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That Happened

7 Feb

There’s a weekend in February I cherish. It’s filled with family, friends and frolic in a city that has my heart. It all started last year when we traveled to Savannah to participate in the Tybee Run Fest.

The complete fest is five races. A 5K on Friday and then a 10K, Half Marathon, 2.8 Beach Run and Mile Run on Saturday. If you run all five events, you run a marathon. Andrew did that last year – and although he declared he would not do that again – he did. He was really ready for it this year though. He’s been on his run streak for almost a year and trained for two marathons during that time. Last year, he finished the Tybee Run Fest races and crashed. This year, he finished the races and danced.

Ready for More Running

Ready for More Running

This 5K was special to me. When I ran it in 2012, it was the first 5K I ever trained for and I wanted my past year of running to show improvement. I’m happy to share that it not only meant a better time for me (from 34:45 to 28:36) and the first time I ever ran 3 miles in under 30 minutes, but it also meant personal records for Ginger, Lee and Andrew. Team Brew/Drink/Run doesn’t mess. (And of course we enjoyed some beer after the race.) It was awesome.

Tybee Run Fest 5K

Tybee Run 5K, Part II

I still can’t believe my average was a 9:14 per mile. That’s crazy right there. I even felt so strong when I finished. My finish line photo shows me smiling and pumped. It cracks me up. I’m such a poser.

Tybee Run Fest

Finish Line Smile

The kids also enjoyed some racing fun during the Fest. Team BDR Jr. (Camille, Ellanor, Nia and Nate) took on the mile run independently. They each earned a medal and were so proud of how they ran. Andrew and Nate got to finish together in that one because they were on pace with each other. I love that.

Team BDR, Jr.

Team BDR, Jr. Ready to Start

Tybee Run Fest 5K

Andrew & Nate Finish Fast Together

Daddy & Daughter Runners

Daddy & Daughter Runners

This visit also meant another unbelievable first for me as Andrew, Ginger and I ran high above the Savannah River and across one of the most intimidating bridges I’ve ever experienced. The Talmadge Bridge is a sight to behold. Andrew and I used to sit on River Street and marvel at it as giant barges stacked with 18-wheeler trailers passed underneath it. The bridge has been the backdrop of many of our family photos. One photo of it even hangs in a matte showcase in our house from a July 4th night of fireworks on the river. I never would’ve thought that I would RUN across the thing. It was incredible and I’m so glad Ginger suggested we use it for our Sunday run route.

I still can’t believe that all happened.

Talmadge Bridge

My View from the Top

Talmadge Bridge, Savannah

On Top of the Talmadge Bridge

Running Bridge Luvahs

Running Bridge Luvahs

Bridge Running Buddies

Bridge Running Buddies

 

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My Girl

28 Jan

We talked about our favorite movies. What we’d like to learn. The food we can’t live without. We giggled about how we answered a “things we prefer more” quiz the same. Popcorn over candy. Movies over shopping. Only one difference – I chose milk, she chose juice.

The “mom and me” lunch date I recently had with Nia at the American Girl store gave me a wonderful glimpse at my little girl’s growing personality. The Bistro offers a box with questions on the tables and she and I took turns interviewing each other.

The strip of paper inquiring about the funniest person she knows prompted her to tell me a story about a silly friend in her class. The one asking about the hardest thing she ever had to do had her confess it involves trying to not let her little brother annoy her.

Her favorite movie is the sixth Star Wars but she was careful to add there are new ones coming out soon so they might take that number one spot.

She can’t live without pizza. The three celebrities she wants to meet are Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and One Direction. (If the group doesn’t count as one, she just wants it to be Liam.) She wants to learn Spanish. She wants to go to France because that’s where Paris and the Eiffel Tower are. She plans to be in college in 10 years.

10 years. That will make my Beanie Baby almost 20. Her answers will likely change during that span but I know I will always remember our time and her – just like this. Freeze frame …

Annie and Nia

Annie and Nia

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Then Sister Stepped In

16 Jan

Nate’s first lost tooth took its sweet time to open up a vacancy and when it finally did, it departed in a very special way. I tried to help it find the exit but Nate’s whimper made me chicken out. I then (jokingly) suggested to Nia, “Why don’t you try?” Little brother actually liked that idea and Nia didn’t hesitate. She took the paper towel I had and walked right up to that tooth … “There you go,” she casually stated. No big deal. I just pulled my brother’s tooth. He didn’t flinch or even make a noise. He trusted her completely.

All the other teeth need to take note. No point in hanging around too long. The big sis will get you.

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Sister Snags Brother’s First Lost Tooth

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A New Star Wars Fan – and His Art

15 Jan

Nate experienced Star Wars for the first time over the Christmas and New Year school break and, of course, became captivated with the story and characters. He rooted for Anakin so much that he cried and cried at the end of Revenge of the Sith. I had to console him right up until he closed his eyes for sleep that night.

With that sorrow for Anakin, I’m wondering if I should be concerned Nate seems to favor the Dark Side characters. Based off his drawings, you can certainly tell where the Force is guiding him. The sweetness of his drawings makes it difficult to be too concerned though. Darth “Mole” doesn’t seem so bad through the 7-year-old eyes and ears of Nate.

"The Dark Side" as drawn by Nate, 7 years old

“The Dark Side” as drawn by Nate, 7 years old

Young Anakin as drawn by Nate

Young Anakin as drawn by Nate, 7 years old

Andrew loved the order they watched the movies too. He thought it was so cool how the kids were surprised at certain major plot points and their reactions made him feel like a kid again watching them for the first time. They watched the movies in this order: A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, The Phantom Menace,  Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith and then Return of the Jedi. It was a good plan.

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Little Helper

9 Jan

Nate is becoming such a little helper around the house. He likes to run the vacuum and over-Windex all the surfaces he can reach. The other day was the sweetest when he helped put away groceries without even being asked. I went to change clothes after church and the store and when I walked to the kitchen I saw empty grocery bags hanging from the pantry door. He was busy loading up the shelves. “Does this go here, momma?”

I think he most enjoyed helping with his school lunch. We made ham, cheese, mayo and mustard on whole grain with some olives he wanted to cut himself. The lunch also featured a side of giggles as he kept putting the silliest things in his lunchbox to then declare, “It’s all ready!”

I’m so thankful for his eagerness to help and his attitude to have fun with the “work.”

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Cutting olives for his sandwich.

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Making a “monster” face.

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Picking what he wants in his lunch.

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Chicken Broth for lunch. This replaced a bag of marshmallows he just had in there. Sweet, silly boy.

 

Innocent Expectations

1 Jan

High expectations have added drama to quite a few important dates for me. I’m guilty of letting my hopes get in the way of fun.

I wanted certain things to happen on certain special days and they didn’t. I wanted romance and wooing but instead ended up resentful and woeful or alone due to job responsibilities. I plan huge parties to mark annual celebrations, stressing over details like napkins and cheap party favors. I didn’t want to have to do the dishes on my birthday but I do. I love Jim Gaffigan’s stand-up about this. It always makes me stop and think about how my expectations explode what still could (and should) be a good time.

Now though, I have something sweeter to think about to change my perspective – how easy and lovely it is for children to enjoy themselves without weeks of planning, perfect decorations or an extravagant menu. All they need is a few minutes banging pots and pans.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

The kids showed such pure joy by getting to stay up until midnight and go outside to welcome 2013 with a cacophony of spoons on metal. They giggled and giggled. They thought it was wild fun and then it was over and they were off to bed with prayers and a warning of bedroom separation if sleep didn’t happen quickly and quietly. A few more laughs leaked out from behind the closed door and that was it. One of them didn’t even stay awake through the countdown and I know she won’t be disappointed about that – not like I would be now. “Can’t believe I slept through the New Year …”

Sleepy Celebrator

Sleepy Celebrator

I suppose it was that easy for many of us when we were little. Before the dreams of a trip to the Big Apple to watch the ball drop in person or the fairy tale idea we got from the movies where two people fall in love as the confetti falls and the Auld Lang Syne starts. This New Year I got a glimpse back and it was rejuvenating. I will carry it with me through the days of the new calendar – and for next year’s party planning.

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When You Look Back

31 Dec

Will you remember how you played hide-n-seek all over the house? Tucking yourself under blankets, squeezing in the pantry and linen closets, taking in the comforting detergent scent of the towels?

Will you remember how you counted to twenty while jumping on the blow-up mattresses that left only a small maze of floor space for walking?

How you counted so fast that your two cousins on the other team barely made it out of the room to hide?

Will you remember how you giggled at the dinner table over silly talk and words that made zero sense to adult ears but perfect punchlines for a child’s?

How you all loved black olives?

How you played “library” with the books in your moms’ childhood room? How when the piles of books you were “checking out” would get too tall it would slide over and some would drop off the shelf and bounce loudly down the stairs, hitting the door to the room? (The first few thuds had the adults worried and we’d investigate. After that, we knew it was an avid reader’s books.)

Cousin Library

Cousin Library

Will you remember how you laughed like you never did with others as you tried to destroy a candy-stuffed pinata?

How you played board games and negotiated the rules so all the ages at the game could play?

Will you remember how you spent thirty minutes chatting about all the world’s problems (“Nia says bedbugs are real.”) in Nate’s room when you were supposed to be sleeping?

And then, when morning came way too early, the only boy cousin in the house crazily “makes a sandwich” by throwing the twin air mattress on a full size air mattress of giggling and screaming girls. Sometimes that craziness turns to tears and scolding from the parents – but will you remember that?

Cousins. Our first friends. I can’t wait to remember the kids’ memories with them.

Cousins

Getting “ready” for bed,

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Little Boy, Full of Heart

27 Dec
Inside-the-Park Home Run Smile

Inside-the-Park Home Run Smile

The title states facts. Nate is a little boy. Inch for pound, his height matches his weight and he’s smaller than others his age. His age alone makes him little. Now seven years old, he is still too little to open some food/drink containers without adult help, walk alone in a store or comprehend many “older” things like death (although he did cry when Mickey died in Rocky III) and dates (sweetly calling it a “date” when Andrew and I smooch in the kitchen as we cross paths). For as little as he is though, his heart cannot be measured.

Pushing himself.

Pushing himself.

His pure passion and intensity shows in all he does – from coloring a picture as neatly and as focused as he can to making his bed with each blanket layered and plush animal placed in its spot (when he does make his bed anyway). He starts his race each morning as soon as he wakes up – dressed with shoes on and waiting for his breakfast before his big sister is even awake. He is often ready before the adults of the house too – especially on baseball practice/game mornings.

Posing

Sneakers – just in case he needs to run somewhere.

Nate tries so hard and doesn’t quit until he “wins” or is pleased with his work. He is unbelievably and naturally competitive, even when it comes to getting the most reward sticks in his class for good behavior. (He actually has a strategy for trying to achieve this – befriending the boy who has the most sticks and striving to behave like he does.)

His brain hides so much knowledge behind his constant motion and the baseball stats he keeps. That love of baseball actually helped his brain. He taught himself math by figuring out how much his beloved Braves would have to score to win. He taught himself reading by scanning the channel guide looking for baseball games and reviewing the scores at the bottom of the screen of the game he’s watching. His confidence on the field is displayed in the classroom as well. He’s given PowerPoint presentations in front of his class like it’s no big deal. He gets beyond frustrated when he doesn’t get his schoolwork just right. He keeps a schedule and routine for himself, walking in the door after school and conquering his homework within minutes of sitting at the table. Little disciplined man – especially when it’s something he really wants to do. He amazes, entertains, teaches and challenges me every day.

Presenting before his class.

Presenting before his class.

As he begins his seventh year of attempts, memories and growing up, I wonder what he has planned next. His heart is his own and what drives it comes from within him. The flame burns so fiercely that I worry about it fizzling out too soon – before he really needs its strength to get him through tough times. I want to protect his heart and try to nurture it and calm it as best as I can but it often feels like he’s on such an important mission. It’s such a treasure and an example to follow.

Catching the ball - because he must.

Catching the ball – because he must.

One speed: Intense

One speed: Intense

Sign on the Solid Line, Santa

24 Dec

Sure, Santa. Stop by and drop off your presents. Have a cookie or eight. But that’s not all the oldest child in this house requests of you. Answer her questions and then sign on the line. I’m not sure it will hold up in court but I’m pretty sure the 9-year-old will hold you to the answers.

Oh yeah, and P.P.P.P.S., don’t forget it’s Jesus’ birthday.

IMAG6515

IMAG6516

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Room to Grow

14 Dec

A few weeks ago, I started writing an unfinished blog about how it’s been tough for me to give my kids room to grow. I’ve been worried that I’m suffocating their free spirits by not letting them play outside by themselves more – or stay over more friends’ houses – or let them walk the block to the bus stop without supervision. I see children playing outside in our neighborhood with other kids, no adult in sight. It looks as though they run this place. Confident and carefree, growing into their own. My kids, meanwhile, are sheltered.

It’s not that I don’t trust my children. I don’t trust others and situations outside of my watch. It’s been like that even for sleepovers at friends’ houses. Nia just had her first “alone” sleepover at a friend’s this year and I was worried the whole time. I woke up in the middle of the night. I checked my phone. She was fine and I felt like a mess. What’s my problem? I played outside until the street lights came on or until I heard the yell from home base. I had sleepovers and adventures sans adults. It’s just so tough for me to let them walk barefoot in the grass because I feel like when I do, they get stung by a bee.

What I need to remember is that the bee is really out of my control. I didn’t see it there as I sat and read my book. The kids didn’t see it there as they giggled and chased each other. Moments of bliss, interrupted with pain and tears. Mom and dad are there to make it better though. Scoop them up with hugs and kisses – medicine and a bandage. Don’t forget the ice cream. Still, we are able to be the protectors. Always the protectors. But what happens when you can’t be there to protect or comfort?

The heartbreaking tragedy that happened in Connecticut today captures that fear for me. Each day, we send our children on their merry – or cranky (depending on their mood that morning) – way to school and we head off to work or to whatever routine we have on the schedule. “Love you! Have a great day!” Words of caring we exchange to each other as they walk toward the bus or building. “See you later.” Because that’s what’s supposed to happen. See you later.

Sometimes, the hurt that happens when they are away from us isn’t permanent like the violence of today. Hurt feelings or worry in their hearts because of bullies, a fight with a friend or boys saying rude and inappropriate things. (That last one happened to Nia today.) For the most part, that hurt can be healed with an end of the day hug and talk with mom and dad. They feel better. They have some options on how to handle things if it happens again. They know teachers will be there to help because mom and dad talked with them. But still, I couldn’t keep them protected at the moment of their pain and I need to absorb that I never will be able to do that. They are not hurt-proof. None of us are. Mere mortals. Breakable. Perishable. Fragile.

Thinking about what happened in Connecticut today, my heart hurts for all those facing “What now?” and it hoards fear about “What if?” I am telling myself to allow my children to savor more barefoot in the grass and sleepover moments – especially for all those innocent little ones who now cannot.

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