Lake Lanier Under the Lights

A little while ago I teamed up with Sarah to start running in the mornings. I'm the kind of person that enjoys the company of someone else if I am going to go and do something fun. I enjoy the company. We ran in the Spring, took a break in the summer, then returned to running in September. Our husbands have been so sweet to let us get up and go running for a little over half an hour three days a week. Sarah has some experience behind her so I like to ask questions about how to improve my running endurance. About a month ago Lindy decided to get into shape as well so she became more motivated by finding a race we could all run in. So we all signed up for the Lake Lanier 5k.

I wore my Boston long sleeved shirt because it was the only one I had. As I was walking around a guy asked if I ran in the Boston Marathon. Well you know I am extremely fit now so the marathon up there would be cake! I laughed inside. Here we have Lisa, Lindy and myself, we couldn't find Sarah.

Henry was gearing up for the race. Free glow in the dark bracelets were being handed out, sweet!

I felt so official in this race, I had a number and I had a tag on my shoe. So cool. (I went running a couple of days later and I still had the tag on my shoe)

We found Sarah just before the race began. So it's me, Sarah, Lindy and Lisa.

During the race the kids were having some fun in the grass. It was a little chilly but it was a lot of fun for the kids.

Henry really loves his back pack that he gets to be in. Notice his little thumb and play with his hair move. He does it all the time. Willie looks pretty good. ;)

I had considered taking the boys on the run but I'm glad that I decided not to. There were a few little hills I wasn't expecting. It was nice to just have a good run.

Here we are at the end. Sarah was first coming in around 33 minutes, Lisa was close behind only a couple of minutes behind her. Lindy and I came in somewhere around 38 or 39 minutes. The light display behind us was Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz. Thanks for a great race ladies.

Sarah and I holding our kids after a nice little race.
I love when Lincoln get cuddly.
I tried taking pictures of some of the lights but I'm not use to the camera just yet. We did a short video on the way out but it is in the car so if you don't watch then I understand. :)

Amicalola Falls Hike

The weather has been extremely nice recently so we decided to go on a hike the first weekend in November. We had a small chilly spell but we noticed the weather was beginning to warm up again. We were lucky to have so many of our close friends with the same thought. I believe there were six families total. All but one of the families had three kids. The morning was chilly and we tried to be brave and dress for cool weather rather than freezing cold. I feel like my body has adjusted too well to the Georgia climate. I miss the snow and eating soup and drinking hot chocolate. Whenever there is a colder day in Georgia I try to make soup but the left overs aren't as good on a warm day which is sure to follow a cold one.

It's been about two years since we traveled to Amicalola Falls. The last time was in the Spring and it seemed to take a really long time to do. This time we must have been distracted by something else or as I like to think, I am much more fit now. Willie and I were looking for a couple photo, but it is a little difficult when you have a growth on your back (a cute one though).
I wanted a picture of just the boys but once again it was difficult to do with me getting in the way with every shot.
Here are a few of the kids, mind you not all but a few. Three boys vs. how many girls. There were more boys there but many of them showed up after we made it to the top.
Don't mind the random guy in this picture. I like the view but I wish had thought to take a picture of the trees and the view without the guy.Our family photo.
Lincoln is throwing leaves into the water that went into the waterfall. I love when he wears his baseball 'cat.'
Even though Henry is not smiling in this photo he was so excited to get into the back pack and go for a hike. He loved it.

All the ladies except for one. When do we ever get a shot like this? Thank you Cynthia for thinking of doing it. We meant to get one of the dudes but forgot by the time we reached the top.

When we made it to the top we gave the kids some snacks and I took Henry up to the lodge with Danielle and her baby to give him some food and to sit down somewhere warm. There were some beautiful wooden rocking chairs on their back lawn and as we were sitting down there was a man playing the bagpipes. He played beautifully. I had wondered how long he had been playing. The day was so pleasant and peaceful. Many of the families joined us up on top. After about half an hour I wondered where Willie was because he had come to the lodge with someone else but Willie disappeared. We ended up calling him and he found us but was a little stressed because the boys were hungry and Lincoln had been riding on his shoulders for much of the morning. I gave him a break and I watched the boys. I don't know if was really much of a break though because he ran back to the car to drive it to the top and to get our lunch.

Parker and Lincoln are getting their snacks and being so cute together on the bench.

Up on top of the mountain we could see oranges, yellows and even brown. Beautiful blue skies.

Lincoln warmed up to the idea of playing where the other kids had played. Lincoln tends to do better in smaller crowds. Like me I guess.
Henry did really well having missed his morning nap and pushing back his afternoon nap. He really does love the camera case.
All of the kids were turning over the rocking chairs and turning them into forts and ships. Parker and Lincoln did their own thing. I worry sometimes about their social interaction but they really do do better in smaller groups. Lincoln really did watch what all the kids were doing and then when about half of them were gone he went on to play just as all the kids had been.

Parker and Lincoln playing on their own little fort.

Wolferts.
Parker.
Henry and me.I'm goin' on a bear hunt... well it was a little walk around a grouping of trees but the kids were entertained.
Jeremy teaching the kids about bugs and leaves.

The end of the day was drawing nigh and we all said our good byes. There was an owl demonstration going on in the lodge. Many of us were heading that way. One of the boys, not ours, decided to go on a hike himself. He was gone. For half an hour many of the adults searched. Luckily many of us did stay and we were able to broaden our search and have a few adults to look after the kids. With the experience of the lost child this day I tried to really be grateful for every moment I get with my kids and try to teach them things that I hope they will always remember. If my kids were gone today what have I taught them to help them remember Jesus Christ? I hope my kids remember the songs I sing to them, our family time, prayer, service, pictures of Jesus and His life. I want my kids to know that I love their dad and that I love them. There may be times where I am not the best mom but I hope that as we get older I hope that I will become the best mom for my kids. Thank you for a beautiful day. Thank you for the warmth of the sun and the wonderful company. Thank you for happiness.

HIlton Head, SC

We had some friends invite us down to Hilton Head in October. We decided about a day before that we would go down. The drive was a little over four hours. The boys did great in the car for so long. In honor of Anna we took a picture of the gas station we stopped at. El Cheapo.

We arrived Friday evening in Savannah and we continued on to Tybee Island. This was Henry's first experience on the beach. The boys played in the sand a little and we ate a little bit of dinner. We met up with a couple of the families at this time.Henry had a lot of fun in the sand. The birds kept trying to eat our food. The sun was setting and the beach was beautiful.
Henry is super excited.
The boys borrowed some buckets and shovels and started working. We didn't have them in their swim gear but for the most part they stayed clean.
Parker getting some water to take back up on the shore.
Everyone was looking at a boy who decided to use his flip-flop to attack the few random crabs that were in the tide pools.
One of the poor crabs that was attacked by the boy, don't worry it lived.
Saturday we were off to Hilton Head. The beach was a little crowded but enjoyable. As the tide kept creeping away from us during the day we kept moving our things further down the beach. Lincoln didn't really enjoy the ocean until we had a tide pool to play in, then he felt secure and really enjoyed himself. Parker was brave and played in the waves and went out further with Willie. Henry loved the toys and the sand. We kind of forgot to grab his swim shorts from the car.
Thanks to whomever brought the shooty thing. Lincoln loved pushing the water out.
A-dawg checking to make sure that Henry isn't getting into too much trouble.
A few of the toys we took.
The weather wasn't completely hot and the water wasn't incredibly warm. It was nice enough to wear a suit but you were cold in the water. Parker is here getting warm after a little while.
Best friends.

A cup and spoon. Why did we bring all those beach toys again?

J-dawg taking care of his little one. Staying out of the sun as much as possible.
Whose castle was the tallest. Out of all the kids it ended up being Willie. :)

The boogy board was cool. The waves weren't big enough to get a super good ride. To be honest I never tried it out. Perhaps I should have. I believe Willie gave it a shot though.

Thanks for a great trip everyone.