Library Fun Run

On Wednesday our library put on a fun run to kick off their summer reading program. I thought that was neat since you don't often see those two things (exercise and reading) going together. I thought that there was going to be a crowd and we would have trouble parking, but even though we were maybe just 1 minute early we were the first ones there. I think there ended up being only about 20 people that did the run counting our 7. A couple of the runners looked like the library staff just corralled them out of the library to do it and then there were also two adults that looked like they had been preparing and training for this run all year. Our family did beat one of those adults, so that felt good.

It was just two and a half miles along a city trail that we had not been on before. We had the stroller which could seat three and we just did a nice slow jog. The kids did great and they were all really in to it. I was a little worried because right at the start Julia said her foot hurt, but then after a block or so, she just joined right in. Julia, Ethan, and Christian would do a rotation about every 50 yards for the third stroller seat and every once in a while Elliott would get out and run so two of them could sit down. Only two people finished before we did, one adult male who was all dressed for the race and one 10 year old. After the race they had some of the 100% juice freeze pops from Costco that I had been wanting to try and they gave out small prizes to everyone (e.g., t-shirts, frisbees). We then signed up for the summer reading program and did our usual library routine. Sorry, I thought I took some pictures, but I can't find them on here.

I am really glad that our kids just love to read. I never have. Not growing up especially and then it is hard for me to find the time to do it now. But Rebecca and I read some books together, every once in a while I might get through one on my own, and I get to read to the kids. And when I read to them I love seeing them get caught up in their imagination and get absorbed in the story. Plus they often learn lessons from the story that are subtle and seem to stick with them sometimes better than when we just try to directly tell them the same thing. Right now Christian is reading James and the Giant Peach, Ethan just started Mysterious Benedict Society, and Julia is reading Story of the World Volume II (more of a history textbook than a story). We just listened to Ramona and Beezus on audio yesterday, Rebecca just finished reading Treasure Island to them, and now they are all on The Wind and the Willows.