Run on the Bayou

Back in February, my dear friend Becky and I signed up to do a 10k, which also offered a kids' 1/2 mile race just like the one we did last September.  I was super excited and so were the boys.  They loved doing the race the first time so I was excited for them to do another one.  The race was scheduled for Saturday, February 11th.  We woke up WAY early that morning to get there in time and it was COLD!  We had been so spoiled with warm weather this winter, we were not prepared!  And the thing that made it feel SO cold was that the wind was blowing so hard.  I felt like I was in Idaho again!  So we got out there and you can see the boys were a big chilled as we waited to start.  And as we were waiting for them to blow the horn, Sam started getting super nervous and I couldn't figure out why and then realized it was because he was scared of the horn being blown.  He HATES loud noises and he remembered it from last time.  If he doesn't know they're coming, he's fine.  But once he knows, it's all downhill from there!  So he got all nervous about it and they blew the horn and he got off to a shaky start, but he got off and that's all that matters!

And then we got to wait for the boys to come back!  I must say this race felt a little more confusing as to where they were supposed to run exactly and how it was supposed to go, since it was an out & back.  They had cones and girls were supposed to go on one side and boys on another or something and honestly, it was just confusing once they started getting close to the finish line.  But we were glad to see Tyler coming in and looking strong!

 Way to go, bud!

 And then...along comes Sam!  He was looking cold and confused but he was coming at least!

 And you can see no one knew where he was supposed to go and so he went the wrong way!  So with that and a shaky start, he definitely didn't improve his time from the last race.  But at that point, they all just wanted to be done and go warm up!

 And he finished!

So with the results in, Tyler finished with a time of 4:47 which put him in 3rd place for the 7 year old age group (he moved up an age group from the last time he raced), and almost 30 seconds off his time from the last race!  And Sam finished with a time of 6:13 and 3rd place for the 4-5 year olds.  With all the chaos, and him stopping for a moment to warm up his hands, he was about 30 seconds slower than his last race.  But he was just thrilled to get a medal!  Because really that's all that matters!  They loved it and I love that they loved it.  Now we just need to find another one to run in!

And Becky and I survived the 10k portion.  It was cold, which we got used to after a while, but the wind was brutal!  At one point we were running right along an open bayou and the wind was coming right off the water and it was just piercing.  I kind of wanted to cry at that point, I think!  But one way or another, I finished.  And really...that's all the matters!  Ha!

A Nod to January 2012

Well, there really isn't much to report on for January of this year.  It was a very mild month in many ways.  The post-holiday slump had hit us, I guess.  And January around here means the start of Mardi Gras season...we just jump from one big season to the next.  So my king cake making festivities got off to a quick start.  And no one complained about it, that's for sure!

January also brought on the most insanely warm winter weather ever.  Obviously we had a more mild winter than most states, but it's usually still cold enough to wear jeans and a jacket and turn the heat on.  But not this year.  It was SOOO crazy warm, it was weird!  Our yard had hot pink blooming flowers on every tree and bush in the property and it felt far from the month of January.  I'm sure these flowers are all winter/spring blooms anyways, but it sure did make it feel like late Spring instead of the middle of Winter!

This one particular tree at the front of the house was so heavy with these pink/white mix flowers and it started shedding them and the petals were everywhere.

Shorts & short sleeves to school in January...isn't this how everyone does it?!

 And one random Sunday afternoon, the boys came to me looking like this telling me they were 'tough guys'.  I'm not so sure how tough they are, but it did make me laugh.  They insisted on some pictures.

Trying so hard not to crack the "tough" persona...not doing so well with it!

Looking reeeeeal tough, huh, Sam?

 Yeah, this one doesn't fool me...that tough guy act didn't last long at all!

And last, but not least, January found ourselves with a student of the week in the house.  Here is his poster he had to fill out.

I am 7 year old

What I want to be when I grow up:  and aquarium owner

My Pet:  I wish I had a fish

My friends are: Trevor, Thomas, Knox, my brother

Favorite color:  green

Favorite book:  Ghost Town at Sundown

As you can imagine, this boy felt pretty special with this title!

And that's about it for January 2012!

Christmas 2011

  All right...here it is.  The last and final post to close out 2011.  I am a lame blogger, I know.  But we are not going to focus on that right now.  I just can't leave stuff out, I am too OCD...so it means that I blog about stuff 9 months after it happens.  Oh well, right?!  So, this brings us to Christmas Day 2011.  And boy, did it not disappoint!  I think the looks on these faces tell it all!  We had to get up extra early to open presents and such so we could get to church on time.  There was a mad dash to open up the presents!

 It was Smokey the Fire Truck & Hot Wheels Mega Garage for Sam, and the Nerf Vortex Nitron blaster and an Erector set for Tyler.  Santa came through with this one, even though it wasn't easy....ahem, let's just say Santa was driving around to every Target in a 60 mile radius looking for that stinking erector set.  The things Santa does!

 A Creepy Crawler bug maker from Grandma & Grandpa!

 All ready to go to church, handsome guys!

 A little toy for me...  :)

 And one of my favorite gifts--I absolutely love chef John Besh.  I have eaten at many of his restaurants.  I love his style, I love how much he loves New Orleans, and I am quite fond of his cooking show.  :)  Yeah, I'm a nerd!  So Garrett found out that he was doing a book signing for his newest cookbook and he took the boys and bought both cookbooks and had them signed.  It was awesome!  And I loved that Tyler and Sammy also thought they should sign one of them too.  I can't see why not...they are just as cool as John Besh!

 Riding the new scooter...making laps through the house!

 Making some bugs...

 Playing with Smokey...

 And boy, oh boy...was this helicopter quite the entertainment as well!  It was so much fun (until it crashed a little too hard :(...

 And...a sign of sure success was falling asleep on the floor to end the night right next to your most prized toy!  So sweet!  (in new Sainta pajama pants, too!)

 And throughout the holiday break we enjoyed another of my newest toys...a fryer.  I love that thing, probably a little too much!  So we used the new fryer and John Besh's beignet recipe and there were no complaints here, that's for sure!  SO yummy!

Tyler with his first erector set masterpiece.  Those things are hard to put together!  I think it may have been a little over his level, but oh well...he will use it for a lot of years I suppose!  And there we have Christmas 2011.  It was a great day.  A great day to be together, attend church and remember our Savior Jesus Christ, and count our blessings.  Now...on to 2012!