Trick-or-Treat

Haint and Mrs. Cat joined our bank robber and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Leonardo for our annual Halloween festivities.  (and yes, that turtle costume saw its 5th Halloween this year!)

Fall Soccer Season

Both boys' fall soccer season concluded today.  William's team played their hearts out each and every game.  Their primary goal: have fun while learning soccer fundamentals.  I hadn't planned on coaching William's team, but did, and what an experience.  Thompson's season ended with a win.  Throughout the season, it was great to see each boy's skills develop as well as how they improved working together as a team.  In true Coach Nathan fashion, he had nothing but genuine words of commendation for each of his players.  (moving T to happy-sad tears when speaking of his leadership, drive, athleticism, and triathlete abilities)

Steelers

The Steelers are, by far, William's favorite team these days.  We aren't quite sure where this enthusiasm came from, especially given our family has always rooted for the Carolina Panthers, but it is pure and authentic.

Kids Du 2

Sunday's extreme fog and rain didn't prove to be an obstacle for Thompson as he tackled the Kids Du 2 youth duathlon at Sky Valley Farm in DuPont.  We were in the clouds for the entire race with LIMITED visability.  He completed 2 miles on a 1/3-mile short-track course and finished with a one-mile run.  Definitely one for the record books!

Metal Mouth

Thompson got "round 1" of braces put on yesterday. If you passed through "Thompson World" this past week, you heard he was getting braces at 11 am on Tuesday.  He was super excited about this rite of passage. (Now to see how long the excitement lasts...)

Du the Asheville Du - Take 2

Bobby, Herb and I fielded a 3-person team in the 2nd annual Du the Asheville Du on the Biltmore Estate this morning.  Our goal...first place, of course.  But most importantly, to improve on our times from last year.  Crossing the finish line this year, we shaved off 9:02 minutes and finished 2nd, 1:04 minutes behind the winning team.

This was the first year they offered a modified race for intermediate and advanced kids.  Thompson was one of three young boys who accepted the challenge.  They ran the first 5K and then completed the same 10-mile bike course as the adults.  Recognizing this would more than likely be his most difficult race to-date, we reminded him the goals were to have fund, pace himself and cross the finish line.  And he did just that, taking 2nd place!

Dear mom...