I had to make a change today so,i ran and I ran a little bit further. Had to shake the dust off. Papa took Elio for their morning walk. I took Saul in the stroller for a run. It felt good to be moving. A thought kept surfacing in my mind "you have the rest of your life". I am not totally clear on what it means but I like it. I have the rest of my life ahead of me so what will I do with it? It made me think of the old "if this was your last day on Earth" type of thing. I know I want to love and enjoy the people around me. I don't want to wast time being crabby and unkind. I don't want to push away the ones I love. I want to run more.

Today feels a little different than usual. Saul has been napping a lot. Two hour long stretches. One interrupted by our going to Elio's basketball class. We are currently twenty minutes into nap number three. Elio has been mellow today, drawing pictures, playing quietly, even laying under a blanket listening to music. It is good, I needed a day like this. I am feeling not quite up the the mommy job today. I am a little too quick to frustration, maybe a little down. Blame it on the constant rain, or Brooke and James leaving. Whatever it is I hope I shake it quick. I feel like drinking tea and starring out the window or watching tv all day. Neither are an option when you have to keep up with two little people.

My sister Brooke went home today, so did James the dog. They have been with us for two months. We have gotten used to her company during the day. Some one to hand off Saul to for a moment so I can get something done. Someone to speak grown up with. We will miss all the time we have been able to spend together lately. We will miss our little outings. We will miss her, until next time.

I am sorry to say I am a little frazzled today. There is laundry to do, the house is a mess, and Elio is testing everything. On top of that I am still trying to figure out a nap schedule for the baby. Some days it is two naps, some three, some four. Elio was much more scheduled at this age. Also there is construction going on next door causing the dogs to bark at every little bump or bang, often waking the baby. I wish I was sharing the joys of mother hood, all baking muffins and reading stories, there are times like that, but I'm afraid it is not everyday. I do love this job of motherhood, but it never gets any easier.

Papa and I had some much needed time together yesterday. I had no clients in the morning and Elio had school, so we took the baby and dogs for a walk at Mt. Tabor. We strolled in the sun and talked. Some subjects serious, some, not so much. There were tons of people out enjoying the sunshine, joggers, walkers, and quite a few birdwatchers. The baby slept, we took our time. It felt good to walk. It felt good to talk. It felt good to be outside.

Wow, I have really lost some posting momentum. I took a week off sick with a sinus infection and never really got back to it. My goal was one year. I will pick things up from here. Blogging is not the only thing I have lost momentum with, my whole life feels a little bogged down. My eating has gotten bad, my home has gotten messy, my exercise routine has all but disappeared. Time to let spring pick up my pace and my mood.

The sun is out more, we have been out more and it feels really good. Today we went to the park. Something happened and Elio's leg was bleeding. Not badly, just a small poke. All he wanted to do after that was go home and get a Band-Aid. My mother brought Elio these Pinocchio Band-Aids last year from Italy. They have become quite the accessory. He was very excited to have me put it over his tiny cut and started planning his outfit for tomorrow around it.

Yesterday we spent almost all day outside. Elio had a soccer class at nine, and it being such a nice day, we went to the park after. Other children would come and go. Some we knew some we didn't. I hadn't planned on being there all day and when other kids started their lunches Elio wanted one too. We scooted home and quickly made one, put it in his lunch box and scooted back to the park for a picnic. Elio made more new friends, Saul napped off and on in the stroller, nursed, and had some of his own snacks. It felt good to be in the sun with all the other children and parents who have been cooped up too long.

Yesterday was darn near perfect. It was the warmest day we had seen in too long. I took the day off to run the 5k Run For The Cheetah. The race was small, perfect being i had not done a race in over a year and am still having trouble finding a workout routine since the baby was born. The race was great! Some hills but not too much, the temperature was perfect. I ran at an average pace for the little training i had done.  Elio had his kids run, a half mile through the zoo. He was so excited! He lined up with the other kids and took off. A girl fell in front of him causing a small pile up. Elio got up and ran as fast as he could. They ran through the zoo. When we saw him coming after the turn around, he was bumping the kid next to him trying to pass. I yell "Elio, run as fast as you can!" and he picked up his pace to the finish. He was so proud of himself and Papa and I were equally as proud. We hung around on the lawn of the zoo in the sunshine while Elio did some crafts and had his face painted. It was the most relaxed I had felt in a long time. After walking around the zoo a little, we headed home where Papa did some work in the yard while i looked after the kids. The day was topped off with dinned in the back yard and bedtime stories. Not a bad day in my book.