The Rest of the 4th

After the parade, we walked downtown and enjoyed the festivities. The kids wanted to ride the train. They jumped right on and enjoyed their ride. Will wanted to ride the little Ferris wheel too. They were both so brave and didn't cry to get off the rides. We played some Chicken Poop Bingo and then headed back to the house. 

Random pictures.

Here are a bunch of random pictures from our two days in Munising. 

Mark, Bill and I rode 16.5 hilly miles to Au Train and back. It was a beautiful ride and a great challenge. 

5k Run

There is a 5k fun run/walk on the morning of the 4th. Last year I ran my fastest 5k with the help of cousin Kathleen. This year I wants to do the same thing. I was able to run a 28:35 and beat last years time (29:51)! I felt great running and wished it felt that awesome and effortless every time I went out to run. Mark ran it too and got 23:23. Grandpa, grandma,  Uncle Marc and  Aunt Sarah ran too. It was a cool and beautiful morning for a run. 

Our attempt at a family picture. Will wanted nothing to do with taking a picture. 

Mark and his sister Sarah

It's time to go home and get ready for the parade. 

Parade!

Munising has the best parade in the U.P. The kids had fun watching the parade and collecting ridiculous amounts of candy! 

This is our annual family picture.

Erin didn't like the snapper things that the kids were throwing on the ground. 

We went for a walk while we waited for the parade to start. 

Grandma and grandpa helped with collecting candy! 

And she didn't like the fire trucks either. 

Happy 4th of July! 

Happy 4th of July!

We are headed home from our annual trip to Munising with Mark's family. It was another fun trip filled with food, family and favorite memories! 

We arrived on Wednesday night around 12:30 and slept in our (actually grandma Melanie's) camper for the night. In the morning, we moved it into place with the other two campers. 

We spent the day hanging out with family. A few brace soles went in Lake Superoir (which was 39'- there were ice bergs in it at Memorial Day weekend). The kids played on the beach (what was there- the water is really high this year) and the adults visited. All of the kids got along well and had fun together. 

Austin, Quinh and Charlie

They Say the Cutest Things...

Erin- "Mama, can we try on some of your jewelry?" 

Me-"why?"

Erin- "Because mama, I want to be like you."  5-27-14

Me- "Erin, when are you going to start going potty on the potty chair?"

Erin- "When I'm 7!" 

5-20-14

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a fun weekend with our family here at our house. Friday started with Aunt Krysten arriving from Chicago. The weather was beautiful so we were able to sit outside after dinner and play with the kids. 

On Saturday morning, Mark and I got up early and went downtown to run the Riverbank Run. I ran the 10k (6.2 miles) and he ran the 25k (15.5 miles). There were almost 18,000 people who participated in events that day. I think there were 7,000 in the 10k race. I ran the race in1:04 which is 10:27 minute miles.  I did the race in 2008 and ran it in 1:24 and 11:57 minute miles. I only decided on Monday night to see if I could run 5 miles (I hadn't done it since 2008). I woke up early and ran at 6 am. It was beautiful out and I accomplished my goal by 7 am. I'm glad that I've been doing other things to stay strong so I was able to go and randomly run 5 miles. 

Good luck balloons that were left in our front yard by a very thoughtful friend. 

Pre-race selfie 

Mark has been training for the half Ironman he'll be doing in less than a month. He had a good run, but he said that the hills were really challenging. He finished in 2:16:31 with 8:44 min miles. We were able to meet up with other friends who were running both the 10k and the 25k races. It was a fun and inspiring morning. 

Post race picture- yes, Mark had a bloody nipple from chaffing. 

When we got home everyone was here and we were ready for a fun afternoon of hanging out. The weather was 70' and sunny. We spent time enjoying the sun on the deck and the driveway.  The kids played while we enjoyed adult beverages and time together. We ate chicken, salads and garlic bread for dinner. Will fell asleep at 6:30 and slept all night. That's a sign of a good day. 

Erin was playing with Austin and she hit him on the head. Mark put  her in a timeout in her bed for it. She called me into her room and when I asked her what she wanted she said "mama, Will did it." And I asked her what he did and she told me "hit baby Austin." I told her that we saw her do it and she shouldn't lie to us. Where does she learn this stuff? 

On Mother's Day morning, we had to say good bye to Aunt Sarah, Uncle Marc and baby Austin because they had to head home to spend time with his mom. The rest of us went to church and then came home for lunch. After we had full bellies, everyone hit the road and we crashed on the couch for the rest of the afternoon. 

We are so lucky to have such amazing and supportive people in our lives. It was a great weekend!