Safety First...

I think that I can safely summarize this post with two pictures of Scout from this weekend...

Who needs clothes when you have a helmet and a pull-up.  Rock-on my little Evil Kenevil!

An Unsolved Mystery...

Scout's curiosity and zest for life are often the cause of unusual events within our home.  So, while this has become par for the course, yesterday's unusual event left, even, me scratching my head. 

Scout is doing a great job with her potty training; however, she still has accidents.  For this reason, I always have Scout wear a pull-up when we are outside of the home.  Yesterday, we had a morning out with my mother, Scout and Jackson's Nani.  When we left the house, Scout was wearing a pull-up.  When I took her to the bathroom at the restaurant, she was wearing a pull-up.  And, you guessed it, when we came home she was wearing a pull-up.  But, just 2 hours later, without the help of anyone, she was wearing underwear and her pull-up was missing.  So, what happened?  I have no idea.  When we returned home, Scout, Jackson & I headed outside to enjoy the sunshine.  I planted some pansies and raked the garden.  Jackson and Scout played with the outside faucet and rocks in the driveway.  At one point, Scout went into the house, but I watched her go in and stand in front of the TV.   Within two minutes, she was outside again.  As I was picking up the rake and the kid's toys, Scout asked me to hold her, so I picked her up.  Immediately, I felt that she was not wearing a pull-up; she had on underwear.  I carried her inside and checked the bathroom for the pull-up, and it was not there.  I couldn't believe it actually would have been put in the trash can, but I checked there too~no pull-up.  I asked Jackson if he knew what happened to Scout's pull-up, and he had no idea.  At this point, I gave up.  I figured the pull-up would eventually turn up, and it did...

Later that evening, I was putting my keys away in the "key jar."  As I approached the jar, I saw something white sticking out of it.  You guessed it... the missing pull-up. Another unsolved mystery courtesy of Scout!

The missing pull-up in the key jar

 And, because she is so adorable, I couldn't resist adding this photo from earlier today.  

Sporting sunglasses with a raincoat & rainboots

"I LOVE Boston!"

Scout will happily tell you that she LOVES Boston, and I think that I can safely say that the residents of Boston LOVE Scout.  She was a big hit!  From the moment we hit the expo, Scout was high-fiving sales associates, charming people with her big blue eyes, and receiving "free" samples of every chocolate refueling confection.  

Outside the Expo

After the expo, we headed off to Wade & Ward's aunt and uncle's home, outside of Boston, which would serve as our "home" for the next couple of days.  The weather was gorgeous, so all of the kids spent time playing outside.

Coloring with chalk & sporting a Jet Blue sweatband from the expo

Scout, Ward & Izzy on the trampoline

Early the next morning, we were anxiously watching weather reports, packing bags, and getting four kids ready for the trek to mile 23 of the Boston Marathon.  We started our journey in Grafton and took the T to North Station.

Waiting for the T

Immediately upon arrival in Boston, we headed to Starbucks for an emergency caffeine fix.  And, although, people, who shall remain nameless, tease me about my LOVE of Starbucks, Starbucks did help us find our way home later that day.

Oooh, how I LOVE you!

Next, we began our "death march" to mile 23 of the marathon.  While the walk was not a problem for Jen and I, it did cause some problems for Tucker and Jackson.  Jackson tripped and fell in the middle of the street, and Tucker, depending on what version of the story you heard, twisted his ankle 3 to 9 times.  However, thanks to Jen, we had an awesome spot awaiting our arrival on Beacon street.  The kids were able to refuel and cool down while the adults watched elite runners pass by on the street below.  It was truly an amazing experience.

Scout & Izzy refueling and waiting for their dads 

Finally, Jen received the text that Wade and Ward had reached the 30k mark.  We anxiously gathered our belongings and headed to the street to cheer the guys on.   Unfortunately, my pictures are horrible.  Trying to find Wade and Ward in the crowd was nearly impossible, and when they arrived it happened so fast.

Mark hugging Wade

Ward (with Tucker) holding back the flood of tears

Now, it was a race to the finish for the guys and the families.  Learning our lesson from our 3 mile trek, we hopped on the T to reach the finish line.  Scout, once again, made fast friends.  She was extremely fascinated with the man standing in front of us, and I was extremely apprehensive about this stranger.  As it turns out, he couldn't have been nicer.  Scout's new friend, Angel, entertained her for at least 3 stops of the T.

As worried as I was about Scout in Boston, I must agree with her new saying, "I LOVE Boston!"

Now, if only Wade and Ward could qualify again for next year...

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Lately, it seems like I have become a "worry procrastinator".  While I am a worrier, I have so much on my plate that I don't worry, or, for that matter, plan for events until a day or two before they actually occur.  


Well, let the worrying begin...
On Sunday, our family will travel to Boston, so Wade can run the Boston Marathon.  I am extremely proud of Wade, and his brother Ward.  They have worked incredibly hard to gain entry to this marathon, and they have definitely put in the miles to ROCK Boston.  While I am slightly worried for Wade ( I want him to run the best race possible), he is not the main source of my worry.


This is the main source of my worry...

Scout, taking a little rest in time-out.

As I am writing this post, the following questions are running through my mind...How am I going to keep Scout safe in Boston?  Rather, how am I going to keep Boston safe from Scout? Will Jackson be scarred for life?  Are leashes "legal" for children? Where will time-out be located? 


What could possibly go wrong?

Easter Photos

I must confess that I am exhausted!  Between the nervous energy of running a half marathon and preparing for numerous Easter festivities, I am officially wiped-out.   However, I thought that I would share some pictures of Easter with Scout.  

The Easter Bunny arrived bright & early this morning~about 5:50ish!

Shortly after a candy-filled breakfast, Scout climbed into her Easter basket with her new bunny.

For approximately 1 hour today, Scout was clean and looking like a little lady.

Jackson, Nannie & Scout trying hard to get the "perfect" Easter picture.

Scout searching for Easter treasure during the egg hunt.

Scout & Mommy sharing a sweet Easter moment.

Happy Easter!

P.S. I totally for forgot to include this picture of Scout's hair from this morning...

"I run fast!"

A couple of weeks ago, I registered Wade, Jackson and myself for Race the Runways in Brunswick, Maine.  Wade was registered for the mile, Jackson was registered for the kid's fun run (about 1/4 mile), and I was registered for the half marathon.  I knew that Jackson would not be too excited about the actual run, but he would like the swag (i.e. shirt, bag, and medal).  As the race approached, I realized that I had probably registered the wrong child for the kid's fun run.  Even though Scout is only two, she loves running.   In fact, she tells people, "I run fast."  So, yesterday was the big day.  Scout made her running debut.

A healthy pre-race snack

Walking out to the starting line

"Racing" to the finish

Scout's first medal!

Congratulations, Scouty!  You do run fast.

And...

For anybody that cares, Scout's mom ran fast yesterday too.  I was able to complete the half marathon in under two hours (just barely).  However, I did take over 12 minutes of last year's time.

Official time: 1:59:15

Thank you to Maine Running Photos!  Photos 2, 3 & 5 were taken from: http://mainerunningphotos.com/

Translation...I Rock!

Anyone who has parented a child or who has provided daily care for a young child knows that one of your many jobs is to serve as a translator for the foreign language young children speak.  For example, one of Scout's favorite sayings is: "Me hold you." Translation: "Pick me up, and hold me."  Some translations are not this easy, and one infamous phrase uttered by Scout had been a mystery to me until early this morning.  


Scout has been having a difficult time sleeping through the night.  She would prefer to sleep with Wade and I, but we would prefer that she did not.  So, for the better part of the week, she will wake up one or two times a night, and cry out, "I want my mommy-uh."  This is not a knew phrase for Scout.  She has been saying this for months, mostly when she is sick, and the word "mommy-uh" has been a mystery to me.  She does not call me "mommy-uh" during the day, so why would she call me "mommy-uh" at night?  Well, very early this morning, I solved the mystery of "mommy-uh."  Scout woke up screaming, "I want my mommy-uh" this morning around 1:30.  And maybe it was the repetition of this phrase, or my early morning brain kicking in, but it FINALLY made sense.  Translation: "I want my mommy to come."  Oh yeah, I rock!  

Scout & Mommy this morning

I will also share another quick, cute story from this morning.  Scout has a little "boy" friend at daycare.  And, these two really do like each other, but they are both very, very active (aka wild) children.  Scout and her little "boy" friend arrived at daycare at the same time this morning.  As I was carrying Scout in, the little boy was being carried in by his father.  I said to Scout, "Will you be a good girl today?"  And, the father said to me, "Your kidding, right?"  I replied, "I'm not kidding, just praying."

Happy Monday!