You Can't Always Get What You Want

Well, we had high hopes for this weekend. Family fun, a plethora of outdoor activities, fun with friends, happy children, smiling, laughing..... you know all that stuff.

I should not lead you think that we didn't have any of those things. No, we had most of them. But we also had a huge dose of blood, tears, owies, panic attacks, sleepless nights.... the combination of those things can sometimes lead to crabby children..... We got up early, left Hood River with fresh coffee and the anticipation of a long, fun weekend. Once in Bend, we stopped by the house, took a few pictures and SPLAT! Noella face plants onto the freshly laid slate tile in the entry way.

She was running towards me asking me to take her coat off, while trying to get her arms out of her sleeves. Blood and screaming everywhere. I am not good at dealing with lots of blood, especially if it is coming out of my own child. Bloody lip, bloody teeth..... My first panic was that she was losing her front two teeth. That's something I'm really good at - panicking . Then, within minutes, her lips are the size of Joan Rivers'. Thank God for Adam - the calm in the eye of the storm (Noella and I). We finally get her calmed down with a loaner Groovy Girl doll from our builder's daughter and the promise of ice cream.

Please excuse the dried blueberry sorbet all around her mouth, as well as the dried boogers up her nose. I had to promise her the candy of her choice from the store to let me look in her mouth like this. Do you think she was going to let me clean her mouth and nose too? I'd have to start throwing in pink and purple cupcakes or something. 

The rest of the evening, she seemed fine. Adam and I were exhausted from the stress of the all the events, but she was excited to be in a hotel to swim and watch "football" (football. for real. and unfortunately it is not football season and baseball and soccer will not do for her). We loaded her up with some meds to help her endure the coming nightfall. The rest of that night is a huge blur of her waking up at 2 in the morning to "watch something", trying to crawl across the nightstand into our bed, kicking and prodding me endlessly after I moved to her bed.

Bleary-eyed and dazed, we headed to meet our friends from Bend for coffee and pastries. The rest of the day turned out great and Noella finally got to play with "Roof" (Ruth). The girls got to ride their bikes together on the trails, everyone got a much needed nap and we even managed a delightful dinner out. Adam didn't get to ride, but I think he enjoys watching and helping Noella learn almost as much :) Here are some action shots of the buddies acting silly in the yard.

As for my race, well "you can't always get what you want". I came in two seconds slower than my first year! Dirty Half 2012 - 1:54:54. I must be plateaued there until I can find the time to put in the many many miles I need to truly change my pace. That's what I'm telling myself :) But hey, I beat my time from last year by 4 minutes. That's something.

So, if this post has any message whatsoever, I think that it's you can't always get what you want, "but if you try sometimes.... you get what you need".  Aw, yeah.