11 months

She turned eleven months old yesterday and she's now on the move.  She's been full on crawling now for about a week or two and she's loving her new-found independence.  She has yet to learn how to pull herself to standing and we can't seem to get her to move her feet much, but she's mobile now and it's a huge step for her.  When she smiles big you can see three of her 4 top teeth and the 4th one attempting to break through.  She gives amazing hugs but won't kiss on demand.  She saves those for moments she sees worth it.  She claps and says "yay" and it's the cutest thing ever.  She's developed a temper but it seems to diffuse quickly.  She doesn't like to be told "no" but she gets over it in seconds. That bow in her hair?  She refuses to keep it in and it's a battle I attempted to have for the sake of pure cuteness.  I even went so far as to follow her around telling her "no" each time she removed it, putting it back in, showing her I was serious.... I lost that battle.  She loves pat-a-cake, snuggling her teddy bear, giving baby dolls kisses (go figure), swinging, and being outside.  She's easy going, smiles a lot, warms my heart and brightens my life.

If I could only make this next month slow down... this is going by way too fast.

Two Halves

Make a whole... 

At least that's what Joe tells me.  I spontaneously decided to run another half marathon just three weeks after running the first one.  Joe had found a relay race in Ashland on the 20th that he had attempted to throw together a team for.  So when I found the information for the Rogue Run being held in Medford on the 21st we thought it would be a great "fitness weekend" opportunity.  The Rogue Run offered a 10k and a half marathon option and waking up Sunday morning I was wishing I had chosen the former.  Joe's attempts at a relay race team were unsuccessful but I was committed and registered and so we went.  We drove to Medford late on Saturday afternoon, retrieved my race packet, checked into the hotel, browsed the shops nearby and went to dinner.  Joe and the kids got up with me Sunday morning, dropped me off at the starting point and drove off to the finish line to wait.  It was a beautiful point-to-point course along the Bear Creek Greenway from the town of Talent to the city of Central Point. I finished with exactly the same time as the first one and had mixed feelings of pride for finishing yet feeling like I should have been able to do better.  But for now I'll just enjoy Joe's assessment: "hey, you did two half marathons... and two halves make a whole, right?!"

See the Light

It started about a year and a half ago.  I remember one day when I asked him to tell me how much time was left on the oven timer.  He was sitting at the dining table, just 10 feet away or so.  He squinted at first, then got up and walked halfway into the kitchen before telling me what I had asked. I said "why did you get up to look?" and he said "because I couldn't see it from there."  And for awhile I gave everyone else the benefit of the doubt.  His teachers never said anything except that he had scored a little "off" on his school vision screening but that it was probably nothing big.  He was doing great in school. I had friends and relatives who said "oh, that happened to us too... he'll just grow out of it..." So I let it go. And sadly there was a part of me that wondered if he could be telling the truth.  Would my son "fake" a vision impairment in order to wear glasses? I'd heard of it happening before.  Kids thinking glasses were cool, telling their parents they thought they needed them.  But looking back, he never once mentioned glasses.  It was the little clues here and there, not being able to read something that seemed so obviously clear to me and Joe.  And then this school year started and, when questioned, he admitted to not being able to see the board clearly.  I was devastated I had let it go on this long.  The optometrist gave him every test in the book and when he dialed it down to a specific prescription and held the test lenses up for him to look at the letters on the wall, I held back tears as Brendan's face lit up with excitement and he said "oh! now I can see them all clearly!"

I have to admit... I may be a little biased but he sure looks handsome...

Wedding at the Love Ranch

We traveled to California last Wednesday to celebrate in the preparations for my sister's wedding.  A long 8 hour drive to Grass Valley where we set up our little family of 5 in my grandparents one guest bedroom. But the time spent with family, the celebration of marriage and the beautiful backdrop of the family ranch were well worth the time and effort.  Prayers for a long lasting marriage to the man she finally found who knows how to treat her right.  With a lot of strength, love and faith, they can make this thing work.  Here's to Jill and Jeremy and a lifelong future together...

First Day of School

He's growing so fast.  A big 3rd grader now.  Excited about school and making new friends.  It's getting easier each year to watch his wings grow. Yet I still look back on pictures of him as a baby and the memories come flooding back like it was yesterday.  I'm ready for him to take on the 3rd grade but wanting time to stop in its tracks... for just a little while.  

Her first day of school was anticipated with much apprehension.  Though not on her part, but on mine.  Her previous year of preschool was a constant struggle.  Tears and complaining each "school day" morning.  Worries that she was spending her days with kids much younger than her, learning things she already knew.  And so this day also felt overdue.  Like she should have been in kindergarten a long time ago.  But there were no tears, no complaining, no whining, no attitude.  My beautiful girl woke up ready to take on the world.  We'll see how long it lasts...

I pray they dream big and learn never to give up.  The process of watching them grow up...