"Gabe's Gang" @ the Easter Seals "Walk with Me" 5k

Getting out of the van in morning it was still a bit chilly.... but it warmed up fast!Gabe was ready to go and was very consistent in telling us so!! (haha!)Gabe's Gang!!

Ed, Nicole, Jeremy, Dan (you can only see the top of his hat!) Shannon, Shawn, Bernie, and Adam, and of course the team captains Kari & Gabe!

Dan took 1st place in his age category (Adam took second) and Jeremy got 3rd!!!

It was a great day and an inspiring event, we beat our fundraising goal- check out our Team Page!

After the race there was food, music, and a little fair at the end and.... Gabe got a tattoo!!

He didn't even last 5 minutes in the van when we headed home!! It was a fun and tiring day!!

Gabe, knocked out on the way home, sporting his Elmo "tattoo"

Race Day (Rain or Shine!)

This weeks race was the Easter Seals "Walk with Me" 5k race (and 1mile & 2 mile walks) in Philadelphia. This race was down at the Art Museum again- the course was along MLK/West River Drive. Thanks so much to those who donated, it was a really great experience for Gabriel and he was very proud to have raised money. (Mostly I think he was proud of his T-Shirt!)

Gabriel was so proud of his T-Shirt, posing with it (before the race)

Gabriel and Mommy getting ready for the race to start! (no rain yet)

Gabe was getting excited as they started announcing that the race would start soon!!

Another one of Gabe and Mommy (with her race day pig-tails; LOL!)

Our kiddo

Ok, Last one before the race starts- by the way, no sooner did they say "GO!" it started to rain!!

This actually looks much worse than it is, it's all crinkled up because we were in the process of taking it off when I thought to get a picture of it. It lays flat and Gabe can see out of it pretty well actually- He was really excited to have it and the only places where water got on him is where the air holes were!

Right after we finished the race- See only his lap and pillows got a bit wet, the rain accessory was well worth the investment! (Note: Mommy and Daddy are completely soaked to the bone!!) We finished this one just as the clock hit 41 minutes so we were over a minute faster than last week!! ( I think the rain may have helped with that!)

Gabriel in the van just after we loaded up- his hair is a bit wet from getting into the van. The rain never really let up once it got started!! Gabe with his SB cup- gotta replenish those fluids after a big race! :)

Rainy!!A soaking wet Jeremy!A soaking wet Kari!

It really was a great event and a wonderful outing and honestly it wasn't that bad running in the rain. The temperature stayed pretty warm right up until we were loading in the van. The wind picked up a bit then and it felt a little chilly but it was a really fun morning and another 5k on our "accomplished" list.

The entire event; the tents, both walks and the 5k race- raised $60,436.00 for Easter Seals!

Next week is the "Running for Cover" 5k for melanoma research down by the sports stadiums. Another race for a good cause-

That should be fun!

Comming up.. Our next 5k!!

This weeks 5k race is a special one! We are doing the Easter Seals, "Walk with Me" 5k run in Philadelphia. For those who don't know, the Easter Seals is an organization that benefits children and adults with disabilities. We're really excited to participate this coming Saturday.

If you have a dollar or two you can spare, please take a moment to visit Gabriel's fundraising page and make a small donation. Please do NOT feel obligated to give, in these economic times we do not expect any donations, we just wanted to post the link in case people would like to have the opportunity to give a little something.

Be sure to check back in Saturday evening for our post race photos!!

Our second 5k run!

We did our second 5k this past weekend. The Delaware Valley Stroke Council, "Strides for Stroke", most of you know my father had a stroke when I was in the 8th grade, so this was a special charity for us. The proceeds benefit stroke education and awareness programs and also programs to help those who have medical needs do to stroke.

Right after we finished- I think Gabe still wanted to "GO!"

Gabe and Daddy by the "Rocky" steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

One last family picture just after we finished our post race snacks!

We finished in 42 minutes (together we're 3 minutes faster this week!!)

Our first 5k

We ran our first 5k on June 6, 2009. It was the "Badges of Honor" run to benefit the Survivors Fund. The Survivors fund benefits the families of Police, Fire, and Correction officers who are killed in the line of duty. Nicole, one of my friends, and her family are very close to this charity as it touched their lives when her father, a Philadelphia mounted police officer, was killed in the line of duty in 1987. It was an honor to be involved and to help raise money for such a worthy cause. Thanks so much to Nicole for inviting (and encouraging) us to participate!

Gabe making sure I know what I'm doing before we get started.


Gabe is excited and ready to "GO!"

Nicole and her sister, just before the race started. Thanks again Nicole for the invite and the inspiration!

Jeremy ran with Nicole and her family and finished in around 37 minutes!!

Gabe and I worked really hard doing our first 5K run together and finished in around 46 minutes!

I know this video will seem random- we were just getting started with the run and I wanted to snap a quick picture of Swoop (the eagles mascott) however I didn't realize my camera had switched to video mode on the dial. ( I think from how I had it stored in under the stroller) Anyway, here's a quick (really quick) look at our pal Swoop at the begining of the Badges of honor run!!