Emily's First Road Race!

Today Emily ran in her first road race! It was very exciting! In September, I had seen a flyer at the YMCA for the "Race for the Kids" run downtown in the Conagra Foods Plaza. They had different heats for the different age groups--preschool up through 6th grade. A parent had to run if a preschooler was running, and, since I'm not really able to run much these days, I thought it would be a fun thing for Emily and Cubby to do together!

For preschoolers through 2nd grade, the race is just a 1/2 mile so I knew it would not only be something Emily would be able to do, but she'd enjoy as well. I really want to start her running early so that she learns that it's fun and not something to be scared of (like I was for so long!).

It went fantastic! They had all kinds of activities for the kids to do both before and after the race. There were also many local mascots present (and they even ran their own 50 yard dash race, which Christian really enjoyed since one of the mascots was a big green dinosaur).

After Emily and Cubby got their racing numbers...

It was time for "warm ups"...

Christian got cozy....

As Cubby and Emily got ready to run!

Here is a video of them finishing. (Yes, I realize it's sideways...I didn't realize that you couldn't rotate the video like you can a picture! Ugh! Still, it's pretty cute.)

And, here are the big racers!! Emily was so happy with her ribbon! Way to go, Emily! We're so proud of you!

The Dinosaurs' Quest??

Here is what I found when I went into the kitchen the other day. Not quite sure what Emily was going for when she set them up...maybe you could help me out? Best response gets to feel extra special for the day!

Emily's Opinions

Here are a few of Emily's little insights and opinions as of late:

#1. Sunday, as we were getting ready for church:

Emily: Mommy, if your belly and bottom keep getting bigger, pretty soon you won't be able to fit through the door into the bathroom!

Mommy: Yeah, that would be a major problem! I'll have to not eat so many cookies, huh?

#2. Monday, when we're at dancing:

Emily: Mommy, some of the girls in my dancing class like to listen the the Jonas Brothers. They think they're cute.

Mommy: Well, what do you think?

Emily: I think they're old.

Back To Nature

Yesterday we had yet another fun-filled Saturday morning! We took the kiddos back to Fontenelle Forest. This time, not so much for the DinoQuest (although we did check it out along the way), but for a hike through the woods! (This is Nebraska, not up North or West, so I was pretty excited for place to hike that wasn't hours away!)

Nice face, Daddy! (Emily got to bring "Dolly" along, so she was very excited to include her in the shot.)

Checking out some nature along the trail...

Fontenelle Forest has miles and miles of marked trails off of the boardwalk and through the woods. For this hike, we went down to the Missouri river. It was the perfect hike for little legs w/little attention spans! We brought two backpacks---our Camelpack w/water, diapers, and snacks, and the other was for Christian! For the most part, when the trail would've been rough for him, he enjoyed sitting up high and looking for squirrels. Once we got down to the river we had a snack and took some pics.

Look, Grandpa Chris! We got to walk over some railroad tracks!

Taking a break, having a snack and a drink from the Camelpack--"It's just so much fun to drink out of!"

A view of the Missouri River

Our attempt at the self-timer :-)

Glazed Pork Chops

Here's yet another yummy (and incredibly simple) receipe from Taste of Home. I always like new pork chop recipes; something other than chicken is always a good thing. These get the thumbs up from Cubby and the kids (no easy feat!!).

Glazed Pork Chops

2/3 c. apricot preserves

1/2 c. Italian salad dressing

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

4 boneless pork loin chops (1 inch thick and 6 oz. each)

In a small bowl, combine the preserves, dressing and mustard. Pour 3/4 cup marinade into a large resealable bag; add the pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hrs or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain pork chops and discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees, basting frequently w/reserved marinade.

Applejack Festival

Today we drove down to Nebraska City for their annual Applejack Festival! We were all very excited and had a great morning walking around, exploring, learning about nature and picking some apples! For anyone who isn't familiar with Nebraska City, it is the home of Arbor Day and the Arbor Day Lodge. J. Sterling Morton (as in Morton Salt--the little girl with the umbrella on your salt?) founded this city and started Arbor Day. It's such a cute town--fun activities, but not overdone. So anyhow, here are some pictures of our beautiful children and our lovely morning!

Socks

Christian is a funny guy. Not only does he like to ham it up for pictures...

...he also is very particular about his socks. To meet his approval, all socks must be pulled up to just under the knee. Not above, and definitely not below. If they do not meet this criteria, then they are put back and another pair must be found. I have NO idea where he got this from--no one around here wears socks like that! Just another quirk that defines Christian! We love you, buddy!

Look at those cute little knees!