Foto Finish Friday- live action version!

Earlier this week K had a visit to his doctor. He did great, and truly earned his reward that day. He was heartbroken that they didn't have any St@r W@rs stickers to choose from. Of course, being the push over Mom that I am, I brought him one from MY office... because I'm cool like that and I get them for my pediatric patients... j/k.

I haven't posted any video for a while, so thought this might be fun!

See if you can figure out who is on his sticker! (Please excuse the amateur footage, still figuring out the new camera)

(C3P0 and R2D2, if you didn't catch it)

Foto Finish Friday

He's got the moves!

Sportin' the new knight costume

Joe was able to come watch soccer today, so we got some action shots. Ended up with 2 or 3 usable shots... our little guy moves fast!!

Hustle! Hustle!

Focusing on me with all his might...

Trying hard to resist the urge to kick that ball!

Soccer and the Bleeding Heart (no relation)

Yesterday was Kai's first "real" soccer class. We went to a trial a few weeks ago, but today was the first week of the new session, and he is actually enrolled in the class. He is a soccer natural! He can drop kick the soccer ball like nobody's business, and is great at dribbling and passing... without any formal training. I am excited to see what happens over the next 9 weeks! Here he is in the jersey he got, really feeling like a big kid! He totally thinks he's getting away with something here, can you tell by the look on his face?

I have tried several times (not so successfully) to grow a bleeding heart. I think they are so unique! Gotta love moving into a house with an established garden! I'm so excited to see what other surprises bloom for me this spring!

drizzly picnic

This morning Kai and I set out on a walk to one of our city's most famous and beautiful parks, which just happens to be (nearly) in our new backyard! Being native Oregonians, we weren't about to let a little drizzle get in our way! The park is best known for it's miles of forested trails and huge rhododendron garden. It is about one mile (uphill) from our house, so it's become a regular part of my running route. I've really been enjoying watching the colors come out as I've run through it 2-3 times a week for the past month or so. Now that it's mid-April, the main event is just about to begin!

Much more of this to come in the next month!

We had a great time; traipsing around in the mud, having a picnic lunch, and enjoying the quietness of a drizzly weekday morning. Of course, Kai didn't feel like mother nature was doing an adequate job of watering, so he had to do his part as well.

"Picnic Time!!"

(Thank goodness for the awesome covered picnic area!)

Kai by the blooming rhodie...

he actually posed for me!!

And we got home just in time, the downpour started when we were about 3 blocks from home!

In Training

With the big race looming a mere 3 weeks away, I guess it's time for me to admit that I'm "in training". I hate using that phrase because it denotes some level of athleticism which I do not claim to have. I do, however, enjoy running (why??) and pushing myself to new limits.

Yesterday I completed a 10.8 mile training run, for my half marathon on May 2. To my surprise, I finished this run in 1:40 (that's 9 minute 25 second mile, not shabby for this steady 10 minute miler). When I got the itch to run a "half", I really had no goal or expectation for myself other than to finish. Running almost 11 miles by yourself is dangerous. A lot of time to get lost in your thoughts. A crazy one came to me... maybe I could finish this race in under 2:15... or maybe even under 2? Can I do it?? That remains to be seen. But, the fact that I made such great time yesterday and felt really good for the whole duration (except the inability to use my swollen fingers when I got home), makes me think it just might be possible.

I'm not the only one in training around here. The day before the marathon (of which I'm doing half), there is a kid's race. I was talking to Kai about it and he said he'd like to do it. He came to the conclusion that, "maybe I might need to practice because I might get tired" (yes, just like that!). So we agreed that he needed training runs as well. Friday was his first. We "ran" to the park down the street from our house (probably about .2 miles). He had to stop several times (you know, to look at bugs and pick weeds), but he made it almost the whole way. The actual race is about a half a mile, so we've got some work to do. :-)

Easter and Cousins

We are so thankful for the sacrifices that were made for us. We are also thankful that our family is close enough to be able to spend this special time together. Cousin time is precious, and so very fun!