Crazy Runs in the Family

Typically on Thanksgivings in the past Billy and I have gone on long runs together. (Usually half marathon distance, sometimes 10K.) This past year, though, was a little different. I wasnt actually planning on running at all this year just because of how our day worked out, but ended up at the gym instead. (Yes, on Thanksgiving. And yes, it was crowded.) When I got home on a whim I mentioned taking the kids on a short run. They were SO excited, since they are always asking me if they can run with me.

I have run with them in the past, and it's always been kind of a nightmare. But it was always longer, more official, races that were a 5K distance that we ended up mostly walking. This time we just decided to run the route that we typically walk around the neighborhood since I knew at least, should they all decide to revolt, we could walk that far.

They ended up running the whole route...which is about a mile. I was really proud of them! Usually on walks Tirzah complains she has a cramp, or wants to get into the stroller, etc. She did so great, and didn't even ask to stop and walk the whole time. Jericho and Amaryllis were obviously in the stroller...but we did let Jericho out to run the second time we went a few days later. He did great about half the way, then fell into the ditch and scraped his knee and that was the end of that. ;) He howled the whole rest of the way home until we could get him cleaned up. And then he howled some more.

As you can see...they have a flair for the dramatic, and needed to take a nap on the sidewalk after we got back home. Jokes on the boys, though, since their sister looks fresh and ready to run some more. I really had a great time running with them. (I know people think that's crazy. It probably is.) I'm thinking there will be a lot more family "runs" in our future as opposed to just walks. Gotta pass on the crazy genes, right?

Translator Necessary

My youngest two kiddos have not been in any hurry to be conversationalists. Jericho still sometimes requires a little translating. Amaryllis is almost 17 months old, and while she will say a few select words (mama, daddy, bubba -which is brother-, mo-mo -which is milk-, and dodo -which is dog-) she really just points and yells to get what she is after. She honestly doesnt NEED to talk at this point...since the pointing and yelling usually brings one of her older siblings running to get her what she wants. She knows how to work the system. Here is little video of her actually speaking, though. She spent the entire trip to Target yelling about "dodo" that she kept spotting around the store's Christmas decor.

She's pretty adamant about being acknowledged when she does finally say some words. She will get louder and louder until you answer her. So I spent the entire shopping trip saying, "Yeah! DoDo!" Babies definitely have a way of making you look like a Dodo in public. ;)

Fresh Cuts

Yesterday morning was a typical Monday. I woke up with that kind of "here we go again" feeling...with 5 days of me vs. 4 kiddos ahead of me. (I love them, y'all know this...but they sure do wear a girl out.) Monday are often tough days around here, just getting settled back into our school routine and getting everyone going somewhat the same general direction. I figured this Monday would be no different than the usual Monday as far as our routine goes.

But when Merrick and Jericho got up for the day, I noticed the two of them were literally looking like sheepdogs. I had noticed they needed haircuts but had been putting it off for as long as I could since I always have to drag 4 children into the hair salon to get it done. But I decided there was no more putting it off. We finished up school by about 11, and headed to the gym planning to go straight to get haircuts afterwards. (With a pit stop at target in between the two.)

About halfway through my run this morning I remembered that the 3 older kids had dentists appointments that afternoon. Being the type of person that I am, I had made a plan and I was sticking to it. We were getting those haircuts and getting our teeth cleaned. And we did. It wasnt necessarily pretty, but we made it with a little help from a drive-thru known as McDonald's. (The absolute best bribing token I have when it comes to making hooligans behave. Happy Meals get them every time.)

It ended up being a really good day. The two boys just kill me with their handsomeness, and I can't resist their charms (which is code for shenanigans) with those fresh hair cuts. I try to keep it down, but I really don't know how I got so lucky to be mama to these two good looking boys. The visit to the dentist was surprisingly awesome. No one cried or tried to claw their way out of the chair. The dentist even went so far as to tell me that he didn't know how I managed to keep all those kids teeth that clean. (I really can take no credit for this...I'm lucky if they are all fed and dressed, much less manage to brush their teeth. Just keepin it real, y'all.)

It was crazy busy, and I didn't really even sit down until 5pm. But I don't think I'd mind if more Mondays went something like this. And it doesn't hurt that these two guys thanked me for the haircuts (which I also had nothing to do with other than chauffeuring) and told me I was "the best". I'll take it, Monday.

On Not Leaving the Leaves

In the past we've never really had to deal too much with a yard full of leaves. We've always rented, and in past locations there either weren't many trees or the landscapers took care of it. This house is a different story on both counts. TONS of leaves and we are the landscapers. The kids totally don't mind though. The leaves have proved to be fun for everything from hiding/fort building to padding for jumping off of various items in the backyard. You know how the hooligans roll.

I spent about an hour and a half raking up most of the leaves in the backyard one day last week. I think, though I got the majority of them, there are quite a few left to go. The kiddos were just a tiny bit annoyed with me for cleaning up "their" leaves. My apologies of course, but I couldn't find you when you went out in the backyard anymore.

I've seen a lot of posts going around Facebook and on the news about how we should leave the leaves, and that it's good for the ecosystem and all that green stuff. (Not that I'm opposed to green stuff.) Their reasons that this is a good idea include: slugs and bugs and creepy crawly things need places to live/hide, and turtles and snakes need places to live. I'm sorry guys, but in trying to convince me to leave the leaves in my yard you should have left out the part where you tell me bugs and snakes will surely enjoy living in them. I might have been convinced otherwise. ;)

We were actually offered a blower to borrow for leaf-roundup part two...which will make my job of ridding the yard of potential snake and bug-habitats a lot easier. (I know, I feel equal parts awful and equal parts totally justified in saying I have no desire to let snakes find a suitable residence in my yard.) I just hope that the kids, and their leaf-fort building shenanigans, will eventually forgive me for what I am about to do.

Feyonce

Late this past summer one of my younger sisters got engaged. She and I have always been told how much we look alike, and have called each other "sistatwin" for years. (My own husband has confused the two of us in pictures and from a short distance.) There are quite a few years between us in age, but she and I have become closer and closer as the years go by and the age difference seems to matter less than when I was a teenager and she was still an annoying little munchkin. ;)

Her engagement was a sweet event where her fiancé (she calls herself his "feyonce", because it's fancier to add a little Queen B to anything, right?) got the whole family involved and we were all able to be there and see the proposal. So it was fitting that we were a part of their engagement session as well, and two of us sisters were able to shoot it for them. It was bittersweet for me to do this session, as I can't quite believe how old we are both getting. ;) But really...I am so proud of her, and was so honored to be able to do this session.

Sistatwin, I am so grateful for you in my life. I am also grateful for the good man you have found to share your life with, and the fact that he doesn't mind helping babysit the hooligans definitely gives him a lot of cool points in my book. So excited to see this next chapter of their lives unfold, and that they have let us all be such a huge part of it!