i need that medal!

We went to the park last night. We haven't taken the girls out much lately (their cages are getting smelly, so we opted for the park ;)). I was still in my work clothes, but the weather was perfect, so we went. There were a few boys Hannah has gone to school with there, and they played together like the best of friends.

One of the mom's piped up after half an hour, and announced that the boys had to go to the 'race', which broke little Hannah's heart. I looked over to see that there was a huge crowd of people gathered for some sort of race. Ryan, a long time cross country runner, questioned the woman about the nature of the race. If you finish the race, she told us, you get a medal. Apparently, we had stumbled upon the last day of the Annual Bush Park Cross Country Run Series.

There was a run for kids 6 and under. It was 500 meters. It cost a $2 donation, but neither Ryan nor I had any cash. Once Hannah heard that she could run, um...and win a MEDAL, she could think of nothing else. Ryan went to the van and combed every inch of it for change. He found $1.75. I told him I would wait with Clementine at the playground while he went and bonded with Hannah (and begged for her entrance with being a quarter short). There was a pause; Ryan is not the type to go ask favors of people. I let the pause rest, and then added 'How adorable, your OWN daughter running, just like you!'

It did the trick. He marched over there with her, and sure enough, she got in. She rejoined her friends and anxiously awaited her chance to get out there. They had to run around the baseball field, and the parents were allowed to run next to them. I finally dragged Clem over to join them, and she of course, said she wanted to run as well. I told her we could run behind them all.

The horn blew, and they all took off. I lost sight of Hannah and Ryan, so I started to trail along closer than I wanted (especially in my ridiculous work outfit). Still I couldn't find them, and was worried that she would have given up half way in a puddle of tears. I saw many kids do just that, and since Hannah has had no 'real' athletic experience, I wouldn't be surprised if she had. I couldn't find her. I kept looking and looking, but there were about 150 kids with plenty of parents running, so losing a little girl in pastel blue and pink doesn't seem so bizarre.

I decided to just stand by last leg of the race and wait and hope. Before long I spotted her. She was STILL running, a little crooked, but still running, without even realizing it, I spontaneously burst into streaming tears! It just all overtook me, and I was just sobbing in pride and amazement that my little girl was still in it! Ryan was encouraging her, but she didn't need it, she was propelled by her own fierce desire to succeed.

I was kicking myself for not having a camera. She ran through the finish line and they handed her a little bracelet, and a stick with a number on it. She was number 54.

Clementine, in all the excitement, decided that she was going to take part, so she started in behind some of the runners. She dawdled though, but one of the women running the race, saw her try and asked if she could hold Clem's hand to run with her. 'Sure,' I said. She encouraged Clem to keep running, which she did joyfully, and ran the last 100 feet or so to the finish line. She got a bracelet as well, which cracked me up because she had only been running for that little itty bit part, but it pleased her so.

Ryan and Hannah waited in line for her medal, to find out that ONLY the top 5 in each age would be getting medals. She was number 6 in the 4 year olds! Boo and OMG! I couldn't believe it, again with the tears. She was 6th??? Wow...So impressed! Long after we stood around trying to reassure her that a bracelet was cooler than a medal, did we see her friends pass the finish line. Teehee!

I cannot explain the basis of my strange emotional surge that I had seeing her work so hard for something. Made me realize some of that parental passion seen at Little League games. Most of all, it made me realize how amazing my little daughter is, and how grateful I am to have someone work so hard.

After a celebratory milkshake, we went home. As my little runner sat on my lap, with contentment, I reached down to take off her shoes, only to notice they were on backwards this whole time.

no one could question whether or not these little geese were sisters

paint it black

I’ve been fantasizing about painting. It’s largely based on one of my new fave artists: Beatriz Milhazes (she did the painting above). Oh, the smell, the delight on mopping up thick gorgeous color on a brush. Issues with me painting:

1. I’m not good at it.
2. I never feel like I have ENOUGH paint! I often get the brands that all my art teachers recommended, and therefore we’re talking about little tubes, when in reality I want LARGE buckets of paint.
3. I’m cheap/poor, and canvases, paint, and brushes are all $pendy (B, I love it when you do that with esses).
4. Oh, and I don’t really know how to do it. One of the things that happens to me is that I go to mix some fantastic color, and begin painting, only to realize I need more of said fantastic color, and I can never recreate it.
5. Bah!
6. In the painting fantasy, I combine some images with painting, but really, how do you do that without it looking so middle school? Yeah, I dunno...

So yeah, do you think a good dose of watching Bob Ross would satiate some of this desire?

eeny, MEANY, whiny, MOOOOO!

I am having a few issues with parenting lately. It appears I have been given two of the world's loudest screamers known to this world. I have been feeling utterly incapable of dealing with the volume of it all lately. Whining and crying happens at the slightest sliver of something not going exactly how each of them had planned things to go. It seems so often they want opposing things, and are uninterested in compromising. This isn't really a request for help, as much as a RWWWAAAAAAAR! statement. I'm finding myself in these situations saying things, doing things that I never thought I would, sounding mean, being loud and scary, all of these things that do nothing but make matters worse.

Clementine starts school in one week! So crazy! She continues to have poopy accidents though, and I just don't know if her teacher will be understanding. At this point, I don't know what to do to get through to her about how important it is that she makes it to the toilet in time. She's always so calm, 'it's ok, Mommy'. Sometimes she says 'I told you I had to go', of course she tells me AFTER she's already gone! But yeah...good times!

I have, however, successfully weaned my lil' one. Miss Clemmer will now 'cuddle the momos' but not 'chew on them' (her words of course, can't imagine EVER wanting to describe nursing as 'chewing', but you know, she's two). I had been cutting back, cutting back, limiting, etc., but it wasn't lessening her desire any. Finally about four nights ago, I said 'Clem, the momos are broken. They won't be getting fixed either.' She seemed fine at the time, but was quite sad at bed time, and again in the middle of the night when she crawled into bed with me. Last night, I made the mistake of going to bed with limited amount of clothing, and she touched them, but didn't even try to nurse. God bless her. She said, all sleepy 'hold me mama', and that was it.

Hannah and I have had a resurgence of tenderness between us. Partly because she's showing me the genius that is Super Mario Bros.! What a killer game that is! I'm having so much fun, and she literally is better than I am, so it's been very sweet of her to take some time and patience to show ol' mom how to maneuver past those pesky little Koopas.

I am eternally exhausted. This has not improved. I am so grateful to be loved and have a lovely family, and yet I am so utterly drained. It isn't that I don't go out and do my own thing, because I do, it just isn't enough. At least I'm getting some solid sleep now though. And at least they're adorable, and this is a phase which will pass. Until then though, send me waves of patience and while you're at it, pitch in for the earplug fund!

i just called to say how much i care...

There are these people in the world that help out. I think I used to be one of them, until I started working. Suddenly, I barely have enough energy to care for myself, let alone my own children. I fancy myself a ‘people person’ though, and in my own ways, I’m sure if I sat down (with my new addictive Mario Bros. game! That game is so much fun, guys! Who knew?!?!) and thought about it, I would come up with some ideas as to how I’m ‘helpful’. For now however, I want to concentrate on you other amazing people that help me out COUNTLESS times! I could write a book, chaptering each of these fantabulous creatures, but time is limited right now, so for today, we’ll concentrate on one little lady who swooped in and saved me again today:

Brandy --- you are rocking my world! If it weren’t for you, I’d be out of a job, for sure. You’ve saved my butt so many times this summer helping out with Clemmer. She’s hung out with you and your kids so much that she’s calling Addison her brother and talking about how sad it is that her dog, Tawnie, has passed.

It isn’t that you’re just willing, it’s the care you take in relieving my stresses, the care you take of my daughter, the calm you have within yourself all at 7:40 am. Damn, I’m lucky to have you in my life! I know that it all takes its toll on you, and this fall you will finally be able to go back to caring for your own children first. That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you, even if I’m crying in the corner wishing my girls could be with you always.

No joke, you are an amazing gift to this world, Ms. B, and I fucking adore you!

Can you find a match?

I think I have 30+ pairs of white socks for my two girls. Excessive? I would normally put my ‘overboard’ stamp over that kind of consumerism, but in this case it appears that I don’t have enough. In this pile of socks --- and yeah, I’m painfully aware of how UN-white they are; I’ve yet to master the beauty of bleach --- there is scarcely two that are alike. As I was laying them out on our patio, a little Ms. Clem ran out and gleefully announced that they were all HER socks, and that she was going to put them on. She sat her little naked butt down on the ground and began to lay some of them on top of her feet, and proceeded to throw a few of them into the grass.

I suppose I shouldn’t be wondering how we encountered such a conundrum.

the useless post, in which gabrielle rambles endlessly about things that really have little to no importance

It's Friday, so I'll list things again...

1. It's hot.
2. Did you know?
3. Sometimes, it doesn't bother me, but at night when I'm trying to sleep, it sux.
4. I'm charmed by misppelling purposefully the word 'sucks' as seen above.
5. It's a time of change at work. Our receptionist and courier have left us. In their place we have new ones. I kinda like the new ones. It's still weird though. I rely heavily on fun office banter, so I hope that I won't be let down.
6. There's too much going on this August. Parties, potlucks, and picnics. I don't think I can keep up.
7. I'm feeling a strong desire to have another round of film education.
8. That would entail signing up for Blockbuster Online and watching a TON of movies.
9. I've really been wanting to blog --- something pithy, but nothing has come to mind.
10. I should go check my artwork at the Coffee House to make sure no images have fallen into someone's coffee.
11. I worry about things like that.
12. I'm working on two projects. One a gift. One a commission. They're boggling my mind though. Thinking of changing up my methods.
13. Don't be scared, Chey.
14. September will be a month of changes for Little Miss Clementine. She'll be going to school with Hannah. She'll DEEPLY miss her mamas: B and Pamela.
15. I carry-on a little fantasy that my girls could go to 'school' at B's. Sigh...
16. Sex and the City just started playing at Northern Lights --- WE MUST GO!
17. It's hot, and I'm about to go out in it. Sigh...

too damn hot! (Friday's list of things to rub on your hands should you be RIDICULOUS enough NOT to wear gloves when chopping JALAPENOS!)

• Cold water
• Aloe lotion
• Aloe plant
• Ice
• Soap
• Vegetable oil
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Hand sanitizer
• Antibacterial soap
• Neosporin with pain reliever
• Apple cider vinegar
• Baking soda paste
• Vodka
• Beer

Oh yeah...ask me if any of it worked! ha! the vodka was the best! ahhhh.......

random moments of glee

1. Just knowing that Ivy Dunn is out there! :)
2. Thinking about Darbie's Atom to come...
3. Visiting my parents this weekend
4. Making these tonight with two of the world's greatest people (and four of the world's greatest children)
5. Minty gum
6. Knowing that Jacob is sharing food with the world (and spreading happiness)
7. Walking into the Coffee House right now. I can't believe I put up a show of artwork!
8. Office supplies and all their splendor
9. My girls crawling into bed with me, sleepy sleepy sweethearts

in case you can't reach me

I'll be in the corner, drooling and rocking back and forth, and for NOT for entertainment's sake. It's a compulsion. I found these addictive parasites at the Dollar Tree some magical time last week, and I have never regretted/appreciated something so much! I hate/love it, and have yet to come close to solving it. The little tagline says there are 9839 ways to solve it, but 'can you find just one solution'? Here's my answer: NO! AND STOP YELLING AT ME ABOUT IT!

Needless to say, my sweetie has taken to hiding it from me. Apparently I'm just 'different' when it's sitting in front of me, tormenting me with its primary colors and simplistic angles. If I'm not obsessing about it, I'm convinced that I've lost one of the pieces. I've trained my girls to refrain from crying when they stop on one of the sharp corners --- it's a gift!, I tell them! You've found Mama's missing piece, I love you!

Someone stop me now!

my dear ivy girl

can't wait to meet you! you've got the most awesomest mama and family!

hang in there, megan! you're PHENOMENAL!

why i love him so much

There's more than just his music. I guess he's a list maker! I had no idea! If you love Tom Waits HALF as much as I do, both links are worth your time.