Finally Halloween

After several practice runs and plenty of candy, the real Halloween finally reared its pumpkin head. Anastasia opted to be a witch this week and Ainsley swapped her ballerina costume for a "princess witch" one. It's actually a costume my mom made for me when I was four or five. I wore dad's NASA astronaut suit.

We got dressed far too early and had to kill time in the yard until it got dark. Anna had joined us for dinner so she helped keep the ghosts and goblins entertained until night fell. Allie was all over the place.

The sun finally set and we headed off around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful night to be out and the girls got a ton of candy.

Happy Halloween!

Soccer Finale

Today was our final soccer game for the fall season. It was a beautiful morning and thankfully our game was at 11 a.m. so most of the chill in the air was gone. Since there was an odd number of girl teams this year, today's game was actually two games.

We played two quarters versus one team and two quarters versus another team. We won the first game 2-1 and the last game ended in a 0-0 tie. Anastasia played some KILLER defense and generally ran her legs off. We were SO proud of her.

She got perhaps the biggest trophy I've ever seen for a kids soccer league. It has now taken its place among the others. She really seemed to enjoy the season, but I am glad it's over. Two practices a week plus a game has been pretty taxing for our schedule so I'm looking forward to putting my soccer mom persona on the back burner until spring.

Say Cheese

After a friend posted her new family portraits on Facebook I decided it was high time the Lamar Clan got a set of their own. We have TONS of pictures of the girls but precious few of the five of us. We're at a really fun stage right now and I want to capture it with some portraits. Plus it will be nice to have a camera in the hands of a professional so I know that the shots will be good.

I've booked the photographer for next weekend and I know the location I want to use. Now I get to spend the next seven days or so fretting about what everyone is going to wear. I don't want to be all "matchy-matchy" but I do want to coordinate. I guess I'll spend sometime this weekend trying to narrow it down.

It Could Be Worse....It Could Be Raining

I'm not a horror flick kind of girl. I remember dad letting me sit in his lap and watch a Colombo movie on TV once and it gave me nightmares for weeks. It's just not my thing. (Not that Colombo is a horror film...but you get my drift.) But there is one Halloween movie that is a must-watch on my list each October. I was in high school the first time I saw Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein and I remember it like it was yesterday.

The movie has long been a Halloween tradition for Jamie and I. We broke out the DVD again this week, knowing that we'd be too tired to actually watch it after dragging three kids around the neighborhood on the 31st. I swear it gets funnier with every viewing despite the fact we can recite the dialogue by heart. If you've never seen it....well, you're really missing out. Gene Wilder, Terri Garr, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn and Cloris Leachman. Plus a bunch of other characters you'd recognize including a cameo from Gene Hackman. Do yourself a favor this Halloween and Netflix (or Red Box or whatever) this one. You won't be disappointed.

In the Pink of An Eye

Typically I stick to my wordless posts on Wednesday but today there is far too much for a wordless post.

I have caller ID on my work phone so I was dismayed to see the daycare's number pop up right after lunch. Allie's eye was terribly goopy they said. It had been fine in the morning when I dropped her off. They said they'd monitor it for an hour and then call me back. About an hour later my phone rang again. I went over to pick her up, calling the pediatrician along the way. They, of course, were closed for lunch or a staff meeting. I called continuously until 2:10 when I finally got through.

We saw our favorite doctor just before 3 and he declared it was pinkeye. Great. Then it was off to Target for the FIFTY DOLLAR eye drops (Grrrrrr.......), back to daycare to get Ainsley and then to the elementary school to pick up Anastasia.

Her eye looks pretty dreadful so I'm hoping these eye drops made of gold will help.

Wordless Wednesday

Notes From the Road: Training Update #5

You are probably wondering why a bowl of ice is being posted with this week's training update. As it turns out, ice water is how I recovered from my recent 14 mile run. I didn't drink it though, I bathed in it.

Runners swear by recovery ice baths and I must say that once the initial shock wore off, it really did help my legs. I'm up to 76 miles for the month of October. I still have about 70 days to go until the races which means I will log many, many more miles in the weeks ahead.

As I have mentioned before, I am running to support Inheritance of Hope, an organization that provides resources for families with a terminally ill parent. If you or anyone you know can help support this organization I would greatly appreciate it. You can donate at my fundraising page. Every single cent helps.

Trunk or Treat

Each year our fellow church members back their vehicles into the upper parking lot at church and hand out candy for the annual Trunk or Treat celebration. It's such a fun evening for everyone!

Here are the girls all dressed and ready to go. We had to improvise on the costumes as it was over 80 degrees last night! But no matter what they were wearing, they were SO excited about going.

Some people get super creative with their trunks....like this family who had a science lab!

Pastor Sarah and her husband decorated their car with Christmas decorations and wore Christmas hats!

As if tons of candy on a beautiful autumn evening wasn't enough...there were inflatables in the gym. We almost never got them out of there. And to think....we still have the real Halloween next weekend!

Carving Out Some Fun

Pumpkin carving at the Lamar house is serious business. We bought our pumpkins at a roadside stand a few weeks back and they've been sitting on the porch waiting, just waiting for their transformation into Jack-o-lanterns.

The carving is a family affair. Well, at least until the guts come out and the girls get all squeamish about it.

Jamie gets all the credit for this year's AMAZING creations. All I did was buy the gourds and sit in a deck chair with the camera.

Our porch is now graced with two of the coolest pumpkins this neighborhood has ever seen!

Why do they call it futbol?

Anastasia is intrigued by the fact that is most parts of the world soccer is not called soccer, but rather football or futbol. She's mentioned it several times lately and I've done my best to explain it. No matter what she calls it though, she is darn good at it. She is one intense player!

Motivational Mickey

The countdown clock on the Disney website says I have less than 80 days to go until my races. For now I'll ignore the flip-flops that my stomach does every time that I see that clock. I have lots of ways to stay motivated over the next 80 days or so, but one of the coolest and most unique came from my sister-in-law and her hubby.

Check that out! Isn't it neato? It's me...running with all the Disney characters. It's really just too cool. I need to find the right frame for it so I can display it with all my other running stuff.

Ars Gratia Artis

When I was a kid some family friends lived in an amazing house that was built in the 1800's. I wish I had taken more photographs of it, but my mind's eye will have to do. Those mental images, scrubbed and softened by time, don't really do the house justice. I have so many fond memories there. On a wall in one of the upstairs bedrooms a print of Andrew Wyeth's "Master Bedroom" was hung. It always captured the ambiance of that house and how I felt when I was there. The dog in repose on the bed looked exactly like Greta who resided with Dan and Lynn.

A few years ago I asked for the print for Christmas. It now hangs on my side of the bed. Apparently good art attracts other good art, for under my beautiful Andrew Wyeth hangs the works of a new artist.

Yup, Ainsley has taken to finding the Scotch Tape no matter how well I hide it and using it to display her art. If her collection keeps growing I'm going to need a bigger gallery.

Wordless Wednesday

Climb Every Mountain

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will fall off like autumn leaves." - John Muir

Notes From the Road: Training Update #4

I've decided that all marathon training should be completed in October. The scenery cannot be beat. Plus there are the cooler temps, lower humidity and refreshing autumn breezes. I had a good, solid 15 mile weekend. My IT band is holding up well and I have seen a modest improvement in my times. The races are still about three months away, but I've already started doing some visualization and other mental techniques to prepare. I told Jamie that so far this training seems easier than the last go around. I've got a long way to go, but I'm loving every minute.

My fundraising is also going well. I've been blessed by friends (and even strangers!) who have donated to Inheritance of Hope. I'm going to continue to work hard so I can meet my goal!

Boo at the Zoo

Last night we dressed the kids up and made our yearly pilgrimage to Boo at the Zoo.

Anastasia was a witch, Allie was a pumpkin and Ainsley was a princess ballerina. I know Halloween is two weeks away, but Trunk or Treat at church is next week and then of course there is the actual Halloween on the 31st so we decided to spread our candying out. Plus, the weather was PERFECT.

The girls got lots of candy and fun little trinkets. We saw some animals and just had a wonderful evening out as a family. As I watched kids around me in the midst of meltdowns and the throes of tantrums I counted my blessings that all three girls were so well-behaved. They make it so easy to go out and do fun things like this.

Allie seemed to have as much fun as her sisters. She even got to sneak a bite of a Krispy Kreme donut. I think it was love at first bite.

Another Soccer Saturday

I'm beginning to think October is the most wonderful month of the year. Today was one of the most beautiful autumn days we've seen. Fortunately for us, we got to spend part of it at the soccer field.

The Tiger Lilies were handed another tough loss, but Anastasia played well and seemed to have a good time. "They only beat us by one point," she kept saying. We had just completed the tunnel and snacks had been dispersed when all of a sudden...the sprinklers popped on.

Think less sprinkler and more HUGE jets of water. Jamie was soaked through to his underwear. Allie did not fare much better.....

We dried off and headed for home. I can't believe the season is almost over!

Field Trip Fun

Today I took a vacation day and went with Anastasia's class on their field trip to Circle G Ranch. It was rainy and gloomy when we left the elementary school, but the ranch animals are out rain or shine so we pressed on. I elected to drive myself and not ride with a bus full of over-excited children.

We got to the ranch and our class went on the safari first. We loaded onto the big jeep and headed out onto the property. Each child was given a bucket of feed and some of our parents had come with apples and carrots. (I mentally kicked myself at this point as I completely forgot about that part.) The animals come RIGHT up to you. The kids had to be reminded to keep their hands out of the zebra's mouth. Classic field trip fun.

We rode all over the ranch and saw so many animals, some of whom are endangered. I learned a lot! The kids were in heaven. None of them misbehaved, they were too interested in the ranch and its inhabitants. Who also were interested in us.

We got to see a hedgehog. That was Anastasia's favorite part.

After lunch (which we ate in the van because it was so chilly!) we all packed back into the jeep and drove down to the cave. Each child brought a flashlight so they were prepared for some spelunking. This wasn't a "walk right into it" kind of cave. We had to slide down the opening on our butts. I was fighting down some serious panic. One of my girls started whimpering and I almost said, "Okay sweetie, let's go back up!" I swallowed the aforementioned panic and we squeezed through the last opening at the bottom. The cave was amazing! The formations were beautiful and the kids seemed really impressed. I must say though I was quite happy to return above ground.

It turned into a beautiful fall day and I'm so glad I was able to be with Anastasia on this fun day!

Wordless Wednesday

A Prayer for Children

This Sunday at church was Children's Sunday. They were the greeters, ushers and choir. They led the invocation and the children's sermon. It made Ainsley mad because that meant there was no "Children's Church" for her to attend. Since children were a part of the entire service they decided "Children's Church" wasn't necessary. For the prayer and young girl and our pastor tag-teamed. Pastor Andy read the parts in italics and the little girl read the bold parts. It was so very moving.

We Pray for Children
by: Ina Hughes

We pray for children
Who put chocolate fingers everywhere,
Who like to be tickled,
Who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,
Who sneak Popsicles before supper,
Who erase holes in math workbooks,
Who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those
Who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
Who can't bound down the street in new sneakers,
Who never "counted potatoes,"
Who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead in,
Who never go to the circus,
Who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children
Who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
Who sleep with the cat and bury goldfish,
Who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,
Who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,
Who slurp their soup.

And we pray for those
Who never get dessert,
Who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
Who can't find any bread to steal,
Who don't have any rooms to clean up,
Whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
Whose monsters are real.

We pray for children
Who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
Who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
Who like ghost stories,
Who shove dirty clothes under the bed,
Who get visits from the tooth fairy,
Who don't like to be kissed in front of the car pool,
Who squirm in church and scream on the phone,
Whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those
Whose nightmares come in the daytime,
Who will eat anything,
Who have never seen a dentist,
Who are never spoiled by anyone,
Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
Who live and move, but have no being.

They prayed this last part together (and this is when I really started crying):
We pray for children
Who want to be carried
And for those who must,
For those we never give up on
And for those who never get a second chance,
For those we smother.
And for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.
We pray for children. Amen.

Notes from the Road: Training Update #4

I haven't run a race since April. I've put in a lot of miles since then but no real racing miles. When I heard KTC was offering a 10 mile race on 10/10/10 I knew I had to be there. My training plan called for 12 miles this weekend so I figured 10 miles at race pace was close enough.

We took two cars yesterday morning since the start of the race was near church. I changed in the bathroom and ate my sandwich on the way. I had pre-registered so once I got my shirt and my number I went back to my car. It was hot yesterday so I drank plenty of water and listened to music on my iPod. I hiked back up to the start line and made the obligatory Port-A-Potty stop before lining up with the other runners. Thankfully some stranger let me use his spray-on SPF50 sunscreen because it was toasty!

The race started in front of the Alex Haley statue (I actually ran into Alex Haley right before he died. We were at the S&S Cafeteria....but that is a story for another day.) and continued across town to Bearden Elementary. The majority of the race was run on the Greenway. The greenway isn't really wide enough to accommodate 385 runners at once, so it was slow going in the beginning as we were all up on top of each other. I hit the one-mile mark at 9:14. It was a little slower than I had hoped, but not terrible considering how congested it was. We ran along Volunteer Landing and had to run through the Calhoun's parking lot. That was at about mile two. So there we are smelling some of the best BBQ in Knoxville with eight miles left to go. We followed the greenway past the UT Vet School where a LARGE dog with a broken leg was barking like crazy. He had one leg completely in a cast, but I was pretty sure he would've eaten me.

We left campus and crossed through Tyson Park. We exited the park at the back and cross the street to the Third Creek Greenway. This was mile seven and the first time we were in the shade. Miles seven through nine were along a beautiful stretch. We were all really spread out at that point. Mile nine was right in front of EarthFare and that also was our last water stop. I took a cup of water and one of Gatorade. It was the yellow stuff, which I can't stand, but beggars (or dehydrated, hot, tired, thirsty runners) can't be choosers. We had to cross some roadways so there was quite a police presence. I try to always make sure and thank them for stnading in the hot sun and make sure I am not run over by a car.

Around mile nine and a half there was a little boy standing in his yard with a huge garden hose. His parents were standing behind him and with our permission, he was hosing us runners down one-by-one. It was AMAZING. I'm going to write his name in for city mayor. We finished the race at Bearden Elementary and then were bussed back to the start of the race. One of the other runners on the bus said, "I had no idea we were so far from our cars!" Um, hi...we just ran 10 miles across the city. OF COURSE we are that far from our cars. Maybe the heat had addled her brain a bit.

I finished in a time of 1:34:34 which was good enough for 8th place out of 25 women in the 30-34 age division. Overall it was a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon!

From Sun-up to Sundown

Weekends are supposed to be a time of rest, a time to relax and restore the soul. Or, if you live in our house, weekends are a time to squeeze in all the stuff you can't possibly do during the week. I started off with a baby who was up at the crack of dawn. Allie has never heard of a weekend. She doesn't know what that means. I did a 6-mile run and then it was time for soccer.

It was a perfect day to be out on the field, but sadly we didn't get to put this one in the win column. It was a rough game during which Anastasia got smashed in the face with a soccer ball. She recovered and went on to play some killer defense, but it wasn't enough to lift the Tiger Lilies to a victory.

After soccer we had a quick lunch at home and then it was off to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party. Ainsley's best friend just turned 5 so we had to be there for the celebration. I had planned to take Anastasia and Allie to run some errands during the party, but the birthday girl's mom insisted that Anastasia stay and play too. They were apparently the most well-behaved kids at the party (or so the mom said). They didn't blow through all their tokens in five minutes and even asked to wash their hands before they ate.

The party ended at 4:30 so I scooped them up, tossed them in the van and we drove like crazy for home. I had been home about four minutes when the sitter arrived. I threw on my dress, slapped on some jewelry and heels and hit the door. I got to the wedding just in time to meet up with Jamie and the other groomsmen.

It was a beautiful ceremony at the historic Bleak House. The weather was simply amazing! We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed our night out.

Now I need a weekend to recover from my weekend!

Through the Lens

When you're a kid, you look at the world differently. That is no more evident than when I let the girls loose with a camera. They always capture a unique perspective on life I just will never be able to muster. Tonight, Anastasia captured the cat after she had crawled in a plastic bag.
The cat is photographed often. Perhaps due to her proximity to the girls. Then there are the toys. It's funny to see Anastasia and Ainsley take pictures of their Barbies because I have dozens of snapshots of my sister and I with our Barbies.

And of course, there are the self-portraits. (Notice my butt placed squarely behind her!)

All kids should be sent forth with a camera. I've had one in my hands since the age of six. Looking back on those early images I get an insight on my world that isn't possible to gain from an adult's view. And now, with digital cameras, it's easier than ever before to let kids experiment with a camera. There's so much we can all learn when they look through the lens.

From the Mouths of Babes

Last night my dad was part of an evening at the Knoxville Museum of Art for NPCA. He recently published a book of essays with an AMAZING photographer. The book is just plain beautiful. They talked about the book and showed some of the photographs.

Jamie wasn't able to go so the kids and I loaded up (along with the rest of dad's entourage) and headed to the museum. Allie has an ear infection so I had walk around outside the auditorium a lot during the presentation. Ainsley wandered out at one point and said to me, "Granddad's preachin' real good!" I love that kid.

The Joy of Eating

You've heard of the Joy of Cooking, well Allie has learned the Joy of Eating. We're pretty laid-back when it comes to her meals. She's quickly learning to feed herself and loving every minute of it. This week she had spaghetti. And so did the high chair....and the floor....and the walls.

What's In This Box?

This box arrived by FedEx this evening. I want to tell you what's in it, but then I'm afraid you'll think I'm a half-bubble short of level. Before I tell you, I want to remind you that I'm a busy woman. I have a husband, three kids and a full-time office gig. I have to shuttle kids to two soccer practices, a soccer game and ballet practice each week. Oh, and I'm training to run 39.3 miles in two days in January. Seriously, keep these things in mind. It's important justification to what's in the box.

By now you're really wondering what's in there. I've piqued your curiosity. You're going to say it's too early. You're going to say I'm jumping the gun. (Runner's metaphor....I've got a million of them.)

This box holds my Christmas cards for 2010. I'm pausing for you to roll your eyes (or perhaps curse). Yes, I know it's only October 6. And yes, I realize you've done the math to determine that for them to arrive today I must have completed my order in September. But that's OK. It's just that I have the PERFECT Christmas card this year, perhaps the best one ever created and I am just a *teensy-weensy* bit excited about it. Plus now I don't have to worry about ordering them. Just addressing them.......

Wordless Wednesday

Goodnight Moon

Okay, so this picture wasn't taken tonight, but rather this morning. I just felt like Goodnight Moon sounded like a better title than Good Morning Moon. The girls and I were heading out to the car when we looked up and spotted this thumbnail of a moon. They liked how you could see the rest of the moon in shadow. We had a nice discussion about the sun and the moon on the way to school. I was at my desk before the sun actually rose so it was nice to start the day with such a beautiful gift. Good morning moon.

Notes From the Road: Training Update #3

I ran 16 miles this weekend. 11 of those were on Saturday morning. I quickly discovered that running in Tennessee's oldest town is a much hillier prospect than running on the greenway here at home. It was a good run and I was pleased to discover minimal soreness the next day.

It was a beautiful day for a run. And with scenery like this, I didn't even notice the miles.

I ran past a few of the tents where festival goers were laughing and applauding. When the wind was right, I could even hear the tellers. I also was able to hear an old man shout at me as I passed him on the street. "Naked woman runnin," he said. I actually looked around to see if there was some naked woman running near me. Then it dawned on me that he meant me. I was fully-clothed at the time so I am not sure what his exclamation meant. I also got honked at later in my run so perhaps I need to adjust my running attire!

So that's the update from the road. Still plugging along with my fundraising as well. If you know anyone who would like to Support Inheritance of Hope, please share my fundraising page with them. Every donation helps!

The Jolly Postman

While we were at Nana and Granddad's over the weekend I picked up an old favorite of mine for the bedtime story. It's called The Jolly Postman.

It's a charming little book about a Postman and all of the adventures he has on his route as he delivers the mail. His recipients include the Giant who resides in Beanstalk Gardens.

The Giant was receiving a postcard from Jack who was on vacation with the Golden Goose. There also is a letter from Goldilocks apologizing to the three bears.

The girls loved reading it and enjoyed pulling each of the letters out of their envelopes as we read. It makes me wonder what other wonderful children's books I have forgotten to read to them.