The Main Street Mile 2

The girls, along with their Daddy, ran a mile for Men's health Friday night. Ever since Liv ran the race last year, both girls have been waiting very impatiently for June to roll around again. This was Holland's first time running a race and boy, I think she's hooked!

Here are some pre-race pictures:

Making sure the laces are double knotted...

Holland gets her "game-face" on:

More "game-faces"...Wieber-style:

Here we have fan pictures...

Youngest fan:

My brother was here to cheer the girls on:

So were Grandma Jan and our sweet friend, Alyce:

Nanette gives pre-race hugs:

We love this race. It's the perfect distance for youngsters: the children's race is only a half mile. And for a measley 10 bucks, the kids get a free shirt, a free kid's dinner at Spaghetti Factory, finish line ice cream, chocolate milk, and power bars, a chance to hang out in the closed off streets of downtown Boise,

and the feel-good of being a part of an athletic event which donates it's proceeds towards health. And, hey--where else can you watch 12 mascots duke it out down Main Street during a race of their own, dressed in a sweltering suit of fake hair and polyester in 100 degree heat?

Speaking of, which mascot do you think will come in first? The last 3 years, the mascot run has been won by the Cow. Let's see if this year is any different.

The kids take a seat to root on their favorite. Liv was thinking the Key Bank Key would win.

AANNNDD....their OFF!

And Bessie wins again!

Team huddle right before the race:

Did I mention that the kids chase an ice cream truck all the way to the finish? Well, they do:

Waiting in line for their finish-line treat!

Showing off their finish-line treats. Someone in this picture is a little piggy, though I'm not one to point fingers, so you won't be seeing his name here:

The girls get congratulatory hugs from one of the mascots. I just have to say, though, that mascots give me the creeps, BIG TIME. I mean, who is in that suit? And they are hugging my children?! Seriously? But here I sat taking pictures instead of protecting my children:

One last thing--Does this girl know how to enjoy her ice cream or what? :o)

Favorite Quotes of the event:

"Daddy, why do the runners have mad faces when they run?"

-Holland

"Mom, you didn't make any signs this year!"

-Liv

"Well, Liv. Chelsea wasn't here this year. Signs are her thing."

-Mom

"I'm rooting for the guy in the straw cowboy hat and cut-offs. He's either really good and can pull off an outfit like that, or he's really bad."

-Brian

Dad's Day Hike

I'm so thankful whenever Father's Day rolls around. I have a stellar dad. Growing up with him was wonderful. Loyal and dedicated and always encouraging, my dad was my running partner, book-swapper, and paper-editor. He was unpretentious, even while being saluted during Army ceremonies, and was always quick to help those who were struggling. Whether it be writing-off the medical bills of a patient, or adjusting the backs of relatives and friends, he has always been generous and compassionate. The best thing is that he has taken his title of grandpa in stride. Because you see, we don't call him "grandpa" around here. We call him Papa Snail. The girls call him Papa Snail. In public. Loudly. And he has never balked or protested. He wears his name proud and for that I will always love him.

My girls have a doting daddy as well, and so I feel doubly blessed. Brian loves his girls with ferocity, works so hard so I can stay home with the girls, is our 24-7 handy-man, and tucks silliness and fun into our every days. He answers questions such as, "Can God take a bigger bite of pizza than you can?" with a straight face and emphasizes truth in serious conversations about religion, poverty, and even the tooth fairy. I am so honored to be his wife and friend while we raise up our girls.

For Dad's day, we gathered together with close friends for a hike in the drippy wet. More's Mountain is beautiful hiking spot a few miles past Bogus Basin Ski Lodge. It was enchanting for this Northwest Washington girl to see Florescent green moss hanging low on tree branches, fog rolling in the hills, and rain spattering against my nose. I loved it! What's more, the kids loved it. We were blessed to have a shriek-less hike through pelting rain.

Here we are pre-hike:

The views were amazing, the trails clear and perfect for little feet:

And of course, you can't get kids together without there being absolute silliness (I think the rain brought it out of them :o):

And the "TROOPER AWARDS" go to Julia (who totally bit it in the mud and came up smiling),

and to Reese (who was contented and happy the whole hike even with wind and rain and didn't cry until we put her back in the car.)

Here she is after getting rained on, right before we put her in the dry, warm, cozy car.



A picnic in the rain didn't sound as appealing as you might think, so afterwards, we climbed in our cars and headed back down the mountain and ate from our coolers and hung out under shelter.

Brian and Adam braved the weather all the way down the mountain on their bikes. It'll always be remembered as a favorite ride for each of them.

Hiding

It dawns on me that I'm hiding

and I realize that as His child I am free

and when did oppression have such a strong voice

and when did I start giving it space in my heart?

Because oppression is only able to thrive

when we tiptoe around it and refuse to call it by name

but when we claim it and come clean and ban it from our rooms

we are able then to conquer it with light and joy

Light and joy comes only from God above.

So I come from hiding, singing a song to Him,

The one who put that music in my heart;

the One who truly has set us free. Indeed.

John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

New and Improved

You remember our favorite mode of transportation? Back when we had 1 little girl on the tag-a-long and 1 toddler who was happy with her PBJ's in the caboose?

Well, with the addition of our third little gal, Miss Georgia Reese,



came the decision to expand "the train." Holland has now graduated and announced her desire to ride like Liv--"like a big girl". So you'll have to check out our new ride:

We parked it next to our Subaru for comparison:


Brian is great at keeping the train upright and up to speed. He is also a master at turning a corner and dodging pedestrians who don't know their right from their left and who stare at us as a sheep would look at oncoming traffic with no intention whatsoever of moving out of the way. I included this picture to prove to y'all that Brian does need me, and I do put forth effort on my part as "the stoker".



He may say otherwise, but I swear to you that this u-turn he is making is to pick me up. "Oops! We forgot, mom!" Seriously? It is also proof that I do work. I also pinch bottoms if the captain complains. There may or may not have been a water bottle or two dumped over a certain captain's head.

No reason to gape with your mouth open at my behavior. This is all good and normal whilst learning how to tandem ride together.

Speaking of learning to ride together, the girls' tandem set-up actually shifts, and they have to also pedal together. It was pretty hysterical listening to them work things out the first time we ventured out.

"L-I-V! Your making it too hard to pedal!

"If you don't pedal, then I'm going to..."

"Now it's too easy! Stop doing that!"

These comments and more were heard along the greenbelt for about the first half of the ride. The next hour or so were spent laughing hysterically as they learned how to work together--so hard was their laughter that they almost fell off their bike at different times. What a treasure to see these sisters working together. Learning how to give and take. Going, as their mama constantly reminds from the stoker seat, not too fast and not too slow. :o) I also need to admit that these two little chickies learned in two hours what Brian and I are still learning 4 years later.



We love riding together. Brian and I get a decent workout, the girls appreciate the beauty around them as they are out and about, and Reese is happy and nappy in the back. Other perks: Not having to worry if the girls are in the way of other bikers, or cars while crossing the street. Both girls are braver about going faster when on their own bikes. We can all hear each other and have conversations while riding!



Happy biking to you and yours!

Feast on Ordinary

"You're getting so big!" said the younger to the older

and yes--the bone under the pillow speaks loud and clear

of passing years

Yet, she is still not so big

as she parades and yips and high pitches

her way around the room.

And she grabs her tiny box

special made for youthful mouth

and part of the little girl is put away

Content she is to be passing this way

and I--well, I am, too

For it is a rite of passage that speaks loud

Speaks of textbook

and of average

and says that all is as it should be within

For there was a time

between these walls

when sickness reigned

So thank you, Lord

for this moment

while I feast on ordinary

And I will not lament

the passing of time

nor will I wish it to stop

So ticking clock

tick away,

God's minutes are a gift.

Watercolor Class

Part of our homeschool schedule is spent on exploring notable artists throughout history. The girls and I really enjoy pouring over their paintings, discussing the colors, dark and light, what catches our eye first-off, and the interesting details of the characters displayed within the frame. After we take a good look, we will read about that particular painting and sometimes even get a glimpse into the mind of the artist and what he was thinking while painting. We have loved getting to know these artists. Holland's favorite is John Singer Sargent, particularly this one. It's called Carnation Lily, Lily Rose. It was born out of Sargent's wish to paint the affect of the sunset--shown with the perfect colors, shadows, and light--combined with the light of artificial chinese lanterns. This meeting of colors and shadows wasn't easy to paint, as Sargent had to set up his station and the little girl models as well, every night for 2 minutes. Over and over again, day after day, until the painting was finished. Liv's favorite of Sargent's is the depiction of Robert Louis Stevenson. The girls were fascinated to see Robert Louis Stevenson because part of their schoolwork included a book of poems that he had written, called A Child's Garden of Verses.

Personally, I love art as it gives way to the idea that there is no one way to tackle a problem. It also relieves stress, is a wonderful vehicle for expression, and is a fine, quality activity to do together. When completing art, I only have 3 rules:

Rule #1: There is no such thing as a mistake. All "mess-up's" can be fixed or turned into something better. For example, one day Holland drew a green flower. She was distraught because she thought it looked messy but, because she had used crayon, she couldn't erase it. So we talked about her options and she eventually decided that she could turn her green flower blob into a round green shape and put some rays on it. She called her painting, The Day the Sun Turned Green. Tears dried up. Everyone, especially Holland, was happy.

Rule #2: No tears, especially about "mess-ups" (see Rule number 1)

Rule #3: follow specific rules about technique, subject, etc., otherwise--no other rules.

We've only recently explored watercolor, but one of our recent favorites is called wet in wet. You just apply watercolor to wet paper. The first time I tried this, I was so fascinated by the bleeding colors. You can also heighten the interest by creating a crayon resist watercolor. Draw on your paper using a white (or for young artists, light gray) crayon. Press hard. Wet paper, then apply pigment. The paint naturally pulls away from the crayon. It's such fun.

The girls recently completed their paintings using the wet in wet method. Here are the simple steps to making your own.

First make sure to have your paint and palette. You don't have to worry about getting fancy supplies. Cups will work beautifully, and any watercolors will do. I like to use the tubes that need to be mixed with water because it's easy to mix colors and vary the intensity of the pigment.

I do love good paper, though. You will want thick, absorbent, specially-for-watercolor-paper. I get ours at Michaels or Joann's with the 40% off coupon. (Hint: Michael's accepts Joann's coupons!)

Either pick an item to be drawn, or allow for free design. This time, the girls were working on a specific assignment. They had to pick a fruit or vegetable, or a flower from our garden to draw.

Liv's Choice:

Holland chose a flower from our garden:

I think I am seriously in love with gum erasers.

The girls have finished their drawings and are waiting for paint:

I place the paint in the palette, mixing colors if necessary and add a touch of water, then mix. I have found that a medicine dropper works wonders when adding water to the paint.

Then apply water to the paper:

Now you can start applying the color.

Have a roll of paper towels nearby, or napkins. It works wonders to blot the paint if the bleeding of the paint gets carried away.

If the paper gets dried out in different areas, just use the dropper to add some water to a certain spot:

The girls were so excited with how their pictures turned out. Holland's flower:

Liv's artichoke:

I hope this inspires you to get your paint on and create some beauty around your home, but more--in the minds of your special little people.

We Are Cups

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled.

The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.

-Ray Bradbury, excerpt from Zen in the Art of Writing