Lucy-isms: Big Girl Edition

Lucy is such a big girl! Time is flying and it makes me sad. But, that is why I cherish the conversations that I have with her while she is still 3 years old (for only about a month more). Here is a conversation we had before bedtime...

"Momma, is God proud of us?"

"I'm sure he is, if we are nice and caring to others."

"I will see God in Heaven. I will see Chico too. He will lick, lick my face. I will be all swobbery. He be happy to see me."

(Laughing) "Yes. He will be! But, that won't happen until you are really, really old."

"Old like you Momma?"

(Laughing) "No. Hopefully, much older!"

"Old like Daddy?"

"No, I hope and pray that you are old, and gray, and have lots of wrinkles."

"Am I going to be a giant or what?"

"No. You will stop growing. But, we continue to age. Our skin gets wrinkly and our hair turns gray. We get old."

"Hmmmm....I will get married and have grandchildren."

"Yes. I pray that you do get married, have children, and grandchildren."

"Momma, who will I marry?"

"We don't know. It may be someone you know, or it may be someone you haven't met yet."

"Ask me who I will marry..."

"Okay, who are you going to marry?"

"No. Ask me who!"

"Oh, will you marry Max?"

(Finger on her chin) "Hmmm.....maybe."

"Will you marry Bryson?"

"That's a good one, Momma! I pick that one."

She makes me laugh so much. I love our conversations. After that, she rolled over and asked me to turn out the light. :) I love that little girl so much.

I Ran a 5K Once...

Hopefully this isn't something that my future self will say. I hope to run more than just one 5K in my life. But, for the time being, I finished one and for me that is a huge accomplishment.

As you all know, I sometimes run for a short workout. Said run is usually one, possibly two, miles. It never goes longer than two miles. Three miles? Ha.

I'll be honest, I never really used to like running. But, I think it just took me this long to figure it out - if that makes any sense. I've learned to pace myself, adjust my breathing, etc.

But, with this run and the photos that were taken, I've learned even more:

• I can do something if I really put my mind to it.
• Awesome Possum is a great team name. People loved it. They really did!

•  Blue doesn't glow under black lights (told you, Heath).
• A glow necklace might snap when curved tightly - it might just snap while looped through the laces on your shoe.
• Watch where you are walking. Mud holes can be anywhere, even downtown Lincoln.
• Sitting on the cement post race will leave sweaty butt prints.
• You can get rid of said butt prints by "accidentally" spilling water on it.
• My post-run food of choice is cheese crackers with peanut butter.
• I tend to hold my thumbs like Marsha Brady when I run. :(

•  I don't look good running...at all.

•  Hannah is a great cousin. Alright, so I already knew this. But, she stayed with me the whole run and would cheer me on. She was really the only one to congratulate me and acted proud of me. :) It made me feel really good. Heath? Couldn't care less. I had to fish for compliments...even then, they weren't real keepers...

And, doesn't the lady in pink look like she wants to pass me? We just crossed the finish line lady...get a grip.

Here are some other pictures of the night:

 Heath finishing. Good form, Hunny!

Jason finishing, like he just freaking ran a 40...

Tom and Jari finishing, together. Aww...of course Jari is smiling. By the way, Jari, I am super impressed that those glasses lasted the whole race!

Looking good, considering...

Post-race team picture! Tom and Jari...get a room...just kidding...haha...

The guys got flagged down to take a picture because of their awesome shirts....awesome possum shirts that is.

And, now, my favorite pic of the whole thing.

Jason - why are you so wet? And, why are you two in an embrace? Runnin' bros...Heath, this is the most genuine smile of the whole night! Haha

I encourage anyone to do this. Push yourselves and your boundaries. I want to do another, just to prove to myself that I can. I ran the entire thing, without walking. I didn't think I could. I did.

We'll see if I can do another soon, before I become too completely out of shape again (although that might have already happened).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Dear Cori

Dear Cori of 2023:

First of all, Happy New Year! Was 2022 all that you imagined it would be? Hell no. Is it ever? Can we ever really predict what this crazy world will bring us? No. If you think you can, tsk-tsk. You, my friend, are taking things for granted.

Anyway, Cori of 2023, the 2013 version of you is quite the know-it-all, smart ass, huh? Agreed.

I thought I would take a moment and remind you of a few things - things that you may want to remember about these days, here is 2013.

Lucy is 3 years old. She has the cutest little toddler voice, all high pitched and her 'L' is a 'W' sound. "Wucy Kisstensen." I cringe at the thought of her ever losing this sweet little voice. She calls you momma too. When she gets really excited, she yells, "Momma! Momma!" It makes my heart smile.

Olive is 6 months old. She is quickly growing out of the cuddle stage. But, she is still allowing you to hold her during her naps, while she makes cute baby snores. This morning, she was staring out of her crib, across the hall. Between the crib slats all you could see were her beautiful, bright eyes. You got a good chuckle out of her goofy smile when you walked into her bedroom.

Heath is currently working three jobs, like the sterotypical man-provider he wants to be. He is working at the College, teaching for them, and doing two new websites as a freelancer. He is still trying to treat you like a princess. He is doing a pretty good job too. The two of you are closer now than you ever were in your almost 12 years together. The other night you apologized to him for the horrendous mess you call a bedroom and master bathroom. He said, "Thank you for saying that. But, I'm just used to it by now." Appreciating our strengths and accepting our weaknesses.

Remember these days? The days where you felt like you didn't have enough time. Your probably think that is silly in 2023. Lucy is 13 now, for you. You would probably love to talk to her about her day, phone-free, and sit by her bed at nighttime talking to her before bed, explaining who the Easter Bunny is, where Santa Claus lives, and why we pray.

You are currently still trying to lose those pesky pounds that you put on when you were pregnant with Olive. It sure is getting harder, as I'm sure you know better now than ever. You can do it though. You have successfully lost 20 lbs at 21 and 49 lbs at 24. What is 52 lbs, really? Remember these silly struggles, just in case you are still battling weight. Turkey and chicken are your friends. But, apparently not close enough friends that you won't eat them...

Chico and Squirty are getting older, but still amazingly loving and hilarious. You laughed pretty hard at Chico the other day when he coughed really hard and let out a big, squeaky toot at the same time. They love you so much and would follow you anywhere. I truly believe that. If you are sitting, they are on your lap. Although they are still terrified of Lucy, they love Olive so much. Chico likes her too much actually. You can't keep him from licking her face. But, we are noticing how old they are getting. Chico is coughing a lot and he can't jump on the furniture very easily. Squirt seems to always be at your feet and doesn't get out of the way like she used to. Both of their eyes are getting foggy. It breaks our heart. But, I know that you remember them fondly, just as we do Co-Co. She has been gone for almost 3 1/2 years and we still talk about her. Better to love and have lost, than to never have loved them at all.

Advice from your younger self:
-  You will never be younger than you are right now. Don't fret about the wrinkles on your neck or your non-glowing skin. Embrace it. It's all down hill from here; this we know.
- You are 27 and can barely stay off Twitter and Facebook. Remember this when Lucy won't put her phone down for 5 seconds. Plus, I am talking about an iPhone 5. Lucy's iPhone 15 will be much, much better!
- If you haven't already, go to Disney World. Go on a Disney Cruise. Do it all now before Lucy gets to be 'too cool' for you, or runs off to college.

I hope this email finds you, Heath, and the girls all well. A lot can happen in ten years - wonderful, amazing things and heart wrenching things as well. The future is always scary. You never know what it holds. The 'unknown' is borderline terrifying. You just have to trust in God. Trust in your relationship. Trust in your parenting. Trust in yourself.

"Lord, help me remember that nothing will happen today that you and I can't handle together."

See you in ten years. Whew...seems like a long time. I better not blink though.

Love,

Cori

27 is the New Cool

I'm getting old.

I literally feel it. No - I'm not talking about my achy bones, my need for more fiber in my diet, or the wrinkles on my forehead. Although, my hip does hurt sometimes, fiber would do me some good, and my forehead is totally wrinkling. But, that is all beside the point.

I look at Lucy and Olive. Lucy is almost three. I. Am. Getting. Old.

I'm a mother of two. I am co-raising two children. We are talking about getting a minivan. I seriously wake up in the morning and think about what would be comfortable and sensible to wear, not what would look best.

I remember being a little kid and celebrating my dad's 30th birthday. Was that young in my eyes? No. Do I ever remember a time that I thought my parents were young? Never.

But, to a 4 year old, 30 is old. No offense, Dad.

So, I have decided instead of being all complainy, which is easy to do, I would celebrate being "old." What makes being (almost) 27 cool? Well, let me tell you...

1) I can tell you when a storm is coming because my hip aches, like arthritis or something.

2) I can dress up for an 80s party based on memory, not pictures from the internet.

3) I can sing songs from the early 2000s in the hall at work, and I'm the only one who knows all the lyrics.

4) My cell phone is not always in my hand. Therefore, if I am slow replying to texts, I can't be blamed.

5) If I'm out past midnight on the weekend, and get pulled over, it's no automatically assumed that I'm coming home from a party.

6) I drive a "family vehicle" and never get pulled over (knock on wood).

7) I get to plan all the meals of the household. What's for dinner? Whatever I want to cook...

8) I get to finally share my worldly wisdom with teenagers. And, they roll their eyes at me, just the same..

9) Heath lets me spend more money on makeup, push-up bras, and tanning lotion since I'm basically falling apart.

10) I am finally in tune with the news and pop culture enough that I get all (or most) of the jokes on Saturday Night Live.

11) Heath and I can basically be as careless as we want with birth control. Not that we want a third necessarily, or right now for the matter. But, it's not like we're too young, or too old. It's like Goldilocks; my age is "just right."

12) I appreciate how fast the internet is today. When I was 15, I used dial-up to download songs from Napster!

13) I have become supernatural. I have the ability to kiss boo-boos and cure them instantly, I can look at food and gain weight, and my body can sense when it's out of caffeine.

14) When I talk about my "high school days," I'm no longer lame. It's me being nostalgic.

15) Let be honest, stubbing your toe just doesn't hurt quite as bad. Or, perhaps it's being able to cuss at the top of your lungs that relieves all that pain...hmmm...

Now, don't you wish you were 27? It's pretty damn cool.