Race Day

Well, today was the Junior Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, also known as "the dreaded day" for Shiloh, who wasn't too sure she wanted to run in her race. She was tense when we got there, and then almost backed out at the last minute, saying "I just don't want to do it. I don't want to." I was just praying I was making the right decision as a parent to make her do it. I told her that we would pray about it, and then she was just going to be strong, run the race, and finish. She took a deep breath, we prayed, and then she calmly walked to the starting line. She was incredible. She ran the whole way (half a mile!!!), and she finished in the top 1/4 of the runners (not that this competitive mom noticed! :) ). She was smiling as she ran, and I made sure she heard me yelling for her. I was almost crying when she finished because I was so proud of the guts it took for her to do it when she was so scared. She was relieved, and she enjoyed the rest of the day very much. It was a good thing she went first!! Cora took her race in stride, as you can see from her photo. She also ran well, ponytails flying and a grin on her face. Abigail Emma...well, Abigail does things a little differently. I pointed out the Chick-fil-A cow mascots waiting near the finish line to give her an idea of where she had to run. I told her, "Run as fast as you can to get those cows when they say go." So she did indeed run as fast as her little legs could carry her, all the way to the finish and beyond where I had to scoop her up. I was telling her she did an awesome job, and she was protesting, "But I didn't get the cows- I didn't get the cows!" She literally thought she had to tackle the cows as part of her race. Because of her motivation, she got second place in her race. :) She was quite impressed with her medal, and even more impressed with the water bottle she received.

Jackson took everything in calmly from the stroller, and he was very impressed with the flight-for-life helicopter there for show. Apparently, all of the girls' running exhausted him since he fell asleep in the van on the way home.

What a great day. What a blessing to be a part of these kids' lives. We've had a couple of wonderful days together, and the only thing that's missing is you, Daddy! We love you!

Have a good Lord's Day tomorrow, everyone!
Love,
Casey
p.s. the photos are in reverse order - I'll do better next time!