Our annual family 5k

I think I post each year how much I love this race. It's one of my favorite things to do each fall, and it just isn't fall without it. I think the year Novak was born we skipped it, (he was a week old after all), but we have done this each year since Nile was a baby. 

This year, Tom ran the 5k, Nate and Nike ran the 1 mile, and Novak ran the 1/4 mile. I was a spectator for the first time. 

This was the 25th anniversary for this race, so they had a few extra special things on hand. The blacksmith from he John Deere historic site was there doing demonstrations. Novak talked to him (asked nonstop questions like "What do you do next?  Now what do you do?) for about 10 minutes. At one point during the barrage of questions the man made eye contact with me and I knowingly said, "welcome to my world!"

Playing with dad. 

Ready to run. 

Waiting for the 1 mile with his medal. 

Family photo. 

Crazy family photo. 

Note that Tom didn't get the memo. 

Also note cousin Brandton in the background. :)

John Deere Harvester night at the ballpark

I woefully need to catch up on blog posts. Especially our vacation. But tonight I took the two older boys to a baseball game. 

John Deere Harvester Works offered free tickets to employees as a celebration of recent success. They also provided a free dinner. And...it was bobble head giveaway night!

John Deere Fall Classic

This year, like every year but 2010 (I wasn't racing 9 months pregnant), we took the family out to the John Deere Fall Classic.

But this year, it was different. Why? Because everyone ran.

Novak "ran" the 50 yard dash.
Nile ran the .25 mile.
Nate (and I) ran the mile race.
Tom and I ran the 5k.

Thankfully Becky volunteered to come with us to "babysit" while we ran the 5k.

It was a great morning for running, and even better was that everyone finished and nobody cried!

Nile!  Look at that perfect form!

He was actually happy the whole time.

Novak, after his "race" (walk).