Sunday Wanderings

This is her "serious face".  Ha!  This kid cracks me up!!!

The morning began at the crack of dawn, as I woke to see the sun rise before my morning run...then I fell back asleep for two more hours.  It was glorious.  Then I awoke again...ready to conquer my eleven mile run.  I crept downstairs to have a cup of coffee and a quick snack.  As the first sip reached my lips, a little voice said, "Good morning, Daddy."  I turned to see Audrey standing in the kitchen.  A minute later, Violet was downstairs on the couch, and my running yielded to breakfast duty.  As the girls munched on pancakes and fruit bowls, I made a purple monster smoothie and finished my coffee.  I read a little on my single person couch, which I have christened the Dad Pad.  With the girls fed and Kim now awake and in the living room, I strapped-on my running gear and head out the door.  The heat and sun greet me as I hit start on my watch and get moving.  The temperature rises to about 80 degrees by the time I finish my eighth mile.  I stop at the house, refill my water bottle, change shirts, and hit the road again for my last three miles.  The clouds are out and a gentle breeze is very welcomed as I finish up the eleventh mile and then lay in my front yard in the shade for a few minutes.

Phoebe takes a rest after running around the back yard.  She is the best dog!

After a shower, I take the girls swimming at the YMCA and we enjoy being little sharks for a while.  Audrey is relentless on the water slides and Violet is just a little water drop rocking out all over the place.  Their energy is infectious and I cannot help but imagine how wonderful and fluid they will be in the water as they continue to practice and discover the talents their mother has passed-down to them.  After shark attacks had lost their appeal, and slides were slid, we dried-off and drove to Barnes and Nobel, where Audrey acquired the newest Harry Potter novel.  I am proud of her for taking-on that series independently.  I am on book four, and she is on the fifth.  I enjoy our conversations about it, and will savor each chapter moving forward.

This summer Audrey has really taken to roasting marshmallows.  She has yet to perfect her craft, but on nice nights like this, what a great hobby to have!  

We perused books for a while, and violet also made a purchase of a Lego story.   We made our way to the cafe and ordered some cookies and strolled back to the car.  We listened to some tunes and sung along while the clouds passed overhead and we made our way home.  Once home, we snacked and found our ways to our respective "nap spots".  While I didn't really sleep, I dozed and scratched the dog.  Audrey crept in and we read for a while, and now we sit here, ready to emerge from our rest time and decide what to do with the rest of our afternoon.  Laundry and dishes always await, and a dog walk seems in order when it cools a little more.  Maybe some water and a movie?  Whatever we do, it will be calm and we will do it as a family.  That is what makes today so nice...just being together.

Violet watching the sunset on the back patio.  Life is good.