Catching up with the Raymonds

I am so behind in blogging so this is going to be brief photo-dump style. From my phone, even better. Above photo is of Phoebe scootering through the park, enjoying the last few moments of summer.

The kids didn't start school until after Labor Day, so we enjoyed the heat and free time.

Since we were gone for so long, we visited our favorite local firefighters with treats and artwork.

We saw a play at the park. The kids say so long mostly because we had an enormous amount of popcorn.

We went raspberry picking. 

We went rock climbing.

Phoebe is quite the little climber.

Bruce is also pretty good.

Oliver isn't into it yet. He put the crash pad to good use though.

I ran the Cape Ann 25k race on Labor Day. It was a long hilly course, so I thought it would be good preparation for my hilly fall marathon. I went out hard and ran a faster pace than I should have, then tanked toward the end. The last two miles were painful, but I finished in second place. That week was my highest mileage week for marathon training, so instead of resting afterward I ran a few days where I split my mileage and ran twice a day to recover. I finished out the week with a hilly 22-miler. Ahhhh, marathon training is awesome. After the race, we tried to go to the beach. The parking lots were full and they were crowded, so we went apple picking instead. 

Labor Day was also Scott's birthday, so we celebrated with cheesecake (adorned with the handpicked raspberries from earlier) and presents.

The kids started school on September 8. Bruce was excited to see his friends. Phoebe was excited to be back in kindergarten with the same teachers (last year she was a junior kindergartener). Oliver was not as excited for the start of school. He sure loves his siblings.

Our neighborhood has an awesome block party every year. Phoebe looks forward to riding the same horses. So here she is. She waited all year for this, so she says.

Our 'hood also had a touch-a-truck event. Oliver was in heaven.

A week after the race and 22-miler, I ran a very low-key BYU alumni 5k race. I ran the 4.5 miles there, ran some more, won the 5k, and ran home. The photo above was the view that morning over the Charles River. I love running.

After my run was over, I took the kids to a town family day complete with clowns, rides, and food. 

And kites too!

This is Phoebe playing after school with her best friend. They have a "monkey bar school" where Phoebe teaches her friends some monkey bar skills. They are proud of their calluses.

We went to a Red Sox game because we got tickets through the school. 

The Red Sox aren't having their best year, so we stayed just long enough to have the Fenway Park experience. And then went home and to bed!

We went to the Children's Museum. Phoebe says we have to get the most out of our membership and I agree.

Scott and I went to the Top of the Hub restaurant. It's on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower. Someone gave us a gift certificate so we put it to good use! We must have looked cozy at one point because the waiter asked us if it was a special occasion. "A free night," I said. And an awesome babysitter, my neighbor Rebecca.

The view was spectacular. 

We went for a hike on Mount Watatic. 

Summit! (It is not that big.)

I organized another blood drive. This photo is from when I first arrived at the church and was waiting for the Red Cross. My intention was to take a picture later when things were bustling to get a before and after shot, but alas I was so busy I forgot about it later. My kids love blood drives because they get to sit at the snack table and eat junk food for several hours until Scott gets off work. Mmmmm.

Phoebe was sick for a few days and was really unhappy about missing school. We tried to re-enact the awesomeness of kindergarten at home. Props to her teachers. That is a hard job.

On October 3, I ran the New Hampshire Marathon! We drove up the night before and stayed with Ember Smith Stokes, one of my former cross country teammates at BYU. She has three adorable daughters and a century-old

house; it was so good to see her. I miss my team! I'll write more about the marathon soon; it deserves its own post.