Owen's PTO Performance

The Kindergarten class at the kids' school gave a Thanksgiving performance at the last PTO meeting.  The kids sang four Thanksgiving songs.  Owen was so excited about the performance, and he did a good job of singing.  Above is a video of one of the songs.

Savannah Rock and Roll

 Quincy, Maura, and I ran the Savannah Rock and Roll Half Marathon in early November.  Race numbers could only be picked up the day before, so this had to be an overnight trip.  [Made possible by my  awesome mother-in-law who came and took care of the kids (much to their delight).]  We had such a good time in Savannah.  I met up with Q and Maura at the expo where we picked up our numbers and walked around a bit.  I always like looking around at the runner's expo because it's about the only place where you can find lots of really good running gear in one place.  After a delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill, we checked into our hotel room.  This may be dorky, but one of my favorite parts of racing is getting everything ready the night before.  It's kind of like Christmas.  I love this picture of all our gear.  We woke up really early the next morning (think 4:15) because we had to have our car parked at the start line by 5:30.  We made it to the start line in plenty of time to warm up, visit the restroom, etc.  Once the race actually began, everyone was pumped.  The course was great, and we all had good runs.  I finished in 1:58:04 - which is good for me.  I'm thrilled with anything under two hours.  This race is a keeper, and I'm glad that I had my running buddies with me this year.

A Halloween for Gamers

What can I say about Halloween except that I love it?  It is always so much fun to dress up and take the kids trick-or-treating.  For the last several years we have dressed to a particular "theme".  This year's theme was "Video Games".  I always enjoy seeing what people come up with, and this year's costumes were great.  Cassie and Quincy definitely took the cake with their "Tetris" costumes.  Thank goodness that our Uncle Mike was in town for the Walker Reunion.  He was the mastermind behind the construction of the Tetris blocks.  These two girls had several people stop them throughout the night wanting a picture.  The Sanders family all dressed as characters from Super Mario Bros.  Brian was Luigi, I was Mario, Olivia was Peach, and Owen was Toadstool.  My cousin Thomas participated as Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat.

As usual we met up at Granny Buie's for pictures and then we trick-or-treated in her neighborhood.  The Sanders, Quarnaccio, Murray, and Boyett kids were all present and ready to get some candy.  Before leaving we took this group photo.  What a festive bunch!  The kids ended up with tons of candy- my kids have still not finished off all of their Halloween goodies.

Walker Reunion

The annual Walker Reunion was held the first weekend in November.  I always enjoy seeing family members- especially my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins (and their families).  For the past two years we have gathered at my parents' house on the Saturday before the reunion for a cookout.  This is such a fun time together.  There are lots of kids around, and they have tons of fun playing tag and red rover.  This year my cousin David organized an obstacle course and that was a huge hit with all the kids.  We also took a hay ride around the neighborhood, roasted marshmallows, and watched the kids dance and sing.  I remember how much fun it was to play with my cousins when I was young, and I am so happy that my kids are getting the chance to do the same things with their cousins.

The girl team

The boy team

Run of the Tartans (PR)

A few weekends ago I participated in the Run of the Tartans.  This race consisted of a 10k, 5k, and 1-mile.  You got a discount for running all three, so that's what I did.  My friend Darby has been running with me and she also participated.  And here's the big news... we both PR'd.  We were SO excited!.  I have not had a PR since 2011.  Just to clarify- I PR'd the 10k with a time of 50:39.  I was really surprised by how well I did.  I guess this lit a fire because I have been running really well ever since this race.  I am definitely looking forward to more races this winter and spring.  I want to see if I can knock my 5k time down a bit.

Owen's Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Owen's Kindergarten class recently took a field trip to the pumpkin patch.  Owen was so excited to have Granny Mel go with him.  Owen reported that he had a great time with his class and grandma.  He got to participate in many different types of activities which included feeding the catfish, going on a hayride, and jumping on a bouncy thing.  He also brought home a small pumpkin in his bookbag, which he was very proud of.  I believe that a good time was had by all.  

Flag Football

 Owen played flag football this year, and he loved it.  It took a little while for him (and his team) to catch on to how the game was played, but he was doing pretty well by the end of the season.  Owen was a little timid about running the ball, but he did really well at blocking.  He has already stated that he wants to play again next year, so I see this as a good sign.