Gasparilla Half

Ryan completed the Gasparilla Half Marathon this morning, and got his BEST time ever!  He finished in 2:33:59!  The kids and I got up at 4am and headed to downtown Tampa with him!  Trust me, my tired kids were even MORE tired of being part of the Over-Achieving-McGregor-Clan after their big weekend of early starts and races!  HA!  It was fun to watch him, and he did SO GREAT... we are VERY proud of him!

Arriving at the Convention Center... 2 VERY Sleepy-Peeps! 

Early morning shot of Tampa General Hospital... Great reflection in the water!

A benefit for being up so early.... Great sunrise!  This is after the race started, and while we were waiting to see Ryan at mile 6.7... the kids had eaten breakfast, so they are smiling!

Here he comes, with his arms up!  Half way done!

There was a full marathon going on at the same time, and this guy was the winner... he finised BEFORE Ryan finished the HALF!  Take a guess where he's from... Here's a clue, he finished FIRST!  At the Expo, they sell running shirts that say, "In my mind, I am a Kenyan".  No kidding.  Ok, he's from Kenya.  But before you think he did ALL GREAT, he finished about 5 minutes slower than his LAST marathon.  Last week. 

And OUR man of the hour, crossing over the finish!  (Keep in mind that Ryan crossed the START line 1 minute and 40 seconds into the race, so his actual time is FASTER than the clock time here).  So proud of him!

You can see the Finish line over Ryan's right shoulder! 

Congrats, RYAN!!!

Championship Swim Meet

Courage.  That's what we saw today in Ben, at the Seniors Championship Meet in Orlando.  We were so proud of him, and so overwhelmed watching him walk around the GIANT pool area surrounded by HUGE 15-16 year olds!  HUGE.  He looked so little.  And so unafraid!  He held his own, and afterwards said to us (with a little trembling in his voice!), "I'm pretty sure I was the littlest one there today!"... I asked him if he was scared, and he didn't say anything... then he finally said, "Umm, a little bit, when I was first on the block".  Wow.  Ryan and I were definately shaking in our boots for him! You can click HERE for pictures...  Rochel took pictures for me, and so did my brother, but we haven't seen his yet.  I was making a video:) 

Ben got his 2nd best time for his portion of the 400free Relay they did... 1:17 (not sure of the hundreth seconds!)

Just another glimpse of the impressive pool with the high dives over the 17 foot deep pool.  Ben was warming up in the lane closest to the diving boards.

Looking incredibly SMALL prior to the start of the relay!!  Can you see "Little Ben" surrounded by his 3 LARGE teammates?!!! They are wearing white caps... Ben also got a blue cap prior to going that has our swim team logo and says "Championship Team".  He can wear that cap at all the swim meets now!  The coach gave them plain white ones to wear for their relay, and they decorated them with Sharpie markers and got some of the Olympic swimmers that were competing also, to autograph them! 

Heading for lunch after the big race!  I turn around in the car and see Carly has decorated herself.  With her bagel wrapper from breakfast, and calmly sipping on her iced coffee! Mmmmmmm.

Our OWN Champion wasn't up for anymore pictures at lunch, so we took some of this cutie!  We were hoping for some funny Lemon Pictures, but he didn't make any!  He was happy to be fed by Uncle Ryan, though!  Eli was SO good at the meet!  No small feat, considering there were tons of people, not much room for his stroller, crazy steamy around the pool, and it was right before lunch time!  He liked watching the swimmers go back and forth and splash!

(photo from my cell phone...) This is the shirt Ryan bought for Ben.  They were heat pressing them on the pool deck!  They put a star by Ben's name:)

So PROUD of you Ben!

Determination Pays Off

Carly was THRILLED to get a turn ringing the bell at church last Sunday to call everyone to worship... I was THRILLED to have my camera in my purse:)  She's been pretty DETERMINED to ring it ever since she SAW it, and certainly since her BROTHER got to be the First Official Bell Ringer.  Here she is going to town with the help of our friend and one of the Elders, John Dubois.  They had to tie the bell rope up and use this pole to pull it... somehow a rope hanging down with a great big bell on the end of it would be WAY too tempting for the kids! 

good thing she had help!  Ummm, notice the "noose" on the end of the rope.... as we were heading back into church, one of the ushers said, "We take church disciple very seriously here..."

And in completely unrelated news...

Ben was asked to be on the Championship Team with the Senior boys on the swim team.  Big honor.  He's going to swim in a freestyle relay with them next weekend in Orlando.  He will do a 100 Free for his portion of the relay.  Remember his GREAT time a couple of weekends ago?  Looks like all that hard work and determination paid off:) He got his shirt today, and the team had a party for all the kids going to Junior Olympics (it's tomorrow) and the Senior Championship meet.  We are excited for him, especially since he was feeling bummed not to get to compete at JO.  So, Ryan would like to know if his mother will be coming down next weekend????  You DID say you would come down to see your Oldest Grandson compete at the Junior Olympics, and this might be an UPGRADE.  So, feel free to email us your flight info...  Ok... kidding.  We try not to make people go to swim meets with us because they are somewhat tedious:)  So, that's what the McGregor Duo has been up to this week...

Blog Header...

This header was inspired by Ben and the Wednesday night class at church.  That I haven't been able to attend because of work.  But I've been reading the book.  And getting alot out of it.

Anyways, chapter 6 is about Humility.  And there's a section about how we accomplish things because of the grace of God.  Which I could rattle off to you verbatim since I was a little kid, but did I really GET that, or just SAY it?  I spent some time thinking about it.  Yup, I need to work on that.  Rats.  Anyways, this verse really SHOUTED to me:

"But  by the Grace of God, I am what I am,

and His Grace to me was not without effect.

No, I worked harder than all of them

~ yet not I, but the Grace of God that was with me."

I Corinthians 15:10

So it occurs to me, I really need to be focussing on the "yet not I" part of that, and forget the "I worked harder than all of them" part.  I tend to ONLY remember that part, and NOT how "I" accomplished whatever it is...  

"... all that we have accomplished YOU have done for us"

Isaiah 26:12

It is definately easier for me to try and impress it on my kids (ie, at a swim meet!) than it is for me to actually practice in my own life.  Hmmm, always thankful for the gentle reminders of my deficiencies!  Ha! 

Anyways, you get why I picked the verse... and the picture is from last week's swim meet and it is just an example of an accomplishment... seriously, I could have put the finish line of the marathon, by beautiful children, my job, my marriage, or any number of accomplishments I think "I" did... with the reminder that it wasn't ME, it was HIM.   I'm happy to have a reminder, because I NEED reminders.  Lots of reminders.

Ryan Benjamin

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!

Eleven.  It doesn't seem possible that eleven years ago today, we were hearing "It's a BOY!" for the first time and then laughing with great joy over the amazing wonder of YOU.  I have always said that you are so much like your Dad, but now, I am loving how much you are BEN.  You are sweet and loving and so sensitive.  I love it when you sit beside me and ask me if I'm ok.  I love it that you still want to hold your Dad's hand in church... I love that you play with your sister, and make up Imaginary Games that you drag her along to play.  I love it that our cat, Cassidy, thinks you are AMAZING.  He hates everyone else, but lights up around you.  I love it that you say, "Why does this cat follow me around?!?!?!" because it is just so YOU.  I love how excited you are to spend time with "Just the Four of Us", helping us plan family adventures, and being SO enthusiastic about them!  I love how much you ADORE your extended family... I've never seen a kid LOVE each one of their cousins so much (even if you don't want to TOUCH them!!)  I love the sweet concern you have for them, and how you pick a different one to pray for each morning.  I love the excitement you have over Aunts and Uncles, Grandparents... and the sweet tears you shed EVERY TIME we pull out of the driveway in Michigan to head for home, and the tears that fall when you tell me you miss Grammy and Papoo when they are away.  Your heart is so tender, and your Dad and I are so happy to have peeled back the layers of it to reveal the True Ben inside.  I love how smart you are, seeing things so many of us miss!  I love that you are a Human GPS (hey, thanks for helping me get home last week when I got off the wrong exit!!) and know every highway, exit number, and restaurant from here to Michigan.  It really does come in handy!  I love to hear you talk about Levels of Mario with your Dad... the both of you going on and on, and Carly and I rolling our eyes!  I love that!  You are just the coolest kid, and seriously?  We are so proud to be your parents!

As you continue to grow, we pray above all else, that your relationship with God will become deeper and deeper... we pray you will grasp a little tighter this year to the amazing truth that He loves you and died FOR YOU.  We pray you will gain an even deeper understanding that EVERYTHING you accomplish is from Him... You have come so far in your little life, Ben!  You have overcome great obstacles and are the most amazing little man because of it... and we love you!!!

"... all that we have accomplished, You have done for us"

Isaiah 26:12

We love you COMPLETELY,

Love, Mom and Dad

**photo from February 2002... age 3, and the year of the squeaky bug.  Yes, it was Carly's toy... but he comandeered it.

Determination

Ben participated in a "Last Chance" Swim Meet in Clearwater last weekend... as in, Last Chance to qualify for Junior Olympics.  You will remember that Ben has a JO cut time for his 50Free race, but it is qualifying as a 10 year old, and you must still be 10 when you compete at the Junior Olympics... and he "Ages Up" tomorrow!  And JO is NEXT WEEKEND.  Rats.  He would have to qualify as an 11 year old to participate next weekend, which would mean cutting a full 3 seconds off his race.  While he did not do that at this meet, we saw something really spectacular in him this time.  Determination.

I've watched him swim for a long time.  We've told both Ben and Carly that all we ask for is that they do their best.  JO cuts aren't important if you didn't do your absolute best.  We try to impress on them that no matter what they are doing, God calls us to do it to the best of our ability, to glorify Him.  Even swimming!  It's a delicate balance (for US!!) when our Human Parenting wants to see them WIN!  and we know we need to encourage their hearts in the direction of Who they are doing all things for. 

So, Ben's in the middle of his 50free race.  And his Best time is .03 seconds (got that??? POINT ZERO THREE) over the achievment of an "A Time" and my Mama's heart is pounding and Ryan couldn't watch (really, he had to keep putting his head down and stare at the floor) and no kidding, all of a sudden I noticed the most amazing thing:  He was determined.  He was locked in.  He was doing his BEST.  I was hundreds of feet away, in a balcony looking down over Lane One, and I could recognize it in his arm movements, his kick, everything.  I swear my heart was going to explode.  It was awesome.  That has to be how God feels about us when we are doing what He wants.  He's our Heavenly Father, and loves us, His little children.  I can envision Him looking down over the "balcony" with His heart-about-to-burst-with-excitement to watch us "get it".  The question is, what have I done to make Him feel that way?  Hmmmm. 

Back to Ben, and away from hard questions I'm too chicken to answer...  THIS is what DETERMINATION looks like.  Love it.

And his time...

He's in Lane One... so technically "last place" and he was 1/2 a second over his Best time... but I think he learned a way-more-valuable lesson.  He learned what REALLY doing his best FEELS like.  He was proud of himself for that.  We were... well, you know.  I'm still smiling with pleasure over that race.  And I'm thankful for yet-another-visual of my relationship with God.  And a goal... to make Him smile with pleasure, just like this:)

Now, before you feel all "How did Ben get LAST PLACE!?!?!?" (I know, right???!!) He was the youngest in that heat and was racing against much older boys:)  Spoken like Ben's Mama, I know.

Next race... and another milestone... his 50 Fly.  If you clicked on the link above, then you were reminded about his DQ's for the butterfly.  Check out his amazing form now:

Obviously, pretty proud of that... Even arms, just exciting to watch.  He was 1/2 second over his Best time, but form was so much better, so we are really on the right track.  He has worked so hard!

Chatting it up with the Coach, and reviewing his Fly...

Last race of the night... 100 Free. 

Carly watching her Big Brother rocking it... He's in the lane she's standing in front of...

Lane Six... 3rd place.  And a full SIX seconds off his Best time... That is amazing!  Oh, and he went from a B time, to a BB time:)  Very Exciting!  Again, swimming with older boys.

Very fun night for all of us!!!

Getting ready to take off during warm ups...

Beautiful dive!

Fun picture of my Dad!  We were pretty happy to have my parents and Tracy and Torrey along for the fun...

Mom hanging out, waiting for Ben's race to start... The Clearwater pool is a pretty nice venue.  Indoors, which was GREAT since it was a rainy night!

Little Miss was playing "Scrabble" with another little boy... nice words she was making.

Torrey Elisabeth!

Birthday Buddies Birthday Bash

Had a little Birthday Bash for my Birthday Buddies last weekend.... Tracy and Torrey flew over from Houston so Tracy could celebrate her Big day with her Birthday Buddy Ben.  So many "B's"!!!  We had a great weekend (more on that to come...) but here's how the party went...  Cake from PUBLIX.  Tracy got to pick the cake (since Ben picked pizza for dinner)... so he told her to make sure it was "marble" cake, and that it had blue, green, and yellow frosting.  So, YOU ARE WELCOME, Tracy, for getting to pick the cake!

The kids eating on the back porch... Also for dinner (because Ben picked Little Caesar's Pizza, and I could NOT make my parents eat it), I talked Tracy into making lasagna.  It was so good.  Sorry you had to make your own dinner, Tracy.  That's what you get for making it so good!  (actually, she volunteered, so I'm not SUCH a terrible hostess).

Presents... Ben got this very cool pinball machine from Grammy and Papoo.  Ok, he LOVES this thing.  Our Totally-Techno Boy loves the "old fashioned game".  Go figure.   He also got money towards the iPod Touch he is saving for.

Tracy and the gift I made her...

Ben got a Bakugan set from his grandparents, also...

Tracy threw her wrapping paper at Ben and we thought this picture was GREAT!  (*photographer credit goes to Uncle Steve for the majority of the pictures!  THANKS STEVE!!!)

Making a wish!

Cookies, courtesy of Rochel... they were so delicious!

And you can see who will pose for ANY picture, right???  Nice:)  Thanks to Rochel, Edgar, and Eli for coming over... My parents, who are now off in Israel for 3 months (count them, one-two-three), and Steve... and well, you know WE were there, and Torrey! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIRTHDAY BUDDIES!!!!

Daddy-Daughter Dance

We've made it to the end of a FUN, busy weekend... I have about 4 posts to share, but will START with this one: 

Daddy-Daughter Dance at the Temple Terrace Recreation Center... When Ryan went to buy the tickets, the girl asked him if he was bringing anyone.  For Real.  "Just you, or anyone else?"  Ha!  The big event was this afternoon, and Ryan told me they "Cut a Rug".  That could mean they literally had scissors out.  You never know with Ryan... but what I DO know is, he and Little Miss had a GREAT time!

and moving from the sidebar, and into the REAL blog...

AND I QUOTE:

Upon starting Family Devotions one morning, Carly states:
"Previously on devotions..."


Ben: (while listening to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on the radio) "Is Rudolph real?"
Carly: "Um, yeah... he went down in history. Duh!"