Happy 4th!!

This post is brought to you by a bottle of rioja, and 9:30 pm fireworks that require one parent to stay home with the BABY, and the other to escort the three-year-old to his first foray into colorful explosions in the night sky. As the one stuck at home in a quiet house with nothing but my iPod and the hum of the monitor to keep me company, I'm not sure I have the better end of the deal. But I do have some rioja, so that helps.

So, Happy Independence Day! I tried very hard (somewhat hard) (not at all) to dress my kids in festive red white and blue and capture wonderful photos of them. This is the best I came up with:





Lucy's outfit was picked out well in advance, but Finn had an early morning accident that necessitated M. dressing him (as the parent on duty for early morning risings today, and the one with slightly - but only slightly, as I would classify him as a metrosexual - less fashion sense) in whatever he could find. The polo shirt and red/blue plaid shorts I had planned were no longer acceptable once I dragged myself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 7:30, so instead you are stuck with half-hearted attempts to capture the kids (and me, in one photo) in various play activities. I would have tried harder had Finn been slightly more presentable, but I'm sure I would have merely frustrated and disappointed us all.

I'm going to blather on about some very unrelated topics now (Ooh, by the way, the fireworks just started, can hear them from our house, they sound QUITE thrilling).

1) Took Finn to Toy Story 3 this past weekend. It was his first time in a movie theater. I knew he had the attention span for it by now, as he has sat through several movies already. But I wasn't sure how he'd do with the dark and the loud sound system. I can now safely report that he does, in fact, do quite well with those things. He enjoyed the whole movie, and only got a little tired right at the very end. I pulled him onto my lap in the midst of the "scary" part, to make sure he was okay, and he told me he was tired and asked if the movie was over yet. But he made it through the ending credits, and apparently had such a good time that he broke down sobbing in the lobby when he discovered that we couldn't go watch another movie right away (don't think Lucy and the babysitter would have been too happy about a double feature).

2) Finn watched an episode of Special Agent Oso from the Disney Channel this morning. The premise is built upon a trainee spy bear who is learning the ropes, basically through his talking watch called Paw Pilot. Paw Pilot gives him instructions in the form of steps, in song. Am I the only one who hears the songs and immediately thinks: "Step 1: cut a hole in a box. Step 2:..."

3) I had another crappy workout last night, but this was after a good 3 hours out in the sun with the kids and a couple (2.5) glasses of wine the night before. I am not discouraged, and I spent some time downloading a few new songs for my iPod after the workout (to help with Tuesday's workout and beyond). I took Lori's suggestion, and looked up a few other running mixes on iTunes to get some suggestions. I added to my Lady Gaga collection, put in a few eclectic songs with a good beat (One Republic, Alien Ant Farm's version of Smooth Criminal), and downloaded some songs that I unabashedly just enjoy (some Pink, Kelly Clarkson, etc). I find the thing that keeps me going during a run most is not a steady beat, but a song I really enjoy, one that I would sing along to if I had the breath to do so.

4) One of my closest friends came over for dinner tonight with her fiance. She lives in Baltimore, which is just far enough away to make it inconvient to get together, especially now that I have kids. We met as hallmates in college, eventually became roommates, and spent SO much time together in college. I have so many great memories hanging out with her and my friend Jen. The three of us had many, many laughs together. It's wonderful and sad to spend time with someone who knew you so well once, and still knows you. It's like we can pick up wherever we left off, whenever we want to. I feel like the friends I make now only get to know part of me, the part that has a job and kids. Not the stupid/crazy/funny/rebellient/do-gooder/virginal-but-trying-to-lose-it/loving/ambivalent person I was back then. Am still now, occasionally (when I've had too much rioja?). I am still that person, the one my high school friends and college friends knew/know. And yet I live near none of them, see none of them on anything more than an erratic basis. It's lonely and disheartening and hard. I wish, wish, WISH I lived closer to my friends. I don't make them easily.

Just really, really wishing it was even slightly possible for us to move back home, to my home, right now.

Some coffee in the morning and a lovely bagel slathered in veggie cream cheese should bring me out of that funk, I'm sure.

Whatever the case, as one of the two maids of honor, I'm on deck to plan the bridal shower and bachelorette party for my friend. I'm expecting lots of social awkwardness on my part, but hopefully lots of fun, too. Your favorite non-lame activities associated with both those situations are hereby solicited...

ps: I don't normally say stuff like this, but I do work on an Army post, and I have come to have enormous respect for the people that serve our country in the Armed Forces. I really do respect everyone who has signed up for the job, those who have deployed, are deployed, or are serving our country here in the U.S. It is not an easy life, it is downright scary at times, and I am grateful we have them. Happy Independence Day to all Americans, and especially those who serve in the Armed Services.