Who is this guy?

I love this photo.

This is PJ’s first experience being on a float in a parade. She really is very excited to be dressed up as a mini bride for the Historical Society even though it is not showing at this moment.

She has no idea who the kid sitting next to her is.

At the end of the parade I asked her what it was like being up there and what they talked about. She said, “Oh, I didn’t talk to him.”

High FIVE

Dear KP,

What a year.  How much you have accomplished, how big you have become and how wonderful it is to be with you.

You are chalk-full of life, you take it by the tail, whip it around and squeeze EVERY last bit out of it.

You certainly know what you like, who you want to play with and what you want to do.  No need to argue, you know.

If it’s not nailed down, whatever it is, you will break it.  The million year old fossil your brother gave you today…I give it one week.

Not so much because you are destructive, ok you ARE destructive, but you are also very curious.  What will happen if I break this fossil in half?  Do I get two?

You love like there is no tomorrow.  You hug like it will be our last.  And you are learning to be oh so patient.  You got it down to a point, but once we’ve teetered over the edge, everyone knows to step back or the same amount of loving intensity comes flying out in a very negative way.

Your little face and eyes are filled with so much expression you wouldn’t need to utter a single word, but you do, lots of them in a cute, funny, husky little voice.

I can’t believe you are five.  My baby, who is no baby, who has not been a baby for a very long time, is five.

This upcoming year will be filled with so many amazing experiences for you.  I can’t wait to see what you do with them.

I love you my littlest big boy.  Have a brilliant day.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mom

Teeth

I don’t know much about the Dad’s father, he died before I was born.

But the two things that I do know are these:  he worked as a bellhop for most of his life at a very fancy hotel in Ohio and he always told my dad to make sure to check a woman’s teeth before he married her.

Running wild

I run with people because I am an extrovert, getting my energy from others feeds my soul.

Clearly I am emmitting negativity about the upcoming race to my compadres.

Nothing like getting a little love and support via the internet.

Kitty Cat Heaven

Sweet Arthur died last night.  Our ten year old Devon Rex that has been with us through two moves, the birth of three kids and the addition of all the other wildlife that has come into our house.

He started having breathing problems yesterday, so I took him to the vet.  They told me he had pulmonary edema and put him on Lasix and said that he most likely has congestive heart failure.  I did not realize when I left the vet that he would not be with us the next day.

It’s been hardest on CT.  They are true buddies. They always have been, even when CT was a baby, we would find Arthur in his crib while he slept.  That has not changed, CT will miss him sleeping on his head.

To watch your children be so heart broken over the loss of their pet is difficult.  It’s pain you can’t take away.

As Erik so kindly wrote today,

“Arthur has gone to get his claws and balls back–to a place where there are no screens on the doors and no counter top rules. He was the statesman among the fish, kids, hamster and hound.  He was a ranking member of the family, part of the gang, a buddy.  My heart goes out to
you all, and especially CT.  I miss him already.”

We miss you too little buddy, we miss you too.

First love letter

Here it is, PJ’s first love letter. She wanted to send it via Chinese Lantern.

The roll of papers all say the same thing.

I think she loves him 30 times the number of papers in the paper roll.

We decided together that maybe it wasn’t the right time to give it to him yet.

Like by about 20 years.

Being of weak mind, body and spirit

Mrs. Bickerson shared this quote with me.

I will now be the gazelle.

The seriously hunted gazelle.

Confidence crusher

Today was my first race of the summer racing season, the Minnetonka 1/2 Marathon.

Laura and I planned on running a pace of between 8:15 minute miles and 8:20 minute miles.  If we could finish in that time, we could slot it into the magical mathematical marathon equation of adding 10 minutes to your half marathon time and get our amazing marathon time.

And to be completely honest here, we would like to run the marathon in 3:45.  Why 3:45?  It qualities us for the Boston Marathon.

That said, it was a beautiful day.  And on that beautiful day, by mile 3 I knew I was having trouble.  We had started a little fast, I got a little hot and then the deep dark inner recess of my mind took over.  YOU CAN’T DO THIS PACE.

Once again, to be honest, I knew that pace was going to be hard for me.  In fact, I did not think I could do it.  I knew I could do 8:30’s but with the threshold work we had been doing I knew that 13.1 miles of that pace was going to be hard.

As I fell back, I waved Laura on, go seriously, I’ll be ok.  We were running with another friend of hers and they both felt great.  I fell back a little more around mile 4 or maybe 5, she looked back again.  Once again I waved her on.  I know Laura well enough to know, that even when she makes her goal, if she has more in the tank, she is not satisfied, even with that goal.

I wanted her to go on and do the best she could.  Go, go, I gave her the thumbs up, GO! I was resigned to the fact that I would throttle back and enjoy the day, trying to be ok with my time and full well knowing I now was not good enough to really think I could attain the ultimate runner’s goal of running Boston.

A touch later, Laura circles back.  I wanted her to go.  I knew she would be pissed at the outcome.  She says to me, you have run with me for the past two 1/2 marathons and we are running it together. And how I needed her. Seriously needed her.

The remaining miles were a struggle for me.  It’s dark in my head.  I do not do well alone.  I gather strength from others, typical extrovert even in racing.  I don’t like feeling weak and I felt weak.  The legs just would not turn over, my toes were going numb and it just was not going right.

We finally finished, together, at 1:51 at 8 minute 30 second miles.

As I retold the story of Laura turning around to Adam in the car on the way home, I started to cry.  Laura…Thanks for bringing me home, for carrying me and for trying to come up with ANYTHING to talk about.  It meant more than you will ever know.

Now I sit and ponder if I even have that inner steel at all.  It’s disturbing to me.

On a brighter note.  T-odd CRUSHED it and my fly girls Megan and Erika kicked it out of the park.

Way to go everyone!

Little but mighty #7

Dear PJ,

Your Grandfather and I were sitting on a bench last week watching you and your brothers play.  He said to me, “Wow, she is so big for five.”  I said, “Well, she is big for five, because she is 7!”  And then we both sat, talking about how on earth it could be that you are going to be seven.

And again, in a blur we are turning the page on another year.

This year, you have actually gotten a little bit taller.  You have gotten bunches cuter, having lost 7 teeth almost all at the same time just makes you even more beautiful.   You have gotten incredibly funny, so much so that now your teachers are keenly aware of your antics and let us know about it.  And just yesterday, one of your classmates stopped me to ask if I was the mom of “that really funny girl.”

This year, you have found some bumps in the road with school but you have shown us that you can hunker down, try even harder and come through the other side even stronger and with more confidence.  You like doing well, you like seeing 100% at the top of  your work each day and you are willing to work hard to get there.  You have a little bit of driven in your belly, fancy that.

This year, you have once again won my heart.  On our first ever Mother – Daughter day I relished our time spent together.  It’s not often that it is just you and I, there is usually a boy hang’n around.  I feel so lucky to have you as a daughter and to be able to share special time with just you.

You make me think, you make me laugh, you make me thankful that I am blessed with such a wonderful child.

I can only imagine the dragons you will slay this year and most of all, I can’t wait to watch.

Happy 7th birthday!

I love you girl.

Love,

Mom

Happy May Day

Did you get a basket of flowers left on your door handle this morning?  I didn’t either, but that’s ok.

I remember as a kid running through the woods between my house and my friend’s and within the confines of the trees, early in the spring, these small May flowers would bloom in white and lavender.

We would spend all afternoon picking these little flowers that were sprawled through the woods.  It was so much fun, not a care in the world but to pick the biggest bunch of flowers you could and then give them to your favorite someone.

It was always my mom.