Our week was busy, except for when it wasn’t because of the pouring rain and flash floods. But mostly busy.

Sunday:

I mean, I only have three doll houses, why not buy another one? (I did not)

Caroline is destined for music videos with lots of mind machines

I appreciate how the trees on the point hide most of the nuclear power plant. More scenic.

Monday:

I’ve never actually seen the state capitol before

Confucius say: Give a man $120 and he will give you an LLC.

Sometimes I take pictures of stuff I want to remember to keep on my phone, but then I forgot to leave them on my phone.

Tuesday:

The local tax office is located in part of an old TB hospital.

HUGS

We love the sunflowers

Wednesday:

Really excited for gymnastics

Playdates make me hungry, and this was super delicious

I told Evan he is my photography assistant, and he said that means he has to push the stroller.

Thursday:

Grocery store in the pouring rain

Destroying the house and having pillow fights in the pouring rain

Watching Thor in the pouring rain

Friday:

Princess Sadface returns

Five kids under a table.

Despite that face, the rainbow ice was delicious.

Saturday:

Home run!!

I never should have showed her how the front-facing camera works.

Restarted C25K. This time I am determined to finish.

The urgency to do as many things and have as much fun as possible before summer is over has hit. I was actually grateful for a rainy miserable day to stay home and relax (even though we ended up having friends over and totally wearing out my kids). July is almost over and August is going to FLY by and then Evan starts 5 days a week morning pre-k, which I am both totally ready and not at all ready for. They grow up so fast, etc etc, but I’m looking forward to a new stage where I have a lot more time to focus on things I love (especially photography) instead of just being Mommy.

I’m not going to lie, things are not going great around here. We see E for less than an hour a day (which will happen every day for at least the next 36 days) but to see him at ALL means we have to skip our morning activities. Caroline has decided napping is for the birds, but so is going to bed before 8 pm (those last 2 hours in the evening are ROUGH). And Evan is still three, which means he recently learned the word “attitude” – literally, he now tells me all about his attitude – and I’m about ready to sell him to the circus. Our week felt a bit like Groundhog Day – the same things over and over and over – so I’m REALLY looking forward to the end of this coming week, when we head off to Long Island for an end of summer adventure.

Sunday:

Exhausted from a weekend with friends, THANK GOD.

HAHA JAY KAY MOM! I’m not exhausted I’m trying to give you a heart attack!

Hand washing device aka drinking fountain

Monday:

Fish through a fish-eye lens are fun

Giant Oreo cupcake is no match for two toddlers

Then I almost killed myself trying to do C25K Week 5 with a stroller on a hilly path.

Tuesday:

Cheeeeeese!

Filling out pre-k applications for NEXT year. Cross your fingers (it’s a lottery).

Dream big, little ginger

Wednesday:

I asked her to put her jammies in the laundry basket. At least she followed directions?

That blur in the middle is Evan jumping off the tumble track all on his own for the very first time!

Not impressed with BJ’s

Thursday:

Oh no it’s a ghost! A friendly ghost – It goes “woooooo!” and tries to tickle you.

Evan is obsessed with his shadow. Time to watch Peter Pan, I think.

Those popsicles were a mistake.

Friday:

So happy to be back at Stroller Strides!

Sharing!!!

I’m starting a diet challenge in 2 weeks. Guess I better order BOTH of these sandwiches NOW!

Saturday:

He says this is much more comfortable. Whatever.

Me: That’s you Caroline! The baby in the pictures is you! Caroline: *mind blown*

After ALL THIS she still refused to nap.

In case that last picture isn’t clear, it’s Caroline in MY BED with two dollies, two blankies, two stuffed mice, her water, her baby laptop, her sound/light machine AND Daddy’s iPad. She insisted I drag it all up to my room and then lay in bed talking to herself for 90 minutes (even after I turned off the iPad). It was a really long day. So now I’m going to bed – good thing I never took off my pajamas! – and hoping we can get out of the house tomorrow for something that takes a LOT of toddler energy.

I’m guessing since Amy had a baby (!!!!!!!) this week, the linky will be off for a while. But feel free to leave links to your iphone posts in my comments, I love looking at them!

Home again, home again jiggity jig – although life isn’t going to REALLY settle down until I get back from BlogHer in August.

Sunday:

Why do I look so happy to be awake at 5 am?

So happy to be home he fell asleep

Making up for vacation with C25K at the track

Monday:

She missed the pool so I let her play in the sink

Squishing Caroline. At least it was GENTLE squishing.

I don’t need no stinkin’ clothes

Tuesday:

MOMARAZZI ATTACK

Checking out North Lake

Have you heard of these things Mom? They’re called cucumbers. I need more, immediately.

Wednesday:

FIRE TRUCKS THAT THROW CANDY OMG WUT HEADSPLOSION

Cousins rented a water slide. Evan was on it for LITERALLY 8 hours. At least.

Happy Birthday ‘Merika!

Thursday:

Motorboatin’

Still exhausted from the waterslide

C25K again – This is the local high school

Friday:

Arrrrgggghhhh

Stroller Strides. HOT AS BALLS.

Ginger boy makes friends with stray ginger kitty – head explodes with gingery awesomeness.

Saturday:

Graham cracker thief looks guilty

The garden store is my happy place

Target is my even happier place

It’s amazing how fast the summer days go even when all we’re really doing is hanging out trying to stay cool. I think we’ll spend the rest of the weekend THINKING of things to go do and then doing none of them.

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

I recently started running, what with it being so good for me and so many people talking about this great Couch to 5k program and maybe crying a little at that stupid coffee commercial where the mom holds her kindergarten aged daughter’s hand as she runs across the finish line of her first race. KNOCK IT OFF, COFFEE COMMERCIAL. I drink you to just barely make it through my day with 2 kids, not for your magic race-running properties.

It turns out I still feel the same way about running I did when I was 10 – I HATE it. Everything about it. I hate the stupid running sports bras that are supposed to keep me from giving myself 2 black eyes from all the bouncing. I hate the expensive running shoes that the guy at the running store made me buy in a giant clown-shoe size so my feet could “spread”. The whole point of running was to STOP things from spreading anymore than they already have. I hate the way my ankles and knees and legs feel when they hit the pavement. I hate breathing hard. I hate sweating. I hate planning out a route (even more now that the high school track behind my house is closed for renovations and I have to run on the dirty, uneven sidewalk). I hate running while pushing a stroller and stopping every 2 minutes to find out what the toddler is screaming about or try to convince the baby to lie down so she doesn’t flop around like a ragdoll. I hear that’s not so good for babies. If God had wanted humans to run more than absolutely necessary, he would send angry badgers to chase us. Or he wouldn’t have invented cars. Or grocery delivery.

But because so many of my friends – both real and interweb – are runners, I figured I should give it another shot. I downloaded the C25K app. I bought the fancy clown shoes. I strapped my boobs into a bra so tight it was in danger of pushing them through my back. I handed the kids over to my husband and told him I was going stroller-free and would be back in 40 minutes. And I ran. Every time the little bell dinged I took a deep breath and swung my arms and plowed through my discomfort. I didn’t give up. I finished the first day’s workout. And the second. Then a week. Then two weeks. It occurred to me that maybe, possibly, there was something to this running thing after all and maybe, possibly I could be the mom in the coffee commercial who finished a 5k with her proud family looking on.

Then I fell down.

Now I’m on the injured list. My foot hurts when I try to do more than limp my way through the clearance racks at Target (although thank God it feels well enough for that. Priorities, people) so I’ll be on couch-squashing duty for at least another week.

I kind of miss running.