Girls on Track 5k!

Today we ran a 5k together!  It was Katie, Anna, and Janae's first official 5k race.  We had a blast!

My two 12 year olds.  What goofballs!

Do you realize how hard it is to get a decent picture of these two?!  They take after their dad... never a serious pose.

The Ritenour Middle School Girls on Track team.

New fancy running shoes (courtesy of Girls on Track donors) ready to be put to work.

I Went Walking

I went walking...

What did you see?...

I saw a small lizard looking at me.

After Ben left for work, I ate a delicious hot breakfast at the hotel restaurant, finished reading a book (The Wednesday Wars) on a bench by the pond, and went for a beautiful peaceful walk around Orlando.  What a wonderful walk!  so... Did you know... they have lizards here like we have worms in Missouri??  No joke.  As you walk along the sidewalks, the lizards get startled and scurry across to the other side of the sidewalk.  Just like skipping over the worms on the sidewalks after a Missouri rain, I was trying to avoid lizards on the sidewalks of Florida.  Just for the record... I prefer dodging lizards to worms.

Happy 13th Anniversary!

Ben and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary in Florida!

He has been traveling a lot for work lately since he manages IT groups all over the world.  We talked about how fun it would be if we could at least go together.  He said we could if we paid for me.  hmmmm.... That got the wheels turning.  So we decided to plan a business trip together.  He knew he was going to have to go back to Orlando, so we just planned to do it the week of our anniversary.  He went for business and I got to tag along.  Yay for me! 

Well it's not fair that I get to have all the fun, so Ben took a day off of work while we were there and we went to Cocoa Beach.

The beaches in Florida are AMAZING!  The sand is sooo soft!  It's fine and white and sparkly.  Even way out into the ocean, the ocean floor was smooth and soft.  I loved feeling the sand beneath my feet.  I loved standing as the water lapped at my feet, eroding the sand out from under them making divots and holes beneath me. 

 We had so much diving into the waves, swimming below them, body surfing, and trying to jump with them.  The salt water went up my nose and stung my eyes.  It was much more salty than I had anticipated.  It tasted nasty and I tried my best not to get it into my mouth.  But waves are unpredictable and as I was trying to recuperate from the salty onslaught, a wave would come up and knock into me from behind making my hair go all over my face.  Then as I would try to move my hair out of the way, another wave would smash into me.  Lol.  It was hilarious and fun.  And as we were laughing at me, another wave would swell up . . . well you get the idea.  I got a lot of salt water in the face throughout our swim.  I told Ben that there was no need to perform the Ted Hamblin ritual of spitting in the ocean "to become one" because I think I left a bucketful of snot behind.  He said, "Saline washes are actually quite good for you."  Lol.  I think the sand and salt was a good exfoliator too.  I was very soft (and swollen) after my shower.  A great free spa treatment.  Good exercise too.  I totally loved the push and pull of the waves.  It was an unforgettable experience and I'm so glad Ben and I got to share this day together at the beach. 

Life is good.  The world is beautiful!  God has greatly blessed me.

Daila's Nose TV

 Daila has had an interesting road to travel... Not a bad one, just interesting.  This is the latest stop on her road.  We took her to Children's Hospital today for some tests to determine if there is an organic cause to her hypernasality in speech. 

Children's Hosptial in St. Louis is amazing.  They sent her a coloring book in the mail to prep her for the visit.  They gave the doctors names and the specifics for the velopharyngeal insufficiency tests so she knew exactly what to expect.  The book said her nose was going to be on TV and that sounded so fun and silly to Daila, so she was excited.  Here are some of our pics that day:

 Daila tries out the camera and is on TV!  She did very well repeating all the silly things the speech patholigist wanted her to say.  Even did pretty good on "Methodist Episcopalian Church".  (Yes they really asked her to say that.)

 Then Daila got to color on Lynn's iPad while Dr. Molter and his helper put a long camera down her nose.  This was not comfortable.  This was not as exciting as the the book had her hoping it would be.

They looked all around inside her nose while she said more silly strange sentences about Charlie's teacher at church and popping bubbles and other such nonsense.  She did very well and was very cooperative.  It was fascinating to watch her insides move up and down to make the sounds necessary for speech. 

She didn't complain at all, although a tear trickled down her cheek.  But she reassured me later in the car (without even being prompted... I said nothing about it making her cry) that "I was NOT crying, Mom.  The camera just made water come out."  I told her I understood completely and that it was normal for your eyes to water when your nose was being messed with.  She was amazing.

They had to squirt barium dye up her nostrils later that afternoon for her xrays.  She was very brave for that too.  She is an amazingly cooperative little girl.  It's like she just understands that we are all trying to help her and do what's best for her.  And she TRUSTS us!  Even strangers.  If I tell her that the doctor needs to stick a camera down her nose so she can speak and we can see inside her, she says, "Ok.  I will be a good girl."  Amazing.

Even amazing little 6 year olds get worn out.  Afterall...  nobody's perfect.  lol  Now we wait and see what the cleft palatte team at Children's has to say about her data.  I'm hoping for a "wait and see" if she develops out of the nasality through adaptation and growth.  The speech path said the air leakage was minimal.  If it happens to be structural, we're looking at surgery.  We. will. see.

Daila's Talk

Anna gave a talk today during Sacrament Meeting. She did a great job. Daila (always looking up to her sisters) decided that she wanted to write a talk too. This is what she wrote during church:

"Heavenly Father loves us.  And I know he knows that Jesus loves us too.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."  Underneath her talk ("tok tok tok") she drew a picture of herself with Heavenly Father and Jesus . . . well and Smurfette too.  :) 

I think it's safe to say both my girls gave a good talk during Sacrament Meeting today.  :)

What a dork....

Janae can always find something to do to keep herself busy.  That doesn't mean it's always a good idea, but she is never short on ideas.

She asked if she could play on my phone while waiting for me to get an immunization at Walgreens.  This is what I found when I looked at the pictures on my phone.  A picture Janae took of herself on the store's security cameras.  What a dork . . . . but I sure love that crazy girl.

Cousin Sleepover

"Hi.  I'm Ethan.  ...  I'm very adorable.  I'm funny."  This is how Ben was greeted by our nephew (David and Amanda's 4 year old son) when he and his sister, Julia, came to visit us for the weekend.

 Well he is pretty adorable, isn't he.  :)  He charmed all the ladies in Relief Society today in his quiet, shy, compassionate way.  He would play on the floor, then come and caress my cheek.  Draw a picture, then sit on my lap.  Drink some lemonade, then say, "I love you, Linda."  What a charmer.  He sure knows how to treat a lady.  Wonder where he learned that from? ... ahem ... David ...   

 Ethan blow dried my hair after my shower.

 Anna helps Ethan put on his fairy wings.

 Ethan is all set!  He wore this for the majority of his stay at our house.  Fairy wings, devil horns, forked tail, and a wand.  He was a "good dragon" he said.  He and Julia watched Harry Potter with our girls and Julia spent most of the weekend casting spells.  "Wingardium Leviosa!"

 Daila waits for Ethan at the bottom of the waterslide.

 Julia also enjoys the waterslide at the Aquaport in Maryland Heights.

 On Sunday, Princess Julia, Princess Daila and their good dragon have tea with Lady Janae.

 "Ohhh... It's hot," says Princess Julia.  ;-)

We had soo much fun with Ethan and Julia this weekend! We can't wait for another cousin sleepover.