Monday, July 26, 2010

Stuff

I always want to start out a post with the words "I've been such a bad blogger lately," but then I realize, "Who really cares?" If being a bad blogger means spending more time with my kiddo at the Aquatic Center or pushing choo-choos on the floor, then I'll take the title of "Bad Blogger" any old day.

That said, here is a quick list of what's going on with us. This way when I read back through these entries years from now, I'll at least have a foggy idea of what we did with the summer of 2010. :)

-Water... Between my parents' pool and the local Aquatic Center, we spend most afternoons in the water. I honestly have run out of all creative ideas when it comes to afternoon activities. Eli wakes up from his nap and starts listing all the outdoor ideas he has for the afternoon... "Bike?" ("Too hot, baby.") "Boppies?" ("Too hot, baby.") "Frisbees?" ("Too hot, baby.") "Zoo?" ("Too hot, baby.") "Pool?" And off we go... There is just not much else to do with an outdoors-loving toddler during a Texas summer. Eli has gotten really comfortable in the water, wearing swimmies on his arms so that he can swim in the deep water. He loves the Aquatic Center, too, going down the big slide all by himself, straight into my waiting arms.

-Friends... We've enjoyed so many really fun, meaningful times with friends this summer. We are so thankful for the friends God has given to us, and we have loved the slower pace of summer that has allowed us to enjoy plenty of time just sitting and talking and sharing life with dear friends.

-Running... Eric is training for a marathon (which might be reduced to a half-marathon, joints depending), so running is a big topic of conversation around here. We watch documentaries about marathoners with tears in our eyes- that's how obsessed we have become. :) I've been running again, too, and, though a marathon or even a half is far out of my reach, I might just make it to a 10k sometime this fall. Look out! :)

-WORK! Yipes! Work has been a little daunting lately for me. Summer is always a busy time for us, but this summer has felt a little crazier than normal. And, while I adore my job, I really dislike the hours I spend away from my Eli. I'm super-thankful for Eric's flexible job, allowing him to compensate for the extra time I've needed to put in lately.

-Brunching... Summer is just a good time for eating brunch out. We're big fans.

-Preparing... We leave for Maine in 2 weeks! I am beyond excited about our first big family vacation together. But my anal self is also a little stressed about packing for all of us for a week, and fitting it all within the weight and size requirements imposed by the airlines. :) And a two-year-old on a 5:40am flight is also daunting. This will be the ultimate test of Eli's good-natured, unflappable compliancy. :)

And with that, I'll call it a night. I hope that each of you is enjoying the summer as much as we are. Much love!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Weekend So Far... As a List

-Yesterday Eli and I cleaned the whole house, taking frequent breaks to play. I love it when I get the [rare] opportunity to clean the whole house in one day, instead of in spurts throughout the week. I am such an anal clean-freak, but I love going into a weekend with a clean house! :)

-I baked an upside down apple cake in an iron skillet (PW's recipe). I don't like desserts that fall into the "warm fruit" category, but Eric adores things like this. It was a fun recipe to bake, and I can't get the linky thing to work on here, so if you want it, go to Pioneer Woman's site. :)

-We got takeout and watched a movie on the couch, as per our usual Friday night "home date" tradition. I fell asleep and missed the last half, also a Friday night tradition.

-Eric and Nick ran a 10k this morning as part of their marathon training plan. It took them an hour. My husband amazes me. When he got back, I jogged 2.5 miles without stopping- a post-college record, for sure. It's no 10k, but I was still proud. :)

-We went to Richardson Bike Mart so Eric could drop off one of his wheels for a reapair. Eli had never been there before, and it was like we took him into Heaven. The kid adores bikes (like his Daddy!), and to be in a place with thousands of bikes all right there in front of him was just about the best thing he could imagine. He touched just about every single bike in the store and kept walking around saying, "More bikes! More bikes!"

-We ate brunch at our favorite place- the Pancake House. All three of us looooove this place.

-Eli swam with PopPop and MomMom while Eric and I went to a wedding this afternoon. It was lovely!

-I baked "pillow cookies" (basically a cookie with a brownie center) for our family get-together tonight and did laundry while Eric and Eli went for a long bike ride.

-And now all the chores are done, all the baked goods are baked, all the miles are run (ran?), and we're ready for a calm, quiet, restful family Sunday, just like we like 'em.

I hope your weekend so far has been delightful as well!