CURRY FARMS ADVENTURE

The kids are scheduled for a school trip to a pumpkin patch next week, but because Jay and I can't afford to take time off work on the same day when we don't HAVE to (i.e. we're not sick or vacationing), I'm going as the solo chaperone (we split field trip duties pretty equally throughout the year). Since Jay isn't going next week, we decided to do a family pumpkin patch trip this weekend, to someplace new! Our family pumpkin patch trips over the past 3 years have included Nichols-Boyd Farm (2009), Canton Corn Maze (2010), and Farmer Jim's (2011), so this year we headed WEST instead and went over the bridge (for the second time today - though this time not on foot!) to Louisiana to visit Curry Farms.

I have a LOT of photos from today (and these don't even include the ones that Jay took with his fancy camera and photographer's eye), so I'll just let them speak for themselves...

Recap for those locals considering visiting Curry Farms:
This place is definitely worth the drive! It's no further than Nichols-Boyd, it's just in the other direction. There is a LOT more for the kids to do (all ages, not just big kids). Cora was able to participate in everything except the pedal cars & tricycles, since she's too short to reach the pedals, and none of us paid to do the Pumpkin Chunkin' (but the kids probably couldn't have done that solo anyway). Activities included a big corn bin, hay bales for climbing, slides, swinging tunnels, petting zoo/animal viewing, corn maze, REAL pumpkin patch (great for photos), pre-picked pumpkin store (better for buying, so you didn't have to carry them around - although they did have wagons for that purpose if you're so inclined), caterpillar choo-choo "train" (little ones can ride in a parent's lap, 3-year-olds and up are definitely fine to ride solo - it doesn't go fast), adult AND kid sized bouncy horses, off-road tricycles, pedal cars and a race track, face painting, bean bag toss, an old truck decorated for portrait taking, hay rides, duck races, and a rubber tire horsey swing thingy (any kid big enough to hold on TIGHT can ride). The cost is $8 each (2 and under are free, though they let James in free too), but pumpkins cost extra. We ended up staying for 3.5 hours (crazy, right?!) because after picking out our pumpkins, the kids asked to go back and play again, and since we didn't have any previous engagements... They're open until 5pm, but we stayed until past 5:30 (they were having a birthday party, so they didn't kick us out), and the light at the end of the day would have been perfect for portraits (had we not already taken them, and had the kids still been clean). The kids seriously had a blast, there was lots for us adults to do too, and we think it's the best pumpkin patch we've been to yet!

OVER THE RIVER

Last year we attended this race for the first time and it was the flame that lit my running fire after a long hiatus. Watching a race can be really inspiring! I had big plans to run the race this year while Jay had considered walking it with the kids, but we ended up doing the opposite. I'm coming off an injury (2.5 weeks back to running now!), so I decided to take the kids in the stroller and run/walk the 5 miles. And something completely unexpected happened to Jay this year - he became a runner! A man who has sworn to me for years that he hated running and would never do it for a longer distance than a soccer field, just completed his first 5 mile race (bringing his total race tally to FOUR events this year). AND he's signed up to run the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon with me in February. So yes, he IS a runner now! And I'm super proud of him!

Running races is exhilarating. You train, you get up early, you anticipate. And if you run with me, you have a cheerleader in your face at 7:00am asking if you've warmed up, used the bathroom, and jumped up and down in excitement yet. Yes, racing is even MORE fun when you do it with friends!

Jay, Denise, Heather, Cari, Christina, Sophie, Alex, and the kiddos.

This event is well organized, and it started right on time. Since strollers weren't technically allowed, I hung at the back with Alex and Heather (who were planning to walk more than run, and I had no real plan other than to get through the miles) while Jay, Sophie, Cari, and Christina headed up front (Al stayed back to watch Lauren and Will). Jay ran a smart race, pacing himself so that he didn't go out too fast, and finished strong (despite the killer hill at the end of the race).

He finished with a 48:56 Garmin time and 49:23 clock time (which isn't as accurate as his Garmin, since he started and stopped his watch as he crossed the start and finish line, whereas the clock times everyone from the horn, even though it takes folks a while to get past the starting line in the crowd). This was not only the first time he raced further than 5K, but also the first time he EVER ran 5 miles. Last weekend he ran 4, and the weekend before that 3.5, so I was truly impressed with his efforts today!

For me, starting at the very back, behind the walkers, ended up being a terribly bad idea. The walkers were wall-to-wall on the bridge, and it was probably the most frustrating mile I've ever run, trying to get through them. If I ever do this race with the stroller again, I will most definitely sneak in at the back of the runners!

Eventually I spotted a cop on a Segway (monitoring the crowd for safety), so I followed him and let him break a path for me. James LOVED that!

Once we got off the main portion of the bridge and I'd passed most of the walkers, I really enjoyed the race. It was an out-and-back (into Louisiana), so I got to see Jay (and Sophie, Christina, Cari, and Ashley) on their return. I had a lot of fun cheering for them and for some of the other runners. For the most part, fellow runners and walkers were really supportive of me and made me feel great for being out there pushing my 105+ lbs of kids, gear, and stroller (only one negative comment: "They SAID no strollers", from a lady I wasn't even near). The kids were awesome for me (no whining or complaining, no throwing of water bottles or shoes) and seemed to like seeing the bridge and river and train tracks. I felt great for the first 3.5 miles, then started to get tired once I was back on the bridge. Since the bridge is at a slight decline heading over the river into Louisiana, it's at a slight incline the whole way back (with a big hill, AKA ramp, at the end). It wasn't too bad, but I did take 3 short walk breaks on the way back. Of course, every time I slowed down, James would say "Come on mommy, we have to hurry. They're passing us! Run! Run mommy!" Such a great cheerleader! Even at the end I still felt good (hooray, I ran 5 miles and didn't pass out!), until I had to climb that final hill... I was so glad Jay came back to run that hill with me - I needed his help to get that stroller up!

My estimated finish time was somewhere between 58:00-59:00 minutes. I can't use my clock time (1:01:24) because I didn't start with the runners, and the walkers started 2-3 minutes after the running group. Plus, I was at the very back of the pack, so I didn't pass the starting line until 3-4 minutes after the runner horn. Oh well, I don't really care what my time was anyway. I'm just glad I was ABLE to run 5 miles today (well, make that 6 miles, since I did the 1-mile fun run with James too).

With my husband, the runner. (Again, why am I always the sweatiest one?! I even wore black this time!)

Don't let these kids fool you, their excitement for the 1-mile fun run waned almost as soon as they set foot on the bridge...

See? Manu is already making a cranky face and Cora is already asking to be picked up. Not sure what Will is up to over there with Al on the left though, so maybe he was just getting geared up, since he did great for almost the entire first half mile. James was pumped for the initial downhill (and didn't want me to hold his hand or help him in any way).

Here are James and Will, holding strong across the bridge!

At the turnaround I sent James ahead to go around the cone solo. He loved having all those volunteers down there cheering just for him!

On our return, we found daddy carrying Cora. Poor daddy... Hurt feet, exhausted legs, and now a sore back to top off his first long race experience!

James was even less impressed with the finish hill as I was during my race, but once he saw Cari and Mike and Bridger and Jacob cheering him on, he picked up the pace and sprinted across the finish line. I think his time was somewhere around 15 minutes.

 The after party was fun - free beer, Subway sandwiches, live music, and a bouncy house. Some of our friends won awards, so that was really exciting too! Kristi placed first overall among females, Ashley placed first in our age group, and Bridger placed second in his age group for the 1-mile fun run. Kristi and Ashley's kids won awards in their age groups too - lots of talented kiddos! And Sophie ran a PR and came really close to placing in our age group too. I'm so proud of them all! Definitely an awesome race day all around!

CORPS DAY 2012

Unlike last year, this year BOTH kids played in the bouncy houses, braved a horse ride (or two or three...), and enjoyed the bounty of the competition bake sale.

Mmmm... cupcakes!

Cora really WANTED to ride the horse, until she got up there (with me, since she refused to go solo). Jay grabbed this photo after one lap around the field and before she started crying to get down.

James was brave though! He loved it!

He rode with me too. And Manu. And even Will (he and Manu had sneaked off when nobody was paying attention and Christina found them, since she was over there helping Will ride).

Me and my girl :-)

James was in and out, over and under, and running between the two inflatables.

Cora in more cute birdie clothes from her Grambot. This one says "Smart and Tweet"

I didn't get any photos with Will or Azure, but here are James and Cora with Manu and Coltin (Emma was there too, of course, but my photo of her was blurry - I'm in need of a new camera soon...)

Little Lauren got some love from Aunt Sandy:

Cora wasn't much interested in lunch, until she stole my apple. Which she later shared with Violet.

These boys make me smile SO BIG. When they aren't aggravating each other (as good friends sometimes do), they are being completely ridiculous or totally sweet.

Not to be outdone, Cora and Will held hands on the way back to the cars too. Cute little pair, eh?

CORPS DAY TRAIL RUN!

This morning we ran the first annual (hopefully!) ERDC Corps Day Essayons Challenge 5K Trail Run. Wow, that's a long name. Being a government event and all, you'd think they'd have come up with an accronym...

Anyway, as usual, I was pumped for the race. Especially since I wasn't planning to RACE, per se, but rather run a little harder than my usual while simultaneously trying not to keel over during the 6 body weight exercise stations. Interspersed throughout the race course were 6 challenge stations, where the exercises got progressively harder as you became more tired: 20 push-ups, 25 jumping jacks, 20 sit-ups, walking lunges up a hill, 15 burpees, and 25 air squats. Needless to say, we were all pretty exhausted by the end of the 3 mile run (according to Jay's Garmin, the race course came in at 2.97 miles instead of the usual 3.1 of a 5k). 

This is the awesome turnout of just the EL folks (remember, we have 4 different labs here on station). Why am I the sweatiest one in this photo?! Maybe I need to start racing in white or black shirts...

It was SO much fun though - totally worth the sweat! I lost Sophie somewhere after the first mile on our first big downhill (that girl FLIES down hills!), but kept her (and Jay, who was just ahead of us most of the race) in sight throughout the race. Eventually I caught Jay and we crossed the finish line together. We haven't hooked up his Garmin to go over his stats yet, but our finish time was 38:00, so with 6 exercise stations that probably took 30-120 seconds each to complete, I'm guessing we ran ~10:00 miles in between the challenge stations. That makes me pretty happy considering I've only been back to running for 2 weeks! Of course, I am icing my legs tonight and hoping my sore feet feel better by the time we start our 5 mile Over the River Run in two days...

THE SHARKS LIVE ON

The only thing more fun that seeing your friends' kids wearing your baby's hand-me-downs is having an excuse to reminisce back to the time when your baby was still small enough to wear those clothes.

James at 16 months and Chris at 14 months. Love these cute boys!

BATMAN IS SUPER

Super HEALTHY, that is!

James got the all-clear from the doc at his followup appointment today (that's following up the ear infections and congestion that lasted for months, and for which he was on antibiotics for months). Apparently the Singular is helping. And perhaps our increased vigilance around the house against dust and cat hair. Whatever the reason, we're keeping him on Singular through December, just in case (he thinks those tiny crunchy "vitamins" taste like candy anyway - actually, both our kids are really into medicine for some reason...). And we are SO HAPPY he is finally off antibiotics (we were seriously sucking at remembering to give them to him near the end of that 30 days anyway).

He must be feeling better, because he gained TWO WHOLE POUNDS in the past month (and prior to that, he'd been holding at 35 lbs for about 5 months).

Bubble Baby also had a weight check. She's a healthy 2 lbs 2 oz.

Little Mama Cora got sick of carrying her around pretty much as soon as we got to the waiting room, so I carted Bubble around the pediatrician's office, and out through the hospital (each and every visit REQUIRES a trip up the elevator, around the 2nd floor, and back down the other elevator - it's nonnegotiable). And I kid you not, I had no less than 14 ladies stop me to tell me "Oh my gosh, I thought that was a real baby!" I must have really freaked them out when I was carrying Bubble in a nonchalant headlock...

She is eerily realistic though, right?

 Especially now that we have her dressed in preemie clothes, which cover her cloth body-meets-plastic hands and feet interface (purchased in an effort to convince Cora that wearing clothes is cool). Seriously though, what preemie-sized newborn would have that much hair? Then again, why am I surprised? These are the same Vicksburg folk who stopped me to ask whether Cora was a boy, for her entire first year of life and beyond (until about 18-months, when her hair started to grow in), even though I kept her almost entirely in pink from head-to-toe, with headbands and bows and flowers on her head.

FALL FESTIVAL IN THE 'BURG

Diving head-first into our busy October weekends, we followed last night's zoo trip with a few hours downtown at the annual Fall Festival this morning (after my Saturday run, of course!), and the kids had a great time! I dressed them up for our adventure...

(Cora LOVES her birdies Grambot! And she actually asked for "TWO bows!" today.)

(Pointing out his spiders. He picked this shirt out himself - VERY into spiders lately.)

The only thing that makes adventures like this more fun is getting to see your buddies (for the kids, AND for me)! We hung out with Manu and Leo, Grady, Alex and Kara, and Will (and Lauren).

(Fly James, fly!)

The kids were exhausted by the time we got home, an hour and half past their naptime. Cora fell asleep in the car again, and we ALL (well, except Jay, since he was working hard on his papers) slept for 2 hours. I think my goal this long weekend should be to get a nap each day - AWESOME!