Vocabulary

"I know all the words: mommy, daddy, iPhone and tissue."

Little Disappointments

So life can disappoint at times. Here are a few things that have irked you lately:

If you wear sunscreen, you still get hot.
If you wear your bike helmet, you can still fall off your bike.

How Many Words Per Minute??

Dear Isabella,

Some research study somewhere shows that women talk a lot more than men, a lot more.  Daddy and I are already aware of this from our relationship.  I think I utter about three times as many words per day as Daddy.  However, I haven't come across any research that shows how much more a three-year-old girl talks than anyone else in the world, but I know it's true.

A sampling of tonight's constant running commentary:

"Mommy, I'm thirsty.  No, I'm hungry, but I'm tired, too.  Will you make me a capital C?  No, that's a lower case C.  Ring around the rosy.  Pockets full of.... Daisy is being mean to me.  I want ice cream.  Can we do some art now  No. I'm not talking to you now.  I'm pretending."

Big Boy

Daddy:  Isabella, I had so much fun with you today.  I loved spending the day with my little girl.

You:  I liked spending the day with my big boy.  

Table Manners

"Isabella, Daddy passed you the bread.  What do you say to Daddy now?"

"Daddy, please pass the butter."

Cuddles

Tonight Daddy and I went to an event, and this means that you had a babysitter. We tried to sneak in quietly, but you heard us. I went upstairs to check on you, and you whimpered that you just needed a little cuddle before going to sleep. Funny thing. I needed the same thing.

Mommy's a Runner

Dear Isabella,
I hope when you are old enough to read this I'm still running, and I hope that you become a runner, a walker, a cyclist or whatever gets you outside and one with the world for a few hours each week.

 I've never been athletic -- in fact, I've always been quite girly and wimpy. But, a couple of years before we welcomed you into the world I discovered running, and I haven't been able to stop. Really. Even when I was pregnant with you, I kept on going. Sure, my running became more of a waddle, but I kept going.

I run after school, late at night and even early in the morning. If I don't get at least four good runs in each week, I can feel my energy (and especially my mood) decline. Life is hard sometimes, and I sometimes feel overwhelmed, but running always brings me back to joy. I thank God for the beautiful scenery, the strength of my body and those amazing endorphins that come at the end of a good, hard run.

Running reminds me that life is challenging, but we always make it. Sometimes we run a little slower, sometimes we need to take a quick walk break, sometimes we need a little TLC and sometimes we can run 13.1 miles and still want to run more.

 Life has been really hard for the past few months and finding joy has been harder than usual, but yesterday I found it and running led me to it. Just like the bad stuff that can sneak up on us, unexpected joy can too. You see, yesterday I was the FIRST female finisher in a local race. Yes, it was a smaller race. Yes, I'm sharing this title with a friend, but it's a WIN. I didn't expect it, and I surely wasn't looking for it. I just ran little faster than usual and didn't give up.

 Here's my cheesy life lesson: Keep your head up, keep moving and you WILL be pleasantly surprised. Yes, life will knock you on your ass from time to time, but let joy win. Let love win.

 I love you,

 Mommy (who is still glowing from her first athletic win)

Career Focus

"I wanna be a teacher like Mommy. I not wanna be a policeman." This is what you told the sweet officer who gave you a plastic toy badge.

Shovers and Cuddlers

So, you have a blossoming (and creative) vocabulary. Two of my very favorites are a shover (a shovel) and a cuddler (plush toy). Adorable!!