TOAST!

Must take loads of pictures this weekend. First of all it seems as if it has been forever since we've had new pictures. And second of all, we have loads to do. 


Eileen has a race. I have a race. 
And well, what more does a family need on a weekend?


In the mean time. 
Today/Tonight...


Bill and I leave work. Pick up Mini. She's bouncing off the walls. We head to Target. "COOKIE" says Mini. Manage to not spend hours in the store -but do manage to get some new running shoes for Mini. Last weekend I'd bought her a running skirt and tank, which will of course match mine. When I went with her to the library field trip on Tuesday, she promptly informed me that her current 'running shoes' no longer fit. 


This is not shocking. From the girl who grew three inches in roughly three months. 


Target has three options. 
*First- all white with some silver accents. They kind of almost sort of look like Jazz Dance shoes.Mommy is NOT liking them. 
*Second - some pink and white more traditional running shoes. Even have pink soles, somewhat resembling some Nikes. 
*Third - some awesome crazy blue and green numbers. Like uber cool pumas. 


Since we are not yet at the stage of needing actual arch support and or of having pronation concerns,  I of course want option 3. And somehow I manage to convince her THOSE are the shoes in which she should run her first race.


K. Fast forward to arriving at home. Well. Barely. I am not sure the car had come to a complete stop before she made her way over to Ryan's.  They played while Bill and I cleaned up and made dinner.  A really good pasta/spinach/spicy italian sausage deal that is sinfully good. 


After dinner we relieve Ryan's mommy and take the kiddos & Gracie on a walk.  Ryan on bike. Eileen running. She ran the whole time, which was about 30minutes. 


Me: Eileen. do NOT run fast down that hill!
Ryan: Yeah. If you do your face will be TOAST!
Eileen: but i HAVE to train for my race. 


but, she did slow down when it was time to go downhill. 


On our third lap, Ryan had abandoned his bike and opted to run along with Eileen. Approaching the downhill, I remind them not to run too fast.  Ryan proceeds to do it anyway. 


Eileen: Ryan! You told me not to run fast bc my face would be toast. Now YOUR face will be toast. And we cant have that if we're going to MARRY!


d y i n g.  she was dead serious. hair flying behind her, running in her skirt and pink shoes. yelling at her apparent future husband. 


and then, she got to the bottom of the hill.  caught up with Ryan. and they started uphill.  side by side, for a moment.


and then. she SCORCHED him. 


she took OFF. he ate her dust. 


I grinned ear to ear. Look at my girl go. Look at my girl run. She loves it. 


tomorrow me and her and bill will run the Kids Run. a mile. 


we'll finish in Neyland. 
she'll get a medal. 


She wants to take MY medal to school on Tuesday for show and tell. The medal I'll get on Sunday after I finish my half. 


She can take mine if she wants. If all goes well on Sunday, I'll have in my collection: four NYC full marathon medals, six Knoxville half marathon medals, and one each for Nashville, Memphis and Cincinnati half marathons.  


But what she doesn't know, what someday I hope she realizes, is that the medal she'll get tomorrow, the one for her very first race of one mile, will be the best medal in the whole dang collection. 


I can't wait.