Random Fun

We've been busy with birthdays this month, but we still took time to just have fun. For my birthday I got some new playdough. It was C's first time playing with it. I think she enjoyed it!Our new neighbors moved in recently. This year we have Mama's and babies vs. the steers we've had the past few summers. C was impressed with the big animals so close to our backyard.

Aunt R is out enjoying Colorado this summer and comes down to our house almost every week to play with us at the park.

At the Relay for Life event there was a bouncy house to help entertain little ones while waiting for dinner. I've played in them before but C was new at the whole concept. She picked up on it pretty quickly.

M&D had gotten me a new bike for my birthday, but early in the month when they were cleaning the garage out I happened to find their hiding place. After much begging, M finally let me try out my new bike. I still have a lot of learning, but I am excited to ride and am learning a little more each day how to balance and pedal.

C has a cute little run. M calls it her waddle butt. I'm not sure if it is to compensate for balance or what, but it is kind of cute.

D helping me ride for the first time!

As anyone ever seen a child so excited to brush their teeth? Maybe we have a future dentist in the family. I guess right now it's a good thing she likes to brush because we have some concerns about the health of her new baby teeth and I have a feeling she will need to care for her teeth a little more than the average person.

Relay for Life

A few weekends ago, G invited C&I to walk the survivors lap with her at the local Relay for Life. G, along with a niece and 2 close friends was planning on attending. So D, M, C&I drove out to the fairgrounds on a sunny Saturday afternoon to walk a lap with G to honor her fight with breast cancer.P&G heading into the survivors dinner.

I decorated a heart for G and planted it in the Honor Garden they had on display.

P&G and her two close friends who are longtime survivors.

Cousin A manning the "Breast Friends" support table.

C&I sitting in the Honor & Memorial Garden.

While we waited for the dinner, we were entertained by a local tap dance group. I was a quick learner!

Camping and Grandma

After we landed in Denver, we headed straight up the mountains to finish the Memorial Day weekend camping with D. According to him it was the best night of the weekend. Warm and calm. We played games for a long time that night. My game was cup stacking.

We almost made it to the top before the cups tipped over.

Monday morning when we woke up it was starting to snow, so we packed up early and headed home. Since we got home so early we went over to G&P for the evening.

Hanging out by the hot tub with our water.G and her girls. Please continue to pray for G. She is fighting hard and we are here supporting her in her fight. C playing her game of kick the cans.

Flying with Mommy

M was being adventurous over Memorial Day and took C and I with her to OH to watch Aunt R run in the DIII National Outdoor Track Meet. M got us up at 3:30 on Thursday to make it to our 6 o'clock flight. C fell back asleep in the car, but I didn't. It was too exciting to be flying. In our layover in Nashville, we walked out of our gate right into a play area. M thought that was the best idea ever for an airport. Since we arrived early and already had a planned hour layover, M let us play and eat snacks for the next 45 minutes. Then we headed to our next flight 4 gates away.

Climbing all over the luggage carts!

We had a few meltdowns as we waited for our 2nd flight and after we landed waiting to be picked up. But all things considering (no nap for me and early morning) M thought we traveled very well.
On the way back to Denver, we found an empty section of the Columbus airport and ran off our energy. However, the weather didn't have the same ideas as M. After spending our 40 extra minutes and heading to the gate just in time for boarding, M found out that the flight was on hold due to fog in Chicago. So after sitting in the gate area for another 40 minutes (since the hold could be taken off at any minute and then immediate boarding we couldn't leave the gate area), we finally boarded and left an hour off schedule. M knew that we would be running really close with our layover. We only had a 45 minute scheduled layover and M didn't know how long the Denver flight had been on hold before getting to Chicago. So once we landed in Chicago, M gathered C and I up along with our one carry-on and ran the 10 gates to the Denver flight. We were the last ones to board. After some seat adjustment to find 2 seats next to each other, we were ready to push back. That's when the lightening started in the vicinity of the airport. So the ramp was shut down for about 15 minutes. When the ramp opened, the 2 planes on either side of us were pushed back and then another lightening strike. So after another 15 minutes delay we finally got pushed back and off the ground.

After all our adventures we were only an hour and half late to Denver. Once we got our luggage we headed to our car and up to the mountains to see D. M thought we traveled very well. It helped that once our bags were checked we only had a backpack each to carry, so all hands were free. It also helped that very kind people offered to help at all points--with luggage, with moving of seats on the planes, with letting us ahead in the security line, etc.
Playing Ring around the Rosy as we waited for G&G to pick us up for the Colombus airport.

NCAA DIII Track Meet

The object of our Memorial Day adventures was to go see Aunt R race in the DIII National Track meet. So in preparation for our 3 days of cheering, M made shirts for herself and C and I. Without M, there would be no nieces for R, so thus M is the founder of the Aunt R Fan Club.C is the smallest but biggest fan of Aunt R.
I am fast and cute, just like Aunt R.

The schedule of events was the 400 hurdle prelims Thursday night, 400 open prelim Friday night and final events Saturday. After G&G picked us up from the airport, they drove back to the hotel slowly letting all of us take a short nap. Then we checked into the hotel and tried to go swimming. However, a storm started just as we go into the hot tub. M had C on her knees and was talking to G when the thunder crashed above us. M and G jumped out of the pool, because when the thunder crashed M was still trying to process the shock she had felt in the pool. Once the thunder boomed, M realized she had just felt the lightening strike through the water. Since swimming was over, it was time to get dressed and eat supper before the track meet. Luckily the storm cleared off and by the time R ran it was clear and sunny.

The most important thing about watching a track meet is making sure you get enough fluids!

R won her heat of the 400 hurdles so a race on Saturday was guaranteed. Aunt R came to see us after the race and admire the little Calvin fans.

The disappointment of the weekend was that Aunt M wasn't able to make her flights work to come and hang out with us also. But we made the most of it and lots of fun with G&G. Thursday night C and I were ready for bed, so G took us back to the hotel right after seeing Aunt R.

We slept in Friday morning, ate breakfast, went swimming, took naps, ate lunch and got ready to go see Aunt R run again.

Helping G&G cheer.

Sadly R was just inches away from 2nd place in her heat of the open 400 and missed out by about half a second on time, so she just had the hurdles to focus on for Saturday.After the race on Friday, C and I helped Aunt R cool down. An ice bath is a must for any injured athlete.

So I showed Aunt R how you had to get in and soak. I let her do all the hard work though and I only stayed for about 10 seconds.

Saturday we took it easy in the morning and M and C took a nap before heading to the track again for the final day of races. It was a warm day. C hanging out in the shade.

Being silly.

Hanging out and having fun.

In addition to Aunt R's races, M thought the most exciting race was the Men's 100 meter final. All 8 runners finished within .11 seconds! The winner's time was 10.91--the 8th place time was 11.02. Photo finish for all 8 places. So exciting! My favorite event was the steeple chase. Jumping over hurdles and landing in water--what could be more fun than that!!

Hanging out with G.

Getting ready for the big race.

Time to run.
5th place finish.

Standing on the award podium. Congratulations Aunt R. It was fun to watch you run.

Aunt R and G&G.

Aunt R with her fan club. We were the favorites of the Calvin track fans.

Here was the bulk of the Calvin track fans, cheering for the Women's 5K. Look closely--can you see me with Aunt R?

Aunt R and Coach D--the assistant and sprint coach.

The final of the 400 hurdles. GO Rachel (ignore the yelling in the background!)