Fun (well for some anyway) Run

Caleb and Emma's school had a fundraiser last week, the ambitiously named "Fun Run." Don't get me wrong, I'm all for raising funds for the school and I'm also all for teaching kids that exercise and a healthy lifestyle can be enjoyable -but I don't think finding two words that rhyme and sound good together should be the deciding factor in the naming of an event.

When I asked Rachel, Emma and Caleb if they wanted to participate, Rachel and Em didn't even take a half a second to say no. Caleb however, wanted to Run and have Fun. I thought I would join in on the activity as well. (How hard could it be? It has the word Fun in the name. I just finished a triathlon for pity's sake!) I was a little disappointed that the girls didn't want to do it. Rach has mentioned that she wants to try out for the track team in the spring. This will be great practice for her! Both girls in years' past have dusted the 11-year old scouts in the physical fitness tests that the Scouts are required to do. Emma couldn't run anyway because she had gymnastics that night. Four hours of gymnastics is much more demanding than running around the school yard anyway.

Caleb is so cute. He and his friend have actually (in his own words) "been training" for the two weeks prior. Twice a week during recess, they run around the field a couple of times. He told me he was ready.

On the day of the Fun Run, we (Rachel, Caleb and I) rode our bikes over to the school. Rachel came to hang out with her friends and give moral support. Caleb and I got our racing numbers and the kids went to the side of the playground to warm up. The children's run consisted of running around the field as many times as they could in 30 minutes. There were no winners or losers. Some of the kids ran most of the time, some walked. Caleb did about half and half. All in all, he ran about a mile and a half. That sweaty little boy was almost as proud of himself as his mom was!

Next came the Women's Race, which was about a quarter of a mile sprint. I've been jogging regularly, so I thought it wouldn't be that bad. I discovered that jogging and sprinting are two very different things. I was running along side of a neighbor and my goal was to stay with her. With about 50 yards to go, the strangest thing started happening; my arms and my tongue were going numb. Is that normal?! Does this happen to Olympic althletes when they're breaking world records? Granted, they are in a completely different universe in level of physical fitness but all the same, they're pushing their bodies to the limit. I think my body was pretty mad at me for making it run like that. My neighbor and I decided that we were not sure we were going to participate next year.

After the men's race, they gave away prizes to the winners and held a drawing for some sweet things. I got a gift certificate for fresh flowers, which made me feel better about being numb and cramped up at the same time. Caleb waited anxiously to see if he was going to win anything but unfortunately, he didn't. He told me that now he has to wait another whole year to see if he will win a prize. I guess that means that he is going to participate next year.

After we were done, we rode our bikes home in the moonlight and had Arby's roast beef and ice cream. I will now set aside my curmudgeonly attitude and admit that-okay, I had fun!

Tickling the Ivories

Caleb had a piano recital last Thursday. He did great! He always stresses out and panics right before he performs but he always manages it do well. He takes his nervous energy and he directs it to exactly where it needs to be. I wish I were like that. (The performing part, not the stressing and panicking part.) I'm so proud of him!

Things That Go BUMP in the Night

Rachel woke me up at about 5:00 this morning. Her voice was urgent and she was shaking.

"Mom, something is bumping up against my window and I can hear rocks moving around out there!" She was terrified.

That sounds like any young girl's nightmare. There's something tapping on my window! Every spooky story that's ever been told to you; every scary movie that you've seen; and every creepy book that you've read is running through your mind. Is it a psychopath escaped from the nearby prison? Maybe it's some mystical creature that feeds on the blood of the pure in heart? Or at best, maybe it's a rabid animal. Whatever it is, there is no way I would stay in that room.

"Mom, I'm really scared and I don't want to go back to my room. Please, can I stay in your room? I'll sleep on your chaise."

"Do you want Dad or me to go check?"

"Yeah, just don't make me go with you."

Brad is a really deep sleeper (Emma used to sleep on his face when she was little and he wouldn't remember it in the morning) so it took awhile to rouse him. When he did, he took his trusty flashlight and went to her room. He came back a few minutes later and got back into bed. He told Rachel that there was nothing to worry about. This is what was causing all the racket:

Awww! It's a bunny! It's only about the size of a grapefruit. The poor thing is probably scared to death. It's about a six foot drop into the window well. Later today, my neighbor (who has pet rabbits) is going to help me catch it and we'll figure out what to do with it. Meanwhile, I'm wondering if I should drop some lettuce or some water down there.

Talk about a happy ending for Rachel-you hear scary noises in the middle of the night and your dad comes back and tells you that it's a baby bunny!