Labor Day

We returned tonight around 7:30 from our weekend up north. I will not write much about the weekend except to say that one adult in our family had a good time, and that adult was not me. I had had a tough week with the kids and was, silly me, hoping for a little reprieve, what with all the extra hands around to help. Between the guitar-playing, the party-throwing, the cornhole and tennis games, the boat trip with the keg but not the kids, the one-hour-hell of church on Sunday morning (the woman in the pew behind us remarked that the girls were "like little blond puppies crawling all over their mom"), the cooking of ridiculous amounts of pork and sauerkraut, the football discussions, and the Gator rides, most of those hands were too busy to really give me any kind of a break. Discussions have taken place; I have hope that our next trip up (in 10 days) will be better.

Anywho . . . . Annie shocked us all in the car on the way home by counting to 100 with practically no help (where did she learn this?). We were so proud and made such a big deal of it that she proceeded to do it about 8 more times. We're all tired of hearing her count now but I'm sure she'll do it some more if she has another audience.

When we got home, we took the kids down to the track to run around and burn off some energy before trying to put them to bed after so many hours in the car. I dug out some of the tiniest red Nikes that were given to me as a shower gift when I was pregnant with Annie. They fit Jemma perfectly, so she walked down there looking like a little Nike advertisement. Jason and I timed one another's 400's and I was fairly happy with my best time (1:39. Side note: I suck and have totally abandoned my hundred-pushups program in the last week or two. Randomly, I did 10 on Saturday. Is there hope for me? Gina? Heather? Still doing them?).

While we were all running around, the EGR boy's cross country team came to start their practice. The coach noticed Annie and said she reminded him of a girl he used to coach who ended up going to college on a running scholarship. Apparently, she used to run around the very same track when she was as little as Annie and looked just the same running: determined little smile, elbows swinging, scrawny legs churning. I think I can safely say I'd be very happy if Annie ends up loving running as much as I do, and I've signed her up for the Grand Rapids Kids Marathon. She'll walk or run 25 miles (one mile at a time) over the next 6 weeks, and then get to run the last 1.2 miles on the course of the marathon on the day of the race. I think she's going to love it.

We came home, drank "icy water," unpacked the car, and tucked the girls in. Tomorrow is our last unscheduled day before Annie meets her teachers on Wednesday. I am going to miss the lazy mornings we've been having these last two weeks. Also tomorrow: laundry. Lots of it.