Fun Plex Field Trip

Evan's first grade class went on a field trip to the Fun Plex last Tuesday and I went as a parent chaperone. We played putt-putt in the morning (which was a hoot), red rover over the TWO HOUR lunch break (who's idea was that???) and we swam in the afternoon.

Putt putt with 100 first graders is an interesting experience. Well, actually, we had only half of them in the morning and I was chaperoning a group of 6 (see above). But the teachers didn't want them to keep score so it was basically a free-for-all. The kids just hit the balls randomly and couldn't seem to get the concept of taking turns. But we had fun anyway.

The lunch break was way too long. It wasn't the teacher's fault, it was the Fun Plex. They close the pool from 11:00 to 1:00 and because we got done with putt-putt so fast, we had all this time on our hands. We played Red Rover and Duck Duck Goose Goose for a loooonnnnnngggg time and then finally, we brought them inside to the gym where they could run play volleyball and basketball. It was a madhouse!

The swimming was fun but way too short. Evan and I swam together in the lap pool for awhile. He went down the slides a few times but wanted to dive in the deep part of the lap pool. A couple of girls came over to join him so I just treaded water and watched them. Then i took a few of the girls to the lazy river. All in all, we had a good time.

Community Classic Bike Tour

Kurt and I did the CCBT last Sunday and had a great time. We had perfect weather which was nice because I'm writing this a week later and it's cloudy and rainy outside. We rode it mostly with Lynne and Marshall Parks and Charlie Zucker but I couldn't keep up with them. Kurt hung back with me which was VERY nice (he got big points for that!).

The ride is 62 miles long with lots of big hills. We ride up to Carter Lake, through Masonville, and up the backside of Horsetooth Reservoir. For me, it was a big confidence builder for the Ironman!

Catching up

There's several things to write about...since it's late and I'm tired, I'll start withh tonight and work my way backwards.

Went to track tonight - first time in over a year. I've been running with Doug Bell's track team for almost 20 years now. I think I was one of the "originals" - way back in the early 90's we started running on Weds nights at Heath Junior High. I remember Geoff Muntz being there....and Jenny and a few others. I've been running with this group ever since.

But this year I probably won't do track. The Ironman training calls for more endurance and track is mostly about speed. And i have to be honest, I'm not very fast anymore! I've really lost my "edge" and it bothers me a little bit. I know it shouldn't but it does. I see people who I used to beat run right by me.

But I wanted to write about the kids. They have so much fun at track. They ride their bikes over there and then ride around the track while we run. Now, they're almost the oldest kids there. They used to be the youngest. How time flies!

Tomorrow is their last day of school. Evan will finish first grade and Katerina, second grade. They did so good in school this year!

I vowed to write down the "little stuff" in this blog, instead of just accomplishments. Well, today the kids and I rode our bikes to school. It was a beautiful morning and we left (for once) in plenty of time. We crossed 23rd Avenue and the fire station. There is a small park there with a winding cobblestone pathway that weaves through the flowers and bushes. It's very short but the kids love riding through it. They call it "the bumpy road". I chuckled as I heard them say excitedly "mom, can we ride on the bumpy road please???"

I know I'll laugh when I drive by that little park after they've grown up, always remembering "the bumpy road".

And here they are...the three Muskateers! The girls had a great time and won their soccer game today. Katerina played goalie for the first time and didn't do so well...but she made up for it by scoring two goals later on.

Evan went to a birthday party today and was excited about that (a girl's party!). Going to my moms house today to do yardwork and running the Title 9k in Boulder tomorrow. It's a good life!

First Sleepover

Katerina is having her first sleepover guest: Addie Randel, who is the daughter of her soccer coach. We've known Addie since last fall when Katerina played on Addie's team. We really like Addie's dad - he's been a super coach and Katerina has blossomed as a darn good soccer player on this team. She and Addie are definitely the best players on the team (and I'm not bragging...it's just the way it is!) so it's fun to have Addie here tonight.

And there are two other reasons why I'm happy that Addie is here. One, Katerina has not had any girl friends, only boy friends (not boyfriends but friends who are boys!). So it's nice to finally see her find someone she likes. Addie is not a girlie-girl at all, like Katerina. Addie is an amazing athlete and I think Katerina likes that.

The second reason is that Addie is also adopted. She was born in Haiti and adopted at a young age. Her parents have 3 older bio kids and then they adopted Addie, similar to our family. Scot and Tracy are now planning to adopt 2 more (and they're older than we are!).

I do have to brag though, how good Katerina and Addie are at soccer. All the parents comment on it all the time, that they are the star players. Katerina is an excellent kicker; she can kick the ball a long way and she makes most of the goals. Addie is a fast runner and good dribbler - she takes the ball down the field like you wouldn't believe. I love watching their games because these two girls do so well.

So, tonight Addie is here and the kids are all downstairs. Addie is actually playing Lego's with Evan while Katerina is laying on the couch watching TV. Sasha is down there with them and Kurt is at a neighborhood meeting around the corner (I was supposed to go but I decided to stay put - it's cold and windy outside and I have a headache).

Kurt and I went for a short, fast bike ride today. It was so windy that I almost blew off my bike! We asked Sarah Adams to go with us - she works at UNC and is training for triathlons too.

I'm getting nervous for the big IM training plan, which is supposed to start on Sunday (Mother's Day). What makes me nervous is how far Marshall is ahead of me! I really have to stop worrying about that....have to do my own thing and not worry too much.

I lifted weights tonight and for the first time in my life, I have seen improvement in my upper body strength! My arms feel bigger and the amt of wt I'm lifting is feeling pretty easy. I hope it helps my swimming because I really need it!

I'll post some pic's of Addie and Katerina tomorrow.

Battle of the Books

This was the first year for the kids to do Battle of the Books. It's a reading program here in our district where kids read books and then compete by answering questions about the books.

Evan's team was called Lion Readers and Katerina's team was the Blue Star Readers. I was Katerina's coach because she had asked me first. I always felt like we were behind yet we came out in 2nd place! Evan's team didn't do quite so good but really, none of he 1st grade teams did well (I was one of the timer's for the competition and got to see how they all did). But we had fun and it was a good exeperience, overall.

Exhaling....

It's Friday night and I just got the kids to bed. Whew. I'm loving the silence. They didn't behave well tonight. Took them (and Sasha) to the Monfort Carnival and they seemed to fight about everything. Evan wasn't listening well and I was losing my patience. But we made it through alright and then headed home where it was more of the same.

Having Sasha here these last 9 months has provided somewhat of a buffer between me and the kids. She's always around for them to play with (although it always ends in a fight) and I'm able to tend to dinner, housework, phone calls, etc, much easier because they have someone else to pester. But Sasha is leaving in 3 weeks and I'll be on my own again this summer.

But.....I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm craving time alone with my kids. Yet, I'm keenly aware of how they ramp up my blood pressure in seconds. I don't want to have any big blow ups (like we've had in the past) so I need to come with some strategies. More on that later.

Lately, I've been going on Facebook at 9:00 PM, mainly out of curiousity, and I end up reading everything and goofing around with it until it's time to go to bed. But tonight I feel like Facebook is one big loud noisy party and I just want time alone. I've always been kind of leary of large groups....one foot in and one foot out. I decided that I don't want to waste my time on Facebook every night. I'll check it once in awile but I want to use my precious free time enriching my brain other ways.

I have to say that I appreciate the communication I have with my niece's Erin and Laura. They seem interested in my life, unlike other members of my family (but that's another story), and I enjoy chatting with them. They've always been friendly and I love them for it.