Cross Country fall finale

Kyle and Emily finished off the fall season of cross country. They both enjoyed the season, the sport, and their team very much. They worked really hard and ran to their heart's content. Both talk of running more in the spring and with cross country next fall. 

Emily and her teammate running together

Kyle after he got trampled at the start. It's hard being an elementary age kid running with middle schoolers who are much bigger than you. Kyle learned that even when you get trampled, you get up again and start running. And that they aren't going to start the race over because you got trampled. 

Kyle, Emily, and a few of their young teammates (ones in elementary school) ran a JO race together / appropriate age / gender divisions after the team season was over. It was a fun experience for the kids to actually run against kids their own age and see where they stack up. Both ran hard, had fun, and did well. 

Ohio

This weekend, my grandma passed away at 91. My Uncle John (her youngest son) went on a road trip to clear his head. He ended up down in Raleigh so he stopped in for a visit. Aaron immediately took to him and declared him his best friend. One of my earliest memories was probably about the same age as Aaron when Uncle John came over to our house, picked me up after my nap and took me in his hotrod car over to the pool. That memory has stuck with me. Anyhow, Aaron hadn't seen Uncle John for almost 2 years (last time was when we drove through Ohio on the way home from Thanksgiving and Kyle got so very sick and Aaron was 2 at the time) but you would have thought they saw each other every day. 

Storytime

Aaron, Emily, and I drove up to Ohio to attend my grandma's funeral and made our first stop in Columbus at the Hofbrauhaus. My dad, Kristin, and I at at the Hofbrauhaus in Germany when we first went to Europe and have some great memories there. The kids and I met up with Uncle John there. And Aaron was right at home with Uncle John. He just climbs right up to him to be near him. 

Aaron saw the band at the Hofbrauhaus and he points and says, "look at the wizard!". 

The house that I grew up in until I was 7. 

In an attempt to have a little fun on the trip before the heavy parts (and in between long drives), we spent the morning at COSI. This is a fabulous children's / science museum. The kids got to take apart a computer. That was fun until Emily sliced her finger on one of the sharp metal parts. 

They toured history. 

Emily delivered the news. 

Emily lifted up a car. 

And the kids whispered to one another from 100 feet apart. 

Washington DC

This weekend we went to DC to visit family. We had a lot of fun exploring DC, eating delicious food, and enjoying family. 

We went to the National Zoo and saw the pandas getting popsicles. Jeff has an amazing video of the mama and baby panda getting their popsicles. 

Aaron loved hanging with his cousin. 

The kids loved hanging with their great-aunt. They loved helping make carrot cake, a honey tasting, and just being in her company. 

Kids being kids

Kyle and Emily had their buddies over for an awesome full day of playing. 

Aaron with A&A. They met up with us at gymnastics. Aaron was over the moon that he got to see the friends first. He loves A&A and they are always so sweet with him and love seeing him. 

The kids played all day and did outside fun experiments. They played with vinegar and baking soda and also did the Diet Coke and Mentos project. Kyle is on a month long hiatus from video games and it's amazing how many other things he can think of to do without screens. 

In the evening, the boys got to set off some fireworks. We were those neighbors on a random Wednesday night causing a ruckus. And the kids loved it. 

Aaron character

Aaron is just a little character. He lis all spunk and all his own person. 

He dressed himself. For some reason, he loves wearing dress socks pulled all the way up with this outfit (we call it the trashy outfit because of the sleeveless top). It is his favorite outfit. 

Sleeping Bear

With this new no nap schedule for Aaron, he is catching his sleep whenever and wherever he can. On non-preschool days, we do put him down for a nap. Sweet Little Bear needs and appreciates his sleep. 

This was his glove phase. He said the glove was super soft on his hand and so he wore it pretty much all the time with the exception of when he was eating. 

Al Buehler Trail

When Jeff ran at Duke, he ran on this trail many a times. This was before the trail was formally named and groomed as the Al Buehler trail (I think). Coach Al was Jeff's coach at that time. This weekend, Jeff took us on it for a nice little family run. 

Marbles

It's the end of track-out and a non-preschool day so we hit Marbles for a morning of fun. The kids love these life-size Legos. They always build this amazing, HUGE house around themselves. They could probably stay in this area for several hours. 

Afterwards, we hit Costco to pick up a quick, easy (pizza) dinner because our friends were coming over that evening to hangout and play games. My brothers and sisters will recognize this picture as a throwback to our days on the flatbed through BJ's/Sam's/Costco with Bill K. And honestly, this flatbed (which we called "the crazy train") was a great way to keep the kids with me and somewhat behaving through Costco because they thought it was so much fun. 

More Cross Country Meets

Kyle and Emily have had several more cross country meets. They are both running very well and pushing themselves. Races are most often a 3k (1.8 miles) though some have been a little longer. And their team has done great! At a very large meet, the boys team took 3rd against other area middle school teams (and a good handful of the boys on the team aren't in middle school yet). 

Camping in Umstead

Kyle, Emily, Aaron and I had a blast camping (and we even got Kathleen out for a campfire dinner!).

The kids loved climbing:

and frogging:

and s'mores!

and fishing:

To aid future planning:

Camping Checklist

Food

•  See Meals

CAMPSITE GEAR

•  Tent, poles, stakes

•  Sleeping bags

•  2 Air Mattresses

•  Pillows

•  Extra blankets

•  Chairs

•  Headlamps & flashlights
(extra batteries)

•  Lantern (batteries)

KITCHEN

•  Matches / lighter

•  Firewood

•  Frying pan

•  Roasting sticks for marshmallows, hot dogs

•  Food-storage containers, bags

•  Trash bags

•  Cooler

•  Ice

•  Water bottles

•  Plates, bowls, forks, etc.

•  Cups, mugs

•  Paring knife, spatula, spoon

•  Cutting board

•  Foil

•  Paper towels

CLOTHES

•  Clothes for daytime

•  Sleepwear

•  Swimsuits

•  Rainwear

•  Shoes: hiking/walking shoes, easy-on shoes, water shoes

•  Extra layers for warmth

•  Gloves / Hats

PERSONAL ITEMS

•  Sunscreen

•  Insect repellant

•  First-aid kit

•  Toothbrush, toiletries

OTHER ITEMS

•  Frisbee

•  iPhone Charger

Meals:

Dinner 1:

http://rosemarried.com/2012/03/11/grilled-brussels-sprouts-with-whole-grain-mustard/

Hotdogs

S'mores

Breakfast 1:
Eggs & Bacon

Dinner 2 (with Kathleen):

Dip

250ml {1 cup} sour cream

250g {1 pkg} cream cheese {room temperature}

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup chopped, frozen spinach {drained}

baguette

artichoke hearts

tin foil (multiple layer packet

1 1/2 lb New Red Potatoes

1 large Onion

1 tbsp Minced Garlic

4 tbsp Butter

1-2 tbsp Worchestershire Sauce

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper to taste

         Slice potatoes and onion into ⅛ - ¼" slices.

         Place on piece of aluminum foil large enough to fold over and to be able to roll up edges.

         Top with garlic, butter, Worchestershire and cayenne.

         Fold packet over and roll edges to close.

                  Leave on medium grill for 30 minutes or in 350 oven (in a pan to avoid messes) for 35-40 minutes.

Camping Corn Hash
1 can corn and its liquid

5 long slices of bacon cut into rough squares

1/2 medium onion diced

1/2 can diced tomatoes

salt, pepper

* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

In a cast iron skillet, begin frying your bacon until it gives all of its grease and the bacon is browned and crispy. Add the onions directly to the skillet. Fry the onions for about two minutes. Add a dash of salt. Add the diced tomatoes and the can of corn with the corn liquid. Cook the mixture until nearly all of the water has boiled out. Add the pepper and pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

S'more S'mores

Breakfast 2:
Quesadillas (Kyle made griddle out of foil)
Bacon