Tuscany Kids Triathlon

One last fling before school starts. The Tuscany Kids Triathlon. Which will now be an annual event thanks to great neighborhood moms organizing it and making it a family hit. This was a swim, bike, run in our neighborhood (ages 3-8). Noah's age group were the first to go. He did awesome on the swim. He quickly got out, Jeremy helped him at the transition and then he was off on his bike in a flash. After that he was on the run and done before we got to the finish line. I really need to wear jogging attire to these sort of things to keep up with both kids.

Beginner swimmers have the option for flotations like water wings, life jackets, or kick boards. I brought one of each for Paige (since it the swim is across the length of the pool which is the deep end for her). Paige wouldn't have it. She wanted to swim all alone, not even dad in the pool with her and she wanted to swim the big kid length. And she did. We were so proud of her.

At the end there were medals for all of the kids and a drawing for prizes. Then a group photo of all of the athletes. What a great way to promote healthy living and exercise to kids at a young age. This was really fun to participate in and the kids want to do it next year. August 2010.

Cousin Tanner's B-Day Party

With Grandma Karen, we took cousin Tanner to Chucky Cheese for his birthday and had a little party. Our kids love Chucky Cheese, thanks to Grandma Karen. Then Tanner, lucky boy, got a family party a few days later at Roaring Springs. This was cousin Tanner's 6th birthday party at Roaring Springs. It was also our first time at the water park. The kids loved it and were able to go on more rides than I thought. Tanner, Noah, Noah's friend Bronson, Paige and I went to the water park hours before the party started so we could get more bang for our buck and cram as many rides into the day. We had a great time. It was a lot of watching and walking for me since being pregnant, most rides I didn't go on. It was still fun and a great warm August day to go. August 2010.

Saying Goodbye to Robot

Noah built this robot late Spring of Kindergarten. He is now going into the second grade and mean mom wants him to recycle his robot. It takes up space in his room, is falling apart, and is dusty. We took some goodbye photos so Noah could always remember his robot. We love you robot. You will always be remembered. We made a movie about you, took photos of you two years ago, and now as we send you on your way to be turned into other usable containers. Goodbye Robot. August 2010.

Noah and Paige Swim Lessons

The kids had two sessions of private swim lessons in August. It was nice to have it in August because it was hot everyday so the kids really wanted to get into the water and have their lessons. Also, the kids had already been swimming all summer long and I had taught them all I knew to teach, so it was time for a professional. Paige was barely just swimming by herself just before she started lessons and by the end of lessons she was swimming the length of the pool and deep end all alone. I love having good little swimmers. It makes Jeremy and I rest a lot easier around the pool. August 2010.

McCall Souvenirs

Since we go to McCall often, I don't usually buy my kids souvenirs. However, this time I let them choose one each since it was our last trip to McCall for the summer. They of course chose stuffed animals, they love animals, and I bought them McCall tourist t-shirts for the animals. Paige chose a fox and Noah chose a wolf. My future Diego Pet Rescuers. August 2010.

Jeremy's First XTERA Triathlon in McCall

Jeremy has found a new passion for Triathlons with the XTERA races. He has done two. This one was his first. It was in McCall in August. The race started and ended in the Ponderosa State Park. This was perfect since we were camping there for our ward campout. We love these campgrounds. Josh and Amber and their kids, and Grandma Karen came up the night before to watch Jeremy race. He did well for his first race and this was a smaller one but there were many real competitors. Hardly any first timers in this race. He said the trail run was beautiful, the mountain biking was very technical and advance, and the lake swim was exhausting (because it is the part he trained the least for), but he did well and didn't finish last. It was fun to watch him. After the biking was the best because he was so dirty and scratched up from his several crashes. He looked tough. After we watched Jeremy do the swim, we went to breakfast at the pancake house, mmmm. Jeremy worked hard as we stuffed our bellies. August 2010.

Baby #4 Due January 29, 2011

We are expecting again. We have been a little quiet about it because we want everything to go well and are walking on egg shells a little about having our baby survive and not be premature or miscarry. So far everything is good. We are having a little girl. The kids have known since May and have been very good secret keepers. I am impressed. We have a great High Risk OB doctor that we trust and will keep you updated. So far 26 weeks along and things are good. We are still taking many precautions. Better to be safe than sorry.

Helping Aunt He-He Move to Virginia

Noah, Oliver and Paige. We went to Utah in August again to help Aunt Hillary and Uncle Davy move to Virginia. Grandma Cami watched the all three of the kids while Hillary and I packed up the apartment and their moving trailer. Davy was already in Virginia working at his government job. We will miss them, but are excited for them to have a new journey. Moving to a new place and/or state is exciting and fun. August 2010.

Dinosaur Museum in Provo, Utah

We only were able to go on a couple of short trips to Utah this last summer. It was a bummer not to spend more time. We tried to cram in family fun while we were there. Here we are with Grandma Cami, Aunt Hillary, and cousin Oliver at the BYU dinosaur museum in Provo, Utah. We love to go to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah but this was our first time to the BYU museum. We saw some fossils we have never seen. The prehistoric crocodile and ground sloth were amazing! Seeing T-Rex's skull compared to Triceratops was an eye opener too. August 2010.

Noah and Paige's 1st Triathlon

Grandma Karen found a fun kid triathlon for the kids to do in Meridian. They biked,

ran and then slid down a water slide. It was a great family experience. The kids got numbers, t-shirts, medals, Popsicles, and they even did a drawing for prizes at the end. Paige fell in the run and hurt her knee but she didn't give up and she finished the race. Noah was so fast, I could hardly keep up to take photos of him in the race. By the time I walked from one transition to the other, he was done. Jeremy stayed and helped Paige. The bike race part was around the Meridian Speedway, so that was fun to watch and the kids probably thought it was cool (I did). Summer 2010.

Noah's First Bike Race in Downtown Boise

Noah got to do his first bike race in downtown Boise. Olympic winning bicyclist lead the way. It was short but he had fun. We got him a t-shirt to remember the race and he got his picture multiple times in the newspaper. Paige fell asleep on the way to the race. Good thing we had the stroller, but as you can see, she is a little big for the stroller. She loves to ride in it but she is a little big. Noah was the same way. Our kids love the stroller, which was great when they were little. Summer 2010.

Biking the Boise Greenbelt to Lucky Peak

A fun summer tradition of our family is to bike the greenbelt along the Boise River from the Boise Zoo to Lucky Peak as a family. It is about 11 miles each way. This year Grandma Karen, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tony, and cousin Marissa came with us. We then biked to the RAM restaurant and had lunch. It is nice having food and entertainment that you can ride your bike to. Lucky Peak damn area is also nice to cool off in the water, have a picnic, and let the kids play in the sand. Summer 2010.

Mountain Biking in McCall at Brundage Ski Resort

This was Noah's first time mountain biking down the mountain at Brundage Ski Resort in McCall. Jeremy and I do it at least once every summer. It is our tradition and we were so happy to make it a tradition with him too. He did so well. He was terrified many times but he didn't act like it and his bike riding skills were great. Especially since he did it all on a bike without hand breaks, gears, or shocks. We hope he will do it next year. He says, "No," but we are hoping with a mountain bike next year he will do it again each year with us. It is so fun. We were so proud that Noah didn't give up and he finished without a scratch. Dad and mom got a couple of scratches. Noah was even willing to do the kid bike race at the bottom of the slope, which was fun to watch.