Three Things Thursday ...

Beautiful - We got Dizzle and Doodle's school pictures back yesterday. My, um, confident, children were completely enamored with themselves. Shocking, I know.

Before I even had a chance to look at how the pictures had turned out, I heard Dizzle in the third row of our car take out the photos and say,

"Wow, I really am beautiful."

Obviously, my children have no issue with self esteem.

And although I told her she should learn to be modest, I couldn't help but agree with her when I finally saw the photos

Doodle, Kindergarten

Dizzle, 1st grade (left) and 2nd grade (right)

Honestly, I'm not really sure where my babies went. They are 7 and 5. It scares me for what things will be like in a decade.

Embracing Potential - I am the first to admit that I am very hard on my children. I expect a lot from them. I have visions of what they "should" be and at times, I'm not very open to accepting what they are. More often then not, I see them as little versions of myself.

Athletic. Intelligent. Sensible. Composed.

The thing is, sometimes, they're not. Sometimes, they have interests outside of what I am comfortable with. Sometimes, they are blubbering messes and frankly, I don't always know how to deal with it. It's a process. For all of us.

Most of the time, Doodle and Dilly are easy for me to process. They usually excel at the roles I've laid out for them. I can read them like a book and I know exactly what to expect from them.

Dizzle, on the other hand, is complicated. She's emotional and raw. Her strengths lie outside the physical, competitive and driven bubble I seem to force my kids into. She's graceful (despite her clumsiness). She's artistic. She's a thinker. She writes poems and songs, some with a depth, I'm not sure she really understands. Basically, from the time she could walk, she has been singing and dancing her way through life. And I don't know how to handle or foster that.

Yesterday, she spent the afternoon practicing a song they are singing at school. She had such a nice tone to her voice that I felt compelled to record her. Immediately upon finishing, she begged me not to post it to Facebook. Too bad that until she's 18, I'm the one with the control over that issue and her plea was denied.

Oh, and I also shared it on YouTube for the whole Internet to see.

I think she's pretty good and I should probably embrace her passion. Oh, and I'm confident that she'll forgive me. Eventually.

Where's My Race Mojo? - I am registered to run the HCA 8K this weekend. It is my all-time favorite race. The course is flat with a downhill finish. The distance is the best one out there. And historically, I have run really well at this event.

But, this year, I am SO NOT FEELING IT.

I'm not really sure why, but my head is not in the game. I don't feel ready (or willing) to race. It's kind of annoying. At this point, I may race. I may run with my sister. Or I may just stay in bed. I don't really know.