Stage whisper.

Ellie and Josie were playing Rapunzel this morning. Ellie was at the bottom of the stairs looking up while Josie was at the top of the stairs. Josie's "fuzzy" (yellow blanket) was hanging down over the side of the stairs while Josie leaned over, looking at Ellie.

Ellie: Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let down your hair!

Josie: (In a strange how-the-heck-does-she-know-this British accent) Okay Mother!

Ellie: Well Rapunzel, I don't even love you. I only love your hair.

Josie: (Same accent) Oh, Mother.

Ellie: (Stage Whisper) Josie...I really do love you. I'm just pretending!

Ballet sisters.

We started classes at a new dance studio last week.

Eleanor and Josephine are in dance heaven!

Sole Sisters.

Before my "first" 5K a few weeks ago, my friend Amy came over with a little gift. She gave me a beautiful leather and silver bracelet with "Mother Runner" engraved on the front, and a book called Sole Sisters. It's a great little book filled with short stories/essays about different women and the "sisters" they run with.

Amy and I try to run a couple times a week, but with four kids between us, we're lucky if we can get one post-bedtime run in. We run for our hearts – to keep them healthy – but it's more than that. These 3.2 mile jaunts around our country block have done so much more than keep two mid-thirties bodies healthy. Amy and I have worked through challenges as mothers, wives and friends. We've laughed so hard our faces hurt, and talked so much our voices could be heard by our country neighbors on cold mid-winter nights.

Our weekly runs were one of the things I missed the most during my knee-hiatus. Don't think we didn't keep up our almost daily conversations, either over the phone or at the kitchen table with a glass of wine. But I missed the pounding of our feet and hearts, day-to-day problems falling behind us as we made our way around the block.

Last week a friend of ours mentioned that her running partner had been too busy lately, and how she missed the company. I invited her to join us for a Tuesday night run and I'm really looking forward to it. Who knows, maybe we can start a local Tuesday night run for "Mother Runners". You never know.

However, I do know it's not going to replace my weekly runs with just Amy. My booty could use an additional jaunt around the block each week, and my mind can always use the extra time with my Sole Soul Sister.

Happy Monday!

Monday it is for sure! Looking at my schedule, I realized this morning that I've completely over-booked myself this week. Not a problem though. Friday...it's off to the river for a holiday weekend at Grandpa and Grandma Mox's!

So let's get this week started...Happy Monday!

Sunday photo.

Reading Grandpa's paper.

Abundance.

It's felt (and sounded) like a Rain Forest around here lately. The birds in the forest behind the house have been chirping up a storm, the rain has been non-stop, and the humidity...well...we don't have A/C. We won't talk about the humidity.

The rain and warmth may be wreaking havock on my hair, but the plants have gone gang-busters!

Tomatoes

Cherries

Grapes

Apples

Movie night.

©2100 Disney Pixar

Someone in this house has been waiting for 

this day since they saw the preview in January.

Someone bought tickets online last night 

to assure four seats this afternoon.

That someone is not me.

That someone is not Eleanor.

That someone is not Josephine.

That someone is taking three Kirker girls
 on  a date to the new Cars 2 movie this afternoon!

Quiet girls.

Yesterday afternoon was very quiet around here. Strange. Even stranger...the girls were quiet together, playing like little storybook sisters. I kept walking into Ellie's room to check on them. This is what they were "creating".  I'm not sure what it is, but they can "create" this every afternoon if it buys us a couple hours of peaceful playing!

LOVE (?)

My friend Sarah was going through some old boxes and found this...

LOVE

The L is for the longings,
    I get when you're away,
The O is for the openness,
    we feel each steadfast day,
The V is for the virtues,
    you bestow upon my heart,
And the E is just for everything,
    each and every part.

– Louisha P. Greens (1992)

 "Louisha P. Greens" is a pseudonym I used when I was younger. I have no idea why.

What did my little seventeen year old self know about love? Not much at all.

I kind of hit it on the nose though.

Sleepy.

Sometimes...you just need a nap with your Daddy.

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Today is my neice Natalie's fourth birthday.

Yesterday we celebrated her four, fun-filled years 

with lunch and cake at Grandpa and Grandma Payne's.

Happy Birthday Kiddo! We love you.

Sunday photos.

Happy Father's Day.

Kyle and Eleanor - October 2005

Kyle and Josephine - November 2007

_______

And I can't forget my Dad...

September 2003

What did my dad say to me seconds before
walking me down the aisle?

"Roses are red

Violets are blue

I always knew
He was the one for you"

Slow Saturday morning.

Below is a typical Saturday morning scene around here. Ellie and Josie watching cartoons while Dad sleeps in. It's fine with me – quiet girls and quiet husband = time to peruse my favorite blogs and enjoy an extra cup of coffee.

This is the extent of our quiet Saturday. In a few minutes my neice Natalie is coming over for the day. At 10:30 we're picking up my mom and heading to the Pentwater Art Fair. At 3:00 all three girls are being dropped off at my parents, and at 3:30 Kyle and I are meeting our friends Rich and Gina and driving into GR for Founder's Fest. It's going to be a fun day! (Tomorrow's forecast is rain. I think we'll need a quiet day to make up for this busy one.)

So much for that "Chill" message I shared this week!

Frugal Lisa Friday: A-Frame "Adventure" Tent

Frugal-Lisa Friday: A-Frame "Adventure" Tent

I've seen a few variations of this in a number of different pattern books. I found this one on Grosgrain, it was too simple (and inexpensive) not to make.

Cost: $2.99 for the dowel, $2.50 for the 1"x2" poles, $0 for the sheet given to me by the McFarlane's (Grandma and Grandpa's river friends).

The girls are loving it already, I'm sure many, many summer adventures are ahead of them.

We have two nieces that have birthdays coming up. I think one of them in particular needs a fun tent for her big, new backyard!

Calm before the storm.

Clean.

 

Spotless.

Not a pillow out of place.

Soon our home will be vibrating with little girl energy again.

(I can't wait. I've missed the little buggers.)

My house will return to it's chaotic state of lived-in happiness.

I wanted to take these picture this morning to remind myself

how neat everything is with the girls gone.

The spartan photos also remind me how 

empty our house feels with the girls gone.

90 minutes until I can feel their little

arms around my neck again.

________

To my mother and father-in-law...

THANK YOU!

This has been a perfect, relaxing, vacation from parenthood.

Kyle and I are refreshed and ready 

to jump back into the game.

We love you both. thank you for this week!

This Summer...just chill.

{Previously printed two weeks ago in The Happy Woman Chick News, June 2011}

Next week is my daughter's last day of school. The morning routine can be a little challenging around here. No matter what time everyone gets to bed, when 7:15am rolls around, you'd think my five-year-old pulled an all-nighter. I've been counting the days until mornings are enjoyed at a slower pace and I'm no longer saying "Hurry up!" 50 times before 8:00am.

When I think about summer and its warm weather and longer days, I tend to forget that "slower pace" is not necessarily a term that applies to the months of June through August. Much to my dismay, our calendar is already on its way to becoming jam-packed with graduation open houses, family get-togethers and weekends catching up with friends. All of these are wonderful ways to spend our time, but then I add in the other activities I've been planning; trips to the petting zoo, swim lessons, berry picking, farmer's markets, art fairs,  days at the beach...the list goes on and on. I'm exhausted already.

Last night I was looking through some old photos and came across this picture of my daughter Eleanor. It was taken a few years ago in the kiddie pool that we had on our deck. I love how she's completely, totally CHILLED OUT. No stress on that face whatsoever (well, she was only three). This summer I'm going to try my hardest to  follow suit and chill a little more myself. Instead of signing the kids up for the weekly craft at the children's museum, I'm going to take them once or twice, then do something together at home instead - if that 's simply playing in the kiddie pool, so be it. I don't think the girls are going to mind either way. I think I'll pick berries once, then buy already picked boxed berries the rest of the time. Small changes to simplify our summer.

This September, when there's a chill in the air and we're back to our morning routine, I hope I can look back at this summer and remember the "slower-pace" we enjoyed the previous three months. Ninety-two warm, glorious days sprinkled with lazy summer mornings, visits with friends, a trip to the petting zoo and a few great afternoons "chillin'" in the kiddie pool.

{My sister-in-law seems to have the same idea. She linked to this article...worth the five minute read!)

Vacation.

Ellie's last day of school was Friday. Sunday morning we dropped the kids off with Grandma Mox – they'll be having fun at the river with Grandma and Grandpa until Wednesday (possibly Thursday). Last night Kyle and I decided that this week is our summer vacation. We both still have to work of course, but after our work is done the evenings are ours to do whatever we want with.

Sunday we cut the grass and went for a bike ride. Yesterday morning I treated myself to a yoga class and brunch with a friend. Yesterday evening Kyle and I drove to one of our favorite restaurants and were pleasantly surprised to see a band setting up on the patio. We sat outside, enjoying the great music as well as each other's company.

I have a short list of must-do's...clean the girls' rooms, go through the rest of the yard sale stuff and donate it to the appropriate venues, put up curtains in my office, finish a couple of birthday gifts for my nieces. Not a bad to-do list.

Two more days of a quiet, clean house. No little girl cat-fights. No whining. I'm looking forward to the minute I can hold them both again and kiss their little cheeks, but trust me...I'm enjoying every last second of our "vacation"!

Sunday photo.

Front and center...our '62 409 Impala

Update: 5K

It's done! And...better than I expected! My mental goal was to be under 40 minutes (best 5K time pre-knee junk was 29:38). As I was running towards the finish the clocked clicked 36:00 – I didn't stay for my chip time (the weather was cold and nasty) but I'm hoping it's just under the 36 minutes. Not awesome, but not too darned bad either considering I've only been running again for two months!

Kyle and the girls were there to cheer me on (best part of the day), and Kyle took a few pictures...

Coming around the corner (left side - pink shirt, black pants)

Saying "Hi" to my little fans (Ellie and Josie).
Is this not the goofiest running face?

5K.

At 9:00am I will be running my first 5K post-accident/surgeries.

I'm nervous.

Not about the running part – I've already proven to myself that I can do it. I'm nervous that my slow time will discourage me. I've been running for a month or so now, but haven't timed myself. Not once.

Wish me luck (and patience, grace, humility, appreciation...).

Pets!

Big news...the Kirker family has pets!

Meet Cinderella (orange fish on the the right)...

...and Lipstick (white fish with orange "lips").

Our first pets. (Baby steps...baby steps...)

Ellie and Josie are over the moon with excitement.

Only problem? Josie has tried to hold her fish twice now. 

When she finally succeeds, finding a replacement fish with a 

white body and orange "lips" is not going to be easy!

Hot Rod Power Tour

Kyle's business, New Era Racecraft has its first booth/tent at the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour in Muskegon today. Ellie, Josie and I made a stop after lunch to check out the booth, look at a few of the 1,000+ cars, and take Kyle a pair of pants. (Yesterday 87˚...today 65˚).

Travis (employee) talking to visitors
while standing next to one of the engines.

Doesn't it look like the guy talking to
Kyle is perplexed about something?

Relaxing in Daddy's booth.

It may be a simple vendor booth at a Hot Rod event, but I was really proud of my husband today. He's worked really, really hard to get to this point in his life – and I honestly feel this is just the beginning!

Sunday tradition?

 Is there a certain number of times something has to happen before it can be considered a tradition? I think it's 6 weeks to break/form a habit. Maybe this should be a new "Sunday Habit". Tradition, habit, either way I'm good with it.

Last year we gave up on our gas grill and bought a charcoal grill. Kyle wasn't overly experienced with charcoal grilling (other than camping trips), so I bought him a book on Amazon – Weber's Charcoal Grilling: The Art of Cooking with Live Fire (by the way...great Father's Day gift!) He's devoured the book – no punn intended – and as a family we've enjoyed a number of the recipes, most of them on Sunday evenings. This is where the tradition started. Saturday morning over coffee, Kyle would ask what we feel like having for Sunday dinner. Grilled chicken, ribs, pork roast? The next day, it's Daddy grill day. Some of the meals have taken hours, others a few minutes. All of them delicious! (Bonus: I'm only responsible for the side dishes. Easy peasy.)

This Sunday it was cedar plank grilled Salmon. I added a spinach salad with pasta, oranges, red peppers, almonds and toasted sesame dressing. Another Sunday hit. This Sunday? I think he's grilling either an entire chicken, or ribs again. Oh...and his goal for the summer? To come up with a great BBQ sauce recipe. Works for me!

A good egg.

Chickens were at the top of my "want" list this year, but Kyle was 100% against it. (He thought they would walk on the cars...sorry...but that makes me laugh!) Rarely does Kyle tell me "no way", but I was taught to pick my battles and the chicken one wasn't worth fighting this year. One of my husbands other arguments against having our own hens running around was that my brother's family has chickens, and we are welcome to all the eggs we can eat – which is a lot.

Sunday morning, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew Simon stopped over. Simon came in with an enormous egg he wanted to show us. The girls were amazed, my sister-in-law Marge and I were cringing...can you imagine? Ouch. Josie wanted to hold it. That little bugger didn't have it in her hands for 10 seconds before she looked at it, then tapped it on the counter.

This is what Kyle had for breakfast just a few minutes later...a double-yolker!

Chickens or no chickens, we're still fortunate enough to have farm fresh eggs in our fridge. Maybe someday Ellie and Josie will have "yard birds" to chase around. Until then...thanks Uncle Ben!

Facelift.

Two weekends ago we ripped out the bushes near the road. Last weekend we gave the front of our house a little "facelift". (For some reason I never got the chance to post these pictures last week.)

Front Door - BEFORE

Front Door - AFTER

Garage Doors - BEFORE

Garage Doors - AFTER (A)

Garage Doors - AFTER (B)

We've been wanting to re-side the house (and landscape!), but after buying the car and the mower, siding was dropped from the budget. Instead we spent a Sunday painting, cutting and measuring, as well as $400 on cedar boards to trim the doors, gallon of red paint, and flowers for the front yard and the deck.

Slowly but surely we're removing the "80's" from our house!