A Long Weekend

Saturday morning we went to The Color Run in Atlantic City. It was grey and rainy but we decided to go for it anyway. The kids were excited and had fun getting their tattoos and headbands ready.

We arrived early (possibly a mistake on a rainy day) and waited in the rain.

Just as the race was about to begin, the rain got harder and we realized the worst thing about the site was it was right next to the bay- so the wind was added to the rain. We ran to the first color - purple- together. Then it was decided that anyone who wanted to could head back to the car. Rudy was cold and wet and done, so he and Paul went to the car and Niko, Jada and I headed to the next color- blue. Within a minute or two after Rudy and Paul left, Niko said he was done, but we pressed on to blue with the decision that after that we would call it a day. (we also took a little short cut to blue :) )

Here's a picture Paul posted as he and Rudy waited in the car. Once we all made it back to the car we headed home for hot chocolate, dry clothes and a lazy day at home.

I did a lot of cooking during the day and decided we should make a dessert. I gave Rudy and Niko the choice of making rainbow cupcakes (we later dubbed them Color Run cupcakes) or cupcakes in a cone. They decided we should combine them and do both. 

Making the cupcakes was messy but the boys had fun.


Monday we were all off, the weather was once again grey and rainy, but we headed to the Cape May Zoo.

A beautiful red-tailed hawk

A big cow

Testing to see how close they could get to the peacock

A crazy bunch

All the different deer hanging out

Our crazy crew

Summer Fun

So far Rudy has had a fun and crazy summer. He spent the first week of July at a local camp. Every day was a different theme. One day they had to dress as their group name. His group was The Funky Frontmen (it was an all-music theme). Here is our funky frontman and then a picture of his group.

This is a first day of camp picture (taken from the camp's facebook page).

First day playing volleyball.

One day was camper and counselor switch places, so Rudy dressed in a black shirt, since that's what the counselors wore.

And then one day they had a camp version of The Color run. Rudy was excited about this, since he'd done it before. Obviously they didn't run 5K. Rudy wouldn't let me take a picture of him after camp, but I got a good picture of his hat later.

Last week Rudy and I were at home together. We did some things locally and just stayed home a lot (it's been really hot)!
Friday was fort day. Rudy started this and I gave him a little help with it.

Since we were hanging out at home, I made him a smoothie and put a lid on it so he could drink it in his fort. Look carefully in the background and you will see Moonie in the fort. He really liked playing in it, too.

Trying to get Moonie to cooperate for a picture.

Just chillin'

The Happiest 5K on the Planet

This past weekend we headed down to Maryland to visit our camping friends. The drive down on Friday was pretty easy and Rudy and Lily immediately jumped into playing well together.
On Saturday we met up with our other camping friends and went to a farm. There was so much to do at this farm, it kept 5 kids busy for hours (and I think they all would have been happy to stay longer).

There was the bounce pillow.

 

 

Even Kim got into the fun on it.

 

 

 

There was a fun slide.

 

 

 

 

 

A huge rooster.

 

There was water play (thankfully it wasn't particularly cold).

And a playground pirate ship (or at least that's what the kids called it), that at one point was entirely filled with Guatemalans.

 

 

There was hay to play in and jump off.

And a 'corn box' to play in.

There were goats to feed and pet.

Roosters...

and bunnies.

As Kim put it, Ashton is a man's man, given the choice he would have Paul or Olav walk with him.

A tube slide.

And lots of bikes to ride.

We even went on a hayride (but since none of us wanted to pick pumpkins, we just rode it down and back).

After the farm, Chris, Megan, Lily and Charlotte went home and the rest of us went back to Kim and Olav's. Some rested (pretty much the oldest and youngest in the group), and those of us in the middle ages watched TV or read. (I'll let everyone make their own assumptions about who did what.)

For dinner we headed to the downtown area. Fortunately it was a nice night because the restaurant could either seat us immediately outside, or we'd have to wait 45 minutes for inside. With 3 hungry kids, outside it was.

Even more fortunately, there was a band. So the kids that might have been cranky or hungry when the food took a while, were happy to dance and listen to the music. (All blurry shots are of people dancing.)

After dinner we walked back to our cars.

We made a stop outside the library with some statues.

Sunday morning we were all up and out before the sun rose. Our main reason for heading to Maryland for the weekend was The Color Run in National Harbor. The Color Run is a fun 5K run where every kilometer you are colored with a mixture of cornstarch and coloring as you run through the color station. It was a very family friendly event. We weren't sure how the kids were going to do, but they all made it - Ashton in the stroller and all the others walking and running. At the start, we stayed together, but Rudy quickly took off running so I ran with him. He may need to join cross country. I was able to get him to stop after the first color station until everyone caught up, but after that he didn't want to stop. He finally agreed to wait for Paul to catch up so that they could run together for the last few kilometers.

The start of the no pictures decree from Rudy.

The girls all ready to go.

Since Chris and Megan and the girls got there nice and early, we were able to be in the first wave of runners.

The last color station- blue.

Looking from blue to the finish line - where more color is rising.

At the finish line.

After the race there was music and frequent throwing of more color. The kids had a blast getting even more colored.

Since Paul was running with a kid on both sides of him, he barely got colored for the first few color stations. The kids remedied that at the finish line.

More dancing.

Trying to get as close to the color and the stage as possible.

We all had a great weekend and will be participating in the Color Run again, at least once, maybe more next year.