Forrest Spence 5K 2011

This weekend we participated in the 4th annual Forrest Spence 5K in Memphis.  I have helped as the treasurer for this race for the past 4 years.  The money raised goes to support the Forrest Spence Fund which was started by our friends, Brittany and David Spence.  It is always such a fun day and the race supports such a great cause.

Richie ran in the 5K race, and then he ran in the 1-mile fun run with Griffin.  Griffin was a nervous wreck all morning that I was going to let him miss his race.  He was also nervous that they were going to run out of Gibson's donuts before he got one because I made him wait until after he ran to eat one.  Do you blame him?  They are the best.  And yes, he did wear that patriotic sweatband.  I am not sure where he acquired that, but I do think that it helped his pace.

"Pre-donut Griffin"

"Post-donut Griffin"

Mamie ran in the 1-mile fun run with her friend Anne Wilkes.  They said they finished in about 11 1/2 minutes which is a big improvement from last year!



Margaret ran in the 100-yard dash with her friends Henry, Miller and Bo.  She did not hear them say to start, so she was very sad that she was left in the dust.  However, she was fine after she got a donut, a pink whale hat and a ballon.

Summer in Review - June 2011

June was a busy month!  This is a long post, so hang in there...

We went to go see the Memphis Redbirds play downtown. (Mamie was at church camp.)

We went to the zoo to see our favorite animals.

We went to the new playground at Shelby Farms and had a picnic on the hottest day of the summer...(Margaret had poison ivy on her face as you can see in this picture).

Richie had his General Assembly meeting for our denomination in Virginia Beach, VA in June.  We decided to take Mamie along, so that we could have some quality time with her.  It was such a special time, and we made some great memories.  The first day that we were there we went to Williamsburg.  We spent some time at the Jamestowne Settlement, and then we went to Colonial Williamsburg.

Mamie and I spent a lot of time at the beach.

We also went hiking.

We loved the Virginia Beach Aquarium.

Mamie got to touch horseshoe crabs and sting rays.

We spent a weekend in Little Rock and hung out with grandparents and our aunt, uncle and cousin.

Griffin learned how to play golf.


We celebrated my birthday and Richie's birthday.


We had a special family dinner for Mamie.  Her favorite meal selection was make-your-own pizza, pickles, chips and brownies.


We went to see the Beauty and the Beast broadway show at the Orpheum downtown.


We celebrated Richie's birthday again!


We did some exploring at the Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis.

Summer in Review - May 2011

Since summer is now over, I am going to give you a quick look at what we did.  First I will start with May.  Richie preached at RUF summer conference for college students in Panama City Beach, FL at the end of May.  We decided to take Margaret with us, so we could have some special time with just her.  We had such a great time, and she didn't know what to do with all the extra attention!


Just arrived at the airport! Ready to hit the beach.

Just Dance

The kids are always doing "shows" for us.  Margaret's performance was particularly funny on this night.  Here she is performing a Miley Cyrus song called "Let's Dance."  See if you can catch the irony....

Back to School

Well, everyone is back in school now!  The school routine is in full swing.  Griffin started 1st grade on August 1st.  I can't believe he is old enough to be a first grader!  He is loving school so far, and starting to make some new friends.  His teacher is Mrs. Arnold.  He loves recess, PE and music.

Here he is on our way to school.

 In front of the school.

 In front of his classroom.

Griffin & Mrs. Arnold

Mamie started school the following week on August 8th.  She is in the 4th grade, and she was so excited to find out that she is in class with her best friend, Anne Wilkes.  They will change classes for the first time this year, and her homeroom teacher is Ms. Smith who teaches science and social studies.  So far things are going great, and she loves her teacher.

 Mamie outside her school.

 In her 4th grade classroom.

 Mamie's homeroom teacher Ms. Smith.

Margaret took her to school with me.

Margaret started school this Monday.  She was so anxious to start since Mamie and Griffin were already back in school.  She is just going to Parents' Day Out two days a week.  She is excited to be in class with her best buddies Miller and Parker.  Her teachers are Mrs. Tina and Mrs. Nell.  She loves playing on the playground, and even took a nap (which she doesn't do at home anymore)!

 Margaret's 1st day of PDO.

 Margaret and Miller

Margaret with Mrs. Tina