Running Début

Pre-race game faces as the girls toe the line.

We spent the morning of our Mother's Day at the Jacaranda City Kwaii Challenge where our entire family ran our own races.  Today was actually Kaelia's running début as she ran her first race ever!  She was entered in the 50m Nappy Dash in the under 2 age division while Taelyn ran in the same event but for the 3-4 age division.  Both girls did such a great job and had a fun time.

When the announcer yelled go for Kaelia's race, I grabbed her hand, and we immediately shot up to the front of the pack.  Then Kaelia yanked my hand away and headed straight for the finish line on her own.  Once she saw Justin there, she started walking, but then finished strong after realizing the race was not yet over.  For Taelyn's race, I did not need to hold her hand because she is a pro after having done this last year and only wanted me there for moral support.  Unlike Kaelia's race, Taelyn immediately placed herself in the back of the pack so she could look around and take in the entire experience.  She certainly crossed the finish line with a smile on her face!  The girls left the race completely tired out and with a medal around their necks.

 

Post-Race Celebration!

Prior to the exciting Nappy Dash, Justin and I showed up to run a half-marathon together.  I was originally planning on running the 5K but decided to jump right in to a longer event as a starting point for the next school year when I want to race half-marathons and see what kind of time I can do.  Today was actually my first half-marathon after having my two girls, and I am certainly rusty.  My goal was to run 8:00 pace per mile, and Justin decided to run with me to try to pace me.  Once we started  the race, though, it was quite clear that Justin had a different goal set for me, so the pace was faster from the beginning.  The course was also pretty difficult; at times I felt like I was crawling up the hills.  In the end, I am very glad he was there to push me because I ended up running 7:30 pace (1:38:30) which was my goal for racing next year!  So I guess I'll have to make a new goal now and continue to work my pace down closer to my pre-childbearing days.

Easter in Clarens

We finally got together with our friends over the weekend to celebrate Easter.  Our school was off for a long weekend, so we spent our time in one of our favorite small towns in South Africa: Clarens. 

We started off the trip decorating Easter eggs with the girls so that we could hide them in the yard the next morning.  Then the girls woke up on "Easter" morning and found their Easter baskets filled with bunny ears, crayons, and coloring books.  Next they ventured out to the yard to the cottage that we rented for an Easter egg hunt.  It was actually the perfect space for a hunt with plenty to good hiding places for toddlers.  All three girls (Taelyn, Kaelia, and their friend, Arianna) did a great job finding the eggs, but it took them a while to locate the last egg.  They searched just about every where until Kaelia looked up and found the it in a tree.  She certainly did not find the most eggs, but she did find the last one. 

After the hunt, we all drove a few miles down the road to go for a hike in the mountains.  It was an out and back hike that took about 45 minutes in total.  The girls were so impressive as they hiked the entire way out to the turn around.  They were on a mission and didn't want our help!  And it was not a super easy hike for little kids.  At some points, the girls were on all fours, trying to climb up a big rock or step.  They loved it, though!  The turn around location was especially a big hit because it was one big pile of red rocks.  During the hike back, however, the girls were not so full of energy.  Taelyn took turns walking by herself and sitting in her dad's arms while Kaelia was completely pooped out once we immediately started the hike back.  She asked me to hold her and kept saying, "I so seepy, so tired, so hungy!"  She snuggled up in my arms with her head on my shoulder for the entire hike back.  It was precious because that doesn't happen very often these days!

Once we finished the hike, we had a picnic lunch before heading back to our cottage.  It was a beautiful fall day with plenty of wildlife surrounding us.  We even had two wild horses right next to us that let us pet them, and we had a visit from a baboon that tried to take our lunch!  Afterward, Taelyn and Kaelia kept reminding us that the baboon was naughty because he took Arianna's juice box.

Later that day, we made Easter cookies, and the girls decorated them with icing and sprinkles when they were ready.  It made for a nice treat after dinner and the perfect ending to a great Easter day.

To complete the weekend, the adults enjoyed some quality time as well.  My friend, Nicole, and I went out for pedicures at the day spa in town, and Justin and Kris went golfing.  We all also visited the local brewery a few times as well as a wonderful German restaurant that we go to every time we are in Clarens.

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