chic-fil-a race

On Memorial Day we were in Macon for the Chic-Fil-A Connect Race Series 10K, 5K, and 1-mile run. It was Hannah's first race (the 1-mile) and Joe and I were doing the 10K. The race benefitted Winshape Camps and we were happy to support such a great cause. I was determined to find a race for Hannah after what happened in March, when she got all excited and then the race coordinators messed up the starting time and we missed her run.

The weather was perfect, overcast and not too hot. We were ready to run!

{Race Photo}

{Race Photo}

The course went through a neighborhood and it was the hilliest course I've ever run. There were two inclines I thought were never going to end…

{Race Photo}

I finished the 10K with a time of 56:06 (better than my last race, surprisingly), and literally was coming into the finish when they started the 1-mile run (early!). I ran through the finish line, grabbed a bottle of water, and hurried to catch up with Hannah and Daddy who had taken off.

We are so proud of that girl! She did well and had a great time. She said later that she liked everyone cheering at the finis, "It was awesome! It made me happy." Our friend, Sydney, ran too (as did Sydney's mom).

Joseph was a good cheerleader and hung out with Mr. Tyler while we were running. He loves to run, too, and he'll be out there with us soon enough.

Joe placed second, overall, with a time of 39:25. {Yes, he's fast!} He got this medal. I hung it proudly on the rearview mirror on the way home, to which he commented dryly, "Champion… I was the first loser." Salty, that one.

It was a fun day and we were tired when we got back home Monday night. We had a nice long Memorial Day weekend, and are so grateful for this country we live in and for the many who have given their lives to make our freedom possible.

may wrap-up

We have welcomed summer and are filling up our days with all kinds of things. But let me back up to the last week of school…

The kids decided to "build a house"outside. They are all about setting up little houses - in the playroom, living room, foyer, and even in the backyard:

They use anything and everything, whatever they can find, to make it just right. On this particular occasion, it was mainly outdoor furniture and toys, though they did come inside for blankets, towels, and Raffie and Chloe Puppy-the-Monkey (their favorite sleeping partners).

I can't help but giggle at their creativity and cuteness. They've come up with some pretty original ideas.

Speaking of, I was greeted on the back porch one afternoon by a little lady in pink:

Pink, pink and more pink. Blush and bashful even. Gloves, a scarf, a parasol… Jewelry is always part of the ensemble. {The pink hibiscus on her cheek is from the end-of-year luau at school.}

A little while later, she changed into a different (pink) outfit to play.

This is a common scene here on Evergreen Drive. I love to sit on the back porch, having my devotion time, reading or working on the computer while the kids play in the yard. When Hannah wants a break from running around, swinging or playing house with little brother, she'll pull out her markers, grab some paper from the printer and come join me.

She loves to draw, color, make things with her art supplies, you name it. Right now I am in the playroom and she is in front of me at her easel painting. She is an artsy girl for sure. Would've loved to have put her in an art camp but there's nothing here for her age. {We are doing Lego camp and she is SO excited!}

So anyway, after that following weekend, Hannah had three more days of school. Good behavior water day was on that Tuesday. If you earned enough stickers in the weeks leading up, you could participate. Hannah started off behind in the sticker-earnings because she missed several days the first week due to pink eye and fever. Every day I would ask her how she was doing and, on the Friday before, she was very excited to inform me that she had earned 15 stickers - the number to qualify.

The teachers lay out a huge tarp doused with bubbles and turn on sprinklers. The children run around, slip and slide, squealing when the teachers spray them with hoses. They all love it.

Also that day, the kids went for their annual teeth cleaning. It was Hannah's third visit and Joseph's second. Once a year is about all we do {me too for that matter!}. It's expensive and I'm not too concerned about their teeth at this point. I will add that our check-ups have been really good so that relieves the pressure of me taking them every six months. No cavities so far, woo hoo!

Of course, they had to touch everything and Joseph had to ask questions about everything. Everything. It's an exhausting outing, but their little teeth are shiny and clean!

That Wednesday, I had my favorite group of moms over for our last small group of the year. Joseph was already at preschool when his BFF, Weston, arrived. His mom Rebecca (in the moms group of course) took this picture of them blowing kisses:

Thursday was Joseph's last day of preschool and the end-of-year program.

The program was in the sanctuary this year instead of the fellowship hall and that was a much better arrangement. Joseph was calm and a little shy at first, but then he woke up. I'm pretty sure his favorite song was "Sally the Camel". Watching him try to figure out his fingers, holding up the right number at the right time, was hysterical…and very cute.

We love our sweet Josey. So do Monkey and Meme, two of his biggest fans…

I cannot believe we are done with preschool. Forever. The church preschool has been a part of our lives for four years, starting when Hannah was in the 2-year-old program. She went three years there and Joseph three as well, starting in the 1-year-old class. Everyday, our little ones were right down the street on the church campus, not far from Daddy.

Joseph is off to pre-K at Ridge Road Primary. And, just like that, both of our babies are in big school. They will be down the hall from each other and they cannot wait! Such excitement.

On that same day, I took Hannah to a cowgirl birthday party for our little friends (and twins) Kessler and McFerrin.

Between the ponies, the trampoline, and the big swing, it was quite a fun time. As a favor, Hannah brought home a mason jar filled with all the dry ingredients for Cowboy/Cowgirl Monster Cookies. We made them yesterday. YUM!

On Friday night we watched our sweet friend, Erin, graduate from high school!

On Saturday we went to the farmer's market and spent a relaxing and fun day at home.

And on Sunday we celebrated Pentecost and Memorial Day at church before heading out of town for the night.

I love that picture of them…my three loves.

What a busy week it was!

all god's critters

It's been a fun week finishing school, and we've been busy with parties and end-of-year activities and events. But before I post a wrap-up, I must record what happened last Sunday.

"All God's Critters" aka the cherub choir at church performed dressed as animals ranging from the small (a ladybug and a cricket) to the large (an alligator and an elephant). Some costumes were store-bought and others were homemade. Some were simple and others were elaborate. All of them together were cute as could be and it was quite a show during worship.

A couple of weeks ago during practice, the children drew animals. Hannah was to be a bullfrog. Joseph was to be a baboon. I wasn't buying new costumes, so obviously they were going to be homemade. And cheap. Challenge accepted. Meme and I put our heads together and came up with these:

Unfortunately our baboon was not happy, but they looked cute!

So what we did… My mom found the furry fabric in Savannah and we used a monkey mask from Hannah's two-year-old preschool program that was clipped up on the clothesline (artwork line) in the playroom. For Hannah we cut out and taped frog spots and Meme made frog hands and tied them around her wrists. I used a green tank top of mine to wrap around her head.

Facepaint. Both kids were very excited about having their faces painted. In fact, when we looked on Pinterest at DIY masks, Hannah was sure, positive, adamant, about wanting her face painted instead. Joseph was going along with his sister. Then comes Sunday morning.

I allowed about an hour to do their faces. About two minutes into doing Hannah's, she started to fall apart. "It itches! It iiiiiitcccchhesss! I don't waaant to dooo thiiiiiiis!!!!" Lots of whining. Well, Momma wasn't caving. {You wanted your face painted. I bought face paint. You're getting your face painted. So, sit still!!} There wasn't a whole lot of compassion. The clock was ticking and I needed to get my frog and baboon to church!

Once they got over that weird, itchy feeling of the majority of their faces being painted, they were ok. {And I sorta get it, it's an icky feeling at first.}

However, soon after dressing in costumes (and right before worship started), my baboon had a meltdown. This was the best attempt at a smile:

The rest of the pictures look like this:

Happy bullfrog, very unhappy baboon.

Time to perform! They sang "The Animal Fair", "All God's Critters", and "Who Built the Ark?"

Look at my sweet and animated bullfrog and my very sad and quiet baboon! He was even the star of the first song…

"…the big baboon, by the light of the moon…"

{video}

"All God's Critters" was their favorite song. We sang it A LOT in the two weeks leading up to their performance. Joseph knew the words to everything they sang, he just decided not to share them with the church.

{video}

Joseph came around…after it was all over. Meme was there, we were in the front row, and it's all on video. We've talked about our sad little baboon a lot. I think he's in between embarrassed and thinking it's funny…

We went to one of three usual places for Sunday lunch, Subway. The kids liked how Joe and I matched, so they each had to take a picture of us.

Exciting morning!

pre-k field day!

Hannah had a great time at her field day on Friday. Joe and I both went, as most parents did, to witness the hour and 45 minutes of fun. Let me tell you, my child is competitive. She took the relays seriously and stayed focused, going as fast as she could. But she also had a ball doing it and cheering on her teammates. She gets so excited and is so much fun to watch.

Her tongue was out for pretty much every event…

It truly is hilarious. We have no idea where she gets that. She doesn't even know who Michael Jordan is!

She was so excited to have us both there, too. I was glad it was on Friday, Joe's day off, but he would've probably missed a little work to see her anyway.

I wore running clothes having planned on running afterwards before coming back to the school for the end-of-year luau party at noon, but the field day events went longer than expected so I had to adjust. I decided to hop out of the car as we were leaving the school and run home. Hopped in my car, picked up little brother and hurried off to the luau - sweaty, but most people were by that point anyway!

She loved the face painting and had a good time winning little (cheap) prizes and playing with her friends. The morning was overcast and not too hot during the field day events, but by lunchtime it was sunny and sweltering.

We finished the festivities with pizza and hot dogs inside. Hannah's teacher fell and hurt her ankle last week and had to miss some school, but she made an appearance at the end of the party. The kids were so excited; they adore Miss Jennifer.

Our first field day in the books! It was a super fun way to end the last full week of school.