Rose Family 7th Annual Thanksgiving Day

I wasn't sure if we would make it this morning on our run.  The weather was not ideal, and I had a headache from a long night with Heather.  (nightmares?)  It was decidedly our coldest Turkey Run yet, beating even last year's frigid temps.  Last year was below freezing, but this year it was even more below freezing.

There was some whining and even some crying, and Devin said something like, "why can't they just be tough, and enjoy being outside?" and I said, "I think it's probably something to do with the fact that they are little girls, and not grown mountain men.  But they will grow up to be tough women because we are giving them these experiences when they are young, showing them that their bodies are strong, and they will survive, and it can be fun, and hot cocoa is the best thing ever invented.  That's what we are teaching them now, but they are still just little, and still learning the lesson."

My favorite bit from today was at one point Hallie began complaining that there was a thorn or something in her shoe.  Devin told her to take it out.  She said she couldn't, because "I don't know what it is though!"

She couldn't get it out, and it was still bothering her, so eventually Devin got down on the cold pavement to try and get it out.  He was also unsuccessful, so I came over to investigate why my whole family was sitting on the ground instead of running with me.

I got the full story from beginning to end, and Devin showed me where something poky was lodged in her brand new grey tights.  She had chosen to wear her tights over her leggings, for reasons unbeknownst to me, and so it covered her foot.  To get the poky thing out, the only thing Devin could think of was that we would have to take her socks off, then her shoes, then the shorts, next her pants, and then finally the tights and at least we would be able to remove the whatever it was that irritated her.  But by the side of the road? In serious sub zero temperatures?  To strip down like that was just short of crazy.  What made the situation extra exciting was that Hanna standing just off to the side kept saying that she also had a rock that was bothering her and could I get it out when I was done with Hallie?

Devin was itching to be off again running, and Hallie was crying at the thought of taking all those clothes off.  I said, "I'll deal with this. I'll think of something."

I rolled the little irritant around, trying to figure out a way to force it out through the tights.  That wasn't going to happen, so I said, "Hallie, mommy's just going to have to reach in and get this out."

And with that, I shoved my hand down her pants.  There on the side of the road, for all the early Thanksgiving day traffic to see, I hoped that my arm was as long as her leg.  The effort knocked us both flat on our backs, and we lay there in what was undoubtedly one of the top three most awkward positions of my life, and Hallie began yelling, "This does not seem to be going well, Mom!"

I will always love the sound in her voice when she said that.  Then she continued screaming, "it hurts! you're hurting me! everything hurts!"

Hanna began shouting, "My rock is out now Mom! Guess what, it's all better!"

I said, "Hallie, sometimes you have to go through a little pain to get rid of the thing that is causing you bigger pain.  Do you want that thing out of your tights?"

She was almost crying again. "Yes. I want it out."

"Ok," I told her, "This is the only thing I can think of to do. I will have it out... now! I got it!"

I pulled my hand back out of her tights as quickly as I could, and showed off for all to see the tiny white rock that had been lodged against the arch of her foot.  I asked her if it was worth what I had had to do to get it out, and she said it was.

I pretty much felt like a hero.  We began walking again, and Hanna said, "Oh wait, I guess that rock is still in there!"

And now, pictures.

 Devin laughed when he saw how tightly I had bundled Hazel.  She pretty much couldn't move, and Devin declared that I had transformed her normally round body into a solid square.  She was the only one of the girls that didn't cry though, so there's that.

 The warm up! 

Which is funny, because it's impossible to "warm up" on such a cold day. 

Ha ha ha ha ha.

 Hallie, going after the mystery thing in her shoe, round one.

  Super, super cold.

That tiny black speck in the distance is Devin.  I meant to get a better shot of him but it was just a moment or two after this that everyone gathered around Hallie, and I went to investigate, and then I just forgot all about pictures after that.  Sorry, mister.

Also, a note to Nebraska: You are beautiful.  Don't listen to anyone who tells you differently.