Riverbank Run 10K

Last year I ran my first 10K at the Fifth Third Riverbank Run.  I wanted to do it again this year, and my good friend Mary (a friend from Calvin days who now lives in Minneapolis) was going to be in town this weekend.  Since she is also a runner, I asked her if she wanted to run it together.  She agreed, and it was very fun to complete it with her!  Our time was 4 seconds faster than my time last year, so it was nice to improve slightly.

At the start

Finished!!

 Karen and Juan also ran it, so it was fun to be able to see them after the race too!

After the run, Mary and I were able to have brunch with our other good friend Kristen (who drove in from Detroit) at Real Food Café.  It was wonderful to catch up and spend time with my dear friends, and I am so thankful that we have been able to stay close even though we don't see each other often.  I'm very sad that we forgot to take a picture of the 3 of us!

Esther's Art Show

Tonight we went downtown to the UICA (Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts) to see a piece of Esther's artwork in an art show.  Schools from all over the Grand Rapids area participated and the teachers were able to select some pieces from their schools.  We were very excited that Esther's was chosen!  It was hanging up a little high on the wall to get a great picture, but this is her work.  We are very proud of her!

Mommy-Miriam Day

Miriam and I call Tuesdays "Mommy-Miriam Days" because we get the whole day together.  It is the only full day each week that she doesn't have school and I don't work.  I am going to miss those days so much next year when she goes to first grade!  We usually try to keep them low key and just hang out at home or do something fun.  Today was a beautiful day, so I told Miriam we could do whatever she wanted to do.  She chose the library, having a picnic by Reed's Lake, and going to Meijer Gardens.  It was such a lovely day and I loved every minute of being with her and letting her choose whatever she wanted to do along the way! 

Calvin Spring Classic

Today was the Calvin Spring Classic and the whole family participated!  Casey and I ran the 5K while the kids hung out with Grandpa and Grandma K.  Casey knocked several minutes off his previous best 5K time, and I just about tied my best time, so we were happy with that.  It was a nice, sunny, cool morning for running and we saw lots of friends there which made it fun.

Casey approaching the finish line!

After the 5K we went inside so the kids could participate in the fun run!  Peter and Esther ran 4 laps around the indoor track, which was 1/2 mile total.  Miriam did 2 laps.  We were proud of how well they did!

It was a fun morning!  Special thanks to Casey's parents for coming to cheer us on with the kids while we ran.

Little League

Peter is playing baseball for the first time this spring.  He did play one season of t-ball a few years ago, but this is his first real baseball experience.  He is playing with Southern Little League, and so far it's been a good experience.  He has had a couple practices and played his first game yesterday.  He seems to be having fun, so hopefully it's a good season and a good experience for him.

He got a hit in his first at-bat!

They rotate positions, and he
even had a chance to try out
being catcher!

Easter

Yesterday we had our annual Easter egg hunt with our street and neighborhood families.  Our awesome neighbor Dore always goes all out with the hunt. She hides lots of eggs and has many special prizes and gifts.  The kids always have a great time!

In the afternoon we saw Junie B. Jones at Civic Theater.  They did a great job with the production and it was very cute and funny.  Many thanks to my parents for getting the tickets for us!

Today we went to Casey's parents' house for Easter after church.  We took a few pictures after church since it was a beautiful day!

We had a nice day with Casey's family.  Of course Grandma made fun cupcakes for her grand kids!

Charlton Park Field Trip

I was able to go with Esther on a field trip to Historic Charlton Park this week.  It was an unseasonably cold day (what else is new?), but it was sunny and we had fun.  Basically they have recreated a historic village with a bank, school, township hall, barber shop, and other buildings.  We were able to experience what school was like in the late 1800s, make butter and soup the old fashioned way, and also make candles.  It was a fun, interactive field trip and I learned a few new things myself!  The kids were encouraged to dress the part, so it was fun to see what they wore (even though they had to wear their coats over top!)

Making candles by dipping string into hot wax.

The kids walked in a circle, alternately dipping their string
into hot wax and then water.  This process kept adding
thin layers and the candles slowly grew larger.

Finished product!

Touring an old Inn

Chopping vegetables for soup.

Churning butter.

Well behaved boys in school.

Doing math problems on a slate.

I love this girl!!