When I grow up I want to be just like you.

Scene 1:  Christmas Eve, Arena Parking Lot

We arrived at the arena in time for our annual Skate with Santa - we took two cars because there were seven of us.  As Peter and I pulled up, I saw my father-in-law's car across the parking lot, stopped in front of the sledding hill.  After sitting there for a second, he drove away.  He had already dropped off my mother-in-law and Sheldon.  I wasn't sure what he was doing at the hill.  I assumed that he was making a list.  Or maybe checking it twice.  It was Christmas Eve, after all.

After the skate we split up again to come home - this time Juliana drove with Grandma and Grandpa.  The rest of us got home, took off our coats, I put on the mulled wine, and finally the others came through the door.  My daughter, the worst secret-keeper in the world, wasted no time in ratting out her grandpa:

Do you know why it took us so long to get home?  Grandpa stopped at the arena hill, got out of the car and asked a kid if he could borrow his toboggan.  Then he slid down the hill.

I've known this man a long time and he'll probably kill me for telling this story, but this is why I adore him.


Scene 2:  Boxing Day, Sledding hill across from our house

It was blowing cold but beautifully sunny outside. The kids wanted to go sledding and Peter was keen to join them.  I was anxious to take my camera out so I went too.  At the last minute, both grandmas decided that they'd come and watch the kids for awhile.

At least that's what they said.

We weren't at the hill for very long before my mother was in on the fun.  First on the beginner (slow) sled on a small slope.  Before I knew it she was whipping down the hill, crashing, and lying on the ground giggling like a school girl.

Thanks you two, for reminding me to embrace fun in the small moments.  And to remember that you can never be too old to be a kid.

* * * * *    

And, just because we all had so much darn fun, here are more of our sledding photos:

Christmas blessings.

I love my children.

Really, I do.

But I'm spearheading a petition to be sure that next year they are in school until a lot closer to Christmas.  They've been home, with me, since last Friday.  I admit, I was looking forward to spending the week together, but in reality?

I've tried really hard to strike a balance between "Fun Mommy" and "Give-Me-An-Hour-So-I-Can-Get-Something-Done Mom".   But I'm starting to fade......

We've done baking, shopping, crafting, sledding, carolling, touring lights, had lunch out, visited friends, seen our cousin's hockey game, picked out our Christmas tree, wrapped, decorated the tree, and watched Christmas specials.  I've done laundry, vacuuming, cleaning, cooking, groceries, and all kinds of super-secret Christmas stuff.  Frankly, by last night I was just plain worn out.

Perfect timing, really.  Because that's when the enforcements arrived in the form of two grandmas and a grandpa.

Since then it's been a steady stream of treats, songs, games, breakfast out, and more.

I guess that Santa really has been watching.  He knows how good I've been because he sent me what I really wanted the most - a distraction for my kids so that I can have a couple of minutes to myself.

Thank you Santa.

And thank you Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma.

Striking gold.

It was only at the end of November that I bought Juliana her latest pair of Ugg knockoffs.  Uggies we call them.  She spotted them at Joe Fresh and had them on her feet before I could say "you're not getting....."  But they fit her like Cinderella's slipper.  And they were gold.  Gold.  In fact, all I could say when she tried them on was "Wow, honey, they are so........gold."  (The woman standing beside me snickered.)

So we paid for them and she put them on in the car on the ride home.  After that it was almost impossible to get them off her feet.

She wears them as slippers:

She wears them while draped over the chair to read a book:

She falls asleep in them: 

She dances in them:

She daydreams in them (no doubt a daydream about living with a mom that thinks it's ok to wear boots on the couch):

She wears them to run errands:

And three weeks later, she wears them as they start to split at the toe:

Some people might think they're cheap - splitting after just three weeks - but she honestly wears them 24/7.

Cheap Uggies.  When you're 9 years old there is almost no better thing.  Unless they also come in silver.....

Don't leave me.

Slowly but surely I've been moving through our house, room by room, closet by closet, to do some serious purging.  If you know me well then you know how much I love to hang on to stuff.  Just in case. When we started our basement reno last year I began a big clean out and every once in awhile I get back in the mood and I get rid of some more.

Recently I found these little gems in one of my drawers.

Originally there were more of them but, for whatever reason, these ones were in their own little pile of memories.

Eight years ago these adorned my front door.  At the eye level of a five year old, these were the last things that Sheldon saw when he left for school in the mornings.

He was the kid who hated being left at school.  He hated being left at the sitters.  He hated being left anywhere.  But, as all parents find out, five minutes after leaving your crying child anywhere, they forget all their troubles and have a great day.  If you're really lucky then they kick up a fuss when you pick them up too.  My dream day (and I had many):  screaming tears to bookend sun up and sun down.  Lovely.

These colourful shapes were our answer to getting him to school happy.  He told me what he liked about school, I wrote it down and stuck it on the door, and then every morning he had a reminder of how great his day would be.  Did it work?  Sometimes, maybe.  Honestly, I can't remember.

Eight years ago he didn't want me to leave him.  Today he hesitates to go anywhere with me.

Sigh.

It's snow fun....

It's been either snowing or blowing snow since Friday night.  I officially feel like we're trapped inside one of those shaky snow globes.

It's been a weekend of closet cleaning and purging for me.  A weekend of wood piling and snowblowing for Peter.  And a weekend of sledding and fort building for the kids.

While I enjoyed my coffee in front of the fire yesterday morning, Juliana pelted me with snowballs:

Sheldon tried, without success, to build a snow ramp off the deck for toboggan tricks.  But really, who needs a ramp?

Hope you had as much snowy fun as we did!

Ah, that's the ticket.

Last night we went out.  Not a Mommy or Daddy in sight - it was just Jennifer and Peter with some friends.

We had tickets for The Christmas Show in town.  A gathering of musical, poetic and comic talent which included lots of recognizable local faces.  As soon as I heard about the show and saw the line up I knew it would be a great night out for Peter and me.  He came up with the idea of asking some friends to join us - a great idea because this is a small group that get together and jam on occasion (although I think that they'd like that "occasion" to be a little more frequent) and it offered the opportunity for the women to get visit too.

I left it to Peter to pick up our tickets so that there would be no chance of the event selling out.

He did.

Flash forward to last night.

We both worked all day.  He got home first so he took the kids to the arena for Sheldon's 6:15 hockey practice.  I rolled into town around 6:00 and went straight home to get a couple of things done before picking Juliana up from the arena at 6:30.  We went straight to pick up pizza for dinner, returned home, ate, and I changed my clothes to get ready to go.  Peter and Sheldon arrived home from hockey at 7:20, Peter threw back his pizza and went to get changed.  We wanted to leave by 7:30 so he had to move fast.  That's when I asked the question.

"Honey, have you got the tickets?"

I'll spare you the gory details of the next 25 minutes.  Suffice to say - he ripped through his truck, I checked all pockets of jeans and jackets that he would have worn recently.  They weren't on the bulletin board where these sorts of things are usually kept.  They weren't tucked in a cupboard or stuck in a pile.  They weren't on top of the washer or on the desk.  They were nowhere to be found.

What to do?  I borrowed some money from Sheldon so that we could purchase tickets at the door and while Peter was getting his shoes on I went out to the garage to see if I could spy any mystery bags - maybe he did some christmas shopping when he picked up the tickets and he stuck them in a bag?  A long shot given that Christmas is still 15 days away so the likelihood of Peter shopping so soon were very, very slim.  But standing on that step just inside the garage door what did I see?  Four little tickets staring at me.

On top of the garage refrigerator.  With 2 dog treats, a bin of crap, an empty garbage bag and can of spray paint.

Oy.

With eight minutes to spare we raced off to the Music Hall where, thankfully, our friends saved us two seats.

What followed was a fabulous evening - the show was ever so enjoyable, the drinks afterwards were ever so so enjoyable.  And I think that we shouldn't wait for another show to give us a reason for an evening out.

But if we do decide on another show.......  I'll get the tickets.

Uh oh.

I just got back from having coffee with a friend.  She arrived first and ordered and then I decided to have the same so she just called over the counter "can you please make another of those?"

So now I'm home, checking emails, and I notice that my knees are bouncing up and down.

Involuntarily bouncing up and down.  Like a lot.

And then it hits me.  She ordered for herself and I just tagged along.

I just drank a large latte.  Regular.

I don't do regular.  I do decaf.  Decaf.  Always.

Probably a good thing that I'm at home this afternoon.  I've got a list of things to do and a lot of energy to burn.

Yikes.

What a life.

Peter snapped this photo of Tucker on the weekend.  Apparently while we were bustling around doing weekend to do's, the dog was living the good life.

I'm reminded, once again, why I'd like to return as a well-loved pup in my next life.

Damn cancer.

I remember the first year that Sheldon played soccer.  It was the summer that he had turned 5 and it was our first foray out into community sports and meeting a whole whack of new kids from all the schools in town.  We had only lived here for a year so everything was very new to us.

Within the first couple of weeks I found myself naturally pulled toward one of the other moms on the team.  Her daughter played on Sheldon's team and her younger daughter was the same age as Juliana.  We traded stories of new babies and older siblings while our girls sat on the blanket or tried to crawl onto the field.

Over the years I have run into her - in the coffeeshop, at the library, in a yoga class or the grocery store.

I had heard last year that she was battling cancer so when I saw her recently dropping her daughter off at dance - the same hip hop class as Juliana's - I was happy to see her looking so well.  She was back to her full head of hair and a sparkle in her eye.  We exchanged hurried hello's and then were off in our separate directions to finish with the business of our days.

This afternoon, I heard that she had lost her fight with cancer.

I can't help but be overwhelmed with sadness - for her husband and for for her three girls.

It's a cruel reminder to me that tragedy knows no bounds.

Today, life doesn't feel fair.  

 

It's only funny until someone loses an eye.

Anyone who has kids has seen this moment a thousand times.  It's the one where the kids go from laughing and playing around together to screaming at each other.

I was just lucky enough to catch it on camera:

The Best Day.

Juliana just finished a project in her music class.  The students had to choose a song - any song - that represents themselves and their outlook on life.  Then they have to present it to the class along with 3 reasons why they chose that song.  


Juliana gave it quite a bit of thought and one night while I was cuddling her before bed she told me that she thought she would choose Taylor Swift's song called "The Best Day".  She said that Taylor Swift wrote the song about her and her mother and since we've had lots of our own 'best days' too then the song was kind of like the two of us.  

Later that night, I put on her CD so that Peter and I could listen to her choice and, no surprise, the song moved me to tears.

Tonight she was telling us about her presentation to the class and Peter asked her if she wanted to come and sing along while he played it on the guitar.  She definitely wanted him to play it but was a little bit hesitant to sing.  Juliana does NOT sing in public.

I heard him start to play and then remarkably she sang along. After the first time she asked if they could do it again and he could sing harmony. And then she let me join them both! 

It was one of those very special little moments that made us smile.  

As parents we all have moments, too many of them, where we question ourselves and hope against hope that, in the end, we will raise our kids well.  This project was a quiet reminder to me that although my little girl is growing up, I think that we're going to be okay.

I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today

I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop 'til I've forgotten all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school
But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day with you today

I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he's better than I am
I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run
And I had the best days with you

There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me
It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
And Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine
And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today.

Picture perfect.

Apparently this year Juliana will be celebrating her birthday for weeks.

First there was the early birthday celebration with Grandma and Grandpa when they were here visiting at Halloween.

Then we celebrated on her real birthday.

Yesterday she had her friend birthday party - ten friends over for a scrapbooking party. We started planning over a month ago when she first got the idea.  The first thing that I did, of course, was call my mother - Queen of Scrapbooking Land - to find out which weekend she would be free because there was no way I wanted to do this one on my own. So, with a date chosen, it was up to Grandma and Juliana to come up with what the girls could make.  Juliana settled on creating photo albums (she had made a mini-version when Grandma took her to a scrapbooking workshop in the summer) so over Thanksgiving weekend they picked out the paper and some embellishments and then Grandma made them into 11 individual kits for the girls.  

But what to do about the photos?  In a moment of weakness, I agreed to a pre-party which we held last Monday afterschool. It's an understatement to say that the girls had a blast. I provided the sunglasses, the boas, a microphone, some music and the photographer (me) and they did all the rest.  

Almost 200 photos later - we came up with lots of stuff like this:

With the kits ready to go, the photos printed and ready to share, the cupcakes made, and Peter on top of the make-your-own-pizza lunch, there was nothing to do but wait for the kids to arrive.  

Well, arrive they did.  The pizzas were a success.  The game of charades that we played while waiting for the pizza to cook was a success.  And the photo albums?  Big time success.  Those girls gathered 'round the 2 tables gluing, sticking, taping, tying, giggling and sharing for over an hour.  My mom and I were there to help out when they needed it but at one point we looked at each other in disbelief because it was so darned quiet.  Eleven girls at a birthday party and you could almost hear a pin drop.  

The time just flew by.....we didn't need to break out the karaoke machine and we barely had time to fit a round of Happy Birthday in before the parents began to arrive at the door.

This is the birthday that just keeps on giving.  But any excuse for cake, though, right?

Good sports.

We've just gotten back from an afternoon spent with a fantastic bunch of 13 and 14 year old boys.

Sheldon's houseleague hockey team went downtown this afternoon to help out Shoot for the Cure - a hockey based charity which seeks to raise awareness about spinal cord injuries and neurotrauma - at the Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Game.

Ten kids from Sheldon's team plus some of their siblings helped out this great cause.  Their job was to stand at each entrance and hand out thundersticks to the fans as they arrived at the game.  It was hectic but they seemed to have a lot of fun hanging out together and working as a team to get their job done.

With the thundersticks all given away (well, maybe we kept one or two to use ourselves....) we all took our seats and enjoyed the fun on the ice.

We saw Glenn Anderson skate with fire literally powering his skates. We saw most of the old-timers skating without helmets.  We saw girl power in the form of Angela James and Cammie Granato, the newest players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at first.  How would these boys, most of whom I don't know, behave out in the general public, with a job to get done?  I shouldn't have been worried for even a second. They were a great group of kids - hardworkers all of them - who were respectful, kind, and gave me a few laughs.

I must admit that before I had a teenage boy I was a little of intimidated by them.  I was raised in a family of girls so this is all uncharted territory for me.  But today gave me yet another reason to believe that our young boys are on a good path and will continue to make us proud.

One final thing:  Peter has been dreaming of the day when his daughter will jump over the boards and fly down the ice, curly hair peaking out from beneath her helmet, the puck in front of her, on her way to score.  The only problem is that Juliana won't consider playing hockey.  Not even for a second.  So, for now, this might be the closest to playing hockey that Little Miss J gets - wearing her brother's old jersey. Enjoy it while you can, honey.

Time flies.

(November 2004)

It feels like just yesterday that I was arriving at the hospital - earlier than expected - with a hastily packed diaper bag sans diapers.

It feels like just yesterday that I was nursing my baby listening to her little slurp, her eyes open watching me, her little hand grabbing at the neck of my shirt.

It feels like just yesterday that my no-neck beauty was wearing her little shirt that had "Angel" bedazzled across the front of it and such cute detailing around the neck that, unfortunately, no one could see.

It feels like just yesterday that we had to change to the mini kibble for the dog because someone kept shoving it in her cheeks, squirreling it away like she was heading for hibernation, and we were afraid she would choke on the big kibble.

It feels like just yesterday that she called her brother "Guy" because Sheldon was too hard to say.

It feels like just yesterday that I would watch my girl hang from the countertops.

It feels like just yesterday that she had her first "little girl cat fight" in the wagon with her best friend - arms flailing at each other, screaming, tears, then instant sleep.

It feels like just yesterday that she walked comfortably into her JK classroom where she then refused to speak for 9 months.

Yet this morning, I woke up to a cuddle from my now 9 year old.

She's funny.  She's beautiful.  She's stubborn.  She's emotional.  She's dramatic.  She's kind.  She's brave.  She's a big pain in the butt to her brother but I guarantee he wouldn't trade her for the world.

Of all the little girls, in all of the world, we're blessed to call her ours.

Happy birthday Juliana!

xoxoxo

No tricks. Just treats.

It was a Halloween of transition.

Sheldon stayed in.  He couldn't decide on a costume, his trick or treating partner got the flu, and then he felt crappy so he helped dish out the candy.  (Well, actually, he sat at the kitchen table waiting for his sister to get back so that he could see what he could scoop from her bag.)  At thirteen, he was feeling a little bummed about the whole thing because he figured this was his last trick or treating year anyway.  Poor guy.

Juliana, on the other hand, went all out.  Months ago she decided to be a flamenco dancer - wearing one of my old dance costumes - and last night she couldn't get her mascara on fast enough.

She did some posing outside.....

....and then she left with her aging rock star father to hit the streets.

The afternoon flurries gave way to an awfully chilly night for the kids but they didn't seem to notice.  I  enjoyed my front porch seat (with scarf, gloves and a glass of red wine) and loved seeing all the neighbourhood kids in their costumes.  My favourite might have been the six week old monkey baby all snuggled into his mommy's chest.  Grandma and Grandpa were here for a weekend visit and I think that they enjoyed all the excitement after many quiet years at their house.  All in all, a fun night for just about everyone.  

How was your Hallowe'en?

That's classic?

I apologize if you've already heard me complain about this but I'm going to say it again.

I love me some Snoopy.  Charlie Brown still makes me smile.

So what's the problem?

Earlier this week we were watching Dancing with the Stars during which there was a commercial for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

What I saw were snippets from the cartoon but what I heard was Charlie Brown rapping.  Rapping.  He actually signs off with "Word".

If you're wondering (I wasn't)  they credited the music to Charlie B and the Peanut Posse.

Really?

Our kids can't just enjoy Charlie Brown anymore?  Pure and simple Peanuts?

You don't mess with the classics.  That's just wrong.

Good grief.

Let's eat.

Slowly but surely we are all recovering from the weekend.

Sheldon was back to school today but Juliana stayed home.  

By later this afternoon I figured that I had to be well enough to drive because our cupboards were bare.  Really bare.  So out I went for groceries and tonight we had our first good meal since last Friday and we're counting down the hours until Peter gets home tomorrow night.  Things seemed to be looking up.

Until after our dinner, when Peter sent me this text:

NFL Media meal (free):  steak and shrimp.  Mmm mmm mmm.

Seriously?

It's a good job he's cute.

Lucky or not? Here's my day.

Have you ever had one of those days where absolutely nothing goes as planned?  

Yup.  That'd be my last 24 hours.

Lucky:  I woke up early Friday morning to see snow on the ground.  The best kind of snow because as pretty as it looked, I knew that it would be gone in a few hours.

Unlucky:  Peter called my office at 11 a.m. to tell me that Sheldon had just thrown up at school.

Lucky:  Peter was home to pick Sheldon up.

Unlucky:  Peter was leaving in a couple of hours to fly to Philadelphia so I had to leave work early and take the commuter bus home.

Lucky:  I got to see Juliana's excited face when I showed up unexpectedly to pick her up after school.

Unlucky:  Sheldon had to miss his hockey practice and a sleepover birthday party at his friend's house. As a result, Juliana and I had to postpone our 'girls night' because we now had a sick boy in the house.

Lucky:  To compromise for our lost girl's night, I let Juliana choose what kind of take-out we would have for dinner. 

Unlucky:  She chose McDonald's.

Lucky:  Everyone slept pretty soundly all night.  And the flu hasn't taken any more prisoners. 

Unlucky:  When I was talking to Sheldon's hockey coach to let him know that Sheldon was too sick to play this afternoon, something in my back snapped.

Lucky:  Um, at this point, nothing.

Unlucky:  I can't move.  Sheldon can't raise his fevered head or he feels sick.  The dogs want a walk.  And Juliana is too young to keep this household humming.  

Lucky:  Peter's chiropractor fit me in.  

Unlucky:  I can't drive.

Lucky:  When we moved into this neighbourhood 9 years ago, we picked awesome neighbours to befriend.  Lara drove me to the chiropractor, picked up more ginger ale for Sheldon, took Juliana to McDonald's for lunch, picked up a freezer pizza in case I needed something for dinner, and bought me a tuna sandwich.

Unlucky:  Peter is still in Philadelphia and I can't find my mom.  

Lucky:  The chiropractor fixed whatever needed to be fixed so that I could take deep breaths again and now I'm able to walk around even though I can't raise my arms up more than half-way to my head.  And, as long as I'm sitting very, very straight (like balance a book on my head straight) then I can sit and blog.

Unlucky:  Fifteen minutes after the fact, I realized that we had completely forgotten Sheldon's haircut scheduled for today.

Lucky:  I mea culpa'd and they rescheduled my shaggy kid for Thursday.

Unlucky:  Oh boy, do those dogs ever want a walk.

Lucky:  Sheldon is up and about and thinks he may be in the mend.  He went outside on his scooter for two minutes but that was all the energy he had so now he's back on the couch.  Yelling at his sister.  He must be on the mend.

Lucky:  Juliana has decided that she will make eggs for everyone for dinner.  

Lucky:  I will spend the rest of my evening catching up on some reading.

Three lucky things in a row.  I'd say things might just be looking up.

Fingers crossed, please.

Who?

Election time is almost over and it's a good thing.

I know that my memory is not what it used to be.  I forget names of people, names of movies, phone numbers, and sometimes a password or two.  But when I'm driving home and I see the election signs, I don't need to be reminded EVERY 100 FEET who is running for mayor.  I'm not going to forget within seconds who the candidates are.  It makes me crazy.

How about we spend some of the money that is used on signs and build an actual skate park for youths in town?

I'm just sayin.

My belated Thanksgiving.

Many, many years ago there lived 7 women.  Day after day they slogged it in the same law office.  Until one of them decided to leave for greener pastures - a new career.  By the end of her first week she called the 6 others and suggested that they all meet for a beer on Friday night.  She missed them and they missed her.

That was over 20 years ago.

We called our Friday nights "Choir Practice" and all these years later the tradition continues.  Same night, same time, same pub.  We adopted a member and lost one to the East Coast.  We've all aged (just a little), three of us have moved from the City, there have been marriages, babies, deaths, and quite a few other milestones.  The Friday nights have continued - it's a little group now, with the exception of Christmas it seems, because with busy families and busy lives it's just not as easy to get downtown every week.

But let me share the beautiful thing about these women.

Last Friday night we got together to show our support to our dear friend who had just lost her mom.  After meeting at our pub for dinner, we all arrived, together, at the funeral home making an entrance that only Choir could.

The evening was full of hugs and catch-up conversations about our moms, our kids, and our families.

We may not see each other as often as we like and I know that I'm guilty of falling off the radar for months at a time.  But I cherish my friendships with them - they are deep, lifetime friends that have always been there for me to celebrate the good moments and hold my hand during the bad.

Last weekend was Thanksgiving and I was blessed to spend the weekend with my sister and her family at my mom's.

But this weekend, I remembered how grateful I am for my friends.  This weekend I had a taste of what I've been missing with Choir Practice.  So, I'm taking a moment to let them know just how much I value what they have brought to my life.

Even though I'm not always sitting at that table in the back with you, I feel very thankful for the times that we do share together.  Next week - have a drink for me, okay?


 

Lucky number 13.

Happy Birthday to Paul Simon.

Happy Birthday to Marie Osmond.

And happiest of happy birthdays to my mom!

Sixteen, already?

Today was ridiculously gorgeous out.  The leaves might just be at their prime, the sun shone all day and my sweater was shed by mid-morning in favour of short sleeves.

It was exactly the same kind of day 16 years ago when Peter and I celebrated the beginning of our lives together. Since then, lots of things have changed.  Like we have kids now.  And a mortgage.  And more pets than we had then.  He is now the cook and as soon as I stopped being pregnant it became my job to change the cat litter.  Our commutes are longer, there is more sports equipment in the garage, and we are starting to have to fight with kids for the shower.  

But one thing has stayed the same:  it's still him that I want to fall asleep beside every night and wake up with every morning.  

Thanks, Peter, for being the one.

Happy Anniversary.

Running and Rainbows.

This year, for the first time, Juliana decided to join her school's cross country team.  Sheldon, on the other hand, has been running every race and winning ribbons since the was year he was able to join.  They both train with the team every day at lunch.

From the beginning, Juliana has maintained that she would train with the team but she would not compete.  The anxiety that goes along with sports is just not her thing.  But lately she's been surprising us.

The week before this last meet we talked a couple of times about her hesitation.  When she told me that she was afraid she would come in last, I gave her a little pep talk to remind her of all the things that she has done lately that she was initially afraid to do and yet once she actually tried them she had a blast.

The night before the race she decided that she would go prepared - running shoes and school t-shirt on - but that she wasn't going to decide whether or not to run until we got there.  And then, again, I told her that we'd be proud of her no matter what.  Just getting out and running was a success on its own.

We picked the kids up after school and headed, prepared, to the meet.  In the car on the way the kids talked about the route - apparently this was going to happen!  Once we got there, she found her friends and that was it.  She headed to the start without even looking back for us.

And then she ran.

No surprise to anyone but I got a little teary watching my girl on the first lap before they headed out of our sight.  Peter and I walked over to wait for the runners to arrive at the finish line.  And finish she did!  She came into that last stretch with a burst of energy and pride written all over her face.  What I didn't know until afterwards was that Sheldon and his buddies were cheering from the turn into the final stretch and when she heard them she "didn't want him to think she was going to stop" so she sped up and passed four kids!

She was waiting in the line up immediately after finishing and when she heard us call her name she smiled.  Oh, did she smile!  I am welling up again just thinking about that look.

Sheldon had his turn to make us proud a little later.  He ran a great race, was the first of his teammates to finish, and won another 8th place ribbon.  Again I felt a little teary watching him run that final stretch because this will be the last time I see him run at this meet (my favourite) before he heads off to (gulp) high school. 

But the story doesn't end there. 

Later that night, I was at home with the kids and Peter was picking up a couple of groceries when he sent me a text that simply said "Rainbow!"  Out the back window I could see that the sun was setting, the sky was brilliant shades of pink, and there was the rainbow.

(the view from my back window)

(Peter's view from the parking lot)

It had been a great afternoon, full of happy success, and when I saw this sky I just knew.

And Peter did too.  Because his next text to me said: "I think your dad saw the race today".

I know he did.