The morning of the big race the boys were very excited as they got ready for school. The race was all they could talk about. They were discussing how many laps they would be able to do. The goal was set at 40, since that was what the numbers on the back of the t-shirts went up to. This year both boys had the same amount of time, so they were excited to see who was going to have the most. I had to post on Facebook what Noah said that morning as they discussed who was going to get the most laps.
“It's Buckaroo Race Day and the boys are EXCITED! Noah said "it's a race between me and Caleb to see who can do the most laps." I guess the rest of 1st and 2nd grade can't compete! ;)”
The boys may be competitive, but they also know that the other is a worthy opponent and not to count them out because they are younger. I enjoyed listening to them talk. It was funny to hear what they think about stuff. The big boys were off to school on the bus and the little kids and I got bundled up, then headed out to watch the races. We caught up with Caleb, first racer, in the hallway and watched the kids stretch before the race. We then followed them outside and watched them line up. It seemed to take a while and the wind was SO cold!
Then Caleb was off!
Caleb did really well. I feel bad when I yell at the boys to keep going, don’t stop, when other kids and parents are around and they are walking. I can only imagine what is going through the parents’ mind; but I knew what he wanted to do and I wanted to keep encouraging him. He did great and kept running the entire time; well, except for when he stopped so they could mark the lap on his shirt. He had 38 laps around their track. Afterwards we caught him for a picture. I don’t think you can really tell, but his cheeks were rosy and he looked tired. An awesome job!!
The cheering squad was COLD! But they hung in there and kept yelling every time Caleb came around. So after we finished with Caleb we went back into the gym to catch Noah stretching before his race. It was really nice to warm up.
We waited in the gym as long as we could before having to go back out in the cold. Noah asked how many laps Caleb did, he was shocked when I said 38. He knew the number he had to beat! His teacher even made a comment about how competitive he is with his brother and mentioned the soccer games they played against each other. The boys are oblivious to the fact that this is to raise money for their school, they think its just to see who has the most laps in the time allowed. Noah and the rest of the second graders got ready.
Then they were off!!
He ran so hard and did very well. He was able to pass his goal and I saw the lady that was marking his shirt shrug and put a mark at the top of the shirt since he went over 40. He had 43 total laps! After the race he said his legs were tired. So were mine from watching!! Another great race!
Caleb and the rest of the first graders were out to cheer on the second graders. The little kids did really well considering how tired they were getting. Towards the end Makaela was really tired and cold! Eli started saying I want to go home. It is a good thing they play good music that would distract the kids every once in a while. A few times I would just see Makaela on the side lines just dancing away. Caleb and her were dancing across the race track together to Dynamite at one point.
After the races we went home, ate lunch, and took naps. Before naps the little kids decided they wanted to go back to the school for the awards. I didn’t think they would wake up from naps in time, but they did and we went back to the school. For the awards the PTO go class by class giving out medals to the top girl and boy for each class and ribbons for all runners. It took a looonnnnggg time. Good thing the school is only K-2 grades! We played with the camera on my cell phone to pass the time.
I paid attention as much as I could for the top runners in each class. Noah and Caleb were both top runners in their classes. I believe that both Caleb and Noah were second in their grades overall. I think the top runner in the school, a second grader, ran 45 laps. Noah came in second with 43. In first grade another student ran 40 laps, making Caleb second in his grade. This is the second year they both got top runner medals. They were SUPER excited about that. They took pictures of the kids for the newspaper, so I will have to watch out for that this time around. We are very proud of the boys. I had a few parents and teachers tell me that we had some cross country runners on our hands. I was very shocked! I guess I never really thought of the boys as runners. I sent a picture of the boys with the caption “Future cross country stars”. Lauren told me I sounded like our dad, well maybe that is where they are getting this running thing from! The pictures of the assembly didn’t turn out too well, so when we got home I took pictures of the boys and their medals.
Friday’s races made me very proud of my boys. The weather was cold and the north wind made it even colder. The boys cold have easily said it is way to cold to try so hard, but they didn’t. They stuck with their goal and they did great! They are competitive, but I don’t think that is the only reason they got out there and tried so hard to reach their goals. I pray that as my boys grow older, they never lose the dedication and determination they have to reach their goals. I pray that their competition always helps drive and motivate them and never has a negative affect on their relationships.