The Museum with Tim & Angela!

The kids loved the whole museum, my camera ran out of battery half way through so as you see all the fun you have to double it!
Keith and Zack as tera cotta warriors!



Evelyn in the Egyptian archeology exhibit.

Digging up rocks!
Grant loved the Frogs!
Keith and Zack had a great time picking up the rocks and dropping them on the conveyer belt that then took them back to the rock pile! Evelyn figured out what was happening and decided it was a waste of time!

Keith and Zack had a pretty great time together! They really liked the scuba diving


They also really like the train!


Keith Loves his cousin! He was very cute when it came to Zack he was always making sure that he got to have a turn and see everything. When they walked into the Dinosaur area he was very comforting he told Zack "don't worry, don't be scared, they are just bones they are not alive." so cute.

Koen and Grant could be twins they were so cute together!
The boys loved learning about the Dino jaw bones, they paid attention the whole time!


Getting ready to enter the museum we decided Kevin needed a turn as bumble bee!

It was a pretty great day, the kids loved the exploratorium they spent the majority of the time there, unfortunately my battery had died by then. We also were able to enjoy dinner and a pizzeria with Tim & Angela before heading home, it was great to see everyone!

It's RACE Time!

The pictures are backwards for the Marathon going from bottom to top the 5k goes from top to bottom!

We got up at about 6a.m. and had breakfast at our hotel, we then went and parked for the race. We had to walk about a mile to get to the starting line and it wasn't cold but there was a pretty icy wind so we had to try to bundle up! We all stood in line for the porta potty that took about a 1/2 hour, it was interesting to see so many people gathered in one spot just to go to the bathroom. After using the facilities we tried to keep warm as we waited for Kevin's race to begin! Kevin did a little warming up and then it was finally time, we were able to get a good spot to see him start but after that there was no really good place to see him again. Kaiden's 5k started 30 mins. after Kevin so he warmed up and stretched and then got into his starting spot, he wanted to be up front and being small he was able to get right on the line! He started his race and again we were able to see him really well but we were not able to see him out on the course. Evelyn had to pee really bad so while we waited for Kaiden we ran back to the bathrooms, we didn't make it! I didn't have time to go back to the car before Kaiden finished so I decided we would wait and go to the car after, Evelyn refused to wear Kaiden warm up pants so that was frustrating. Kaiden finished and they announced his name and age as he crossed, he got his finisher's metal and then jumped passed the ropes to me because he was having a hard time walking. His thighs and groin muscles were hurting, he stretched out and kept walking around but he seemed to be in pain for the next two hours. He was happy with the effort he gave he said he felt like he shaved 3 minutes off his time, he did get a new PR. Evelyn decided that her pants were dry and didn't want to go to the car, she wanted to be able to see Kevin at mile 17 and if we went to the car we would miss the first bus to the cheer zone and therefore miss Kevin. So we decided to head over to the bus stop, we waited there for about 20 mins. before the bus showed up, Koen fell asleep and stayed asleep for the rest of the race. We arrived at the cheer zone about 10 mins before Kevin came running by looking like he was just out for a jog! He looked really good and the kids were so excited to see him, he was in 6th place at that point. While we waited for him to loop back around Kaiden fell and skinned his knee, and Evelyn and I both stepped in dog poo! Koen blissfully slept through everything! The cheer zone was in the shade so of course we all started to get cold again! The bus came back before Kevin came back and I had to decide if I wanted to stay and see Kevin and mile 21 risking that we would miss him finish or go back and for sure see him finish. I figured he would appreciate it more if we stayed so we did. He came back by about 3 mins after the bus left and it was another 25 mins before the bus came back, I was sure we would miss seeing him finish. When we got to the finish line the time on the clock was still under 3 hours so I was hopeful that we hadn't missed him, we got in a good position and waited. After about 2 mins. the kids were convinced he had already finished and we were wasting our time. I was sure we hadn't missed him yet, we waited until 3hours 10 mins. and the first girl finisher was crossing and then I decided that we must have missed him some how and we went looking for him! He crossed the finish line at 3 hours 13 mins he literally rounded the corner as we walked away!!!! We were able to catch up with him in the shoot! He looked pretty tired but he seemed fine. We went and ate our Lunch and then met up with Tim and Angela! It was a pretty great race!

Koen was super tired after the 5k so he took a little nap!





Kaiden had a good strong start and he ran hard the whole way finishing at 22:35! He came in 20th over all there were over 600 runners. He took 1st in the 10 and under age group.
Kaiden at the start of the 5k



Kaiden coming toward the finish. He is the one in the red shirt. Super small rounding the corner.Kaiden crossing the finish line of the 5k





Kevin coming back around at mile 21 he still looks great! The kids were so excited to be able to cheer for him!Kevin running past at mile 17 he looks great!!

waiting for the bus to take us to the cheer zone at mile 17 and 21!

Waiting for the Marathon to start.

Indianapolis for Fall Break!

Our trip to Indianapolis for Kevin's marathon was really fun we left Fri morning and spent the rest of the day at the Indianapolis Children's Museum. The pictures are not really in the right order but you still get the idea. After the museum we went and picked up Kevin and Kaiden's race packets and then had a nice relaxing dinner at Bob Evan's restaurant the kids loved it and were so good. Once we got to our hotel some of them went swimming with Kevin for a little while, Kaiden chose to stay with me in the room and watch cartoons. Julianna cut the heal of her foot open while opening the door to the pool, on the way back to the room, so she was upset about that. Over all, the day went well and we had a great time, we were able to get in bed fairly early in preparation for the race on Sat. I will post all about the race later.

This is a picture of the kids on a Nile crocodile. The journey to Egypt exhibit was pretty fun but I didn't get any pictures. It was the last one we did this day and I was exhausted!

The kids loved the frog exhibit, they had about 30 live frogs in terrariums that we could see and read about. Because of the glass I was not able to get pictures, one of the frogs was about the size of Koen's head! The kids also got to play the froggyland game and get a little prize and the end, they loved it! Keith really loved dressing up as a frog and jumping around the Lilly pads!

The dinosaurs were the favorite of the day, we spent almost two hours at this exhibit. There were scientist jackets that they got to wear while they examined bones, and a dinosaur suit they could wear and play in the dino nest. Kaiden loved this spot the best, Keith was torn between this and the frogs! They even got to touch an actual T-Rex fossil!



This was another archeology spot, the kids learned about the terracotta soldiers that were found and they even got to excavate their own soldier! There was also an Egyptian dig that the kids did but I must have missed getting pictures.









This was the underwater archeology exhibit. Keith really got into the idea that he was under water in one of the pictures you can tell he is holding his breath! They got to measure old cannons from a ship wreck!




After the Bat show the kids did a little entertaining on the stage for us!






Bats!! There was a special bat show so we got tickets and went, the kids loved it. They tried to get as close as they could when the guy walked around with the bats. All of the bats that he had were injured and unable to fly. They were pretty neat and we learned a lot of stuff that we didn't know before.


Koen loved the trains there were a tone of them including this huge one that you could "ride" on. They had a video of passing scenery going outside of one whole side of the train along with sound effects so it felt like you were on a moving train. This train was brought into the building once the foundation was set and the rest of the building was built around it.



At the entrance to the Children's museum the kids all took a turn as a vampire or a bat. The museum has a huge haunted house going and there were witches and vampires walking around. We skipped it since it didn't seam like our kid's were quite old enough to appreciate being scared!



Eating lunchables! In the car on the way to Indianapolis, the kids love lunchables and we never get them so I thought for a special treat on this trip we could have them for lunch. They decided they like the pizza ones the best so that is what they are eating.
There was a Barbie fashion exhibit, Evleyn loved it! You could do Barbie's makeup her hair and design an outfit for her. there were tons of Barbies for the kids to play with and dress up. There were also dress up outfits you could put on and then walk the runway! there were fake cameras and a dj stand that the boys really liked.

Cross Country

Some of the kids are doing cross country this year. It has been really fun and interesting to see them try so hard to do their best.

Julianna doesn't really care for running but she sticks with it and does a really good job. This last week they had a meet and they ran a 1.8 mile course, Julianna's time contributed to the team score and she was really proud of that. Julianna's time was 16:41, her team came in 4th.

Kaiden of course is really into running and does well at each event that he participates in. He ran his 1.8 in 13:05 he came in 18th place. His couch would like him to learn to run with his arms, he tends to hold his shoulders up and keeps is hands by his sides. He kind of looks like a gorilla when he runs, but clearly he is fast so he must be doing something right!

Keith is determined to be great so he tries very hard to be like Kaiden. He ran is 1.8 in 20:02 his time also contributed to the team score they came in 8th (which was not last and the 4 & 5 runners were the two kindergarteners on the team) He was very proud of the fact that he was asked to pass the two kids who had been in front of him the whole race and he actually ended up passing four. He tripped and the beginning and then fell in the middle and tripped again at the finish, he woke up this morning with his eyes so swollen that I kept him home from church. I think his face plant into the field caused his allergies to act up.

All of the kids are really great and give everything they have each time. It is nice to see them work hard and then do well. I hope they continue to love it.

School is in session.

Well school started on August 7th so we have been going for a month now. The kids all love their teachers and are really excited each day to go.

Koen turned to on Wed. it was fun to see him get so excited for his cupcakes! He is a little beastie always into everything. He seems to have no fear of consequences and no sense of self preservation. He loves his sister Julianna and will sometimes choose her over mom or dad, he also loves his dog and sleeps with her at night. It is fun to sneak into his room and watch him play with his siblings he always wants to be doing the exact thing they are!

Keith is in Kindergarten this year and has the same teacher that Evelyn had last year. He loves her, she sent a note home telling him what a great kid he was and how much she loves teaching him, he carried it around for the whole day! He is well behaved at school and does his work well, I wish I knew what magic I could use to get him to be that way at home. His teacher told him that he was smart and he said to me this morning "I am not smarter than a first grader because I don't know how to read. But I am smart because I know what 2+2 is." It was cute. Keith turns 5 of Thursday next week and he is going to have a pirate party if I can get my act together! He is loving cross country and it is fun to watch him run, he looks exactly like Kaiden only smaller. He placed 25th in last week at his meet and got a fun horse shoe medal, he is very proud of it and carries it everywhere.

Evelyn is loving first grade she loves her teacher and LOVES reading. She has chosen not to do cross country this year, she doesn't enjoy it and so we decided not to force the issue. She would really like to start doing a dance class but I am not sure I can add something to my schedule right now! I love watching her choose her outfits every morning she has such a specific idea of what she wants to wear each day. She is still very well behaved at school and works hard on her homework without prompting from me. She is trying to keep her room clean for the rest of the year in the hope that we will get her an American girl doll for Christmas, we will see.

Kaiden is officially a 3rd grader, he loves his teacher and he loves MATH! He really enjoys art, and his penmanship is amazing! he of course loves running and has starting running with the middle school team because he says "the longer distance is more fun" I personally think he is crazy! He did well at his meet last week taking first place, he received a nice plaque that he has displayed on his dresser. His teacher is a runner so it is fun for him to share his race times with her. He still loves school but he is starting to get lazy with his homework, I have to remind him several times. He is also in scouts and next week will be going into Bears. His Birthday is on Monday and he is also having a pirate party, I was hoping to be able to combine birthdays!

Julianna is in 5th grade and I can't believe how fast she has grown up! She is liking this year better than last year so far, I think she is more comfortable now that we have been here a year. She loves her teacher who is pregnant with twins due in Oct. she can't wait for the babies to be born. She told me a couple of days ago that she wants another baby sister. I asked "what if it ends up a boy?" her reply "then we will have to have two more girls." I am not sure that three more kids are in the cards!!! She is a great help around the house and with the other kids, she is always willing to pitch in and get things done. Julianna is loving gymnastics and last week she got advance into division 2, she is pretty excited about that and is always practicing whenever she can find a space big enough.

I will try to post a few pictures of our meets and other randomness soon.

I missed Aug.!!

I am so frustrated I missed posting in August, it was my goal to post at least once each month. Well we are all doing pretty well no one had been sick for a while and that has been nice. School is back in and we are steadily getting used to the routine of things. Cross Country has started and Kaiden of course loves it while the other kids tolerate it.