Sisters

I am so glad I have sisters.  Two of them to be exact.  Two sisters to talk with, laugh with, and go on adventures with.  Our past is peppered with stories of playing princesses, camping trips at the ocean, late night giggles when our parents thought we were asleep, wild adventures in crazy weather, semi-appropriate fun runs, and dressing up in odd outfits just to go buy a pack of cookies.  I love that with my sisters I can laugh the hardest and be the most honest.  I can ask personal questions about whether or not the pain I have had since child birth is normal or not (it's not, by the way), or simply ramble on about the number of steps my son has taken or the fact that he has a runny nose.  Having sisters means having someone to be there for both the exciting moments and the most mundane.  It means immediately saying "yes" when my sister asks me to do another marathon a mere 10 weeks away because even though I said it was the motivational videos that got me, it was really the thought of spending more time with my sister.  It's watching "Napoleon Dynamite" then deciding that we don't live carelessly enough, so dressing up in wild outfits for a trip to the store (and convincing Evan to join in).  It's laughing about the possible aliens we hear on the lake during a kyaking trip and then making up our own version of S.O.S. that looked more like an interpretive dance with lights on our heads.   Having sisters is a huge blessing that I wish everyone could experience.  I hope Graesen gets some sisters someday (and maybe some brothers too).

Because sometimes you just have to improvise

I am babysitting Phoebe (my niece) today.  My sister said her eye was a little gunky this morning, but we didn't think much of it.  A few hours went by and things got worse.  It definitely looks like pink eye (gross!)  My mom is going to watch Phoebe at her (Phoebe's) house soon so that we stop the spread of this nasty thing.  Since we have already had pink eye at our house this year I am doing what I can to keep Graesen and Phoebe from touching each other.  This is no easy feat.  Those two are always in each other's faces.  I decided I needed to improvise.  I now have both kids sitting in high chairs with popcorn and a movie to keep them apart and Phoebe from touching anything.  Any time they start to fuss I just bring more treats (I just took a break from typing to add popsicles to the mix).  I figure a little junk food is worth stopping the spread of pink eye!

Florida trip 2

Graesen and I got back last night from spending 4 days in Florida.  My best friend I ran with in high school, Jamie, was getting married.  They had a beautiful family wedding at the beach.  I felt so blessed to be invited even though I am not family, and even more blessed that Jamie and her family offered to fly Graesen and I down.  It was a wonderful weekend, and I am so glad I was there to witness my friend marrying the man of her dreams.
Day 1
We had a 6:15 am flight, so Graesen was very tired.  He slept almost the entire way to Florida.  This was wonderful for me!

We flew into Orlando then drove to St. Augustine where the wedding would take place.

Day 2
Jamie and I started the day with a 5 mile run on the beach.  We took turns pushing Graesen in the running stroller while catching up on life.  Jamie is the ultimate running buddy.  We have run many miles together over the years and have great talks while we run.
After a breakfast with Jamie's relatives, we headed to Old St. Augustine for the day.  We toured the oldest fort in the United States.  It was amazing!  Poor Graesen, however, was so hot, sweaty, and sleepy.  At one point I took him into the bathroom and splash handfuls of water all over him to cool him down.

We also toured the old town.  The streets are lined with a mixture of the old original building and new stores.  It was a really neat place to visit.

The bride and groom (his name is Taylor).

In the afternoon I took Graesen for a quick swim in the pool and then some playtime at the beach.

Graesen was so fascinated by the sand.  It is the softest sand I have ever felt.  It felt like ashes.

That night we went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  The wedding was right outside Taylor's dad's condo.  The rehearsal dinner was a delicious bbq by the condo pool.  Graesen was on the move most of the time!

Day 3
We went to the wedding in the morning.  I helped decorate the car while the bride got ready. 

The wedding was on the grass looking out at the ocean.  It was such a beautiful, sweet, and simple ceremony.  I loved it! 

After the ceremony there were pictures on the beach.  I took pictures of Graesen while Jamie and Taylor had their pictures taken.

Jamie, Graesen, and I (not a good picture of me!)

That afternoon pretty much everyone went to the beach.  I got Graesen ready to go only to have him fall asleep.  He hadn't been feeling well (fevers and refusing to drink), so I decided to stay at the hotel and let the little guy sleep. 
In the evening a bunch of us went to dinner at a sea food place.  The place was on a river with a long boardwalk.  I was so excited, because I saw a manatee! It wouldn't come up when I tried to take the picture, but you can kind of see it under the water.

I also saw an alligator, but I didn't get any pictures of it.
Later that night one of Jamie's cousin's watched Graesen so I could go out with everyone for a while.

Day 4
We had brunch with everyone then left for Orlando to catch our flight.  Our plane was delayed, so I spent many hours trying to keep Graesen entertained.  He did great and slept almost the whole way home.

*Other exciting news-Graesen's first tooth broke through today!