Catching the Moon

Sunday was a 20 mile run. Addy came over at 6 to babysit, and I met up with Misty and Hilary. Surprise, surprise, it was miserably hot and humid again. We stopped to refill on water at about mile 5 while we were running through the state park. We had contemplated running the hills first, and then heading to the state park, but unfortunately if you wait to run the state park after 8am, you have to check in with the park ranger. This wastes a good 5 minutes, and means you actually have to stop and converse. Therefore, we put the hills off to later in the run, and ran the park first (it’s a nice park -right on the bayou with 3 bathrooms and 2 water sources). After that it was off to Edgewater and Ruckel. After about mile 12, I had to give up on Hilary’s brutal pace (Misty’d thrown in the towel a couple of miles back). I was quite literally dripping with sweat and out of water. As I ran past the state park again, I contemplated stopping by to ask the ranger for water, but I’ve had a recent run-in with the ranger there (another reason to run the park before 8), and was reluctant to ask any favors. By mile 16 I was desperate, and so hopped a fence at some condos to find a water fountain. I wrung my skirt out and struggled on - but it was painful. I managed the last 2 miles by walk-running.
Very humbling, hot and humid.
By the time I made it home I was exhausted. Once we got home, Addy’s mom came and picked her up, and I completely collapsed. I chugged a quart of chocolate milk, a powerade and then popped Strawberry Shortcake into the dvd player and crashed on the couch for a nap. Some friends had mentioned heading to the beach that afternoon, but I just couldn’t manage to do the whole “load the car, sunscreen the kids, drive to the beach, carry kids/umbrellas/cooler/towel/chairs/toys to the beach, build sandcasltles/chase Jackson, carry everything back to the car, hose off the kids (to screams of protestation), drive back home, transfer sleeping children to their beds knowing I was also transferring a pound of sand with them, unload car, have children wake up... etc
So, I managed to convince BOTH kids to take a nap with me for 2 hours (wow - the ultimate feat!).
By evening I was feeling a little guilty for doing so much nothing all day that I chased both kids outside and plopped myself on the driveway in a lawn chair with a glass of wine. We had just walked/scootered/biked to get mail, and Riley impressed me by taking the key, obtaining the mail, and then balancing the stack of letters on the foot board of her scooter and bring it back to me - all while I was trying to convince Jax to go THAT WAY on his bike. Once in the drive way, I had Skoshi on a leash and both kids drawing with sidewalk chalk. Jackson has become fascinated with the moon. Whenever we’re outside in the evening he has to locate it and then scream as loud as he can “Moon! Mommy, Moon!” and he doesn’t give up until everyone has acknowledged and looked at the moon. (This is somewhat startling to neighbors as they walk by for a 2 year old to run up to them, screaming “MOON! MOON!”) Once everyone in the area has acknowledged the moon, then he starts over with the first person again . This particular evening, he had decided
“MOMMY, MY MOON”
“Your moon, Jackson?”
“YEAH, MY MOON”
“How about Riley, is it Riley’s moon, too?”
“NO, MY MOON”
Jax then found the reflector-on-a-stick that is his favorite outside toy and started waving it over his head”
“Whatcha doin Jackson?”
“MY MOON, MOMMY. CATCH IT?”
“You can’t catch it, Jackson, it’s too high.”
“TOO HIGH? BRING IT DOWN, MOMMY, DOWN!”
“I can’t, it’s too high”
“TOO HIGH? MOMMY’S CAR, CATCH IT?’
“No, Jackson, it’s too high for my car, too.”
“OH, MOON TOO HIGH...... ROCKETSHIP, MOMMY?”
And then he and Riley proceeded to gather a big cardboard box from he house and decorate it as their rocketship. It was very cute.