Full but not Unmanageable

You'd think that since I blog on a weekly basis, I'd have a long list of topics. If only. Often, I'll get an idea for a post, but at the most inopportune time, like bedtime. I suppose I could keep a notepad and pen by my bed for those moments, but then I'd focus on writing rather than sleeping. And, truth be told, sometimes writing comes more naturally to me than sleeping, so if it's time for bed, well, then I probably should focus on sleeping.

All that to say, I'm not sure where this post is going. I know, not the best admission to make, especially considering my training as a teacher. I do know the topic, though: life.

I (foolishly) thought that summer would mean slowing down. Ha! I suppose I anticipated a slowdown since MOPS was done. My Fridays were free once again. Silly me.

Plus, being summer, that meant that more friends would be traveling, and thus, fewer playdates and get-togethers. Silly me.

Summer is seamlessly blending into fall. More often than not, our summer days have been filled with activities: playdates, swimming, walking, the occasional "field trip", library visits. A slow down? Hardly.

Yet, I don't begrudge our busyness, probably because I've chosen to be busy. I look forward to our various activities, some scheduled, some spontaneous. We've had a few weeks that felt non-stop, but those were sandwiched between relatively low-key ones. And there's ALWAYS downtime scheduled in. Always.

Basically, life is even fuller with Leah. I don't want to waste our moments together, even though she's too little to remember all of them. There's so much life to live, and so much to do. We might not be as busy as others, and our activities might not be as spectacular, but we're doing our best to make the most of each day.

Besides, isn't the point of all this busyness to spend time with the people I love the most?

We're Back!

Below you'll find photos from our week-long vacation in NY. We spent most of the time relaxing and enjoying the chance to visit with family (and friends-- briefly), though Scott did manage to build a porch swing for me and Leah while we were there.

MONDAY

Leah & her cousins LOVED this pink wig; as soon as it fell off, Leah wanted to wear it again.

We went to the fair that morning. Leah loved the animals, but especially the goats, probably because they were the perfect height for her to pet... and they clamored for attention.

Our timing couldn't have been better; just as we were finishing lunch (after having visited the animals), the skies opened up. Leah finished lunch while watching her cousins Kate & Mila play in the rain. As soon as she was finished, she was ready to get out there, too.

Mila

Kate

The girls check out the alpacas. At one point, both younger ones tried crawling through the gate.

Sharing a snack, and playing with a balloon. The ladies at the Crisis Pregnancy Center Tent hooked up the girls with balloons and coloring books.

TUESDAY

Leah taught herself how to "wash" her hair. She'd dip her hands in the watering turtle, then rub them through her hair. Too funny!

Guess who was worn out after a morning at the playground? She fell asleep FIVE minutes from the house, which meant that a certain someone didn't take a nap that afternoon.

Leah had a great time playing with Mila at the playground. Leah especially loved the slides, oh, and running away from me!

WEDNESDAY

Jason, Amelia, & Connor, as well as Amelia's mom Barbara joined us for some rest and relaxation. That afternoon the kids donned their swimsuits and braved the chilly water.

Amelia & I did a workout outside while the kids played in the pool. Periodically, Leah would walk over to exercise with us. Here she's stretching.

That morning, we went to Roger's (Papa's) shop to check out the machines. Connor was in little boy heaven! See the toy in Connor's hand? That was permanently attached during the visit; he found that in Roger's office the night they arrived, and didn't put it down until they left on Thursday.

Leah wasn't as interested in the machines as Connor was; mainly, she just wanted to go where Scott or Connor went.

THURSDAY

Picking flowers with Grandma and Kate in between dips in the pool.

Chasing after Mila. Leah LOVED playing in the fresh air with her cousins.

FRIDAY

That morning we went to Grandma's (Great Grandma to Leah). Leah emptied out the doll stroller and made herself comfortable.

We thought Leah might be hungry, but it turned out, she just wanted to feed Papa some Goldfish.

Look at this girlie-girl. So much for me wearing that necklace.

Gives Me the Willies

Yes, that is a SNAKE. And yes, it is INSIDE the house. (Well, WAS inside.)

Saturday afternoon, while Leah was sleeping and I was gone, Scott was in the man room doing some rearranging. He noticed something brown along the wall by the stairs, and thinking it was just a worm, he picked it up with a tissue. It most definitely wasn't a worm since it crumbled in the tissue. "Great. It's probably animal poop," he thought, so he went searching the man room for a mole or chipmunk (they abound in the yard).

By now you've figured out that he didn't find a mole or a chipmunk; instead, when he opened up the blinds to the patio, he found a 3-foot long black snake. Oh my! Scott jumped backwards OVER the sofa in an instant. He was NOT going to mess with that bugger.

Fast forward a couple hours: the animal control officer showed up and removed the snake. Of course, he and Scott had to LOCATE it at that point since it was no longer by the patio door. Ugh. Thankfully, it had slithered just under the couch.

The good news about all this? According the ACO, the snake was TRYING to get out of the house since it (the house) is too cold for it. The bad news? The snake probably followed something else (prey) in. Gross. I'm hoping its prey was just an insect (which do turn up in the basement). At least the ACO gave us some good advice: mothballs. Apparently, snakes (and I guess other critters, too) can't stand the smell, so if we place them around the house, it should deter the snakes. So guess what Scott bought first thing Sunday morning before church? Our house is now under mothball protection. Let's hope they work.

A Sign I Watch Too Much TV?

Has anyone else ever noticed that the same people keeping popping up in different commercials? I'm serious. The lady from one of the mattress commercials (the one with the Mattress Guy) is now in a commercial with Curtis Stone.

Then there's a lady from a Wal-Mart commercial (one about redecorating her house) who's now in a yogurt commercial with Heidi Klum.

The "sun" in the Jimmy Dean breakfast commercials is also in a commercial about building a website.

And then there's one that's not as noticeable: the man in the Kmart commercial (I think it's for outdoor gear) is also in a Lowe's commercial (for appliances). He might be a bit harder to recognize since he's sporting a mustache in one and not the other.

I know, this is totally random, but it just surprises me that you see the same people over, and over, and over. I don't even feel like I watch as much TV as I used to now, but I still notice this.

Oh, one more: The mailman in the USPS commercials (for the flat rate boxes) is also the annoying FIOS guy in the cable commercials.

Make that two: The redhead in the Ikea commercial (for kitchens) is also in a cereal commercial for whole grains (I think it's a Cheerios commercial, but I'm not sure; I just know that in this commercial she and a friend are in the laundromat talking.)

Hmmm, maybe I have WAY too much time on my hands to notice this.