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.
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!
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