5k- week two

5k 04-28-11
44 minutes
ran at least 2.5 out of 5 laps

Yay!! I did it! Two whole weeks in a row. :) I'm looking at each week as an accomplishment, no matter how slow I am. I did improve this week, by 3 minutes. I wasn't sure if I was going to find the time this week, and I couldn't stand the thought of missing already! It felt good, especially after being stuck in the house all day yesterday because of bad weather. I think I could have run even more of it, but I had a slight wardrobe malfunction that required me to pull my pants up every few step! I was determined to not make excuses ('cause i'm really good at that) or let anything keep me from running today.

Robin's nest

About a month ago, we noticed a nest in one of our trees out back. It's right outside our back door, so we were able to watch the mommy and daddy robin build it. We all got excited about it, because we had a nest in a different tree a couple of years ago that we watched until the babies left the nest. I was hoping to do that again, so we were keeping an eye on it. We were able to snap a picture when the nest had just one egg, but there might have been more after that one. I watched as the mommy sat in her nest, but then one day I noticed that she was gone for the whole day. I got worried and did some research, but I had a bad feeling about it from the get go. I had Keith check it again a few days ago, and it's now empty. Sigh. I'm so bummed. The kids were really disappointed too, especially Chloe. I read that bluejays and crows are egg stealers, and I recalled seeing a couple of crows in the back yard just a day or two before. Stupid crows.

Easter

gotta have a candid shot, right?

here's a good one, but Brady's making a funny face

and again...

ahhh! finally, a good one of all three!

getting ready to hunt eggs at (my) Uncle Jim and Aunt Dava's house

oh my! i had to include this because she's so stinkin' cute!!

have you ever wondered what would happen if you look like you
might fall asleep at a family gathering?

well, now you know!

5k progress

Spending seven hours at a track meet, watching kids run all day, leaves you with a lot of time to think about how little you actually run. Or at least it did for me. I've never been a big runner, but I really like the way it makes me feel. Unfortunately, I struggle with the motivation to get outside and actually run. (i wonder where Avery gets it?) I want to be a runner without having to do anything. So, since that will never work, I'm trying something else. I decided yesterday that I'm going to walk/run a 5k every week, and post my times on here.
Here goes...

4-18-11
5k in 47 mins. (it's slow, but it's a start!)
walked 3.5 laps and ran 1.5 laps

Track season is over!

Is it wrong that I'm not really sad about that?? I really enjoyed watching Avery run this year, but track meets are really long sometimes. Avery loved his first year running track, so I anticipate him wanting to do it again next year. At least I'll know what to expect!
Avery had his last meet this past Saturday. It was the county meet, so he was up against all the other schools in the county. He was really excited about it, and his two relay teams had a good chance of getting a medal. That is, until one of their best runners just left the meet. It was a miserable day, weather wise, and he left without ever running. I don't know whether it was his parents' decision, or his, but either way, it was really frustrating. They were able to find subs, and they did their best, but they didn't place in the top three. Avery always amazes me though, because he just doesn't let stuff bother him. He was just as excited to run, and still went out there and did his best. In addition to his two relays, he ran an individual race and did the hurdles for the first time ever.
I think Avery has had a great year, in both cross country and track, and he can't wait until it all starts back up next year. He wants to continue to run this summer, but he really struggles with motivation to run by himself. Any suggestions?

Can you tell that Chloe picked out her own clothes?

If you stand back a little and look at this picture, it looks like her body is all out of proportion. Kinda funny!

This is what I got when I asked Chloe for a regular picture.

Chloe loves to pick out her own clothes, and I was really just taking a picture of that, when she decided to pose for me. She's such a nut!

State Archery Tournament

Brady had the opportunity this year at school to be in the archery club. It's the first year they've had it at his school, and it seems like a great program. He has really enjoyed it. The SRO officer at the school got it started with the help of a grant. Brady's school went to the State Championship recently and did really well. They were second in the elementary division. I think that's pretty cool, but especially since it was their first year of archery. Apparently they were in first place all day, until the last group shot, so it was close. The team that beat them gets to go to the national competition in Kentucky. No one on his team won individual awards, but they had quite a few in the top 20. I think Brady ended up around 37th out of about 300 elementary boys. I'm so proud of him, and so glad that he gave it a try and loved it! We're now shopping for a bow, so he can continue to enjoy it. He's a little bummed that there isn't an archery club in middle school, but I'm sure he'll find something else he enjoys.

He's famous!

Brady was in our local paper Sunday. They go around to different schools in the county, and pick out a few kids to ask them a question. This week's question was, "If you were in charge of school lunch for a day, what would be on the menu?" I don't think they're going to put Brady in charge of the menu any time soon!

Chloe's first soccer game

These parents, aka the nose wipers, literally stood right in front of me for an entire quarter. I didn't say anything, but if I had coughed any more, I would have lost my voice. If it happens again, I will be saying something. I can only imagine what Keith would have done if he was there!!

Chloe's first soccer game went great! She was nervous about it until Keith told her that they don't keep score, and I think that helped her relax. She's been wanting to play for a while now, but I wasn't really sure how she would like it. She's so much more reserved than the boys ever were, and she really takes a little bit to warm up to new people and situations. She didn't really touch the ball when she played forward, but she did great as goalie. I think the cluster of kids around the ball on the field was too much. She knew where she was supposed to be, and I think it probably frustrated her that the other kids were so clueless. I have a video of her as goalie that I'll try to get on here soon. After the game, she said, "I love soccer! I wish every day was a game or practice!" :)

So, anyone that's ever been to a 4/5 year old soccer game knows how funny/crazy/entertaining it is. The boys both started out in t-ball, so I think they were a little older when they started soccer. Also, we put Chloe in a church league, and the boys always played in the city/county leagues. We thought this would be a good way for Chloe to start, and I still think it's the best choice for her, but there are a few things I didn't expect. I probably should have, but I didn't. I didn't expect people to stand in front of me, just so they could wipe their son's nose every other minute. I didn't expect a mom to carry her son out onto the field, and hold him where he was supposed to be standing, in an effort to coax him back into the game after getting hurt. I didn't expect most of the parents to still be attached to their kids. I don't necessarily think of Chloe as an independent kid, but compared to the others, I've already sent her out in the world on her own! Many of the kids were the oldest in their families, and I'm pretty sure many of them don't hear the word 'no' very often. It was interesting for sure.