Sammy's Superheroes!

The day finally arrived. Even though I was super tired after two days of wedding catering (500 cupcakes & two multi-tier cakes) and a quick recognition of my own birthday, I woke up before my alarm. The capes were ironed, shirts set out, and snacks packed. We had been looking forward to the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk for many weeks. I wanted to soak in every detail.

While Sam was taking his morning nap, I surprised Ella with her "Super Ella" costume, as she prefers to call it. First I gave her the gold sparkly shoes (from a thrift store in Wisconsin), then the tutu (made by mama and hidden in a bag until the big reveal), and finally the shirt and cape. Once the outfit was put on and paired with tights, Super Ella ran around the house, hands in the air, alternating between ballerina twirls and leaps off of furniture.

Next, Sam was dressed in his tiny onsie and cape, matching tights, and red socks. The boy was born to fly!

Daddy next. Daddy's costume was one part his everyday work clothes and one part Superman. I made a shirt for him to match Ella & Sam and attached a long cape to hang out his shirt. The glasses came from Uncle Jake. Personally, I think my man made a pretty hot superhero.

I had no idea what to do for my own costume. I'm not down to my pre-Sammy weight, so things I had on hand didn't fit. I ended up making a dress from a tank and blue fabric, putting on a cardigan, and tossing a cape over it all. It did the trick just fine.

Before heading to Canal Park to meet up with the rest of Sammy's Superheroes, we decorated the wagon with signs and ribbon, attached balloons to Sammy's stroller, and had a little chalk party in the front yard to fill the remaining time. Then we were off!

We arrived at the event filled with excitement. Music was pumping, bouncy houses were jumping, and kids were running everywhere!

Ella loves mascots. Look at Champ, my alma mater's Bulldog, sporting the Step Up t-shirt. So proud.

Teams had signs and matching t-shirts, but our capes seemed to set us apart from the rest of the crowd...until the Horns arrived.

Our dear friends Eli, Krista, and Caleb came in style.

The boys compared superhero notes.

And then the walk began! Daddy & Sammy led the way.

Ella helped Papa Scott with Luther.

And with Gracie.

And eventually Gracie took over Malena & Maira's stroller.

Ella's friend Ava got to be a part of our team! She was a little shy at this moment, but I think she had fun riding in her wagon with little brother, Oakley.

 

 Ella shared her wagon with cousin Malena for a little while.

Ang's cousin Megan had a turn to cuddle Sammy.

Look at all the people! We walked from the DECC to the Canal, along Lake Superior, and back. For most the walk, the weather was warmish and sunny.

In Canal Park we stopped to play a take a few pictures.

Here's part of our team. Not everyone made it into the picture. We had such a great time with everyone!

Daddy with his little superhero.

And mama with her superhero.

And two crazy superheroes together. (Pete may look short here, but he's 6'1". Eli is just that tall.)

My friends, we had an amazing day. I was overwhelmed with good emotions as we stood surrounded by crowds of people who are living with and loving on beautiful people with Down syndrome. I'm learning everyday that one extra special chromosome makes our world brighter.

We are so very, very thankful to all of you who supported Sammy's Superheroes. We never imagined we would reach $1,742. AMAZING!

Thank you to Eli & Krista for some of the great photos above!

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Just because he's so darn cute, here's one more photo of our little superhero.

Grandma's Marathon 2012

It's just not the beginning of summer in Duluth without the grand festivities of Grandma's Marathon in mid-June. I had been looking forward to the races for months since this was the first time in a few years that I would be sitting on the sidelines. I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in a cozy chair, sipping coffee in the morning sunshine, and cuddling my little ones while cheering for the thousands of crazy runners.

Ella loves races and was nearly as excited as I was to cheer. She even had her bell from the bike race we watched in Colorado last August. That in one hand and a donut in the other. Thanks, Mama Bex, for supplying the morning treats.

I headed down the hill from our house at 8am so we could watch the end of the half marathon and guarantee we'd be able to see the elite runners at the front of the full marathon. Before walking out the door, I grabbed paper plates, a marker, and crayons so the girls could make cheer signs. Basically, it just gave them something to do while waiting to see Uncle Jake and his girlfriend Valerie pass.

 When we first arrived at the course, it was warm and sunny. As time passed, though, it got cooler and cooler. Perfect for running, but challenging for spectating, especially with little ones. I experienced one of those "I'm feeling like a mama on top of things" moments and actually thought to grab extra layers for Ella before leaving the house. I like those moments. Kinda wish they'd happen a little more often.

 This was one of the race aspects I was most excited to see. Since I've been running the last few years, I haven't been able to watch the elite runners flying through the marathon. And I do mean flying. Look at this guy from Ethiopia. I took multiple photos of him and his feet are completely off the ground in each photo. He won with a time of 2:12:25. That's faster than I ran my first half marathon six years ago. Amazing.

Sammy's first race! He was quite satisfied on Nana's lap while the runners passed. He didn't even seem to mind the constant ringing of her cheer bell.

It's always fun to see the signs that people have along the race course. I've seen a lot of signs about Chuck Norris in my race history. Oddly, they can be somewhat encouraging in those long miles. These two were standing across the course from us for a short time. "Free beer if you finish." True statement. There really is free beer at the end if you finish. At mile 22, that can be quite motivating...for some. Nearly made me sick after 26.2 miles last year. I loved the other sign, which I've seen at Grandma's before. "In our minds, you're all Kenyan." Kenyans nearly always win Grandma's. Crazy runners, those Kenyans.

I must take the opportunity to point out the grammatical correctness of the Kenyan sign. Note the appropriate use of you're rather than your. Nicely done. I've said I'm going to run my next race with a permanent marker to correct poorly written signs. It's the English teacher in me and drives me crazy when people try to motivate runners while waving grammatically incorrect signs. No good.

The real reason we were watching the race this year was to cheer for Jake and Valerie on their way to the finish. I think this was Jake's sixth time running Grandma's, while it was Valerie's first. The girls couldn't have been more excited when they stopped to give hugs.

Sammy's future running coach? We'll see! It was fun having Sam at his first race, even if he slept through the entire thing.

Though it was great to relax and cheer alongside my parents, Mama Bex & the girls, and Eli & Krista, I plan to be out on the course again next year. My dear Pete has actually guaranteed my entry in either the half or full marathon for 2013 by working the duration of the race in the medical tent at the finish line. One free entry. I know he won't be using it - running just isn't his thing - so I'll claim it! Thanks, Pete!

Seriously, I love Grandma's weekend. The city goes crazy. Hotels are booked a year in advance, driving is nearly impossible, and everyone watches as thousands of runners from all over the world put miles and miles behind them. It's a good time.

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Happy 4th of July!

I made red velvet cupcakes with white almond frosting to celebrate the big day. I'm excited to dress Miss Ella & her wee brother in patriotic colors for the festivities. I'm not exactly sure what our plans will be for the day, but they will surely include fireworks tonight. This will be the first time I've seen them in Duluth! (If you don't count the five minutes - literally five minutes - when I watched them through the trees from my apartment balcony five years ago while I took a short break from wedding preparations. Since I don't count that, yes, this will be the first, and I'm pretty darn excited.)

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Ella ran the Whipper Snapper race the day before the marathon, but I have to find those photos. I'll try to post them soon.

The Rains Came Down

When I woke in the wee hours on Wednesday morning to feed my little man, flashes of lightning and the sounds of torrents of rain drew me to the window. In the small amount of light from a street lamp I saw what can only be described as a raging river of water racing down the street in front of our house. Pete and I ran down to the front steps and were amazed to see that the water was running across our entire yard. It was 3:30 in the morning, so we didn't get any pictures because of the darkness. Once it got light out, I grabbed my camera to capture images of the water, though it was far less intense than it had been during the night.

our front sidewalk

our other front sidewalk & the neighbor's yard

The mayor declared Duluth in a state of emergency and advised that no one drive unless absolutely necessary. What a treat, then, that Pete was paged to go in and close the clinic. They obviously knew that Pete would be thrilled to jump in his new Jeep and take on the flood waters.

the street out front from our second floor - all water, rocks & sand

I've lived in Duluth for more than ten years and have never seen rain like this. Usually when we get slammed by a storm, it's a snow storm. Nearly the entire city is on the side of a hill with Lake Superior at the bottom and many creeks and rivers running down to the lake. Those waterways couldn't handle 9-plus inches of rain in 12 hours and immediately ran over their banks.

This street is right above ours. I can only think that they ended up far worse than we did because the street runs across the hill and our runs down the hill. Maybe the water had an easier time flowing down our street.

This is the entrance to a trail along the creek just 1 1/2 blocks from our house. 

photo taken from facebook

 And this is what the trail looks like after the water receded. Sadly, it will be a while before we take another walk along the creek.

photo taken from facebook

We've got lots of adventurers in Duluth, and many of them headed out into the water after the rain stopped. This intersection is just a few blocks up the hill from us. It's also right next to the University. A few cars in the area were completely covered in water. A few others disappeared into sink holes in the streets.

kayak! photo taken from facebook

Pete & I took pictures in the pavilion below on the day we got engaged. We drove over to take a look at it yesterday afternoon and it was actually still standing.

photo taken from facebook

Lester River

My sister lives right behind the restaurant below. The entire area was covered in water yesterday, but when I drove to her place today, there were only a few small puddle remaining. I don't think the restaurant made it. It was getting cleared out when I saw it.

photo taken from facebook

After exploring our end of the city late in the day yesterday, Ella wanted to play int he new dirt and mud in our front yard. We were incredibly fortunate. We had only minimal water in our basement and the yard is manageable, though we will have to put in a decent amount of time raking out all the rocks and sand.

 

sand & rocks where the water flowed

a few plants & items that ended up in our yard from somewhere up the street

The most yard damage happened with the retaining wall between our house and our neighbor's. Many of the blocks ended up against their house. A few of the flower bushes were flattened, too.

 

These lovlies blossomed yesterday following all the rain. Lots of destruction, but still plenty of beauty. I love this city.