Can I Keep You Forever?

I ask my kids that all the time. Until just last week, Smartie always said yes. Now she says I have to let her grow up and move out someday.

Sweetie, on the other hand, is NEVER moving out and is quite happy to let me keep her forever.

Monkey always says, "Yeah," and snuggles in a little closer.

And Sassy, at age 2, is already adamant that I am definitely NOT keeping her! At all! Ever! With a really horrified look on her face. I tell you, this girl is going to be my trouble teen. (But if we can channel her passion into a worthy cause, she's gonna change the world.)

Fish or Mammal?

Smartie studied aquatic animals last school year. This week she asked me, "Are mermaids fish or mammals? Because if they're mammals, they'd have to go to the surface to breathe, but King Triton wouldn't allow Ariel to go to the surface, so she'd die if she was a mammal. But if she's a fish she should have gills, and I didn't see any gills on her. And when she *did* go to the surface, she didn't die in the air either. So how do mermaids breathe, lungs or gills?"

Very good question. Why couldn't you be more scientifically accurate, Disney?

For Grace and Ian

May all mothers missing their babies find peace today.

Drawing

I should probably be embarrased or convicted or something, but really this drawing makes me laugh. A lot.



Smartie is reading in the middle. Sweetie is on the left asking if she can read, too. I'm on the right with a twin in each arm, very angry eyebrows, and yelling "No [Sweetie]! It is not time!"

Any Way You Can Half Marathon

Last weekend, my rinky-dink hometown of 2000 put on a half marathon. It was a fundraiser for the Lutheran church. They dubbed it the Any Way You Can Half Marathon: Half the Run, Twice the Fun. The flier announced, "Run it, walk it, bike it, golf cart it, any way you can." I couldn't resist such a fun race in my hometown.

There were 8 people on foot, 4 runners and 4 walkers (counting myself as a walker), 20 or so on bikes, a couple on scooters, and one guy driving his lawn mower with the grandkids riding behind on a cart. It was very casual--no official time kept, no medals, just a t-shirt and a post-race lunch. When I got there, I found out the course wasn't actually a half-marathon. Andy (who organized it) thought going from the church in town to the cemetery in the country and back would be pretty close, but when he actually measured the course it was only 11 miles--too short. A longer route heading west out of town was 14 miles--too long. Taking the longer route out and the shorter route back put it at 12.5--pretty close but still a little short. He ended up deciding the official course would be the longer 14 mile route, but that people had the option of taking the shortcut back and saving 1.5 miles. This was fine with me. One of my goals for the summer was to do at least two 14-milers. Turns out I was the only person on foot to do the full 14 miles. I finished in 3:32:35, which was pretty close to my goal time. I was happy with it even if I was the last one to finish (the 3 walkers behind me gave up around mile 8 and were picked up.)

My dad biked the full route, then walked back out via the shortcut to meet me and walk me in. He ended up doing about 8 miles walking. It was nice to spend time talking with Dad.

The route took us past my late best friend's childhood home. It brought back a lot of memories of laughing, crying, sharing secrets, and singing (LOTS of singing) together. Lisa loved to bike and liked to walk. She would have been just as tickled as me at the idea of Roanoke having a half marathon. I could see us walking together chatting the whole way. Of course, Lisa's death of leukemia was what motivated me to start endurance racing in the first place. If she had never had cancer, or had survived it, would I even have been walking it in the first place?

At The Zoo

Witten
By: Smartie

One day, Smartie, Sweetie, Mama Runner, Papa Runner, Sassy and Monkey went to the zoo!
They saw bears, snakes, monkeys, lions,
Tigers and ellafints.

They saw cats, groundhogs, bunnys, zebras and dolphins. They saw a park.
They went on the zoos swings. They went on dolphin rides. The zoo-olagists said it was okey. The zoo-olagists said “
Would you like to help feed the dolphins, too?

Papa Runner and Mama Runner looked at each other.
Please mom and daddy, please? Begged
Smartie, Sweetie and Monkey! Then Sassy changed her mind! May I feed them, too? Asked Sassy!

Oh, allright! Said daddy, still in thought, I tell you! Okey! Said Mommy, still a little worried! But stay out of their mouths. She continued, still a tiny bit less worried, I tell you.

The zoo-olagists said “ Great, and that will be 1 cent, so, which means you have to give us 4 cents. How is that?

The Runner Family thought about it for a minit! Then they agreed. Sure! Said Smartie, Sweetie and Mama Runner. Fine. Said Papa Runner. Okey! Said Sweetie, I tell you!

At the time to go home, the kids said “
Thanks for the rides. Bye-bye monkeys.
Sweet dreams cats! They end.

Happy Birthday, Ian

Three years ago today, my precious Ian was born. He was a little less than an inch long, but had recognizable arm buds, leg buds, and the beginnings of eyes. I labored mostly alone for a little over 24 hours, and gave birth alone in the bathroom. I love you, sweet baby.

July is a hard month for me. Not only did I lose Ian on the 26th, his sister Grace's estimated due date was the 11th. She would have turned 5 this summer.