It's been school spirit week for the kids. They LOVE it. Each day has a different theme. Monday - wear your pj's to school. Tuesday - crazy hair day. Wednesday - wacky hair day. Thursday - wear red day. AND...Friday is the fun run! They were allowed to wear clothes with their favorite teams on them. We don't do a whole lot of pro-team jerseys and such. So...Alex wore a Children's Place shirt that said cougars on it, and the girls wore soccer jerseys from 3 years ago. :) They have been so excited all week, but this morning was the best. They talked to eachother about their outfits. About what clothes would help them run the fastest. I love when they are excited about something.
Their principal was giving instructions about the route for the race. They raise their hands to show they're listening. :)
Go Alex!!! He got quite tired. He spent most of the time jog-walking with some of his cute friends. I love him.
Molly was a great cheerleader. I am completely in love with her lately. My buddy.
Lizzy and Emily pretty much reduced me to tears. They ran together the WHOLE time. I'm not sure if it's something they worked out before-hand or as they went. Last year, Emily was a bit faster than Lizzy. At least 3 times, I could see them all the way across the field, running together, holding hands. Yeah...holding hands. They would walk for a second, then hold hands and start again. They were in it together. There is not much in this world that can make me happier than that. So happy and so proud. They are sweet, kind, little girls. They love eachother, without me telling them to.
They look like serious runners to me. Look at that form. I'm pretty sure they were in the top 5-6 girls in the whole school. In the top 30 kids for sure...and there were a lot of kids. Maybe running will be their passion. 
Proud, tired girls. I LOVE them.
My little sisters, the twins, had their 33rd birthday yesterday! My day was filled with a screaming baby, babysitting, running to and fro. I can finally sit down and do a little post about them. Rachel and Laura...born just minutes apart. Rachel is the dark headed one, Laura is the blond. They are so different. Tall, short. Dark, blond. Different interests. Different passions. But definitely connected. Since I now have twins of my own, I can see just HOW connected. They are the coolest girls. Seriously. Really cool and really fun.
Rachel is the mother to one gorgeous 10 year old named Annie. She is in graduate school at Penn State. She is beyond smart. She's studying some sort of cells. Ones that have to do with mono, I think. I asked her all about it when she and Annie came to visit in August, and I've already forgotten. Rachel and I used to bicker a LOT. Most of it was because of stubborn, headstrong me. She's always right, and that would infuriate me. Finally after 33 years of sisterhood, I'm realizing that she really is. She remembers everything. I had a few random questions when she was here...and she knew the answers. She's brilliant, and I'm convinced she could do ANYTHING she set her mind to.
Laura is wife to Gunnar, and mother to Elsie and Charlotte. They live in Washington. I LOVE it there. Her house is the cutest you will ever see. She has a talent for decorating. It looks and feels like a cottage. It's bright and cheery and spotless. 
Happy birthday you 2! I love you.
So Alex ran in from walking home yesterday, crying that he had paralyzed his finger. He was so worried. I took a look and he had really done a number. He and a kid down the street (not one of yours Kristin :)) had a play scufle and both started to fall. Abraham lost his balance and fell on Alex's hand. It popped his finger out of socket. The knuckle where the finger meets the hand. Huge indent where his knuckle was supposed to be. I pulled his shirt down over it and tried to pop it back. No luck...and he cried. It hurt. I wasn't quite sure what to do. He was pretty worked up. I guess I was too, though I tried really hard to keep my cool. He lost all the color in his face, so I took him out to the couch and had him lie down. Called Dave and my Dad to figure out what to do. The pediatricians office had too many patients and couldn't fit him in. I was livid and hung up on the receptionist. Dave hurried home and took him to the instacare. After being there for 2+ hours and getting and x-ray and a numbing shot, his hand was fixed. Good as new. He came home telling me it was way more fun than he thought it would be. :) His biggest concern...kids teasing him at school. He wanted to stay home but had told Timothy he would be there today. He was torn and teary. UNTIL...Dave told him he looked like Anakin Sywalker.
The girls spent the few hours that he was gone making posters, books, cards. They love him and were so sad that he was hurt. As soon as the Frey's walked in our house this morning, Alex was showing Jonathan how cool his splint was. Guess today is going to be ok.
Alex had a bad day yesterday. He came in from playing and I could tell that something was off. He wasn't happy. Actually, he was sad. I asked him what had happened. As he told me, I was just dying inside. My throat was hurting because I was holding back sobs. Talking to Dave about it later, I couldn't stop myself. Alex was so, so sad. It was physically painful for me to see. I was looking at him and listening to him, thinking I love you, I love you, you beautiful boy. Please forget about this hurt by tomorrow. He was trying to make sense of things. He was trying to cover up how hurt he was. He was explaining things to me with a quivering lip and red eyes. He was sad and I was completely overwhelmed. I wanted to fix things. There are just some things that you can't fix though. His feelings had been hurt, several times, and he just didn't understand. So we talked about it. We talked about all sorts of things. About how tough life can be when you're 10 and how it will only get tougher. I reminded him how wonderful he is. What a good, kind friend he is. I told him that if he would continue to befriend everyone, not just the kids with cool shoes, or the ones who could play ball really well, he would be happy. I watched his mood change as we talked. I know he loves me and believes what I say. He was really listening to me.
Margaret got a new hat today. Actually, WE got a new hat from Grandma and Grandpa for the "photography business". I went outside with every intention of taking 5-6 pictures. Turns out I took about 100. I was tearing up from all the sweetness oozing out of her. I couldn't stop. I really couldn't. My heart was racing. No matter how many I took, it wouldn't have been enough.
The other day I was folding laundry, or cooking dinner, or doing the dishes (ok...I was on the computer). Things were really quiet. Molly has been getting in my bags in the bathroom lately, which does NOT make me happy. I really should put them up a little higher. Last time her friend Sophie was here, she painted the bathroom with bright red, Dollar Tree chapstick. It was greasy, and really red. Not fun to get off, which is why Dave did it.
So, every morning since school began a month and 1/2 ago, I have walked the kids to school. OK...not every SINGLE morning, but pretty darn close. My plan was to drop them off then continue around the neighborhoods with Molly and Margaret. My friend Melissa lent us her jogger which has been a life saver! Shout out to Melissa. :) Anyhow, pretty early into my new fitness routine, we bumped into Michelle and Gavin. They decided to come walking with us. YAY! They now go with us daily except for Tuesdays and rainy days. I love it. I really do. I love Michelle anyhow, but now we have a whole hour together every morning. We can laugh, chat, even gossip if we want...which we don't. I can ask her advice on anything, and she'll give it to me. The kids are great, just don't ask about today. Maybe you were fortunate enough to pass us on the road, me carrying Margaret and Michelle carrying Gavin...mid-tantrum.
This is what Molly and Gavin like to do while we walk. OK, so this one was posed, but the first few times they did it weren't. Michelle and I were near tears from the cuteness. We stop every 20 yards or so for a blanket readjustment, water or cereal breaks, to pick up toys. Interestingly enough though...I'm losing weight. This coupled with my "no eating after 7" rule has led to 5 lbs melting away. I am by no means thin...but I'll get there. Just you wait!
Thank goodness Fridays only come once a week. Those are the days that we make a pit stop at the local gas station and come out with slushees and doughnuts. And you know how I love my doughnuts. We generally pass our friend Shennon (our skinny friend Shennon) just after we shove doughnuts in our faces. Last time, we hid all our treats under our blankets. She'll never know, right?
Sometimes we pick up extra kids along the way. Like Sophie. Sometimes we hang out in my driveway afterwards and let the kids get smeared in sidewalk chalk. It's starting to get ALMOST too cold to walk. Too cold and too dark. We'll have to make new arrangements.
This is Michelle and her baby girl. It's the best she'd let me do. :)
