CamPort - 2009-February

CamPort > 2009 > 2009-February

Another (painful but) great race!
2009-02-15 (Sunday) 21:15 CST

Sarah ran and finished her third marathon today, in Austin, TX. She finished in 3:24:24, to cut another 1:46 off her previous personal best. The boys and I are so proud!

Based on what I've read, the Austin course is ideal for those who run negative splits. According to the author of this article, it's because "most of the tough running (but not all) is in the first half of the course, with plenty of downhills in the second half."

I don't think Sarah trained specifically for this type of course, so when I talked to her shortly after the race, her legs were in a lot of pain from all those hills -- especially some of the "short" ones near the finish (I'm sure they didn't seem short to her).

Nevertheless, her time was good enough to put her comfortably in the top 2% of all female finishers (26th out of 1583), and in the top 3% of her age group (7th out of 289). Not too shabby. Plus, she beat 89% of the 2442 men that finished the race. So I think she did very well indeed.

Congratulations, Mom; we love you!

Sesame Street Live
2009-02-06 (Friday) 23:58 CST

Grandma B came to our house this past weekend to take the boys to Sesame Street Live. The Sprint Center is the largest theater they have attended, so this was a big deal to them. Grandma B reported that Cameron and Porter stayed in their seats the entire show. Cameron said the story was about Elmo looking for a place to grow his flower that had outgrown its flower pot. Grandma even took them out for pizza after the show, so she was a big hit all weekend. Grandma and dad helped me out all weekend, since unfortunetly I was home sick with the flu.

Keeping busy indoors
2009-02-06 (Friday) 21:17 CST

It has been a long winter since Christmas. A lot of cold cold days that have kept us cooped up inside. To keep from getting cabin fever, I have brought out new Christmas toys a little at a time to keep boredom to a minimum. The boys love playing dress up and the train has been a big hit. Cameron stays really busy with his star wars and indiana jones figures, buildling block structures for them to play on. I have to initiate art activities, which once involved, they both seem to enjoy for short spurts. We have ventured out to Wonderscope Children's Museum and Pump it up a few times to burn off restless energy. I dream of warm spring days when we can get the cobwebs off our bikes and venture to the parks and zoo again soon.

Winter Break in Columbia
2009-02-06 (Friday) 21:06 CST

Cam, Porter, and I spent a few days in Columbia over Christmas break with Grandma and Grandpa B. We visited the Youzeum, which is an interactive children's museum all about promoting physicial health. For more information check out the Youzeum website.

One morning we went for a swim at the Community Center and another day it was warm enough to spend awhile at the park. It was nice to relax and let the grandparents take over for a few days. I had some much needed rest.

"Look Look Look"
2009-02-05 (Thursday) 22:05 CST

The age of 4 is one of the most difficult years to delay gratification. Christmas could not come soon enough for Cameron. I think he started asking me when Christmas would be here about a week after his birthday in June. He had already started anticipating the next time he would have a large supply of presents to open. So for months we have counted down days and struggled through tantrums about when Christmas will be here. It is disheartening at times when you try to educate your child on the "true meaning of Christmas", but at the same time know that you, along with millions of other American moms, spoil your kids with gifts on Christmas day. But witnessing Christmas through the eyes of a child is magical and I don't want the innocence of being amazed about Santa's ability to come down the chiminey to leave their imagination any time soon.

So I think the boys received a lot of cool things this holiday that we have enjoyed playing with through these cold winter days. I believe Cameron's favorite gift was his red cowboy boots from his cousin Seth, that go perfect with his cowboy vest from Grandma. Porter loved every gift he opened. His most exciting gift is the remote control train from Grandma and Grandpa B. because that is all he ever asks for; more trains.

But even mom's can be surprised on Christmas. When I unwrapped a large box with two bike tires, I was pleased to find out they belonged to a bike trailer. The boys and I can now take fun trail rides together this spring.

Christmas Eve 2008
2009-02-05 (Thursday) 22:04 CST

We started the Christmas Eve celebration with making a brownie birthday cake for Jesus. The boys threw every type of sprinkle they could find to make his cake the most special cake. We all attended the Christmas Eve service at our church and then headed out to Grandma and Grandpa L's to celebrate and exchange gifts. The boys loved all their gifts from their grandparents and Uncle Brian. Cameron especially loved the leather cowboy vest that grandma made for him. He could not wait to get home and strap on his holsters.

Last modified: 2010-01-03 (Sunday) 22:40 CST