CRAZY RACES!!!

So, last Saturday was the annual company picnic for Shane's work... Shane LOVES to go show off his little (ha) family and mingle with his co-workers outside of work... This year it was pretty fun!! They always have races for the kids and even the adults. We have quite an advantage with our small 'brood' of children. Having so many kids... the odds of winning go up significantly. I think there was even one race, the gunny sack race, that we had three kids in the top 5. They are good little hoppers!!

Shane tried his luck with the adults in the gunny-sack race and had a small catasrophe.... Picture this... his feet- being a slightly bigger than average, take up most of the space in the little gunnysack, First challenge. Then his large stature--he being 6'3'', makes the sack come up to about his knees!! Second challenge. Now, he tries to hop while bending down- like the hunchback- in a ball, in order to reach the sack and keep it up around his legs. Third challenge. Next, he decides to make GIGANTIC leaps in order to win the race.... A great strategy- however- in order for it to work... you have to be able to keep hopping GIGANTIC hops and not tip over...!!! Fourth challenge. At the first part of the race, he was winning -- then as his 'top heavyness' gets to him- he begins to loose his balance.... all the while having built up a great amount of momentum with is HUGE leaps-- Ultimately... he tumbles to the ground and crashes, but resiliantly proceeds to hop like a frog to the finish... his hands on the ground, bum in the air with the feet hopping clumsily behind in the small gunnysack!!! It was so..... funny!!! He did, however, manage to get THIRD place!!! He also managed to twist his ankle in the process. I thought he was done for....

So, next up was the three legged race. Number 1 and I decided to give it a go... I was quite the three-legged-racer in my day- so I gave him the 'count 1,2,1,2.....outloud-together-technique-' while you are running.... and since we are about the same size...it worked great... we got 3rd place- even though I stopped about 10 feet before the actual finish line...I accidentally stopped at the announcer guy-- not the orange cones...but we started again and still did got third!!! Getting a little cocky with our success- we decided to race again to see if we could get FIRST!!! We were clearly in first place until my little stopping early mistake, so some of the other kids beat us. We thought we could do it again and take the title... Our dreams were crushed when somehow -- we messed up, crashed and burned--It wasn't so bad except for the fact that I was in a SKIRT!!! A cute little jean one that I am sure didn't keep me covered as I fell... Shane assured me that nobody saw my bright whites... but I am doubtful. Number 1 also got the wind knocked out of him on our way down, my knee was bleeding, and we were crushed--- but it was fun....

The next thing I know-- while number 1 and I are mourning our loss- #1 was actually pretty hurt and I felt bad for hurting him--anyway---Mr. Broken Ankle decides to use #5 as a partner in the three-legged-race!!! I thought we were going to have to take him home in a wheel chair!! He ties the band around his foot and hers and they are off.... they won by a mile and she didn't even drop her popsicle!!! His REDEMPTION was short lived.... they disqualified him for cheating!!!! BUT they won first place in my book....

CRAZY RACES at the Company Picnic!!!!