Also not a personal worst -- Agape 5k race report

This morning I ran a small (very small), local 5k. I don't really like 5ks because I'm not much on sprinting, but I do like that they're over fairly quickly! All five of us went since it was close to our house and at a park with a playground. Oliver and Buttercup were super excited about watching another race, and Buttercup told me repeatedly what she's going to wear when she runs her first race (a kids' run that's part of a 10k I'm running in October). :-)

I'd hoped to run anything under 22:00, but didn't factor in the course. I assumed it would be mostly on flat trails, but we ran partially on trails, grass, big rocks, hills, asphalt, everything. Not to mention the 20mph headwind on the way back. I didn't meet my goal, but I did finish in 22:10, which was good enough for first place and a couple of gift cards!

I feel like I'm getting some pep in my legs again and that my workouts are paying off! Now I just need to work on my kick and being more consistent about getting all of my workouts in. :-)

for Aunt Anna

:-)

The one plant we haven't killed . . .

On one of his visits here a few years ago, my dad brought us some rose bushes from his garden, and he planted them in front of our house. I thought they weren't going to last more than 6 months, but surprisingly, they have proved me wrong and are still going strong! The bushes are just covered in roses right now and are so beautiful. I love opening the kids' blinds in the mornings and seeing them outside.

The pink roses are my favorites, particularly the buds. So pretty! And a sweet daily reminder of my sweet daddy. :-)

Easter pictures

Silly glasses

This is a fun idea from Parents magazine!

You'll need:

scissors or a sharp knife

a cardboard egg carton

white washable paint + brushes

markers, crayons, or pens

pipe cleaners

Cut the egg carton so that you have two adjoining egg cups, then use the scissors or knife to cut out holes in the bottom. Use the scissors to cut another hole on each side, near the top of the cup. Paint the entire cup with white paint, and let dry.

After the paint is dry, let your kids color or paint around the bottom hole, to make the egg cups look like eyeballs! The sample from the website was much more realistic-looking, but the kids really liked the way theirs came out. :-)

Thread a pipe cleaner through each side hole, wrap the end around to secure it, then "hook" the other end behind the ear. Fun!

Theodore was too little to make one, of course (besides, he would just try to eat it anyway), so he had fun watching us and eating his snack. :-)

Resurrection eggs

Easter Sunday is coming up soon, so this week the kids and I did resurrection eggs again to help them learn the reason why we celebrate this day. I used the MOPS example again this year since it was so simple and fun for the kids.

Number the eggs from 1 to 6, then fill them:

#1: a piece of bread

#2: 3 silver coins

#3: thorns

#4: a cross

#5: a rock

#6: empty

I hid the eggs in the living room, and after the egg hunt, we sat down to open the eggs and talk about what was inside. Buttercup didn't remember doing this last year, so she was very excited! Oliver did remember it from last year, and he also remembered a lot of the story from reading it at bedtime, so he was able to tell us the story with only a little help from me. :-) I have two really cute videos of Oliver and Buttercup each telling the story in their own words, but I'm having technical difficulties uploading the videos . . . here are a couple of pictures and I'll try to get the videos up later!

Yard work, bubbles, and climbing trees

This weekend we mostly hung around the house (yay! my favorite!) and played outside. Dennis did some yard work and the kids "helped" a little bit, and we all enjoyed the gorgeous weather. It's too bad that we don't have a real spring for very long -- it's going to be a hot summer!

While the big kids were busy climbing trees, I blew bubbles for the baby boy to keep him from eating grass.

Here's Buttercup, wearing one of her favorite shirts. (Thanks, Celeste, she wears it at least twice a week!)

I got a little lightheaded from blowing bubbles continuously for 10 minutes . . . good thing I have some sweet helpers! :-)