Remember When . . . .

Last night Gabe and I went to a Bees game with Persephone. I look at this photo from last year and can't believe how far she's come. We were feeling hesitant about taking her, since her bedtime is around 7:00 p.m. and she's turned into a rather wiggly child. I'm so glad we did though, because we had a blast as a family. The whole night Persy was clapping her hands, dancing to the music, and making friends with other fans in the stadium. She eagerly smacked her lips when Gabe shared "Dippin' Dots," and seemed to enjoy all the people watching.

The highlight of the night was the fireworks display. We really didn't think Persy would make it until the end of the game, but were so surprised by her pleasant behavior. She was absolutely mesmerized by the fireworks. She watched wide-eyed and then would clap her hands and look at us to make sure we weren't missing the spectacle. She kept reaching her hands out the try and grab the fireworks out of the sky. I know that all children do cute things like that, and our experience as parents is not completely unique, but that doesn't change the fact that when Gabe and I experience these things with Persy we are just delighted. We both feel like we're experiencing life again for the first time. I knhow that someday this pigtailed little cutie will pack her bags, and head off for college. Gabe and I will go back to having adventures on our own, but I know that the moments we are having today will be the ones that will start us talking about "Remember when. . . ."

Here are some recent pictures of our summer activities:

Shark Reef Aquarium

Fist Fights, Franck's, and Other Fun

We've had an eventful and fun few days. Here's what we've been up to:

Thursday
Gabe and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary last week. I know it's such a cliche, but it really is hard to imagine my life without him. I'm looking forward to the day when we will have known each other longer than we were single. To celebrate, we watched our wedding video and went to a scrumptious French restaurant called Franck's. The menu was drool worthy and I savored smoked strawberry soup,scallops with a white chocolate wasabi sauce, and apricot jasmin rice. I know the flavors may sound strange, but they are positively brilliant my friend! We also got adventurous and sampled the fois gras trio. (I think fois gras must be an acquired taste.)

Friday
I visited my folks so my mother and I could enjoy a "Spa Day." We were rewarding ourselves for some health and weight loss goals. (After becoming a mother I gained a frumpy 15 pounds. What's the deal? I don't have hormones to blame for this. I am slowly taking off the weight and getting back to a regular running routine. Woot! Woot!) We had a relaxing time getting pedicures, a massage, and going to lunch. I'm so happy my mom and I can enjoy spending time together.

Saturday
Our car overheated and broke down. Although I'm concerned about the cost, I found myself feeling strangely nostalgic as Gabe and I lounged in a grassy area beside the road. When we were newlyweds, we had a series of lemon vehicles and found ourselves having many adventures as a result. "This reminds me of when we were dating," I said wistfully as Gabe looked under the hood. (He just grunted and tried not to swear. I'm glad I have a guy who knows a bit about cars. He's so handy!)

As a result of the car mishap, our plans to attend a Bees game were canceled. Gabe was sweet though and offered to watch Persy while I went to the "Living Traditions" folk and ethnic arts festival. I got to hear an awesome Brass band from New Orleans. Several people in the audience were dancing and jumping up and down in front of me. Since I couldn't really see the musicians over their bodies, I decided to just join
them. I was really enjoying myself when I nearly got decked by two women that started fighting and swearing at each other. It was kind of a wild night.

Monday
Now it's back to "real" life. I have a full day of laundry, weeding, storytelling, and snuggling to do. I guess my "real" life is pretty good too!

Our Great Virginia Vacation

Persy and I met my parents in Virginia a couple of weeks ago for a tour of Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown and other surrounding areas. My brother also came with his family. It was so much fun to spend time with him, my sister in law, and their creative and precocious children. They live in Vermont, so we don't see each other nearly as much as I would like. Some of the highlights of the trip included scrumptious crab cakes, making up stories with my niece, strolling the Botanical Gardens, eating Death by Chocolate cake, talking with Melinda about books, a day spent riding roller coasters at Busch Gardens, an afternoon at an impressive aquarium, and going to an evening performance at Williamsburg.

Persy meets Uncle Michael for the first time


Persephone was entertained constantly by my cute nephews and niece. They were very sweet with her and stayed adoring throughout the entire trip.


The View from our Condo

Our first day in Virginia we went to Norfolk Botanical Gardens. I would have loved to spend an entire day strolling the grounds with a good book or a bit of poetry.


A sweet moment captured between my mother and father.

Jamestown

The entire time we were in Jamestown I couldn't get the Disney "Pocahontas" soundtrack out of my head! I haven't seen that film since I was a child, but I still remember nearly all the tunes. The "Virginia Company" song repeated endlessly in my mind throughout the tour.


My sister-in-law, mother, and nieces and nephews. I really miss these guys and wish they lived closer!


Pocahontas Statue

Colonial Williamsburg

Flowers were blooming everywhere and the weather was perfect throughout most of our trip.

This picture was taken right before we attended a Witch Trial reenactment. It was my favorite thing we did in Williamsburg.



In front of the Governor's Palace

When Being a Mom is Just Plain Hard

It's been a week of snot, tears, barf, and suffering for little Persy. When we returned from our trip to Williamsburg she was in a rather sad state and things only got worse until we met with the doctor and learned that in addition to a fever, coughing and stuffed up nose, she also had been plagued with 2 gnarly ear infections. Ouch!

I think one of the most challenging aspects of motherhood is taking care of a sick child and watching them suffer. I hate that I can't explain why she must take the syrupy antibiotic that makes her gag, or that she thinks I'm torturing her when I drop pain medicine into her ear. I hate the worry, concern and lack of sleep. It's hard to know that this is just one ailment among many that she will have to face in her life.

Despite a full week of misery, I still find much to appreciate. I love that my child looks to me for comfort, (doesn't she know how clueless I still am?) I love the extra snuggles and rocking. I appreciate the way I've been left to contemplate the Lord's own love for me and how He must hate watching me suffer in life as well.

Hopefully we can put all this bodily discharge behind us soon and I can share the fun experiences that Persy and I had on vacation. Until then, wish me luck!