Jingle Bell Jog 2011

We all ran the Jingle Bell Jog this morning. It's held in the school district where we lived when we first moved here. (Fort Worth holds one downtown too, but that one is big and mainly for adult runners; we wanted one that focused on kids to make it a better experience for Josh and Lucas.)

I ran in the 5K at 9 am, but the boys (and John, running with Lucas) ran the 1-miler at 10 am. So while I froze in the cold and wind during my race, they enjoyed hot chocolate and bounce houses inside the school:






Oh yeah, and Santa too!



They came out to cheer me along as I crossed the finish line. Then, even though other adult runners were still running the 5K and coming across the joint start/finish line, Josh wanted to line up for his race. He was very eager to get started and get a good position. He really wanted to win.

They had set out staggered starting places (with adults first, then high school, then middle school, then descending elementary grades) to keep everyone from bunching up and stampeding at the front of the line. I had to explain the chip timer system to Josh and reassure him that his time would not start to run until he crossed the start line, so he didn't have to push his way to the front.

He accepted my explanation and lined up at the "2nd grade" marker, all alone. Eventually (as the actual race start time came near), the others joined him. He did push ups, stretched, and generally got focused on the task at hand. He did not want me around bothering him and distracting him from his goal.

So I went over to hang out with Lucas, who was taking the opposite approach to his race preparations. Which is to say, he was dancing all around and being goofy (and super cute).

Jingle Bell Jog -- Josh

When the 1-mile race started, Santa led the way on his tractor:



Josh ran hard. He took off fast and kept a quick pace the whole time. And if it started to seem like people were catching up, he'd crank it up and run even faster. We asked him how he ran so hard (i.e., what he thought about; what motivated him) and he explained that there was a third-grader in front of him but he thought the kid was a second-grader, and he was trying to pass him so he could finish in first place. No one can ever say Josh is not competitive!

Josh rounds the turn off the track to enter the final leg of the race:



Crossing the finish line:



Enjoying his success (while having his chip timer cut off his shoe):

Jingle Bell Jog -- Lucas

And he's off! Lucas crosses the start line to begin his 1-mile run:



Lucas ran almost the whole way. He only needed one break the whole time. And he ran fast -- he finished with an 11-minute mile, which is pretty good for a four-year-old!

In the final stretch, John let him run ahead and finish as fast as he could. Here he comes racing across the finish line (John wasn't so far behind, he's just blocked in this photo by the woman in the hat):



Having his chip timer removed just past the finish line:




Receiving their finisher ribbons:

Jingle Bell Jog -- Awards Ceremony

Josh's hard work and great effort paid off. When the results were posted, sure enough, he had won the 2nd Grade division (and ran a 7:21 mile!):



He was very proud to receive his blue ribbon!




And we were pleasantly surprised to see that Lucas also won his division (pre-K)!


(if you can't read these results sheets, you can click on the pictures to open a larger version)

Lucas received a BIG cheer from the crowd when his name was called for the first-place ribbon in the pre-K division. People are always excited for these tiny runners!



And he was also very proud of his blue ribbon! He kept saying, "I can't believe I won!" He was so happy.



I'm so proud of my runners.

Goodbye golden locks -- Lucas's haircut

Lucas's hair has taken on the look of a bowl cut so it was time to get it trimmed. I usually ask them to take it up a little but leave it long on the top. But today, he had something else in mind.

Before:



He said he wanted his hair to look like this:



After:



He LOVES it!

The Supreme Court of the United States

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of appearing before the United States Supreme Court for oral argument in our case, Setser v. United States.

Look, my name is even on the brief!


Oral argument in our case was heard on November 30, 2011. Our appellate team was there, and my parents and sisters came too.

The Supreme Court building:



The Setser team on the Supreme Court steps immediately following oral argument: Matthew Wright, Richard Anderson, Joel Page, me, and Jason Hawkins.






My fan club at the post-argument luncheon: Mom, Dad, and Melanie:



and Michelle, Logan, and Sela:

A visit with Santa!

After enjoying the Parade of Lights last night to kick off our holiday season, it was time to meet with Santa. Josh and Lucas were both very excited. We didn't have to wait very long, and Santa knew exactly which toy the boys were describing as their wish for Christmas.

The boys are both getting so big.

Parade of Lights

We attended Fort Worth's Parade of Lights for the third year running. The boys enjoy seeing all the lighted floats and hearing the marching bands. But Lucas thinks there are entirely too many loud sirens!



The Rangers' float was Lucas's favorite.



Josh loved his light-up hat. The red stars light up and blink, and he received many compliments on his hat.



And everyone's favorite, of course, is Santa Claus!

Nash Elementary Turkey Trot

Friday, Josh's school held its annual Turkey Trot. The race length varies by grade: the pre-K and kindergarten students run 600 ft or so; 1st and 2nd grade run a half-mile; 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade run a mile. This year they also added a parents' race (1 mile), which I had planned to run, but instead I sat with the class so Josh's teacher could run the race. The students were very proud of her! Here is Ms. Mitchell's second grade class:



It was a beautiful day for the races. Here are the 1st and 2nd graders lining up for the start of their heat. Josh made sure to get a prime position.



It was an out-and-back course, so we got to cheer the kids on as they left, and then we had to wait until we saw them crest the hill again on their return (there were volunteers and police all along the course to make sure everyone was safe and made the turn). I was pleasantly surprised to see Josh returning all alone in 1st place (with a parent helper running alongside him):



Winner!

He was very proud of himself. In fact, he had been full of nervous energy all day, even though this race is just for fun. The first thing he said when he woke up Friday morning was, "I'm so nervous about my race." He kept saying his tummy hurt on the way to school. He was doing push-ups and jumping jacks during the other races as an outlet for all of his nervous energy. I'm going to have to work with him on managing his anxiety and the pressure to perform (a feeling I know well).

Post-race downtime:

And last but definitely not least, the medal ceremony! With my proud son earning his first-place medal. (If you use your imagination, you can almost hear the national anthem playing.)

Congratulations Josh!

Next up, the Jingle Bell Jog on December 10!

Lucas's first spelling test

Lucas just moved up to a new classroom at his preschool. His last class mainly played all day. His new class follows a pre-kindergarten curriculum, learning their letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, to get ready for school next year.

Lucas knows all of the shapes and colors. He can count to 20, but he is still learning to identify each number in print (i.e., to recognize that "13" is the number thirteen). He can sing the "ABC" song, but he is still learning to recognize the letters in print and to know which sound each letter makes.

As for writing, he can write his name with help. That's about it. Up until now, all of his crayon or pencil time was spent drawing and coloring pictures. He doesn't know how to write letters yet.

Nevertheless, he had to take today's spelling test in his new classroom. They had five words this week: girl, boy, eight, sip, and purple. (If you ask me, "eight" is way too advanced for 4-year-olds. Maybe "purple" too.)

Here's how he did. Lucas's words are the first ones on each line; his teacher's corrections are in the parentheses.



(You can click on the picture to open a larger version in a new window.)

I love this! Even though he had no idea of how to write any of these words, he tried his best! And he got a "G" into "girl," I think that swirly thing at the beginning of line 2 is an attempt at a "B", he has letters with downward flags for both the "y" in "boy" and the "p" in sip, he made an "E", "i" and "g" in "eight" (even though this seemed to me to be the hardest word), and he has a backwards "P" for purple. Hey, it's something!

Rollerworld!

Josh learned to in-line skate during PE this year, and he has been wanting to visit the roller rink ever since. Today, we made our inaugural visit to Rollerworld.

Josh was ready.



Lucas was less sure about all this.



But then, we happened upon the greatest thing ever for a 4-year old in a roller rink. The SKATE MATE! I had never heard of this. It's basically a walker on wheels. It changed everything.

After warming up on the carpet, Lucas was (mostly) ready to hit the rink.

After every lap, he told me emphatically that he was "quitting skating!" We'd go sit down for a rest, but I wouldn't take his skates off. After 5 minutes or so, he'd just get up and start skating again. I think he enjoyed it, even though it's really hard work the first time.

Meanwhile, Josh was zooming around. He was so awesome. Especially considering he'd never even been in a rink before, which is quite a different environment than an elementary school gym full of other kids who don't know how to skate.

Despite some falls, we'll be back!