Kids Triathlon

 The YMCA hosted a Kids Triathlon this year.  They did this once before a few years ago and Olivia participated (and loved it).  When we found out that they would be sponsoring another this year, we signed up immediately.  This tri has a really short course, and is a good way to introduce kids to the swim-bike-run format.

 The kids were divided by age, so Olivia and Ava were in the same heat.  They had to swim 25 meters, bike a half mile, and run a quarter mile.  The whole thing took very little time.  I was able to watch everything and still be back in the pool area when Owen and Claire's heat began.

Owen and Claire were in the youngest age division, so they were in the last group.  Owen had to complete the swimming portion with the help of his floaties- so he was one of the last ones out of the pool.

 Owen did well on his bike ride around the track...

 ...and he finished strong with the run.

All of the kids received a medal for completing the tri, and they all had a great time.

Dawgs and Noles

So football season has begun, and we truly have a house divided.  I am a Bulldog fan, and Brian is a die-hard for the Seminoles.  The kids have let their preferences be known.  Both teams are doing pretty well this year, so we're hoping that we all make it to the play-offs.

 Our favorite place to watch football is at Granny and Papa's house.  There is usually a good turn-out on game day.  Here is a picture of the crew from the first game of the season.

Grandparents Luncheon

 Olivia and Owen were so excited to share their school's grandparents luncheon with their Granny Mel, Gigi, and Papa again this year.  The kids always look forward to this event, and we were so happy that everyone was able to attend again this year.

Native American Heritage Celebration

The local heritage center sponsored a Native American Heritage Celebration during the month of September.  As part of the festivities, they invited Native American performers and lecturers to come and share information about their cultures.  The kids and I decided to visit, and enjoyed ourselves greatly.  We attended the traditional dance demonstration.  Our favorite dance was the "hoop dance".  The guy who was doing it is one of the best hoop dancers in the country.  In addition to the dances we also got to hear lots of traditional songs, and we  learned quite a bit about the Native groups in our area.  At one point the kids in attendance were invited to participate in one of the dances.  They were even given some "war paint" (well, Owen was- Olivia didn't want it on her face). While both kids enjoyed the show, Owen really really liked it.  He has been doing the Indian call that they taught us ever since.  I am happy that the Heritage Center sponsors such wonderful cultural events like this in our community.  

Triathlon #2

Recently I participated in the Megan's House Heels and Wheels Triathlon for the second year in a row.  After struggling through the swimming portion of my first triathlon last year, I swore that I would train hard and be ready to crush it this year.  Well, that didn't happen- and so I once again found myself flailing around in the lake at Laura Walker State Park cursing myself for not having practiced more.  Even though I did terrible on the swim, I did pretty well on the bike and run portions of the race and ended up placing third in my age group with a time of 1:40:28. Triathlons are something that I'm not really good at right now, but I hope to improve upon in the future.  They are a lot of fun.   

Swim

Bike

Run

The Amazing Race

 Brian participated in The Amazing Race benefiting The United Way with his work crew this year.  This is the second time that he has been part of the race time, and both times his team has been victorious.  During the race, teams have to travel to the locations of 15 different United Way partners around town, gather clues, and complete tasks.  The first team to complete all tasks and return to the finish line wins the race.  Some of the tasks this year included planting trees, making Christmas cards for soldiers overseas, "minute to win it" games, and Zumba at the Y (wish I could have seen that one).  Brian's team dressed as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to compete.  Brian played the part of the world's scariest April O'Neal.  This is always so much fun for Brian and his co-workers, and I'm glad that they were able to participate again this year.

Back to School

We have successfully completed the first week of the new school year.  Although we LOVE the summer break, it is nice to be back into a routine.  One thing that will be new this year is that both Olivia and Owen will be participating in the WINGS (gifted) program.  They are really excited about this.  

Before school began, I took the kids to the mall to get a new outfit.  Owen chose a yellow and blue collared shirt for his first day of first grade.  I think it looked cute on him.  He had a really good first week.  There were several kids that he knew in his class, so he was excited to see them.

 Olivia wanted "a long skirt like Ava and Claire have" to wear for her first day of second grade.  We looked everywhere and could not find one.  Finally, we found ONE skirt hanging in the wrong section and snagged it.  Olivia also had a good first week.  Her class is reading the book "Skinny Bones", and she has really been enjoying that.  She even downloaded it on her Kindle so that she could read ahead.

We are really looking forward to a good school year.