Marathon

The kids did a 'mile-by-mile marathon' this month. They did 25 miles at home (my kids did most of them by walking home from school) and then did the last 1.2 miles with a huge group of kids. Aaron and I were near the back of the group and the view up ahead was impressive. They pretty much filled the trail! And Zeke ran nearly the whole way. 

At marathon's end, they got a medal and a tshirt that they immediately wore (Zeke wore his backwards, silly kiddo). Then they got to hang out at the safe kids fair. There was so much to see and freebies to get. We toured an air ambulance helicopter and then watched it take off. It sounded like they were a little worried about the weather getting worse and wanted to get back to the hospital in case lightning started. 

Very tall fire truck ladder. 

The Sherrif's office did a car crash simulator. The kids loved 'crashing' at about 5 mph. It made my neck hurt just to watch them. 

It was lots of fun and the weather held out. Everyone enjoyed all the extra walks this spring.

Fancy Nancy

Loved taking this cute girl of mine to Fancy Nancy again this year!

We brought her newest friend, Rosetta the fairy, because she is super fancy and cute. 

The theme this year was stargazing. There were stars everywhere. So fun!

Fancy N is for Nora!!

We love sharing this with cousins and Grandma. 

We read books, painted nails, made a telescope craft, picked out new hair bows, and had delicious treats. 

Nora even won the pedicure gift basket! She was so excited. Among other things, we got purple nail polish and chocolate. She was in heaven. 

Loved spending the day with my fancy girl!

Track Meet

We were super excited to find out the high school track team was planning a track meet day for the younger kids again this year. This year Zeke was feelin' fine and got to run his sprint. 

At the starting line

Partway through the race. He got 4th in his heat. 

Zeke rocked the standing long jump. I wondered if he could jump his height, which is 4 feet 5 inches. He blew that away on his first jump! His best jump was 5 feet 7 inches. This kid has little frog legs!

He did javelin too. 

Then it was off to the stands to enjoy snacks and shade while watching the distance runners. 

I am super proud of Zeke for doing his best and not stressing about coming in first in everything. Nora was bummed she couldn't participate but we've promised her we'll go try out the long jump sometime this summer.

Zeke's 9th Birthday

Zeke's party this year was a Star Wars party. 9 candles...which works out to 3 of each color. Perfect for 3rd graders who have been working on their multiplication facts!

We invited a few friends for pizza and a movie. However, given that the kids had already seen the movie, they were much more interested in ping pong. When the grandparent, aunts & uncles, and cousins arrived later, it turned into a multi-player game of extreme ping pong -- hitting off any bounce, including other tables and walls. Zeke had a blast and noticeably improved in his return skills throughout the day.

Presents - he had eagerly been anticipating this! We gave him a bulletin board to hang his treasures on. Plus, pinned to the board was a voucher for family bowling. 

And lots of clothes. Not the most exciting part but definitely needed. This boy is growing like crazy! And he got some Star Wars shirts so he was happy. Not so happy about the tissue paper glitter migrating to his new shirts though. 

Blowing out the candles with a little cousin by his side.

Love this boy and his goofy, loving personality. He tells me jokes and makes me laugh, and he appreciates the silly jokes I bring home from work. He works hard at school and is learning so much all the time. He still loves cuddles and hugs and will sit on my lap. Happy 9th birthday Zeke!

Easter Eggs -- and Carrots

Easter has become one of my favorite holidays. I love the festivity, the traditions, and the simplicity of it all. And the springtime! There weren't any flowers yet this year, but still, you could tell spring was on the way. 

Coloring eggs. Fast and furious with these two. 

The finished product. 

Hiding eggs around the house. We came up with some great hiding spots this year. Zeke requested this one. 

This was Aaron's idea. Love it!

One of the highlights of the day was Nora combining her Easter presents from grandma. She used her new watering can to 'water' and 'grow' her Reese's Pieces carrot. So cute!

Aquarium

We spent spring break at home, with cousins who had come to visit. Most of the week was spent at grandma's but we did load everybody up and go to the aquarium for an afternoon. 

Lots of cousin love! 

My kids love love loved the sharks. 

The penguins were another favorite. They were so fun to watch. 

We didn't think we would get them out of the deep sea diver. The windshield is curved and it looks like you are putting your hand through the glass when you reach out from the inside. They couldn't get enough!

Little tiny jellyfish smaller than Zeke's fingers. We loved the jellies too, although there weren't as many of those as sharks or penguins. 

The group. Yay for cousins!