Joggem Style

The kids finished the annual jog-a-thon again on an absolutely gorgeous sunny day!
It was Hannah's last year to run for her school!
I did cry a tiny bit at the end...but not in front of her.
I guess its just not cool to be a crying mom.

Here are most of the girls in Hannah's 8th grade class

And here they are again with one of the boys photo bombing the picture.
He waited patiently until I took the first one without him.

These three have been pretty tight for a long time.
Hannah will be going to a different school than either of them and I think there's going to be a few tears on her part before the year is out.

Yes...you can photo bomb again!
Good memories!

Eight graders start the race and some of them look very ready to go!

Here they come around the track...
Hey!  There's Hannah!
Can you spot her?

She said she wasn't going to run, but the mood of the day makes you want to push yourself -
I always say this - but I'm always impressed!
Not just by my kids, but all the kids - from pre-school all the way to 8th grade!

Here comes Hannah's mini-me!
Go Jenelle!

Ivan had been struggling with a stomach bug that had him out of school earlier in the week.
He hadn't been eating well and after running a lap or two, decided that this year was going to be a walk-a-thon.
But he was a determined walker and still managed about 20+ laps.

After the race is over, the 8th graders do two final laps.
The first lap they do with their pre-school peace partners that they've had all year.
It's a symbolic lap...
The students who are leaving the school and those who are just beginning their turn at St. Joe's.

I'm getting a bit emotional looking at these again.
Just seeing the difference of where our kids have been and how far they've come.
How did it happen so fast?

The final lap for the 8th graders is on their own.
A special moment for them as they are all running together as one group for the last time.

Hannah and one of her friends ran together for most of the race this day.

I thought this was particularly cool because this is who Hannah ran with for her very first jog-a-thon so many years ago when she started at St. Joe's.

They will be in the same high school in the fall and are both considering cross country...so maybe these won't be the last pictures of them running together.

Thanks again to all of you who gave donations for the kid's jog-a-thon this year!
We appreciate it so much!
St. Joe's is an amazing place!
:)