Paid to Exercise?

Ella had Boosterthon (fundraiser for school) last week.

Instead of selling things (that most people really don't want) throughout the year to raise money for the school, they get sponsors to run laps.  

So basically, we pay our kids to exercise:)

I wish someone would pay me to excise!

 This was our first experience with Boosterthon.  As you can tell by Ella's awe as she 

walked through the tunnel, Boosterthon does a great job!!!  They spent a week and a half getting the kids excited about raising money for their school by running around the track.

 And the kids were excited!!!

After the National Anthem

 and a warm up lap

 the kids were off!

 Only slowing down to get each lap marked off.

 They ran and ran with different themes about every other lap.

Believe it or not, they even had a Riverdance lap!  As excited as Ella was about Riverdance, 

I could not convince her to do her actual dancing.

 Murray ran a lap with Ella early on during the "race."

 I think the parents had just as much fun as the kids dancing to all the music.

Here is Murray getting all the first graders excited.

 I ran the second to last lap with Ella.  Friday was much hotter than expected, so I thought by the end Ella would be tired and I would not have to exert too much energy and not get soooo sweaty.

 Ha!  Boy was I wrong!  Ella saw me join her and took off!

 I consider myself to be pretty in shape (I try exercise almost every day),
so I thought this would be no big deal.  

 I had to Run Run and maneuver through the other First Graders just to catch up with Ella.

 By the end of the lap I just barely caught Ella, and let me tell you there was no grace!  I was really wishing I had decided to wear running clothes instead of the "cute" outfit I chose for the day.  I went straight from Boosterthon to my hair appointment smelling nice and sweaty!

 Murray and I were so proud of Ella!  The lap cap was 35 and Ella ran almost the whole time 

(even while drinking her water:) )

 She finished her 35 laps and then some that did not get counted.  

Now the track was very small and this was a very attainable goal, but they ran for about 45 minutes.

For a Lee Kid to run 45 minutes in the HEAT without complaining and be happy is a 

BIG DEAL!

 Not only were we proud of Ella's,

She was so proud of her hard work!

Here the girls are with their war paint to prove all they had accomplished!

Way to go Ella!

Dancing

We have a new love/obsession at the Lee House.

Ella started Irish Dancing about a month ago 

and it is all she does!

 She comes home from school, goes straight to her room to get her soft shoes and then usually dances until Murray gets home.  It is so fun to watch her do something that she really loves.

 I remember the day I started clogging (Yes.  I was a clogger.  I clogged for 10 years!  I do not have any pictures to share, but I am sure there are some good ones!).  I remember meticulously picking out the perfect outfit (i remember exactly what I wore), being so excited/nervous the entire day before my first practice, practicing all the time and everywhere I went and then waiting and waiting ALL week long for my next practice.  

So every day when Ella gets home and asks if today is the day she goes to dance, 

I completely understand the agony she is going through!

Good-Bye Sweet House

I promise, this will be the last post about the house.

But I just could not tell you that the house was being torn down and then not show you the pictures.

Get ready though, these are sad:(

The giant claw begins its work...

In a matter of seconds, the front half of the was gone

and then loaded onto a dump truck (actually multiple trucks that the kids and I passed as we were driving to see the house one last time before it was all gone.  They could not quite get the concept that our house was in a truck).

And then more destruction.

I am going to be honest.  I did not think I would be that emotional since we knew from the beginning that the house was going to have to come down.  But driving up to the house I had major tears well up!

And then the next day we pulled up and there was nothing left

 not even the foundation!

 Murray took this picture from our driveway using iphone's new panorama.  Pretty cool.

Here is a video of the beginning of the destruction. I was not there, but Murray said it was very hard to watch.

Definitely makes you realize things in this world do not last.

Pictures...

While we are on the subject of our old house...

The other day I found Ella walking around the house with my camera.

When I asked her what she was doing, she said, "Oh, just taking some pictures."

As we flipped through the pictures I asked her why she took these pictures.

Her reply was, "Well, if we move again I just want to remember this house."

"And just in case anything gets lost in the move,

I just want to be able to remember it."

Such a sweet little girl.  Who knows how they will remember these days?

Little SW does not even remember the old house.

After tomorrow, it will all be gone.

8:00 a.m., the destruction begins...

Yard Art

This arrived at our house today.

And it is not just for decoration.

This is the claw that will tear down our house:(

 Our house has been officially condemned by the city.

 Which means our house has to come down in the next two weeks.

It is hard to believe that one man sitting in this little cab can undo 5 years of sweat, labor and love poured into this house in just one day (maybe less).  It will be so sad watching all of our hard work and sweet. sweet memories being torn apart by a giant claw, but it is step one in putting our house back together. 

Alabama Football

So, we took Ella and Miller to the Alabama Game last weekend.  

The kids get to go to the game if 1. Murray's parents are not going and 2. it is a no big deal game that we do not mind leaving as early as the end of the 1st quarter.  The past two years that has meant a Thursday night game.  Which the kids have loved, but they miss out on the tail gate part of the football experience.

Not this week!  Murray's Aunt and Uncle know how to tail gate! 

Multiple TV's.

More food than you can imagine.

Which of course includes lots of desserts!  And juice boxes!

Friends dropping in.

Fun times with cousins.

That football that just "had to be bought!"

But most importantly for the boys, some pre-game prep.

After "waiting..."

and waiting" according to the kids,

we all headed to the game.

Even though we barely made it to half-time,

(and it took ice cream and frozen lemonade to make it that long!)

we all had a great time!!!