September

The month of September flew by at our house, so much so that I haven't written about anything that happened this month! I haven't been taking many photos lately because our camera is acting up. I think it's the flash because the pictures keep turning out way too bright. It stinks because I have very few photos of Nathan from this month and he just keeps changing all the time. He's getting so big! It's hard to believe he's 5-months-old already. Anyway, I'll fly through a summary of this month just like I did for August. I've got to get back in the groove of posting on a more regular basis...

Nate the Great (Sept. 3 & 5): I often call my baby "Nate the Great" because, well, it rhymes--but, he really is such a great baby. He continues to be extremely happy and he smiles for just about anyone who talks to him. He's starting to get very active, as well. He rolls around nonstop when I lay him on the floor like a little roly-poly and when he sees his brother running around, he kicks his legs as if he's trying to run, too. Here are just a few photos from the beginning of the month.

A Weekend of Races (Sept. 13 & 14): The second weekend of the month was a busy one for us because 3 of us had races. I ran the North Hills 5K on Saturday and we signed Tyler up for the kids' 100-yard dash, which was for kids 7 and under. Before we registered for the race, we asked Tyler if he wanted to run a race with some other kids. Of course, he said "yes" because he loves to run and race.

We talked about it for several weeks and he even had picked out which socks he was going to wear with his "fast shoes". We explained that he would be running with other kids in a parking lot. (At first he kept saying he was going to race on a track, probably because of watching the Olympics or because he's gone to the track with Tim to coach the NCRA cross country team. Then he thought he'd be running on the road, probably because that's where he's seen his daddy race). In the week leading up to the big day, Tyler said several times, "Me want to win." We tried to explain that there would be bigger kids there and that just finishing the race would make him a winner. I don't think he ever did follow that logic because the morning of the race, he told me again, "Me want to win, Mommy."

As it turned out, all that talking and trying to prep him for his race didn't matter in the end. Somehow we missed the kids' dash. It was supposed to start at 10:30, but they ran it around 10:15 instead. Tyler, Tim and I watched the kids who were finishing the mile fun run, then we took Tyler inside the church's recreational building to pin on his race number. Nana and Papa had been sitting in there with Nathan to keep him cool because it was a hot, sticky morning. We were inside for about 5 minutes, and in that time they ran the kids' dash. When we realized we'd missed it, Tim and I felt so badly for Tyler, but he didn't know any better. The finish line was still setup, so the rest of us watched as Tyler and his daddy "raced" toward the finish. (I recorded it with the camcorder, so we'll have to see if we can get it uploaded). Tyler was so proud of himself afterward and I think it actually was better that it turned out this way. He's only 2 and he will have plenty of other opportunities to learn what winning and losing is all about. For right now, he's just a kid who loves to run.
In other news, I ran my first race in over 6 years that day. I hadn't raced a step since my conference track meet in May of 2002, which is hard to believe. I'm not sure why I had to have 2 babies before I felt inclined to sign up for a race. Anyway, I went out a little too hard and ran a 6:20 first mile. There was a time when that would have been way too slow for me, but I assure you that those days are long gone. Unfortunately, almost all of the last mile was uphill, so that was not much fun. I ended up finishing 3rd female overall (it was a very small race), so I was pretty happy with it. I have to remember to cut myself some slack since I'd only been running for 2 months before the race. Tim was really funny about my race. He kept talking about it beforehand and I think he was more excited about it than me. He keeps asking me which race I'm going to do next. I haven't decided which one for sure, but I do plan to sign up for another one because I actually had a lot of fun. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the physical and mental challenge that comes with racing, as well as the feeling of accomplishment when it's over.

Tim also had a race that same weekend, only his was on Sunday and it was a half-Ironman distance triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run). Most normal people wouldn't attempt to do much of anything 2 weeks after an Ironman, let alone a 4+ hour race, but "normal" doesn't really describe Tim. The boys and I weren't there--we were at church--but Tim had a great race. He ended up finishing an impressive 3rd place overall. Last year he was 19th or 20th, so he has obviously improved a ton since then.

Friends (Sept. 18): I watched Tyler's friend Kaitlyn while her mom went to an appointment one morning. Tyler and Kaitlyn see each other just about every week and even though they usually play great together, I was a little concerned because in the days leading up to this particular visit, he repeatedly said, "Kay-Kay no touch my (fill-in-the-blank)." He didn't want her to touch anything--his trains, his letter magnets ("yetters"), his puzzles, his play-do, and just about anything and everything else he saw. I kept telling him that he wouldn't get to play with these things either if he didn't share them with his friend. Well, Kaitlyn arrived and the first thing Tyler did was to hand his bag of "yetters" to her. I was completely shocked and, of course, very proud of Tyler for sharing right from the start. Kaitlyn really thought the letters were special because she carried them around for most of the morning. They both were so good for me.

When Lindsay came back, she took a couple pictures of our kids. It's so nice to have a friend who has kids about the same age as mine. When I have a rough day, I can call Lindsay and I know she can completely relate to whatever challenges I'm facing, whether it's the seemingly illogical and random fits thrown by my 2-year-old, or trying to balance my time and attention between my "big" kid and the baby.

Here are some photos of Nathan from that day. Again, I'm not sure what's wrong with our camera.

Pumpkins (Sept. 18): I took Tyler to The Fresh Market one afternoon and there was a cute pumpkin display at the front of the store with all kinds of pumpkins. Many of the bigger pumpkins had painted faces and there were lots of pie pumpkins and a basket of the little tiny ones. I let Tyler pick out a little pumpkin for himself and one for his brother. He picked the tiniest one he could find for Nate and a slightly bigger one for himself. He carried them proudly as we walked through the store. On the way home from the store, he started up again with, "Kay-Kay no touch my punkins!" (Oh, good grief!) He couldn't wait to show his daddy the pumpkins when we got home and he wanted to show Nate his pumpkin, but he was sleeping, so he had to wait.

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That night, Tyler laid both pumpkins on the floor next to his bed. I didn't want them to stay there in case someone tripped over them in the dark, so we had the following conversation.

Me: I'm going to put your pumpkins up here on your dresser so they can watch you while you sleep.

Tyler: Dose (those) punkins no have eyes. Onyee (only) big punkins have eyes.

We had to give it to him. He was right. How could the pumpkins watch him if they didn't have eyes? I explained to Tim that the big pumpkins at the store did have eyes because they had painted faces. It cracks me up how literal everything is to a 2-year-old and they are so observant!

Starting Solids (Sept. 26): Nathan enjoyed his first bite (more like a slurp) of solid food last week. I figured it was about time to start because he has been very interested in our food when the rest of us are eating and he was almost 5-months-old. I mixed 1 tablespoon of rice cereal with 4 tablespoons of water and he took to it with no problem at all. By the third spoonful, he was reaching for the spoon to shove it in his mouth himself! I have a feeling he's going to love baby food as much as his brother did. I can't wait to start pureeing fruits and veggies for him. I really enjoyed making baby food for Tyler and this time around I have a food processor to make things easier. I just can't believe Nathan is big enough for baby food already. If I had a pause button, I'd press it because he's just growing up too fast!

Ironman Louisville

Tim's biggest and longest race of the year was on August 31st at Ironman Louisville. The boys and I didn't go because traveling to Kentucky with the two of them would have been difficult. Plus, a race that is over 9 hours is long for any spectator, let alone a 2-year-old or a 4-month-old. I would have loved to have been there otherwise, and I know Tyler would have been so excited to see all the athletes swimming, biking and running. All the finishers received a highlight DVD, which Tyler cannot watch enough times. He has watched it everyday, except one, since Tim brought it home with him 2 weeks ago. Several times a day I hear, "Me watch Daddy's race?"

So, on to the race itself. For those of you who aren't married to a man who has been training for an Ironman triathlon for the past year, you may not know that the race consists of swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running a marathon (26.2 miles). You won't hear Tim tooting his own horn, so I have to do it for him. =) Not only did Tim complete all of that on a day when the high was 95 degrees, he came in 20th place out of 2,100 athletes with a total time of 9 hours, 53 minutes, and 27 seconds. He was 2nd in his age group (24-29 years old), which qualified him for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii next month. He turned down his spot for Hawaii, however, because he wants to take another year to improve so he can have a shot at winning the amateur title at Worlds. In case you don't know Tim that well, he doesn't do anything halfway. He's extremely driven and competitive, and he isn't satisfied with second best.

Tim worked so hard over the past year to improve his swimming and biking, and it has really paid off for him. I am so proud of him for completing his first Ironman (the successful results are a bonus) and I'm grateful that my boys have a daddy who can teach them that there are no short-cuts when working toward a goal.

Although the boys and I were not at the race, Tim was not without support. His parents and 2 best friends, Jason and Ryan (and girlfriend Katie), were in Louisville to cheer him on. Tim's mom sent us some photos that she took during and after the race (thank you, Geraldine), and I'm sharing a few here.

The transition area

Coming out of the Ohio River after the swim portion

Biking--Tim is the one in the yellow helmetRyan, Jason and Tim's dadHappy to be finishedAt the awards banquet

Massive Update (August)

I know it's been a LONG time since I posted anything here, so I'm just going to upload a few pics and videos so we can all move on. The last part of August and the first part of this month were pretty busy at our house. Tim was gearing up for Ironman Louisville on August 31st and I was doing my best to prepare for the first MOPS meeting of the year on September 9th. We both survived our respective events, but more on that later. For now, I'll focus on our adorable boys who are both growing up too fast.



August 19th: We broke out the Bumbo for Nathan, who was getting tired of the bouncy seat by this point since he could roll over. He was all smiles during this trial run. I wouldn't say he loves it even now, but Tyler never really did either. Our boys like to move! Here are also some photos of Tyler in a wrestling/tickling match with his daddy. [Side notes: 1) The mark on Tyler's forehead is due to a toy boat falling on his head. He and his little friend Carter were trying to throw toys over a gate in the 2-year-old room at church. Needless to say, the boat did not successfully clear the gate. 2) If Nathan's hair looks a little oily in the last pic it's because I had just put some olive oil on his head to help with the cradle crap that we are still battling.]

August 25th: Here's a video of Nathan. I accidentally deleted a recording from my camera where he was giggling and talking up a storm. This was my second attempt to capture his cuteness, but it didn't turn out quite as well. Don't get me wrong, he's still as cute as he can be, just not as giggly and talkative.

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August 26th: This was the last day of Tyler's 7-week soccer class. It took about 3 weeks for Tyler to really warm up to the class and his coaches since he's such a shy little guy. He was one of the smallest and youngest in the class, which is for 2- and 3-year-olds, but he really got into it the last couple weeks. He loved the last day because they got to play on the big field (it's all indoors), so he got to do lots of running around, which is one of his favorite things to do. We have no idea where he got that. =) At the very end of class that day, the kids got to have snacks and juice and they all got an XL Soccer World t-shirt. Tyler was so proud of his t-shirt that he wanted to put it on before we even left the building. He wore that t-shirt over his other shirt for the rest of the day, even though it was down to his knees because it's so big. I managed to record him dancing to The Backyardigans in his new shirt that afternoon.

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August 27th: Here are pictures of Tyler in his soccer t-shirt the next day. After he wore it all day the previous day, I threw it in the laundry that night to see if I could shrink it at least a little. He asked for it when he woke up the next morning, so it's a good thing it was clean! And just in case anyone was wondering about PJ--yes, he's still here. =) He may not get as much attention as the other boys during the day, but he's still the only one who's allowed to sleep in our bed at night.

August 28th: Here are a few pictures of Nathan just hangin' out in his crib. He's almost 4-months-old in these photos. I didn't take any photos of him on his 4-month birthday (I know, I'm such a slacker), so I'll include his stats here. Weight: 15 lbs., 0.5 oz. (50th percentile). Height: 24.5 inches (30th percentile). Head Circ: 42.5 cm (55th percentile). I love his blue eyes, but I'm trying to not get too attached since Tyler's changed from blue-gray to a hazel-ish brown in the past year.