On Your Mark...

It's that time of the year again, and all of my favorite races are coming up soon. I had such a great time running last year, that I have decided to up my game a bit this year. I will actually be running in a scheduled event every weekend between now and April (so prepare yourselves for numerous running posts). I began my running streak this morning at the SRMC Run for Your Heart 5K. The course was hilly (for south Georgia anyway) and it was cold, but I stuck with it and finished with a time of 27:17. That put me second in my age group and 21st overall (of about 100 registered runners). I like that they gave us chairs in lieu of medals. This is one prize that I may actually get to keep (Olivia is not interested in the chair).

Father / Daughter Valentine's Dance

Brian and Olivia attended the Father/Daughter Valentine's Dance last night. This is a very popular community event that provides wonderful memories for Dads and their daughters. Olivia was so excited that she was finally deemed "old enough" to get to go this year. She woke up early on Saturday morning and wanted to put her dress on immediately. She was a little disappointed to learn that she had to wait until the afternoon, but she held on. When it came time to get ready for the dance, she got so excited. We curled her hair with a curling iron (although you can't really tell it in the pictures) and put a tiny bit of make-up on. She looked and felt like a little lady. Brian brought some flowers for Olivia, and she was excited about those, too. After snapping a dozen pictures, the pair set off to eat at Captain Joe's and then go to the dance. Moms are not allowed into the dance, so all dance details come from Brian. He said that Olivia, Ava, and Claire all danced the night away. The girls even knew the lyrics to some of the songs that were played and sang along with the music.

Owen and I were not about to sit at home and let Daddy and Olivia have all of the fun, so we joined up with my family for supper at Ruby Tuesday's. The restaurant was packed with dads and daughters who were on their way to or just returning from the dance. It was so cute to see all of the little girls so dressed up. Seeing everyone so excited really made me wish that I could have just peeked in at the dance. I bet it was adorable.

Birthday Celebration with the Girls

What began as a birthday dinner at Outback...

...ended with a ear-splitting rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer". I love karaoke. I just wish that I could carry a tune.

Christmas Collage 2010

Round 4: Christmas with the Buies

Nothing is more wonderful at Christmas than being with family. We were so happy to get to spend time with Brian's mom and Charile on Christmas morning, and also very happy to eat lunch with my family at Granny Buie's. After stuffing ourselves, it was time to open gifts. Olivia received a Dora dress from Uncle Bobby. Of course, she had to try it on immediately. Owen got a new magna-doodle from Aunt Hannah. After opening their own gifts, the kids were glad to help everyone else. Looking back, I have to say that this was a wonderful Christmas (but I am glad that it only comes once a year!)

Round 3: Family Gifts

After checking out all of the goodies that Santa had brought on Christmas morning, it was time to open our family gifts. Brian's mom and Charlie were at our house for Santa and for the family gifts. It was a real treat to have them here. By the time we began the family gifts, Olivia and Owen were old pros at opening presents. They tore right in. Owen received a Bigfoot doll and a racetrack while Olivia got a Baby Alive doll and a robotic dog. We also took this opportunity to celebrate Granny Mel's birthday- which is on December 26th. After all of the gifts were unwrapped, we went outside for one final gift- a playhouse. The kids enjoyed playing in the house for a short time. It was too cold to play outdoors for long. They'll probably enjoy the house more when spring time rolls around.

Round 2: Santa

The second "round" of Christmas activity took place on Christmas morning. This is the "round" that involves a jolly old man in a red suit. Before going to bed on Christmas Eve, the kids put out some milk and cookies for Bri...I mean Santa. I don't know if the kids were just super-good this year or if the milk and cookies buttered Santa up, but something must have happened because he left all kinds of goodies for Owen and Olivia. Both kids received a pillow pet, a remote control car, and other toys and clothes. Olivia had asked Santa for a pillow pet and a mermaid Barbie, and she got both of those. Owen hadn't asked Santa for anything (he refused to sit in his lap), but he still racked up. The kids and I were also very surprised to find that Santa had left a Wii behind our tree. I had no idea that that was on the list. Brian didn't look so surprised, though. Here are a few pictures from Christmas morning.