May- Part 2

The rest of our family happenings from May:

The New Cleaning Enthusiasts

Cody and Jaden have learned to vacuum! These pictures make me laugh when I think of the boys' history with the vacuum. For months when the boys were babies, the only way I could get Jaden and Cody to nurse was if the vacuum was running in the background (our floor stayed really clean in those days!). I'm not sure if they found the noise soothing or if it completely frightened them, but it was the only way the two would nurse calmly without screaming. 

Fast forward to the toddler stage... and at some point, Jaden and Cody developed an utter fear of the vacuum! Both boys would scream in sheer terror if I ever turned on this cruel machine in their presence. (These days our floors were not nearly as clean!) Only within the last year or so have I been able to vacuum without completely scaring the boys, and that's only when they scampered off to a different room. So, considering all this, you can imagine my surprise when Cody eagerly offered to help me vacuum last month. Looks like all fear of the vacuum is gone! Hooray! Cody was my first volunteer and actually did a pretty decent job of covering the whole surface area of the carpet. I just had to walk along behind him holding the cord so he wouldn't get all tangled. :)

Jaden wasn't quite as enthusiastic to be close to the vacuum, but once he saw Cody vacuum three entire rooms of the house, he wanted to give it a go himself. Hopefully I can hang on to this cleaning enthusiasm for a LONG time! ;)

Cousin Time

I can't even tell you the story behind this picture, other than that Cody, Jaden and Ryan were in the middle of watching a video at Aunt Kim's house before lunchtime. Why Ryan has wet hair and why Cody is holding a broom, and why they see fit to be covered in a blanket in the middle of May, I have no idea. All I know is that these three absolutely love being together!

The Gleannloch 10K

Earlier this spring, Kim challenged Chelsea and me to compete in a 10K race with her, rather than doing another 5K. We figured the longer race would encourage us to put even more effort into our training and would be a bigger accomplishment for all of us. This was the longest distance both Kim and I had ever run, so it was a good challenge! Chelsea even bought us all matching shirts for the occasion. The back of our " I Run Like a Girl" shirts say, "Try to Keep Up!"

The race day (Memorial Day weekend) was VERY muggy. Chelsea looked it up and discovered that the humidity was 98%. Not the most ideal running weather, for sure. But, all three of us ran the 6.2 miles without stopping and in less than an hour. Woo-hoo! Here is Chelsea approaching the last leg of the race. You can just barely see me behind the gal in orange.

Despite this smile that I was giving to my boys and nephews on the sidelines, I was utterly exhausted by this point. The finish line was in sight!

Okay, now this picture I shouldn't really even be posting since it's completely inaccurate. It makes for a funny story though. Notice that I am now in front of Chelsea and that gal in orange? Basically, I cheated. I inadvertently took an earlier turnaround loop than was intended. This race wasn't the most organized nor was the course very well marked, so I accidentally snuck ahead. :) The funny part was that neither Chelsea nor I noticed each other during this last portion of the race. We only figured out the problem when the results were given and my time was listed as faster than hers! Oops!

Kim, like Chelsea, took the full, non-cheater route. :) I love seeing the excited boys running alongside the raceway. They were wonderful motivators at the end!

I'm not sure that a half marathon is in my future for anytime soon, but it sure felt good to accomplish this distance! This race kept me very accountable to regular running, too, so it was very worthwhile. We all agreed to wait for some cooler weather before signing up for another road race!

Fun at the Children's Museum

Grammy and Papa gifted the boys with an early birthday present this month-- an annual membership to the Children's Museum. Jaden and Cody love this place, so it was a perfect gift. On this day when we visited, the museum held flag parade, I think as an early celebration for Memorial Day. Cody and Jaden were so proud that they had happened to wear their flag shirts that morning. Jaden very seriously tells everyone when he wears this shirt, "This flag is for the United States of America."

The museum employees gave all the kids flags, turned on some patriotic music...

...and then led them in a march around the museum.

Later in our visit, we stopped by this science station to make a volcanic eruption. I was pretty impressed with their volcano model. It made the eruption much more exciting. First, Cody (on the left) and Jaden had to dump baking soda into a test tube.

Then, they squirted colored vinegar into the top...

and watched the eruption!

Mom and Dad's Welcome

The last and most exciting part about our month was welcoming Mom and Dad to Texas! I know they will be dearly missed by their congregation and many friends, but we are so pleased to have them here. On their last Sunday in New Mexico, the congregation gave Dad and Mom these cowboy hats "to help them look more like Texans!"

Ian and Ryan designed a lovely banner for Mom and Dad's new home, and Kim and I each made a deco-mesh wreath as a Mother's Day gift for Mom. I made the patriotic themed wreath on the door, and Kim designed a cute summery wreath.

Since Mom and Dad's arrival, we've helped with some unpacking and a few other moving-in projects. Jaden and Cody even assisted their Papa with some shelf-cleaning in the pantry one day.

We are happy that Mom and Dad's travel to Texas was overall smooth (despite some heavy rains and minor flooding along the way) and that their belongings have arrived safely. They are still in the "settling in" process, but they seem happy and relaxed. We continue to pray for a smooth transition into retirement and into their new home! Thanks for moving to Texas, Mom and Dad!