Can You Smell It?

Spring is in the air! I LOVE this time of year! I love seeing the blossoms on the trees and the daffodils in our flower beds and front porch pot start to grow and bloom. I love that the weather is warm and we can go out without jackets. We have had a beautiful week with perfect weather in the mid 70's to 80's. The kind that I wish we could keep forever.

The problem is that here in Arkansas we have what I call Bipolar weather. Last week it was in the 40's, this week 70-80, and the end of this week will be cold again. So we will enjoy our shorts and t-shirts for the moment and hope that the cold front we will get at the end of the week will be short lived. For those of you who are still in snow and cold...you are welcome to visit, we would be happy to have you!

Running Fools

About a month ago Isaac's PE teacher sent home a registration form for a 5k or 1 mile fun run sponsored by the Arkansas Dietary something or other. Of course Isaac is all about entering races. Aaron would be working (again, he misses out on all the fun), so I signed me and the kids up for the 1 mile fun run. Isaac was mad because I didn't enter him in the 5K, but there's no way the little ones would have made it. Today was race day.

(waiting for the race to start)

We met up with the Warner's. Got the kids in line, then I moved towards the back with the stroller and slower kids. There was a designated point where the 1 mile fun runners were supposed to turn around. Well, I got to that point with Caite and Hayden, but Isaac hadn't turned around. Apparently he kept going. So we waited for a while and eventually we saw him running towards us. He got to the mile turn around and decided he wasn't going to stop. He finished the race all 5Ks in about 31 minutes. He's a running fool! He loves it.

(lined up ready to go, Isaac's in red looking at Banana Man's shoes. Caite and Hayden like messing with the stroller and picking flowers more than running)

(1/2 mile to go)

Caite and Hayden ran for a bit, but lost interest until they could see the finish line then they picked up the pace.

Isaac's PE teacher and a few other teachers were there running. When they finished, they stopped and cheered on the kids. They were impressed with our running man Isaac. All I have to say is that he doesn't get that running gene from me!

Today was great! It's fun to go to places we haven't been before, yet they are so close. The race started at Burns Soccer Park and followed the River Trail to the Big Dam Bridge. We go the the bridge all the time, but this took us there on a different trail going a different direction. Arkansas is a cool place to live...who would have thought?

Crazy

This is what Halle's hair looks like when I take out her pig tails. Nothin' but craziness!

Isaac's Big Day

Happy Birthday Isaac!

It's hard to believe that Isaac is already 8! We are entering a whole new world with his interests. He will be the first to tell you that he doesn't like to play with "toys" (actually he hasn't liked them for a long time), he thinks he's too old for them. Here's what he likes these days. He LOVES anything outside:

hiking

biking

running

basketball

climbing trees

climbing rock walls

making forts in the woods

playing catch with the boys

and sometimes playing the wii

Did I mention he still loves to tease his siblings?

He is very excited about being able to start Cub Scouts. He got his uniform and hand book for his birthday and was happy to be invited to the Blue and Gold Banquet two days before he actually turned 8. Unfortunately I couldn't go, but thanks to friends close by, Isaac didn't have to miss it.

He also got running shoes...only to be used for running and biking. And biking clothes like his dad.

For his birthday dinner he requested Chinese...like he does every year. Just a random thought, he tried sushi a few weeks ago and loves it. I don't think I even knew what sushi was when I was 8. Isaac is a good kid. Yes, he's still Isaac and will always "bug" Caite and Hayden. He has a special place in his heart for Halle, she brings out a very tender side of him that we have never seen. Most of the time he's a great help to me. He is very "bright" as his school teacher says and loves math. Just a few random facts about our man: He's still "big for his age", he's the tallest in his class, he wears a size 10 in clothes and 3.5 in shoes, weighs 73 lbs., he doesn't like green veggies, doesn't like chocolate, but he does like homemade chocolate chip cookies, He says that the school's spaghetti is better than mine (what a slam!!), he's very determined (or hard headed, what ever way you want to look at it), he carries around a backpack when he's playing outside that is full of his "stuff" just in case there's a fire and he can't get to his 72 hour kit in the garage, for the most part, he's JUST like his Dad! We are happy to have him in our family! We love you Isaac!!

GIMP

I had a bit of an accident last night. I was outside with the kids talking to our neighbor Mike, when all of a sudden Caite hit me from the back with her bike. I fell forward twisting my knee. I instantly grabbed it because I could feel it dislocate. Yep, I felt the kneecap on the side of my knee not on the front of it. I pushed it back over as I straightened my knee and hit the ground. OUCH!!! is all I have to say. I sat in the road by our driveway for a while with Mike said, "What do I need to do?" I tried to get up, but I blacked out. So I just sat there for a while thinking I'm glad I wasn't holding Halle when I fell. He instantly called Aaron and told him to come home. Then helped me in the house and brought all the kids in. Since then I have have either been on the couch or the bed with my knee in a brace and elevated.

We were supposed to go to Isaac's Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet, but instead we called our friends with a boy Isaac's age and he went with them. My visiting teacher was at the banquet and called to tell me she would take and pick up the kids from school. Then early this morning my best friend and other visiting teacher called and said she was coming to spend the morning with me so I didn't have to get up and do anything. I'm not used to being on the receiving end of service, but it's nice to know people love me. I did have to put an end to it when they said they could bring in dinner. It's not THAT bad, I can hobble around and make dinner!

So, it's nothing major, just an inconvenience. My family is known for major injuries. I have 2 brothers who between the 2 of them have broken and had surgery on every bone in their body. My brother in law just had a hip replacement at the age of 45 and my sister just had surgery on her shoulder. So I'm good with being down and limping for a few days.

Way to go BULLDOGS!

The Bulldogs remained UNDEFEATED the entire season and continues their winning streak into the tournament. They played their final game last Tuesday winning by only 2 points. But it was good enough from them to take FIRST place. It has been a lot of fun watching these little guys play and develop a little skill. Mostly I'm impressed with they way they worked together as a team. We didn't have any "ball hogs", everyone played the same amount of time. We had great coaches who were great examples of sportsmanship.

When all was said and done Isaac didn't care much about the win, he just wanted his trophy and medal. He was so proud of his medal that he took it to school the next day. He said he kept it in his pocket and didn't show anyone because he didn't want them to feel bad, but he just wanted to have it with him. I thought that was cute.

All Tied Up

This is what Hayden was just doing while I was busy blogging a few minutes ago. There is yarn wrapped around the kitchen 4 times, down the hall, in and out of the slat on his headboard, back down the hall and in our bedroom, back to the kitchen, and around the Halle's bike.