This year, Tom had to skip the SV Turkey Trot because he injured his hip during last week’s run, but we still took the kids to do their races.
Traffic was so horrible just getting to the parking lot that despite the fact that we left plenty of time to get there, we were nearly late! But, once we realized the whole traffic situation was just ridiculous, Tom pulled the car over and I hustled the kids over to their respective start lines….
We didn’t want the kids to miss their start times, so I stuck with Cameron while Dylan and Tom lined up for Dylan’s race. As you can see, Dylan did awesome! This was the first race where he basically had to get ditched at the start line (poor planning on the organizer’s part, I think–there were a lot of crying and scared kids) and he had to wait a looooooooong time before his wave of 15 runners or so got to get going, but he braved it out and ran like a champ (and, of course, as soon as he saw/heard Cameron and I on the sidelines cheering him on, he started veering towards us instead of the finish line!!).
I’m not surprised he was in one of the last waves of kids; he is still one of the least non-aggressive kids I’ve ever met and I’m sure he got jostled to the back in the line-up…!
Once he’d crossed the finish line, I was worried about losing him. I had no idea where Tom was and I had several feet to cross — through crowds, no less — to get to him, so I tried calling him back towards me (being separated from my kid, for even a moment, was enough to irk me about the event planning set up as well). Luckily, Tom was somewhere near the finish line already having hustled there after lining Dylan up for his race and, by the time I got there with Cameron, I could see that Dylan was with him! Phew!
Dylan was so stoked about this run, he wore his medal for a long time afterward and he wore his race bib all day!! His cousins even talked about doing the event next year!
Poor Cameron had a less positive experience. She was so freaked out by the mascots there — and possibly the crowds as well — that she didn’t want me to even put her down! Prior to her run, I tried to settle her down by pointing the finish line out, etc., but even I could tell that if I put her down where her line of sight would be quickly reduced to the backs of the kids around her, she would quickly return to an anxious state! So, I just held on to her and when she protested running on her own, I didn’t push it and I jogged with her in my arms to her finish line!
By the end of her little run, she was still so freaked out by the mascots, she didn’t even want to have anything to do with her goodies (water bottle, t-shirt, hand sanitizer on a key ring!)!
After the race, we headed to Cindy’s house for the usual Thanksgiving family fun….Dylan and Tyler immediately took off to play and poor napless Cameron, clung to me like a cheap suit (as a result, pictures are limited!!)!
Dylan discovered a new obsession: Snap Circuits. And, it’s true, they’re pretty cool. You complete the circuit to power up things like a buzzer, a small light, and a microphone(?). He and Tyler created a project with a light and a device that played happy birthday and had us all crawl into Jason and Tyler’s massive tent to “camp” in the dark! Even Cameron had a blast! Jason and Tyler think it’s hilarious when she laughs and they all just erupt in contagious laughter! It’s really pretty sweet!
Anyway, one of the pros and cons of traveling for Tgiving, on the heels of a morning run, no less, is that everything must be cooked the night before (the upside, of course, is that once we got to Cindy’s house, it was all about just finishing/warming things up in the oven)! And, both luckily and unluckily, I got downed by a horrid tooth infection this year and could barely function so I basically had to call in sick from work. In half-zombie state, I was able to do a lot of prep work for our meal during the day (and I even managed to check in a little code, too!). This year’s menu was maple-glazed brussels sprouts, candied sweet potatoes, pumpkin praline cheesecake and butternut squash filled with a fig-pecan stuffing (Tom, as per usual, handled the entree!). We also picked up a Field Roast from the store and Cindy had actually prepped some spaghetti squash for us along with some cranberry sauce. Delicious. Even Dylan really, really liked the butternut squash! And, of course, Cameron ate up brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes like there was no tomorrow….
Another year, another fun, family Thanksgiving!! We are grateful for wonderful family and friends, good food and, most especially, for Grandma Sharon’s safe (and hopefully fast!) post-surgery recovery.
