Heart Walk 2013

We had a long and super fun day. The boys and I got up early and headed to Minneapolis so we could participate in some fun activities before the Heart Walk started. Elijah remembered the bouncy houses from last year (and what colors they were, etc, ha!), so he was VERY excited to spend some time in them. But first, I wanted a photo with my boys! The fact that Sammy is in the below photo is a minor miracle. As always, he did not like being told what to do and ran away. So E and I ran to him!

Here's Elijah, peering over his old man spectacles. :) He is always willing to pose for pictures!

Another miracle was that I got this shirt and number onto Sammy. I actually let it become his idea, but once it was on he started screaming, "GET THIS OFF OF ME!" Goodness, Sammy.

I was super proud of my oldest boy as he scaled a bouncy house wall all by himself! This is a huge deal for him, and he knew it. He was proud, too. What mother CRIES as her son makes his way through a bouncy house?! Yes, that was me today. It was comforting being in Understanding Zone, as I call it. Instead of getting why-are-you-crying looks, I got I-understand-why-you-are-crying looks. Spending time around other heart families is....awesome. 

Elijah and Sammy talked so much today about all of the "funny guys" they were able to see at the walk. They saw a walking star, a walking bottle of medicine, the Twins mascot and the Vikings mascot. We are not huge sports people, so the last two guys were referred to as the walking bear and the viking guy. Elijah was beyond excited to get his photo taken with the walking bear. 

The walk was really fun. It was amazing, actually. Not only did we walk to raise money for Children's incredible cardiovascular unit, we also walked to honor Elijah and so many other kids like him who have endured more than their share of heart-related surgeries and issues and hospitalizations. It feels sooo good walking for a cause that is very close to our hearts. 

We do not have a jog-friendly stroller, so jogging wasn't an option minus the few hills we ran down. I did walk my butt off, though, pushing 80 pounds of boy through the streets of Minneapolis. Elijah loved looking around and taking everything in. He asked a million questions about buildings and people and a hundred other things. I couldn't believe the things he remembered from a year ago. Sammy didn't seem to enjoy much of the day, unfortunately. He cried/screamed periodically throughout the walk, saying that he was cold (um, it was definitely not cold) or that he wanted out of the stroller. He refused to participate in any of the fun parts of the morning, and that made me sad. His fierce independence definitely gets in the way of opportunities that I know he would enjoy.

We finished the walk in 50 minutes! Not bad! We heard our names announced as we crossed the finish line, so Elijah thought that we had won. "MOM! We won the race! We WON! Did you hear that?!" :)

Elijah jumped in the bouncy house for a bit more and then Sammy had a meltdown, so we headed home for a quick nap. After nap-time we headed to my nephew's high school graduation party, where there was another bouncy house! CLOUD NINE for my oldest boy. Here are the boys, posing in front of it with their fruit punch slushies. So cute.

I was able to trick Sammy into getting in, can you believe it? So many people had asked him if he wanted to get in, and he would say, "NOOOO! I want MOMMMMY!" So I took off my shoes and got in with E and we were bouncing around having a great ol' time. I peeked out and saw Sammy taking his shoes off. Success! He crawled in, but would only stand by the door and suck his thumb. That's ok! I was proud he made it that far!

We had a great, tiring, awesome day. Good night, friends! We hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Thanks for checking in on our crazy family!