Training for My First 10K

It's official, I just registered for the Corinth Coca Cola 10K on May 2nd! I know that I am really in over my head with this one...... but I will finish even if I have to crawl over the finish line! Roan has helped me with my training plan for the next 5 weeks, and Kelly came in yesterday with new running shoes!!! Huge motivator!!! He ran 2 miles yesterday, and we ran 3 together this afternoon! I have been running on the treadmill, but the past two days I have gone to a track and it is so much better! The weather has been wonderful, and the time seems to go by quicker. Today, I was 1/4 mile from being finished and Avery came running across the track telling me that she had to "potty!" I had to stop and go find a tree to squat behind! After all that, she couldn't do it!It wasn't fun to stop so abruptly and have to start back! Not much fun at all.... but I did finish!!! Next time, we will have a potty break before going to the track!

Pontotoc 5K Ridge Run

Last Sunday night at church Scott, a dear friend, said "Hey you're going to run next Saturday right?" I told him that there was no way that I could finish a 5K because I had been running very little since January, like maybe once or sometimes twice a week for only 2 miles! He was very persistent in "encouraging" me to run, he even said that he would run with me! I ran 3 times this week for 3 miles between 39-37 minutes, so I knew that I would probably not finish under 40! Throughout the week, I watched the weather thinking, "Ok, if it is raining, then that is my ticket out of this!" Ha! No such luck, Roan said the rain will feel great!! So much for that excuse! Kelly and the kids got up with me this morning, in the RAIN, to go and give me moral support! I am so glad that they did! I was a nervous wreck! Roan had said that there would be lots of walkers at this race, that was a relief, I felt better about not being the last to the finish line! Well, walkers decided to stay home! If I wasn't nervous before then that was icing on the cake, I felt like throwing up and the race hadn't even started! There weren't a whole lot of runners, so I'm thinking that I am surely going to be the last to drag myself across the finish line! Oh yeah, forgot to mention that my "encourager/motivator" failed to show up because it was raining too hard! Can't wait till I see him at church in the morning! Anyway, Jimmy offered me the use of his super cool Garmin to use during the run-loved it-thanks Jimmy! The gun sounded right at 9:00 and off we went! I felt super the first mile, I was running at a little over 9 minutes pace, I have to say that most of this was downhill, gotta love gravity! At mile 2, I am beginning to think I am not going to be able to finish this, my legs were so tight! I can't remember how many hills there were, but it was brutal, especially the last one! I had to walk it! At the top of the hill, I could see the finish, what a beautiful sight it was! My kiddos saw me coming in and ran to meet me and run back to the finish with me! I finished in 34:56! I had shaved some time off from my 1st 5K- I was thrilled!!!! We stayed to see the awards presented, and I was surprisingly shocked to have my name called for 3rd place in my age division, I must say that I am not sure if there were any others behind me, but hey! it's a medal, right?!! Roan did super placing 1st, not sure exactly what her time was around 25-26. Jackie, another friend from church, placed 1st in his age division! WHOO HOO!! Kelly took me out on a date tonight to celebrate! We went to Ichiban and had sushi-so yummy! After eating we hung out at Barnes and Noble waiting for our movie to start. We had a very nice, quite, relaxing night together! Thanks momma for watching all the kiddos!

Here are some pictures that Kelly took with his I-Phone!

Nearing the finish!

Me, Roan & Jackie

Pray for Stellan

I'm asking all of you to please pray for MckMama's Stellan...he has been in the hospital with some very serious heart issues for the past few days, and it seems to be getting worse. Most of you know Stellen's story, but if not, I encourage you to read about this little miracle. He desperately needs another miracle to survive, so please, if you have some time, pray for Stellan and his medical team, as well as his family.

Catching Up!

So life around here has been incredibly busy, but when is it not? Last week, we had our Contenders of the Faith and Keepers of the Home meeting. This club comes together once a month with the parents leading all the devotions and activities. The boys learned all about magnets, and the girls learned how to make chenille and sew pillows from it and the younger girls painted cute, little flower pots and planted snapdragons. The kids enjoy this time so much. On Tuesday, Kelly took the day off to mulch all our flower beds and this was an all day job, but he had lots of helpers!

Carson also started his spring soccer season Tuesday night and will be playing twice a week until May. On Friday, we had our Konos co-op. We had studied the states of Alaska and Hawaii and culminated with lots of fun activities on Friday. The kids made leis, Hawaiian headbands, volcanoes and snowmen. Also, the kids enjoyed snow cones and fruit smoothies. Carson did his report in large group about Eskimos, and he did an awesome job! After our sack lunches, we had a mom who grew up in Hawaii, come and teach our children 2 Hawaiian dances. Everyone had a great time! Saturday, I spent the entire day cleaning house, and it was a MESS!!!! We hosted our monthly Bible study Saturday night. This week we have been finishing school around 11:30 and after lunch for the past 3 days the kids have been outside playing, fishing, walking the trails, riding the go-cart, and today withOUT permission went wading, swimming in Papa and Nana's lake!!!! I was not a happy mama! I am pretty sure that will never happen again. With all the rain last week and all the playing outside, I have been spending lots of time doing muddy laundry. They have been begging me to go swimming, so I can't wait for the water to heat up so they can have some good, clean fun!!!!

Here are some pictures from our co-op.

Carson

Claire and Hannah

All the kids had a blast erupting their volcanoes!

Tammy trying to crack the coconut!

Carson & Caroline enjoying smoothies

John Parker doing the hula!

Avery

Jared is ready to eat his snowman!

Yee Haw! John Ashford is 2!!!!

Yesterday, we celebrated, my nephew, John Ashford's 2nd birthday.

This is the guest of honor 15 minutes before his party!

He was playing outside with Carson and fell in a mud puddle.

I took him upstairs and gave him a quick bath!

All cleaned and ready for some "cowboy" fun!

Reid

Sam & Julie

Avery & Leah

Haley Brooke

All the kids enjoyed digging for treasures in John Ashford's new sandbox!

Anna & Maddie

John Ashford got lots of fun gifts, but this was the boys favorite that he received. I am sure they will enjoy teaching John Ashford how to make lots of cool creations.

Stephen, Bennett and Manny

Time for some yummy cupcakes! Sure was good! Can I have seconds?

Happy Birthday! We love you!

Hello Sunshine!

What a beautiful day! This morning we met with our Konos group for co-op and afterwards we all went to the Natchez Trace for a picnic and hike. We have been studying the Midwest and Rocky Mountain States for the past few weeks. Tammy, one of the moms in our group, is an expert backpacker. She gave an excellent presentation with lots of interesting information. This was right up John Parker and Carson's alley. They are ready to go and buy all the neat, little gadgets that Tammy showed and go backpacking in the Rockies!!!! The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a hike. It was really a fun time, and the kids loved it!

John Parker giving his presentation on "The Pony Express"

Tammy, the backpacking queen!

Carson volunteering for Ms. Tammy's presentation

Our small group learning about the Lewis & Clark Expedition and making nature journals

Ready for the hike!!

Avery

Tammy and baby Abigail

Sam, Joshua & Avery on the trail!

Ben, Carson, Jonah, John Parker, Clay, Sam & Eli

Look at all the vans!!!!

You might be a homeschooler if...........

Jared Update

Jared has been with us for almost 4 months, hard to believe. This morning his case worker carried him to a doctor's appointment in Memphis. She picked him up at 8:30, and he still isn't home and it's 9:15. He was supposed to be back by 2, but the case worker had another foster child she had to wait on to have admitted into the hospital. I talked to her awhile ago, and she said that Jared had been a real trooper, and he had fallen asleep in the waiting room of the hospital. It has been really different without him here today, I have missed him. I have thought many times about when he leaves to be with his mom again. I know that it will be bitter sweet. Our prayers have been all along for her recovery and reuniting her family again. Jared has done so well here with our family. Jared very seldom talks about his mom and has only cried a couple of times missing her, but some days he will talk constantly about her and his brother. He is trying to remember. It is so sad and breaks my heart for him. We meet with the case workers and his mother in a few weeks for a permanency planning meeting. We have been told that 1 of 3 things will happen. The case workers based on information from us and progress that his mom has or hasn't made will make a recommendation to the judge at her 6 month court of jurisdiction review. The judge will either place Jared back with his mother, give her 6 more months to get it together, or change his plan to adoption. We have been told that this is pretty basic procedure, and lots of times parents will understand the seriousness of losing their child permanently and will really step up to the plate. I really feel like I am in the dark most of the time. What information I have gotten, I have had to basically quiz them, asking tons of questions. Wendy just called and said they should be here soon. She said that he was wonderful today, that she couldn't have asked for a better child. She said that he had talked about us all day, including the dogs! They took him to Build-A-Bear in some of their down time, and he is so excited and ready to get here to show everyone! This experience as foster parents has been one with lots of different emotions experienced from all of us. We are just taking it all one day at a time. Pray for peace for whatever the future holds with Jared.

I've got the blues.....

I am singing the winter time blues! I am so tired of this crazy winter weather we have been having and all the sickness that comes with it..... I want sunshine, warm temperatures, birds singing, grass greening, flowers blooming, kids swinging, and the list goes on! I don't know what it is, but it seems like every year between Christmas and spring time, I get the blues, not depression really, but just a yearning for new birth, spring cleaning, yard work! I love being outside planting flowers and enjoying the fresh air, it truly is therapy for me. Growing up I never understood my mama's love for flowers and being outdoors working so diligently! I thought it was so silly to waste time that way, but now I see. I am making my list of all those things I want to do in and around our house, and it is insanely long, but I am ready to start checking them off one at a time. Sunny days are coming............