He Tri'd

Blake finished his first triathlon over the weekend. Great job Blake! Blake was entered in the Stanford Treeathlon in the Saplingathon division. He was in Heat 2 in the Acorn division for children under 5. Instead of a swim, the kids had to throw a water balloon at a target. Then, he biked for 0.5 of a mile. After that, he went on a 0.1 mile run. He got tired during the bike leg, but finished strong! I couldn't be prouder.

Getting ready for the race:


{warning: screaming mom, adjust your volume}

The starting line (Blake is in the very front with the yellow helmet):



All done with the balloon toss. Time to bike:


I started to wonder where they had gone, but Blake finally came around the turn. He said he was tired so Andrew pulled him along:


Time to run:


Crossing the finish line. I apologize for the coughing fits. This lingering cough rears its ugly head after cheering so much:



Gummy snacks and "triathlon water" always make it worthwhile:


His medal:

Gym

Before heading upstairs to bed at night, I stand in front of the fridge so I can gulp down one last glass of water before bedtime. My bright pink YMCA schedule now holds residence above the water dispenser so I can remind myself of all the fun happenings at the gym. As I was crawling into bed, I told Andrew I was thinking of making it to a morning exercise class.

This conversation ensued:
Andrew: What time is it at?
Me: 7:05am.
Andrew: I will not be awake during your class.
Me: I am always up then. I might as well go.

Here is how the night played out:
5:00am: Feed Reade
6:00am: Blake comes out of his room screaming "mommy" in that sobbing/hysterical way they sometimes do at the crack of dawn.
6:08am: I relieve Andrew from dealing with Blake because ultimately, it has to be me who puts on a fresh diaper after using the potty.
6:13am: Blake is back in his own bed and I attempt to close my eyes.
6:35am: My child realizes how much torture his bedroom can be and ends up between the two of us.

Why not head to the gym and try out a class called BODYPUMP (always written in bold letters) in a moment like this?

So here I am after I have returned from my hour at the gym. I really do feel like all my muscles agreed to hide far behind my new mom fat, all the while making dramatic protests whenever I try to get them moving again. Come on body, let's work together! Nothing makes me feel more like a middle aged mom than driving a minivan to the gym and hitting Trader Joe's before heading home on a Saturday morning (before 9am!). Rock on mommy:


I have tested out three classes now and have been impressed with all of them. The cardio dance class was fun, confusing, and a bit overstimulating. I then took a spin class. That was awesome, painful, and kind of exhilarating. Last but not least, my BODYPUMP class. It is a combination of weight lifting and pop music. My muscles burned way more than they do if I am in charge of how hard to push myself. I laughed when the instructor put: a weight bar, three sets of different weights to put on the bar, two clips for the bar, an exercise step, and a mat in front of me. At that point I knew there would be more to this class than some Jersey Shore fist pumping. This has been the most fun gym exploration I have ever had. Will I be brave enough to try BODYATTACK or Zumba/Sculpt (a combo of zumba and weights)?

Skyla - You are incredible. Don't get frustrated about trying to be the best spin instructor. I guarantee all of the hard work you put into leading the class pays off for everyone taking the class. I see the differences between instructors and I would love to have you lead my class. Just promise me you won't sing along with the music into your tiny headphone. Kind of distracting.

Mompetitor

Carolyn showed me this and there isn't a day where I don't laugh about it.

Everyone knows someone like this:

Ski Week

Grandma Ellen is hosting Nick and Mia, yay for Ski Week, so we headed over to the Palo Alto Art Center to check out Patrick Dougherty's outdoor installation.

I call them the gnome houses:


A bunch of gnomes:








I love all the tulip trees heavy with blooms:


We needed a snack after all that gnome fun so we stopped by Mayfield Bakery & Cafe for some coffee and sweet treats:




A little someone eating a banana cream pie from the inside out:


What sugar will do to those visiting the Rodin Sculpture Garden at Stanford:

Skater

Blake was stoked that his daddy was home on Monday. He thought it would be a great idea to start skate boarding lessons. Dad is just the one to teach him.

Half piping at two years old:


(germ-a-phobes beware) Reade learning to grind with something other than his board:


Andrew was the most exhausted of the bunch:


Gnarly!

Flea Market

It is always fun to follow Grandma to San Francisco to check out flea markets.

The kids' first taco truck experience:


A $3 skateboard Blake can call his own:


Sneakers worth giggling at:


The Alemany Flea Market on Yelp.

Addiction

Will I ever get addicted to the cardio dance class at the YMCA? I don't think so, but it did feel good to exercise at 8am on a Saturday. Good Lord I have lost all rhythm. I felt like a giant robot malfunctioning in different directions. Maybe I need to take a yoga class so I can figure out where my pelvis is in relation to the rest of my body again:


Okay, this is serious addiction. Thanks a bunch Peter for telling Andrew about the Word Feud app for Gphones. I can't stop playing (ooh, Peter just started a game with me). I asked Andrew if we could drop the kids off at an orphanage so I could play this game all day. My outlook on life is so much better now that I can play scrabble games with anyone and everyone whenever I want. Rock on!

This chick has a blog where she is way more addicted to Word Feud than I am:


Chocolate donuts with coconut. An addiction that will never go away:

Seams

I read Soule Mama's blog daily and this morning sent me into a fit. My mind started throwing a tantrum and all I heard in my head during breakfast was, "She homes schools four children, is pregnant with her fifth, and still gets to knit and sew all the time. (now in a really whiny voice) Why don't I get to do those fun things? Why can't I make whatever I want, when I want." And so I sewed. I thought my kids would pitch a fit, but really they played by themselves for most of my project. Only when I was sewing on buttons did my tiny guy realize what I was trying to do. It felt so good to sew again. I have been missing it.

Aunt Shirley and Cousin Erin gave me some vintage aprons. Now they are in dress form for little Holly to wear during the summer. No pressure Erin! You can just take a picture of her in it, send it to me, and then donate the thing if you hate it.

Front:


Adorable buttons:


The back:


It only took me about 30 minutes to make this dress. The rest of the day was spent lunching with Grandma and then participating in Blake's first "Little Sportsters" class at the YMCA. He loved the class and learned the fundamentals of soccer. Coach Larry is the best. The smile on my face was ear-to-ear so watch out world, here comes another soccer mom (I would prefer another sport that was played indoors so I don't have to sit out in the cold and cheer).

Little and sportster-like:

Enrolled

Insert these pictures:


I joined the Palo Alto YMCA today. The San Jose YMCA saw me through my prenatal aqua aerobics class (I still hang out with two of the moms) so I wanted to see what Palo Alto had to offer. I wasn't planning on signing up on the spot, but once I saw the facility, I knew I had to join. The child care is a huge room, envision a preschool environment, without a television (I always felt bad leaving Blake in the small child care at 24 hour fitness because he was exposed to Dora the Explorer at deafening levels). It even has an outdoor play structure perfect for my sons' wiggles. What had me at hello was the Little Sportsters class. Here is the description, "Little Sportsters is a drop-in class that teaches young children how to have fun and socialize while learning the fundamentals and rules of basketball, soccer, field games, and t-ball." Blake will love spending an hour a week with coach Larry. I myself will start with the belly dancing class because what else am I going to do with all this stomach flab? I might as well roll it like I love it.

Happy Valentine's Day

Having love is wonderful:


Sharing love is magical:


What a fun day! A bit of rain made for a lazy and laid back Valentine's Day. We took the pressure off of the day and agreed to include the whole family. First, it started with Andrew stranded in a parking lot calling AAA. Then, there were brownies. Last but not least, there was a faux Bachelorette ceremony. Andrew walked away with the chocolate rose at the end. The best part of the evening was when Andrew had to walk over to the dealership to deal with the Prius (after Blake went down to sleep). I quickly got out my Valentine's card and put Reade on the ground so I could sign it, feed Reade, and then put him to bed. Reade freaked out so much that I had put him down, he somehow scooted himself backwards under the coffee table. He was stuck for the two minutes it took me to sign Andrew's card. I kept saying, "Hold on Reade, I am almost done." When I went to retrieve him, he was folded in half trying to get out the back of the coffee table wet with tears. That's romance.

Whining

I am sure everyone is sick of my "we're sick" whining so I thought I would add another post for today to lighten the mood. I decided to make chili for lunch and realized I haven't blogged about my new best friend, the Onion Goggle. They are the best! I am one of those severe criers when it comes to chopping onions. My eyes choke up even if an onion is being cut in another room (not a surprise since I am always the first one to physically react dramatically to anything in this world). Anyways, these have saved my life and I am sure Andrew would agree they help me bring a new level of sexy back to my kitchen routine.

Buy everyone you know a pair for Christmas:

I wanted them in pink, but they were out of stock at the time.

Plus Two

Now all of us (minus one, healthy dad) have ear infections and are doped up on amoxicillin. Good grief!

P.S. I know my amoxicillin shouldn't be refrigerated, but I thought it would be a fun photo op.

Flair

I told Andrew we need to add flair to the minivan. His response, "Why do we need to draw any attention to the van?" How else am I going to find my car amongst the sea of minivans at Costco? So any and all ideas would be greatly appreciated (minus family member decals).

P.S. Why you shouldn't buy a used car in the dark (note the license plate). At least it has brew in it. There are so many breweries who brew devil's brew so that one won't work. Maybe deep six brew? Ok, back to minivan flair...:


This decal?



Time honored mud flaps?


Can't go wrong with this one, right?


I am in Palo Alto and I wouldn't want some mom to call the cops because I offended her gifted child. I guess I should keep the flair "G" rated.

Mess

What sick looks like around here:

Speakers in a pile (Reade pulled one down from the windowsill, leaving a huge mark on his head, so now I have no idea what to do with them) and other junk that will just have to wait:


Laundry patiently waiting:


The baby has an ear infection so in comes the pink, smelly stuff:


This cold had me in a fit of shivers yesterday and now has morphed into neck and back soreness and a tiny hint of nausea (don't worry, I promise I am not pregnant again!). So what do I go for when nausea hits? A bagel of course. This time, I used fresh cream cheese from the European market down the street. It is so divine and only costs $2.50:


Tonight I am feeling better, but my body still aches so my complaining hasn't stopped just yet. Once again, I apologize to my family for bringing our germs into their homes. I will send tissues and cough syrup.

Sick

We spent the weekend with my parents and like we always do, we exposed them to another cold virus. Blake started drawing people and here is a portrait of his daddy:


This seems more like a picture of what my congested head feels like. We can just write this day off. There is no way I am going to get anything productive done besides taking the kids to the doctor.

Melancholy

I dropped our friends off at the airport this morning. Right now, they are waiting to board their plane. I hope for an uneventful, speedy flight. Sounds like labor/birth wishes! We had such a great time and although it is good to get back to our routine, I am going to miss the household full of kids. I think I now know what my mother feels like when we leave after a visit. I long to see sweet baby James' face and hear the stories Elaine June filled my heart with. What absolute fun it was.
I bet Blake will get bored pretty fast here without Elaine June around:

Silicon Valley

I had to take Carolyn on a tour of Google so she could see what all the Silicon Valley fuss is about. Andrew told me a photo booth showed up in the hallway of his office the other day so I knew just how to finish off the tour. We left the older children with Grandma and got to explore with just the babies: