Spring Fever

Last night I enjoyed Margarita Night at Dos Rios with some friends. Kent had a great night at home with the kids but reported that they both missed me at bedtime. I'm sad that they were sad, but it is nice to be missed. :) In fact, one time when I was tucking Kael in I was talking to him about how I wouldn't be around the next night and that Grandma or Grandpa would be tucking him in. Without missing a beat, he replied, "But Mom, I like you the best". Talk about an ego boost!

This warmer weather has totally gotten me in the mood to start cleaning out closets, do some spring shopping, organizing, etc. Kent, always the rational one in this relationship, reminded me that it is, in fact, February in Iowa and there is a pretty good chance there's still at least one good snow storm left this season. (He, of course, is right- we ALWAYS get one more big storm around Girls State Basketball tournament time). What if I pull all of Kylee's sweaters and things and store them away for the winter then what will she wear to school when these 65 degree temps don't last? Darn. Guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks to organize and undoubtedly by then I will have lost the motivation to do it!

I am so happy about these unseasonably warm temperatures that I have been back to running outside. I'm not sure how often you have to run to classify yourself as "a runner" because I've officially run 5 times in 2011. But I do enjoy doing it. I ran almost every day last fall through December but have taken a break for January and most of February. For some reason I just can't bring myself to go to a gym. I just don't do gyms. I should. I should run, and lift weights, and maybe yoga, or Zumba, or something....but that's not for me. There are tons of great jogging paths around my house and the kids are getting old enough and fast enough on their bikes to go along with me when I go running. A little sidenote on running- I think I run a little bit faster and a little bit farther in my favorite running clothes. I have this purple Fila thing (that I love, love, love) with the cute and very practical thumb holes and a little spot for your iPod cord to run through (which would be lovely if I did listen to music when I run, but I don't). The whole point of this story is that one day I was wearing my high-tech gear and feeling quite confident when I dropped Kael off at school because I was planning on running shortly thereafter. One of the boys in his class stared me up and down, clearly unimpressed, and said loudly, "What are you wearing that for?" Oh kindergarteners. Gotta love their honesty. That sure won't stop me from wearing it, but it will stop me from wearing it when I drop Kael off at school.

A couple nights ago we went to State wrestling. Kylee had never been there before and was in awe of all of the people. The kids didn't watch much wrestling but did enjoy the largest bag of popcorn I had ever seen. You'll notice Kylee looks really happy in this picture- like she's really having a good time. Shortly after this picture she scoots up onto my lap and whispers dramatically in my ear, "Mommy I really hate it here." Oh I laughed so hard. I responded by saying, "Me too Kylee, but let's not tell Daddy because he really loves it here and he would be sad if he thought we weren't having fun." She smiled knowingly, like girls do when they have secrets. And she never did tell Kent.

As we were leaving wrestling, Kylee perked up again as she noted, "Mom there are people walking around with little umbrellas in their drinks!" I told her that if she wants to come back next year I will absolutely buy her a drink with an umbrella in it. And you better believe the next morning when she woke up I had some orange juice with a little umbrella and a pink straw waiting for her.

Kael landed on purple yesterday which essentially means he was good at school all day. The kindergarten teachers have a brilliant magnet system where all the kids start on green every day and they can move up or down depending on their choices and actions throughout the day. Purple is the best and if you land on purple you get to choose an item from the treasure box. These heart shaped sunglasses might have topped Kael's list of Best Treasure Box Prize Ever.