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: