Potty Humor

Life is funny sometimes. It's also funny to think back at the different stages of life. For those of you in the 30 something stage, isn't it funny to think about how we used to worry so much about things like what to wear to the dance? Now I could almost care less when my son sneezes scrambled eggs in my face and hair, then wipes maple syrup on my shirt (which happened this morning in public).

I think about the stuff that fills my schedule these days. Well, schedule isn't really the right word. Some days everything goes pretty smoothly. Other days are exhausting, unpredictable, and poopy. With three young children, a dog, and a cat there are times when I swear the only thing I've done all day is smell, wipe, and clean up poop.

The other day was a classic example. Elias was teething so you may know what that does to poop. Runny! Kiera has highs and lows. Though potty trained, there are still struggles with her independence. If there's ever silence for over three minutes, run to each of the bathrooms and find out which one she's in. When she decides to take care of business by herself, you never know what damage has occurred. It's on the toilet, it's on the stepping stool (no pun intended), it's on the floor, it's on her hands, and it's on her clothes. Then the dog, who wasn't let out for a while, just couldn't hold it any longer. Finally, save Meris, the cat was the only being not pooping. He was, however, acclimating to his new cat food. He promptly vomited on the stairs – five times.

My hands were practically cracking from the dryness produced by fifteen hand-washings that day. At the end of the day, the Bible verse for the day in the kids' devotional read (Philippians 4:4) – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!” O.K. Point taken!

Yonder River, How I Love Thee

There's something about water, don't you agree? Whether it's the ocean, a roaring river, or a scenic lake, there's an exhale or a sense of peace that comes over me.

We've realized that we love to swim. The kids will play in the sprinklers. When we used to vacation (pre 3 kids), we preferred places with available swimming. We go to the neighborhood pool 3-4x/week. Even if it weren't 90 degrees everyday (it's 99 today...but it's a humid heat), we'd be there just as much. We walk the three blocks to the pool (read: sprint) and Kiera screeches the moment she sees it. It's as if she had no idea why she had put on her swimsuit. After an hour of lounging, screaming, and "Motor Boat, Motor Boat, Go So Fast-ing", we head home at a crawl. Swimming time is over.

Ah, but there's always tomorrow. We might head over to one of the natural spring pools in town to cool off. But my favorite place so far here is hands down the river, er lake. The Colorado River (a different one) flows through town. It's dammed up a few places so certain sections of it are deemed lakes. So there's LadyBird Lake (aka Town Lake), Lake Austin, and then farther away Lake Travis. The centerpiece (for me) of Town Lake is the 10 mile, Texas red-dirt trail that snugly wraps around it. Everyone and their grandmother comes out to run. Short, fat, tall, thin. Old, young, collegiate, soccer mom, double-jogger pushing dad (right here, baby). They walk, they run, they sweat, they chat, they ipod. Then they all congregate under the MoPac bridge (freeway) to drink cold water provided by our local big running store (RunTex). This has become a 3x/week ritual. Running in the shade next to the cool river is almost spiritual. It has been a constant friend. There is hope there. There is community there. There is health there. There is beautiful nature there.

When we finally leave, packing our sweat-drenched bodies into the minivan I'm sad leaving this new "friend" for the next 48 hours. But I am consoled by the prospect of swimming in our pool. Or there are two other ways to cool down: "Oh Bluebell Ice Cream, how I love thee" and "Oh Diet Coke, how I love thee."

Hola Sra. Jimenez's Class

Meris misses you very much and wants to say, "Hola" from her new hometown. Have a great summer!