Good Times and Growing Pains

We're getting back to normal around here, slowly, and venturing out to play again. Heading to the park after school is a new routine, although school will be out in just a couple of days. Then I'll have a first-grader in the house, which is hard for me to grasp.
Sliding are, from left, Sawyer, Connor, Parker and (at top) baby Parker - Connor's little brother. At right is Sawyer sporting some static.

We've also been hanging out at Edwin Warner Park again. Some of the trails were damaged in the flood, but there are still some nice places to play. Parker likes to splash around in the water, but Sawyer prefers throwing rocks. Lots of rocks.

The past couple weeks have been packed with birthday parties. This one, for Parker's friend Charlie, was in a big backyard with a giant water slide. It was 91 degrees and sunny - perfect for water play.
Another 6th birthday party was for our longtime friend Connor. It was at Pizza Perfect, with video games and air hockey - perfect for a drizzly Saturday afternoon.
Clockwise from top left: Parker playing air hockey; Connor playing video games with his dad; my friend Amy playing a video game with Sawyer; and Connor opening presents (my friend Erica - Connor's mom - in background).

The kids are already soaking up these summery days. Erin's family has a new trampoline (top left), and we pulled out the gator to let Sawyer give it a try. Our little neighbor Trey came over to take it for a spin.

Another kid you might know has a birthday coming up ... this weekend!

Parker will be 6 years old, and he's testing his boundaries. On Sunday, he decided he was not happy with us as parents, and he was leaving. He packed his Batman bucket with jammies, crayons and toys, and tucked a pillow under his arm. I followed him up the street for awhile before finally making him turn around and go back to the house. I'm still not sure how I feel about that episode. It was one part heartbreaking, one part funny - and one part scary. The very next night, he asked to be rocked - which I did, happily. I'll take any opportunity to cuddle this growing boy.

Of course, I took a picture. ...

We're doing our best to deal gently with the angst and remember what it's like to be 5 going on 18.

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A Marathon Weekend

It's been a marathon weekend for us, in more ways than one.

First, Parker ran in the Country Music Kids' Marathon Friday, which was so much fun. More than 4,000 kids took part, and he participated through his school. The kindergarten kids ran 1/2 mile. The idea is that the kids run or walk a total of 25 miles over two or three months on their own, and they run the final mile (or 1/2 mile) at the race, and they get to cross the actual marathon finish line. Very cool. Parker had a great time running with his friend Charlie, and the main thing (for me, at least) is that he learns to have fun through exercise. Jerod ran behind the boys so we wouldn't lose track of them.


On Saturday, I ran the Country Music Half Marathon (13.1 miles) with my friend/neighbor/running partner, Erin. We've been training for the past few months, and we made it through. You can read all the details (more than you ever wanted to know) by clicking here.




Also, our friends from our New Hampshire days (they live in Philly now) came down to take part in the half marathon, and we hung out with them throughout the weekend. More to come on that. They are such a great couple - so much fun - and I wish we could see them more often.

Today was a much-needed lazy, back-to-basics day filled with laundry, books, cartoons and hanging in the backyard.

DEEP BREATH.

EXHALE.

Thanks for checking in!

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Garage of Shame (or, How I Spent My Birthday)

Today is my 39th birthday, and how did I spend it? Cleaning out the Garage of Shame.


Don't get me wrong. I chose to do this. I've been meaning to clean this thing out for five years, and I finally had the chance. It turned out to be a strangely appropriate way to spend the day. As I sifted through the many boxes stacked along the back wall, it was like going through layers of my life.

I found my diary from sixth grade. My old basketball photos and trophies. Photographs of my high school friends, then college. Sketches from my college art classes, which are surprisingly good. (I started out with a minor in art before deciding it was too impractical. So now I write for a living.)

The photos slowed me down, and there was no way I could throw a single one away. Photos of spring break ski trips. Jerod's trip to Amsterdam. Our New Hampshire years and all the backpacking.

Here are a couple of my favorites. This was so typical of our weekends in New Hampshire. Jerod and I just took off into the mountains and camped. That was about 10 years ago, I think - we were probably 27 or 28 years old. Here he is staring into the fire...

And here are our friends Jason and Trish, somewhere on top of a mountain in Vermont. We hung out together a lot - backpacking, hiking, going out to dinner. Trish was also one of my running buddies, although she kicked my butt every time. Those were great years. Trish and Jason are still up there, hiking and skiing and snowboarding - now with their two athletic kids.


Back in the garage, I also found a ton of my old newspaper clips, along with some thank-you notes from people I had written about. Those mementos brought back worlds of memories.

So you see, it was fitting to take a little trip back in time on this day, the beginning of the last year of my thirties. It reminded me of some important things we used to do for fun, and it led to a decision: This is the summer for camping with the boys. As crazy as that sounds, I think it is time.

Here are some other things we've been up to:


Play-Doh with the neighbors on a spring-like day



This is what my living room looks like lately.



Here's Miss Angie giving Parker a haircut. (That's me in the background with my iPhone).

A trip to the zoo yesterday...

Sawyer fed a donkey at the petting zoo...


And here's a shot from a week or so ago, before the snow melted. Our friend Mathias came to play, and Parker and Mathias practiced slaying dragons in the bushes.

P.S. I did make progress on the garage. It's now only kind of shameful. I'll post the after pics as soon as we organize a little more.

Also, Jerod came home early bearing a birthday dinner and a gift certificate for some new running shoes. Which reminds me that I'm meeting my neighbor/running buddy at 5:15 a.m., and I'm up way too late.

Thanks for reading. Good night!

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