Everyday Life

Just some pictures from everyday life... 

There was a beautiful sunset over the church building. I dropped William off at Scouts, and the sky was like fire. I only had my phone to capture it, so it hardly shows the beauty of the night. There was a storm that had cleared out and the sun broke through the clouds in an awesome and majestic way. 

Henry likes to sit on my lap. He is on my lap right now as I type. Sometimes he likes to pile my lap full of toys and then jump on top. Henry is so full of energy lately. He has this way of discovering his world through making the weirdest messes. It is an interesting dynamic, having teenagers and toddlers at the same time. Life feels like it is going in every direction. I will freely admit that I can become overwhelmed by having children going in different directions all the time. Handling it all without a companion just makes it that much more interesting. I can handle the physical element of it all, but sometimes I sure miss having that emotional support, and just having someone there at the end of the day to support the role of motherhood. Life is good. But life was better with Charles. I sure miss him here lately. I miss him a lot.

Sam and Dan run with me every once and awhile. They have both run my hill intervals with me. It is fun to have them along. They both thought it was really fun to bust up a hill at full speed, multiple times. Sam and Dan have both chosen music over sports. The two activities often collide, and I do not believe in over-scheduling children with too many activities. (Too many activities happen without even trying!) All I ask of my kids is if they choose music, then they need to choose another way to get exercise in as part of their life, so they can be healthy.

Here is Sammi, I didn't take a picture with Dan... next time!

Ready to charge up the hill! It has been fun to run with the kids. I have had some good conversations with them out on the trails.  It is also nice because I need to practice running with people around. I will be running the marathon with my sister, and that is different than running alone -- not to mention the hundreds of other runners that will be on the trail.

Happy runners. 

Sammi requested a haircut. Her hair was SO long. I gave her a trim, but I will need to take her in for a real haircut for some layers... I do not have that kind of skill. She wanted it cut before she performs her part in the musical. Last year her long hair was perfect, because she played Rapunzel. (Click HERE to view.) This year she plays Lori in Oklahoma, and her hair wasn't working for the part, so she wanted to cut it. I trimmed off about 6 inches. It was frightening, I can't believe I did it. But she insisted. 

 Holding her hair

Sammi had to do a family history health chart for her PE class. It was interesting. She went through her family lines and talked about the health of her family, back a few generations. It was a little hard for her, because she had to write about Charles. One thing I did like was what she wrote about my health. She wrote: my mom is a runner, and she is very happy. Seeing the chart made me realize why I do what I do. I am glad she sees me that way; as a happy running mom. Sometimes I get tired of running, you know? But I know I need to be healthy for my family, and even for my own health and happiness.

The website www.familysearch.org came in handy for the project. She had to put a mark through all those who have passed away... that was a little rough to cross out daddy. She got 100% on her project.

I have been doing a little painting lately. I decided it was time to add a little warmth and color to my home. I adore having a brick red accent wall. We painted one in the little house, and I wanted one in our new home. It is something I picked up when we lived in Spokane, Washington. Charles and I used to go for walks at night on the cobblestone streets, and we could see inside these old beautiful brick homes that lined the South Hill. There was often a red wall, with white trim, and a chandelier in the dining room, and I absolutely feel in love with the way it looked -- so warm, and so classy. And since I cannot go and take myself to live in Spokane in one of those fabulous homes, I decided to bring a bit of the South Hill charm to Idaho, using the color red...