Dive Right In!

Many of you know that Cecilia recently started springboard diving lessons and that I'm probably more excited than she is about them (though, she's pretty excited, too). I'm absolutely astonished by what she has learned in four short lessons, and also a little embarrassed about how proud I am of her accomplishments. But since this is our blog about our girls, I figure it's an okay place to brag. So there. (Can you imagine what will happen when she makes it to the Olympics? My head might just explode!) With that disclaimer, here are a couple little clips of Cecilia at diving class, Day 3:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMLISSA!

The Party in Pictures

Some photo highlights from the birthday party:

The Cake.

The Special Shirt.

The Party Goers.

Birthday Girl at the Top.

The Total Insanity That Was the Party Room.

The Presents at Home. (That's a DVD of "Shark Week" in case you're wondering.)

The Sisters Who Love Each Other.

The End.

Happy Birthday to Uncle Alex

I have no idea why they're hugging like that, but whatever -- you get the idea.

Berry Fun!

The four of us went berry picking on Saturday and came home with pints of incredible raspberries and blueberries. This is one of my favorite summertime activities with the girls, probably because it's a fun activity for all age groups (especially Ruby) and the end result is a motherload of fruit to take home (at least the little bit that survives the car ride). Aside from the dead battery and being stranded in the field for a bit, it was an excellent way to spend the afternoon.

Reflections.

As Momlissa says, today is Cecilia’s seventh birthday, and this morning I also received a terrible piece of news about something that has happened to a friend of mine.

These two events, one glad and the other tragic, have been playing against each other in my head all day. It is one of those days where something sad has made me realize how very lucky I am.

I hope that everyone who reads this feels grateful for the good things in their lives, and doesn’t take anything for granted.

Happy birthday, Cice.

SEVEN!

Today is Cecilia's 7th birthday. Unbelievable.

She's having her first friend birthday party -- up until now the birthday celebrations have been just family gatherings or family outings, but this year we figured it was time to invite her little friends to come celebrate, too. We're heading out in a bit for a local rock climbing gym, which is a terrific idea for a party if you ask me (the kids are all in harnesses for two hours!). Assuming we can get the cake there in one piece (the cake was a bit of a production), I'm sure it will be a hoot.

Pictures will follow in a day or two, of course.

Happy birthday sweet girl!

Reunited & It Feels So Good

The girls are back on their home turf and we've just wrapped up another busy summer weekend. Thursday we left for Wisconsin and got to our girls (and Door County) around dinner time. The weekend was full of activity, most notably two triathlons completed by mother and daughter (one each). Cecilia competed in a kids' triathlon and did a marvelous job on her 100 yard swim, 1 mile bike, and 1/3 mile run. She finished in the top half (after being one of the last kids in the pool), and now has a nifty little medal to add to her collection. She makes us very proud.


Yesterday we made the long trip home and even managed to make it to the park for some Frisbee before calling it a day. It feels pretty darn good to be together under the same roof again.

Real real gone.

The girls have been gone since Saturday afternoon. They are enjoying an extended stay in Wisconsin with their grandparents and by all accounts are having a terrific time. I, on the other hand, started to struggle almost immediately. I thought I had it more or less under control today -- then I realized I just spent the past 1/2 hour going through old photographs of the girls on the computer with a ridiculous grin on my face.

Only 42 more hours we'll be reunited with our little goonbags...

"I'm Doomed."

Dadam: So, Ruby, did you have a good day or a bad day today?

Ruby [cheerfully]: Um, a bad day.

Dadam: It was a bad day?

Ruby: Yeah.

Dadam: How come?

Ruby: Well, because I was not a good listener, and Mommy was mad at me for not listening, and I just sat down and said, I'm doomed.

I Miss My Family.

We went up to northern Wisconsin this weekend with some friends, and it was fantastic. We had beautiful weather, a beautiful house on a beautiful lake, canoeing and swimming and running, a local small-town festival and an unexpectedly stunning fireworks display. I'm home now, while Momlissa and the girls stayed on for an extra two days.

I acknowledge that I usually look forward to this family-free time. Momlissa and I are different in that she doesn't really see the value in time spent alone, whereas I feel there's no greater treat than having a few hours to myself, to read or play the pipes or watch a scary movie or just to do a glorious bit of nothing, without having anybody else's needs to attend to, or having to feel guilty because you're not attending to them.

But the reality is, it isn't all that fun. I got back at about nine last night, fed the cats, took a bath and went to bed. Woo hoo. Already I'm feeling lonely and bored and wishing my family was back, or I was still there with them - especially those two crazy little monsters who exhaust me so but who also are the best joys of my life.

Maybe that's the real benefit of this time away - it isn't the fun I have when they're gone, it's realizing how much fun I have when they're here, and how much I need them.

Cool Moves.

We're going out of town for a couple days with some friends, so we probably won't post for a while. But rest assured, updates are coming. In particular, Ruby has a new "Michael Jackson dance" and some other "cool moves" she developed recently, so if possible we'll try to capture those on video.

In the meantime, happy Fourth. Last year it occurred to us how great it was to celebrate the holiday without having a kid in the hospital; it's just as great this year.