.  So, please, if I start talking about our how our house is going to be made entirely out recycled newspapers (how green!), don't pay a bit of attention to me.  And if you ask when we plan on moving and I tell you one year, don't believe it until you see it!

Jam session

The hurricane forced the in-laws north for a few days, giving us a chance for a little visit! Cousin Everitt, who is a total rockstar to my kids, came with them so it was a fun night. We have been stir crazy so it was just what we needed!

Still waiting....

This morning I went for a run and was greeted with the most glorious sunrise mid-run. I love running in the early morning- everything feels so new and unspoiled and, well, so touched by God's hand.
And now I am sitting here looking out the window at the gentle wind blowing the trees and thinking that this hurricane is taking its sweet time to bring us all the rain everyone is predicting.  We have two days off from school due to Issac and I planned on getting lots done around the house.  So far, the only thing I have done is take the kids to the park and play "Man v. Wild" in the backyard with them.  But what I should be doing now since they are napping is cleaning, packing for our little camping trip (to Hattiesburg- so who knows if we will actually be doing that now), and working on lesson plans for September.  But the breeze is lulling me towards this half awake, half asleep state and I can't make myself get up!  There is always tomorrow:).
Prayers for all my friends and family on the coast and everyone else affected!

Ha!

That is all.

The sponge

Can I just say that I am loving this stage Adler is going through right now?  It's like some little light went off in his head and he realized the world is out there for the taking.  He is so curious about everything and soaks up every little piece of new information he gets.  I mean, I guess he always has been curious, as most little kids are, but he is old enough now to actually grasp meaning and explanation beyond "because God made it that way" (although even the most complicated of answers do come back to that).  It's just exciting to see his little wheels turning and the excitement in his eyes as he is truly learning something new.  It is good for me too because it is challenging my brain to remember all those little tidbits I thought got lost somewhere between two kids, diaper changes and sleepless nights.  It's still there (mostly, but for everything else, there is google- yay!)!

Well, this is awkward...

Erm, hi.  I never know what I should say when I come back to my little blog after such a long vacation.  Should I try to explain why I haven't been around?  Should I try to catch it up on all that has happened since we last spoke?  Or should I act as if I never left?

Well, maybe I will do all three.  Soihavebeensobusywithschoolandkidsandchurchandjust,well,lifethatsomethinghadtogoandmydearlittleblog,well,iknewyouwouldforgivemeeasiest.plusijusthaventhadmuchtosaysoiknewyouprobablyneededabreakfrommetoo.  And breathe. Thelastfewmonthshavebeensobusyandfull.westartedto boxthehouseandthendecidedtowaitawhile.thekidsaresogrown.hazelespeciallylostherbabyoverthesummer.  And breathe again.  Not sure how I am supposed to act like I never left so we will skip that one:).

So school has started back and i have a kindergartner who is very much aware of how big he is now.  He told me yesterday that he walked in his classroom (of kids younger than him), everyone says, "here comes the coolest kid in class.". And he truly believes it.  He said that everyone calls him "dude.". Oh my.

Hazel is in the 3 year old room now and has assumed a big girl role as well.  I am so lucky I get to peak in on her every now and then while she is sitting at the table listening to her teacher or doing her little work.  It's the cutest thing to see her grow.

As for me- I love my new class too.  I have a younger bunch this year and let me tell you, it has been way too much fun coming up with ideas and crafts and cute things to do with this younger set.  And they are all so lovely and affectionate and funny.

And other than that, life is the same.  I have luckily been able to run consistently since my stress fracture in February without any major injuries:).  I am looking forward to some cooler weather but am so thankful to run, regardless of how hot it is outside.  The kids are "in training" as they so seriously call it, getting ready for a race in October.  There may or may not be Gatorade bribes to encourage their running.  They will do anything in exchange for it.  Adler is running 1.25 miles at a time now and z is going .30.

So, although I said I wouldn't do a full blown catch up post, I guess I still snuck in a little one.  My next post is going to be heartfelt and enlightening and personal now that I got the chatter out of the way,

PS: don't hold me to that last promise....

PSS: it's so embarrassing that I always misspell kindergartner.  Its just one of those words you should make it a point of knowing how to spell, in my opinion.  Thank goodness for spell check.

What to do when you can't run

Oh, wait. That title wasn't supposed to sound like I was about to tell you what to do when you can't run. I can tell you what NOT to do if you are trying to make yourself feel better- eat 18 bags of Cadbury mini eggs...start back drinking cokes....watch episode after episode of every show you ever missed on Netflix. Those things definitely don't help, believe me:).

A few weeks ago I was out running and I rolled my foot over a gum ball (they may look harmless; but don't be fooled. They pack quite a punch.). It turned out that it caused a stress fracture in my foot (although I am still a little unsure of that diagnosis). Whatever it is, its totally screwing up my running. It's been 3 weeks, and although I did run one teeny weeny race on it because I just couldn't not run it, I have been pretty sedentary. I have aqua jogged a few times which feels as stupid as it sounds. And I have done weights and gotten on the rowing machine. But it all basically reminds me I am not running. With the risk of being annoying, I will just go ahead and say that when you are a regular runner, to not be ABLE to run is pretty dramatic. When you run, you quickly associate who you are with who you are when you run. The lines fade into each other. And when you can't run, it sort of messes with your identity. I know how ridiculous that sounds, and maybe I am the only one out there who feels this way, but I am pretty sure I am not. But believe me, I have done my share of internet looking through this injury and I have read some pretty pathetic blogs of people, runners, or cyclists, or swimmers, or gymnasts, or whatever, just athletes, who are sidelined due to some sort of injury. It's a sad lot:). I am trying to maintain a positive outlook: my arms are going to be hardcore after all this rowing and weight lifting; my blog is going to be updated more regularly; maybe I will make baby books for the kids; I will pull out my sewing machine, I will finally get my house ready to put on the market.

Or I will just wait it out a few more weeks hopefully and will be able to slowly run again. You know, I think God must hold the virtue of patience pretty highly- it seems like in life, He is always giving us reason to practice it.

What the best week looks like....

It started on Monday with a steroid shot- ah, sweet relief from allergy hell.

And it just got better. The weather: glorious sunshine and warm breeze. We trapsed across parks all week, exploring old haunts and discovering new ones. We dug in the dirt. We smelled new growth of sweet grass as it squished beneath our toes and the fresh wind as it traveled across our faces. Bubbles were blown. Holes were dug. Treasures were found. It was perfect.

This week really solidified to me what I thought to be true over Christmas break, but wasn't sure if it was just a fluke at the time. My kids just do better when we stay home more. And it's more than "doing better"- they thrive in each other's company, at home. This week, they have played together beautifully as well as alone. They have used all their toys. They have been happy with their imaginations. The television has been turned on very little and I haven't felt the need to referee all day. There has been this unhurried, peaceful state of play that has inhibited this house this week and IT. HAS. BEEN. AMAZING.

What's even better than the obvious peaceful state of my house this week is the sweet relationship I see unfolding in Adler and Hazel. How it warms my heart to see Adler delight in Hazel's potty training success. He has given her so much encouragement and even gave her his prized dinosaur becuase she has been going on the potty this week. He has been patient with her and let her play in his room. He told me that even though she didn't follow all his rules in his room, she could still come in to play. I watch them from the kitchen window as they play and every single time Hazel screams over a bug (which averages about every 2.3 minutes) he comes running to comfort her. And she just folds in his comfort, completely at ease once he makes it better.

And Hazel, how she embraces her role as the younger sibling. If you ask her who she is, her automatic answer is, "I'm the baby sister.". You can tell her all the other things she is, but she always insists that she is the baby sister. Period. She follows Adler everywhere. His the first thing she asks for in the morning and the last person she is talking about before sleep. And although she may be the youngest, she does her share of protecting as well. There is not a timeout that Adler sits in that Hazel is not right there beside him. She rubs his back when he is sad and sings songs to make him smile.

How blessed my children are to have each other. And how blessed I am to be a part of it!

the power of the freckle

Never under-estimate what a cute freckle will make you do.

and as always, the one picture I can get of Adler when he isn't making a silly face. 

slow down.

Five

Five has always been the magic age we used when Adler asked to do something he wasn't old enough to do. "Yes, Adler, you can stay up late, drive a car, drink coke, play with choking hazards....when you are five.". It seemed so far away; and now it is here. Luckily,he has forgotten most of these promises. But the idea has stuck with me. Suddenly, I am watching him in a new light. The bed that his bed rails are attached to doesn't look quite as high off the floor as it once did. For that matter, the wood floors don't look so menacing and hard either. His long arms and legs look a little silly dangling out of his carseat. Those big chunky legos look babyish. He has finally graduated- to rail-less beds, a booster (although I am still on the fence about that one!), and small legos he can choke on now. It's pretty surreal!
But how I LOVE my five year old Adler! He is funny and happy and full of life. He is right in the middle of the phase where any odd noise or face is hilarious, where knock knock jokes have no limits, where the party doesn't stop until the eyelids physically won't stay open, and where building blocks are transformed into spaceships for hours of fun.
But the gentle bits of him that I love are still here too- he still requires at least 20 minutes of cuddling a day. He is usually kind to his sister and truly feels it is his job to take care of her. He is mostly obedient and tries so hard to do the right things, follow the rules and make others happy. He is inquisitive and smart, curious and imaginative.
I couldn't be more excited for this fifth year- what a joy it is to be his mother!

Fess up

pinterest- who's on it? I know it's the buzzword of 2011, the visual google for crafters, fashionistas, teachers and chefs....and why I try to resist jumping on pop culture bandwagons- there is a reason everyone is talking about this website- Pinterest basically just rocks.

But here is my question- who is actually testing out the ideas they find on the site? Come on now....you can tell me! I think there needs to be another website that showcases ideas taken from pinterest and actually used, complete with notes from the experience and pictures.

I have done a few things from the site. At bunco the other night, everything I made for dinner came from recipes I found of pinterest. The only bad thing was I felt completely unoriginal because all my bunco girls are on pinterest too and exclaimed how they had seen the recipes there too- oh. snap.

So far I have made:
Pizza balls- http://pinterest.com/pin/233764379/ (was not delicious)
Loaded baked potato soup- http://pinterest.com/pin/210742138/ (was a hit!)
Chocolate wasted cake- http://pinterest.com/pin/302720320/ (so bad but soooo good!)
Apple smiles- http://pinterest.com/pin/124652638/ (made for Adler's class but used caramel and it was a little too gooey)

Okay, so that's all the food I have made, but I have also bought several items of clothes and a few gifts from some ideas I saw here. And I used a appliqué tutorial and made several crafts with my kids or the kids in my class. So SEE? It's not a bit waste of time!

And now I promise to never talk of pinterest again. It's sort of embarrassing how often I bring it up in conversation.

Oh, and sorry for my lack of actual links- I used to be able to easily link on my iPad but something is wonky with it the past month or so and it won't link on blogger anymore. Any tips?

Hap Hudson 5k recap

I know, I know, running has been a theme on the blog the past month or two, but this season is the best season for running and racing and it gets me all excited. And when I get excited about something, I am pretty obsessive about it!

So this last weekend, I ran the Hap Hudson Homecoming 5k at MC. This was my first race to do solo so I was a little bit nervous about that; but Eric and the kids were on the sidelines cheering me on so that eased my nerves a bit. I also had been having some shin issues and had not run in a week trying to get them well again. On race day, they felt pretty good though so i think sitting out that week was worth it.

The weather was perfect- chilly, but clear skies and no wind. The race started with a prayer (nice!) and a horn and we were off. Again, I took off maybe a tad too fast, but I just couldn't help it! It's kind of fun passing people and the only time I get the chance is right in the beginning when all the smart runners aren't blowing it out right at first:). The course was rolling, and winded through downtown Clinton and a neighborhood and ended with one lap around the MC track. First mile I did at a 7:01 pace. Second mile was 7:16. The last mile there was a pretty gross hill towards the end that did not agree with me. I looked down at my watch at one point up the hill and I was at like an 8:45 pace- yikes! I finished that 3rd mile at 7:34 and the last bit at 7:06. I didn't think I would like the last quarter mile being on the track but I kinda loved it! I wish I would have pushed it a little harder on the track and shaved off a few more seconds because that was the easiest part of the race, but I will know for next year! I am very happy with the experience I had- it was lots of fun and i felt great afterwards. I am not sure my exact time yet, but I know it was 22:40 something. I wasn't listening when they announced it and the race results aren't up on the Internet yet. But I did win 3rd overall for women and feel pretty good about that too.

I am so thankful that God gives me joy through running. It is such a blessing in my life right now.

Ps- the men's overall winner did it in 16 min and something. Wha???!!!??? How?

The whole world is her stage.

These pictures pretty much sum up our little Hazel these days.  If there is a flat surface and a willing audience, she will sing and dance her heart out.  She loves it!

PS- Shhh- Z thinks that expression in the second photo is her super pretty face.  I am sure going to miss that scrunchy silly face when she realizes its not!

the MAN.

he knows where its at- all in the eyes.

he was a little nervous at first, but even still, he insisted and doing flips and tricks the whole time

he almost didn't get on the bull and wanted me to get on with him (not gonna happen!) but he did it.  And afterwards, he was all like, "I OWN that bull."

This year at the fair, Ad really got to experience all the rides as a kid, not a baby.  He rode on all the good ones with his cousin, Everett  and truly thought he was a big kid.  He was, actually.  He was nervous about them all, but he was brave and did them anyway.  So proud of the little guy my son is becoming!

The one where Eric's life ambition would finally be fulfilled.

The boo run in meridian is a 5k race/zombie chase. Seriously- you are chased by zombies as you run. If you are caught, you are a zombie and have to catch the other runners.

Eric needs to do this run. He has been preparing to be chased by zombies his entire life. We have stockpiles of things for such an occasion. He needs to do this.

And just to add, Meridian is apparently THE place to go for Halloween fun. These folks take their boo seriously. Check it here- http://www.boo-meridian.com/
How fun!

Run!

Eric and I, along with my brother and dad, ran the local Over the River run this weekend. It was so fun running with my family (although I was tempted to trip my brother when he passed me!) and I wanted to write it all down for memory's sake.

The day was gorgeous, cool with a nice breeze blowing. A record 700 people showed up to run/walk the race. E and I were about midway lining up and when the horn blew, we were off. I felt amazing and my legs felt strong and good so I just decided to run by feel the first few miles. My pace these first 2 miles was around 7:19 min miles. In hindsight, I was running a little too fast, due to adrenaline and just feeling good! The third mile I dropped to 7::27 pace, mile 4 was 8:08 and mile 5 was 8:18. We turned around midway to race back over the bridge back to finish line. This is where E left me, but I was happy to be able to hang with him the first 2.5 miles. If I would have just kept at 7:40 pace, I probably would have had an easier time of it the last mile. That mile my legs felt heavy and I had to work pretty hard to maintain what I did. My original plan was to pick someone to beat in front of me, and blow it out the last 1/2 mile. Um. Not happening. I maintained, but I did not have any burst of energy left in me! I think maybe the hill at the end had a little something to do with it. It felt like a mountain on my heavy legs. I finished in 38:24 minutes though, under my goal so I was more than happy with it. I felt good after the race and was ready to have some fun with the family at the after party.

Food, drinks and jumpy balloon entertained us until the awards show. Dad and Trey won 3rd in their age groups and I won 1st in mine and 4th overall for women. The picture above is me and my dad and brother with our medals:). I didn't take any pics and this is the only one I have seen. I will have to post one of me and E whenever I get some pics from mom.



It was a great day and look forward to the next one!

Yooohoooo

Hi! I know we haven't spoken in awhile and I know this is awkward; but I wanted to pop in and say hello and let you know that I don't only speak in the random posting of pictures. I do have actual words to say, just haven't had a blogging spirit lately. No biggie!

Kids are napping and I am procrastinating getting some housework done. The weather outside is nice and this weekend, it's supposed to be even cooler. I cant wait to spend all weekend outside with my family.

We are doing so good right now. Preschool is in full swing and both kids are loving it. We have some tears from hazel when she sees me or Adler throughout the morning, but they are quickly dissolved at the promise of the next fun thing her class is doing. Adler loves his class too- they do really fun things and he is learning so much. I am really loving teaching the 3 year old room. The kids are really good and so excited to learn and do new things. It's been a lot of fun so far and feels in no way like a job.

Let's see, what else....I am learning to sew. It's a slow process for me (I actually developed a new stitch called the frankenstitch- very innovative) and I will be happy for a day when I feel more confident when I start a project; but I have already come a long way and know that day will come.

I am also still running. I was a bit hit and miss this summer just due to a full schedule and just different priorities. There may have been a time in my life where that would have made me feel very guilty, but I am really at peace about that now. This summer, we were a little lazier in the mornings, played a little longer into the afternoon and didn't get around to bedtime until later. And it was WONDERFUL. But now we are back into routine again, I am settling into a normal exercise schedule again and it also feels wonderful. I just guess
there is a season for everything.

my children were made for the beach too.



I had the best time taking these pictures of the kids.  Hazel reminded me of a mermaid and Adler just stole the show with that hat.