Streaking

 Yes -- this is my life.

I would like to explain this photo -- which I consider one of the great masterpieces of our time. 

It was the Double B's day off. The older children were in school, the Double B was outside pulling weeds, and Katelyn was in the bath. Katelyn (or "Glate-glyn," as she calls herself) does not like me to be in the room with her while she bathes, as this is an insult to her independence. So I sit nearby the bathroom where I can hear her splish splashin' away and we chat occasionally through the hallway. As I was sitting there preparing my Sunday lesson for the cutest pack of seven-year-olds ever assembled, the phone rings. It is the nurse at school, reminding me that I really do have to get K.J. that booster shot. While sheepishly trying to explain my negligence and committing to do better, Katelyn oh-so-quietly sneaks out of the bath and makes a break for the door, lightning speed. Before I can stop her, she is out the door, calling for her Daddy! I try to explain to the nurse, "Uh... my toddler just ran outside without a diaper, sorry... uh... hold on..." and I give chase. By this time, she's already made it to the back yard and is standing naked in the sprinkling rain by her Daddy, Yah-Yah's blankie wrapped around her shoulders, her blue moon sparkling in the grey morning air. I hurry and finish with the nurse and try to get her inside. She refuses to budge until I tell her that if she'll just get dressed, she can come back out with Daddy. She likes this, so budges -- but then runs in the opposite direction. I give chase, of course, because she's naked, we're outside, and it's raining. It looked ridiculous, and hilarious -- which I realized at the same moment I realized my phone was in my hand. So I just took a picture mid run. And. It. Is. Hilarious.

It is the kind of thing that must be shared, blog style.

We finally got her in, after the neighbors AND the mailman pulled up to question our sanity, and by the time she was dressed -- she didn't really have an interest in being outside at all. Of course.

She does, of course, think she's hilarious.

This morning while dropping the kids off at school she said "Bye, K.J.!" which sounded like "Tay-J." I think it's the first time she's tried to say his actual name. He is always "Buh-Buh," for "Brother." Olivia is "Yah-Yah," although she is leaning more now towards "Li-Vi-A." It's pretty cute. Katelyn is a lunatic, the classic third child, and she keeps us hoppin'. Thank heavens.

 

So -- we're getting a taste of more of what the Midwest has to offer. We had our first couple of real life, big and bad, long-winded thunder and lightning storms. It is all they say it is. Tuesday they had forecast several tornadoes around the metro, which had my heart pumping, but later in the day changed it to low risk isolated tornado threat. Praise be. Let's all just be upfront about the great sissy that is Marie, but seriously. Tornadoes? Are you thinking that sounds like fun? Even though, thank heavens, there was no tornado, there was one heck of a storm, booming thunder, brilliant streaks of lightning, nickle sized hail, pouring rains and heavy winds. With the warning to keep monitoring as this "heavy storm" could become a "severe storm" at any moment. Pardon me -- I had a different definition of severe storm before. My mind has been changed. That was merely heavy. Pretty much nothin'. Of course, we had to sleep with the radio on, and there's a new tornado app (!), that is very helpful for checking your safety. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well. Just guarding the old family as the storm would pick up off and on throughout the night. I'll be honest, it had me shaking more then once. You know how you hear there is nothing compared to a Midwest thunder storm? It's pretty much... true. The thunder and lightning is CONSTANT. It shakes the house and you.

Delightful. As I told the Double B, as fond as I feel of this beautiful prairie, whenever I finally get to move back to Utah, it will be with the Red Badge of Courage.

 

Last night I had a dream that we had decided to move across the country. It was SO stressful. And the Double B couldn't be there for part of it, and we were both trying to work out our responsibilities from our different areas. And it was so stressful! When I woke up, I thought "Phew! That would be hard!" And then I realized -- Oh, YEAH! I already moved across the country!

Got it. Got it. Done and done.

 

I have been working hard and finding progress in my little journey. One thing that I think has really helped, my mom suggested I take a big ol' dose of vitamin B12 every day -- the kind that melts under your tongue and is like 3,000 times stronger then your daily requirement. I can't believe the difference it has made. So thankful she was inspired to tell me that. It has helped in my energy level and the clarity of my thoughts. Vitamin B12, we are dating.

Over and out.

 

P.S. I wish you could hear Glate-glyn right now. She is dancing and singing vigorously along to her current favorite movie -- the "La-lax." You might know it as the Lorax, but whatever. She is adorable.