What a perfect day!
Bigs and Littles together and celebrating HopeKids!
It warms a Momma's heart to have so many of her kids altogether!
Katie (with Bennett in the stroller), Billy, Mark, Kari and Johnny
ran (okay, some may have walked) the 5K race!
Sarah, Mia, Ellie, Ava, Jenny, Melissa,
Anna, Abby, Sam and Madeline joined them!
Sam was our family winner for the day!
He also came in 2nd in his age group!
He did a great job and his time was 27 minute 45 second!
Pretty awesome for his first time, EVER!
Sarah came in 2nd place!
And 2nd place in the category of girls 19 and under!
And Melissa was 3rd place!
Followed by Jenny and Abby!
The rest of us were part of the cheering section!
(Yay, Billy- first big to cross the finish line!)
Way to go Madeline!
And Anna!
Next up was Ellie, Ava and Johnny!
Ellie does Unified Track at school!
So proud of her!
And then Mark, Bennett, Katie and Kari!
They may have walked a bit... or a lot!
Just so happy they were with us!
Way to go Mia!
She loved the welcoming committee!
Time for snacks and beverages before the next race!
Ready for the FUN RUN!
The runners and the helpers!
I was demoted to a photographer, talker with adults and a fan!
I'm at peace with my role!
Next up was the FUN RUN!
It was a half mile run!
Ben did a great job!
He wears an AFO so we thought the longer run(5K) might be too much?!
Okay... the truth...
he breaks his AFO every 3-6 months.
It doesn't make our insurance company very happy,
although the people that make his braces
are very impressed by his athleticism!
Personally, I see these people a little more than I want too...
so I was hoping not to break them in less than 2 months...
this time...
And now Joey is crossing the finish line!
Jake was right behind him!
Way to go GRACE!
She is running, while wearing 2 AFO's and a back brace!
YOU GO GIRL!
Have I told you how much I admire these amazing children!
Truly,
they ROCK!
And then our sweet youngest daughter!
Many of you have noticed her in our family pics!
We will officially introduce her at the end of the summer/early fall!
Her story is her own and not for us to share
but I will share how blessed we are to have her in our family!
I am so thankful to be a Momma and Nana of these amazing kiddos!
They bring so much joy to our lives,
every single day!
They LOVE their medals!
(Our granddaughter Emily, 5 yrs old!)
Way to go sweetie!
You finished the race!
(Our granddaughter Ali, 3yrs old)
Jenny, you are soooo strong!
Yes, I am being sarcastic!
Some of the kids had fun with the extreme sports!
Potential weight lifter?
We feed Joe seconds, thirds, and fourths,
just hoping he will gain weight!
If only we all could have his metabolism!
That rope is soooooo heavy!
Thankfully, they got some super strong people to help them out!
What a joy to have these 4 join us!
and this guy,
who's having a father/son moment...
Truth, he was giving his Dad a hard time for wearing khaki's
and not running clothes!
Next year Mom and Dad will make their
debut!
Have you ever tried the hula hoop?
I can't do it?
We loved watching our grands and younger kiddos try to figure it out.
Some of them are quite good!
They others will get it soon!
Me,
nope... no hope!
They enjoyed learning about the fire truck
and the firefighters!
Love you Emma!
Emily sitting in the fire truck!
And trying on the necessary equipment!
It's a tad bit heavy!
She may have to wait a few years before she is ready to fight fires!
This guy should be a MODEL
for fireman gear!
While wearing a medal for running!
He is our heart baby and
he came in first place of our middle/little crew!
We get a front row seat to God's miracles!
As cute as can be!
Our two granddaughters are as different as day and night!
I am guess Emily had no problem running up to
Goldy the Golden Gopher!
But Ali,
Only wanted a gentle hug!
(if even that!)
Ya know, he's kinda scary!
When you're only 3!
Perfect!
Keep practicing!
I see more grandchildren in my future!
It's not a party unless
there are Princess's present!
And large ground moving equipment!
FYI,
the smiles are so precious,
I needs to share all of them!
We tried to leave many times
but the kids just kept having fun!
And they were dancing!
I love it when they are dancing!
It tells me that they are uninhibited
and enjoying themselves!
Dance away!
What a great morning and early afternoon!
Now, it's time to go home...
because the parents are exhausted!
The kids would have NEVER left...
Thank you
HOPEKIDS!
