The Huinker Family Blog: December 2012

Winter Wonderland

Hooray for snow! We woke up Sunday morning to a view we haven't seen in awhile...snow! The girls were chomping at the bit to get outside...and outside we were at 8:30 in the morning. Grace jumped right in to all the snow business - I don't think she had many memories of snow as last year was pretty pathetic in that department. In fact, while I was making our new family calendar, I only had 5 pictures of them in the snow last year...all from the same day. I certainly hope this year isn't a repeat of that - especially after how much fun we had. Grace and Liv each got their own snowman and experimented with throwing snowballs at each other and Mom and Dad. Grace, though, was more interested in snow-catch. :) They were way more playful than I expected considering past experiences; it was so fun to watch them rolling around in the snow, making snow-angles, and shoveling.

Brian got the sled down in the garage, and we pulled them around the yard. After seeing how pumped they were about going down our VERY minor hill on the side of the house, we decided to head over to the dike for a little sledding. Olivia was all over this - as I watched her I couldn't help but think that last year she watched other kids do all this but was too timid to try; however, our ever-observant Liv was taking it all in and storing up those memories for a day she was feeling ready to try herself. How great that she's feeling more adventurous! She went up and down the hill pulling the sled herself and asking for a push so she could get farther each time. Most trips down she ended up covering her face with her hand to protect it from the flying snow. Pretty cute. The year was Grace's turn to observe...the big hill was a bit scary for her, but I expect it won't take long for her to join in!

And...if 2-3 inches of snow was this fun, I can't wait for a true snowstorm!

PS - Thanks to Kelsey for taking all the pictures (she and a friend stayed over at our house after babysitting late into the evening)!

Winter Parade

Every winter local businesses in town put on a winter parade. This is the second year we've attended, and the girls had a great time. We had a nice spot to sit which was also a prime candy collection site for the girls. Favorites of the night were the two floats pulled by horses (one of which held Santa - Grace waved, Liv smiled shyly from behind my leg). They were both intrigued by the "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer float - very impressive actually - because they recognized the characters from the movie. Brian and the girls watched it last week while I was at yoga - they LOVED it, and so did Brian because they cuddled with him the entire time, especially when the abominable snowman made an appearance. Anyways, the girls had a blast...must have because neither realized how cold they had gotten until it was time to walk back to the car. Grace insisted on being carried, and Olivia's poor feet were so cold she was walking funny. We had to take shoes off in the car and give them a quick foot rub to get the blood moving again. Needless to say, they recovered once they had a treat in hand!

Turkey Trot 2012 Recap

Welcome to the annual Huinker Turkey Trot post - created this year by the winner's (Tony's) fiancee (Tara). This year's trot took place the weekend before Thanksgiving as Tara and Tony were back from California for an extended visit. It was an excellent weekend filled with lots of family fun. We had an absolutely amazing day to run this year, and I think this year's trot qualifies as the best ever...even in the midst of our self-tourture, watching the kiddos have a blast was smile-inducing! On Thanksgiving, we headed up to my parents' house...about 1/2 hour after arriving, we took part in a second Turkey Trot - this one hosted by my sister and including the entire neighborhood. The Telemark Road hills were undoubtedly a factor as was the wind...I was feeling pretty good until the last 20 feet when I was passed by my brother - seriously...he never runs...not fair! :)

2012 HUINKER THANKSGIVING TURKEY TROT

Top 10 things to remember

Tony 5:29

CJ 7:18

Pandy 7:23

Tara 8:08

Brian 8:48

Beth 8:53

Max 9:18

Popsicle 10:18

10. First 3 to cross the finish line were NOT the Huinker kids. Apparently we all married/engaged "up."

9. Max started to cry on the last turn as he got passed by Brian and Beth. He was bummed because he thought he was going to get last, but he bounced right back when he learned that he beat Grandpa Roger!! (12 times his age)

8. Speaking of Grandpa Roger - this was his 1st trot that he participated in - AND RAN THE WHOLE THING!! way to go "popsicle"!!!

7. Poor Gracie had no idea what to expect since last year she was sleeping in the car. When Grandpa started the countdown at the beginning of the race, everyone pushed off their runners block while Grace stood there in tears not knowing what to do. She stayed back for awhile with Ivy, but eventually warmed up to the idea!!

6. The besties, Mya and Olivia were inseparable during much of the race. This meant holding hands for nearly 3 laps. Tara was able to run behind them for a short while, capturing video - and caught Mya telling Olivia "I feel like I'm going to die" on the 3rd lap. That we all did, Mya. I predict these two will have official times next year and it will most likely be the exact same:)

5. Brian was NOT a happy participant when the tradition was tweaked a bit this year. Instead of running AFTER lunch, we decided to run BEFORE, due to nap schedules. By him not throwing up on lap 2, we're hopeful he will consider making this a permanent change.

4. Tony took off running as fast as he could right out of the gate. Unfortunately for the rest of the runners, he continued at that pace for the 2nd lap, 3rd lap, and the 4th lap as well - never minding the mental torture he put the others through when he lapped them.

3. Coming off a pretty strict and impressive 1/2 marathon training program, Chris and Amanda both finished withe respectable times. Amanda did get beat by Chris - which I'm thinking will be quite the motivator for next year - but my prediction is that Grandpa "Popsicle" will secretly train all year and blow everyone away.

2. Beth and Tara were proud to finish, enjoyed watching the kids, hated getting lapped, and needed a drink ASAP after the race.

1. In summary, no one threw up, all runners had a smile on their face within 5 minutes of finishing, Grandma "Patski" was a proud supporter/photographer/babysitter/nose-wiper, and were are blessed once again with great memories of the Huinker Thanksgiving Turkey Trot.

.....till next year.