Christmas, One Day Early

Due to the fact that we'll be traveling over the next couple of weeks, Santa arrived early.  We faxed him a letter requesting he come on the 23rd instead of 24th night and he was happy to comply. :)

Our Christmas Eve day started with snow!  The kids enjoyed playing and drinking hot chocolate!  The longer we live here the more I absolutely LOVE the weather!  The snow made things so Christmasy and festive.

The rest of the day was spent doing some last minute shopping, decorating cookies for Santa, and getting the band back together. :)  We have our family Christmas dinner on Christmas eve so that we can spend Christmas day munching on leftovers (the ham rolls are my favorite!) and relaxing.

Santa came that night and the kids were excited to see what he brought them.

Now, I am typing this rather than cleaning up the mess - can you blame me???  Ha!  Merry Christmas Everyone!

November

How time flies!  I had forgotten about my blog until last weekend when a friend I hadn't seen in a while mentioned that she liked reading it.  Sorry!  November has been a nice month for our family.  It started off a little sad when my parents headed home after spending the month of October with us.  Having them here was such fun and they are missed.

Soccer season was in full swing at the beginning of the month and my son played goalie for some of the games.  When his father asked him if he liked playing goalie he replied, "Yes, because it's pretty tough".  :)  His sister has not taken to soccer as we thought she would.  Perhaps next year on an all-girls team she might come out of her shell a little more.

Ballet keeps her busy while her brother takes swim lessons on the weekend to try to get him ready for summer swim team.  We had some family pictures taken a few weeks ago.   I am always amazed at how the photographers can get some good shots.  Snow and sleet pelted us all during the shoot and both my younger two were grumpy.   Thankfully we got a few good ones!

My in-laws came out the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and brought my youngest his new (to him) bedroom furniture.  The furniture was formerly my husband's when he was younger so it's special to our family and I'm glad to have it.  No more cribs for us!  We are so thankful that Grammy and Papa were willing to drive all the way out here pulling a U-haul with the bedroom furniture and dining room chairs - our house is much better looking thanks to them!  Thank you Grammy and Papa!

I had a follow up appointment for my hip before Thanksgiving.  My orthopod thinks it's healing and gave me the okay to start exercising longer and harder; however, still no running for another 6 weeks.  I'm used to not running by now and honestly, it's been a good break.  I've been biking and elliptical-ing.  I started race walking again recently and hope to hit the pool some over the next few months.  My oldest went to the appointment with me and when I conveyed my disappointment to my ortho after being told to lay off running for another 6 weeks, he turned to me and said bossily, "Mom, instead of running you just need to relax more."  Clearly he doesn't understand that relaxing is not an easy feat for me!

Thanksgiving was a lively holiday - we had 17 people including the five of us.  I enjoy cooking the Thanksgiving meal but never quite understand how every year some of my dishes turn out well and others do not.  It's the luck of the draw!  This year I was pleased with the turkey (we fry it - YUM!), the dressing, and my vegetables.  My guests provided deserts and other sides and all were yummy.  Grammy always makes the gravy and cranberries - her dishes turn out wonderful every time (I strive for that to be me in a few years!).  My rolls decided to be ornery this year - they never rose and looked (& tasted!) like little rocks.  Oh well - I'll try again next year!  Happy Holidays!

It's Broken

As I mentioned in my previous post, I found out last Friday that my hip is fractured.  Right after I left the ortho's office, my sister and I started getting ready for my mom's birthday weekend so I am just now able to focus on it.

The fracture is a hairline, stress fracture on the ball of the hip ball & socket joint.  Considering that I have been running on this injury since my youngest was a few months old (he turned 2 in Sept) I have likely been in various stages of fracture/healing for well over a year now.  I'm beginning to question the pain center of my brain after walking around with pleurisy from pneumonia for months last winter and running on a broken bone for over a year.  Not sure it's working right!  I felt pain with these ailments but nothing that would indicate the severity of both.

The likely cause is two-fold.  The first contributing factor was 3 very closely spaced pregnancies that sapped my bones and left them weak and brittle (there are only 3.5 years between my oldest and youngest).  Second, I felt so good after the delivery of my 3rd child that I was up and running within a week and up to 5 miles in a few months.

The good news is that whatever shape my bones were in when the fracture occurred, they look great now and the doctor is hoping that the fracture will heal on it's own.  I cannot run for at least 6 weeks, but can bike, do the elliptical or other machines, walk, & swim.  Plenty of exercise options!  If it doesn't heal on it's own, then they'll have to surgically put in some pins.(really hope that it doesn't come to that!) but it is not likely that that will be needed.  Have a great week!

Happy Birthday Mom!

My sister and I have been planning a surprise birthday weekend for my mom's 60th birthday since last February.  My mom is notoriously difficult to surprise because she delights in figuring out what we're doing for her birthday before it happens.  My father, the master of surprises, suggested we have her family 60th celebration out here.  It was a great idea and this weekend was a LOT of fun!

My mom was completely and utterly surprised!  She could not believe that so many people came out to help celebrate.  For me, it was so neat getting to show everyone around our town.  We kicked off the surprise at my house on Friday night.

The next morning was an early one for everyone to get to the balloon fiesta (hundreds of hot air balloons) before dawn.  A few who are not morning people (namely my sister and daughter) chose to rest rather than brave the early morning cold.

The afternoon, I took those who wanted to get a little exercise on a hike and the we finished up the evening with a fun evening of just hanging out.

Yesterday after church, a few of us took my mom out to get her a new outfit for the evening party.  We finished off the weekend with a dressy party at our country club.  It was a great weekend!  I found out on Friday before everyone arrived that my hip that was hurting when I run is actually fractured.  More on that later. :)

God is Good!

This weekend our church was blessed to have an amazing visitor and speaker, Mike Cope.  My husband and I had the pleasure of taking him out to dinner on Friday night with two other couples from church.  He is an amazing, gifted speaker.  Meeting him and spending time with him was special for my husband who grew up listening to Mike speak at youth rallies in high school and still closely follows his messages today when Mike is a faculty member at Abilene Christian University and considered one of the thought leaders and best speakers amongst Churches of Christ. 

The elders at our church made the decision to move toward a gender inclusive worship earlier this year and are implementing this at the beginning of October.  Mike Cope was the perfect speaker to have this weekend because he led his church through a similar process many years ago and offered wonderful perspective and words of encouragement.

Although this process has been rough for our church body, I am more confident than ever that our church is moving in the right direction and that we will be better able to make Christ known through the fruits of this change.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  His love endures forever!

Looking Forward

Like a breath of fresh air, cool fall air swept through the desert this week.  I love fall (really I like all the seasons) because it means football, soccer, hot air balloons, and specific to this fall...my parents are coming to spend a month out here!  I can't wait!  They are going to be here at such a fun time and will get to experience so much while they are here.  It will be such a treat to get to spend a whole month with them! They are staying in a furnished apartment that is only about 1 mile away and is easily walkable.  I can't think of a better set up! :)

School is moving along just swimmingly.  A few years ago I had my doubts as to whether putting my kids in an early child development school was a good thing when I went to work part time rather than just hiring a nanny.  Now I know for sure that it WAS!  My son was extremely well prepared for kindergarten and navigated a new school, new kids, and a new routine easily.  Likewise, my daughter adjusted wonderfully to her new class - she takes a little while to warm up, but I've learned not to interfere in or stress about that process and she settles in nicely in a few weeks.

As for the other 3/5 of our family, we're all doing well.  I am already thinking ahead to the holidays and looking at photographers for our annual family Christmas picture, juggling the kids' schedules and activities, and enjoying running on my pain-free hip. :)  My kindergartener is in a running program at school where he earns beads or every mile he runs so often I get in my usual workout in the morning and then end up running an extra mile in the evening.  My husband is enjoying work - he is out right now at a happy hour with some of his fellow managers while the kids and I enjoy an evening at home.

My 2-yr old is a little sponge soaking up his world.  His speech become more complex and clearer by the day and he is starting to ask lots of questions.  He has known his colors for a few months and is starting to learn his numbers and letters.  Happy Fall everyone!  Enjoy!

 

Picture Hodgepodge

Here is a picture hodgepodge from the last couple of weeks.  We're enjoying the beautiful weather!  :)

A Birthday And An Update

My youngest turned 2 this week!  Here are a few pictures of my silly, goofy, fun-loving, mischievous boy.  Love him to pieces!

All is well in our house.  We have settled into a nice routine with the kids' schedules and work.  I'm up every morning by 5.  I pack lunches, prepare for the day, and get in a workout.  I get the kids up between 6:30 and 6:45 (if they are not already up) and get them ready for school.  My husband heads out with the younger 2 around 7:10 while I get ready and then head out with my oldest around 7:50.  Our evenings have been a bit busy lately, but they are freeing up over the next couple of weeks.  I'm teaching an additional course this semester that I haven't taught before and so far things are going well with both courses that I teach.

I am enjoying a break from training right now and decided to go see ortho about my hip during this down time.  I'm glad I did because the doctor saw some strange things on x-ray and is looking into it further on MRI in a couple of weeks.  He says it's nothing too bad, but that something is indeed not quite right.  While waiting on an official diagnosis I have been instructed to run as usual but not to increase my mileage.  He did state that whatever is going on will probably be resolved in time for me to train for a half marathon early next year!  So glad I went in to get it checked!

Last Tri of the Season

I participated in an all women's triathlon this morning.  It's the last one of the season for me.  I gave up on the Olympic distance tri a couple of weeks ago as the fall semester was fast approaching and my kids were starting their new school years.  I just couldn't fit in the training.  But I'm fine with that - maybe next year!

Today's tri was the last of the season for me.  I injured my hip last week and have an appt with an orth doc next week.  Today I was actually proud of my bike time - I averaged 18.8 mph on the hilly course.  This is a HUGE improvement from last year.  I have my father in law to thank for that b/c I did most of my long distance rides with him & my husband while we were visiting them in TN.  I was disappointed in my run time - I only averaged around a 9 min mile and I've been averaging 8:15-8:45 all summer.  Perhaps it was my hip (it hurt with every step) or perhaps I just had an off day, but I hope to be a little quicker with my run next year.  My swim was fine.  It's my strongest leg.

I had the pleasure of doing this race with a few of my friends from work.  We had a great time and it was a great race.  Overall, a wonderful way to end the tri season! :)

Kindergarten Part 2

I dropped my son off for kindergarten this morning.  Although I am completely secure and confident in the hands taking care of him I did find myself getting a little nostalgic.  When I left him, he was playing with some new friends on the playground.  My eyes teared up a bit as I walked away and wondered how my baby got so big!?!  Oh well, I had to shake it off quickly because I had to give my first lecture of the semester an hour later.  Thankfully, I had a friend who was dropping off her son for kindergarten as well with whom to share the emotional moment.  In case you can't tell, both our eyes and noses are a little red and swollen. ;)  Now that it has been a few hours, I'm back to being excited for my son and can't wait to find out how his first day at school went!

Kindergarten!

My oldest starts kindergarten this week!  This morning we attended an open house to meet his teacher, drop off school supplies, and familiarize ourselves with his room.  It was so much fun!  We knew lots of folks thanks to the pool party that one of the moms hosted on Friday afternoon for all of the kindergartners and their families.  Of course, I love meeting new people (as does my son - wonder where he gets it???)  so I have really enjoyed meeting the other moms and watching the kids get to know each other.

Below is my big boy with his teacher.   I've signed up to help some in his class and can't wait to see how he likes his first day tomorrow!

Nutritionist

I took my oldest son to a nutritionist this morning at the recommendation of the endocrinologist we saw in June and it was such a good appointment.  With all the conflicting books and junky information out there on the Internet, it was wonderful to sit down with someone who has the education to make some solid, evidence-based recommendations.

We talked about everything from child nutrition to organic foods to developing good eating habits in kids.  It was WONDERFUL!  I was pleased that she was complimentary of my kids' diets and positive about the way we handle food issues and family meals (of course, there is always room for improvement!).   She, like me, is a huge proponent of families eating together and eating the same foods (no short order cooking!) because data has shown that modeling is the single most important factor in a child's eating habits.

For my son, bottom line is that he is healthy as a horse but that he's just not consuming enough calories.  Given that he is offered the exact same foods as his siblings and they are growing and gaining appropriately, there are some factors specific to him that are the cause.  The first is that to my son, food just isn't that interesting or fun - especially compared to other things he could be doing.  The second is that he is a slow eater and this contributes to him losing interest in food quickly and not consuming as many calories as his counterparts when he eats.  The third is that the foods he tends to fill up on first (namely fruits) are not calorically dense.  The fourth is that he has a high metabolism which is probably even higher due to fact that he has some baseline allergy and a reactive airway issues.

I could write a novel on all the good information the nutritionist gave me from the steps of eating, to common food myths, to the organic vs. non organic and the "sugar-is-bad" debates.  SOOO fascinating!  Someday in my spare time I would love to go back to school and and get a degree in nutrition. ;)  For now, I'm so thankful to have found someone knowledgeable to help my son.  I have high hopes and am so excited to delve into the information she gave me and put it into practice.

First Day of Pre-K!

My middle child starts pre-k today!  I love her so much and am so proud of my sweet girl.  She's getting bigger by the minute!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

While my youngest naps, I like for my older 2 to do "room time" for an hour or so - they are supposed to play quietly in their rooms.  This allows me to get a few things done - a load of laundry, dishes, or even a quick workout.  Well, today they were quite mischievous and played "beauty parlor" on my daughter.  They cut chunks out of her hair in various places.  My son eventually realized that they were going to get in trouble and came down to confess.  When I ran upstairs to assess the damage I passed piles of hair on the stairs and in the hallway.  

I ended up having to cut about 5 inches off my daughter's hair.  She showed little remorse except for when she was getting in trouble.  After I repaired what I could she surveyed herself in the mirror and gleefully exclaimed, "Look mommy!  I'm like Rapunzel after Flynn cut her hair!".  Sigh...how am I ever going to get her hair in a bun when she starts dance again in a few weeks? 

Funny Conversations

This week was my oldest son's first week at his new school.  We started him in the day program they offer before school starts so he could get used to the new environment and meet some of his classmates.  He is loving it there and I have loved our conversations on the drive to and from school.  Here are a few of the funnier conversations from the week.

1.  No Hearts Please
When packing his lunch for the first day, I wrote him an "I love you.  Have a great day" note on a heart shaped piece of paper.  In the car after picking him up I asked if he got the note, fully expecting a hallmark moment filled with words of love and thanks.  Instead he briskly replied, "Yes mom, I did.  But, did you know you wrote it on a heart?  I really don't like hearts.  Next time could you please write 'I love you" on a planet shape instead?"

2.  Education Talk
On the way from school to church on Wednesday my son asked, "Mom, you're a pharmacist, right?" 

I replied in the affirmative.  He then asked, "Daddy is an engineer, right?".

After I confirmed that he was correct he then asked, "What am I?". 

Realizing that he was asking why he wasn't born with a profession, I launched into an epistle on how he was a kid and how his job right now is to go to school and learn and that mommy & daddy did the same thing when we were his age.  He then wanted to know how much school we had to attend in order to obtain our current degrees.  So, I discussed elementary through high school and then the various degrees we earned culminating in our doctorates.

He listened intently and then declared, "I think I want to be an astronomer.  How much school would that take?".

I hesitantly told him that he would probably need a PhD and that it would take him until he was 26 or 27 to finish school.  I fully expected him to dismiss the idea after considering how long it would take.  When I finished, I looked down at his little face that was creased in concentration to see his reaction.  He surprised me by looking up with a big smile and stating confidently, "Okay mom, that sounds great!  I'll be an astrononer" 

Ummm - okay - that was easy!  One education talk done, 2 more to go with the other kids.  Hope they go as well as the first one!  Ha! ;)

TN Trip

We just returned from a week and half visiting family and friends in the southeast.   It was a blast!  We got to visit some friends at their lake house and had a great time boating & visiting on Saturday.  My kids got to spend some time with their cousins and enjoyed playing and swimming.  We also got to spend some time just hanging out with everyone and celebrating my youngest son's second birthday.  It was wonderful seeing everyone and was a treat getting spoiled by our mothers.  It was jolt back to reality for me to have to fix dinner for my family tonight (don't feel too bad for me - I went and picked up Chick Fil A - those peach shakes are delicious!).  Below are some picture from the trip.  Can't wait to see everyone again around Christmas!

My tired boy fell asleep in the boat while wearing his life jacket

Me & my friend E

Grammy and her granddaughters

The four big cousins

Our baby boy is 2!

Yummy cake

Reading with Dadaji

kids and their great grandfather

Reflection

My triathlon went surprisingly well on Saturday.  Last summer I was steadily coming in around the middle of the pack- this year I have moved up a bit closer to the top 1/3.  At least I'm improving! When I returned from the race I had the newest issue of USAT magazine waiting in my mailbox.  I read a fun article on a couple who are around the ages of my husband and I who are 2012 Olympic hopefuls.  They don't have any kids and train for 6 hours a day!  Can you imagine training that much every day?!?  Wouldn't it be great to have that much time?!? 

After thinking about it I realized that I kind of like my diverse, planned to a "T" schedule and I wouldn't trade my home life, great job, church family, and friends and activities for anything.  After a bit more reflection it seems that I'm in a very different place from where I was this time last year.  Perhaps it's because my kids are a little older and more self sufficient or maybe it's because all the organizational tactics I've implemented over the year have been effective.  While those are possibilities, I'm most inclined to believe that it's as simple as I just "got used to things". 

It took a while for me to recover from our failed attempt to move closer to family - the first year I was disappointed, grumpy, and sensitive.  The disappointment, grumpiness, and sensitivity slowly dissipated over the last year to where the sting is gone and relocating is no longer even on my radar.  As each year passes, the southwest becomes more and more our home.  When I returned from San Antonio last week, I sighed with relief upon seeing the expansive skies, and feeling the warm dry air. 

Likewise, I have fallen into a good work/home routine - my current balance is working well.  I am able to reach my goals at work while still spending plenty of time with the kids.  The kids are doing great and now that my youngest is a bit older, it's easier for the 5 of us to do fun things as a family on weekends and in the evenings.  I know that will only get easier over time.

Our home routine has gotten easier as well.  We eat dinner as a family every night and I'm thrilled that our menu is becoming more and more diverse as the kids get older.  Swim practice ended today with the banquet next week.  The kids had a great time!  My son made some amazing progress going from refusing to put his face in the water at the beginning of June to swimming freestyle.  Can't wait to see what next summer will bring!  In the meantime, there is soccer, dance, a new school year, and a delightful fall & winter to anticipate.  :)

Odd and Ends

It's been a while since I posted.  Since returning from Hawaii, time has literally flown!  Less than a week after returning from the Aloha state, I packed up and headed to San Antonio for a conference.  I was invited to give a talk there and also was presenting a poster with a colleague.  It was a great excuse to go shopping since I needed a suit in which to present and a fabulous dress in which to attend the Dean's dinner. :) The meeting was WONDERFUL!  My presentations went well and I ran into lots of colleagues and professors from North Carolina.  Even at the age of 34 it is still so heart warming when someone who taught you smiles and says, "I am so proud of you".  Friends from my graduating class are scattered across the states and it was a blast catching up with them and learning what they are doing. 

On a sad note, my grandfather passed away while I was at the meeting.  My father called at 6AM the morning of my talk.  I was already up and nervously getting ready when I heard the news.  My grandfather was a neat person - he was a physician, husband, father of three, grandfather, and a great grandfather.  He was 94 years old when he died and had been blessed with a good long life.  Unfortunately, I was in San Antonio without my passport and was unable to get from there back home to get my passport and then to Canada where he was living.  Therefore, I missed the funeral, and as Forest Gump would say, "That's all I have to say about that."

Swimming is still going strong at our house (picture below).  The kids have two weeks left.  As swimming is winding down, school excitement is building.  I am so excited for my oldest to start kindergarten in the fall and about the teachers my younger two are going to have this year!  Each new year brings exciting changes and new challenges and I look forward to what lies ahead!

As for me, I have a triathlon this weekend.  I don't feel ready because of all the traveling I have been doing, Oh well - I suppose I'll find out tomorrow... :)

Aloha!

My husband and I just returned from a week long vacation to Hawaii - yes, that's right...just the two of us!!!  My husband had a work meeting in Honolulu and I decided to tag along.  My in-laws graciously agreed to keep the kids and we are so very thankful to them for that!  It was a blast!  We swam, snorkeled, hiked, kayaked, and explored to our hearts' content.  Below are some pictures from our trip.  Thank you so much Grammy & Papa for making this possible!  

Endocrinologist

We took my son to the pediatric endocrinologist yesterday to be evaluated for falling off his growth curve.  It was a good visit and I am glad we took him to see her.  While my son is very tiny, he is also very healthy overall which is something about which she commented.  She noticed something that I had not when looking at his growth curves - his weight actually fell off before his height did.  This might be an indication that his growth issues have a nutritional component.  What exactly that means is unclear because calorically he consumes as many if not more than his sister who  has no growth issues.  Therefore, his problem may be types of calories rather than amount - meaning he's not getting enough protein & fat in his diet (this would make sense since my son prefers grains, fruits, & veggies to protein/higher fat foods).

She examined my son, talked to us and gathered information, and then sent him for some bloodwork to check growth hormone levels, nutritional deficiencies, and GI disorders (namely celiac disease).  Her gut feeling after examining him was that everything would be normal.  She referred us to a nutritionist and our appointment with her is later in the summer.  We won't get the results back for a couple of weeks.

While I am thrilled that we are going to get some answers, I felt pretty down last evening after the appointment.  There is nothing like someone telling you that your kid is too skinny to make you feel like you're doing something wrong as a mother.  During dinner, I found myself scrutinizing every morsel of food he put in his mouth and started getting anxious when he gobbled up the fruit/veggies and left the chicken...I even ended up bargaining with him and saying that if he ate all his chicken he could have a treat (which is food no-no #1!!).   

I need to spend some time in prayer and thought over the next few weeks.  Since my husband and I leave for Hawaii tomorrow (without the kids - hooray!), I'll have some time to do this - in addition to kayaking, hiking, surfing lessons and snorkeling, of course!  :)  Most people when they look at the activities my husband and I plan on our vacations wonder how we can call it a vacation since our schedule is usually chock full.  We're not "lay by the pool and read" kind of folks (although we do have one afternoon on this trip scheduled for that).  Aloha!

USDA Dietary Guidelines and MyPlate

I'm going to put on my healthcare worker hat for this short post.  The USDA updated the dietary guidelines in 2010 and launched the MyPlate initiative this month.  I am excited about MyPlate which has replaced the old food pyramid.  Ever since I was in pharmacy school and started reading a lot on nutrition and health (for my own personal benefit) I have thought that the food pyramid did not represent the best mechanism for healthy eating.  It got a little better when it was updated, but was not very easy to explain to patients or to practice.  After all, what exactly is a serving???  The plate is a much easier tool to explain and to use.  I have put the links below for anyone interested.  Happy Eating!

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DietaryGuidelines.htm

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/MyPlate.htm

Celebrating Individuality

It is amazing how different my children are from each other in personality, likes, skills, and temperament. Reading 1 Peter 4:10-11, I was reminded this week that each of my precious children has been given a specific personality and set of talents by our Maker.  God has a wonderful plan for each of them and as their mom, I should strive to nurture and appreciate each child's talents and tailor my parenting to their individual traits.

Last year I was one of the helpers in my oldest son's pre-K Sunday School class and this year I am serving in this role for my daughter's class.   My oldest son is almost always comfortable in his surroundings and is rarely intimidated by new people or new situations.  On the other hand, my daughter is quite a bit more cautious.  She has been in the pre-K class for 3 weeks and is just now starting to come out of her shell.  Until recently I was a little concerned about how little she participated compared to her brother.  What I have come to realize is that in actuality, she is perfectly fine - it's me that sometimes doesn't do a good job of navigating the differences between her and her brother.  Rather than appreciating and accepting that she is more cautious, I kept trying to "help" her act more like her brother because that's what I was used to.

Despite being slower to warm up to new situations, my daughter is great at focusing for longer periods of time and completing tasks quickly and accurately.   My mommy goal this week to to take some extra time to appreciate the individuality of each of my three kids' and to adapt my parenting to see what works best for each child's personality and temperament.

Mommy & Big Kids Time

My husband had a business trip close to where the grandparents live so he took our youngest with him.  My baby doesn't turn 2 until September so we have a few more months to capitalize on him flying as a lap child instead of buying him a seat.

While I miss my youngest very much, I have had a WONDERFUL time with my older two kids.  We ran errands on Sunday after church, Monday we had fun day of swimming followed by a matinee movie.  Yesterday my daughter stayed home from swimming and school b/c she had a low grade fever, but she perked up enough by the end of the day for us to attend family night at Chick Fil A.  Here they are with their fake beards and blue & blingy fingers.

Not only do my husband and youngest fly home today but my parents also arrive!  We will have a fun few days with them and then it will be time to get ready for our trip to Hawaii!

As an update on activities, my oldest is progressing right along with his swimming.  Yesterday, they worked on backstroke and he is doing a great job!  My Olympic triathlon is back on and I have found a few sprint ones to do in July and August to prepare for it.  On Saturday my husband and I rode 27 miles and I'm running between 6-7 on my weekly long runs and will start working that mileage up in July.  I'm swimming once a week with the masters team at our club.  I absolutely love the tri sport - I just feel so overall strong and healthy when I'm training for them because the 3 sports really compliment each other well.

With this race, I'm working on figuring out training nutrition and specifically focusing one what types of calories I consume during exercise and in what form.  What I have been doing so far, and it has worked okay is to eat something small and dense about 30 mins prior to exercising (I usually eat a handful of almonds), and then consuming a power gel or chomp every hour thereafter.  I noticed during my last half marathon that I tuckered out toward the end and I think a lot of that was due to poor nutrition during the race.  I want to prevent that from happening again.

Since I'm eating like a horse with all this training I'm quite the connoisseur of summer treats.  If anyone wants a delicious summer treat, I highly recommend the Chick Fil A banana pudding milkshake!  It's wonderful!  On Friday after swimming with the kids at the pool I picked up Chick Fil A for dinner and decided to try that flavor - I meant to share it with my husband but had drunk it all up before he could even have a sip.  SO YUMMY!