School's out for summer

Is it me or are these school years going by faster and faster???  This year has certainly been one for the books for my little family.  Camryn started the school year having little interest in letters and the sounds they make, and now she's sounding out words and writing in her journal every day.  I hope her school is ready for the most confident kindergartner to walk through their doors.  

Brynn continues to impress and amaze me.  She has the most creative mind and kindest heart, and I feel incredibly lucky to be her mom.  Both of my girls played soccer for the first time this year, and I have truly embraced my role as soccer mom.  Brynn ran the Wicked Monster Mile for the first time this year, and she and Camryn added a Turkey Trot and another Shamrock event to their race resumes.  They are racking up the finisher's medals, and I love that they are off to an early start participating in a sport it took me a lifetime to fall in love with.  

I plan to spend this summer being as much of a yes mom as I can be for my girls.  These little girls showed great patience and understanding while both of their parents trained for their first marathon.  Ryan and I often traded time with our kids for miles out on the road, and we often had little left in the tank after our Saturday morning long runs.  Somehow, they didn't seem to notice...or if they did notice, they didn't seem to mind.

These little girls not only survived a year that brought great sadness to our family with their grandmother's death, but they thrived.  They showed a sweetness and love to their Grandmommy in her final days that most adults could learn from.  They hugged her and kissed her in spite of her physical appearance being drastically altered by chemotherapy and its horrific side effects.  They sacrificed being loud, rambunctious kids to be calm, quiet, mature versions of themselves when visiting Ryan's parents every weekend of the fall and winter months.  They showed no fear when attending the first wake and funeral they'd ever been to, and their curiosity and subsequent questions brought a humor to a difficult time that without a doubt carried us through.  

So while I'm certainly proud of my children's academic achievements this school year, I am bursting with pride over how these girls handled the emotional challenges they were faced with since school started in September.  I'm ready for lots of laughter, smiles, and "yes, we can do that's" this summer.  These little girls deserve every bit of fun that's coming their way.

And just to stay true to the purpose of this blog, a snippet about my running this week...

It was a fantastic week.  My intervals of 3 minutes running, 1 minute walking had me feeling more like myself than I have in a really long time.  Life threw me a curveball with the creepy guy stalking runners in my area, but I employed a not-so-secret service detail to accompany me on my runs this week:


Ryan running at what must have been a dreadfully slow pace to keep me safe

My brother Kevin, following me on the beach cruiser, Camryn and Jude in tow, while I pushed my neighbor's kid in the stroller.  If creepy guy happened to see this circus, I'm sure he thought "Ain't nobody got time for that."

Next week's challenge is 4 minutes running, 1 mile walking, and I'm excited to kick it off with Kristy from Breath of Sunshine.  I've been following her blog for a few months now, and it is well-written, real, and inspiring.  I think we are somewhat kindred spirits, and I'm thrilled to finally meet her next week.  I haven't been on a first date in a while...what do I wear???