Animal Farm

It seems that this is what we are becoming.  Technically, our house is sitting on the place that was always the "family farm", but it hasn't really been much of a "farm" farm for many years now, however, if Luke has his way...it may just get there again someday.

I would just love to hear someone try to argue that my child does not LOVE animals.  Since Scott and I have lived here, we have always had cats.  Do they get much of the glory that comes with being a "pet cat"?  No, at least not from us.  They help keep the mice at bay and they are pretty much free to go on as they please.  We keep them fed and watered...then they're somewhat on they're own.  Luke, on the other hand, refers to these cats as his "kitty friends", "catty friends", or "my buddies" on most occasions and insisted that they have a house, despite the fact that they can get into the old house or any of the sheds/barn/old buildings on the property.  So, last fall, Scott built them a house and we painted it.

Scott has always had a deep fondness for rabbits and finally got back into raising them a year ago in February. As expected, Luke took to them immediately and has been loving on the new litters of baby rabbits that we've had.

Then last August, we decided to add a dog to the mix, Chester.  Appropriately enough, we picked him up on the day of Luke's 4th birthday!  He loves the dog and even had to open the van door before we left for town today, just to say goodbye to Chester.

I write about all of this because today we picked up a fish.  Luke has been wanting one for quite awhile and we used this as an incentive for helping with things around the house.  He finally earned it yesterday and today we brought home a fish!  As I've said before, Luke LOVES it!

When I remembered that we also have a can of worms sitting on the porch (he brought them home from the sitter's and we're hoping to use them for fishing at some point), which we refer to as our "worm farm" and he refers to as his "worm friends" I decided that I better write about our ever growing "farm" before the next animal arrives...whatever that may be! :)

And when I say that Luke loves all of these things, I mean he loves them.  He always refers to them as "my [insert type of animal here] friends" and is constantly trying to give them hugs and kisses.  I would not even be shocked to find out one night that he tried to give one of his "worm friends" a kiss and tell it goodnight.  He also always makes sure that all of these animals know he will miss them too, if he is leaving.
He is nothing if not sweet!  That's for sure! :)

So...quite by accident, we are apparently becoming some sort of animal farm, I guess! ;)

Luke's 1st Race!

Luke was very excited this morning to run in his first "race"!

He has been watching me train and has watched or heard about me running in several "races" now and is constantly asking me if he can come with me when I run.  Most of the time, I have to tell him no because the distances are either too long or with the races...I've been afraid that they will be too much for him.

Well, today, my cousin and her family hosted their 2nd annual event in honor of their baby boy who died after struggling to live for about 8-9 months.  We were unable to make it last year due to my first 1/2 marathon being scheduled for the same weekend, but those of us who did the 1/2 wore the t-shirts from the event in his honor during our 1/2.  This year, Scott and I didn't really decide until last night that we were for sure going and then when we looked over the list of races (10K, 5K, 1 mile fun run), we decided that maybe the whole family would just do the 1 mile race, since Luke has been wanting to run in a race for awhile now.  He was excited and nervous when we told him that he was going to get to do a race! :)

After our hour-ish drive, we finally found the right location and got out of the van...in the pouring rain...

We got registered, grabbed our bibs/chips, and got ready.  The race was delayed for quite a bit due to lightning and then finally we got the go ahead.

Luke took off and I stayed with him (Scott fell behind to stay with one of my cousins to help her along the way) and Luke RAN THE WHOLE MILE! :)

At one point, the rain started to come down even harder and he came to a stop.  I asked him if he was okay and told him that we had to keep going.  He looked at me and said, "Mom, this is fun! I like running in the rain!"

We finished somewhere between 12 and 13 minutes (I think?), which I thought was great considering that's what my time tends to average out to per mile on my really long runs.

He loved it!  As soon as we crossed the finish line, Luke said, "Let's do that again Mom! When's the next race?"

I'm so excited that he was so excited about it and Scott and I have discussed some other possibilities for him, but I think it would be okay if the rain kept its distance the next time! ;)

The Darndest Things!

Yesterday at school...
While checking on my kindergartners at the bathroom one of my girls comes out of the bathroom and says "[name removed to protect the not so innocent :)] said 'sexy'!"
Out comes the boy from his bathroom and when I ask him if he said a word that he shouldn't have, he responded, "NO!  I said 'I'm sexy and I know it!'"  (It's a line from a song just in case you are unfamiliar with it-ahem, my mom & dad ;)  I reminded him that it was still not appropriate and that he shouldn't be saying it.

Fast forward to today...
As my second graders are walking out to lunch recess, one of my boys comes walking up to me as he was walking through the gym singing, "I'm sweaty and I know it!"
I couldn't help laughing and now that version has been stuck in my head all day! :)

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This evening Luke wanted to play in the sandbox so we trotted outside.  Grandma and grandpa's dogs wandered over as they always do anytime we happen to be outside.  This always results in our puppy, Chester, going completely crazy!  He cannot wait to get loose so that he can wrestle, chase, play with the other dogs.  Unfortunately, Chester is also a boy dog and despite being fixed, he does still like to act like a boy dog and do that thing that boy dogs just love to do when one of the dogs is around.

Well, tonight he started to do what boy dogs love to do to the other dog and Luke looks up from his sandbox and says...

"Look mom, Chester is getting a piggyback ride from him!  He sure is holding on tight!"

"Hmm, yeah, a piggyback ride" was about the only response I could give at the time. :)

Gone, but Not For Good! :)

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! :)

Sorry for such a long self-imposed absence, but it has been needed.  Research papers were completed, turned in, graded, and handed back this week.  You may be happy to know that I did very well on both of them...well, at least, I am happy to know it! ;)  I am also entering the last 2 1/2 weeks of training for my next 1/2 marathon on the 28th.  I only have a couple weeks of classes left, as well as, about a month of school left!  My little family has had to educate ourselves on several things and make some adjustments (many that are still a work in progress) over the last month or so too. It seems like there has been so much and yet so little going on here all at the same time.  BUT, I'm back, and that is what I am really most excited about...all of these other things will definitely be leading to several posts on each of the related topics.  I'm hoping to keep filling up my little space here in the blogosphere for awhile longer...but don't be surprised if there isn't another intentional break sometime in June when I'll have several weeks of summer classes schedule craziness! :)

Check back soon! :)

Geez, Louise!

It's the middle of March already, which means it has been weeks since I have posted! :(

There are several matters around here that I am just itching to write about, but I will save that for another time because right now I should be working on at least one of my two research papers that are due in a few weeks and/or studying for my midterm next week! EEEK!

So, I'm just checking in to let you all that I haven't rolled over and died yet ;)  and just to remind everyone (because I think that I may have mentioned it in the past) just how much I DO NOT like this time change called Daylight Savings Time!  Ugh!

Don't get me wrong the "extra" daylight is fine and dandy, but when it results in my child's bedtime having to move back an hour because it's light outside/still feels like 6 p.m. to him, which results in me having LESS time in the evening to work on things that need to be worked on because my bedtime CAN'T switch for me to maintain my own sanity...it's not a good combination.  I need that time back!

Anyway, enough time spent about what a waste of time Daylight Savings Time is...I have some work that needs to get done! :)

Happy Leap Day!

It only comes around once every four years and this is my first one as a blogger.  For the most part, it was just another day.

I did get up and run before school today...that was a first in several months.  It felt good and I am easing back into it.  I have been running on the weekends and am now working on getting back to it during the week too!

My kindergartners got to enjoy some GUM today, since Leap Day doesn't come around very often.  Their teacher let them do something that they never get to do, since it was such a special day! :)

My second graders enjoyed a Dr. Seuss Leap Day (and I'm sure that there will be more celebrating in the other grades as the week continues!)

My classmates breezed through their presentations and then my professor breezed through her lesson tonight, which resulted in getting home at an earlier time tonight. Woo-hoo!

Luke has been asking each morning to go see Baby Kyle (instead of going to school), since our recent visit this weekend.  I'm not exactly sure if Baby Kyle is really the big draw or if it's the idea of seeing Uncle Neil and Aunt Beth and being able to visit their farm, basement, chickens, and swings that is actually the bigger draw (even though this isn't verbalized!)  Don't get me wrong, he loves Baby Kyle and he likes to say "I love Baby Kyle and Lucy", but I haven't seen him pay him THAT much attention to him as of yet either.

I can't say that life has been super exciting as of late, but it has been good for it to just be normal. :)

Hope your Leap Day was nice too!

2012 Book #2

I finished reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult last week.

It was okay.  Not one of my favorites of hers.  I borrowed it from the shelf in the teachers' workroom at school because I usually enjoy her books.  The comic book artwork in between each chapter was okay, but not my cup of tea.  The storyline itself was fairly predictable (maybe I've read too many of her books now...) and I had most parts of the ending figured out before I got there.  If you've been reading hear for awhile, you know I prefer most of my reading to be stories or biographish books that "make me think" rather than reading "fluff" or books that I can guess the ending of long before I get to it (because once I start a book...I have to finish it and it makes it seem to take that much longer when I think I have it figured out already.) Like I said, I thought this book was just okay...sorry for the random/"just okay"ish blog post about it. :)