fourth of july weekend

I'm starting to learn that summertime with a busy toddler is even busier than the school year, and this weekend has been no exception. Now that there is so much to do outside, I'd much rather spend time taking Celia to the playground or going for a walk than doing housework or errands. Unfortunately those things still need to get done some time, and it's getting tricky. This weekend has been a combination of fun and catch up on cleaning, laundry, and errands.

On Saturday morning, Chris took Pita to the playground while I did an 11 mile run. It went great! It took a little less time than I had estimated. I'm still learning about how to pace myself best. Yesterday I got a bit sluggish in the middle of my run. I think I was just daydreaming and slowed down too much because I wasn't paying attention. I ended up having a lot of kick left for the last few miles, which was nice, but it would have been good to keep the pace up a bit more in the middle. This is what led me to daydream away half of my run:

What I love about my long runs is that I'm exploring new places on foot every week. Since I have to go farther and farther, I'm seeing all these beautiful back roads we don't normally travel on. This road was so quiet and peaceful, and perfectly shaded for the hot weather. I can't wait to run it again sometime.

Yesterday afternoon I ran to the mall to get a new bathing suit while Celia had her nap. Then we went to one of the state parks near us. Pita had snack at a picnic table near the woods. My legs were tired from my run so I wanted to sit while she and Chris walked on one of the trails. Apparently she was calling for me the whole time they were gone, so their hike only lasted a minute before they came back. So, we played for quite a while on a nice playground there. This park has all kinds of trails and beautiful picnic areas, and a nice playground that's all in the shade. Celia had a great time climbing around and going down the slide, and spent a lot of time chasing and making eyes at a little boy there. 

This morning I really wanted to get some extra sleep because Celia was up a few times during the night. But, as soon as Chris got up with her she started calling for me. I could hear her calling "Mama, Mama, Mama!" from downstairs over and over, which is not something I can sleep through! Celia is going through another stage of being very attached to me lately. I usually don't mind, but some day it might be nice to have a minute to myself every so often for basic functions such as sleeping, eating, or going to the bathroom.

Chris ended up taking Pita to the park again while I did some housework and made a quick trip to the grocery store. Then we had an early lunch and headed to visit Chris's parents and grandmother for the afternoon. While we were there we got together with Chris's cousin and her little girl, who is a month younger than Celia. They were so cute together, about the same size and both with curly hair and wearing little dresses. It's pretty funny to see two one-year-olds "playing" together. They can sit together, play beside each other and like to run around together, but don't really know how to interact. The girls would walk up to each other and then get these blank looks on their faces, as if they didn't know how to proceed. They did share a snack at one point, and Celia fed Ava some Cheerios. It was so cute. We had an early dinner and got home before Pita's bedtime.

No fireworks for us this year, which is fine with me. I don't mind forgoing things my kids aren't yet ready for. Some day we will have fun going to watch the fireworks with our kids, everyone in our pajamas and staying up late. Chris has tomorrow and Tuesday off though, so we still have another weekend's worth of busyness ahead of us!