Wordless Wednesday: 1st Haircut, Last Child (sniff, sniff)

Before...

After...

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, swing by 5 minutes for Mom.

Courage & determination: that's what heroes are made of

Everyone needs a hero, meet mine...

Wordless Wednesday: Bowled over

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Wordless Wednesday: Exclamation point!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, swing by 5 Minutes for Mom.

The Night She Never Knew She Waited For

Our Mad, at the tender Princess-age of 4...

had no idea what was awaiting her the evening of June 5th.

But we did.
And our anticipation was tangible.


I suppose she expected another dance class.
She really didn't say.
She's our quiet child.
Our somber child.
Whose laughter, when it takes flight,
rings more beautifully than any tower churchbell.
Not a people-pleaser.
But people try to please her.
Including us.
She avoids the spotlight like the plague,
but delights in...
Art
Cats
Coffee with her cream
Dance
Princesses
Flowers
Hairbows
Yogurt
Stuffed animals
Our delight is her.
And we wouldn't have her any other way.


We've watched her grow through 2 pair of ballet shoes...

and two pair of tap shoes...

during this "first year" of dance.

Her class...

 was second to hit the floor.
{Middle row, last one on right end)

Both a blessing and a curse.
She didn't have time for "nerves" to kick in, but had two hours on her hands backstage waiting on all the other classes to perform.

Unfortunately, we have no photographs of her actual performance.
As soon as Sugar snapped the first picture, Ms. Camera Nazi, disguised as spry elderly lady Usher, bore down on him....FAST.

After the curtain dropped on the finale, 3 hours later, they took mercy on us writhing, foaming at the mouths, snapshot-deprived parents and gave our cameras a thumbs-up.

And a good thing, too, for the Awards Ceremony immediately followed, onstage.

{Fifth from end of line}

{Medal being hung around her neck.}


I do believe when we met her in the lobby, bearing many flowers and gifts, we might have overwhelmed her a bit.
Well, a bit more than she already was, that is!

However, those flowers and stuffed animal gifts had to move over to make way for her surprising fascination with her new medal!

As we left "The Peace Center for the Performing Arts" behind, along with all its beauty and pomp,

I of course called for a photo shoot.
(Did I mention this event was in the evening?  Just so you know not to expect the following candids with the above background!)

{That's my mother, Lorraine, at the far left end.}

She then wasted no time in reaching up to her Prince Charming,

 whom her sun rises and sets upon.

And danged glad I am about it, too! 
(sentimentally smiling) 


The perfect ending to a perfect night for the sweetest dancer in the world?

 
A pit stop for one of her favorite treats...

Starbucks.

Wordless Wednesday: Sink Bath

Leah Ella-Sue

16 months

Sam'ism V

{Setting: On phone with "Dad" walking through the Breakfast Room this morning.}

mySamuelson: "It's just not fair, Dad.  I get a break (summer) from school and you don't get a break from work." (quite dejectedly)

Post-It Note Tuesday: The Prodigal Sock: with a rather "un-prodigal" welcome

To join in "Post It Note Tuesday" fun, hop over to Supah's.

Wordless Wednesday: Blessed Baptism - June 6, 2010

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, drop by 5 Minutes for Mom.

Post-It Note Tuesday: Open Germ Warfare

Been too many weeks since joining in the fun of Supah's Post-It Note Tuesday.

Hop on over and link up!

Candlelight 5K

I now own the piece of hilly road last night's Candlelight 5k took place on.

Actually it was a bit more than the exact 3.1 a 5k is.
3.2

Yep, gonna squeeze every bit out of it I can!

Any self-respecting runner would.

After all, we push our bodies beyond the maximum; setting new boundaries consistently.

Pushing even harder in a race.

For a female runner, it's comparable to childbirth in a number of ways.
Both tax you physically...
In childbirth you leave your placenta on the table...
(For those "visual" people, please excuse the gross image I know this conjured up!)
In running you leave the concept of "limitations" on the road. 
In both you leave sweat...
sometimes blood...
sometimes tears...
sometimes even vomit in your wake.
You walk, or in the case of childbirth, wheelchair (as hospital law regulates) away with blessings beyond measure and memories that last a lifetime.

This particular 5K's story climaxes at the finish line.
In the home stretch, the last 30 yards, got neck-in-neck with another runner.
I caught her out of my peripheral vision.
Had already "kicked it in" when the blazing lights and poised photographers came into view 50 yards back.
With no further thought, pulled my head in and down...
and let it all hang out!!!
Imagine a corrida de toroa.
Literally meaning a, "running of bulls".
My matadore???
  The finish line.
Sacrificing it all,
my foot hit the line seconds before the bull next to me.

STATS

31:53 chip time
Pace: 9.85

627th place out of 1286 runners 

Not my best, but not my worst time/pace either. 

Given the conditions: humid and hilly. 

And circumstances: been running but a year, only fourth 5K I've ever tackled (not to mention they were all within 6 weeks of one another!) and a 16 1/2 year ex-smoker ("ex" as of Oct.
09'), I'll take that "time" and run with it! ;)

 One more quick gulp of Joe before the race.

Strong, black and packed with caffeine, baby!

Pre-race potty break, of course! Nothing like getting in the middle of a 5K and trying to do the "pee pee dance" while running!

Always a blessing to run into a friend (and his son).  

Even if he rocks out 7 minute miles that makes my 10 look shabby!

 

The starting line.

Lining up.

And we're off!

What an absolutely amazing feeling to be a part of something so good, so much bigger than I am.

The finish line.

Moments post-race..

 
catching my breath!

Minutes post-race.

  

Priceless Perspective: From the mouths of babes...

{Setting: mySamuelson standing on counter (yeah, I know...horrible mother!) getting a cup out of cabinet for a glass of lemonade.  Mad watching on.}

Mom: "Let's go before it gets too dark.  The lightning bugs are only out for a little bit.

mySamuelson: "Be careful, their butts may be hot cause they're lightning." (Directed at Mad in all seriousness.)

Mad: "Yeah, wear gloves." (Just as seriously.)

*Am still laughing my tail off over this one!

Wordless Wednesday: No kin to the Sasquatch!

 

 Catching a glimpse of me dressed in something besides running gear or loungewear is as rare as sightings of the elusive Sasquatch!

 For more Wordless Wednesday fun, stop in 5 Minutes for Mom.

Sam'ism IV

{Setting:  mySamuelson bent over this monstrous catfish he had just caught in Lake Greenwood May 30, 2010.}

mySamuelson:  "It's not a nightmare.  It's a nicemare!"

Nostalgia In The Making

Have been pondering this post for awhile now.
21 days to be exact.
Finding words was rarely an issue...
until the kids came along that is.
Now I regularly find myself speechless, awestruck, basically outright dumbfounded.
Thank God for photography and a picture being worth a thousand words!

But I digress.
Back to the issue at hand:
  "post conflict".

Perhaps it's the nature of the post...

{mysamuelson is in the third row from bottom.  From left side of picture, the first student.)

Or maybe the content...

  (Once again, mySamuelson is in the third row from bottom.  From left side of picture, the first student.  We recently wisely invested in a new NIKON D3000.  Adios crappy pictures!)

Really, I couldn't imagine why I would be so tongue-tied.

(You can't imagine my combined frustration and disappointment in the quality of this only picture I managed to take of him receiving his diploma.)   

After all, it's just my firstborn...

my only son growing-up...

(sniff sniff)

Congratulations on a successful year and earning that Kindergarten diploma, Sam!
 We couldn't be more proud of you!

 
To quote myself, "Work hard.  Play hard."

Time to play hard, baby!!!