March of Dimes Walk

Every year we participate in the March of Dimes Walk, held on the grounds of the University of Houston. This year, we walked with David's new employer, Sterling Bank.

In the past, the kids get rather cranky about halfway through the walk, but this year, they were marvelously well-behaved, and we hardly heard a whimper out of anyone. The girls took turns riding on Daddy's shoulders, and Gabriel was perfectly content in the stroller (even though he came down with a fever last night, and had one this morning too). We told Joshua he had to walk the whole 5 miles, since his ADHD gives him PLENTY of energy (ha ha!).

Here we are just starting out. It's pretty slow going at first, because the route is so crowded. Joshua kindly pushed the stroller for me for just a second--he's at the bottom of the shot.

Last year, I remember it being very hot, and there wasn't a breath of wind. Today, it was warm, but not too humid, and we had a good breeze most of the morning...thank goodness.

We had 10 rest stops, were we got bottled water, coupons from Macy's (I know who is going to put those to good use, lol), and Blue Bell ice cream sandwiches--yum! That rest stop is always the kids favorite :-).

At the end (it took us just under 2 hours), we got a family picture.

Lately, Gabriel hasn't let us take his picture, (it must be a two-year-old thing) but I managed to get one cute shot before he started to fuss at me.

It was a long wait in line for lunch, but it was catered from Taco Cabana (yum again!).

There was an DJ who played great music, and little toys and sidewalk chalk for the kids (always helpful while waiting for food). Rebecca even tried The Macarena, and David showed off his juggling skills.

I have to make a little confession here. David's former employer, that other bank had a tent too, but it wasn't even half the size of Sterling Bank's tent. David thinks their marketing budget was drastically cut, because they didn't even have lunch brought in for their walkers, just some breakfast rolls and bags of chips. I admit...I let myself be human for just a minute and was thankful David wasn't working for that other bank anymore.

We finally got our fajita plates...everyone was hungry... and Gabriel ate on David's lap (poor baby, his fever was starting to come back, but he still had the best temperament).

We got home, I crashed for about an hour, and Gabriel slept for nearly 4 hours. He woke up without a fever just before it was time to go to mass, so I told David I'd stay home with him. I still hadn't had a chance to grab a shower anyway...and didn't want to go to mass smelling like sunscreen and sweat either (always a lovely combination!).

So it was a long day, but truly worth it. Our nephew Daniel was born at 26 1/2 weeks gestation and he's now a perfectly healthy 5 year old. I always think about him during the walk.

Here's to a great walk, and a day of fun. We'll be back again next year!