The downside of Disney's Frozen on Ice

A few months ago I saw tickets for Disney's Frozen on Ice go on sale. Even Sierra loved the movie and they have watched it countless times in the car and we have listened to the CD to death (possibly my death!). Brad suggested that it might be a good "girls night" so I talked my sweet friend Lisa into joining us! I'm not gonna lie... it was pretty awesome! Great skating, cool effects, happy kids. What's not to love?

And this. This is why I love Lisa!

Very cool monster effects

Beautiful costumes

Don't deny it... You just started singing "Let it go"!

Cadence catching "snow" as it fell into the audience.  

We later discovered that it was actually bubbles. 

And this... what can make one happier than Olaf?

Except a particularly adorable 5 year old who loves Olaf!

And this sweet smile (I'm not neglecting Sierra, sadly she just stopped hamming it up for the camera a few years ago)

A little smile from her

Unfortunately though, while all of this kids looked like this:

I was sitting next to them feeling like this:

Why?  Because these days are numbered. And going fast. So, so very fast.  I feel like it was just last year that we took Sierra to go see Dora when she was two years old. I don't even think that she understood exactly what was happening on stage but when everyone else clapped you'd have thought Sierra just watched her favorite Olympian take the gold! She was so freaking excited! I swear, we did that just last year. Then last month we brought Cadence home from China as she toddled around with her big, beautiful cleft smile. Yet somehow this morning she hopped out of my car with her oversize back pack and walked right into kindergarten. It. Makes. My. Heart. Ache. 

Don't get me wrong. Brad and I already talk about the trips that we will take and the things that we will do in 13 years when the last one heads off to college. However, I'm already getting a strong taste of teenage-hood. And I have to admit that I kind of prefer a preschooler meltdown to it. I know, I know, there are lots of good things about the kiddos growing up. And that's what we brought them here to do, right? To guide them through this world, hopefully get some of it right and send them out on their way to be good, kind, contributing members of society.  I just want it to slow down a little bit. Maybe a lot. I want to know that someone will always be there to excitedly throw her arms around my neck when I get home. I want to have a little one to cuddle in my lap when I read a book. I want sweet, homemade cards with hearts all over it "just because". I want it all for a little longer than it's going to last. It's almost enough to think about having another. We did actually start the paperwork for a second adoption this past winter. Then reality smacked us in the face when we realized that most days we barely keep our heads above water with three. So, we stopped. I think what I realized is that I don't necessarily want another child, I just want more time with the ones I've already got. 

So instead of lamenting I'm going to try and be more intentional with my time with my girls. While there are certainly days when I count the minutes til bedtime (and I won't pretend like I shouldn't ever feel that way) these days are flying by. It's time to put more focus in the right places.

How technology is killing us

Okay, so maybe it's not killing us, but it surely it is decreasing our quality of life.  Don't get me wrong, I know that there are an infinite number of ways that technology helps us and improves our day to day life.  It's those other moments that you see all of the time.  The ones where someone is completely oblivious to the world around them because all that they see is their phone. Or maybe you don't see these moments.  Maybe you, too, miss it all because you are too busy looking at your phone.  Maybe you missed that beautiful bird that flew by or that perfect moment when the sun set because you were checking the game score on your phone.  Did you see that loving glance from your spouse or your daughter was doing her first perfect cartwheel or were you too occupied checking Facebook?  Or maybe there is practically a circus going on around you but you miss it all because you are too busy texting?  

Lisa and I went trapezing a few weeks ago.  It was a Friday night and it was busy.  There were all kinds of classes and practices happening.  While waiting for my next chance to climb the ladder and fly I looked over at my other classmates.  Five out of six of them were on their phones.  With all of this awesomeness going on around them, they were on their PHONES!  Don't get my wrong, I get it.  When I am walking out of work in the morning my phone feels like an itch in my pocket.  It just feels like I should be doing something with it!  Since when do I need something else to occupy me other than just walking out of work?  But I have to actively NOT pull my phone out to mess with it.  The same thing happens at home with my I-pad.  I want to glance at it in the morning while I eat breakfast, but I am sitting at the table with my kids.  Although everyone may be in a silent early morning stupor, I should just "be" with them.  If I'm looking at my I-pad I might miss Laurel's sweet smile across the table or giggling with Sierra when she dribbles her milk.  And to think that all of my classmates missed this: 

I'm probably okay with the fact that they missed this!

But I was pretty stinkin' impressed with this...

And Lisa was fairly impressed with this!

The grand finale!

Next time you feel that itch, try to resist it.  You never know what you might see!

Warrior Dash 2011

Besides being an amazing friends,  Lisa is my go-to girl for adventure!  Pretty much anything I throw her way she is open to trying (I'm still working on repelling off of a skyscraper though!).  When I mentioned the Warrior Dash, aka The Craziest Frickin' Day of Your Life, back in the spring she decided to start training.  She did an awesome job getting ready physically for the race, but more importantly,  I knew she'd be up for having a good time!  Three and a half miles and twelve obstacles is not a problem when you are cackling the whole time!

It didn't take much thought for our costumes.  It had to be The Tortoise and the Hare.  Kickin' it back to March 2010 when we were Team Tortoise and No Hair and shaved our heads for St.Baldrick's (one of the best events of my life, btw)! 

There were only 2 low-points about the Warrior Dash. 
#1 - We got an email the night before the race to say that their liquor license was denied and they wouldn't be serving beer.  While I wasn't planning to get plastered, I was counting on a few beers to get me through #2...
#2 - It was 50 degrees!!  And we were going to be wading through chest deep water (which for me meant swimming!)  Can you say B-R-R-R-R?

In the end though, we came, we saw, we scaled walls and jumped over fire, we dove into mud pits, and we planned our costumes for next year's race!  We had a blast!

Tortoise and No Hair

"Slow and steady wins the race" - we heard this a lot!

What we had to look forward to

Zombie fire jumping

Wet, muddy slippery cars

Trying to figure out how to get across without getting wet

Log rolling bunny

Wet tortoise

Fire jumping bunny

Lisa's fab mud pit jump

Lisa trying to recover from said fab mud pit jump

Our rinse station - the James River

My injury to show my true warriorness - a jammed finger

(possibly broken but since I'm a nurse I refuse to go get it x-ray'd!

Flying high!

Ever since I heard it mentioned over a year ago I knew that I had to do this:  Trapeze School!  Who could NOT want to do this?!  And it is right in my own backyard in DC... how did I get so lucky?!  I talked my adventure buddy, Lisa, into doing it with me.  We headed up early in case of traffic and had enough time to walk down on the Navy pier.  The class was 2 hours long.  I had figured they would teach us for an hour or so and then we'd get to fly a couple of times.  Nope... they talked for about 10 minutes and then we got going!  There were 10 students in the class and we all went 6-8 times.  It was a blast!  The initial jumping off the platform and then letting go of the bar to dangle by my knees was scary, but after that it was all adrenaline!  By the end of class I had done a flip dismount and was caught by one of the teachers.  Of course, we signed up for two more classes!

Relaxing before class

Lisa went first

I'm ready to go!

and... let go!

"I gotcha"

Lisa finally lets go!