The Fourth - A Recap

Birthdays are always fun - America's is no exception!

We kicked off the big day with a 5K.  Justin and I returned to the scene of our very first race - twelve years (and two kids, countless other 5Ks, nine half-marathons, and two 26.2s) later.  It was hard to believe that we thought the course was hard and hilly way back then.  It was actually sort of a piece of cake now - even with Justin lugging that hefty double jogger!

The kids were not as excited to finish the 3.1 as Justin was.

Lissie also showed off her running skills during the kids one-mile fun run.  For days leading up to the race, she told me that she was not only going to run, but she was going to "jump, skip, and dance" down the road, as well.  And, true to form, she did.  I was so proud of her for running (and jumping, skipping, and dancing) the whole way!  She had so much fun.  I can see some cross country meets in our near future, haha.

Lissie's #1.  Of course.

With the supergirl!

You'd think he ran the race, too.

Stretching and goofing.

Oh, that look of determination on her face.

 It was such a family friendly race, complete with bounce houses, treats, and access to the YMCA water park.  We spent the good chunk of the morning there - until Lissie got too cold and Xavier got too upset (since, you know, fun isn't really his thing).

With Lady Liberty and the Bald Eagle

Afterwards, we enjoyed a lovely lunch at Lola's house, complete with halo-halo for dessert.  We all took naps there before another feast of a meal for dinner.

Relaxing on the hammock after dinner

Then we said our good-byes to Lissie, as she spent the night with the grandparents so she could stay up to see the fireworks while we took Xavier (who, again, isn't a big fan of fun, staying up late, and loud noises) home for bed.

This morning when we picked up Lissie, she told us all about the colors of the fireworks and all of the fireflies she caught while she was waiting for the big display.  But, in true Lissie form, she quickly tired of the fireworks and opted to read her books by the nearby street lamp.  Oh, my little running bookworm.

Such a wonderful way to kickstart Justin's off weekend.  Because, of course, there's much more fun in store.....

Happy birthday, America!