Happy birthday!!

I hope you guys have a day that's almost as awesome as this one a few weeks ago was! Skiing is hard to beat though, isn't it?

A taste of Italy, here in Maine!

It was their first visit and they agreed that it is an incredibly delicious treat.

Middle School Nordic State Meet Day #1

Show 'em how it's done girls!

Busy day @ Black Mountain!

The Sassi Memorial races were held at Black Mountain today. This year the girls were able to race in the Jr. 3k Classical.

They did such a great job and placed 13th & 17th against 46 girls! Once they crossed the finish line they hurried to the lodge and changed into Alpine equipment - it was time to ride up the mountain and ski down it...

and maybe jump a little bit too! Snow much fun!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

The boys raced in the traditional Sassi Memorial 5k against a really competitive field of 195 other men.

It was a tough course, but they were fierce skiers and placed well - 30th & 123rd. It's awesome watching them push themselves to their limits and feel so good about their efforts! 

Their first mass start Nordic race...

They handled it very well, placed themselves towards the front, and came in first and second for the Vikings!

Quarry Road Trails in Waterville

Today I had the unique opportunity to watch all of my Nordic skiers race in the same location! It was great!! Quarry Road Trails Recreational Area hosted a middle school race and the Leavitt Hornet Classic 5k race for the high school teams, because not too many other facilities have enough snow yet.

It was their first race wearing the Vikings uniform, and they were so nervous! But, they did awesome and exceeded their own expectations - 6th place and 7th place finishes! Whoohoo!!

The boys did awesome too! Big brother placed 13th against FIERCE competition and little brother pushed hard all the way to the end and improved his time significantly!!

1st Ski of the Season

More Family!

My Favorite Part of Christmas

Tracking Santa

Selfies or groupies?

My older son and I are involved in a debate: is it still called a 'selfie' if there's more than just myself in the picture? Regardless, we had some fun with them on Sunday. First, we taught Grammie how to be in a selfie/groupie...

Then, when Grampa joined us, we did it again!

  He's feeling so much better these days; it's great!!

Christmas Tree Hunters

This calls for the 'good stuff'!

Another game tonight!

She was much more comfortable and less nervous tonight, and it showed! She did a great job!!

Our kind of swag!

We made these during the Christmas in Harrison event. Aren't they beautiful?

3rd Annual Turkey Trot

The girls decided to take it easy this morning, but Amber and I had a great run together with our friends!

Happy Halloween

Andy Valley Middle School Cross-Country Championships

47 girls competed in a 3000 meter cross-country race this afternoon in beautiful, downtown Turner, Maine.

Our girls ran hard and came in 10th and 15th place!

We are so proud of their efforts during their first cross-country running season.

How to shrink a Suburban...

3rd Annual West Paris Pumpkin Run 5k

This has definitely become one of our favorite races! 4 of the kiddos and I ran in it, but our oldest daughter sat out and was our official photographer, As you'll see, she did a fantastic job with the camera. It's so much fun to run a race with so many of our friends, and this year Amber ran with me too!

Can you tell how excited she was to run?! We ran that first mile faster than I have ever run a mile before. The next 2 were much slower...maybe someday I'll be able to teach her about pacing herself? She made everyone smile on the course, which is the best part. She loves racing so much!

Big brother didn't let his hometown fans down...he won it again! (2nd year in a row!) We are all so proud of him for excelling at something he loves so much. His time was 18:18.9.

Younger brother wasn't far behind...he has gotten much faster this year. He came in 5th place with a time of 21:31.7!

That young man beside our daughter thought he could beat her to the finish line. He started his run for it back at the corner, but he underestimated how much of a fierce competitor THIS girl is! Sorry, buddy. Not this time. Her time of 25:00.4, which put her in 11th place!

Her sister wasn't really sure that she wanted to race this morning, but don't we all have those days? She decided that since so many friends were here, it would be more fun to complete the course, rather than just standing there in the cold wind watching. She ended up feeling great about her finish - 19th place 26.47. I love to watch them succeed like this and to see them smiling at the finish line!