Back To School!

Can summer really be over? I have been back to work for a few days now getting my classroom ready. Today, though, the end of the summer seemed more real when Matt and I took the boys to their school for Back to School Open House. Ryan was very proud to show Luke exactly where to go as we got to the school. Luke kept asking..."Is this really my school now?" He was so cute as he hauled his big backpack in to his classroom. We met his teacher and put his supplies away. He explored every single thing in the room and took apart the pencil sharpener. Good luck Mrs. Schietinger! I think you will keep on your toes with Mr. Luke in your room.




Ryan seemed like an old pro. His teacher met us at the door and Ryan instantly clammed up and became silent boy (I doubt that will last very long). Then, he put his things away in his desk. He took a very long time to organize everything, making his mother very proud! When he felt good about his set up, he relaxed a little bit and checked things out. He is thrilled about having some of his good buddies in his classroom with him. Ms. Gates seems like a good match for Ryan...he has been very lucky so far with fantastic teachers.

I am so glad that I had a chance to go with the boys today. The hardest part of being a teacher is missing out on the special moments like the first day of school. Being there today really helped me feel connected to the boys and their school.

Summer Flag Football

So another summer football season has come to an end. Ryan played with the same team that he did last year so he had a great time with his friends. He really understands what's happening in a game and seems to be involved in many plays. Most importantly, he loves every minute of playing.


This was the first season for Luke. He was the youngest on his team and really had no clue what was going on around him. That didn't matter to him. Often times he was about 10 yards behind the other kids but he was running as fast as his little legs could carry him (which isn't fast because he runs like his mom). He really had a good time...I could tell because every time I looked at him he had a HUGE smile on his face. I think the part of the game he loved the most was snack time!




Both boys will playing again this fall.

Seattle Danskin Triathlon

Saturday: Registration Day

My teaching buddies Jenna, Andrea and Bridget picked Lori and I up at Karlynn's house in Olympia in the morning. When we arrived in Seattle around 1:00 we had to register. What a process. My first thought was HOLY COW! There were hundreds of people registering. We soon learned that over 3500 women would be competing in this triathlon. After following the crowd to the Convention Center we picked up our packets which had all of our bibs, timing chips to wear around our ankle, and race info. Then we picked up our swim caps...I was given a beautiful red one as you will see. Red caps were designated for Relay Teams. The final step was to have our team number written on both arms. Before we left for dinner we wandered around the displays and picked up free goodies like water bottles, hats, peanut butter, and Sport treats. It was fun.
Then we headed to the race site to set up the bikes that we would need. We were just amazed at the thousands of bikes staged and ready to go. It was incredible. Finally, we braved the Seattle traffic and headed downtown to find an Italian restaurant for dinner. As we walked around downtown Seattle that evening we sure received many stares! With the big black numbers on our arms I think they may have wondered if we were triathletes or prison escapees! We ended up at Palomino and had an awesome dinner before heading back to the hotel to hit the hay early. We had to be up and going at 5:00 a.m. Yikes!

TEAM HOT MAMAS...#3539

Lori is a friend I have made through Ryan. Her son is one of Ryan's good buddies. She agreed to be a part of my Relay team when the original runner I had became pregnant. Lori is a marathon runner so really...a 3.1 mile run is like a walk around the block for her! Anyway, she was a great teammate. At the last minute, the girl who was going to ride the bike segment for our team couldn't do it. Lori decided to give it a whirl and she was amazing at bike riding, too! Out of 99 teams in the Relay Division, Lori and I were Team #6. Lori was the fastest runner of the Relay Teams and was the sixth fastest runner out of 3,570 participants!! WOW. I swam my leg in 20:26 which I was very happy with...faster than about 2/3 of the rest of the ladies.

HERE I COME!

As you enter the swim, you feel a bit like a herd of cattle. They place 100 people in the water at a time in what they call "waves". I was in the 23rd wave. As I looked out at the piece of Lake Washington that I was going to swim in...it was crazy. There were hundreds of bodies out there...arms flailing, heads bobbing. It was surreal but the practice that I had done really paid off. Once I got going, I felt pretty good. The hardest part was swimming around the slower people. It was a bit congested in parts...the best analogy I can think of is it was like driving in rush hour traffic. I had to weave around slower traffic at times, come to a complete stop in order to avoid collisions a time or two and could cruise along in other places. In this picture, I have just left the water and am running up to the transition area to meet Lori who is taking off on her bike. I know...the skin tight wetsuit is sexy!!

GO ANDREA

Andrea and Bridget did the whole triathlon. ( Jenna was planning to until she hurt her back that morning. ) I was so impressed with these girls and their stamina. Way to go girls!







I DID IT!

The medal I am wearing says..."The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race." I have to say that going in to this thing I really didn't know what I had gotten myself in to. During the beginning of the swim I had some unnerving moments. As I kept going (and kept battling other swimmers around me) I really had to dig deep and prove to myself that I could do it. I felt so great as I came up that ramp at the end. It was a great experience and I am so glad I did it!

Training for the triathlon...what the heck am I doing??

So, several of my friends talked me in to doing the Danskin Triathlon with them in Seattle. Well, I am a sucker and agreed to doing a relay version where I will swim a half mile. 2 of my other friends will be on my team...one will ride the bike 12 miles and the other will do the 3 mile run. I have been getting prepared for this adventure this summer. In Omaha I did several practice runs in the lake. That was a great place for me to get used to the idea of non-pool swimming. It was also nice, warm water!! After getting myself used to swimming with goggles and getting my stroke down, I moved to stamina. I have done lots of laps in the gym pool. But, the big final test for me before next weekend's triathlon was swimming in Cultus Lake with a wetsuit. It was cold, choppy and HUGE. After looking like an idiot getting my wetsuit on, I trudged into the water and discovered I can float like a buoy. If I wanted to I could probably turn on my back and take a nap while just floating there. But no, I did my swim on Sat. and on Mon. and also discovered that I am no Michael Phelps. Slow and steady is my motto!! So, for all of my family and friends out there who read this....be thinking of me on Sunday morning between 6:30 and 7:30 because for about a 20 minute period of that time I will be swimming in Lake Washington. Mama Mia!

Sunriver Weekend

August has been a bit slower paced than July. When we got home from the beach, I got busy around the house. Matt and I painted our bedroom and treated ourselves to new bedding. We think we hadn't had a new comforter since we moved into our house on Charles Street!! I also cleaned closets and dressers to get ready for school...It's just around the corner!! Yikes. Luke and I went shopping for his new backpack and he was very excited to pick his own lunch bag. I can't believe my little dude will be in school full time next year. He is so excited for Kindergarten.

On Friday, Aug. 8th we left for Sunriver to spend some time with Matt's Aunt Amy and Uncle Gary and their kids. We had such a great time with them. Pictures tell it best so I will highlight some of the fun things we did below.

We enjoyed biking with the boys for the first time. Luke just learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He was a little nervous, especially going downhill, but he felt like a big boy!! We rode to Fort Rock park to play on the playground while the rest of the house was sleeping. That's what happens when our little men are up at 7:30am and the rest of the teenagers sleep until at least 10:00am. Next time we'll surely explore more paths around Sunriver...when Luke is a little more steady and a little less DUII like on his bike.

Picture: Andi, Riley, Ryan, Luke and Matt
On Sunday we spent several hours at the Main pool...we had to work off the donuts we had from the bakery, of course! Matt and Ryan took several trips down the big slide. Luke displayed his fierce bravery by going down the mini-tube. I would say that both boys enjoyed chasing the many butterflies that flew around the pool deck as much as they enjoyed being in the water. Matt's cousin Riley joined us at the pool with her friend Andi. Oh, to look like a teenage girl in a bikini again!!


On Saturday and Monday we spent the day at Cultus Lake on Gary and Amy's new boat. Early on, Matt joined his cousin Mackenzi on the tube to show he was still young at heart. Gary's one mission was to get Matt to fall off of the tube. Matt was surprised as Gary drug him over a gigantic wave and he flew across the sky in to the water. I think they heard his scream across the lake. Ryan and Luke stil think he is an amazing daddy but decided to go on the tube the next time around with Mack. :-)

During the trip we were with 6 teenagers (4 boys and 2 girls). Ryan and Luke totally thought that the "big boys" were amazing. At one time on the boat, the big boys started air drumming along with the music that was playing on the stereo. Luke immediately started mimicking them and they were showing him how to follow the beat. It was a priceless moment. The look in Luke's eyes was of awe and wonder towards those boys.

Probably Matt and Ryan's favorite part of the weekend was the time spent fishing on the boat. Ryan is a student of his daddy and was extremely focused on learning how to cast and reel in "the big one." They ended up catching a 15 inch Rainbow trout and several smaller sized Rainbow and Brook trout. Luke's favorite part was watching the fish in the bucket on board the boat. He definitely is mommy's boy...no patience for the actual fishing act.

Luke and Ryan stayed in Sunriver for 2 more days while Matt and I brought the girls home on Monday night. Gary and Amy took them floating down the Deschutes River. They hung out in the hot tub and took several more bike rides around the loop in front of the house. All around it was an excellent trip to end our many adventures this summer.