Ethan Runs His First 5K!!

 Thanksgiving was a fun day for the Hoots' family! We kicked off the day with a 5K! John and Ethan ran in the Gobbler's Run in Downtown Wake Forest. John is training for a half marathon and Ethan wanted to train with him, so they both signed up for the 5K.

It was a cold morning, but all the Hoots and Hardestys came out to watch!

Before the race.

Getting excited! You should have seen all the crazy people that dressed up like turkeys, pilgrims, Indians, etc for the race. And, yes John is wearing tights under his shorts!

At the starting line!

See him coming???

About to finish.

John is right behind him. Ethan had a burst of energy right at the end!

Exhausted, but so happy to have run the race!

Kindergarten Thanksgiving Celebration

 The twins have been loving Kindergarten this year. One of the their favorite things has been the Thanksgiving performance that the entire Kindergarten class performed. Isaac was the star of the show... at least the musical performance. Each class was responsible for a song or poem the performed. Isaac was the loudest and most understandable of all 100+ students. I can not even tell you how many people commented on his stellar performance. The pictures aren't great because of where we were sitting, but I wanted something on here to record their entry into the world of performing arts!!

The story of Thanksgiving. You can't see the twins in this picture.... they are the little orange heads seated right in front of the stage.

 

The twins class. Olivia is on the second row and you can't see her face, just her pumpkin head. But, Isaac is on the front row on the very left.

 

Here is a very brief video of the class singing their song. It does not really show the volume and enthusiasm that Isaac performed with, but it is still cute! 

Happy Halloween!

Well, Halloween of 2012 was a fun and cold night of trick - or - treating and  going to a local Fall Festival for rides, cotton candy, and games. This is the first year I have let the kids dress up without matching. They chose their own costumes this year and helped me make some of the parts of each one.

Frankenstein.

Olivia the Pig.

Mad Scientist.

A little pumpkin action from the night before. They all loved getting their hands dirty!

Winner of Best Couple's Costume!

 Happy Halloween! 

We won "Best Couple's Costume" - complete with trophy and prize at the yearly Costume Party. 

Don't worry the paint came off easily!

Happy 70th Birthday, Grandaddy Bob!!

We had the privilege of hosting a 70th Birthday for John's dad recently. He has blessed our life in so many ways and we were happy to celebrate him on his 70th Birthday!

 When the kids heard we were going to have a party for their grandfather, they insisted on having a theme. Because Bob like Elvis Presley we choose a 50's Sock Hop Theme. As you'll see the kids wanted the house decorated and they dressed up for the big day!

 Bob opening his big gift from everyone. An Ipad. He was thrilled! 

 After the food we did something fun for the kids... a pinata. It is supposed to look like a record. 

 Then we took some pictures of the grand-kids with their grandparents!

 

We even took a silly one!! 

Happy Birthday! Let's do it again in 10 years!!

Virginia Creeper Trail

 Over Labor Day we went with a group of friends to Virginia. We camped at Beartree Campground and rode down the VA Creeper trail  as a group. It was great fun. I would definitely go again! I don't really love to camp - but doing it with these friends was really awesome.

 Ethan is a strong rider and we were not worried about him on the 17 mile (downhill) trail. But, Isaac and Liv are still learning and we were concerned this was too long for them. So we rented two "tag - along" bikes. Isaac rode with John and Olivia with me. They loved it! And, it made it a lot less nerve wrecking to have them attached to us!!

About 5 minutes after I took this picture it poured down rain on us! We were all a lot colder at the beginning than we thought we would be.

 

 After several miles we all stopped and ate lunch in this little shelter. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it was POURING down rain as we ate our pb&j's!! 

 Our three little bikers. Covered in mud. They had a great time - but were seriously filthy by the end!!

 

 After we had ridden about half way the sun came out and we stopped to swim in the (freezing) river that winds around the trail. It was refreshing!! 

 

 Most of the group. After the tents were all packed up at the campsite. So thankful for friends who invite you to do things you would never have thought of yourself!!

The First Day of Kindergarten!

Even though it is trite I keep thinking this week, "Where did the time go?". In some ways it seems like just yesterday that we brought these chubby and beautiful twins home from the hospital. But, it was not yesterday it was five years and four months ago. And, now we enter a new phase. A phase I often thought would never arrive, because the days were soooooooo long. But, it is here and I have been thinking many long thoughts this week about life and how fast it happens.

Right after delivery.

The first time I held them. I had no idea what I was in for.

Our first photo shoot... the whole thing pretty much went like this.  For that matter the next four months pretty much went like this!

Finally starting to get happy about 3 months in!

People ask John and I all the time how we did it, how we made it with twins. The answer is- I really have no idea! It was hard. We did it one day at a time, just like you would have to. My mom stayed with us for almost 6 weeks and was incredibly helpful and encouraging. John's mom played with Ethan many afternoons that first summer when I was too tired and emotionally worn out. We are grateful for both of them, they helped a lot. But, really I barely remember that first year. It was hard. 

But, I would do it all again. 

Olivia and Isaac were (are) our special blessing from the LORD. They reminded me that prayer works and God blesses his people. 

It was hard, but it was worth it. 

And, it still is! Isaac and Olivia are such fun, kind, and energetic kids! I am blessed that they are mine! 

And now for the first day of this whole new phase of life...

At her desk the first morning of school. So confident and excited to learn.

At his desk on the first day. He was ready to push us out the door. No nerves or tears at all. He told me he was ready to learn and make new friends.

Busy with morning work as John and I slipped out. As you can see from the pic- Yes, they are in the same class!

Week one of school has gone well so far. The really love playing on the play ground, going to PE, eating in the cafeteria, and centers in their classroom. They are tired, but have nothing but good things to say about school.

May the Force be With You

The kids had a blast on Halloween. They chose to be characters from StarWars this year... you can check it out yourself. But, for all you sci- fi fans out there - Isaac is Luke Skywalker - not Obi Wan. He just really wanted to wear the Jedi robe.

Our best Jack - O - Lanterns to date. A big thanks to my mom, for all her help.

Happy Halloween! Hope you enjoyed the costumes and candy as much as we did.