New Blog!

So I'm starting another blog. I wanted to have a place where I could write about more family stuff and not worry so much about what strangers will learn about us. 

So, Fingerprints on a Windowpane is up and running and will be a private blog. 

Let me know if you want to read! If you want to leave your email address in the comments I won't publish them. Or you can send me an email at marissalowder at gmail dot com.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Woot woot!

Guess wha-at!

I ran FIVE POINT THREE miles this morning, what up endorphins!? Tyson does not even KNOW the runner that he married. And it only took me 3 hours! Ha ha, kidding, it was under an hour but still slow. I pretty much had an entire conversation with an elderly couple I was passing.

But, dare I say, it kinda felt good. Or at least not bad. I'm pretty sure it's some sort of trickery. Like when I was was in cross country freshman year of high school and I ran seven miles and felt awesome. I thought I was really turning a corner with the whole running thing. Maybe I could be good! But then I still stunk at it and continued to find myself racing at the end of the pack chatting it up with slow girls from opposing teams.

So today was probably a fluke and now I'm going to spent the next couple months trying to recreate that feeling before I give up again.

But for now I'm going to be joyful that I ran 5 whole miles.

And don't laugh, that's a lot for me. I've had a 3 mile barrier since that freshman year of high school *cough* 14 years ago! *cough* and it has been plaguing me until now. For now I am victorious.

Downside: definitely gonna be sore tomorrow. Bad.

On a related note, have you seen this?

source

Except I both look and feel like that little girl.

Especially since having Logan. Things will just never be the same I guess.

Sunflare

Well folks, it's that time of the year in the Northwest where the sun is replaced by clouds, fog, and mist and we all become Vitamin D deprived and pale and walk around telling ourselves that we like the rain in order to preserve our sanity.

And then, since we know we'll be wearing bulky sweaters and jackets for the next 8 months, we start overdoing the Halloween candy a month early because we can blame the appearance of pudge on a sweatshirt.

But then our love handles jiggle when we walk.

So we use that as motivation to run.

But it doesn't work.

So we buy another bag of finish off our Reese's, sign up for a 10K, and use that as motivation to run.

And STRESS OUT because we've never run a 10K before and what were we thinking and who wants to run more than, well, any miles anyway, and why does running in the rain WITH a jogging stroller have to be so hard?

Running = Boo, frowny face, and hurt.

Eating = Happy, yummy, and Biggest Loser.

You win for now, running.

Does anyone remember my original point? I must have had caffeine today.

What I was trying to say is that I did not take this picture today because there was no sun.

It was like a month ago, maybe more. Logan was sitting in the yard, pulling peas off the vine and opening the pods. We now have rogue pea plants continuously coming up through the grass.

And uh, this is sunflare, right? Sun... bubbles? 

Hands

When we wrapped Logan's presents for his birthday we had ordered them so that a tricycle would be the last gift he opened. The Grand Finale if you will. He loves bikes and always wants to ride them and we were worried that once he saw it he wouldn't be interested in looking at anything else.

We envisioned the excitement of his previous gifts would make the anticipation so great that when we brought out the final present he would screaming with joy (he does that) and our role as parents would be triumphantly validated. It's possible Tyson and I high fived over how awesome we are. No one will know.

So that meant he opened a train set before the trike. He loves Thomas the train. He wanted Thomas opened right then. He showed Thomas to everyone. He would have been done after Thomas.

But the CHAMPION PRESENT would be better! We knew it.

When it came time to open it I had the regular camera and video going to capture his moment of delight and joy upon unveiling The Finale. And maybe even his first unprompted "thank you"? A mom can hope.

Tyson brought out the carefully wrapped present (sometimes we wrap birthday presents in Christmas paper and newspaper, not a reflection of our love and devotion to the recipient) and set it in front of Logan.

"What do you think it is, buddy? Tyson asked as he lifted up the paper to reveal a wheel.  

"Bike."

Logan's monotone and uninterested reply after tearing his eyes away from Thomas.

Grand Finale FAIL.

He did give his bike a whirl that night and has enjoyed many rides since but man, he loves those trains.

Especially when Dad is here to play with him

Faceless Self Portrait

Crafting away at my favorite spot on the living room floor.

Bokeh

So Logan and I are doing Kindermusik together. 

It's a great idea in theory but the practice of it... I honestly didn't think my kid was so wild/disobedient/out of control/possessed until I got into this class where every child sits perfectly on their mother's lap.

I mean, really? I swear they are all about 2 too, how can they be so well behaved?

We took a class picture this week. In the first one Logan was standing on the edge of a blanket with me holding him still while the other kids sat demurely by themselves in a half circle. 

He wasn't in the second picture because he ran away.

That wouldn't even be so bad if he wasn't picking his nose in front of everyone while hiding from me.

But then today at the grocery store, after I finally corralled him into sitting in the appropriate place in the cart, he started making high pitched noises with random syllables thrown in.

I smiled and asked him what he was doing to which he replied, "Singing!" 

And he continued to sing until we got home.

And I loved it. 

This has nothing to do with my picture, a fake flower in front of a window facing our street, but it seemed to be time for a little something besides me attempting to improve my photography skills.

Something Orange

Hooray for October and bringing out the decorations!

Do you decorate for Halloween? I used to think it was too much trouble to decorate for anything besides Christmas, but now I love it!