Gary Burns Fun Run 2010

This morning Gracie and I woke up bright and early and made it out to the Gary Burns Frisco Fun Run.  Our friends, the Stedmans, were planning to run in the races and we thought it would be fun to cheer them on and do a little running ourselves.  Gracie just finished her Boosterthon Fun Run a couple of days before so she was excited to get out there and do it all again.

Gracie & I all ready to head to the Gary Burns Fun Run!

Gracie really wanted to run in the 5K with her friend Lauren, but she had been training for the 5K race and Gracie had not, so we decided to make our first race together the 1 Mile Fun Run.  Gracie decided on a strategy for the race: Run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute, Run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute and then sprint to the finish line. With strategy in hand we headed to the race.  We had to get there early because we missed the date to register online and had to register at the event.  It was SUPER cold so we went in, signed-up and headed back to the car to stay warm.

Gracie’s 1st Racing Bib!!

After a few minutes of staying warm it was time to head to the starting line! We were also on the look out for the Stedmans, knowing that they were in the crowd somewhere.

All ready for the race! {sorry this is blurry…iPhone picture}

We found the Stedmans rather quickly for such a large crowd {5000+ runners not counting the spectators} and found out the Scott & Conner would be running the 1 Mile Fun Run too.  Gracie was super excited!

Gracie & I just before they sounded the starting horn!

There were so many runners/walkers that it took a couple minutes for it to clear out enough for us to get going.  Before we knew it we were running! Gracie ran the first five minutes like a rock star!  She was happy when that first one minute break came but when it was over went right back to running!!  Scott & Conner stayed right with us the whole time, it was so much fun!  Towards the end of the second five minute run Gracie was starting to ask, “how much longer?” but she NEVER stopped until the break.  The last break came right as we turned to corner to see the finish line.  Seeing the finish line sparked us all to forget about the break and just start sprinting to the end!

Go Gracie Go…you’re almost there!!!

I absolutely LOVE this picture!!!  I was so proud of Gracie!! I have never been so happy to run a mile in my life!! We were both having such a great time! {Thanks so much to Tamie for capturing the photo for me!}

Here is the 1 Mile Fun Run Team just after we all finished the race!!  Way to go!! Thanks for running with us Scott & Conner!!

Gracie…The Racing Veteran!! She ran her first mile race in 13:02! AWESOME…YOU ROCK KIDDO!

After we finished our race we stay to cheer on Lauren & Tamie as they ran the 5K! This was Lauren’s very first official 5K…such a big deal! We waiting for them at the finish line!

Here they come!

There they go!!

Lauren did AWESOME!  That girl ran all 3.1 miles without walking…she RAN the whole thing!  That is even after she took a spill during the race.  She finished with a great time just over 38 minutes.  Talk about a proud mama…Tamie was glowing with pride! Way to go ladies!

We all had a great time and look forward to running together again soon!

Gwynie’s Hero Parade

Today was Gwynie’s final {sniff} Preschool Hero Parade.  In the years past you dressed up as a hero from the Bible or as a everyday hero {policemen, firemen, etc}. Here is a picture of Gwynie at her very first Hero Parade:

Queen Esther from the Bible

After choosing a biblical hero, the next year we went with an everyday hero:

A Farmer

This year they added the option of dressing up as something from God’s creation.  Well, that just makes the options endless. This is great because you do have endless options but it also makes it hard for a 4 year old to make a decision.  After several minutes in the Halloween Aisle at Target we had a winner.  This year, at her last hero parade of her preschool career {sniff…sniff}, Gwynie went as a:

Butterfly

She absolutely LOVED her costume {and so did I}!!  Her favorite part was her wings of course.  When we were getting her dressed I asked her to go put on her black dress shoes.  I figured she would grab the ones she wears all the time but she came down with a pair from her closet that had been Gracie’s that I had actually held on to {shocking}.  She was very excited and said, “Mama I found the PERFECT shoes!  These ones have butterflies on them”.  To my surprise they fit and were in fact perfect! I asked her how she wanted me to do her hair and she said “half circles” which is what she calls pigtails that I don’t pull all the way through and it leaves little loops or “half circles” on top of her head.  These “half circles” is her hairstyle of choice these days. Here are a few more pictures I took before we headed to school:

   

Once it’s time for the Hero Parade, each class takes turns parading in front of all the parents in the school’s courtyard.  It such a sweet little tradition that Gwynie has looked forward to each year.  Okay…time for the the Hero Parade to start!

Time to head back inside for a class picture! You would think that 16 four year olds would be difficult to get in position for a group picture but they did a great job!

Gwynie’s Preschool Class 2010

The Hero Parade was a huge success and Gwynie had a great time.  After all the fun activities she did at school {wearing her costume, walking in the parade, carving a pumpkin, playing with the pumpkin seed, eating pumpkin muffins, etc.} I asked her what her favorite part of the day was and she said…

The Pumpkin Goodie Bag the Room Moms gave her…of course! ;)

whAt A greAt wAy to stArt!!

Since Gracie is now in 2nd Grade {the BIG time} she gets actual grades on her report card!! No more checks and stars but number grades!  She came home today with her first report card of the year:

She got all A’s!!!

Way to go Gracie!!  You have worked really hard on your school work this first 9 weeks and it showed today on your awesome report card!  Keep up the great work kiddo!!

Gracie’s Boosterthon Fun Run!!

We just got home from Gracie’s school where she participated in the Boosterthon Fun Run to raise money for her school.  Her school’s goal is to raise $20K to buy a large shade cover for the playground {I can’t believe how much those things cost}.

The first thing she did was to gain per lap pledges from her friends and family.  So she sat down an wrote an email asking for support {I know that those that received this email probably thought I typed it but Gracie typed every word…there were many times during the typing of the letter that I would have been happy to type it for her ;) but she did the whole thing}. She was so excited when she would get a pledge!!  THANK YOU TO ALL HER SUPPORTERS!!  She met her total pledge goal of $15 lap and her lap goal was 35 laps {the most you can run}. She has been counting down the days until the Fun Run and today was the day!

Gracie headed to school READY for the big event!! GOOD LUCK!!

When Gwynie and I got to the school all of the 2nd & 3rd grade classes were getting warmed up by dancing and stretching with the Boosterthon Staff.  The staff was a lot of fun and really upbeat…they really did a great job getting the kids pumped up! After their warm up it was time to get the Fun Run underway!!

On your mark…get set…GO!!

 

  

I LOVE the determination on her face in this picture!!!

Gracie did A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!  She was a running fool and had a huge smile on her face while she did it!  I think she probably ran 99% of the laps {and they ran for a total of 30 minutes}.  The few times she walked she said were because her “heart was tired and it needed a little break”.  I bet so kiddo…Mama was tired just watching!

Gracie’s post race picture!!  Way to go kiddo!!

Gracie was very happy because…

She met her goal!!! She finished all 35 laps!! WOOO WHOOO!

You were an inspiration today Gracie…YOU ROCK!!

I don’t know the details about the Boosterthon as far what it cost overall and what percentage the school gets and all that but as a parent I can say that I absolutely love and support what Boosterthon is doing in the schools.  They had great and upbeat staff members at the school each day cheering the school on while teaching lessons about Fitness, Leadership and Character. It was so fun to watch Gracie get excited about running in the Fun Run!  I would do this type of fundraiser over selling a product every day of the week and twice on Sunday. ;)

What is this “Blog” you keep asking about?

Several family members {you know who you are} have been {not so quietly, but patiently} hoping that I would get back to blogging some day soon. Well, I am not sure what to post after a 6 month hiatus so I guess I will just say…

I’M BACK!!

I cannot believe how long I went without blogging.  For those that have an interest, I have been much better about scrapbooking!  Now, if I can just balance the two. I don’t intend to try to catch up on blog posts any time soon, but I do plan to be better about posting from here on out.  For those that are reading this and have been checking back every now and then {for the last 6 months} to see if I may have posted something new, THANK YOU!  Here’s hoping that you have a new post or two to come back to every now and then! ;)

Our Nephew Jake is Here!!!

“Every good and perfect gift is from above…” ~James 1:17

Jake Ryan Ward

Born: October 13, 2010 at 2:58am

Weight: 7 pounds 9 ounces

Length: 19.5 inches

“Home Improvement” Sermon Series

So often we think if “Home Improvement” as fixing up our house. But a home is more than bricks and mortar, it’s the people living there: your family.  The best Home Improvement focuses on improving like and watching it change the lives of the people living in your home. What is God’s vision for your Home Improvement?

Sermon #1 – Home Improvement: Life

Rev. Clay Lein

Sermon Audio

Sermon #2 – Home Improvement: Relationships

Rev. Clay Lein

Sermon Audio or Study Guide

Sermon #3 – Home Improvement: Finances

Mr. Eric Austin

Sermon Audio or Study Guide

Sermon #4 - Home Improvement: Purpose

Bishop Paul Lambert

Sermon Audio or Study Guide

Sermon #5 - Home Improvement: Habits

Rev. Clay Lein

Sermon Audio or Study Guide

Sermon #6 - Home Improvement: Kids

Rev. Clay Lein

Sermon Audio or Study Guide

 

“Home Improvement” Sermon Series Trailer:

www.StPhilipsFrisco.org

‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’ Monday

This post is a bit of repeat, but this week’s installment of ‘Love Your Neighbor as Yourself Monday’ is dedicated to: I wanted to bring to your attention all the positive changes going on with Frisco Cares! I like to think of it as Frisco Care 2.0. They have a new set of board members {thank you to the past board members who selflessly gave of their time to serve the clinic and the City of Frisco}, a new logo, a new website and are working daily to improve the care they are giving their patients.  Their new mission statements reads: Our mission is to provide the highest quality, most cost-efficient health and wellness care to the underserved in our community.

If you get the chance spend a few minutes on their website.  It’s a great opportunity to read about all that is going on at Frisco Cares and the needs that the clinic has.  Perhaps, if you feel called, you could fill out their volunteer application!!

We already have several ideas of ways that we can serve Frisco Cares in love and here are a few more:

How we can serve our neighbors at Frisco Cares:

*Ask your Pediatrician, Nurse, Family Practitioner, or Nurse Practitioner if they are familiar with Frisco Cares.

*Encourage your Pediatrician, Nurse, Family Practitioner or Nurse Practitioner to donate their time to Frisco Cares.

*Donate medical supplies

As of May 1, 2010 Frisco Cares is in need of:

New, unopened, unexpired first aid and clinic supplies and non-prescription medicine:

• Band-aids
• Adhesive tape
• Vinyl gloves
• Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Motrin (Ibuprofen) (For children and adults)
• Cough drops
• Antibiotic cream/ointment
• Cortisone or anti-itch cream
• Saline spray
• Antibacterial hand soap / hand sanitizer
• Over-the-counter (OTC) cold medication (For children and adults)
• Pedialyte
• Facial tissues
• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Baby wipes

If you have any questions about Frisco Cares or ways we can serve them in love, please leave a comment to this post and I will do my best to answer your questions and get your the information/resources you may need. God’s Peace.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.”  ~Galatians 5:13-14 NIV

Gracie’s 7th Birthday Weekend!

Gracie turned seven this past Saturday and we had a weekend full of festivities to celebrate.  I thought I would list them here in separate posts instead of make one really long post.

Gracie’s Birthday Lunch At School

Gracie’s 7th Birthday

Gracie Making Her Birthday Cake With Nana

Gracie’s 7th Birthday Party

Every year I think it is fun to look back at each of Gracie’s birthday pictures to see how much she has changed.  The last three years I happened to take the pictures in the same place…it’s neat to see how much she has grown over the last year!

Gracie’s 7th Birthday Party!!!

Gracie’s party was on Sunday this year {the day after her birthday}. We started the day off by going to church where Gracie received her birthday blessing.  This is something that the girls look forward to every year.  It’s a quick section during the service, but it makes them feel so special.  This year our Bishop {the guy in the funny hat} was visiting our church which made it extra special.

You can’t really see her but this is a picture of Father Clay blessing Gracie!

The whole congregation says a beautiful prayer each week for those who are receiving their birthday blessing:

“Watch over your children, O Lord, as their days increase; bless and guide them wherever they may be. Strengthen them when they stand; comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise them up if they fall; and in their hearts may your peace which passes understanding abide all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

After church we had a couple hours to wait {which was almost too much for Gracie to bear} before we headed to the fiesta. Gracie decided on a bowling bash at Strikz this year!  Here are a few pictures from the party:

 

 

  

 

 

   

Happy 7th Birthday Gracie!