Portland Vacation Day 2

On Tuesday, we decided to just stay in the city and explore a little bit on foot. 

We started with a run in Forest Park. This park has 80+ miles of trails - talk about a running and hiking paradise!

The pictures don't really capture how beautiful this place is. The trees are dark and the shades of green are so beautiful. It was also 58 degrees - perfect for running. 

The main trail/road has nicely marked miles. 

This was a really cool valley. 

After running we went to a coffee shop, then headed back to the hotel to shower. The rest of the day was shopping and visiting breweries.  I found a local yarn shop and bought some beautiful yarn dyed by local artists. 

I've sampled more beer in the last few days than I could have ever imagined. Believe it or not, this is a coffee stout. It tastes just like an iced coffee. Amazing. 

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. :)

Color the Quads 2013

It seems like ages ago that I signed up Nate and I to run the first Color the Quads color run.  Finally today was the day.

I had signed Nate up for the 1 mile race, which was at 9 am.  I went with him, ready to run.  He had asked me before we left if I would run with him.  It turns out that he asked me because Tom told him to, when in reality, he wanted to run alone.

So Nate ran the mile run alone, and he did great!  He ended up running his fastest mile yet, in just over 9 minutes.  I was pretty proud of him, considering the tough hills and the unfamiliar neighborhood.

We ran into a few classmates before the race.

Coming into the finish.  

Some color splatters (it doesn't look nearly as colorful in the photos)

Colorful arms.  They were quite blue.

Before and After

After the race the two of us went to Brueggers to eat bagels.  He had to wash his hands here because when he touched the bagel, it turned blue!

Bagels afterwards 

My race didn't start until 4 pm, so we went home and I headed back to the race later with some friends.

Pre-race.  We got a little punchy with the color packets, so there's no picture of us all clean.

The adults got a lot more colorful.  I blame the sweat - it was a lot warmer at 4 pm, and the sun was out.  When the powder hits moisture, it turns into food coloring/dye, and my arms and face were bright blue.  I have a totally awful self portrait - I won't post it here because it just looks horrible.  Kelley got this photo of a few of us, and you can see how much color we "picked up."

Somehow I got a lot more yellow.

It was a lot of fun, I was a bit apprehensive about a 4 pm start, but it turned out okay.  And all the color came off with a bit of extra exfoliation, so I don't even look like I took a dive in a food coloring factory.

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).

Flashback

Remember this post?  When I went for a run with Nile and discovered what we called our "secret park?"

Novak and I ran there last Friday.  We got out to the bench and had a snack while we enjoyed looking at the water.

Funny thing is, I realized while we were out there having our snack, that Novak was wearing the exact same outfit Nile had on when we went here three years ago. So, for a direct comparison:  

Nile, September 4, 2009
2 years, 7 months

Novak, August 31, 2012
23 months

They are pretty much the exact same size.

Fridays with Novak!

Now that school has started for the two "big boys," I have switched up my work schedule a bit so that I can be home with them when they get home from school.  So instead of the three long 10-hour days, I now work four 7.5 hour days, and I'm home at 3:45 when they get off the bus.  And, I still get one day a week home to play with Novak.  Friday was the first day I have ever had just "me and Novak" so we made the most of it.

We got the boys on the bus and then got ready to go out for a run with the jogging stroller.  We headed down to the canal so Novak could see the "wa-dah."

All ready for a morning run in the jogging stroller

About a mile and a half in, I noticed he was pretty quiet.  Sure enough, he was asleep.  After finishing up my run, I walked him for another half hour so he could get in a nice nap.

Asleep in the jogging stroller :)

We then headed off to the park so I could pick up some PTA membership forms and he could have some swinging time.  Although he quickly decided he'd rather run rampant on the stage at the park...

Let's go, Mom!

All this room, just for me?

Center Stage

When he heard the church bells chiming at 10 am, he suddenly got down on all fours and laid down on the stage.  He laid here listening to the bells chime until they stopped, then got back up and started playing again.  :)

Listening to the church bells...

After going to visit Becky at work, we headed home.  We had a short early lunch (it was only 10:45, but we were both hungry!) and we went outside to play for a while.  It was already hot out so we didn't make it too long.  We started by playing with chalk...Novak loves it when we write letters on the concrete and he can learn what they mean.  This kid is obsessed with his A-B-C's.  OBSESSED.

Doing a bit of drawing on his own (note the letters on the concrete).

Then he decided it was time to go for a walk.  Really.  I turned around and he was climbing into his stroller.

Ready to go.

We took a walk around the neighborhood, until he started to cry, and I realized what he really wanted was to go to the "bus stop" and get his brothers.  For the rest of the day, he kept asking where Nile was, where Daddy was, and about the bus stop.  Poor kid, he had three more hours to wait.  Have I mentioned it was not yet 1:00 pm?  It was a busy morning.

We went inside and cooled off with a popsicle.

Enjoying a popsicle after playing outside.

Later we enjoyed snuggling on the couch while we watched some PBS Kids.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get him to take an afternoon nap, so he was pretty tired by this point.  So was I.  I actually fell asleep in the chair while he was watching this show.

Zoned out.  Notice the filthy knees from all the playing.

Soon enough it was time to go get his brothers, and he was thrilled to see them.  And at this point I was too busy to continue taking pictures!

I'm really looking forward to these days with just the two of us.  We're going to be having some fun.

Fall is coming!

Tom took this great picture of Novak at the John Deere 5k Fall Classic. Looks like the corn is turning, and it's time for fall. I love fall, it can't come soon enough!

We had a running morning. Tom and I ran the 5k, and Nate and Nile ran the kid's 1/4 mile run. Tom took 3rd in his age group and I placed 2nd in mine. Not a bad morning!
>

Faithful Feet

This morning the boys and I went to the Faithful Feet 5k in Geneseo. The race was hosted by the local Catholic church, and the proceeds from the race went to the food pantry. Since Tom was golfing, I didn't run, but I signed up the boys for the kids' race.

Nile decided that he didn't want to run, so Nate had to do the race solo. I was a little nervous, as it was a half-mile race, and it took him around the middle school so I wouldn't be able to see him. I had to stay back with Nile, so I was worried that Nate would tire out, fall, or something, and I wouldn't be there. Yeah, I know, I'm a paranoid parent.

Turns out he ran the whole thing in under 5 minutes, didn't have a single problem, and finished beaming. He also proudly told me "I passed like eight kids, Mom!"

I'm really proud of him.

After the race we went to the park and the farmers' market. It was a good morning.

Here are the boys before the race.

Here is Nile, a moment before this he was looking so pensive, but I didn't catch it.

Nate after the race - showing off his medal as he enjoys a bagel and some juice.

Superheroes

Nate had a Superhero birthday party on Saturday. One of our friends captured these two videos of the superheroes playing outside. This is Spider Girl, Wonder Woman, and Nate the superhero (he had so many different superhero names, I honestly can't remember one). Oh, and Nile.

First they race down the hill...perhaps for battle? If you look closely you can see Nile coming down behind the three.


Then they return up the hill. I'm not sure why Nile needed the baseball bat.


Thanks to James for capturing this on his iPhone.

John Deere 5K 2009

This year the whole family went to the John Deere 5K on October 4.

Tom and I ran the 5K, I even had a PR of 27:33! Nile ran the 50 yard dash, and Nate ran the 1/4 mile kids' run. (There was also a 1 mile run for the older kids.) Although we did get photos of Nile's race, they are on my mom's camera, so I don't know when we'll get them posted (if they are even any good). Tom, however, had his phone ready and was able to get some photos of Nate.

After we were done with the 5K race there was a break before the kids' races started. Nate took the opportunity to carb-load.


The starting line for the 1/4 mile run. Nate is front and center, hands in pockets.


Nate proudly showing off his finishers' medal. Immediately after this photo, he took it off and hasn't worn it since. He did, however, take it to show-and-tell today at preschool.


Tom was even able to catch Nate on video finishing the race.

Secret Park

Today while Nate was at preschool Nile and I went for a 6 mile run along the Hennepin Canal. 2.9 miles outside of town, in the middle of practically nowhere, we found a "mini-park" with a park bench in someone's memory and some kind of marker for the canal. Nile loved sitting on the canal marker...?

Nate running the Bark in the Park

Here is Nate running in Tudi's Bark in the Park.

racing the numbers

Yesterday we let both boys run in the kids' race at Tudi's Bark in the Park, a race that I helped organize. Since I was working, I didn't get any photos or videos of the race, but I know Tom did. I may share them later.

Anyway, they must have enjoyed it, because they spent a half hour this morning running races around the yard. Each race had a number. I kid you not. First, they ran the "number 2" race. Then they would start the "number 5" race, or the "number 7" race, or maybe the "number 11." I never did figure out the difference between any of them.

On your mark...get set...

Go!

I have to admit I really enjoyed watching them run.