Giraffes, A Soccer Boo Boo, and Watching Stripes Alone While My Husband Sleeps At My Feet

A couple of unedited pictures from our day...



We spent the morning at the zoo. Evelyn on my back in the ergo, Charlie walking hand in hand with Daddy.

There were giraffes with crazy tongues, talking snakes, and swirly tailed Rios. Also, a field trip full of 5th graders.

I saw a bobcat on the way home.

Evelyn wore a tutu today. I wore pajama pants?

Eleanore got a gold star at school, a bag of rocks from her brother, and a care bears hat from her bff.

Alexis and Wednesday played in the shade with us, while seesaw's boyfriend napped in the backseat. You snooze you lose. ... and there was talk of dinner parties and ghost paintings.

Eleanore showed off her soccer boo boo in the yard. Later on we pinned her down in the kitchen and pulled a branch out of her knee.

Tomorrow we start the documentary of my diagnosis. Sunday, maybe a movie date? And when Monday gets here, a road trip to the beginning of my recovery.

A Special Lunch Date

Charlie is having a hard time adjusting to all of the changes that have taken place in our lives recently. The biggest change of them all, the one that breaks his little 2 year old heart day in and day out- is that his big sister, his very best friend, his "seesaw"- leaves him every single morning, and goes away to that unknown wonder known to most of us as school.

But lucky for our sad faced lonely little Charlie, hes met a new friend, a whole heap of new friends actually, just in time to take the place of his missing routine playmate.

Thomas, Percy, James, Toby... won't you join us for lunch today?



Well it looks like only Percy and Thomas were in attendance this time 'round, but surely the rest of the gang will be able to play with us afterwards. Whether they're chugging up the stairs, shunting toys back into their bins, or hauling new favorite blankets from the couch to the bedroom- Charlie's new friends never let him down.

And they don't ever leave him for kindergarten.



Plus they all really like grapes and bananas, so- this friendship just can't really go wrong.

Hot Air Balloons And Pajamas

While we weren't able to make either one of the festival balloon glows this year, we were able to make a sunrise launch, even if only 1 of the balloons had decided to take windy flight that morning.



So even though we didn't get to see a sky filled with colorful balloons, the kids got to play in their baskets, visit with the prairie dogs, and build sand castles with friends in an unfamiliar playground.

We hope there is a hot air balloon festival at our next base. Because we'll sure miss the tradition of this one.

Evelyn's Ponytail

During my surgery, I called out in wonder "is she a girl?!", as they tugged and pulled on my numbed up belly. ...And I'll never forget my doctors response.

"Yeah, shes a girl! And shes got a shitload of blond hair!".

Blond? No... wrong baby, sorry. You must have grabbed the wrong one while you were in there. Don't sew me up until you've gotten your babies straight. My babies have brown hair.

Well, no, he was right. Sort of. It was the right baby, but- that blond hair was actually red.



And now all of that beautiful red hair fits into a cutesie little whale spout ponytail.

Go, Number 26! And Confessions Of A Sucky Mom.

Charlie is down for a nap, Evelyn is chasing a little rubber ball across the house, from one end and back again, and I'm soaking up all of the sugar cookie scentsy that my nostrils can handle, in between nose blows and sips of water. Its been a long morning. But I got the first round of dishes done before we headed off to school, so at least that was out of the way. I'll be really glad when they finally replace our busted dishwasher for a working one.

Enough of my chitter chatter though.

Have I mentioned how I'm a soccer Mom?

Because I totally am.

Eleanore has practice twice a week, and games on Saturdays. Her practice is just down the street, at the youth center here on base. Her games though, are clear across town at a giant multi field soccer center. Not like, 3 or 4 fields, but like- hundreds. That place is insane.

Her first game was last Saturday. YAY ELIE! She did so great.

But let me chime in and break up the hurrah for a moment of honesty- in the beginning I was disappointed in my daughter. I was being an awful selfish Mom, who was heartbroken when her daughter just watched the ball roll past her, instead of going after it and scoring a goal. I sigh'd every time she fell behind, and I got frustrated every time she ignored me when I explained the game to her. I, was, mad. And it wasn't fair of me. And I know that. And I suck. And I'm sorry.

But between running around the field taking pictures through the clouds of soccer blown dust, and sitting beside the other parents on the hot tin bleachers who were cheering on their kids, I realized something: Eleanore is a rock star. ...Okay, so shes maybe not a soccer rock star, but- a rock star nonetheless.

I'm about to put this next part in bold, and make it all huge, because while it didn't take me long to figure it out, I'm embarrassed that I ever thought otherwise at all: She tried.

Her version of trying wasn't exactly what I had imagined in my head when we initially signed up- she wasn't running after goals, or trying to steal the ball from the other team- heck I don't think she even kicked it once, except for when the coach handed it to her, but- she was trying. It was 100 degrees or more out on that field, and she never once gave up. She ran in the same direction as the other girls, she followed the rules of not using her hands, and she played.

Soooo, maybe shes not cut out to be a soccer champion (neither was I, and neither was Christopher), but she stuck through it, and never once called it quits.

And for that, I am overwhelmed with pride.
I'm ready to be the Mom that rocks the tacky soccer sticker on the back of the mini van now, k thanks.


On with the show...

So excited to head off to the fields- she never smiles at the camera like that.



Gettin' all geared up.



Stretching out. We don't want any pulled hamstrings, do we?



Running out onto the field to start the game! How exciting is this?!




Aaaand, this was 2 seconds later after she fell and got grass burned.




All 3 of the girls holding hands, getting ready to battle with the pink team!


Note: the teams are larger than 3 girls, but to make it easier on them, they split the teams up and had 2 games going on either side of the bleachers. Confusing? Yeah a little.



This was our field. It was pretty awesome when the clouds started rolling in.



Evelyn was there, and she was mad.



Yeah yeah, and so was Charlie.



And me too (being there, I mean, not mad), hiding behind my camera like always, while simultaneously getting all sorts of stupid sun burnt.



Oh! Oh! Its Elie's turn to kick the ball in! Goooo Elie! *shouted obnoxiously with hands cupped around mouth*



Getting coached.



Picking her nose.



Playing with dirt.



They had water breaks in between quarters. Poor kids were melting out there.



But no matter how hot it got, they toughed it out.



And eventually the game was over, and they all got to line up and do that "good game, good game" thing.



And then, snack!




Heck yes, little girl. Eat that fruit!


Did I mention that they lost?



Right, thats because this girl on the other team, was a very well coordinated ball hogger. I swear she was at least 7, psh.



And having people pose for pictures isn't really my thing, but- turn around and SAY CHEESE!



The walk back to the car with your Dad is always something special.



Goodnight soccer fields- we'll see ya next week.



Go team!

Noni Comes To Visit: The Buffalo Gap Historical Village

Ok, now I realize that this is going to be a crazy whirlwind of picture overload, and I'm completely okay with that, but- lately my brain is having a hard time finding the words to go along with my pictures (and memories), so things in this entry are a little bit opposite. Rather than a few pictures with the story to go with them, I'm letting the pictures tell the story themselves.

And can I just add real quick, that the Buffalo Gap Historical Village is absolutely my new favorite place to totally geek out at? Becaaaause- yes.

And cut me some slack on the lack of editing? I've been busy juicing oranges and attending soccer games :)



Yep, so that was that.

September 11th

I didn't know anybody that was involved directly with the September 11th attacks. I'm not sure I even know anybody that was involved indirectly. But I remember where I was on the morning that it happened, I think about the devastation every year as it approaches and passes, and my heart aches strongly for all of the 9/11 victims and their families.

Charlie doesn't know a thing about terrorists, or tragedy. All he knows is trains, trucks, and tra la la. And thats how it should be. ...but someday he will know. They'll all know. Because I can't protect him in this safe bubble that I've created forever.

But I want to.

Anyways- I remember.

Noni Comes For A Visit- Part 1

Its been a long and exciting weekend. ...Oh, its Wednesday? Well it feels like Monday.

Christopher had Friday off of work, so he walked Eleanore to school with me, followed by some house cleaning and babysitting. The hot weather dropped about 20 degrees, so of course we spent hours and hours outside, whether there were chores to be done or not. My mother in law flew in the next day, all the way from Boise, and arrived sometime in the evening. The first night was a blur, but I know that food documentaries and story tellings were involved. ...and maybe we all 3 fell asleep on the couch.

I have no idea what happened on Sunday. Maybe I snuck away to visit a friend for an hour or two, while Mother and Son visited with each other. Maybe there were shopping trips to the grocery store. Its all kind of a blur (isn't it always?).

On Monday I managed a sunrise photo shoot in the freezing cold (60 degrees requires a winter jacket, for those of us acclimated to the 105 degree afternoons), just before the family and I scurried off to the Buffalo Gap Historical Village (which is a whole nother post all in itself). The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, watching silly Jackie Chan movies and snacking on grapes, and then staying up late watching I-forget-what, because again, I fell asleep.

It turns out that Noni had gotten an extra day off, so instead of going home on Tuesday, she helped me walk Eleanore to school, toured her classroom, and kept me company running around town all day long, stopping to hunt for thrift store treasures, return broken lava lamps, and then later in the evening spending more time with her son, collecting last minute school supplies, and feasting on the best darn green salad dressing that ever did exist.

Maybe that last run on paragraph sentence didn't make much sense?

A few pictures from Sunday ...

Eleanore and Noni became good friends instantly. They bonded over chalk, hearts, and rainbows.


Christopher looked under the hood of my car ;)


There was beam balancing, racing, laughing, and falling.


Beautiful driveway art.


Reflections, clouds, and sunset gas tanks.


Scooter riding. Always, scooter riding.
Its a way of life.


And at the end of the night, new friendships had been made to last forever and ever.


To be continued...