Frosty Fun 5K

This past Saturday morning, we all ran in the Frosty Fun 5K benefiting Kindred Spirit. 

 

The plan was for me to run with Eleanor and Hayes while Thomas and Ben would walk most of the way.  Hayes ran into his buddy Lane participating in the race and Lane's presence was the incentive Hayes needed to take his running to another level.  Hayes was the first member to finish the race in 26 minutes.  Eleanor followed shortly thereafter in 27 minutes, and I was right behind her at 28 minutes.  Thomas and Ben actually ran much of the way and finished in 39 minutes!  The kids were all smiles at the finish line. 

 

We stayed around until the end of the race with the thought that Hayes might win an award.  It turns out that three of us did!

 

We all agreed that the run at Capital City was worth returning to next year. 

Spring-like Weather

It is hard to believe that a week after our front yard looked like this,

we (Dixie included) were outside in the 70-degree temperatures

waiting for Hayes to come home on the bus. 

Ben carries this drawer of markers with him all over the house.  This week alone it has been in the kitchen, the dining room, the family room and upstairs on the floor in the playroom.  Finally, it has found its way outdoors.  It is hard to beat coloring outside in February sunshine though!

Ben's Basketball

Last weekend, Ben finished up his first season playing basketball as a Yellow Jacket. 

 

As a basketball novice, Ben was constantly trying to learn the rules of the game, studying his teammates and their play when he was on the bench.  

 

Every time he was on the court, he had a smile on his face.

He hustled,

 

fought for balls,

 

and sprinted down the court each time there was a change in possession. 

He also learned to play defense by holding his arms up. 

Midway through the season, he started scoring some baskets which added to his enjoyment. 

The cherry on top of the season was the cookies, juice boxes and trophy he received after his final game. 

I think it is safe to say that Ben will be returning as a Yellow Jacket next basketball season. 

US Women's Soccer vs. Russia

On Thursday after the snow melted earlier in the day, the five of us visited the Georgia Dome

 

(photo by Hayes) to witness the U.S. Women's soccer team play the Russians.

 

The unlucky Russian team seems to be on a U.S. tour while the Winter Olympics are currently taking place in Sochi, Russia.  The weekend prior to this game, Russia played the U.S. Women in Florida and lost 7-0.  We were not expecting a very competitive game and in the end, our expectations were met.

Hayes chose to bring an American flag from home with him to show his team spirit.

 

With the winter weather all around, the Georgia Dome only had about 10,000 people in attendance so it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Eleanor and Hayes were starstruck when they saw Abby Wambach, #20, with the ball. 

At halftime, the school was 1-0.  By the end of the second half, the final score was 8-0!  It was a great showing for Team USA, and we can't wait to cheer them on in the World Cup in Canada in 2015. 

Ice Storm 2014

It is hard to believe but nearly two weeks after Snowmaggeddon, we were hit with another winter storm.  

 

The AJC's front page summed up Atlanta's thoughts perfectly  . . . 

This time, thankfully, the city was over-prepared.  Hayes was out of school Tuesday before the storm really even hit midday Wednesday.  All three kids were out of school Wednesday and Thursday before Eleanor and Ben returned on Friday.  Hayes had Friday off for Presidents' Weekend. 

This storm gave us freezing rain and ice on Wednesday which then turned into snow overnight Thursday morning.  All day Wednesday we remained inside, out of the wet elements.  We baked cookies, 

Eleanor read "The Hunger Games", Hayes played the Wii and Ben created superhero books out of colored superhero pages.  The Winter Olympics were also on TV during the day so we were able to watch events, as desired.

On Thursday, the kids were ready to venture out.  Dixie was the first one out the door and boy, was she excited!

Hayes followed Dixie's lead and headed out into the snow.  (Notice our new hats, gloves and snow boots purchased during the winter storm two weeks prior!)

With meteorologists predicting a quick melting later that day, I walked out to take some pictures.  Here is the street,

our backyard,

and the front view. 

Eleanor and Ben joined us outside shortly thereafter and found the rest of the Beaverbrook crew down the street in the midst of a snowball fight.  All three kids quickly joined their respective "boy" and "girl" teams and proceeded to target each other. 

Ben came home post-snowball-fight with this big thing . . . and it stayed in our front yard for two more days before it finally melted away. 

I think the meteorological odds are slim, but I admit that I'm probably one of the few people in Atlanta right now who would love another winter storm!

Winter Football on the Street

(I've been meaning to post this entry for a month or two.  These games have waned over the last week after a tough tackle or two in Snow Bowl 2014.)

Each afternoon, immediately after Hayes gets off the bus around 3:00, he walks to our next door neighbor's yard where he drops his backpack on their driveway.  He and their youngest of three sons then commence their daily game of football.  There will be afternoons where I don't hear from Hayes until 4:30pm or so.  (I promise that I do look out the window to make sure he has arrived home from school safely.) 

Lately, many of the elementary-aged boys on the street, Eleanor and Ben have joined in on the football fun.

 

You can see this crowd fighting it out daily, through frigid temperatures and mist or warmer temps and sunshine. I'm hoping they switch the sport to soccer soon once the season starts back up!

What can I dream about?

Each night, as I tuck him into bed, Ben poses the question to me,

 

"Mom, what can I dream about?"

Some nights the question is easier to answer than other nights, especially if we have something fun on the calendar for the next day.  Other nights, I have to get creative.  Thankfully, Ben doesn't seem to care about my content as much as he just wants me to answer to his question.

Last night, Thomas tried to fulfill my role in answering the question.  He thought of a rather ingenius answer when he said, "Dream of scoring three baskets, eating Lucky Charm and Fruit Loops for breakfast . . . and shooting a goal in soccer!" Wow!  That sounds like a great day for Ben!  Instead, Ben was not impressed and asked for me to come up and respond to the question.  What was my answer?  "Dream of making Valentines for your classmates."  That was it.  And with my reply, Ben gave a fist pump with an immediate "Yes!" and then rolled over to fall asleep. 

Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl

For the past few years, we have joined the Tuckers and Jameses in venturing down to the Djuric family's house to watch the first half of the Super Bowl and eat a chili and chips dinner. 

 

This year was no exception.  This year though, Hayes's favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks, was one of the two Super Bowl contenders. 

 

We can think back at least two years to the time when Hayes began rooting for the 'Hawks.  He frankly just loves the city of Seattle and claims he'd move there in a heartbeat.  The city's sports' fans are truly fanatics, showing more zeal for their football and soccer teams than many fan bases in the U.S.  Hayes respects this passion and wants to be a part of it!

After the NFL Conference Championship round when Richard Sherman spouted off too much after the game, much of the country aligned themselves with the Broncos.  Hayes stayed true to his team and was the only one at the Djurics cheering for them.  Who could have predicted that it would end up such a lopsided victory for Seattle?  We allowed Hayes to stay up to experience the entire game, and when it was time for bed, I bet he had trouble falling asleep that night. 

Thanks to the Djurics for hosting us for another great Super Bowl party!

Snowmaggeddon

Last week felt like a blur.  Monday started the week off on a normal note.  Then Tuesday rolled around.  By lunch time Tuesday, any semblance of ordinary went out the window.  Snow hit Atlanta and somehow, it caught much of the metro area by surprise.  After I picked up Ben at his normal 12:30 time, parents were required to come to Westminster by 1:00 to grab our children.  After driving to Westminster and getting E in the car, I had trouble maneuvering out of the hilly Westminster campus.  My short two-mile route home was treacherous as the roads became icy.  I found myself having to gun my Sequoia up hills with the hopes that I would not start sliding back down.  I knew I would not be able to drive to Brandon to grab Hayes because the traffic was already terrible and the roads were challenging.  Luckily, our neighbor Mrs. Djuric grabbed Hayes, and we all reunited back home around 1:45.

We didn't see Thomas until he pulled in around 7:00 that night.  He had tried to leave the office around 12:30pm but didn't move in his parking deck for nearly 30 minutes.  He returned to his office and got some work done while monitoring traffic on the Downtown Connector from his window.  (Around 2:00pm, his assistant called all of the nearby hotels to see if there was a room for him just in case he could not drive home that night.  Every room was booked within a 10-mile radius of his office!)  At 5:15pm, Thomas decided to make another attempt to drive home.  This time, he was able to exit his parking deck and then carefully drove home on surface streets.  It took him an hour and 45 minutes to get home . . . but we were grateful for that "quick" trip.  Terrible stories of people stuck on the roads for hours started to trickle in.  We spent much of that Tuesday afternoon and night worried about our friends and family stuck in different parts of town.

While we worried and stressed, the kids made the most of the snow.  Ben made the obligatory snow angel.

Hayes grabbed our sleds from the garage (notice the cars backed up on Howell Mill)

 

and all of the kids sledded down the Bradham's icy chute of a driveway.  Here is Ben making a run . . . and then it was Hayes's turn.

For some reason, I didn't capture a picture of Dixie in the snow but she ate it, ran circles in it, rolled around in it and just seemed to absolutely adore it. 

We went to bed around 11pm Tuesday night, feeling very uneasy about what we would learn the next morning.  Wednesday morning's AJC's (delivered on Thursday) headline summed up the situation . . .

By midday Wednesday as the situation improved and people began to get out and drive, we began to truly enjoy the snow day.  

 I love how peaceful the street and city feels when everyone is sheltered in their homes.

While the kids continued to sled down the street and around the neighborhood, I began to cook.  Cooking is what I'm drawn to do while we are stuck at home.  I almost feel challenged by the weather to see how much food I can prepare based on what we have stored away "for the winter".  I cooked for much of Wednesday afternoon while the kids and Thomas played football in the appropriately named "SnowBowl 2014".  

(When I wasn't cooking or baking Wednesday afternoon, I was on Lands End's website, trying to upgrade our ill-equipped winter wardrobes.  Hopefully when the next snow storm arrives, we will actually have some snow gear and not cotton or fleece everything!)

 

Thursday rolled around and the kids still didn't have school.  Thomas went in to work, while the pundits began criticizing the local and state governments' lack of preparedness leading up to the storm.

Friday, the kids were home again as the temperatures had not yet warmed up enough to rid the city of the ice.  Looking back, when we were all home Tuesday night, I never would have thought that we had a five-day weekend ahead!