A couple weeks ago I laid Sammy on the couch for a moment and was struck by how much he reminded me of a photo I took of Ella at about the same age. Can you believe how similar they are? My two beautiful babies.
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| Ella |
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| Sammy |
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Two Baby Faces
Grandma's Marathon 2012
It’s just not the beginning of summer in Duluth without the grand festivities of Grandma’s Marathon in mid-June. I had been looking forward to the races for months since this was the first time in a few years that I would be sitting on the sidelines. I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in a cozy chair, sipping coffee in the morning sunshine, and cuddling my little ones while cheering for the thousands of crazy runners.
Ella loves races and was nearly as excited as I was to cheer. She even had her bell from the bike race we watched in Colorado last August. That in one hand and a donut in the other. Thanks, Mama Bex, for supplying the morning treats.
I headed down the hill from our house at 8am so we could watch the end of the half marathon and guarantee we’d be able to see the elite runners at the front of the full marathon. Before walking out the door, I grabbed paper plates, a marker, and crayons so the girls could make cheer signs. Basically, it just gave them something to do while waiting to see Uncle Jake and his girlfriend Valerie pass.
When we first arrived at the course, it was warm and sunny. As time passed, though, it got cooler and cooler. Perfect for running, but challenging for spectating, especially with little ones. I experienced one of those “I’m feeling like a mama on top of things” moments and actually thought to grab extra layers for Ella before leaving the house. I like those moments. Kinda wish they’d happen a little more often.
This was one of the race aspects I was most excited to see. Since I’ve been running the last few years, I haven’t been able to watch the elite runners flying through the marathon. And I do mean flying. Look at this guy from Ethiopia. I took multiple photos of him and his feet are completely off the ground in each photo. He won with a time of 2:12:25. That’s faster than I ran my first half marathon six years ago. Amazing.
Sammy’s first race! He was quite satisfied on Nana’s lap while the runners passed. He didn’t even seem to mind the constant ringing of her cheer bell.
It’s always fun to see the signs that people have along the race course. I’ve seen a lot of signs about Chuck Norris in my race history. Oddly, they can be somewhat encouraging in those long miles. These two were standing across the course from us for a short time. “Free beer if you finish.” True statement. There really is free beer at the end if you finish. At mile 22, that can be quite motivating…for some. Nearly made me sick after 26.2 miles last year. I loved the other sign, which I’ve seen at Grandma’s before. “In our minds, you’re all Kenyan.” Kenyans nearly always win Grandma’s. Crazy runners, those Kenyans.
I must take the opportunity to point out the grammatical correctness of the Kenyan sign. Note the appropriate use of you’re rather than your. Nicely done. I’ve said I’m going to run my next race with a permanent marker to correct poorly written signs. It’s the English teacher in me and drives me crazy when people try to motivate runners while waving grammatically incorrect signs. No good.
The real reason we were watching the race this year was to cheer for Jake and Valerie on their way to the finish. I think this was Jake’s sixth time running Grandma’s, while it was Valerie’s first. The girls couldn’t have been more excited when they stopped to give hugs.
Sammy’s future running coach? We’ll see! It was fun having Sam at his first race, even if he slept through the entire thing.
Though it was great to relax and cheer alongside my parents, Mama Bex & the girls, and Eli & Krista, I plan to be out on the course again next year. My dear Pete has actually guaranteed my entry in either the half or full marathon for 2013 by working the duration of the race in the medical tent at the finish line. One free entry. I know he won’t be using it – running just isn’t his thing – so I’ll claim it! Thanks, Pete!
Seriously, I love Grandma’s weekend. The city goes crazy. Hotels are booked a year in advance, driving is nearly impossible, and everyone watches as thousands of runners from all over the world put miles and miles behind them. It’s a good time.
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Happy 4th of July!
I made red velvet cupcakes with white almond frosting to celebrate the big day. I’m excited to dress Miss Ella & her wee brother in patriotic colors for the festivities. I’m not exactly sure what our plans will be for the day, but they will surely include fireworks tonight. This will be the first time I’ve seen them in Duluth! (If you don’t count the five minutes – literally five minutes – when I watched them through the trees from my apartment balcony five years ago while I took a short break from wedding preparations. Since I don’t count that, yes, this will be the first, and I’m pretty darn excited.)
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Ella ran the Whipper Snapper race the day before the marathon, but I have to find those photos. I’ll try to post them soon.
A Very Berry 3rd Birthday!
It’s hard to believe that our lovely Miss Ella turned three last Monday. Three years? Really?! I’m not necessarily one who truly buys into the “where did that time go?” concept, just because I love thinking back over all the amazing adventures and memories we’ve had together. These three years have been very, very good.
To celebrate our Ella, we sent out Strawberry Shortcake invitations to a fairly short list of family and close friends. I love planning parties, but we’ve had a few other things going on lately. (Hello, Sammy!) Anyway, Ella chose Strawberry Shortcake when given the option of a few possible themes. I was thrilled that she made the choice because when I turned three nearly three decades ago, I also had a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party. (I promise I didn’t influence her decision…much.)
The party was on Saturday morning, so Friday evening Ella helped me do a little decorating and baking. Before the big event, I had a few people ask what her cake would be, thinking it would be something elaborate and theme-based. Well, it aligned perfectly with the theme, but elaborate it was not. Ella and I made a simple shortcake recipe that was eventually paired with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. Delish.
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| Ella helping make her birthday cake |
I found the shortcake recipe on allrecipes.com. I picked it based on its simplicity and the high number of positive reviews. So glad I did! It turned out perfectly.
After Ella was in bed, I sliced strawberries and made strawberry/marshmallow kabobs while watching the delightful French movie Romantics Anonymous. Yes, it was subtitled. I usually only try to watch subtitled movies when I can provide my full attention, but this one was so light and fun that I managed just fine. I really only like to watch movies while simultaneously working on other projects. (Except when watching with Pete. He insists on full attention. I’ve gotten used to that, but only with him.)
We made a really big deal of Ella’s birthday on Saturday, even though her birthday was actually Monday. We got her out of bed, plopped her in ours, and sang Happy Birthday while presenting her with a pink-frosted donut. She absolutely loves donuts.
Then it was time for the party! I prepared nearly everything the night before, so there wasn’t a whole lot to do on Saturday morning besides getting everything set out. We were blessed with gorgeous weather and plenty of shade in the front yard, so we spent the entire party outside.
After baking the shortcake on Friday night, I came across these cute, plastic containers in the storage room and thought they would be a fun way to eat cake. My Grandma Scott found them at a sale sometime last year. I cubed the cake the night before and then put a dallop of fresh whipped cream and strawberries on top immediately before serving it.
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| paper lanterns in the tree |
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| the bunting I made for Ella’s party last year |
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| bubbles, chalk, sunscreen (usually on the counter by our back door) |
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| Lila – Ella’s little garden girl |
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| the giant horse my mom found at a sale. a huge party hit |
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| Caleb & Sammy |
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| Miss Ella’s cake |
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| Cousin Maira liked the whipped cream |
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| Papa Scott (my dad) & Pete |
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| Nana Scott & Sammy |
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| Mama Bex & Sammy |
By the end of the party, Miss Ella had changed into her ladybug dance outfit (from a garage sale, worn for Halloween last year) and was performing in the front yard. Should I have expected anything else? She loves being on stage!
My dear, sweet Ella. I’m so in love with her. Even in the moments when she is asserting her incredibly strong will, I couldn’t possibly love her more. That will is going to get her places someday. So will her sincerity and compassion. Three years old. Amazing.
I love you, My Ella.
Project: Lamp Post
Since the flood (saying that makes me think of Noah), we’ve been working on a few yard projects. There are things we haven’t been too keen on since we moved in two years ago, but we decided to work on inside projects first. One of the quick projects was to repaint the lamp post and put on new numbers. We looked at different number options at Home Depot, but all were more than we wantwd to spend. Then we spied these fancy numbers and were set to go (2 or 3 dollars a piece). I spray painted the post one night and attached the numbers the next morning. The brass matches the handle on our front door and stands out so visitors can finally tell what ort house number is. I still have to paint around the glass on the top of thr lamp, but the rest is finished. I’m happy with the result!
Ok, I realize this isn’t a super exciting post, but I’m posting from my phone since Pete has the computer. I’ll have lots of photos to come of Miss Ella’s birthday party yesterday!
Happy One Month!
Today our little Samuel is one month old. He’s now been home with us a few days longer than he was in the hospital after being in the NICU for exactly 14 days. He’s really starting to give us little glimpses of his budding personality. And our strong little guy is already rolling over! I know he did it about a week ago, but I didn’t actually see it. Today I did, though. Tummy to back and back to tummy. Next we’ll be starting him on P90X….or maybe not, but we’re pretty proud of him!