My Deputy and Jailbird

Here is the short version:  We are ambivalent about the whole Halloween vs. Reformation Day thing.  Eric and I had fun memories of dressing up as kids and thought it would be fun to put the boys in costumes.  We handed out candy to the kids in our neighborhood and it was fun.

Abraham had a really bad runny nose so I did not think it would be a good idea to go around the neighborhood trick or treating. Basically I got them dressed up for my own amusement and the cuteness factor in the pictures. Last year at this time, the boys had their first cold and I was so disorganized that I did not even have candy for the neighbor kids.  This year was therefore a huge improvement for us.  Next year we may actually get the boys out to some festivities in their costumes!

Here are my very reluctant deputy sheriff and jailbird:

Abraham the jailbird and Winston the sheriff's deputy

Winston seems bored with his jailbird watching duties.

Abraham:  "I was framed I tell you, framed!"

Death stare.

Perfect!

Jailbird stole the deputy's hat.

Hey deputy, do you see what he is doing over there?

They obviously have very different reactions these days when the camera is upon them.

Pumpkin Patch Visit

We finally made it to the local pumpkin patch at Corley Ranch.  We never made it last year when the boys were seven months old because it got really hectic with Eric starting his new job.  At the time I thought, "It does not matter because next year they will actually be able to walk and it will be a lot more fun and the pictures will be a lot cuter."  Oh man, I can be naive sometimes.  At least with seven month old twins you can lean them against a pumpkin, make some funny noises and get them to smile for pics. Instead we had two little boys who had just woke up from their nap and were being really strong willed. I imagined taking pics of my little guys walking amongst the pumpkins and laughing in the late afternoon light.  Again, I was totally deluded.  These kids took off in opposite directions and thwarted any efforts on my part to take posed shots.  That is not to say we did not have fun though.  We did have fun knowing that the boys were so excited about the pumpkins and all the cool stuff there.  Eric and I were talking about how next year the boys would enjoy the mazes, the animals, train and all the other good stuff much more.

Here are some of the better photos that we were able to snag.  Thank goodness for being able to shoot continuously on a SLR.  There is no way there would be any photos of the boys smiling otherwise.

"Boys, this way, to papa.  Please, go to papa."

This kid and his million dollar smile.

Abraham was interested in the pumpkins for about thirty seconds and then took off again.

 

Winston:  "Look at all this dirt I can play in!"

Yep, that is dirt on Abraham's face.

This was as good as it got for the cute posed picture.

And Winston is off yet once again.

Abraham was really into pushing the wagon.

They quickly became obsessed with this wooden train car.

I am laughing because I tried to get them to sit with me for a pic but they just wanted to go back inside.

 

These boys are exhausting but also a complete joy.  I love these moments that we get to spend as a family.  I love having a family.  It makes me all the more excited for the holiday season this year. 

Nevada Day 8K

Hey everybody, I ran my first race in over five years and it was a great success!  I completed the 8K (5 miles) in 44:58 which was a 8:59 pace. I finished sixth place within my gender and age division. There were at least four hundred runners so I was really happy with my placement. My race pace was even faster than the pace I completed my training runs in.  I am really surprised I did that well for a couple of reasons.  First, we left the house later than we had anticipated and I got to the starting line within 5 minutes of the start.  I had to go to the bathroom since I had drank a bunch of water and I had no time to find a bathroom.  Running on a full bladder is not so comfortable.  Second, I managed to step on a solitary rock on the road and rolled my ankle in the first mile.  It hurt pretty bad and I had a split second to decide whether I was going to try to keep running or just turn around and head back to Eric and the boys.  I committed to finish and so that is what I did.  I feel that running is a huge mental sport as opposed to a physical one.  I had to run even though I felt like quitting. Thankfully my ankle is only uncomfortable when I put weight on it, no acute pain, and it is not swollen or bruised. I am going to keep a brace on it until it feels stronger. Third, there was a way bigger climb in the race than I had ever anticipated. I did not know the race route until the day before. My normal loop I run in my neighborhood has a 68 foot elevation increase.  The race had a 141 foot elevation increase.  I normally run with the boys in the jogging stroller and the hills near me are all dirt trails which are much too rocky for even my BOB.  Needless to say, that hill felt like the never ending climb but I was proud that I never stopped to walk.  I definitely have a lot of room for improvement but I am happy for how far I have come in the last five years.

You may be wondering about what Nevada Day actually is.  Nevada has a state holiday for the anniversary of the date that our state was admitted into the Union.  Nevada Day is actually on October 31st, but as you can imagine there was a lot of confusion with the increasing popularity of Halloween.  The legislature passed a law so that it would actually be observed the last Friday in October.  All the schools and state employees were off on Friday and the following day, Saturday, was filled with formal festivities such as the governor's pancake breakfast, the race, parade, hot air balloon launch, chili feed, etc.  The funny thing is that individual counties still decide what the appropriate date to trick or treat is due to Nevada Day actually being on the 31st. Carson City has designated the 30th for trick or treating and our county is sticking with the 31st.  It is all totally weird for this So Cal native.

It was a perfect day for a race.  It was obviously pretty chilly but it was so clear and the views of the Sierra Nevada and the capitol were amazing.  The last stretch of the race was down N. Carson Street a.k.a Main Street and the hot air balloon launch was happening right as we were running by.  I would definitely do this event again.

The boys were watching the hot air balloons go up during the race.

Don't they look thrilled to be out in the cold bright and early.

Baby Geneva fluttering one eye open to see if it was worth actually waking up for.

I finally saw the clock at the last 100 yards and sprinted my tail off so that I could make 45:00.

Sprinting...go, mama, go!

Hey everyone!  Check out the paparazzo behind me a.k.a. Uncle Adam

I did it!

Talking to Ally: "And there was this hill and it just kept going and going!"

Balloon launch

The bubbas checking out the balloons with Uncle Adam

Abraham was becoming a real grumpy bear by this time.

They were tired of the stroller so we let them run around.

More Abraham the grumpy bear.

Keeping Winston happy and distracted.

Super tired giggles.

Uncle Adam, the toddler whisperer.

Little Geneva needed her second breakfast.

This was best we could do for a family pic. The boys were spent.  Abraham is shoving a dried apple slice in his mouth.

The original idea was that we would all watch the parade together but the boys, at nearly twenty months, have still not outgrown their need for a morning nap.  We decided it was not prudent to try to wait for another half hour for the parade to start because the boys were close to the melt down stage.  Sure enough, they crashed within five minutes of being in the car.  Oh well, next year we can all stay and watch.  It will be a fun tradition to have.  I was really grateful that Adam, Ally and little Geneva were able to come and cheer me on.

  
Last night as I was falling asleep and praying silently to myself, I was thanking the Lord for the ability to run and that I had such a good race.  The words "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit" came into my head.  I remember singing a song with those words when I was a little kid in school and in Sunday School.  I had to look up the reference and saw it was a verse from Zechariah.

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. 

Zechariah 4:6b

It was not about my ability or how hard I trained, it was simply God's grace in my life.  We can struggle as hard as we can to attain worldly success but ultimately it is the Lord's sovereignty in our life that is supreme.  I am grateful for how well I did in the race and I am grateful to my God for giving the strength to do it.