High Five for Friday (9.26.14)

1. It's a…BOY! The newest member of our family is male, and we named him Moo. You know, like a cow's opinion - it doesn't matter. (First person to correctly identify the origin of that phrase in the comments will win a cow-themed prize.)

No, we didn't name our little buddy after a cow's opinion, but he does look a little like a (teeny tiny) black and white holstein cow...a little shout-out to our Wisconsin/Midwestern roots.

My gym towels are all a little furry.

I may have to get a second GIRL kitten so that I can use the name Katniss…

2. That fundraiser I mentioned last week - the Boosterthon Fun Run at the kids' elementary school - was a HUGE success. The kids enjoyed all of the character lessons, had a blast at the actual run, and raised a lot of money to support their incredible school.

The second grader boys lining up at the start.

And they're off!

Running through the lap-marking station.

Cheerleaders, dance team members, and mascots from both College
Station high schools helped pump up the kids throughout the day.

Me and my boy after his run. We were SO sweaty.

Hallie was VERY nervous, mostly because she didn't
know what to expect (she couldn't remember watching
Will run last year). She cried twice - once with her teacher
and once with me - while waiting for the run to start, but
forgot all about her worries once the kids around her took off.

She's the tortoise, Will's the hare. Thankfully they
weren't running/competing against one another.

Still chugging along...

Me and my gal after her run. Again, SO sweaty.

I'm so proud to have been a part, even just a small part, of the team that pulled this event together. I'm also super proud of my rockstar dance moves.

Parents in the background: standing.
Kids in the foreground: dancing.
Erin in the light blue shirt: embarrassing herself.

This picture reminds me of that saying, "dance like no one is watching". Nailed it.

3. This article, about the soul-crushing gauntlet that is the hiring process for professors, is so spot-on it made me laugh. And by "laugh", I mean cringe and sweat and fight back tears and quite literally praise God that we survived that phase in our lives. I'm now looking for an article about the similarly soul-crushing gauntlet that is the tenure track for professors, just because I need another good laugh.

4. Over the last month or so I've come to suspect that Hallie suffers from Restless Leg Syndrome. I won't go into the details here - this is a "high five" post after all - but I will share that putting Hallie to bed recently has been physically, emotionally, and mentally painful for both her and me.

I scoured the internet for natural remedies, visited with friends who have had success with essential oils, and started trying different combinations of these treatments. This is what eating a banana, starting on a multi-vitamin with iron, taking one baby Tylenol, Vick's VapoRub on the feet, and lavender oil on the legs looks like.

Heaven.

5. Happiness Highlights

This photo is a hint as to what the four Ferri
plan to dress up as for Halloween this year.

Productivity is at an all-time low 'round these here parts.

And because productivity is at an all-time low 'round these here parts, my Happiness Highlights stop here this week. I promise to do better at capturing the happy moments in my life next week!

Happy Friday, friends!

Linking up with High Five for Friday!