No pants (bah bah!)

All day, Scott (age 7) has been hanging around in his underwear. "Mom, I don't have any clean pants to wear." I was a little surprised, but figured it must be my fault for not being more on top of the laundry. Just as I put in a load, he came down fully dressed. "I forgot that a few days ago, I took a pile of clean pants upstairs and put them in my drawer!"  Evidently, he didn't think to look there before complaining of having no  pants to wear.

Axie went to a little playgroup with 3 other kids our age from the ward. We are going to take turns hosting. I took advantage of a few hours to myself by mowing the lawn, taking a shower, and having a rest with Emily.

Here are a few photos of us at the park last night while Ethan was at scouts. My phone claimed it was 99 degrees, but we were mostly in the shade, so it was probably only 90.

Her very favorite thing to do at the park

And there was much giggling!

The heat was making her pink

Nothing better than hanging upside down!

Except being a monkey and climbing up, up, up!

"Are we through here yet?"

Over the fence

This post is an essay that I found in Scott's papers that he brought home from school back in February. No teacher comments or any indication of what the assignment was. Punctuation and spelling are his.


Have you ever been to a place that feels like you're dreaming? Well I have. In the back yard you can get there just by climbing over the fence. Just as you get there you keep on going because there's a cactus under the spot that you see. I stay alone in there but I don't mind. My brother usally punts the ball over the fence so I see some fly balls. It feels so relaxing. So relaxing that you can feel the trees well youre walking.
There are some cardinals that live at the arbor but I don't see them often. I like to sit under the trees. I like to imagine that there are pigs there with me. Once I even thought about pigs attacking monkeys. There are a ton of prickly balls. (burs) It's Awesome! Are you even thinking about this? I see the road well I'm climbing over the fence. It's really quiet when im there. Once I feel asleep in there. When the ball comes over the fence I throw it back over the fence. I hate it when burs stick to my clothes but the burs are easy to pull out. I never climb the trees because there are ants. I find ant mounds sometimes and usally step on them on purpose. In the evening I don't go there because there are moths. Every time I climb over the fence I hope no one sees me. For the winter I will go back there to get firewood. Sometimes when I am feeling nice back there I yell, "BIG FAT PIGS!" If you were there you would probably love it. Sometimes slivers of cactus spines stick to my legs and man they hurt when you pull them out. That's mostly all I remember.

P.S. Did I mention that I hit a ball over the fence with my bare hands?

P.P.S. I never mentioned that Ethan comes over to get the ball.

Conversations with a 2 year old

Yesterday, Axie, from the back of the minivan, called out, "Mom, Scott is not being hayve!" A little while later, she scolded him, "Scott, beHAVE!" 

I love this picture of her from a recent dental check-up.

If you are wondering who this Axie is, Elizabeth has decided to go by her middle name. It's Swedish, after my great-great-grandmother, who was quite a spunky woman, a problem solver who could take care of herself. I don't know if the name is having an effect on her or if it's just coincidence, but Axie is very Axie. She's funny and independent and sweet all at once, and she hit the whys from one day to the next. When I dropped her off at Grandma Gail's yesterday, she was fine. When I picked her up a few hours later, she was asking why, why, why. 

Tonight, looking at a large framed print on our wall, she said, "Mommy, look at that lady." 
"Yes," I answered, "she's looking at the boats."
"Why?" she asked me.
"Why do YOU think she's looking at the boats?" I asked her back.
"No, Mommy, YOU think. I am not thinking," she insisted. 
"But you asked the question," I returned, forgetting that using logic with a 2 year old is pointless.
"No, YOU asked the question," she countered. And that was that.

Axie loves to read books. Note the pile in the picture below that she picked out herself from the library today. She adores her baby sister, Emily, and loves to sit with her. She points to herself and says, "Big sister", then points at Emily, "Little sister!" "Mommy, can I hold her hand?" When Axie is tired, she tells me she is cold, which means she wants to lie down under a blanket. Axie enjoys helping with cooking (this is usually stirring something in a pot or pushing the button on the blender), doing dishes, and spraying stains in the laundry. She loves baths and playing at the park, especially on the swings. She sings the clean-up song and puts away books and toys. A few days ago, I was upstairs with Ethan and lost my temper. I was shouting, and Axie came upstairs in the middle of it. "Mommy, you need to settle down." She was right, and I was grateful to her for calmly pointing it out. Anytime my voice even threatened to get louder in the continuing conversation, she reminded me to settle down. 

It's fuzzy, but I still like it.

5K on July 4th

On July 4th, I participated in a 5K with my dad and brother on Amelia Island. Mom came to cheer for us. It was my first real race, and it was fantastic!

I loved the start. It was that feeling of all moving in the same direction together, the same feeling I get when I'm driving south in Marin County towards the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Dad was my running partner. He was recovering from a calf injury and needed a turtle, and I needed a rabbit, so it was a great partnership. I think I ran about 2 miles before needing to walk, except for the slow down at the water station at the half-way point.

The end was my favorite part. As we approached the final bend, the crowd was cheering us on. We picked up the pace and sprinted to the end. It was exhilarating and motivating and satisfying, definitely a rush. All those good brain chemicals were just flooding me with happiness, the kind of happiness that requires many exclamation points.

I've picked out my next race which is set for September 8th. My goal is to run the whole way. I've been doing interval training on the treadmill at the YMCA, but I probably need to just practice running, too.

Here's to becoming a runner!

Before

After - look how happy we all are!

Vacation in Florida

 We had a great trip to visit my parents in Florida. It was relaxing and fun. Two of my brothers were there as well. The kids got to play with some of their cousins. Mr. M finished his revisions. We ate good food, relaxed, spent time at the beach, and had a great time. I didn't take enough pictures to remember it all, but here are a few memorable moments.

Grandpa Tom and Grandma Sue took the gang to the zoo so Mr. M and I could finish up some last edits.

Mr. M receiving some good news about his dissertation.

Uncle Ben!

See, I iron.

All tuckered out

Axie and Grandma Sue

Dad and daughter - love this picture!

Emily's first time down by the water

A mom, a baby, and a monster

Emily rolled over for the first time. She's only done it a few times since.