Halloween Pics!

Here are just a few pictures from our Halloween night. I can not believe how BIG these kids are! It was pure joy watching them run down the street giggling as they went house-to-house ringing doorbells. All afternoon Russell kept saying, "Mom, I'm so happy today. I'm so happy!" And as a mom, there is nothing that makes me more happy than seeing the happiness in my own children!

The neighborhood gang!

Rainbow Dash Pony, Mario, Super Girl, The Frog Princess, Jets Football Player, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Jake The Pirate, Jango Fett, Astronaut, Captain America, and Tigger

Russell and Antonio - Are they really entering their 6th year?!?!

Casey and Sloane - Two Tough Chicks!

The Night Before Halloween

More pictures... We finished up the weekend with pumpkin carving! The kids couldn't wait to get their hands in those pumpkins. I am sure I will have more pictures to post tomorrow after our fun Halloween festivities! We will be hosting our annual neighborhood gathering followed by trick-or-treating.

Soccer Saturday

Russell's last soccer game was today. He is definitely not the most competitive boy out there, but he had a LOT of fun and made some great new friends! Sloane just began her indoor soccer last week so we still have a couple more months to enjoy the sport of soccer. Here are a few shots of our soccer superstars!

All over that ball!

Russell was great at supporting his teammates! Always ready to give a high five or shout out, "way to go buddy!"

Throw in.

The Pirates!

Take a bow team!

Striking a pose for soccer!

All ready. Let's go!

No Time to Spare!

This weekend was jam packed with fall festivities. Sloane began indoor soccer this week so Saturday meant back-to-back soccer games. Thankfully Russell's season is almost over so we won't have too many weekends to juggle double soccer games. Following soccer, we headed to Greenfield Village for Halloween Nights. We love this yearly tradition. Unfortunately, my camera has been acting up so I didn't get any photos from our adventures there. Upon arriving home last night, we found that our house had been "booed!" This means a neighbor had left some spectacular treats at our doorstep. The kids were THRILLED with what they found - especially the Scooby Doo DVD! Now it is our turn to pick a neighbor to "BOO." Today we headed to the bowling alley for a birthday party. The kids are now completely worn out and ready for an afternoon nap (me too)! As for Aron, he'll be spending the next few hours rooting for the Lions.

Sloane could not wait to get out on the field! She has been looking forward to indoor soccer since June. If she had it her way, she would play a different sport every night of the week.

Costumes on and ready for Greenfield Village! We will be getting a LOT of use out of these costumes this year. Each child has 3 more costume parties to attend.

Checking out the goodies that were left on our doorstep! Both kids are desperately trying to solve the mystery of who "booed" us!

It's Over!

IT'S OVER! I finished in 4:26. NOT at all the time I wanted, but momentous just the same. It was windy, cool, and spitting rain. The weather didn't seem that difficult to maneuver, but I made some other mistakes while I ran. I got off to a slow start due to the crowds and then I tried to make up time by going WAY too fast. Sprinting over the Ambassador Bridge was probably not a good idea :-) By the time I got to 7 miles, I was hurting all over. From then on my pace kept slipping. Luckily my mind was good and there was NO WAY I was going to stop. I was determined to keep going - just at a slower pace. The experience was great. It was a very emotional weekend for me. The American Cancer Society honored their team with a dinner on Friday evening. I cried 4 times by the end of the night. Saturday I was calm, but anxious. I slept great and woke up ready. Unfortunately with running, it doesn't take much to mess up your run. Between unsteady pacing and weather, I just couldn't stick to my 8:58 pace. I have decided to allow myself pouting time today, but after that I am going to relish in the pleasure that I accomplished my goal. I raised over $3,000 for a cause that is so dear to my heart and I never lost sight of my mom! It was very inspiring to have other marathoners run up to me saying, "Thank you for your cause." or "Keep it up! Keep running for your mom." or "Your shirt has inspired me to run faster." or "Your shirt just gave me a reason to keep going." Mom was not only pushing me along, but many others! That is her style...always looking out for everyone!!! Love you Mom! I hope that I made you proud. Oh - I can't forget. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to EVERYONE out there cheering me on in the cold and to everyone rooting for me at home!!!! I really LOVED getting your texts, emails, and seeing your smiling faces as I ran. OK, I am about to cry again. Time to sign off, but not before one final quote...

Quote of the week: "Everything you ever wanted to know about yourself you can learn in 26.2 miles."

Checking out the route the evening before.

Like my race shirt? I had to add some iron on decals! A hug from Dad after I finish.

My two smallest cheerleaders! What a family! Enduring the weather just for me! I love you guys!My cheering squad! YOU ROCK!!!Will she be my future marathoner?YES! I have conquered!Leigh and I! She completed the 1/2 marathon then came out to cheer for me. She even got back on the path to help me get through the last mile - running beside me just like in training!

A Yearly Tradition

A day at Westview Orchards is always fun, especially when the weather is 70 degrees! I can not believe our neighborhood kids are growing up so FAST! The oldest of the bunch are in kindergarten and the youngest is almost 1 1/2. A pretty decent dozen if I do say so!!! Check out our fun in the sunny pumpkin patch!!!

11 out of 12 (the youngest was on the loose)! Seems like just yesterday these kids were crawling around the orchard.

Our kindergarten boys! What's the saying? "Frogs and snails and puppy dogs' tails." 100% ALL AMERICAN BOYS!

Mmmmmm...cider!

Catching the train to the pumpkin patch!

On the hunt for the "BIGGEST pumpkin EVER!" Sloane's words!

Don't they ever get tired?

Found it!!!

Found another!

Yeah!!! Now who is going to carry them?Our Family!

Thank You!

I ran 10 miles this morning and can fully say that I AM READY! Marathon... BRING IT ON!!!

With that said, I have another purpose for blogging today. I want to say thank you to everyone...

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing today to say THANK YOU! Thank you for all the support you have shown me during my latest challenge - running a marathon! I am down to my final 7 days and am gearing up for an amazing day in Detroit as I make my way through 26.2 miles of craziness! I am proud to say that I am the highest fundraiser for Team DetermiNations's Detroit team. I have raised just over $2,800 for the American Cancer Society. I truly appreciate the support you have lent me not only through donations, but through words of encouragement and signs of compassion. I thank my Uncle for being the force behind my cheering squad and for pulling off such a heartfelt surprise. I must say a special thank you to my dad for all the mornings he watched Russell and Sloane this summer while I headed out for my runs and for believing in me. I need to say a BIG thank you to my running partner and dear friend, Leigh. Without her, I never would have taken my first step back into running and I NEVER would have thought distance running would be my thing. Not to mention that the winter months and 4:30 wake up calls would never exist without her! I also want to thank Aron (my wonderful hubby) for supporting my running obsession :-) I know that although he hasn't put the miles on his running shoes, he still has trained for this marathon with me. Most importantly, I need to thank my mom. Running a marathon used to be one of those things that I thought would be cool to say I did, but I never imagined I would be able to do it. My mom's final few weeks taught me so much. Her spirit and energy for life is my inspiration. I run this marathon for her! Her passion, endurance, energy, spirit, and love will guide me through every step.

With all my gratitude,

Kirsten

P.S. It is not too late to donate! Check out my personal page at:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/DetermiNation/DNFY11GL?px=22338134&pg=personal&fr_id=34799

Donations will be accepted until November 17, 2011

I found a few photos online that I had to share. You never know what you will hear or see while competing in a road race. Check it out:

Quote of the week: "The fastest way to the finish is running."