The Accidental Boilermaker

Fort4fitness was this past weekend. The kids marathon was supposed to be Friday night but the race was canceled due to storms. It was sad because Evelyn and Jameson worked hard to get ready but nobody wants to run in thunder and lightening. We are waiting to hear if somehow the race can be rescheduled. My dad and I both ran the half marathon and both had good times. I actually ran almost the exact same time as last year - 2:13:35. It’s a tiny bit disappointing because you always want to be faster but not being any slower is definitely a good thing.  

Meredith and Jeremy were here last week.  They had flown back for some weddings and were able to spend a few days with us in Indiana. On Wednesday we went to the zoo with a friend of Meredith and Jeremy's who also has a little boy just a little younger than Jameson. I think Jameson liked having the wagon (even if he had to share) and being carried by Uncle Jeremy. Don't worry; Evelyn got plenty of piggy back rides home from the bus stop. Wednesday afternoon we went apple picking.  So far we've made an apple dutch baby, apple chips and apple butter. Thursday after picking Jameson up from school we went to Rise'n'Roll where Jeremy's cousin is the owner.  He gave us free donuts!  Of course we had to bring one home for Evelyn. It was sad when they had to leave Friday morning, but we had a great time together.

Evelyn lost her first tooth this week!  The tooth fairy brought her a new book. And Jameson learned how to ride the pedal bike!  He still needs help getting started and to stop he just goes off into the grass but he can do it. 

Evelyn and Jameson started park district soccer last night. It’s only 4 sessions but Jameson gets 45 minutes of instruction and Evelyn gets 60. It starts late enough in the evening that Nate is able to meet us after work, but we get home late for a school night. Jameson’s class required adult participation but the only part he needed me was when they practiced passing. He did a great job listening to his coaches and following directions. Evelyn’s class is all girls. Jameson’s is half and half. We didn’t take any pictures of Evelyn because they were out in the field, doing their thing and we didn’t feel like we needed to be right there, getting in the way. 

We took one last camping trip to Chain o' Lakes.  The weather mostly cooperated.  It started raining Friday on the drive to the campground.  It rained enough to make the ground muddy and to make setting up the tent mildly annoying but we were still able to have a campfire and roast hot dogs for dinner.  Evelyn and Jameson didn't seem to mind the rain. Saturday was a beautiful day.  We had egg in a hole for breakfast and then once it seemed like most of the campground was awake we let the kids ride their bikes. We stayed on the primitive side which had less car traffic and a big oval perfect for biking. Before lunch we went on a nice hike. Then after lunch we walked/biked to the one of the camp playgrounds and afterward got popcorn at the camp store. For dinner we made hobo pies.  Instead of using firewood we used charcoal (a trick we learned from my dad) and Nate couldn't get over how easy it was. Instead of...

Jameson’s first day of school!  Evelyn was pretty excited too. When I woke her up she said let’s get JJ and say “happy first day of school!” Instead of driving to the bus stop, I decided to walk and then just hustle back home to get in the car to drive to church. It worked (today) and we made it to school in plenty of time.  It was a little strange driving home with no one in the backseat. I ran, showered, and then headed back to school to enjoy a coffee and read my book until Jameson was finished. The first thing he told me was how much fun he had at school. 

This Labor Day weekend so went to Kenosha to celebrate Clarence's 90th birthday! The party started at an Italian restaurant for lunch.  Unsure of the timing/length of everything, we took a tip from Amanda and let the kids pick out a small lego set from the store before we left. My Aunt Ginger also picked up some disposable cameras which Evelyn and Jameson loved. Back the house we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. The birthday boy. This morning we went for a short hike at a nature preserve before having brunch with my mom and dad, There were lots of wild flowers.  We didn't pick this one; it was on the path. After brunch we went to a park to let Evelyn and Jameson burn off some energy before the drive home.  Evelyn has become pretty good at the monkey bars.  She has the callouses on her hands to prove it too.