Read 'n Run 5k

Today, in honor of Laura, we met the Elliotts at Harriet Island in St. Paul to run a race to benefit the St. Paul Public Library. We all had great runs--Karl came in a close second out of about 20 kids, Laura ran the whole half-mile without ever walking (it's amazing what you can do when you believe in the cause), and I beat my personal best in the 5k by a minute and a half! (Thanks Jason!) Plus, the kids got to dress up in costumes, so they had an edge with their extra muscles and super suits.

 

Spiderman and the Incredibles kids team up to run a fast race!

The kids at the starting line, sizing up the competition...

Karl coming in for his big finish, just behind the leader (you can't see any kids behind them because they were way out in front the whole time). Way to go Dash!

And here's Laura at the end of her run. Nice job Violet!

Three tired kids (but not for long; they were soon up and playing at the playground and having leaf wars).

This is how Jason and I warm up at the starting line.

While Jason and I were running, Angie and Matt took the kids over to the playground.

It won't be long until Little Justin gets in on the races too! 

What a great day for a race! Yay books!

 

 

Orchestra Concert and Fishing with Opa: The Story of an Eclectic Day

This morning we went to St. Paul to listen to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra perform a family concert in the Ordway. The theme was "The Four Seasons--Unleashed!" and featured excerpts from Vivaldi's original "Four Seasons" pieces along with a more modern version done in the 1970s by an Argentinian composer. The concert was designed for kids, so there were actors and lots of props to correspond with the seasons, and the kids laughed when the flowers danced during the "Spring" sections, and snow fell in heaps on the "composers" during the "Winter" parts. The best part, though, was when we stopped for bagels at Brueggers on the way back to the parking ramp.

Since we always seem to take pictures in Rice Park when we're in St. Paul, we decided to change it up a bit and had the kids pose in front of Landmark Center.

 

After some shopping, Karl came home and immediately set off for the highlight of the day: fishing with Opa! They were extra lucky and caught several fish in short order--and Karl even got to take a couple home for dinner!

Karl even helped clean the fish, and he talked Oma into frying them up. Since neither Matt nor I will eat seafood of any kind, Karl has never had fish (When Laura was very little I used to buy fish and cook it just for her to eat because I thought it was good for her, but that habit did not last long, and since Karl is a second child, he never got that kind of special treatment...)

Just looking at this picture makes me ill.

Karl ate some of his fish, and decided he didn't like it very much. Good man. I can stomach making tacos for dinner, but I don't think I could handle demands for fish on a regular basis!

I'd say Karl's fishing trip was quite the success, even if eating what you catch isn't all that great. I think he's got a lot more fishing in his future. The next thing you know, he'll be learning to tie flies...

 

Fall Artwork

Ok, so it's been a long time since I've written a blog post, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. In fact, we've been so busy that I haven't had time to blog (that, and I haven't been as diligent with my camera use). To keep everyone interested until I take more pictures, I want to share a sample of some of the amazing artwork the kids have produced lately. These two pieces are my favorites:

"Tiny Wheel Bus" by Karl. Karl and Laura really do ride Bus #1, and all the kids really do have happy smily faces! This picture makes me happy.

"Zippy Goose" by Laura (I asked the kids to name their pictures, and this is what I got.) This is a painting Laura made at a birthday party. I love it.