indoor track

my kids have exposed me to lots of things in my 18 1/2 years of being a mother. i have been a:

t-ball mom, baseball mom, jazz mom, soccer mom, ballet mom, gymnastics mom, swim mom, cheer mom (for basketball, football, la crosse, and wrestling), basketball mom, volley ball mom, tennis mom, and now, track mom. i'm not used to that last, and it's definitely taking some getting used to. but i enjoy what my children enjoy, so bring it on! 

 christian was able to compete in all but one indoor track meet this year. the events are held up in PG county at a huge and very cool sports arena right near redskins stadium. they have an indoor pool, gymnastics center, and indoor track arena. chris' last meet was while matt was gone, of course, so i got to pile these ladies into the jolly green and we headed up. that was a long day.

 what is completely normal, 6,4, and 2 year old behavior at home, becomes distracting, frustrating, and annoying when one is out and trying to enjoy, understand, and pay attention to an indoor track meet. they hated the starting pistols, played and fought loudish, and one delaney ray spilled her popcorn no fewer than 5 times. she done ate it right off the floor too. gross, i know, but what's the baby of 5 to do?

 chris competed in two events, the long jump was early, like at 4, and then a relay, which started at like 7:45. so we got there around 3:30, saw him jump, and then headed to the andrews commissary for some shopping. because i am a glutton for punishment and i like to cram, cram, cram things in.

 we shopped, we picked up happy meals, and we returned to the arena where we played iPad, and stared adoringly at each other while we played.

 frankie takes her track watching seriously.

 brenna and her grandparents also came up to see chris, but they stayed the whole time. maybe i am a bad mom, but 3 hours just seems like a long time to be supporting the team and not seeing my child participate. have i mentioned that track is taking some getting used to. i miss baseball.

 after his run (which i didn't even try to take pictures of because i'd left my big camera home accidentally) he cuddled with his sisters (can ya see them down there, addie's in coral), visited with us and brenna's family, and then released us on our way. 

 even though it was a long day, i am always glad when i can support something good my kids are doing. and now we're looking ahead to spring track and field. :)