Life. It is what it is.

I wish I had more time to write. I've done a miserable job keeping my blog up to date but that is the way it goes. These days, it takes me weeks to even get the pictures I have taken from the camera to the computer. Life has been full. It is too full sometimes. The last (almost) 11 months have been all about responding to unpleasant situations, dealing with the emotions, learning, growing and trying to not let it consume me.


It has not all been bad. My kids are still wonderful, my work is still keeping me plenty busy and my first born came to visit me and meet the rest of the family. We have had a family wedding, babies born, vacations, celebrations, unexpected visitors, natural disasters and weekend getaways. My life has been so full mostly because I have chosen for it to be that way and partly because things just happen sometimes. It is the things that are out of my control that have been all consuming, draining, frustrating. It is all part of the balance of life - birth/death, fun/disappointment, sickness/health, marriage/divorce, unemployment/work/play. It is part of being an adult. It is life.


I might eventually finish trying to update the months of summer but then again, it might not happen. With the past 11 months, I have come to expect the unexpected. It is anyone's guess what the future holds. In the meantime, I will continue to try to keep my blog going.

I'm Naughty, I'm Guilty and My Mom Hates Me, by Ramona

Now that I am finally one year old and old enough to run regularly with my mom, I have been very happy. I love to run, and she is training for a half marathon. I think we are a perfect pair, but I hear her tell her friends how much better Troy is on a leash. My mom gets irritated with me sometimes when I quickly and unexpectedly try to chase a squirrel, or scare a bunny while I am on the leash, but she gets really mad when I act completely crazy when I see another dog. Not all dogs interest me. I really like the little yappy ones because I like to yap right back at them. My mom has been working with me, and I know she sees how smart I am. She also sees how much energy I have and how I just cannot control myself sometimes. She is not always patient with me. She wants to listen to her music and just follow the route, but I like to throw some of my smooth yet unexpected moves into our routine and jerk her arm or maybe give her a slight case of whiplash. I've even tried to take out both of her knees at once. She accuses me of trying to kill her or embarrass her. I'm just trying to have some fun.

Earlier this week, my mom and I were out getting some exercise when I spotted a little dog up ahead. I got really excited and put my foot on the leash, which always forces Mom to stop and get my leg back off of the leash. To keep me from repeating this obnoxious behavior, she held the leash straight up over my head. I could not get my foot into it, but I was able to chew my annoying head collar, and my mom had no idea what I was up to until I took off, leaving the leash on the ground. Mom sprinted after me and yelled ahead to warn the lady that was walking the little dog that I was coming at full steam ahead. When the lady saw me, she was really surprised and so was that little dog of hers. The dog and I started hopping around, sniffing each other. We were like a little white and black tornado of dog action. Before I knew it, we made the lady fall right there on the side of the road. My mom ran up to us right as this happened and I could tell right away that she was M.A.D. I had caused this lady to fall down, all because I just wanted to play. I created more drama that morning than anyone who knows me thought possible.

Mom keeps telling me that I am more trouble than I am worth, and she has gone running without me two times since then, leaving me home pacing and crying. I keep hearing her mumble something about not knowing if she will ever take me out running with her again. She did get me a new metal pinch collar that I definitely will not chew on, if she ever gives me a chance to redeem myself. I really did not mean to hurt anyone. Maybe once the images of the rescue squad coming to pick the injured lady up fade from her brain, she will let me join her for runs again. It might be a while though. I really screwed up this time.

April

All the way back in April, the kids were still going full steam ahead with school. They had spring break the week leading up to Easter. We really did not have anything planned for that week but did decide to drive up to DC on Holly's midweek day off to visit the zoo. We got there and realized we had stupidly assumed the clear, sunny Richmond weather was going to carry over into the D.C. forecast. Once we arrived, it was very cloudy and seemed like it could pour rain at any moment. All of the parking lots at the zoo were full and while we sat in traffic we began discussing alternative plans for our day in the nations capital.

After finally getting out of the zoo parking traffic and after it did rain like crazy, we stumbled upon a parking spot in a neighborhood with no time limit, no meter. We took our chances and carried on with our zoo plan, having to walk a little distance to get back to the zoo. Fortunately, it did not rain one more drop for the rest of the day. Evyn declared the visit to the Reptile Discovery Center the very best day of her life and we got to see the lion cubs out frolicking with their parents. The ape house stunk on many levels - we all agreed on that fact. It ended up being a great family day in DC despite our lack of planning for bad weather.

As our little family tradition has dictated for the past six years, we also hosted our annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 23rd. We expanded the guest list this time to include some of our new friends from the neighborhood. As usual, Holly dressed up like the Easter Bunny and it was a beautiful day for a party at the Lively house. It was also Reagan's first egg hunt that she could really participate in. During the big hunt, she had quite the entourage and it was impossible to photograph her due to her team of admirers. She came dressed in fairy wings and was, by far, the best dressed and cutest.

Reagan even helped me get all of the kids lined up for the countdown to get the potato sack races, egg races and three legged races started. As you can see from the pictures, all the kids are crying and no one had any fun at all. Those poor, poor children.

The day after the Lively Family Egg Hunt was Easter and we headed to our favorite aunt's house for food, family and more fun and another great egg hunt. Next year, I am going around and stealing all of the golden eggs - they had cash inside. That's my kind of egg hunt.

Evyn and I ended the month of April stuffing peat pellets with vegetable seeds for our garden. Actually, they lived in the kitchen window until they were ready to make the big move outside. I followed the directions on the peat pellet container and "hardened" the plants before planting them outside. It's amazing what can happen when you follow the directions. It took me years, but I now can successfully start seeds indoors and plant them outdoors without everything dying thanks to the hardening process - who knew? Reed and Evyn both helped prep the garden soil and really helped speed along the process. Breaking up dirt is hard work, but when you have two eager children and several hoes and shovels, the job gets job super fast. We planted snow peas, cucumbers, lettuce, corn, squash, tomatoes and green beans this year.

Spring and Summer 2011

I said goodbye to winter by confiscating Evyn's little teddy bear calendar and transforming it into our family summer planner. There were things we talked about doing last year and the year before that we did not do because the activities never made it to the calendar. In an attempt to do it all, I marked all of Holly's days off, mapped out the weekends that we could plan some escapes, wrote down when we would have company, birthday parties, as well as our summer family beach getaway and then filled in the rest with camps and activities for the kids. Just like that, I find myself knocking on August's door. We have been busy socializing with friends, having parties, camping, daytripping and swimming. My lack of blogging time always means that life is moving rapidly and my personal time is always lost in the shuffle (and I'm working far too much and not quite getting enough sleep). On the bright side, we are certainly living and doing and experiencing. I cannot complain, except maybe about being tired sometimes.

In an attempt to recap the last few months, I'm going to break it down month-by-month. Here we go.

The Fourth of July

What a weekend we had. It is memorable because of the plans that we did not have. We have not entered a weekend plan-free in months, especially a long holiday weekend. All of the gatherings and things to do were beginning to wear on us both, so we spent some time trying to catch up on eating family dinners, which have become rare, playing in the pool, cooking and watching movies (Evyn and I give 'Secretariat' two thumbs up). We ended the long weekend at the home of some great, new friends, eating incredible food and setting off our own little fireworks display between thunderstorms. I wish life were like one big, long summer weekend.

Three faces

There are three faces, three beautiful and familiar faces. Three faces I could never imagine seeing all at once, in the same state or under the same roof. Two of the faces unaware of the third face but not for long. All three faces sharing a similar story of creation, love. The same womb, the same first mother, birth.

The first face, what an impact, such lessons learned, unforgettable and engrained in my heart along with the other two. It became time face two and face three were made aware of face one. The revelation met with wonder and curiosity for a face that was, at first, only a story from their mother's mouth, a sad song from her heart. It was a story with a connection, a common bond that is almost too complex for young faces to completely grasp.

Things have changed for the three faces. The first one no longer a stranger to the other two. An opportunity to see all three faces together, becoming aquainted, laughing, playing. Dreams do come true. The two young faces understand now, eyes opened to a kind soul, a friendly face, brother. Those eyes, the lips, the smiles. The faces, all together in the same state and under one roof, sharing time and spreading love. Words not able to describe the enormity, all three faces happily interacting and seeing that families come in many forms, have many extensions. Tradition does not always dictate what a family should look like. The three faces, part of a whole of a family pieced together, joined by love but sometimes separated by distance.

The Ultimate Party Favor

Evyn attended a birthday party yesterday for one of her fellow Brownies who also happens to be in her class. The little girl's mother could easily be Bree from Desperate Housewives. I have had a lot of dealings with this girl's mother in the past and have always noticed some of her "Bree-like" characteristics. At this point, I just hope I do not accidentally start calling her Bree to her face because of the party favors that she passed out after her daughter's party. Each girl in attendance received a (probably 600 thread count) pillow case with their initial and a butterfly embroidered on it and a nicely personalized and laminated bookmark. I'm all about not handing out a bag of plastic crap and candy after my kids' birthday parties but never in a million years would an embroidered pillow case cross my mind as being a great idea for a party favor. I'm just amazed that anyone would have time to do something like that. I have to say, it is brilliant and beautiful - well done Bree!