Spinx Marathon

Congratulations to Allen for completing the Spinx Marathon (marathon #6) last weekend in Greenville, SC, finishing the race in a personal best of 3:19:59. He was on pace to run around a 3:10, but was slowed by leg cramps the last several miles. However, it was a cool and beautiful day, a great race, and Allen was glad to finish in under 3:20, so you won't hear any complaining out of him!

I decided to dress Natalie in her piggy costume since the race was on the day before Halloween. It was also a very cold morning, so her costume helped to keep her warm too! We cheered Allen on at the 1 and 3-mile markers and then had two hours to kill before we would see him again around mile 26. There was a 5k going on as well, so I enjoyed being able to run it with Natalie in the jogging stroller. After finishing the 5k, we still had time to go get coffee and play on a playground before cheering Allen on to the finish.

A very cranky-looking Natalie. She did NOT sleep well in the hotel the night before and then I woke her up early, dressed her up like a pig, stuck her in the stroller, and pushed her out into the freezing cold. I guess I she had every right to be a cranky little piggy.

Blurry Allen at mile 1.

Allen's backside at mile 3. My photography skills were lacking that morning apparently.

Natalie looking cute and entertaining herself (and onlookers) with coupons as we wait for Daddy around mile 26.

A smiling Allen at mile 26. You'd never know he was struggling!

Finished!

Allen and Natalie posing in front of Fluor Field, where the races all finished by running around the outfield.

This Little Piggy Had a Happy Halloween!

I hope all of you had a fun Halloween! We participated in our neighborhood's annual Halloween Parade and enjoyed seeing all of Natalie's friends in costume. It's fun to compare pictures from year to year and see how all the kids have grown!

Natalie was especially excited about all the dogs!

We ended up being the very last people in the parade because Natalie had to stop and give kisses to all the dogs among the spectators.

The post-parade party down at the Swim & Tennis Club.

Natalie and Micah last year.

Natalie and Micah this year.

Natalie and Declan last year.

Natalie and Declan this year. Note the pouty face. She thought she was in trouble for some reason.

Natalie and her buddy Molly. Molly was fascinated by Natalie's costume!

Boo! Happy Halloween!!

Birdwatching...Not Just For the Birds

On a recent trip to visit Allen's grandmother, Grandgirl, I noticed a bird feeder attached to her window. It was a clear acrylic one that attached to the window with suction cups. While we were visiting, several birds flew into the feeder and some of them hung around long enough for Natalie to catch a glimpse of them. She seemed pretty interested in them, so I though to myself that I should get a bird feeder for our house. I found the same bird feeder on Amazon for only $7, ordered it, and picked up a bag of bird food. We attached it to one of our kitchen windows shortly before we left town for a week and the birds didn't really seem to notice it. I saw a male Cardinal once or twice, but that was it. When we got back from our cruise it was empty! I immediately filled it up and the birds have been going crazy over it ever since. Natalie enjoys watching them, but I think I'm the one who is obsessed!! I have identified the four species that regularly visit the feeder: Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal, and White-Breasted Nuthatch. The other day I saw a different bird (Downy Woodpecker) in the feeder and almost fell out of my chair because I was so excited! Of course it quickly flew away before I could grab the camera and I haven't seen him since.

It has been interesting to see the different personalities of these birds. The Chickadees are very acrobatic and like to hang on the wind chimes behind the feeder. And although they are smaller than the other birds, they have more of a tendency to guard the feeder. The Nuthatch seems to be the dumber of the birds. It will land outside of the feeder and try to peck at the seeds through the plastic. It also has the annoying habit of using its beak to fling seeds everywhere in an effort to dig down to the sunflower seeds. The Cardinal is the most elusive of the four species. I typically only see him every few days. I don't really have anything interesting to add about the Titmouse except that I can't say its name with a straight face.

I highly recommend getting something like this if you have small children. It's a great way to bring nature *almost* indoors!

Tufted Titmouse

Carolina Chickadee

Northern Cardinal

Terrible lighting, but here are some birds entertaining us during lunch.

Better lighting, horrible camerawork. Oh well, you can't win them all!

2010 Ekiden Relay

Allen participated in Atlanta Track Club's Ekiden Relay once again this year. Never one to pass up on an opportunity to take Natalie to the park, we tagged along to cheer on the runners. It's amazing how much Natalie has changed since last year. This year Natalie entertained herself by throwing Cheerios to the ducks in the pond, climbing onto the jogging stroller, and generally running around and getting into mischief. Last year she entertained herself by blowing spit bubbles and falling asleep in the Baby Bjorn. I wonder what she'll be doing next year...running in the relay?

Allen bringing it home for his relay team.

I partially collapsed the stroller to keep her from climbing on it and she still found a way to sit in it.

Allen's relay team accepting their mugs for placing in the open coed division.

A blast from the past. It's hard to believe how much little Natzilla has grown!

Where the Wild Things Are

Our trip down to Pine Mountain wouldn't have been complete without a visit to Wild Animal Safari. This was SO much fun! It far exceeded my expectations and Natalie loved it too! She thought the animals were hilarious....which was good because if she had been scared of them, we would have been in for a looooong drive around the park.

You have the option of riding in complementary shuttle, renting one of their vans, or driving your own car. We had just missed a shuttle when we got there, and the next one wasn't leaving for another two hours. The van rental was relatively inexpensive (less than $20, I think), but I figured I would just save some money and drive my own car. Here's a tip for you: ride the shuttle or shell out the money to rent a van. Allen finally got tired of looking at all of the dried animal slobber and mud on my car and washed it for me last weekend. And the animal drool isn't limited to the outside of your car. I had to Windex the insides of my windows as well. Oh yeah, and a zebra tried to take a bite out of my door frame. That's not something I can say every day.

I won't bother continuing to blabber on about the park. Instead, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. This is a small, small sample of the pictures I took.

These zebras greeted us as we entered the gate. Natalie had a good laugh at these guys.

This picture gives you a better idea of what it was like driving through the park. You can see a zebra-striped van ahead of us (that we should have rented.)

Oh neat! Here comes a Highland Cow!!

You see that slimy thing to the left of Meega's hand. Yes, that's its tongue dangling over the window.

You'll need to click on this image to zoom in and fully appreciate the nastiness left on the window.

I'm not sure what kind of cow-like animal this is, but it's coming straight for us.

And now this mystery animal is sticking its muddy nose in my face.

Somebody has a case of the Mondays.

This elk kept calling. It's really amazing to hear it in person.

Don't worry, he was fenced in. I think the Jetta would have lost that battle.

A pair of alpaca.

Ummm, somebody should tell Mr. Deer here that it's rude to stare?

A fallow deer chillaxin in the shade.

Mommy pig and....

...baby pigs! I think we spent the most time looking at these little babies. They ran around and played like puppies! So cute!!

Not sure what this animal was either, but it had interesting markings inside its ears.

The llama is eying Natalie's water. Time to roll up the window!

If only I could have those lashes....but I'll pass on the whiskers.

This dude looked pretty tough with part of his antler missing.

Apparently the ostriches are nippers. Have you ever heard what happened to Johnny Cash?

A sheep was one of the few animals Natalie would touch. Smart girl.

Wow, cool! Look at those two giraffes!!

Hey, I think this one is coming closer!

Is it seriously going to bend its neck all the way down here?

That's affirmative, Ghost Rider. We have made contact.

This is a guar. Or a big, scary bull on steroids.

Aaaaaaand, now it's time to move the car because it's coming towards us.

And then Natalie and Meega got out of the car to pet the guar. Just kidding. This is us entering the walk-through portion of the park.

And I'm tired of writing captions. So enjoy the rest of these pics caption-free!