Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Run Wild at the Zoo!!!

Mom was right about us getting out of the house...

On Saturday morning, at 6am, Mom dragged Aunt Hayley, Macie, and I to the Zoo to represent the Frankwick family in the Lifetime Fitness Run Wild. At first we were all a little apprehensive about it, mostly because we were still waking up, but once we arrived at the Zoo and saw all the participants, our adrenaline kicked in and we got psyched to compete in the race.

Here we all are getting ready for the 5K:



Mom and I finished the race in about 27 minutes, which Mom decided wasn't too bad since she was pushing me through dirt paths uphill. I taunted Mom the whole race, asking her constantly why she wasn't going faster!!!




Aunt Hayley and Macie finished in under 40 minutes, and managed to cross the finish line with big smiles on their face!

We were all proud of our successful finish.


After the last participant crossed the 5K finish line it was time to begin the Kids 1K. After stretching and warming up, I was ready to blast off.


I finished the 1K in record time, and didn't stop along the way- not once! Mom was shocked at my stamina and couldn't stop smiling and congratulating me. I had a great time running, but my favorite part was eating the food that Lifetime provided for the racers- muffins, bars, bagels, animal cookies, bananas, oranges; I think Mom, Hayley, Macie, and I ate one or more of everything!!!


It was fun running through the Zoo and watching the animals as they woke up (we were running at 7am). To reward all of us for participating in the race, we got to stay at the Zoo for the day. Macie "hammed" it up for the crowds, laughing and talking with everyone.


It was Aunt Hayley's first time at the Phoenix Zoo so, as we do with all first timers, I took her on a camel ride. Though she had a fun ride, she did say that she didn't look forward to riding a camel anytime soon...


After touring the whole Zoo the family went home and passed out- everyone of us! When we woke up we spent some time at the farm with Bugs, and the other barn yard animals.


We spent the entire day on Sunday recovering from our busy Saturday. I go back to school and gymnastics this upcoming week, and am looking forward to seeing all my friends again!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Back home in AZ for some Frankwick Family Fun!

The day after we returned home from California was Dad's Birthday!!!

To celebrate his special day we had a dinner party with John and Hayley and made Dad some of his favorite foods!!!


As you can see, Macie sure enjoyed it!


Dad was so excited we were finally back home spending time with him that I think he would have been happy with anything!


We had a lot of fun that night, but Macie got sick again later that evening.

The flu confined our family to the house, but didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. Aunt Hayley introduced Macie to popsicles, and she was hooked at first bite!

We got a special surprise later in the day when all of the "Grandma's" showed up at our house!!! Grandma Joanie and three of her sisters, Nancy, Sharon, and Dorothy came to visit us and I couldn't have had a better time with them.


We read books,


danced around the house,


and shared LOTS of LOVE!


After they left the house felt empty, but not for long- the next morning I woke up and Pa and Michele were there! Another great family surprise!

Pa spent some time with us over coffee (I made sure to help make it using "2 scoops"), but had to hit the road shortly thereafter to catch an SDSU basketball game in Tucson.



We stayed home the rest of the week, trying to kick the nasty flu that got everyone in the house but Mom; Dad, Hayley, John, and Grandma Joanie all caught the bug. It seemed like EVERYONE we came in contact with came down with some form of it.

A few days of good rest was what we needed, and by the weekend Dad and I (Macie and Mom stayed home to get some extra rest) were able to join the "Grandma's" at the Renaissance Faire for some good old-fashioned fun!


There were so many things to look at- from people to attractions, it was like we were transported to another time.


I was so thrilled to be there with my awesome family, who sure knows how to have a good time!

I loved being able to spend some time with my wonderful Grandma Joanie,



and loved seeing Grandma Nancy again (who has become one of my favorite people).




I even got to hang out with Uncle Jim, whom I hadn't seen since I was a baby.




Dad and I hadn't had much of a chance to spend time together since I got back from California and the flu ravaged our family, but we more than made up for lost time.


We rode some rides together,


ate some yummy treats,


and bought some fun toys- check out my new dragon- he glows in the dark:


I had fun introducing him to other dragons at the Faire!



After a quick lap on an elephant,


we played different musical instruments in a store, and I wanted one of EVERYTHING!



Before leaving I was allowed to ride one more ride, and chose the butterflies:



WHAT FUN!


Grandma Nancy walked with me and swung me back and forth-


She is TONS of fun!!!


It was AMAZING spending the day with the "Grandma's", and I am so thankful that everyone came out from Wisconsin to spend time with us!


I was so wiped out from my big day of fun that I passed out before we left the parking lot.


Mom woke me up when she carried me out of the car, but I sent straight back to sleep once she placed me on the couch.


That night was "flu free" so everyone in our house got a full night's sleep. In the morning we woke refreshed (finally), and since we were feeling SO good Dad insisted the whole family go back to the Renaissance Faire! Dad, Mom, Macie, Hayley, John, and I all piled into the cars eager to spend a fun day together.




Macie LOVED being a part of the excitement and even got to ride the butterflies- Mom couldn't believe that she was big enough to ride by herself!!!


Though I enjoyed the butterflies, lounging in a hammock was more my style...


After watching knights joust on horses I climbed the rock wall with my friend Bella.




Check me out as I reach the top:




The fun just kept on coming throughout the day; from rides on an alpaca,

to playing instruments with Macie and Bella!



I had an amazing time with my friends and family at the Faire,

After a fun-filled first week back home in Arizona, Mom insisted that we "tone down" our activities and focus on getting back to health. We spent a lot of time at home the following week and though I missed my family and friends I have to admit it was nice relaxing and getting back to reality. Macie enjoyed playing with some of our Christmas presents (that had been collecting dust), and discovered that she is quite the softball player- check her out as she uses her tee:




Our week of recovery is rapidly coming to an end, and Mom assures me that we will be leaving the house soon- check back to see what fun we discover...