Small successes...

I've been wondering these last 2 weeks if I am ever going to be able to jump off this treadmill of life and sit down for a moment. I have felt like there has been a lot going on lately. I must be losing my spunk or something. Some days I feel like I'm on autopilot and just making it through the day. Others I'm more engaged, but by 4 o'clock, I'm ready to call it a day. Unfortunately  that's the time of day I need to be on my best game. The Witching Hour I call it.

I am happy to report that we are victorious and triumphed over our family picture session on Friday afternoon. Friday was the last day of decent weather we are going to get for a while, so I feel like we really eeked by this time. The weather was overcast, which made for great lighting. I just feel the biggest relief that it's over with! Family pictures are stressful---  the outfits, making sure the kids are presentable, making sure I'm presentable, timing the naps right etc. etc. It's funny how the day of everything falls apart all day long and then finally comes together at the very end. I know I do most of it to myself. I mean really, if I just didn't care I could just let us wear whatever and look whatever or, shoot, not even take family photos none of this stress would be part of my world. And that's really no big deal. But I've not been good in the past at making sure we get good family pictures taken, and a good family photo is so precious. I've discovered that a good family photo means a lot to me, so I'm willing to endure through all the blood sweat and tears to get them. In hindsight anyway. In the thick of it, I really question my sanity.

Savvy had been up all Thursday night/ early Friday morning with an ear ache, so I took her to the doctor that morning.  Well, I took her after going to the party store to get some balloons to deliver to Cade's teacher who just returned from Maternity Leave. Savvy was given her own balloon, which promptly got popped by the van door closing on it when she was buckling herself in to the car seat on our way to the school. It was devastating to her, poor thing. Then for icing on the cake, the doctor confirmed that Sav had two really bad ear infections, poor thing, so she needed to take it easy the rest of the day, after getting her scrip filled of course. She had been under the weather for a good part of the week, which in some ways, I was grateful for. It caused us to be able to slow down. Because we had to. But it was sad that our Sav was still not doing well.

After the doctor visit we set out to replace our iron. Ours had broken a few days earlier and I needed a replacement BAD. Clothes needed to be pressed for the pictures (unfortunately these were clothes that could not be revived by one of those emergency spins through the dryer-- they were very wrinkled-- totally my fault. Some of the clothes had been sitting in the laundry basket for at least 5 days) I loved my old iron. Fortunately Bed Bath and Beyond carried the one I like (or the newer version of my 6+ year-old iron that I had grown very fond of). After replacing the iron I also felt the need (don't laugh, please!) to find a shirt for Cade because he had worn the shirt I wanted him to wear in family pictures the day before at school and gotten it pretty dirty. I knew the way things were going there wouldn't be time to treat the stains, let it sit, then wash it and dry it all before the pictures. And why couldn't he wear something else in his closet? Well, he hasn't grown the way I expected him to over the summer, so he does not fit into very many of the fall or winter stuff he has in his closet and has grown out of the ones last year. I bought some things for him on clearance last year in preparation for this winter, but I think we'll be lucky if he fits into them next winter.  So I "needed" (I'm using that term very loosely) to get him something that fit. Old Navy came through for me-- yay! (FYI-- Old Navy and Target are the only stores that carry size 6/7 clothes. Everyone else sells 5/6 or 7/8. Neither of which fit Cade. Only the 6/7 do) But I forgot to use my friends and family 30% off coupon, which I even had in the car! Oops. I went back later that evening and got it all sorted out. Thank you Andrew at the Old Navy next to Bed Bath and Beyond for letting me apply my coupon after my purchase.

That was just part of the day, but suffice it to say, the day continued like that. Ruby didn't take her afternoon nap, so to say she was grumpy during the photo shoot is an understatement. And poor Savannah was feeling under the weather and miserable. Fortunately her meds seemed to kick in just as we started taking pictures and we made it through the session with hopefully ONE SINGLE good photo of the 5 of us.

After it was done I felt like I had run a marathon.

Speaking of marathons, I've signed up to do the Ogden Marathon in May. It's time to get rid of this thing on my bucket list once and for all!  I decided I needed a deadline. My 30th birthday was as good as any, so as long as it gets done before July 17th, I can appropriately celebrate. I really want to do just one. I love half marathons. They are the best distance. Full marathons? Well, I've yet to accomplish one so we'll see what I'll be saying about the distance when it comes. I've been running some mornings with my girlfriend Liz and it has made all the difference on so many levels. Getting up and getting my runs done early in the morning leaves me feeling very accomplished come 7am when I get home. I feel more energized during the day, and not to mention running with Liz is so great because she is the kind of person you want to start your day with. She's uplifting, genuine, and runs at the perfect pace. And her dog Harvey is a great body guard.

I'll leave you with some pics of Savvy dancing in the rain I took a couple of weeks ago when the grass was still green....

All done...

Bye!