Race ya!

Why is this boy smiling?


It could be because he was about to run in the annual Whipper Snapper races as part of the Grandma's Marathon festivities. But I suspect it may have had something to do with all the mascots he'd just met, such as Champ the Bulldog from UMD.



Or maybe it had something to do with the autographs he'd gotten from a couple of attractive Vikings cheerleaders.

Mommy always appreciates when he brings me coupons after meeting the Caribou Coffee mascot. But alas, it was AJ's non-coffee-drinking Daddy who was accompanying him through the tour of characters, and so no coupons were attained this year.

We all went to the races together, and I even picked up a number for Sydney just in case she decided to run. But sensing her lack of enthusiasm for the event, and knowing how much she hates oversized costumed characters, Jeff and I decided a divide-and-conquer approach would work best. So while Jeff and AJ were busy meeting mascots, Sydney and I headed across the street to pick up my race packet for the next day. We missed AJ posing with Tiki Tom from the Edgewater...

But still made it back with plenty of time to see him run. I just didn't get a picture. There is such a mob of people at this event, that it was pretty impossible to get into position to take a photo during the 100-yard dash.

Besides, I think he had (and I know Sydney had) more fun afterward when we let them climb on an anchor down by the shore.

I noticed that this year, when I asked him who he'd had his picture taken with, he talked about the cheerleaders before mentioning the Bulldog. That's a first. Could it be a sign he's becoming a big boy? At the same time, I took comfort later in listening to him describe the afternoon to his grandparents. By then, he'd forgotten all about the cheerleaders and mascots. It was climbing on the anchor that was most memorable.

I guess he's okay being 5 for at least a little while longer. And I'm more than okay with that, too.