It happened...the Annual Halloween Kids Parade at the office.  I think this may have been the cutest year yet.  My mouth still hurst from laughing and smiling.

I look forward to this day all year and tend to freak out a bit about the high level of cuteness I experience...like last year and the year before that.

This year the uterus didn't actual twist and flip around since its full of real live baby.  All I could do is rub my belly and think about how my baby will surely win the parade next year.  Now, there aren't any actual "winners" for cutest kid of all time.  But we all know that my kid will be the winner in everyone's mind. 

The standout baby costumes on the cuteness scale this year were the monkeys and lions.  There was even a passed out sleeping monkey that looked like a drunk monkey which was awesome.

And the ladybugs and bumblebees

So I've got to come up with something that will blow the mind of cuteness....

I know having a baby is about more then dressing them up in cute costumes.  But come on, next years Halloween is going to be awesome.  Look out CUTE, me and my baby are coming for ya!

On July 5th the husband and I competed on relay teams in our first International Distance Triathalon.  We split boys and girls and went for it.

1500 meter(about 1 mile) swim, 24 mile bike, 10k(6.1 miles) run

Brandon and Rozie were the swimmers.  They started off the race about 7:45 in the morning in the lake in Las Colinas..  It had been 100 degree days leading up to the race and I was worried we were all going to die from heat stroke.  But that morning the rain and clouds rolled in and saved us.

Husband and Debbie were bikers.  And let me tell you how Deb saved the girls team.  Our biker had to drop out.  And Debbie who we later found out hadn't been on a bike since she was a kid....jumped in, learned to ride, and trained for 24 miles in just a couple weeks...amazing!

Mike O. and I were the runners.  By the time he and I got around to running the clouds had drifted away and left a nice July sauna for us to run in.

In the end the boys beat us...whatever, its all about having fun, right, right?

Here are the stats:
boy's time overall: 2:41:57

girl's time overall: 3:13:25

Now how about some flattering race pics.  Unfortunately since the DeLoaches spent their time in the water they weren't photographed.  But take it from me, they look pretty darn cute lavender swim caps.

Ryan on the bike...what do you think happened to him between the 1st and 2nd photo?  its like he is angry at the road....

and Deb, our hero, sacrificing herself for Team Derosa........get it, DEROSA,  DE(deb)RO(rozie)SA(sarah)...SUPER CREATIVE I know

But lets talk about what really matters to me...the run.  Here is exhibit A that Mike and I were actually running different races:

We're crossing the finish....excuse me, did I miss the party?  I do not look happy or all smiles or have my arms relaxed.  Mike looks like he just got done running down the street to hug a puppy.  I look like I'm about to kick a puppy.

Lets examine further:

it looks like happy fun time running 6 miles in the middle of a Texas summer. 

not so fun...more like, lets get this over with. Even his headband is cuter than mine!

this is the only pic that makes me feel better.  At least he looks like he's actually working...a little bit.

Mike O. beat me by 1minute 6seconds.

Maybe I should try and have more fun?  Or maybe I should just work harder to beat Michael... 

I've kind of had a bad attitude this week....an by kind of, i mean actually.

I could blame being in a funk because the husband has been gone, and it does kind of throw me off.  But, really I just haven't been seeing the big picture.  I've been too busy worrying about my own scene.

And after working all day and then coming directly to church to paint cardboard murals all night I've had a bad attitude about VBS.  I've seen my negativity spread by my little grumblings. 

Then I just now saw an update on the blog from the husband's mission trip.  Check it out.

Thats the husband with some other members of the team doing a skit.  And I read about the work they've been doing.  It just puts all the cardboard painting and crazy VBS planning into perspective.  I may have my opinions about this project being to big or that one being to small or how we could do it all different.  But really....really....it doesn't matter.  None of the sets and cardboard painting matter one bit.  We're doing it for the children.  This week I've joked with a sarcastic tone as I drag myself into the church building that "I'm doing it for the children."

But if me taking some extra time to paint a mountain or repaint a mountain 10 times gets a kid to come because it looks cool inside the church...then thats all that matters.  So ya, we're doing it for the children.  We work in community for those kids.  Its the best way I can spend my time.  I can just let my own scene go...quit worrying so much about my own time.   

And I love this pic from the husbands trip....the kids with the parachute.  Kids love that parachute all over the world.  Children are children.  They need to laugh and be loved on.  I'm glad the husband is away doing just that.