Running Trio

Abby and Landon have been really wanting to do a race. They had a 5K last Saturday that included a 1 mile Fun Run for kids as well as a Tot Trot (less than 1/4 mile). We decided this would be a perfect start for them into the racing scene so I signed up to do the 5K (not my favorite distance because I would much rather go long than fast), Abby signed up for the fun run and Landon signed up for the Tot Trot. We did a few training runs to prepare for it (and when I say a few it was literally 3 runs total) and then it was time for race day!

 

Here is the running trio before our races (doesn't Landon look super thrilled to be here?) He was literally "dying of thirst" since it had been a whole 15 minutes since his last swig...

 

 

The start of the 5K. Can you see me? I have on a white hat in the second row right behind the little girl in the pink shorts. I am always so nervous at the start of a race, no matter the distance involved. My goal? Beat that Chick-Fil-A cow in the back!!

 

We turned the corner and were off to run in some local neighborhoods. The course was nice but it was a pretty hot day and trying to maintain my desired pace was pretty tough. I was proud of maintaining a fairly consistent pace from start to finish though, all three of my miles were within 7 seconds of each other.

 

Here I am crossing the finish line. And believe me I looked about as terrible as I felt. Let's just say it was a good thing I hadn't had anything to eat that morning since it would have ended up on that pavement. I felt better within about 2 minutes though which was good since I had some more cheering to do! I did get a new 5K personal best though, which considering the hot weather, I was pretty excited about.

 

After the 5K, it was Abby's time to shine in the Mile Fun Run. She was a little nervous at the start...

 

 

And then they were off!!

 

 

Look at that form...

 

That girl has some speed on her (she probably went out a bit too fast but managed a really great kick at the end too.) She had a good experience overall and is already talking about doing some more races soon!

 

Then it was time for this little booger to run in the Tot Trot.

 

 

Do you see his little arm raised in these pictures? That's his starting stance.

 

And they're off!!

 

Look at him pump those arms!

 

 

He had this big grin on his face the entire time (of course the whole race lasted less than 2 minutes. If it had been much longer, I'm sure we would have seen a face similar to the top picture in this post!)

 

 

Coming around that last turn!!

 

See, the smile is still there (and he even managed to pass a few people to take 3rd place!) Way to go little buddy!

 

We also got to check out the medical helicopter at the end of the race!

 

 

All in all a great family day for running. I hope my love for the sport gets passed down to these little ones!

Houston Adventure -- Children's Museum

On our last full day in Houston, we hit up the much-talked about "Children's Museum" and it did not disappoint. We started off in "Kidtropolis" where the kids were able to experience firsthand how a little city works. Nolan got a lesson on car safety (dragging this kid away from that car was quite the challenge!)

 

 

They worked in the police station for a bit...

 

 

Drove the police cruiser (once we were able to wrestle Nolan out of the driver's seat.)

 

Then it was time to put their life saving skills to the test in the ambulance...

 

 

Landon meticulously checking vital signs...

 

 

Then both kids enjoyed their post-crime work in the forensics lab.

 

They also got to earn money from various jobs they did around the "city" and then deposited it on their own "debit card" at the various ATMs around town.

 

Perhaps the highlight was serving food to us at the local diner.

 

 

Landon did a great job with drink orders...

 

 

While Abby figured out our total and gave us our bill.

 

The art center was also a big hit with these creative kiddos...

 

 

 

While Nolan's favorite part was the outdoor water park!

 

 

The maze proved to be pretty easy for these smart little kids...

 

 

 

And learning about Newton's laws of motion was way more fun here than it will be for them once they hit high school!

 

 

We seriously could have spent days being entertained by everything the museum had to offer, but we did the best we could with the 5-6 hours we had. It was a great way to top off a wonderful trip to Texas this year!

Houston Adventure -- Pool Days

In order to beast that Texas heat, we spent almost everyday at the neighborhood pool. Abby and Landon really enjoyed both the slide and the diving board. Abby did her best "flying split" interpretation here...

 

 

She really caught some good air coming out of the tunnel slide too!

 

Nolan got more and more comfortable with the water each day we would go to the pool.

 

 

By the end he had no fear (which isn't really a good thing when you're not even 2 and not quite aware of the dangers that water can pose. We had to watch him like hawks!)

 

 

Most of the cousins waiting to get back in the pool again!

 

 

These kids sure played well together all week and it was fun to see them become such good friends again. Too bad they don't live closer! 

Houston Adventure -- Park Day

While we were in Houston, we spent time at some really fun parks. The kids were always so excited to go and then about 20 minutes later were drowning in their own sweat (Oh Houston humidity, how I do not miss you!!)

 

We tried to go pretty early in the morning to avoid too much of the heat. Nolan loved running all over the place now and seems to do a pretty good job of sensing dangerous areas and staying away from them (for the most part anyway!)

 

 

Love this shot!!

 

 

Abby always enjoys any form of swinging, either in actual swings...

 

Or going round and round with her cousins!

 

Landon doing his best on the climbing ropes. Look at that concentration!

 

"I'm on the top of the world, lookin' down on creation..."

 

Can you name this movie impersonation? I really needed Jason behind me to really recreate it well but he was busy taking the picture!

 

 

 

We ended several of our park visits with "Hide & Seek Chase" where the seeker has to locate and tag the person before they touch base. I think it was the first time many of them had played this version and they seemed to really enjoy it (although there were a few tears shed when they were caught at the last moment!)

 

So fun to have all this playtime with cousins though!