Whiskey Springs

Two weeks ago, Pete went to New York for 5 days and the kids had 3 of those days off school so we headed up to Heber to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the great company of my Dad and his sweet wife.

The kids had a great time playing with all their neighborhood friends while my dad was at work, and of course loved all the time they could spend with Grandpa when he was at home. On Saturday we took the kids on a little trip to Whiskey Springs. It's a little state park not far from town that I remember going to when I was a little kid, and we always loved it. There's a very short trail that just goes up the mountain a little then comes back down into the picnic area so we took the kids on that a couple times.



The sun was kind of in a bad place for taking pictures, and unfortunately, the leaves had already faded quite a bit, but it was still beautiful.



We also explored a rock-slide just above the trail where someone had built 2 little forts out of the rocks. It was pretty cool, and I really enjoyed just sitting up there soaking it all in!




Of course they HAD to get in the river while we were there.




Ethan found a piece of wood shaped like a crocodile head!

Both Mindy and Elle fell in and got all wet and cold. Luckily Mindy's casts are water-proof, and luckily I had extra clothes in the car. Miraculously, Ethan managed to stay pretty much dry.

Sometimes there are a lot of really friendly squirrels there, but we didn't see any this trip. Maybe they were just too busy getting ready for winter to entertain visitors. Mindy did leave a cookie for them, though.

While we were in Heber, I splurged and made these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:



If you're obsessed with pumpkin, like I am, at this time of year, you should give them a try. Mine turned out HUGE! I had to bake them in 2 pans, and they were really good the next morning for breakfast too. (I'm not saying that was a healthy breakfast...)

Quick, quick, quick!

Do you want to run a marathon? Well, why not make 2011 the year you do it? You don't run at all, you say? Well there is no time like the present to start! My sister started her official training today and this is what she did:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Pretty simple right? That is the first day from the Couch To 5k training plan. Even if you have never ran before, you can do this plan. It starts with the above and works you up to running for 30 minutes in 8 weeks. Then you can start training with us for the Utah Valley Marathon! You know you want to! :) We still have 8 months to get ready.

Or just pick a 5k to run. Races are fun!

Anyway.

Today is such a beautiful day! We had kind of a rushed morning and after dropping Elle off at preschool, I had to drop Pete off for a meeting that would take an hour. I told him I was planning on going swimming, but that I could make it quick so I'd be back to pick him up on time. He said, "swimming is always 2 hours." but I told him I'd make sure to get out by 10:15 even if it was a really short swim. It turned out that when I got into the pool I still had 35 minutes until my designated getting out time so I almost had time to do my usual workout since I've just been downing about 45 minutes in the pool anyway.

Swimming was great and I felt really good! In fact, for the last few days I've almost been able to forget I'm pregnant! Yay! I didn't think that would happen with this one! I was especially glad to get into the pool because my legs were really sore from sewing all day on Saturday while I watched the Ironman World Championships in Kona. It was a fun day and it sure flew by! George's quilt is turning out pretty cute too:


I got out, skipped the shower and picked Pete up right on time! Awesome!

Rain, rain, come whenever you want!

I'm almost too big for my BAM shirt, sad!

I did not want to go running this morning. I almost didn't go. Afterall, I'm pregnant, I can have two rest days in a row (uh, yeah, instead of swimming yesterday, I slept pretty much the whole time Elle was at preschool.). I was even going to just drive the kids to school, but then they begged to ride their bikes so I gave in and rode with them. This helped me realize that I really was feeling ok so I reconsidered the run. Pete was home so I was able to leave Elle with him and just go for a little run. I told myself I'd take it easy and it would be no big deal.

I almost said, "Never mind!" when I looked out the window and saw that it was raining, but instead I just grabbed a long sleeve shirt and a hat and headed out.

It's easy to let rain get in the way of a good run, but I actually like running in the rain (as long as it's not for 5 1/2 hours with no rain jacket), and felt happy as soon as I started! Running in the rain makes me feel awesome like, "Hey, I'm a runner! People who aren't runners wouldn't be out in this!"

Ok, so there were some people out at the dog park, but that doesn't count.

After about 2 songs, I started getting a side ach so I reminded myself that it was totally ok to stop and walk. After a few minutes it went away and I was able to start running again. After that I just felt great! I ran onto the bike path that took me into the park and over the river where the rain was making a million ripples on the dark water. Then I rounded a corner and could see the cityscape through the trees. It was all so beautiful, and I was just so happy to be out there! I couldn't help but smile as I ran.

This was actually the first run I've done by myself for a while, and I guess I forgot how much I love getting out, having some alone time and just running without having to worry about anybody else on their bike or in the stroller. I need to do this more often!

I probably did about 2.5 miles, and I'm determined to do at least 3 next time. I was having so much fun at the end that I had to run around the block a couple times to finish Bohemian Rhapsody - always a fun song to run to!

I'm so grateful that I went even though I didn't really want to, and that I'm feeling well enough again to be able to run! What a blessing that is! I might just get through these 9 months yet!

Moving Along and Moving Up

Yesterday I got an email from Utah Valley Marathon telling me that I am registered for June! It was automatic because I had had them transfer this year's race registration to next year. I knew it was going to happen, but not it's official!

I also got a phone call from my sister at 11:30 last night so I was a little worried something was wrong. Why would she be calling me so late?! Turns out she got the same email and is also registered for the marathon! We weren't sure if hers would transfer over because they never emailed her back.

So, not only do I need to get myself into the marathon frame of mind, I also get to put my "coaching/encouraging" hat on for my sister. I'm so excited she's going to try again to do it with me! Last time I talked to her, she was totally against it so I'm happy she got that little bit of motivation in her email yesterday!

She hasn't been running at all so I told her to run 2-3 miles today and that I would do the same.

This morning, Pete took the kids to school since he was taking the car to get some work done on it. That was different! There have been very few days in their school career that I didn't take them in.

Anyway, this just gave Elle and I extra time to get ready and decide what we wanted to do about this run. I couldn't have her ride her bike with me because it has a flat tire and I can't even get the pump onto that little tiny (12 inch) tire to pump it up, so I gave her the option of riding in the stroller or going to the childcare at the gym. She chose the stroller, and I was kind of glad because I'd rather run outside for as long as I can. It was a really nice cool day today too!

I ran about 2 miles with her. I almost brought the Garmin with me to measure the distance, but then it was dead so I didn't. It probably would have made me cry to see how slow I actually go anyway. At one point, a guy passed us and Elle told me she wanted to go faster, and I just thought, "So do I!" I couldn't go faster, though. I just had to be content with the fact that I was running at all. It was pretty fun. Just like last time, it took me about half-way to really get into it and get past the side aches or whatever it is I've been getting. The end was great!

When we got home, we decided to try lowering the seat on Mindy's bike to see if Elle could ride it (since Mindy can't really ride it right now anyway), and she could! It's got 16-inch wheels, and it's a little tricky for her to get started and stop since her feet don't quite reach the ground, but it looks like it fits her really well while she's riding it. We went once around the block with it before finishing off the run.

After I stretched and showered, Elle was all excited to ride Mindy's bike some more, and we had a bunch of library books to take back so we rode our bikes to the library, about a mile away. Elle is super fast on that bike! The ride to the library used to be such a big deal, and she did it like it was nothing! She was just cruising along, and at a pretty comfortable pace for me. Not once did I have to slow down for her or look back to see if she was coming. She stayed ahead of me or right alongside me. I was super impressed! There really is something to having the right fit on your bike (even if you're 4).

Pete just asked me if 4 years old is too young to begin grooming for a career in pro cycling! Haha! She really is good, though!

Rockin' the Orange Casts

I'm 26 weeks along today, and my baby's the size of an eggplant! Wahoo!

Yesterday morning we took Mindy in to the Orthopedist to get her casts. I was kind of hoping she would end up not needing one, at least on her right arm, but she did. The doctor told us it was pretty much up to us, that we could just do a brace, but that if she's very active it would be safer to do a cast. Same with her left arm, the doctor told us we could just do the cast up to the elbow, but with both bones broken they could get end up turning funny. So, we just went with the safest possible solution of casts on both arms, and with the one on the left going above her elbow. Not so fun for her, but hopefully this way it will heal properly and we won't have to worry so much.

She chose orange for both. Perfect for Halloween. Also really good to hold up while crossing the street.

Being the resilient kid that she is, she's already adapting to the new casts. Here she is doing her best to play the drums for Beatles Rock Band last night for Family Night.

She gets them off November 1.

After the doctor, we dropped Elle off at preschool, then Mindy off at her school, and I had time to go swim! I did a total of 1950 yards as:

200 kickboard with fins

200 swim

200 pull buoy with paddles

200 swim

500 swim

500 pull buoy with paddles

100 backstroke to cool-down

25 to take the kickboard and flippers back across the pool, then dive back in and 25 backstroke to my stuff and get out. That's pretty much what I've been doing every time I go to the pool. Nothing major, but a nice little workout.

It was fun, and I got done just in time to go pick Elle up from preschool. Whew!

Being a Mom and General Conference

Today is one of those days where I really am not loving being pregnant. (So far I would count the days that I have loved it at around 1 or 2) It seems like some days I'm more uncomfortable than others, and today it feels like my ribs are going to get pushed right out of my skin.

But, having another sweet little person in our family is going to be awesome. This weekend was Conference weekend for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It takes place at the Conference Center here in Salt Lake City, but it is broadcast and streamed on the internet all over the world. We're lucky enough to live in Utah where it is also broadcast on the local TV channels and the radio so it is very easy for us to see and listen to the Prophet and Apostles speak. We watched it at home on our new TV so that was really nice. At one point I wasn't feeling very good so I laid down, and Elle came and laid down with me. She fell asleep for the rest of the session, and it was so sweet!

(I only closed my eyes for a minute during one of the songs)

Moments like those don't happen much anymore. She's only going to be my baby for a few more months. Then I will have a new baby to snuggle with. It's kind of bittersweet that it won't be Elle anymore, but at the same time I love watching her grow up.

When Pete saw us laying there, he told me that I was lucky, and I am! I feel so incredibly blessed to be a mother and to have such beautiful children. Taking care of them, teaching them, and nurturing them is the most important responsibility I have, and I'm so grateful for it. I love being a mom. My family is so important, and it doesn't matter if I have to put a few of my wants (like races) on hold for a little while for them. I'm excited to meet our new little one in 3 months!

I just have to keep reminding myself that this belly isn't permanent. :)

Click here to view General Conference.

Sugar Free Banana Muffins

It's recipe time!

On Thursday I had to do my blood glucose test. The instructions the doctor gave me were to not eat "any sugars" before the test, just eat proteins, drink this really sugary drink in 5 minutes, exactly 1 hour before my doctor appointment, then not eat anything else.

I had already planned on making banana muffins for breakfast, though, so I just made them anyway and just didn't have one until I got home from the doctor. Technically, these muffins don't have any sugar in them, but I figured the "no sugars" meant no sugars of any kind, including fruit sugars. Too be safe, I just ate eggs and sausage for breakfast (which is good too).

They were hard to resist though.

Sugar Free Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup apple sauce

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

2. Combine bananas, egg and apple sauce; mix well.

3. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

4. Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full. (I sliced up another half a banana and put a piece on top of each muffin, but I'd only do this if you're going to eat them right away because the banana will turn black and get slimy if you save them for later.)

5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done.

6. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

I wish I could have tasted these when they were still warm, but the kids seemed to enjoy them.

I was a little nervous about the glucose test, but not much. I was also worried that I would fail the iron test again like I did last month. I decided against taking supplements and just tried to eat more healthy, iron-rich foods like spinach, green beans, meat, and malt-o-meal. Well, it worked! Not only did I pass my glucose test, but I also passed the iron test! Yeah!

When I got home, I was already starving, so the first thing I did was try those muffins. Mmmm. They were good. They were really moist and delicious. They totally don't need the sugar with that many bananas and applesauce! They probably would have been even better warm.

Go Green

I so want to go green.

I'm not talking about a green Earth, though I do try to recycle and ride my bike whenever I can. I'm talking about being part of Team Trakkers. They are accepting applications for their team right now. I actually applied last year, but didn't say anything because they shut me down the day after I sent in my application. I really want to apply again this year. Is that crazy?

Why I want to Join

Sonja (who's on her way to Kona!), Michelle, Megan, James, Kelly, Sherry, and Carol are all people I stalk - I mean follow on Twitter, and they all belong, or did belong, to this really cool triathlon team along with pros like Amanda Lovato and Mary-Beth Ellis. These people are super fast and inspiring! They're my triathlon heros, and I couldn't even imagine how awesome it would be to be on the same team as them! They are all super nice and really supportive, and did I mention fast?

Another reason I'm looking for a team to join is that I don't really know that many triathletes. I wish I had a friend in town that I could train with. I do have Pete's aunt, Heather, who I'm going to try and talk into doing Ironman St. George with me in 2012, and she's great! She does live about half an hour away, though, and both of us are super busy. That puts a damper on things.

Is This High School Again?

I seriously feel like I'm in high school again, and I'm thinking about trying out for cheerleading again, even though I've been turned down twice, or auditioning for the upcoming musical even though I've only ever been an extra or in the choir. I really want to do it, but I don't know if I can handle the rejection. I mean, what do I have to offer them? What is it about me that stands out above others, and what makes me an ideal sponsored athlete for Team Trakkers? (seriously, this is one of the questions on the application)

The other day (before Mindy broke her arms and I was able to stop thinking about tri-related stuff for a minute), I posted this on Twitter:

I want to apply to Team Trakkers again, but don't think I could handle the rejection.

I know you're thinking, "how could a triathlon team turn down a slow pregnant lady from Utah?" but crazier things have happened! :)

And these are the responses I got:

@jamesonbull: You'd be surprised. The pregnant/mom factor on #TeamTrakkers is pretty high.

me: what about slow pregnant moms?

@jamesonbull: Slow pregnant triathlete moms get bonus points.

also

@IronmanSherry: I did my first Rev3 Race preggers in Trakkers green:)
@IronmanSherry: Apply dammit. Just sayins!

That just made me feel good and they pretty much talked me into applying.

Here I go!

... or maybe I should wait until next year when I won't have a brand new baby and I'll be Ironman training again... What do you guys think?

Work That Belly

Wanna see some belly pictures? I know you do! :)

July 1 (I can't believe I'm putting this on up...) about 11-12 weeks I think.

This is when I got my new speedo swimming suits from donating to World Swim Against Malaria when they were giving away swimwear for every $5 you donated, up to $20. Look at the goods I got!

I was so excited about them, but I've only been wearing the biggest (maroon) one since I don't want to stretch the others out. I'll save them for when I'm ready to work on my speed again.

This is what my old swimming suit looked like. I have to say, that's not bad for being used A LOT over about 5-6 years.

August 8 - 17 weeks and 5 days.

Here I am August 14 at 18 weeks just after going running. Weird how I actually look smaller in this photo...

And here I am September 18 at 23 weeks, on the way to go maternity clothes shopping with Pete.

I'm now at 25 weeks, and I am feeling much better than at the beginning. That isn't to say I don't have my days where all I want to do is lay in bed until January, but at least I'm feeling better for the most part and the last 2 weeks have been much better.

Most days I ride my bike with the kids to school (which is about a mile away) and back (so 2 miles) to drop them off if we have time, and to pick them up (4 miles total!). If we don't have time to ride bikes in the morning, I'll usually put their bikes in the bike trailer and go pick them up in the afternoon with the bike anyway because Elle LOVES riding her bike, and I have to get my exercise in somewhere.

Last week I also started swimming again. I had taken a break for a little while because I had been feeling really sick again, and (it's embarrassing to say) I was feeling really self-concious about my belly. I know it's nothing to be embarrassed about, but I was feeling like I was getting too big for my swimming suit and that everyone was staring at me when I walked into the pool. I'm trying to get over that and just go especially since Elle has started preschool, and I just got a new maternity swimming suit in the mail today along with some sweet paddles and a lycra swim cap so no more excuses! I have really enjoyed my swims, and I actually feel normal while I'm in the water. I even dove in last time and that was so fun! I haven't done that in forever!

I also went running yesterday with Elle on her bike. I hadn't been running for a long time because last time, probably 3 weeks ago, I was getting a lot of pain in my belly. Or maybe it was just side aches. It's hard to tell if it's pregnancy related or not. I did start getting side aches right around when I got pregnant. Yesterday was no exception, but it didn't last long, and the last little part of my run was so fun, I had us go around the block because I didn't want to stop yet. I probably did close to 3 miles - some of that running around the park while Elle played.

Popsicle Stick Arms

Monday afternoon, Elle and I had just finished lunch, and I was about to make my 3rd attempt at doing the dishes when the school called. The woman on the phone told me that Mindy fell off the monkey bars, and my thoughts immediately jumped to: “broken arm,” but then she was saying that she hit her head and that I needed to come check on her so I got even more worried. I told her I’d be right down. The dishes would have to wait. Again.

When I got there they said that Mindy was really upset and that she’d been crying the whole time. I went in and found her on the little cot in the back of the office, covered in tears. I looked at her head and could see where she’d hit it, right on top, but it wasn’t really bleeding. She said her head hurt and her arms hurt and hurt chest hurt so I helped her to the car and took her home.

When we got home, I was thinking, “She’s pretty hurt,” but I always tend to want to wait a little while to make sure it’s really bad before taking her to the doctor. Pete, on the other hand, was like, “You need to take her to the ER.” I really didn’t want to go to the ER so I called our Pediatrician at The Bryner Clinic (thanks for the reference, Somer, I love those guys!) to see if we could get her in there. I knew it would be a lot cheaper and just a much better experience overall if we could do that, and they told me to bring her right in!

Back in the car, and we were in seeing the doctor within probably half an hour. So nice.

The doctor checked her head and eyes and chest and said that all looked ok. The skull wasn’t cracked or anything like that, just a big goose egg. By now, Mindy was mostly complaining about her arms, especially her left arm so we shifted focus to that.

They have their own Radiology center so they just took her back and did the x-ray, and we really didn’t have to wait too long before we knew the verdict. Turns out she’s got TWO broken arms! Poor girl! But, the good news is that all the breaks (1 in the right arm, and 2 or 3 in the left arm) are buckle fractures. I had never heard of that before.

This is NOT Mindy’s arm, but it looked a lot like this, just a little bump on the bone.


It's also called an incomplete fracture, and it should heal a lot quicker than a regular fracture would (maybe 3-4 weeks). We will go in to a specialist next week to find out if she needs a cast or 2, and how long she'll need them and everything. For now she's just got splints on her arms



It's pretty hard for her to do anything. She can't write and it's hard for her to feed herself.

Seeing her with these splints on her arms, brings back memories of when she had splints on her arms (aka "popsicle-stick arms") 7-years ago:


Mindy was born with a cleft pallet (instead of that hangy down thing in the back of her throat, she had a hole), and when she was 11 mos. old, she had surgery to fix it. Nothing was actually wrong with her arms, but they put the splints on so she wouldn’t stick anything in her mouth and mess it up.



She was so cute and little and sad walking around with her arms sticking out like that! It’s amazing how well kids adapt, though. After a few days, she was playing around like normal. Well as normal as she could without bending her arms. :)


(Notice she's got exactly the same look on her face as the above sad picture.)

Yesterday, I took her to school, but I hadn't timed the pain medication very well and started worrying about her after a few hours. I went in to check on her and give her some Motrin, and she started crying as soon as she saw me and wanted to go home. I took her home and she rested for the rest of the day. On the bright side she finished the final Harry Potter book, and she's really excited for the movie to come out. :)

Today I made sure to time her meds better before dropping her off at school, and when I went back to check on her and give her more, she seemed fine and was totally ready to face the rest of the day! We'll see if she's up for ballet tonight though...

Camping at Bear Lake

They call Bear Lake "the Caribbean of the Rockies." I don't know who "they" are, but they failed to mention that, though it has the color of the Caribbean, it still has the climate of The Rockies!

Last year we went up to Bear Lake to do the Bear Lake Classic Triathlon (Olympic). We thought it was so beautiful, but it ended up being too cold for the kids to swim, and we didn't really spend much time there. We decided we'd try it again sometime when we'd have more time, and hopefully warmer temperatures.

Don't ask me why I scheduled our trip for the same weekend this year then. I should have learned that this is not a good weekend to visit Bear Lake.

I had been planning on doing the Bear Lake Brawl Half Tri before I got pregnant, which was this weekend, but that's actually not the reason I scheduled it for this weekend. We were going to go with my brother and sister-in-law and this was the best weekend for them that still had camping spots available.

I'd been watching the weather forecast up there for a couple weeks leading up to this weekend, and I was really hopeful because it had been sunny and in the 80s the whole time. The whole time, that is, until this Friday when it started saying Thunder Storms with temperatures in the 70s. No!

It was actually raining here as we packed up to go on Friday, but I was still hopeful that it would be ok up there. It's about a 3 hour drive from Salt Lake up to Garden City, and our campground actually turned out to be in South Eden so we had to drive around the lake another 10 miles or so. Our campground wasn't the one where they had the tri last year (and this year I think), so we just had to hope it would have a nice beach.

It was nice and warm when we got there, and we walked down to the beach right away to check it out. It was pretty nice, but probably not as nice as the other place. It had sand, though, and that's all the kids cared about so we we were happy. And it was really pretty - when the sun was out.

We headed back to camp to get our tent set up and start dinner. My brother, Shane, and his wife, Heather, had just arrived too. Ethan got everything out to set up the tent and it looked like I had brought the tent poles for our other tent! Ethan was very upset about maybe not having a tent to sleep in, and I just didn't know what we would do, especially since there was definitely a storm blowing in. We couldn't all sleep in the Jeep! Pete and Shane figured out a way to get part of the tent set up with the poles we had, though it was only one little tent out of our 3-tent compound and only the kids would fit. Pete and I just folded the seats down in the Jeep and put the air mattress in there for us.

By now, we had gotten dinner started and it was starting to rain. It was raining pretty good for little while and we had to hold chairs over the coals so the rain wouldn't put them out! Finally, just around the time dinner was ready, and when my sister, Katie and her boyfriend, Ryan, got there, it stopped raining! We had been pretty worried about where we would eat since all the kids were hiding in the tents or cars, but it turned out being alright while we ate and we got to see a deer run by on the beach!

We got a fire going and roasted marshmallows and made s'mores and peach cobbler and had a great time sitting around the fire talking. The sky was clear and we could see all the stars so I was, again, hopeful that the storm had passed. Katie, Ryan and Shane all left between 8:30 and 9, having to work in the morning. I put the kids in their tent, all snug in their sleeping bags with Mindy telling them stories, and they went to sleep so good! No problems at all. I couldn't believe it!

Pete and I went to sleep in the Jeep a little while later, and I cracked the window so I'd be able to hear the kids if there was a problem.

After a few hours, the storm started. It was raining buckets, the wind was shaking the tents like a dog, and the thunder didn't help to create a nice peaceful night. I would probably have been really comfortable and slept fine in the Jeep, if it were just Pete and I, but I had the kids to worry about. I just laid there waiting for someone to start crying, and sat up several times during the night to make sure their tent was still in one piece.

Finally, at about 3:00, I did hear crying. It wasn't Elle, as I had been expecting, but Mindy and Ethan. They were both crying and saying that they were scared. I was worried they would wake Elle up, but when I got in there, she was just sleeping soundly, hugging her doll. So sweet, as if the tent weren't shaking like crazy all around her, being pounded on by rain. I got them calmed down and stayed in there with them for about an hour. I thought about staying there the rest of the night, but I was just on the ground with a fleece blanket. At one point, I put my arm under Ethan's pillow and got my sleeve all wet. I scooted him down and made sure his sleeping bag was under him so he wouldn't feel the wet. Then I got back in the Jeep to try and sleep for a few hours, luckily it had stopped raining, but it was still really windy.

Heather made breakfast in the morning, which was really nice not to have to think about anything. I tried to help her out with her kids as much as I could, since she was alone with them. I asked the kids who thought this was the best camping trip ever, and despite the stormy night that the adults all found to be a nightmare, they all raised their hands! At least it will be a memorable one!







At around 9 or 10, we started noticing triathletes riding their bikes on the street just above our campsite so we went up and cheered for them for a while. Durning the night I was thinking, "Man, I'm glad I'm not racing tomorrow!" But when I was watching them all ride by, I was wishing that I was with them, and wondering where I would have fit into the mix. Cheering is the next best thing, though! I wonder how many of them had also been camping and didn't get any sleep!

After that, we went down to the lake, but it was getting all cloudy and windy again so I didn't quite feel like swimming. The kids mostly played in the sand with their jackets on or towels wrapped around them. Again, we'd failed to come at a time that was warm enough to really play in the water! Dang. The sun did peek out every once and a while, and that felt really good. That's when I'd pull my camera out because when the sun's shining on the water it transforms from a regular lake to a beautiful turquoise blue.

My favorite thing from the whole trip was when it was lunch time and we wanted to roast hot dogs, but we were all out of firewood so Pete was looking around for wood he could use. Suddenly Ethan comes up from the beach dragging this huge branch behind him! What a go getter! I wish I would have taken a picture of that, but here he is helping Pete get the fire going.



It was also just great to watch Elle and Aria play together.




The kids all had a great time and didn't want to leave when it was time to go at 2:00, but we had a long drive home ahead of us.

I don't know if we'll give Bear Lake another try or not. (or camping, for that matter) I can see that it could be beautiful and really fun, but it's kind of a long drive to risk it. We'll see, maybe we'll go earlier in the summer next year. Or maybe we'll just go to California or North Carolina to a real beach.

School is IN!

Wednesday was the first day of school for Mindy and Ethan. Here they are in their matching uniforms, aren't they so cute?

Mindy is now in 3rd grade doing dual immersion (trading off between English and Spanish every other day). She also gets to start violin this year!

Ethan is a big 1st grader now, and it's his first year with dual immersion (something he's not very happy about).

Now is the time I was going to start training like crazy! Actually, that was going to be when Elle starts preschool, and she doesn't start until next month. But still, I was only going to have one kid to worry about, and we're quite used to going to the childcare at the gym or on bike rides with the bike trailer.

Training like crazy has, in fact, not happened. Little George put an end to that plan (yep, it's a boy!!) but we have ridden our bikes the mile to school every day so far. It's been beautiful weather in the mornings, and a little hot in the afternoons, but it's been fun.




The first day I actually ran with them, but they went so slowly that I ended up walking a lot of it. Ethan especially seemed to go as slow as possible. He was really dreading starting school again. He just gets such anxiety about things, poor kid! I went in with him to see his classroom, and and to inform his teacher this was his first year in Spanish. This was something I neglected to do when Mindy started last year, and that was not a good first day for her! Ethan's teacher told me he'd just do English for the first day so that was kind of a relief. Elle and I sat in with him during the roll, and Elle didn't want to leave. She's quite jealous that Mindy and Ethan get to go to school! Ethan really didn't want me to go. He was ok while I was there, but had tears in his eyes when I waved goodbye and left. It was really hard leaving him that way. I just had to hope he would cheer up and feel better soon, and that the fruit leather I packed in his lunch would give him something to look forward to.

Sure enough, when I picked him up 4 hours later (it was a short day), he was smiling and his teacher said he was fine. Whew! It's always nice to get that first day of school over with!

The next day was his real first day in Spanish, and he was totally fine! This might just go better than I had planned!

My Little Cyclist

Last Saturday, I walked outside and was completely shocked to see Elle riding her bike with no training wheels. Pete was walking behind her, but he wasn't holding onto her at all! I couldn't even believe it.

I had taken Elle's training wheels off a couple months ago because they were bent from when our neighbor hit her with her car (seriously). Elle was fine, but her bike was unrideable with the bent training wheels. I also took her peddles off so she could just push herself around with her feet and practice balancing a little when she'd coast down a hill or something. Well, this method works wonders because, all Pete had to do was put the peddles back on, help her get started and she was off! Totally confident, with an excited, "Off we go!" She won't be 4 until September so I'm super proud of her! I didn't learn to ride my bike without training wheels until I was 7.

Well, now Elle just can not get enough of riding her bike! After my great run on Monday and my new resolve to start running again, I was hit with feeling really sick again for a couple days. Wednesday was miserable, and I pretty much stayed in bed most of the day, but I did get out long enough to take the kids to the park for lunch. (yeah, in the middle of the day, in the heat. Good idea!) I walked so Elle could ride her bike. Once we got to the park, about 3 blocks away, she didn't want to stop riding her bike, and did about 12 laps around the park while they other kids played and I sat in the shade. We didn't stay too long after that, and when we got home, I collapsed into bed again for a couple hours, and was very happy when Pete offered to take us out to pizza for dinner.

Of course, that was still not enough bike riding for her, and almost constantly I would hear, "I wanna ride my bike!" It's so hot out, though, so no one wants to go help her. Friday morning I was feeling quite a bit better, and I was up by 7 so I decided to take myself up on that getting back into running promise. Just before I left, I decided to ask the kids if any of them wanted to ride their bikes with me. Guess who wanted to go.

Elle and I headed down the street to the bike path which is about a mile away. Once we got on the bike path, we looped back around towards our house. It was a little nicer on the bike path since it's wider and I wouldn't have to stop to help her get started again every few minutes because of going off the sidewalk and getting stuck. But she was also getting tired by the time we got to the bike path. After a little while, she turned around and said she wanted to start heading back. I tried to explain that we were actually heading toward our house, and that if we turned around it would be longer, but I don't think she believed me. Finally, I got her to keep going, and we made it to the park we'd ridden to on Wednesday. Soon after that, she sat on the grass and rested for a little while, and she really wanted a drink, but I hadn't brought one. After her little rest, we pressed on and made it home.

In total, that's about a 2-mile loop, and it took us 44 minutes to complete! More than double my usual time. At least she helped me take it easy. It was a little long for her, but I think soon she'll be doing it without a problem!

The funny thing is, even after all that riding, and with how tired she got, a few hours later when I told her it was time to go to Costco she said, "I wanna ride my bike to Costco!" It took a lot of convincing from me and Pete that she wasn't going to be able to ride her bike to Costco, it's too far away. Even when we go there, after 15 minutes of driving on the freeway, she said, "That wasn't very far, I could have rode my bike here." What a funny girl! I'm sure we'll be doing a century together someday, and that will be awesome!