The Golden Chain

His adoring fans came by the van-load . . .

And braved the 60 degree weather . . .

To witness the record-breaking win . . .

By this champion in the yellow jersey!!!

The competition was tough, and we are proud of you, Dal!

Some of the local guys get together each month for a little bit of competitive exercise. Dallas placed first in this month's duathlon (Run 1.5 miles, Bike 15 miles, Run 1.5 miles) and beat the record with his time: one hour and thirteen minutes. He didn't even get lost this time!

"My dad's awesome!"

In usual Raleigh-style, we held a second duathlon at home later that afternoon with Raleigh and Kensington as the sole competitors. The odds were undeniably in Raleigh's favor (hee hee), especially with the route she conceived: 3 lap run, 8 lap bike, 5 lap run, 1 lap bike, 11 lap run, 4 lap bike, 6 lap run, 5 lap bike, and on and on and on.

Raleigh took the lead . . .

Leaving those with training wheels in the dust.

Choobies geared up on her pink and purple birthday bike with a big tulle bow,

And pedaled close behind. Well, not too close.

She loved the cheering crowd!

Just look at the endurance!

Little cutie! (Notice the bike part she rigged to the front of her handlebars to make herself feel tough for the ride.)

Raleigh takes her laps seriously,

But leads her "Little Sis" in for a big finish. (They ran/biked about 85 laps less than they had planned but still had a great race!)

Here are our first and second place winners! (With their "Candy Chains" just like Daddy's Golden Chain. Love it.)

Madeline was forced by Raleigh to hold up her three fingers because she didn't want to participate but still wanted a Candy Chain. Let's just say she got third. She helped out in the cheering section.

Until next month, Dal . . .

We'll be there to cheer you on . . .

Love you!

This is How the Big Boys Tube

Nate . . . Dallas . . . David.

My daddy's the coolest.

(Thanks, Kenda, for the pictures!)

Daddy Daughter Dance

Dallas took the girls to their first Daddy Daughter Dance the other night at church. Good thing we have lots of dance parties at home to prevent any wall flowerage! They danced the night away, ate lots of sugary treats, and came home with glow bands and dirty black feet. And we sat around the living room talking about all the fun things they did.

Choobers and I went on a date, too. (She put her favorite princess dress on over her pajamas so that she could be in the pictures with Dallas and the girls.) We went to the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru and got a milkshake, and then we went to run some errands. She couldn't have been more excited! I've never seen her so talkative. She loved her Shake Milk, and she woke up the next morning asking for one.

In other news, the same girl sitting next to Raleigh at lunch threw up two days in a row right next to her! What are the odds of that happening? Raleigh was so grossed out and now tries to stay away from her at lunchtime. Poor kids! (Both of them!)

Raleigh & Her Self-Portraits

Virginia Beach, VA

(This isn't a self-portrait, but close enough to look like one. Sort of amphibious-looking.)

Alpharetta, GA

Now is it just me, or has she grown up overnight??? I guess she's had to grow up fast with all of the moving we've been doing. She had a school assignment yesterday where she had to make up riddles for her vocabulary words. Here's what we came up with:

1. What type of fabric softener does the mama tiger use?

Answere: Pounce.

2. How does the sleepy girl sing?

Answere: Monotone. (A little bit of a stretch but all we could think of.)

3. What did the car put on when he got dressed in the morning?

Answer: Attire.

4. What did the Great Dane call her tea party?

Answer: Dainty.

5. Where did the singer learn how to ask questions?

Answer: Inquire.

The last word was "clench," and I could not, for the life of me, come up with anything. When Dallas came home, he listened to all of the others and then came up with this:

6. How did the teeth win the talking race?

Answer: They clenched it!

Yay for Dallas! And for Raleigh! And second-grade homework! And cheesy humor! It's the best.

Documentary of a Tooth