happy halloween!

we were worried about halloween and the requisite costume.

did we outdo ourselves with last year's gnome? it was nearly perfection.

joshua, like a garden gnome, was small, rotund, had legs to stand on but useless for walking. plant them in the garden (or stroller) of your choice, and they won't go anywhere.

so this year, we went with something just as appropriate: the Terrible Twos.

cute, touchy, colorful, willful, funny, cranky, opinionated, giggle-y.

basically, our son is a pendulum.

terribly endearing but terribly two.

**by the way, true to form, the child did not ONCE allow the sandwich-board of a costume to be put over his head. carry it, yes. ride in a wagon with it, sure. pull its various colored numbers off one-by-one, clearly. but over my head the way it was intended by my well-meaning and incredibly good-humored and creative parents, not a chance.

shua & grace -- #10 & #2

little huck

shu and i spent some time at a park
where i used to play and feed ducks
with my grandparents.
its right down the street from our house here.

it was so surreal to take my own kid
to a place i so vividly remember
being a kid.

note in the video the inflection
in his voice when he says,
'please, mama.'
its currently my favorite shu-ism.

home again

we did it.
and i have the pictures to prove it...

mom, me, maureen and katie
picking up our numbers & gear bags

shua & logan: loading up for race day

i joined them.

markus, shu & i stayed in a hotel on the course.
clearly, he no trouble making himself comfortable.

730am

mile 8

mile 11

"if i've seen her go by once,
i've seen it a hundred times..."

katie at 25.8 miles
i ran with her for a minute,
totally impressed with my big sister.

my welcome-home sign


mom, mo and i finished
strong and right on time with our predictions.
we conquered the crazy bridge to canada
and the tunnel back to the states.
we were cheered on by markus, shua,
the dzaidzi, kristen, maggie (our 26.2 pit crew chief)
and katie's family: chris, celeste, steve and logan.

you really should read katie's final posting.
she was amazing.

currently,
we're all home, feet up--
yours truly with a juice glass of wine
and three delightful squares of dark chocolate to boot.
take that, detroit free press marathon.
take that.

making signs

halvsies

shua and i are rolling out in the morning.
though with The Nana, rather than The Roscoe, joining the party.

we're headed to detroit, michigan for the running of the Detroit Free Press Marathon by my sister katie. and the ever-so-speedy walking of the Half Marathon by myself, another sister, mo, and the Nana.

i've had a horrible cold this past week, so my lung capacity isn't at its best. i'm anxious, excited and full of the kind of pre-race jitters i haven't experienced since high school. i got my voice back today, though, so i have that going for me. at least i'll be able to cry out for more gatorade :)

you can check out the race map here.
you can check out katie's training blog here.

i'm swinging through the drugstore tomorrow on our way out for diapers (yes, i'm down to 4 total in the house...again), cough drops and camera batteries. so stayed tuned...

this ought to be a hoot.

VA cousins

happy halloween

love,
us

overalls never looked better

just got back from virginia.
the land of hills, cows, cousins
& pumpkin patches.

pumpkin patches complete with hay mazes, that is.