Sun Run

One of our favorite traditions is running in the Sun Run, a run to support Youth Horizons. They are an organization that serves the fatherless in Wichita. Today, we got up bright and early, only to hear the sound of pouring rain! Fortunately, God stopped the rain just as we got out of the car and headed to the starting line. Chris and I ran the 10K. Here is the start! Because he has not been able to train as much this winter, he graciously volunteered to pace me. (Yes, because his slow is my fast!) He pushed me to keep going much faster than I probably would have gone on my own.
I was excited to finish in 48:08, about 30 seconds faster than my PR. Yay! I had wanted to break 48, but I just couldn't keep up! I placed 4th in my age. Here we are after the 10K and before the 2-mile. The kids were getting excited to get going.
They all ran personal bests! Sydney ran a 16:05, Jackson ran a 15:37, and Raegan ran a 20:45. She even won 1st place in her age division! My dad usually comes to run as well. He thought he was super slow, but he even won 1st in his age as well!
Happy Easter to everyone! We hope you have a sweet time celebrating our Savior's resurrection tomorrow.

March Madness: Go KU!

Raegan's Easter Egg Hunt--in full KU gear over the sun dress!

On Saturday, we geared up for the Final 4 Game vs. Ohio State University. Everyone had their gear on, and Raegan--our very own Martha Stewart--took it upon herself to decorate our house. She made signs--and then Jackson and Sydney added all the names of the players.

We had some friends over to watch the big game. Oops--no pics of that. We were too exhausted after watching the first half! But, I was the confident one of our little group and predicted that KU would win it in the end. How fun when my prediction proved true!

Now, we are eagerly awaiting tip-off for tonight's game.

Oh, and I have to say that I won our family's bracket contest--by picking KU to be in the final. (Yes, I did deliberate a bit but finally settled on us!) I do hope, though, that I was wrong about tonight's game! Go Hawks!

Spring Break Trip, day 3

The second day of skiing was just as beautiful as the first. It did take us a little longer to get up and moving because we were all so pooped from the day before. But, we eventually made it back to the mountain. Here are Marc & Jackson riding up the lift.Katy & Sydney
Most of the crew
Sydney, Jackson & Dad joined our group. The kids did so well! I think they have already bypassed Chris and me. :) Here is Jackson going down a blue.

By the end of the day, Sydney had joined Jackson, and they were leading us down more and more blues! (This is a plenty for their mom!)
We had to pull them off the slopes a little before 4:00 so that we could make the 6 1/2 hr trek to my dad's house that night. The kids did so well, but I have to admit that they were "plugged in" for lots of the trip. Then, they had the luxury of sleeping while Chris got us to the farm.

It was great to get home, but we truly enjoyed this trip!

Spring Break Trip, day 2

Early Friday morning, we got up, ate a quick breakfast, and headed to Loveland Ski Resort. We had heard rumors that there wasn't as much snow--this was true--but the weather was fore casted to be beautiful, so we were excited!

We first had to get fitted for our skis. This took a bit for all 14 skiers, but we were eventually on our way. We sent the youngest kids to ski school. Getting skis on. . .Raegan practicing getting off the lift.
Papa Ski School:
Sydney and Jackson spent the morning with Dad as he gave them a refresher course. The rest of us headed to the slopes. . . until lunch when we all met for sandwiches. Then we headed back out. Chris and I are definitely the "beginner" skiiers, so it takes us a day to get used to it again! Chris's friend, Jeff, came with us and was patient as we slowly made our way down each hill.
We were so blessed to have incredible weather. I think each day was in the upper 50s, and there was hardly any wind. BEAUTIFUL!

A full day of skiing tuckered Jackson out!
That day was Marc's birthday, so we got to celebrate him. Then, we had supper, we relaxed and enjoyed the indoor "scenery"played games, and watched KU win!Needless to say, we were definitely ready for bed after this full day!

Spring Break Trip to CO, Day 1

We were blessed to get to go to Colorado for Spring Break with my dad and siblings/friends. We started with the infamous Beau Jo's pizza joint in Idaho Springs. Then, we quickly headed up to our "house" for the next couple of days. We were incredibly amazed as we drove up this road. . . . . .because this was waiting for us!
We enjoyed touring the "mansion". There were six bedrooms, perfect for all 16 of us. Everyone got their own rooms except the kids who were excited to share the bunk bed room--complete with 3 sets of triple bunk beds! After exploring the inside, the kids changed into their boots and went exploring. We admired the gigantic deck . . .
admired the view. . .found the fire pit. . .
and even found a fort! This kept the kids busy until supper! That evening, we were treated to Becky's lasagne--YUMMY!--and then just hung around, watched March Madness games on their big screen, and played games. I think everyone was excited to hit the slopes in the morning!