The Growl Prowl and Going “Gansta”

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

Well, we did it!! Our family finished our very 1^st 5K! (Alayna didn’t do it with us since she was still recovering from the scarlet fever.) It was a very cold morning (around 41° when we started), but it felt so great to finally do it! We all reached our main goal, which was to make sure we didn’t come in last (some cut it closer than others). As we reached the stadium, and headed in for the final stretch, they had an announcer who announced our names as we entered and then again when we crossed the finish line. It was invigorating and satisfying to see our success. Now we are contemplating doing the Turkey Trot next month.

(Where I found Marisa after the race)

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -John Bingham, running speaker and writer

Artistic Talent Continues to Run in the Family

Kayla finished her art class at school. She had to make a book and create each page to go along with each art lesson. I took some pictures for you. She has a lot of talent. She loves to decorate and design. These pics don’t do it justice.

Alayna drew this elephant. She traced the main outline of the elephant and then drew everything else. I think it is beautiful! Plus, Alayna is my new decorator. She has been DYING to decorate for Halloween so I gave her the huge Halloween bucket and told her to have at it.

Update on Alayna

Alayna was still sick on Sunday but started eating. Her skin continued to chaff and peel off. I called the doctor Monday and they said that is the only medicine besides the one she was allergic to that kills the scarlet fever. So, she has had to suffer through it this week. Her skin is dry and cracked. My wonderful friend gave me some all natural diaper cream and we have been putting it all over her skin and she is doing so much better. She is back to running around and getting her strength back. Thanks to all of you who kept her in your prayers. We truly appreciated it!

Summer is Definitely Gone

Besides the cool, crisp weather, the leaves are turning and falling off the trees. I know people love the beauty of fall, but it just makes me sad because I know ice, freezing temps, and snow that never melts is on the way. But we try to make the best of it, so…

The kids requested pumpkins this year. I haven’t done them the past couple years because they are messy and so much work. They promised they would do it all and they did! They got 3 pumpkins, spent the afternoon carving, cooked the pumpkin seeds, and cleaned the whole thing back up. I’m loving this “kids-are-old-enough-to-do-things-without-me” stage.

(The one Tyler is holding was carved by Kayla, the skeleton was carved by Tyler and Alayna carved the traditional pumpkin face)

The girls had the stake Halloween dance last night. They spent weeks trying to decide what to be and went shopping everywhere with no luck. At the last minute, they decided to go “gansta”. Um, what? Ok…They ended up looking really cute though. I think Kayla has a little “gansta” in her.

Odds and Ends

We have the dogs for another week. The kids have done a great job taking care of them and taking them for walks.