Day 87

This morning Kiki and I ran 2-1/2 miles at one of the local churches. The cloud cover made the school extremely dark, so we ventured across the street toward something different. The wind was blowing and the air was cold. Yes, you read correctly – the wind was COLD! I LOVED IT! Kiki complained for a while – well until her body warmed up – and then actually welcomed the cold breeze. I look forward to every morning as the air gets cooler. I envision the cold air is coming from hundreds of miles away from the snowy mountain tops and it seems (well to me anyway) that the air is cleaner and it is easier to run. It was a great start to our holiday weekend.




The holiday weekend will allow me to spend some more time with the hubby. We are busy all week with work and the transport of our children from one event to another that the fact that most of our time is spent apart doesn’t really dawn on us. I started this journey with my daughters, but don’t forget that there are two men in my life that have been encouraging us this whole time.



Meet the hubby.



This is my soul mate. He is the love of my life and my strength. (The fact that he does the dishes has no wavering affect on my affection for him ;-)) He is genuinely (from the very definition) a good man. From his work ethics (and talents in “other” areas – wink, wink) to the love for his family and friends – he IS as good as they come! He is a wonderful father, and although he is tough (I did NOT write difficult) to work for, he is one huge teddy bear! Don’t get me wrong – being tough to work for is a POSITIVE thing! It makes you a better employee, it makes your work higher quality and it establishes loyalty. He is a no-nonsense kind of guy that will tell you straight up what, how, and why things are going on and are done a certain way. But, most importantly, he LEADS BY EXAMPLE! To work for him, you have to have tough skin and put forth your best  – but hey – this is TEXAS – everyone EXPECTS an unquestionable work ethic! He has a knack for seeing potential in people and knowing how to cultivate their aptitude and skill set to help them advance in the right direction. These qualities earn respect – period. (Sometimes I think he is too fair and over accommodating, but again, he sees things that I don’t.) We’re a lot alike and completely different – if that is possible – in our management styles. Me being a Capricorn and he a Taurus, our personalities are perfectly matched. He is a pessimist (he calls it being a realist - whatever) and I am an ever dreaming optimist - I give him hope and he keeps me grounded. We are both strong and weak in certain areas of our lives, but are equally independent of each other financially. After 17 years (OMG! – 17 years? – really? – it’s been that long!?) I still have a huge crush on him. And tonight when we go to a dinner party with a 100 people, I will see him across the room talking to another woman (feeling extremely secure with myself) and have those feelings of teenage butterflies you get with young love. That’s how much I am in love with this man. I am blessed!



Here is the new man in my life. Meet Doodlebug.



He was 4lbs when we brought him home. Don’t get distracted by my husband’s long hair, (j/k sweetie!) but Doodlebug is smaller than my husband’s bicep & tricep! Awwww. See what I mean? The hubby is a softy! Almost every night and I mean almost EVERY night these two have fallen asleep together. Whether it is Doodlebug falling asleep in his arms kicked back on the recliner or Doodlebug following him to the bed – he wants to do what daddy is doing! Matter of fact, Doodlebug will be 3 in November and we are just now weaning him out of our bed. Sometimes he will sneak into our bed before we do and this is what we find:



How can you move him to his own bed? Awwww.

This was Doodlebug’s first EVER haircut (which he was almost perfect if you can imagine that) and my husband was reading to him! One of our good friends owns his own salon called Joe James Salon and Day Spa. Super nice and you won't find better service or people ANYWHERE! LOVE THEM!



Experiencing your child’s youth comes only once and the hubby wasn’t around much when the girls were little because either he was out of town working or in the oilfields working 100 hours a week. With Doodlebug, he is able to appreciate the “time” a little more. Here they play while we are at a restaurant and you can see that he is still not much bigger than the hubby’s arm! Lol.



Here Doodlebug goes for a ride after picking out some shotgun shells for daddy. All he really cares about is going fast on the Polaris Ranger! HE LOVES HIS DADDY!



I look at Kitty and Kiki sometimes and wonder where the time went, but I keep telling myself that it is not over. Kitty being our first child is still experiencing and learning things about life that only a parent can appreciate. We forget that their learning doesn’t stop after potty training or reading in kindergarten. Sometimes “having been there and done that” is lost on our patience, but the real miracle is that we get to see and experience the world through our children’s eyes if we pay attention…





These are the men in my life and as we (the girls and I) go forward, I won't forget to thank them for all their support and encouragment.

Have you ever discovered something or appreciated something more in this world just from watching a child?

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