A quiet house

Dave took the kids to Chicago on Monday morning and came home last night, leaving the house SILENT when I got home on Monday and Tuesday nights. It's a strange thing. I really didn't know what to do with myself. So, I did what any other self-respecting mom of four with no extra time on her hands would do. I shopped. I spent hours at Kohl's on Monday, walking around, trying stuff on, checking out clearance, going back when I remembered something else I watned to look at. Then on Tuesday, I spent hours at JC Penney's doing the same thing, but this time my mom joined me. It was incredibly free. I go to Kohl's often, as it's my go-to-for-all-my-staples store, but it's usually quick in, get what I need (or look around until I find enough stuff to use my Kohl's cash!) and get out, on a list of other errands that I'm running. It's not that I couldn't go shopping when Dave and the kids are home. It's that I feel guilty lazily perusing the items--there's things to do, people to see!

When I did get home both nights, it's strange how eerie the house is with no one else in it. I can probably count on both hands the number of times I've actually been alone in the house, much less alone overnight. It feels so... indulgent! Watch TV and watch whatever you want! Don't watch TV, read a book in silence. Take a bath. Eat out of the carton. Eat two desserts! And then in the morning, get up and get ready. Quietly and quickly. Or take your time. All up to me!

But in the end, when I got home on Wednesday and came into the cacophony that is our house, I knew I wouldn't want it any other way. Ava runs over and gives big hugs and kisses. Max pulled me into the office and made me shut the door so he could tell me he missed me and wanted four hugs and four kisses. The big kids, well, they're much less physical these days. Nolan kind of blips on the radar screen, and Abby hangs around, wanting to reconnect, without trying to be too obvious.

The quiet is nice. The loudness is nicer. And absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

The summer of old friends

This summer, I've gotten the chance to reconnect with friends that I haven't seen in a long time. A few weeks back I wrote about the high school friends I was able to reconnect with. And this past weekend, I was fortunate enough to have some great friends over that I met at my very first job out of college. We talk often of everybody getting together, but this time we actually picked a date and it actually worked out well--before one couple becomes grandparents, before one moves to Colorado. The get together was a little more tame this time than it was when we used to get together, "back in the day." A little less singing and dancing on the table (ahem, Dave!). A little more chasing after the kids. But still.

I wonder what it is with "old friends." Why do some stick? Why do others not? We are an eclectic group. Even though we all worked at the same place, we all ended up at very different places after that company shut its doors. Almost none of us had "real responsibility" when we met, although one of us had one child and two step children. Since then, we've gone through births and deaths, marriages and divorces, good and bad. We've met individually and carried on separate friendships outside the group, and we've lost touch for months, sometimes years. But despite the time that passes, there's so much comfort to me in that group of friends. In both the getting together and the thinking about them and reminiscing about them. Each one of them holds special memories for me, and has a special way that they've impacted me. With life continuing to happen, we will continue to go our separate ways, but I will always hold them close to my heart!

2000 (I think)


2011

My Superheroes

Who are those masked heroes??

 I will save you, Mommy!

 Me too!!

 Ah. One identity revealed!

I love getting more bang for my buck on every Halloween costume!

Milestone forgotten!

I can't believe I didn't post this sooner... Do you notice anything?

 About how big he's getting?

 Last week, he decided he didn't need training wheels, and off he went!

Abby and Nolan both learned the same day how to ride their bikes. Max did this about 5 weeks earlier than Nolan did. Abby was much older, of course. I can only wonder how Ava will be. What I do know for sure is that it will be here quicker than I can imagine.

Better than TV

Last night, in our VIP lounge (or what most people would call their TV/play room), I put on Max's favorite TV show, Jake and the Neverland Pirates. The show started out with Hook capturing fireflies, so Max went to the window to see if he could see any. Unfortunately, the window in that room faces the front of the house, and all the street lights, so of course he couldn't see any. I called him instead into his and Nolan's room, which faces the back of the house, and the trees and wetlands that are back there. Because it's a second floor room, we were able to look down into the trees, and it literally looks like the entire area is glowing. Max sat down next to me, and we were both mesmerized by the coming and going of the lights dancing around. Then after a couple of minutes, Max put his ear up to the window and said, "Listen! The frogs are talking to us!" And they were. It would be silent, and then one frog would croak out, joined by others, until it sounded like they were singing to us and then were silent again. Every now and again, we'd hear it in stereo from the ponds on either side of us. Max told me they were singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

We sat there for well over a half an hour, well past the end of his TV show. I'm just happy to know that that time, that sight, was more enticing and more magical to him than that show, and that he let me enjoy it with him.

16 miles down

Yesterday was the proving point of whether I would be able to run the marathon or not. After last week's run of 15 miles down in Chicago, there was severe doubt in my head. It didn't feel good, I didn't finish well, and I didn't want to run that far again. So this week I was dreading the 16 mile run on Saturday, despite good runs of 4, 8 and 5 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I got up Saturday morning and thought I'd just start it, see how it feels. I got all my stuff ready to go and went to the front door, where there was a sign that said, "We are so proud of you and love you!" It made me smile and gave me the motivation I needed to get started.

I usually drive to the trail for my long runs, but because it was so long this time, I just ran to the trail (3+ miles away). I started at 5:30 AM so luckily there was no traffic, but there were definitely more hills than I'm used to. Not good on the going up but good on the going down! The weather was absolutely perfect for running--not cold, not humid, not hot. Perfect temp, no humidity. Do you think it's too much to ask for no humidity on race day?

Don't get me wrong, it was still a long, long run. I was great through ten miles, 10-14 was iffy, and 15 and 16 were quite difficult. But in the end, I did it! And, it only took me a few hours to recover. :)  I thought I wouldn't be able to walk today, but I actually feel pretty good. Maybe it was the pineapple vodka I celebrated with yesterday afternoon??

Anyway, I'm going to push forward. This week is a step down week with just a 13 mile run on Saturday. After that it's 18 next week, then a step down week, then 20 miles, and that will be the farthest until race day. How I will get from 20 miles to 26 I have no idea, but they say you can do it. Adrenaline takes you places.

I've had some interesting experiences running so far, too. Three weeks ago, I ran 13 miles and when I started it was raining. I don't mind the rain so much, and when it was finished, I felt like I was in Bambi. Squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, birds everywhere. And then there was the deer. It came out on the trail and just looked at me. I assumed it would run away, and it did, but not until I was about ten feet from it. It freaked me out a little bit!

Then this past weekend I ran on trails by Dave's parent's house. I saw a deer chased by the dog in front of me, then two deer on the side of the trail that just walked me run by, and then a tiny little doe that ran in front of me and just kept running up the trail. If it would have gone to the side I wouldn't have had to keep chasing it! Then I also saw a crawfish and a snake (ewww!!). Then a biker passed me and as he passed he said, "On your left, sir." HEY!!! And then I saw... a lot of things I didn't recognize! Meaning, I got lost. Afterwards I realized that I didn't get off on the right path on my way back, but I had no idea when I was on it. I went about two miles farther than I was supposed to and I must have looked pathetic enough because when I asked a lady for directions, she took pity on me and gave me a ride home. So nice! And so fortunate! She was going to be running further, but she had side stitches and so decided to call it a day. I couldn't have been luckier.

We'll see how the remainder of the runs go. Hopefully they don't get too crazy, or I may just have to call it a day!

My firecrackers

Once again, we celebrated the Fourth of July at Dave's parents' house, with his sister and family, too. We've done this for as many years as I can remember, with the exception being the year Max was born. That year, Dave's parents came and took the kids down to their house, Max was born around 11:30 pm on July 3, we got out of the hospital July 5 and we went down to his parents that same day. It's become so much of a tradition that when the kids have projects around family traditions at school, that's the one they pick. No Thanksgiving, no Christmas. It's Fourth of July at Grandma and Grandpa's house. These are the pictures that they'll compare year over year, the addition of new kids, the growing of them and their cousins, the memories they'll remember, whether on their own or because of those pictures.

And this year certainly did not disappoint. We all came in separately--John came with Megan and Jake around 4 in the morning on Friday after driving all night. Dave got there with our kids around 11:30 on Friday. Lisa flew in after work and got there around 10:00 and I drove down after work and meeting a friend for dinner and shopping and got there around 10:30. After mostly just hitting the sack, we woke up Saturday morning to a beautiful, sunny 90+ degree day. After my run (15 miles, yikes!) I came back and we all hit the pool for all day. And then did the same day the next. Unfortunately John and Lisa and kids had to leave on Monday the Fourth, but we stayed that whole day and it was so relaxing. Much of the time was just Dave and I (or just me!) in the pool while the kids hung out and relaxed in the house. After several naps in rafts, we got out and hit the fireworks that night.

It was Ava's first time seeing the fireworks and she LOVED them. She sat in Dave's lap the whole time and just stared up in awe. Every now and again she would look at me and point up into the sky as if to say "Are you seeing this?" The fireworks were great, but watching her reactions were priceless. The place we go for fireworks is just a great place, too. It's huge so even though there are a ton of people there, it doesn't feel crowded. There's a band that plays beforehand, there's kids and dogs and impromptu soccer games and games of catch and frisbee. It feels like a Norman Rockwell painting, and I just love to be in the middle of it soaking it all in.

Here's the picture highlights! Abby reading to Ava. This isn't specific to Fourth of July, but I still just love that Abby loves to read to Ava, and Ava loves to listen!

Auntie Lisa, Ava and Megan.

She's gonna be a swimmer! She really has no choice...

Uncle John and Ava being friendly.

Grandpa... GET IN THIS POOL! Ahhhh.

Grandpa, what did you do to Ava??

Cousins have fun!

It was so nice that Ava slept on the raft with me for at least an hour!

Beer can butt chicken, turned out yummy!

Weee!

Megan reading "The Star" magazine to Ava. Teach her everything you know!

And yet another nap... John, Max and me all out of it. Makes a great day!

The girls ready to celebrate...

The boys ready to celebrate!

Happy Fourth of July!!

My Little Man

FOUR! I can't believe my little guy is FOUR! In a way, he feels so much older. And yet, he's just my little guy. He's definitely his own person--he's wild and crazy, picks up every stick, rock or branch, but loves to give me hugs and kisses every morning and night and when I get home from work. He tells me he loves me just out of the blue. He's the snuggliest power ranger/Iron Man/Buzz Lightyear/pirate/skeleton I've ever seen!

His trademark curls get so many second glances. He sometimes wants to get them cut off, but there's no way I'd let him! But maybe soon we should at least trim the bangs.

He is fearless in everything he does. He has been since he was old enough to be mobile.

He plays hard... and rests hard too!

Minus the green hair from the pool, he'll be a total heartbreaker!

But until then, he'll disguise himself as the Green Lantern rock star.

I just love his blond hair with his sun-kissed skin. I just want to gobble him up!

He's completely his own person, but he does love his siblings. He's so proud of himself when he shares with Ava. And just loves to be included in everything that Nolan and Abby do.

Yup, time to get his hair cut.

I love you buddy. You bring some craziness to my world that I never would have dreamed possible. I can only imagine what the next four years will bring with you. I'll be holding on for the ride!