Fun for the Whole Family

Is it really May 11?

Things have been going well. I really can't believe how good the kids have been lately. Sure, they have there moments, but so do I, but overall they have been doing great. The boys are getting so good at going to the potty, letting us know when they need to go and often times doing it all by themselves. Andres even has his little habit of getting out of bed at night (of course when he should be settling down and I catch him playing) of telling me that he has to go before going to sleep. They are both growing up so quickly, which is only made more evident whenever we look at pictures from a year ago.

Shirley is doing well, too. She went out last night to an Arena Football game with some friends. She was out later than normal, but that was okay. She sounded like she had a great time hanging out with some of our friends and some other kids from the neighborhood/church that went with them. She has been doing better with school and with just being a helpful daughter to us in our day to day lives. She is very excited right now because she only has five days of medicine (for her dormant TB) left! She has been so good about taking her medicine every day for the last nine months...of course it helps that we put it in ice cream, but even so, we are proud of her for sticking to it and getting it done. And she has been volunteering to read to the boys a lot, too, which is always helpful, especially when either Mami or Papi is busy with something (meetings, out with friends, etc.).

The weather has been beautiful lately, too, which has afforded us the chance to get out and go to the farm and the zoo and for walks. We hit the zoo two weeks ago on a Monday (I only worked half a day) and then we were able to walk around the farm last night. It was such a gorgeous night and the boys enjoyed being out and seeing the animals. There were even some performers singing songs and dancing on the stage at the farm; the boys enjoyed watching and performing their own little dances at the same time. It was quite fun and funny.

And, if you saw on Janine's blog, I am running. I ran my first 5K three weeks ago and posted a time of 31:50. I was pleased that, in the shape that I was in, I finished under 35:00. But a strange thing happened while I was running: I hated it. I hated the feeling of not being able to move my legs faster, that 6 year old kids were doing circles around me, that the side of my stomach felt like it was going to rip open...I hated it. And then I hit the chute at the end. There were tons of people cheering us on in a general sense, and then I heard my name being yelled.

"Yeah! Go Scott!"

I turned to see my friend Aaron, having just finished his 25 mile bike ride, cheering me on. I pumped my fist, started drifting right as I was doing so, and bumped into some guy in my wayward running. But I got pumped up and found my second wind in the last 23 yards. And I felt rubbery and weak as I crossed the line.

But I felt good. And then I didn't hate it. I kind of liked it.

So I started running a loop around our neighborhood. My friend Tom GPSed it and found it was 2.8 miles. So a few of us started running it, suffering through the chill of the morning, the heat of the afternoon or the swallowing of the bugs that flit around at night, 2.8 miles and a hill that tries to hurt us all. And it has been good.

My friends Tom, Josh and Josiah have been running, too. And we are competitive, so we keep times and compare. It has been fun. And now I need a new pair of shoes.

We ran yesterday. We ran in the Komen Race For The Cure. 17,000 people signed up. It was crowded, to say the least. There was a sea of people that covered the width of a street and the length of about six blocks. It was amazing to see, pink ribbons, dedications, people of all different backgrounds and stories who came together to support the fight against breast cancer. Janine and the kids did a one mile walk, along with Jill, Becky, Rickie and Erica, all decked out in their Sportsman's Warehouse sponsored neon green t-shirts: it was a lot of fun.

And in three weeks time I went from a 31:50 to a 26:25. And I think I am hooked. I find myself wanting to run even now as I sip my coffee and write. We have already been talking about the next race and about the possibility of a 10K at some point. I feel like a real nerd when I talk about times and training and the next race, but in many ways I am glad to have found something to do, something relatively easy, to stay in shape. It has been good.

I should note, that I think that even worse than the Krust Buster and its functions is the fact that people actually buy the Krust Buster instead of just cutting the crust off themselves. That is an even more hideous aspect of the whole thing.

AND, one of the things that Andres says that I think is hilarious is the question "Daddy, are you a man?"

I answer back, "Yes, Andres, I am a man. Are you?"

"Daddy, I'm a man!"

He's a funny guy. Sometimes you can hear Juancho in the background saying, "No you're not, you're just a boy."

COMING SOON: EQUALITY IN SERVICE