Shame, shame...

So embarrassed. So very, very embarrassed.

Yes, it's been a while. Longer than a while. A whiiiiile, if you will.

So what's new with us? Well, Sailor attended her first day of fourth grade yesterday. Getting information from her is often like pulling teeth, but she did offer us these golden nuggets:

1. Her teacher is nice. Not like the mean teacher on the playground who yelled at her students in front of everyone. This bothered Sailor.

2. She may very well be popular this year, as she made friends with some popular kids. I'm not sure who these kids are, but I have been assured they are the "sweet" popular kids, rather than the "mean" popular kids. Because Lord knows we want to steer clear of the latter.

3. She did not realize her lunchbox has a cooler compartment on the bottom. This is where I packed her milk and cheese. Therefore, she had to beg a milk off the lunch lady, who snarled at her and spit in the milk. I'm kidding. She didn't spit in the milk. But it was still a good visual, you have to admit.

We are not sure at this point if any actual learning occurred yesterday.

Jack has missed Sailor, but he is very excited about the opportunity to walk up the road with me to pick her up from the bus stop in the afternoons. Oh, the bus! It is absolutely glorious with its yellow paint and ear-splitting brake squeals! I mean, really.

Cousin Jason e-mailed some photos of our trip to the lake with Watson's family this weekend. I took one look, spotted myself in a couple here and there (in my bathing suit) and promptly stuffed my feet in my running shoes, strapped Jack in the jogging stroller and took off on a jaunt around the neighborhood. The first fifteen minutes or so were lovely. The air was cool (Jack was in long sleeved pj's), the roads were empty and the birds were singing (and staying respectively in their trees so as not to cause me any panic episodes on the road). I was just asking myself why I didn't do this every day, this pleasant, calming, rejuvenating exercise, when we arrived at the Big Hill.

"Please God, help me," I panted as I leaned into the incline, pushing Jack (who suddenly seemed ridiculously overweight) and the stroller (which suddenly seemed ridiculously oversized) up the mountain. Er, hill.

But I made it! And even though my legs are having a little trouble supporting me when I stand up and try to, you know, walk, I plan to do it again. Let's just hope I do a better job being a regular exerciser than I'm doing with my blogging. Fingers crossed.