First 5K

May

At A's work, the Wellness Program held their first ever 5K run for employees. A signed up for the run, wanting to do something he's never done before. He's not a runner, but over the course of a couple months he set aside some time to train for it and felt confident that he wouldn't crumble before the finish line.

 I packed up the kids and headed over to the race. I wanted to get a few pictures before the race started. I also wanted good seats and not fight a crowd.

 

No problems with anything. It was super casual, laid back, and well, we were the only spectators to cheer them along the course. They weren't expecting anyone, I guess. They didn't even have a chair for me to sit down.

 Here's the group of runners, walkers, joggers with pets, and teens who amazingly completed the course while texting the entire way.

 A felt great and knew he would be near the front of the pack. Good Luck!

 What are we doing?

 And they're off! The guys near the front are totally serious about this run. They are in it to win it. The one in orange is the new guy and he's trying way to hard to be cool and make a statement. He came bragging about his running skills, donning expensive sportswear, had water bottles strapped to his waist and an ipod strapped to his arm. Good gracious. The guy next to A is the program director, and although he is timing himself, he still had fun with it. I mean, look at is shirt. It says Go Mark! Apparently, he's had it for decades and wears it in every race he runs. We were all surprised to see the guy in the black knit hat. No one seemed to know who he was. He looked serious though.

 The front of the pack was really in front...far ahead of everyone else...by far.

We stood there watching the race take off and then we were alone....waiting...Thank goodness someone presented us with two chairs. So, we waitied some more. The kids were bored.

Let's play ball...

 

or just eat it.

About 10 minutes in, Ruby and her owner showed up to participate in the race. Like I said...it was a pretty laid back event.

It's hot!

About 15 minutes in, the runners looped back by the building. The kids were thrilled to see Daddy. They cheered and ran after him thinking the race was over.

W continued to run after him even though I called to him. Come back W! The race isn't over!

Are we still here?

Here he comes!

A finished in 6th place with a time of 26 minutes. He was just one minute more than his practice run.

Hooray for Daddy! W runs to greet him again.

Great job A!

After he caught his breathe, he admitted he was pleased with his run and said...

I don't like running.

Who won the race? The big guy in the black knit hat. Who was he? Turns out he was a family member of an employee and he's in the military. He's strong, Army strong. This race was a cake walk for him.

Alright! Let's go home!

 

Baby Cousins

Whenever we get together, I keep meaning to get a picture of the girls together. I finally got one as the they were walking out the door to go home.

Baby H at 4 months with Baby A at 2 months.

Grandma's House

April
We all gathered at Grandma and Pa's house for Easter weekend. The cousins came down from Virginia and they were all so excited to have a hayride through the woods. Hayrides aren't just for October anymore...it's the new normal fun activity when we visit. 

The boys are still small enough to share a bed at night, but I really don't know how long that will last. O is growing quickly and W moves around constantly while sleeping.

E moves around quite a bit as well. We have to prop a pillow under the side of the mattress so she doesn't fall out. We do the same for the boys, and yet, all three manage to still fall out on occasion.

Big helpers making potato salad with Grandma.

The Easter Egg Hunt for those who are old enough and young enough to participate.

My sister and I also threw a retirement party for my mom who has finally decided to leave the workforce. Her boss and coworkers will miss her tremendously and mom will no doubt miss her paycheck, but she's happy to be at home doing whatever she wants.

It was a big surprise. She had no idea we were planning it. So walking into the house from the Easter Egg Hunt to see this was astounding. Happy Retirement!

Mom and Dad are planning to remodel their master bathroom, so we helped them out a bit and gave them their fabulous faucets.

Mom wore a retirement pin with flashing colored lights, which was a hit with the grandkids, especially W. He was mesmerized by the lights, continuously asked questions about the pin and desperately wanted to have it. After awhile, the adults had enough and the lights were turned off. W was not happy about that.

Baby H and her adorable outfit. Love, love, love it!

We treated mom and dad to lunch and the girls were pleased as punch to have their own booth. Boy, did they feel all grown up. They talked candidly, crossed their legs, and refused help from anyone. They were all smiles and giggles over there.

A loves a good Mexican restaurant and enjoys speaking Spanish to everyone. He does not love, however, sitting next to O in a restaurant at nap time. Not fun.

It wasn't too bad though, especially since he eventually fell asleep while eating.

Baby H fell asleep too.

When the girls got ready for bed they were pleasantly surprised to see each other in the same nightgown. They screamed with delight. So cute.

Easter Pics

April

Family pictures on Easter.