Good Morning, Turkeys!

Good morning, turkeys! We started our Thanksgiving morning with a wonderful turkey trot! 

Up until last night, I thought I was running a 5k with my kids, but Weston and Myra wanted to trade their 10k tags for 5k's. So, I switched and ran the "10k" as Myra Au (for all intents and purposes)...and Myra ran the 5k for me! 

 Our immediate family was well represented with Jon, myself, Dawna, Larry, and Xochitl all participating as registered runners. Each of the kids had a running buddy and Jade relaxed and slept in the stroller during most of the race. Jon ran with Dawna (and Jade) Larry ran with Weston...

...and Xochitl ran with Myra.

Grandma and Grandpa Koberstein and Uncle Lynn also joined the race!

 So, the thing about Antioch/Brentwood (or anywhere on the other side of the mountains) is that the hot days are hotter and the cold days are colder. And this morning, it was COLD! We stayed in the car as long as possible...

...and then boogied over to the starting line!

My fingers and toes were numb until about mile 3, when we finally got to run in the sun.

Dawna, Xochitl, and Larry, anxiously shivering before the race... In our training runs the past couple weeks, we've had a hard time staying motivated for the entire 3 mile distance. But, there is something magical about music. Music got my son to keep on moving--skipping, jogging, hopping along--until the race was over. Music got a 5 year old across the finish line too. It's amazing!! :)

Everybody finished their race strong! I was so proud of Xochitl and Larry! I didn't run 3.1 miles together until I was 28 years old! Here's my 2nd grader and kindergartner running that long! I ran into Larry and Weston just as I was finishing my race. I maintained a pace under 10min/mile, which made me very happy! But I was sad to discover that the "10k" was only 5.8 miles. Way too short to count! I caught up to Larry and Weston when I was almost done with the race (Lynn and I started the 10k fifteen minutes before the 5k runners). But Larry was not distressed, because "first the worst, second the best" so he gladly took the best spot :)

Dawna did an amazing job! She has been working on running lately, running on the treadmill while watching Netflix and running around the Lake in Newark for the last few Saturdays. She did so well, in fact, that she placed third on this, her first 5k ever!!! I think having daddy to push her to run faster helped... not to mention her long Koberstein legs!

Thus it was on our fourth year running a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning, with hopes and dreams for continuing the tradition for many trots to come!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now bring on the feast!

In a Cottage in the Woods

Happy Thanksgiving from Brentwood Lake, Twain Harte!

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving this year! Lots of new places and experiences to enjoy.  We were invited by Paulecca (aka Paul and Becca) to her family cabin up in Twain Harte, CA.  I had never been there before, but had heard about such a place from friends who enjoyed summer vacation there.  I was excited to see the place, a cute little town in the midst of Pinecrest, New Melones, and Yosemite.

Becca and her mom made all the plans and arrangements and we set off on Tuesday morning ready for some fun!  I didn't know quite what to expect, but I was completely blown away by the place when we arrived! It it a BEAUTIFUL cabin filled with lots of fun! There's four bedrooms, three bathrooms, yes, but also air hockey, foosball, two big TVs, a zip line, a tire swing, a small play structure, and a slide from the second floor balcony to the ground. Hours upon hours of fun just at the cabin!

Tuesday afternoon after arrival was spent around the cabin enjoying all the amenities. My mom and dad came up for the day as well.  Xochitl, Dawna, Henry, and Zoey created their names with natural artwork.

Wednesday was likewise very relaxing.  Xochitl and I took a walk to get a first glance at Brentwood Lake. After lunch, we enjoyed a hike along railroad grade.  We encountered some kind of drainage canal and enjoyed racing sticks and leaves and old cans we found around.  Jade enjoyed throwing rocks and running up and down the bank. But luckily, she never fell in! Paul and Jon arrived Wednesday night to complete the party!

Thanksgiving Day dawned bright and clear and beautiful in Twain Harte.  All of us trekked down to Brentwood lake and did some trotting before enjoying turkey later that day.  The lake has a lovely path all the way around it.  One end of the lake has sand and a play structure and swings. The kids played there while the adults tag teamed running the half-mile loop around it. All the kids took a turn or two around the lake as well. 

Joe and his smooth smile

Cami swinging away!

Paul. 

"How cute am I???"

"Yes, I am that cute!"

Cousins bonding!

Jon, Becca, and I each ran 7 laps around the lake to complete a 5K. A refreshing start to the day! Tom and Janet Weed joined us at the cabin for our Thanksgiving feast. Everything was delightful and everyone relaxed and enjoyed cooking only a part of the great meal.

In other big news of the week, Larry lost his tooth! It was hurting bad on Wednesday night and he bravely took hold of it and pulled it out himself! I thought it was cute that Larry and Jade are both missing teeth in the same place... one having just fallen out, the other not even in yet! 

Friday we took an adventurous excursion in the morning to a new climbing destination... but all those pictures will be included in another post... Friday afternoon we ventured out to Pinecrest lake and enjoyed walking along the low shore, hunting for fishing line and treasures, and throwing rocks... again...and again... Jade never gets tired of that... 

Up above the shore was an awesome amphitheater.  The kids put on a little show for us about a robber who stole wheat and then got knocked out by a baby... Then they all proceeded to dance and dance...

Ballroom with the babies!

Quite a week for all of us! That cabin was such a wonderful place to meet and enjoy our vacation time.  It also was a mystical place where some of life's most puzzling questions were answered... Questions such as... 

What if Joe swam in a pool of whipped cream?

Answer: He would rarely be seen but would smell very fishy.

What if Cami bought stocks in a transportation business? 

Answer: Then we'd call her motorcycle mama. 

What if Paul did flips in his underwear with KK? 

Answer: He would develop abs and glutes like a Greek statue and start a new exercise craze that sweeps the nation. 

These are just a few examples of the pearls of wisdom found while sitting around on comfortable section couches close to midnight giggling our heads off at a game of "What if..." (If those questions and answers seem completely random to you, then we have totally succeeded!)

What a happy Thanksgiving week we had! 

Witch, Turkey, Fish

We had another eventful week in "Kobersteinville" as Dawna likes to call it in her newspaper (see Google+).  So, in reverse post title order... 

FISH

Xochitl passed her first level of swim lessons... she is now an "Advanced Preschool" swimmer.  What does that mean? She can bob, stay under water for 3 seconds, push off the stairs and swim 3-5 yards with kick AND arm motion! She was thrilled to get to ring the bell and get her ribbon!

TURKEY!

Lincoln Elementary hosted a short Turkey Trot race!  It's a fun race event where the winner gets a frozen turkey, second place takes home a sack of potatoes, and third place wins a can of yams! It was raining on and off all morning, so we spent a while waiting... the kids were called out of class to run between downpours...  Dawna came in 5th for the 3rd grade girls. Larry ran the WHOLE way! Xochitl, Jade, and I enjoyed cheering them on in our raincoats and parka!

One parent has a pet turkey that he claims has kept skunks away from his dogs... he brought the turkey for the kids to see.  His name is Thanksgiving. Jade would not get close enough to be in the same picture. Mom, clearly, this is not a puppy.

WITCH (and MONKEY!)

On Saturday, we went up to Danville to see Marisa and Sydney perform in "The Wizard of Oz" Marisa was cast as Glenda and Sydney was a flying monkey (more accurately and back hand springing monkey) and a citizen of the Emerald City. All the kids loved the play! Jade was totally into all the action, the dancing, and the applause! 

 

 The somewhat embarrassing part of seeing the play was that I have never seen the movie or the play or read the story... so I got to be surprised at what happened :) I didn't know how it was going to end... Also, on the way there, we got to see a big rig being pulled out of a ditch by a giant crane. Cool tools, terrible traffic... Anyway, great job Wightman ladies!

eCard

This is an eCard to say Thank You to Paul and Becca for being excellent Tucson hosts. If any of you thought Arizona was just dry boring desert, think again after watching the following footage from our trip:

Thank You Paul and Becca for a great start to our Thanksgiving week!

There is One Arizona!

Thanksgiving week was spent in beautiful, warm Arizona! We went to Paulecca's early in the week and then joined up with the Blacks for Thanksgiving festivities! Enjoyable memories included, but were not limited to:

 Nature walk and learning about interesting cacti :) This is our K Cactus!

 Hanging out with cousins, giggling while laying on tummies...

 Desert museum! There were so many great animals and things to see! We got to explore climbing caves...

 ...and try on monstrous BAT EARS! I wish she would listen this well all the time :)

 Meeting our new nephew, Conrad! Such a cutie chunk :)

 Feeding the ostriches at the Cogburn ranch! Lots of fun animals were there...deer, donkeys, goats, prairie dogs, and...

 ...Lorakeets!  Larry LOVED the lorakeets!  They perched all over us and enjoyed lapping nectar out of the little bowls!  Dawna had birds perched all over her head and arms; Xochitl giggled like crazy!

 Thanksgiving Day Turkey trot! Jon, Lynn,and Weston beat the turkey! Jon and I were matchey Neon runners with Xero shoes!! Poor Jon forgot his trail glove shoes :( But he made it with only a few blisters :)

 Hiking the wind caves the day after Thanksgiving. It was a great hike! Way better than black Friday shopping!

 Uncle Mike and Larry changed the oil together and got to see car on the life and everything!

 Seeing the Mesa temple lights and nativity display! It was amazingly crowded, but also amazingly beautiful around the temple grounds!

 Little Jade meeting new family! Gwen, Mike, Kim, and Tommy...

Also, Dan and Karla! They drove over from Ramona to celebrate with us!
Jade did really well on the drive, and thankfully she ate some solids so we didn't have to stop very often... although upon return, Jade is now very wary of getting in the carseat...

So, that's a quick snapshot of our Arizona trip!!!

Thanksgiving Begins!

Aaron and Em were down this weekend for a conference. Em started up the Thanksgiving fun with an awesome edible craft for the kids: the apple turkey! Made with an apple for the body, marshmallow head, candy corn beak, gummy worm gobble, raisins for eyes, Apple Jacks for feathers, and a cookie/peanut butter cup pilgrim hat. Fun to make, fun to eat!

Xochitl's Apple turkey

Dawna's apple turkey!

Em instructing the kids on how to make an apple turkey.
Larry ate his apple turkey too quickly; no picture... 

Calder playing with Jade after making his apple turkey. 

Dawna holding her violin, which is not an apple turkey. 

 Happy Almost Thanksgiving!