some things can't be explained.

so.  after nearly 7 months in hiding, my rings have resurfaced.  i discovered them last night and by my reaction, you would have thought i hit the winning lottery.  ipod blaring some hall and oates (don't judge), my soapy hands scrubbing dinner's pots and pans, i reach up to close the kitchen window (as seen in the picture below) when i notice jb's pushing present dangling from my wind chime.  let me just back up and say a few things first.

1. i wash dishes like it's my job.  well, actually, it is one of my many jobs.  i usually start my morning by unloading the dishwasher (since i run it every night) and i fill it back up through the course of the day.  i'm not one to put dirty dishes in the sink.  nope.  i like a clean stainless steel, ajaxed sink.
2. i fill up my nalgene and the kid's sippy cups throughout the day with water from the sink.  the kids get juice for breakfast, milk for dinner and water in between.  we like our well water.
3. i wash dishes like it's my job.  well, actually, it is one of my... you get the point...

so, really, it's not as if they were in a place that i wasn't regularly.  and, i really can't imagine they've been there since march.  i can't.  but.  i guess some things can't be explained.  my mothers (diana and lynn) both uttered that it could have been my grandmother.  do you believe stuff like that?  writing it and reading it, make me feel a little silly.  but.  a few months after she passed, i was at work when i heard her, clear as crystal, utter my name as if she were standing behind me.  i whipped around in my chair faster than you can say flanagan.  then proceeded to look over my cubicle, as if she'd be standing there, handbag in the crook of her arm.  11 years later, and i swear it happened.  my dad experienced something similar the day after his father had passed, but i think his was a hand on his shoulder as he was talking on the phone.  people believe in much crazier experiences, fads and expressions, so i guess i can just believe that she heard my sorrow and answered.  thank you, grandma pat!  

but back to my moment of discovery:  the instant i spotted jb's ring, i got up on my tippy-toes to see if my grandma's ring was behind it.  that's when i noticed it was at the front of the wheelbarrow, looped over the little birdy perched on the end.  both rings.  in my sight and not in my daydreams.  enter: grinch-like smile and tears welling in my eyes (kinda like as i type this out).  i sprinted the 20 feet to our back deck where the husband was mowing the lawn, and i found myself jumping and flailing my arms like i needed to be rescued from this 10x15 island of trex deck.  sos, benji!  already laughing at me, he brought the mower to a halt with a yeaaaah???  and i could barely get out the words that I FOUND MY RINGS while doing a jig and making jb double over in laughter.  i may or may not have done a heel kick.

i really don't even know what to say.  we scoured the house.  moving furniture big and small.  checking coat pockets and all five pockets on denim (and have you seen how many jeans i own???), triple-checking the truck seats, jack's closet, even looking in the vents in the floor, really, we looked low and lower but obviously not high.  i just can't believe it.

ben and i both blamed each other - are you SURE you didn't put them there?!  and really, would i dare to place my rings in such a compromising position - dangling over a garbage disposal?!  everyone insisted it was innocent (ha!) jb, but i know my boy pretty well.  when i showed him the rings he exclaimed ohhh, you found the sprinkley wings!  fast forward to years and years from now, and one day his wife will proudly (i hope) wear the ring that i was given when he entered this world.  and same goes for dylan... my grandmother (grandfather) passed the anniversary ring down to me, and one day she'll wear it muttering that her great grandma pat wore this band of sparkle.  that is, if her chubby starfish fingers allow.        

wind chimes, just above my eye level

one on the birdy and one on the handle

  

i love a happy ending.

run for good 5k

race number... what... 5?  6?  i dunno, but i do know there are at least 3 more races i want to compete in before the weather fades to gloom and the sun disappears.  and, i'm working my way up to a 10k (6.2 miles).  i have 13 days (actually 12 since i never run the day before) to get ready for it.

each race brings something new, and this one was a doozy.  the course was throughout downtown anchorage which is completely flat with fun and funky buildings lining the blocks, holding spectators and cruise ship visitor's attention; lots of cheering, clapping and the occasional spout-off from the bums.  love that alaska flair!  

at the last minute (the night before) i decided to push the kiddos rather than drop them off with nana.  there are only a handful of races that allow strollers so i thought what the heck.  surprisingly, the stroller is a nice pace-setter, allowing me to run in a steady jog - which for me is good - since i can easily get caught up in the moment and want to run faster than my 10-minute mile pace allows.  i was able to run the entire race (a first for me) and was cheered on by my adoringly adorable son.  go faster, mama, GO!  all the while clapping.  

as we made our way down L street, then 9th and finally onto H, i saw the glorious black banner cheering me on... only to realize that i had to make a left a mere 15 feet before to run the course again!  ha!  oh and while i was on (what i thought was) the homestretch, i was getting lapped by the winner.  yep, he finished the 5k in 14:55.  gah!  but truly, this mama cannot compare herself to a kenyan runner.  i'm just so thankful for strong legs and a healthy heart.  amen!  i completed this race in 31:51, 158 out of 333 women and 302 out of 515 overall entrants.  again, the middle ain't so bad.  

           

watching the warm up, sponsored by zumba

 even the ak mascots were there!

 sneaking peeks

 zumba!

love that finish line and LOVE jb clapping!!!

 all done!  

notice jb chowin down on my watermelon

 how dylan unwinds from a race...

road rash

dylan.  didi.  dilly.  duey.  dil.  piggie.  and now, road rash.  she is one tough peanut butter cookie.  that last nickname is courtesy of dada.  (my mind stumbles upon poor baby or tough girl.)  dada seems to think the double-r is more appropriate.  and you know, it's really quite true.  you should see the way she (literally) gets tossed around by her big brother, only to get up and screech at him or run after him, flapping her hands around his face.  she may not be up to his height just yet, but pound-for-pound, she's got some size, and i really really cannot wait for her to throw it around.  jb deserves anything she can muster up, and i'm not stopping any of it!

moments after "the great fall of 2011"

so over at a girlfriend's house, dylan decided to try out the porch steps on her own.  of course these things happen in a flash, as i had turned my back for a 1/3 of a millisecond, only to see her spill onto the sidewalk, forehead first or maybe nostril first.  she had a big lump on her forehead near her hairline, but that quickly diminished throughout the day.  the nose, however, just looks plain nasty.  a week later, and she's still flaunting an ugly scab.

 a day later...

she can climb!

 so proud.

 little miss road rash

and i almost forgot; the reason my child is half-naked in the above pictures - we let our kids eat in the truck.  am i alone in this?  for us and our family, it's a nice way to keep the calm.  fussiness?  here's a snack cup of goldfish.  tired of the goldfish?  here, try a fruit snack.  this was dylan's first experience (that i know of) with the "fruit" snack (aren't they just like candy gummi bears?!)  nevertheless, d loved them.  i thought she loved them super-fast too because before i knew it, she was screaming into an empty bag.  after our return home and the usual brush-off of crumbs, i spot two strawberry fruit snack stuck to her torso down her shirt.  and, i mean stuck.  i had to point to them and maneuver her head south for her to even notice them.  kids are hilarious.  

now a week later, looking much better...

          

what i live for.

 my twins.

 love my boys.

bunch of cuteness

 duey at her finest.

 jb was tickled to have d in his bed...

 maybe in another year they could be bunkmates

rnc, jackie-style

pre-smooch shot

i was raised on the street.

how great is that saying?  were you raised on the street, sesame street, to be exact?  i was, hence my dope t-shirt.  my brother was.  so much that, apparently, he developed an east coast accent.  we learned spanish, opposites, what it meant to be a hard workin' dog and what it meant to love and be loved.  i know this because i loved ernie.  love love loved him.  and, once at jc penney, i met susan.  got an autograph and posed in a picture where she's embracing me like i hug my own babies.  i know i have that picture around here, somewhere...

thumbs up.  i know i'm a nerd.

i went to my first sesame street live back in 80-something.  maybe '85 or '86.  i remember our balcony seats at the met center and that my pal joe carlson accompanied me and my parents - yeah, they had to tag along...  maybe another boy, too.  i remember how psyched i was to see all my television best friends.  kinda like a dream come true.  like, watching disney movies and not really believing that somewhere existed where you could actually see that magic kingdom graphic at the beginning of movies.  surreal and mind-blowing for a kid that's only lived a mere 5-7 years on earth, right?  

so bringing jb to sesame street live was quite thrilling.  we got near-front row seats (mostly for my excitement, maybe) and went all out on goodies and souvenirs.  when the lights dimmed and all my old best friends were front and center, singing and dancing, clapping and wiggling, my eyes filled with tears as i saw my boy's expression.  he was utterly amazed.  MAMA, YOOK!  ernie!  big BIRD!  what's his name?  what's dat guy's name?  ELMO!  the words could not come fast enough.  if jb were a cartoon, his head would have burst and confetti would have spewed from the top.  we made his day.  and truthfully, mine too.    

the walk in

 so excited

 dada in the back ground, puttin away the slushie

yay!  it started!

(note to others: no need to get there early!)

 jb's popcorn that he wouldn't let anyone else taste.

 personal elmo!

 jb loved all the clapping

 over the pictures, ready to go home