Tyler Azalea Run

Gavin has been crazy excited about this race ever since he and Christopher ran in the Dallas Turkey Trot back in November (see post). Somehow he got it in his head that if he ran this race he would win a trophy like the Piston Cup from Cars. We all woke up early and drove down to Tyler were all the beautiful East Texas spring flowers were in bloom. The race takes you though the old historic brick streets of Tyler which are packed with gorgeous mansion homes that have lavish flower gardens decades old. There were an abundance of azalea bushes, dogwood trees, tulips, and pansies in a grand variety of colors. Running under the 100 year old oaks that canopied the streets just added to the perfect race setting.

We arrived early and Christopher and I picked up our numbers. We had signed Gavin up online for free so we got his number and t-shirt too. Then all of a sudden Reese decided it was time to become a runner! So we signed her up and got her a number and t-shirt and slipped it over her sun dress. She was really excited and was by far the cutest participant of the day as she wobbled in all alone twice as slow as any of the other racers. Everyone was taking pictures of her as she scuttled the 50 yards in her crocs.

When the kids finished the race, they were greeted at the finish line with little medals and a free lunch coupon from Chick-fil-a. Gavin was happy but immediately disappointed that he wasn’t getting a “trophy that looks like a cup so I can put candy in it”. Just before he broke down in tears, Christopher bent over and said, “Hey Gavin, look! They gave Mommy a special trophy to give to you for running so fast!” He ran over and well, the pictures say it all. It was the “best thing I’d ever got”. Christopher stayed up all night making it. He went to a Goodwill the day before and rummaged through their old knickknacks until he found the goblet and an old candlestick holder. He bought some spray paint, some stickers, and a few “sparklies”. 8 dollars, a few hours, and a lot of love later, He had Gavin’s very first trophy!

We had tons of fun at the race. Christopher ran/walked backwards with me as I tried to run the first mile and then when the courses split he ran the 10K. I stuck to the 2 mile fun run because last week I overworked my knee at the gym and it’s been hurting when I exert too much force on it.
After the race we spent the day with Christopher’s family, and the kids played with their cousins, Russell, Carter, and Clark. The day ended with a trip to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Mercado’s. It was a blast! I love my little running family!

Ready. Set. GO!!

Awesome Core Workout

Sariah's little sister was asking me about this sweet workout I found on the Internet. It works your core muscles and takes you through the order you need to go to get the best results for your workout. Plus the pictures and explanations are awesome and all the exercises are really easy to do. So I thought I would post it on here for anyone interested.

-Christopher

Click for fitness!

My Triathlete!

Last Saturday March 10th we all got up really early and drove down to Athens Texas to watch Christopher in his first sprint triathlon! It was loads of fun and all the kids were really good. Christopher absolutely loved it and can't wait to do it again. He already has another one lined up for next month over in Irving. We are very proud of our Superman. (That's what Christopher says he feels like when he wears his blue "e-stretchy" shirt).

This year he wants to complete 4 sprint triathlons. A sprint triathlon is the shortest distance triathlon. Next year he wants to upgrade to Olympic triathlons where they double the distances. Then he wants to do a Half Iron-man where they double the Olympic distances and finally an Iron-man where they double the Half Iron-man distances. I think he's crazy but he swears it's lots of fun and uses it as an excuse to wax his legs which for some reason he thinks is cool.
"Our Daddy is a rock star!" - Gavin

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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: The really good is I lost 6.6 lbs on my first week of Weight Watchers (yes, I finally caved in and HAD to do something about my food consumption)!! I am totally amazed. I know this trend wont last long, so I am really trying to soak it up and get back to the gym and train for my 10k on the 24th.
The Bad: I got a sunburn this weekend...it will impede my workout training schedule...but just a little.
The Ugly: Today is baseboard cleaning Monday...agh! (*sniff, sniff*)

Texas Hoe Down

We all had a lot of fun at Gavin's Preschool Texas Hoe Down Program. A few weeks ago, when asked if he was going to sing and dance for us, Gavin said, "no, I just like to listen". He obviously changed his mind once he was in the spotlight.

Friendly March

It is always a treat to get our Friend in the mail! We got our March issue of the Friend the other day and thought there was something really familiar with the cover. Gavin noticed it first and then Christopher put it all together. The cover was illustrated by none other than our Maryn Roos of Imagine Learning. She is an Artist Illustrator for the company. Gavin noticed her art work on the cover as a type he has seen while playing the learning games with Imagine Learning. We are quite proud of her and hear that there will be more to come! To hear more about Maryn and her "Friendly encounter" or just check out her art work visit her blog here!

**Help Wanted Ladies**

Ok, Ladies...my baby is 6 months now, time for me to get serious about my weight loss. I am in need of some healthy and SAVORY recipes for dinners/lunches and especially snacks! Please share with me your favorites. I like salads, food with chicken or fish and lots of grilling. Also, I DETEST casserole type meals and anything with tatar tots!! All vegetables are fair game minus eggplant...eeww! It's been hanging around the 70's+ for a bit now, so your favorite healthy smoothie recipes would also be appreciated!

Please help a sister out! I have a modest collection of recipes right now, but I want too many to count, so I stick with it all...it's too easy for me to go back to my baking! For the last however long, my last words in the kitchen have been, "I ate my last cookie today..."

Thanks!