Fashionista

After bath the other night, this is how Lillian walked into our room. I say it all the time, but seriously how funny is she with all her crazy outfits. She just goes from her room to Harrison's room accessorizing. She is so serious, too. Maybe she can intern at Betsey Johnson one day.

She even has on Winston's dog collar (eeewwww)

She had two good days at pre-school last week (thank God), and it is so nice to see her sweet smile again.

Nike Swoosh

Look at these chunky legs with the new running shoes. Can you stand it!?! I want to nibble on them

Checking them all out

This is Lillian' s new big girl trick. She likes to swing on the swings like all the neighborhood kids do.

Getting a little run in (please note the always present tongue)

Come on Daddy!

Follow Me

It is time to dance

Hey, what are you laughing at mom?

Happy Fall Y'all

Fall is here.
I am loving having the screen door open in the mornings, thinking about what color chords I need for this season, burning spice candles, and most importantly baking lots of pumpkin bread!

Paula Deen sure does know how to make a yummy pumpkin bread. And, believe it or not, it actually was butter-free!

Kelly Graves made pumpkin bread every year when I used to watch her kids, and I used to look forward to her handing me my yummy foil wrapped loaf of love every October. She introduced me to the perfect marriage of pumpkin and chocolate. So, I like to add chocolate chips to my "punkin" bread. Try it sometime. I made several loaves and Joe and enjoyed staying up late and spending time like we used to cooking with no little people around. When we went to bed our house smelled so fantastically fall-ish. Happy fall y'all!

Blessing

Harrison has been saying the blessing before we eat dinner for over a year now. We say blessing just about every night, and lately we have been telling Lillian to fold her hands and close her eyes. She totally cannot close her eyes, so she squishes her nose all up and holds her hands in fists because that is as close as she can get to folding them. It is cute and then we all move on. Well, I made a big dinner tonight to welcome Joe home from Texas and it was utter chaos by the time we sat down to eat. We started to eat our salad and chat about the day, when I heard Lillian squawking over and over. I looked up and she had her hands fisted and her eyes squinted and she was waiting for us to say blessing. So Harrison said blessing and then we started dinner. Joe and I looked at each other and just could not get over how sweet it was that she noticed we had missed it. So appropriate that our little blessing would remind us to pause and reflect on how blessed we are. Thanks Lills.

One last hoorah

To say Lillian is not liking pre-school would be an understatement. I get a call everyday saying, "I think she has had enough for today can you come get her?" My happy girl is just breaking my heart. She says, "momma, momma, momma" over and over through her crocodile tears. Oh well, it will get better.
I have had to leave Bible study early the last two times to get her. I try to be patient, as I instantly think; I really need a mommy break for three hours! Being a mom is hard. I feel like I have had days lately that I feel like I am either doing something wrong or everyone lied to me. How can moments be so trying?!? Then, I feel guilty for not appreciating what beautiful blessings they are and savoring the moment. But, the reality is, it is ok to admit that there are hard moments. It is ok to wonder why husbands get off the hook so easily. Even the good ones. I struggle with accepting that I manage so many more minor details than Joe. It is ok to want to scream when your child yells, "I am done pooping come wipe me!" It is ok to hide in your closet just to have a moment of silence.
In my new Bible study there are 11 women of all different ages, sizes, and socio-economic backgrounds. There are a few women my moms age and a lot of grandmothers. There is a woman who was recently widdowed after 39 years of marriage, there is a retired pediatrician with a severe disability, there is a woman who lost her son, there are women who never had children, and there are a few moms like me with young children. When I worked I absolutely loved the group of women in my office. I miss them terribly. As I looked around the room this morning, I thought "I love this." I love learning from women, I love hearing their life stories, I love their wisdom, I love their kindness. I went to a women's college, and my mom is a major womens liber, and maybe that has something to do with it, but at this point in my life it gives me such encouragement. I needed this. It feeds my soul. I left today feeling rejuvenated and happier just from doing something for myself.
When I got home, we filled up the pool and played outside. One last hoorah outside just beacuse we could. My kids were naked and having a ball. I watched them and appreciated them and just reflected on how boring my life would be without them.
Gotta go, Lillian is up and screaming after only an hour of napping. I may need to re-read this post in an hour when I am back to feeling overwhelmed.
Disclaimer: I wrote this in about 47 seconds. I typed fast and furiously while folding laundry, inhaling popcorn, and balancing my checkbook. There will be grammatical errors (mom). So take it for what it is worth!

The Old Bird

My dad just sent me this video. I am getting sappy in my old age, because it made me cry. My sister and I are going with my dad in a few weeks to see the final launch of the space shuttle Discovery. My dad was the pilot of Discovery two times. The footage is so moving because this vehicle made my dads dreams come true, and also because I am so grateful she kept my dad safe. The space industry was a huge part of my life, and at times I feel so removed from that world. It is hard to believe my children will grow up without watching shuttle launches on tv. My dad said "bittersweet" is a perfect way to describe the retirement of the shuttle. I look forward to watching the old bird take her final bow. I am sorrowful for all the people who will lose their jobs once the program ends. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. To infinity and beyond!!!!

The Carolina Cup

The car is loaded and we are ready to go

Lillian doing a little reading

The Carolina Cup 2010

Harrison getting registered

Lillian digging in the dirt

All lined up

And off they go

Most of the kids were 5, and Harrison did a great job keeping up

Look at my "golden metal"

Time to watch daddy's race

The Peleton

How do I get my kids to sit for 40 minutes you ask? OREOS!

The sprint finish. Daddy won the race!

My two favorite cyclists! We will have to find more races that have kid events. It was so nice to be outside enjoying the cooler weather. Greensboro is a neat city, and not a bad drive. We even went to the Proximity after the race and had profiteroles and sorbet. I could have stayed and listened to the French music all day. Congrats, Joe! You rocked it out.

Kill Devil Hills

Lillian snacking and sightseeing with her shades on

I have never seen the ocean so angry. The waves were crashing so fiercely. The surfers were in heaven, but man I would not be that brave. Joe said it seemed like the ocean had been "stirred up." Swimming was prohibited for 2 days

We drove around and checked out the damage. Harrison was a big fan of driving my car through the water filled streets.

Joe took the kids to watch the sunrise. I got to sleep in-love ya babe!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was our morning drives. We just drove all over and explored. The water is so quiet and still early in the morning.

Our first day on the beach

Harrison could not get there fast enough.

Lillian played in the ocean for hours. Both the kids are completely fearless with water. This year was so different than our beach trip last year. Watching two gutsy kids at the beach is a lot of work. Maybe next year we will actually sit down once or twice.

Sitting waiting for the waves to "crash them."

Poor Lills, the waves definitely "crashed" her

My sweet little fish

Everybody chase daddy into the water

Anybody seen my "brodder?" (Lillian carried her sandy PB and J around for about an hour...crunch)

Found ya!

Daddy kisses

Playing at the beach is tough work

Beach day 2

On your mark, get set, GO!

I could sit and watch these two delight in each other and the beautiful ocean all day. It makes my heart swell with happiness and pride. I look forward to many, many more family trips to the beach.
We booked a last minute 5 day trip to Kill Devil Hills several weeks ago. We found a steal on VRBO, Joe took off time from work, we were all packed and ready to go. The dog could even come along. Well, then Hurricane Earl decided to head directly for the Outer Banks. We watched the news around the clock. First, it started with Jim Cantore and Al Roker reporting live from Kill Devil Hills, and then the day we were supposed to leave they issued a mandatory evacuation. Total bummer. I was so excited to feel the sun on my face one last time before both kids started pre-school. We waited it out and headed there Friday afternoon. The town was pretty vacant, and we enjoyed checking out all the areas hit by the storm. We checked in and then headed straight for the beach. The waves were enormous. If I did not have kids with me, it would have been pretty cool to see the ocean during such a big storm.
We had a fabulous family getaway filled with lots of time at the pool and beach, family walks and drives, bike rides with Winston running behind, ice cream runs, family naps, and so much more. I love living so close to the coast. Oh, I can't forget we even ate fresh crab. It really doesn't get any better.
Hope you had an enjoyable Labor Day as well!