Self-portrait: May

Merry Merry Month of May

Sorry, folks. This has been the fastest May ever--and not just at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Here is our quick summary of this amazing month!

Garbage sales! Had one! Shopped at several! Here is my loot ($6 TOTAL) from last week. Bring on summer rainy days.

Community Day I did some laps on the track in my rocking Honda.  

My minis under a big foot.

Yeah, I just love this. Pole Day 2013

Race Fans

Curls making his awesome Indy Car sound.

Campfires rock.

This does not.

This is even scarier.

Ahhhh. My little buddy.

Grand goofball had enough health issues for one month. I don't even recognize him!

Sigh.

Working. Working. Working. Love my studio. But I worked a TON this month.

Racing virtual cars at Dallara.

The most ridiculous example of health care gone wrong. $250 eye drops.

Fudgesicles can be a tad too messy for us yet.

And...Hudson's last day of school today! Picture coming later tonight!!!

Moonlighting...

I have joined on as a writer at IndyCar Mom so today's blog serves double duty. This is what I wrote for my blog over there. (But I added extra pictures of the boys for all of YOU.)

I'll admit prior to dating my husband, my time at the track was limited to hanging out in the infield with a huge group of friends and plowing through a couple cases of beer. Yep, I was That Girl. Well, I was in my twenties and it was just fine. Now, over ten years later, going to the track with just my kids seems like a far cry from those partying days in Turn 3. And --here is a secret, it is much more fun.

One of the greatest thing about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is its accessibility. Wednesday I went to my first Community Day with just my two mini men. One stroller. Zero beer. Community Day really showcases how up close and personal you can get to the magic of the Indy 500. We arrived about an hour after the gates opened, participated in the free (but extensive) carseat safetychecks along Hulman Way, parked, and still were touring the garages by 11:15 a.m. My boys loved looking at all the cars. Everyone was so friendly! And I loved that it was not crowded.

My kids, who randomly attended my last photo shoot at SFHR, were a bit perplexed that they could not climb all over Ed Carpenter's race car, but alas, I convinced them just to take some cute pictures outside the $500,000 car (or whatever it cost!) of Will Power instead. I still marvel that these cars are right out for all of us to breathe all over! 

Yes, we did walk extra slow by TK's garage hoping to engage the Brazilian in some conversation. Turns out, he was at another kid-friendly Indy location: the Zoo for the annual Zoopolis 500 Tortoise Race.

I'm sure much will be talked about later this summer with the Dreamworks upcoming feature Turbo. But, for now, Firestone is sure making their tires a hit with having great displays featuring the little snail and pre-designed photo ops like this one with their product.

 Am I the only parent that hopes that this movie can be half as good as the original Cars? My expectations are huge. I am still perplexed why they did not have the movie released on Memorial Day weekend though. Hmmmm....

Prior to walking along the classic car display in the pit area, we had lunch. Most of the time I pack lunches for the kids when we are going to the track, always saving $6 for myself to have one of those huge (and surely calorie laden) tenderloin.  Oh well, according to the MapMyRun app on my phone, I walked over 5 miles during the course of the day! Our day

also included the KidZone, IndyCar fan arena, suite tours, shopping, walk around the museum, and a quick photo op with Josef Newgarden.

You'll notice one of the key aspects of the day, were not part of my agenda. The autograph sessions are HUGE. Throngs of people were ready with memorabilia and Sharpies in hand to meet their favorite drivers. Maybe one day that will happen, but not for awhile. My little dudes were much more enthralled with the pedal cars and bounce houses in the KidZone.

As we left the track, with my youngest (22 months) nearly asleep in the backseat, I decided to drive on the track. This has to be one of the coolest features of Community Day. I signed the waiver, and followed the lines of sportscars and convertibles around the outside of turn 3 to the do the track lap. I quickly shuffled through the available CDs in my dash to find one "worthy" of my experience --albeit slightly laughing to myself as I realize I am picking the ultimate cruising music in a place where I used to bonafide "party" and now was just rolling in my Honda with my kiddos. Times change. Luckily, the traditions of the Indy 500 don't. And I love that.

IndyCar Mom {Heather}

Bowling ball in a race shop

There are two reasons why I don't take my kids on photoshoots with me.

1. It is unprofessional for me to beat them in public. (Ha ha...err...pseudo serious)
2. They are so cute, I really have difficulty focusing on the clients.

Both of these dictims proved true last Wednesday when I headed in to Speedway for a shoot at an Indy Car shop. I can try and type that all calm and cool when I really want to be like, I DID A PHOTOSHOOT IN A RACECAR SHOP!!!!!! Anyway, I did not have much choice on the kid department and the girl whose pictures I was taking is one of FIVE and her mama was also bringing her kids so... I chanced it.

My kids were pretty good. Hudson decided that being in a strange new racecar shop would be the PERFECT time to decide he wanted to 1. use a men's restroom alone in public and 2. take a poop. Tucker answered the telephone TWICE. Considering the IndyCar driver whose shop it was had his first top 5 finish the race before and was very "racey" at the track the day before just leaves me to believe Tucker hung up on ESPN or something.

Anyway, the pictures of the baby were awesome and I will post them later. Per dictim #2, here are the cutest children in the land....climbing all over a $375,000 car. Well, the green one was probably worth less as the $50,000 steering wheel was not in it.

A comedian once said that you should never take your kids any place expensive before they were 10 years old or so because little kids are so fascinated by the cheap stuff. (You take a 5 year old to Disney and all they really remember from the trip is the cool hand dryers in a rest stop bathroom in Alabama, for example.) I believe it. My little man has no idea how charmed his life has already been!
I think this is just the coolest!!!

Mister Mouth

 This morning I whipped up a couple toddler delicacies known to red blooded Americans as "Ants on a Log" and my 4.5 year old called me a "Master Chef". I do wish all of my mediocrity could be viewed with such rose colored glasses.

Hudson is full of it lately. He was reminded 75 times to be quiet(er) during his brother's nap yesterday and then when I asked him to put on noisy toy away, he quickly told me, "I better not. It is so loud. (pause) I am really smart today."

At church last Sunday, Little Man's mouth entertained the entire congregation. An innocent Mother's Day children's moment went wayward with Hudson sidetracking the lesson plan with his insisting the teacher acknowledge "Daddies" also love us unconditionally. Originally the teacher asked the group, "Who in the Bible teaches us about unconditional love?" The bevy of little said, "Jeeeeeeesus" softly. Hudson loudly quipped, "AND MOSES!"

Mother's Day

 I remember an offending conversation I had about seven years ago with a friend. I was talking to her on the phone as I drove on I-65; the moment was so impactful (if that is a word) I can still see myself at the wheel fuming in my mind's eye.

The gist of our talk was about how I wouldn't have "a life of value" if I did not have children. There was an undertone to what she said, to summize, that the worth of a person was increased by their ability to mother. These were not the words to say to a person knee-deep in fertility treatments. If I had been on Clomid at that very moment, violence may have occurred. (I am very proud that only certain people in my life understand what that last sentence means!)
Just the thought of that exchange still bugs me to the core. Probably because we are no longer friends, so I can not call her and tell her--after 5 years of Motherhood how I still think she was so very wrong. Or, to be more hopeful, she just was having a really horrible time articulating herself.

Becoming a mother has done nothing to give me "a life of value". It has, however, given me a life of PURPOSE.

 Motherhood is a gift. And whether it was delivered to you via c-section, adoption papers, VBAC, foster parenthood, or 26 hours of pushing, you are given the most valuable present when that child comes into your life. But I don't think it makes you worth any more.

And while I am preaching (!), I think Motherhood comes with the very real price that suddenly, your needs are worth less than those around you. What you want is not nearly as important. I am fine with having less value for I have gained so much.

Feel free to argue with me....

Homie don't play that

Mister T has taken to pouting. And it is really sad and pathetic and effective. It just breaks my heart every time he drops his head. Except at 2 a.m. At that hour, when he wakes up and is ready to start his day, and I unsuccessfully convince him sleeping time is NOW, he turns his eyes downward and quietly pouts, and I quickly leave the room! Although, last week he did this, I went back to bed and couldn't sleep because I was worried about him, and so I went back to check on him. He was still there, in the same position, swaying and falling asleep sitting up. Little Turkey.

Soccer Season 3

Well, third time IS a charm. Little Man has figured out that dandelions are for picking and soccer balls are for kicking. This season has flown by, but has been a lot of fun. Here are a couple of highlights.

I just realized this will be his last year on the littlest league. In the fall he will move up to the U6. Wowza.

Closing your eyes is key to proper ball catching.

So one game the other team did not have enough players. Hudson would NOT go play for the other team, just so they could have a game. He has been with Coach Craig all 3 seasons and would probably not do well with another coach. That includes me! I considered coaching for about 3 minutes earlier this spring.

Hudson scored three goals on the only game this season I missed (because T was sick). But I have seen him score a couple times now. He also believes Orange Leaf (yogurt) is a worthy prize for making some points.

Yeah-- I could get all weepy with this one. Hudson and CJ sure like to beat the heck out of each other, but they have known each other their whole lives and I sure hope they are always friends.

Stinkpot

Somewhere in Hudson's genetic code is embedded a word that only my grandpa called me. Well, he called everyone. The name is "stinkpot" and yesterday on our way to soccer, Little Man said, "Hurry up, Stinkpot." And it nearly took my breath away. I don't know where he learned this or who has said it to him, but it was a really quirky, random, and sweet moment. Such a specific word his namesake always used. Makes me happy.