Busyness and Happy Surprises

Somehow it's been forever again. I was super sick for a week, the I was not sick and finally back to work and its 6,000 emails and family and kid activities and doing ALL the things as if I was a real working human mom person. I still went to bed every night by 10 p.m. and often closer to 9 (usual bedtime 11:30) and my body loved it. We basically go to bed right after Landon does and highfive when we turn off the light before 10. We are super boring and super well-rested and there is no time for blogging in this version of the universe we are living in.

But today I have chili simmering in the crockpot, James is at finals of his last swim meet with his last chance to qualify for Olympic Trials, my parents are arriving in 2 hours, my house is spotless and my children are all watching Father of the Bride II with me on the couch. I am blogging and answering a lot of questions about childbirth.

So, here we go! May was the month I went to NY twice, got sick, and got back into group yoga classes. Like REALLY back into group yoga classes. According to my watch I did 43 workouts in 30 days and literally every single one felt AMAZING. My soul is so happy I swear it's lifting my body to do things I've never been able to do before. Like forearm stand!

And full handstand!

Like really hold handstand- for a full count of 10! I've never come close to that before and the feeling you get when your body surprises you with something new is just impossible to describe. At 38, I don't feel like most of the things my body surprises me with are positive (like my current metabolism), so walking out of yoga feeling like I can conquer the world because I was upside down for a few seconds is a beautiful gift.

I'm also back to teaching barre in person which is another beautiful gift I didn't realize how much I'd missed. I am so thankful for the streaming yoga and barre classes I got to teach and for the friends, family, and blog readers who attended them, but towards the end I was teaching from an empty well, and there is nothing like teaching and attending class in person to fill it back up. To torture the metaphor, I feel like I'm just gulping water right now and CANNOT get enough.

When not at yoga or working, I'm now also at track meets!

Track meets are new for me and they are so fun! Landon is in two of the relays and long jump, which he won the first time and got second the next. His 4x100 relay was undefeated until the last meet and his 4x200 has been first and second. The kids are so fast and it's so fun to watch.

Claire had a presentation on sea turtles in her science class and she required MANY practice rounds at home the night before. I can't believe she's in her last weeks of elementary school and about to turn 11 on Friday.

My sweet chunky toddler who wasn't even 2 when we moved here. I know everyone says it, but the time- it flies, far too fast.

Cora is great. Smart, busy, funny, fast, and somehow both extremely focused and extremely spacey at the same time.

When I look back on the last year I am truly grateful for all the extra time we got with this crew.

Landon made this robot for her upon request

I love that they want to sleep in the same room every Friday and Saturday night.

I love that they are still such a pack and still play so much together. At 13, I was pretty over my younger siblings, but Landon at nearly 14 is still all in on whatever the girls are doing and it lifts my heart everytime I see them laughing and running and playing together.

Their world is full of games and they are constantly inventing new ones.

Speaking of siblings, Moose keeps stealing Maggie's bed.

So I told them they have to learn to share. Maggie was more excited about it than Moose who felt he had already adverse possessed the crate.

Speaking of my furry children, Maggie and Milo went to the vet - Milo to get introduced as a new patient and Maggie because her spring allergies caused her to scratch a giant wound into her neck in one single overnight and she had to get her neck shaved and treated. She loved every minute and we had to stop to say goodbye to every employee on our way out.

Later that day, post-yoga workout and dinner, I went to take my bath. Sinking into the hot water, I closed my eyes to savor the quiet alone. Ad opened them to find this.

Just because your kids are old enough to leave you alone when you bathe, doesn't mean your codependent bulldog will do so.

We still have two weeks left of school because of our delayed start due to Covid, so Claire gets to have her first in-school birthday ever. Obviously, she is VERY EXCITED about this. Her actual birthday is Friday (we will not be getting another cat), her birthday party is Saturday (an outdoor after-dark glowstick swim party), and then on Sunday we have tickets to go to the Senior Women's Finals at the Gymnastics US Nationals meet! It's in Fort Worth this year and we are so excited. We've never taken our kids to a sporting event, not caring enough about sports generally to pay for them, so we bit the bullet and bought tickets and we can't wait! Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

P.S. Food:
Tues: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, pita
Wed: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (BBQ shredded chicken in the crockpot), chips, fruit
Thurs: No idea, probably packing sandwiches to eat at the district track meet that is supposed to last 4 hours
Fri: BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad for the birthday girl (Claire's favorite meal BY FAR, she is so excited), fresh fruit, birthday cake
Sat: Takeout Pizza for Claire's party
Sun: Out! before the gymnastics meet!
Mon: [I'm in NY] Pasta with tomato cream sauce
Tues: [NY] Beef tacos
Wed: [NY] Gyros
Thurs: Summer Soup (made in the crockpot; subbing fresh green beans for zucchini because my kids don't understand that zucchini is delicious in things other than Superhero Muffins)
Fri: Homemade Pizza
Sat: Crispy Black Bean Tacos