Tri, tri again

So our "hot date" for the weekend was waking up before 6:00am this morning to do a little triathlon. As a side note, ironically Hewitt had a horrible night last night and we were up several times with him (poor Rob spent a sleepless hour or two on Hewitt's floor trying to get him to go back to sleep). All three of our kids are usually great sleepers so that was sort of unfortunate that this would happen on the one night we were trying to get a good night's sleep...

Anyway, Rob and I completed the "super sprint" distance (the shortest) and had a really good time. Our friends, the "Ice Cream Pirates" put this on and it was a small, friendly, friends & family affair. As expected, Rob did a lot of "waiting around" for me. I wasn't too far behind him most of the time and I liked the challenge of trying to keep up with his pace. You'll be pleased to learn that I finished in first place in the women's division...of course, I also finished in last place as I was the only woman doing the super sprint distance, so I felt a little lame accepting my prize water bottle:What really mattered today was that we had fun (thanks Jake and Manon) and it makes me want to keep up the swimming, biking, and running because I feel a lot better when I'm doing these things regularly! I have never been much of an athlete, but three years ago (just prior to my 3oth birthday) I decided to challenge myself and I registered for the Ogden Valley Triathlon. This was my first competitive athletic event ever, and I did the "sprint" distance which was about a 750 meter swim (in Pineview reservoir), a 18 mile bike and a 5K (about 3 miles) run. I spent about three months training for this event (and lost about 20 pounds in the process). I have never been a good swimmer and am honestly afraid of open water, but I did it (!) and it was probably the greatest physical challenge of my life (seriously right up there with natural childbirth--maybe even harder?).

(Me with Burke just after finishing the race...boy, Burke looks little!)

I think it's interesting because as I get older I find that there are certain things I want to accomplish that I've never imagined ever even appealing to me (like triathlons and natural childbirth, for example). I think my point is that there is something truly satisfying about achieving a goal that seems out of reach or impossible.

Now, bring on the ice cream!

Today (for lack of a better title...I'm tired and I've got nothing, people)

My mother has mentioned (more than once) that I haven't blogged in a while... It's been a busy couple of weeks. I've been "training" for a mini-triathlon that I'm doing on Saturday morning (I talked Rob in to doing it with me...of course, he has not "trained" a bit, but I imagine that it will push me harder just trying to keep up with him). I've also been reading books like crazy (I'm currently reading Sarah's Quilt, follow-up to These Is My Words) and so I've been slow at getting to my blog.

I took the boys to Thanksgiving Point today. We've been there a couple of times this summer (the boys love it and seem to never get enough) so we decided to go ahead and get a yearly membership. Today we visited the farm and the kids were thoroughly entertained. The two highlights were playing in the little "jail" which is simply a kid size room with some bars in it, and the pony ride. I didn't know how Tosh would react on the ride, but he loved it of course (he absolutely loves animals; most of his first words have been animal names and sounds). He had the proudest little look on his face during the entire ride. This photo isn't the greatest, but you can see here that Tosh recently got his first hair cut (it's still plenty curly on the top):

Hewitt and Burke loved the pony ride as well. Tonight, while Burke was getting into bed he said, "Mom, I liked the pony ride today, but next time I want to ride a horse...not a draft horse though, just a horse. Probably a Mustang."

Earlier today, we were discussing the fact that it is almost September and Burke said, "Boy, 2008 is sure flying by a lot faster than the other years!" Love the "six-year-old" perspective.

So, I just overheard Rob telling his brother over the phone that (while I was out doing my visiting teaching) the boys were all outside tonight in the backyard, and Hewitt came out holding two of our big kitchen knives! Rob told him that they are just for Moms and Dads to use (after freaking out a little?) and Hewitt said, "I just wanted to play with the cutters! They look like swords." Yikes! Interesting that I heard about this just because I happened to walk into the room while Rob was on the phone...was he planning to tell me this one? Seriously, boys.

Just call me "Marge"

So I've had Laryngitis this week. Unfortunately, I seem to get this every year or so--Rob calls it my "Marge Simpson" voice. It's starting to get a little better although I could barely speak at all at the beginning of the week. After whispering to my kids for an hour or so on Monday morning, Hewitt (whispering back) finally asked, "Who is sleeping, Mommy?" My voice doesn't hurt, but this is an inconvenient time to be "sick" as I'm supposed to be singing a solo (yes, in my role as "Fairy Godmother") this weekend and it usually takes a good couple of weeks for my singing voice to get back to normal after this... I imagine that the "Stake Roadshow" audience won't be too critical should my voice crack mid-solo (no rotten tomatoes or booing at any rate--I hope).

Not sure how I "lost" my voice to begin with. Maybe it's all the cheering I've been doing each night watching the Olympics (that and the staying up way too late). I've had a few moments when I've literally jumped off my couch and jumped up and down in celebration. My kids have really enjoyed watching the games as well. Hewitt will randomly ask if he can watch the "bow-gimpics" and tonight when I asked Burke if he was ready to read he said, "Mom, I can read a book anytime, but can't watch the Olympics in China everyday!" Burke has been very interested in China--even long before the games. He often talks about wanting to visit there and asks me lots of questions about the culture in China. I keep thinking that maybe he'll serve a mission there. Wouldn't that be something?

Besides the Olympics, we've tried to keep busy this week with various outings. Burke is already off-track and has started swimming lessons again, and I'm trying to keep the kids busy (visiting various neighborhood parks, Thanksgiving Point, and Grandma and Grandpa's house) as Rob is out of town for work (frowny face). I woke up during the night last night to Hewitt calling my name (I have trained him to call for his father and this usually works). He had woken up on his own to go to the bathroom and called for me because he needed help getting soap while he was washing his hands. This was probably the happiest "night waking" I have ever experienced with a child. I told him today how happy I was that he got up on his own to go to the bathroom (he's been dry every night for a few weeks now) and added, "You are such a big boy, Hewitt." He responded by saying, "I don't want to be a big boy. I want to be a toddler boy!"

In my dreams

I've had some unusual dreams lately...the night before last I dreamed that a fire started in my kitchen and I was forced to make the decision on whether or not I should try to put it out (it was spreading quickly) or if I should just run upstairs and pull my sleeping children out of the house before it got worse--knowing that our house was going to burn to the ground. Obviously I woke up very worried and relieved that this was only a dream.

I laughed in contrast this morning when I awoke remembering my dream from last night. I was somewhere (can't remember where) and saw one of the "Jonas Brothers." Let me say right now that I know NOTHING about this boy band, besides the fact that they are really brothers. Truthfully, I have fast-forwarded over every performance they have done on TV (during American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance), and I doubt that I've ever heard any of their songs... Anyway, one of the Jonas Brothers (I wouldn't know which one, or any of their names for that matter) approached me in my dream and asked me out on a date. I am laughing so hard over this: my mind's subconscious attempt at flattery.

I'm getting more aware of the fact that I'm getting older, even though my brain is still in denial. I recognize that although 33 isn't old, it certainly isn't 18. Just to prove my point, a few weeks ago I was at a planning meeting for an upcoming "roadshow" that our church is doing. We have been assigned the story of "Cinderella" and we were discussing the script and the cast. I was asked to play a part in the show, and was expecting the person asking me to say the part of Cinderella, but they asked me to play the part of the "Fairy Godmother." It was one of those moments when you realize, wow. I guess I'm looking older than I feel. At least I have my dreams to keep me young--and delusional.

Photo Mosaic Meme

I got this fun meme from my sister-in-law and thought that I'd play along...

Here's what you do if you want to play:
Type your answer to each of the questions below into a Flickr search. Using only the first page, choose your favorite image, then copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows).

The questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you attend?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name (I don't have an interesting user name so I went with my childhood nickname instead...and yes, I say "childhood" nickname because my brothers know better than to call me this now).

Wanna guess my answers before you read them? I wish I could list my answers upside down like they do on the back of cereal boxes and in magazines, but I don't have the time to figure out how to do that...oh, well.

Answers:
1. Tamsen (there is actually a car dealership in Germany called "Tamsen") 2. fresh fruit 3. Ft. Collins High School (my school was very old and very cool looking) 4. blue 5. Brad Pitt 6. strawberry lemonade 7. European coast 8. ice-cream 9. happy (the inside of that mug reads, "and they lived happily ever after...") 10. family 11. this was a hard one, but I finally went with "consistent." I think I'm a pretty consistent person (for better or for worse...) 12. "Fats" (I was a skinny kid)

My gang

I enjoyed a fun little gathering today with several friends from my hometown. I've known all these women since I was in elementary school. Some of them were here visiting from Colorado and others live here in Utah now. It was really special because even though I have talked to many of these friends on the phone and via e-mail, I have not seen some of them in person for 11 years or so. At one point while everyone was here, we had a total of 26 children in my house (and Burke was even at school)! The kids played well together and we had a fun time catching up with each other (and eating, of course). I have such great memories of singing and performing together and just simply growing up with all of these wonderful ladies. They still feel like my sisters.

Rise and Shout

My mom and I had a "girls' night" out last night. Did we shop? No. Chick flick? No. Try out a new restaurant? No. We spent our evening at LaVell Edwards Stadium with 500 other female Cougar fans. La Vell Edwards himself (I think I almost fooled my Dad into thinking LaVell was there...this is just a photo of a painting hanging in the Cougar Club)

We took a tour of the locker room and press boxes, heard from several of the coaches and players and had a great time in general. I've always joked that my mom "bleeds blue" and so this was fun to go to with her and to spend time visiting. I wouldn't consider myself a huge football fan compared to some, but I did make the trip to Vegas when I was going BYU to watch BYU play Wyoming for the Championship game and had a blast. I also can't deny the fact that I get teary when the players and cheerleaders run onto the field at the beginning of each game...what can I say? The leaky eye trait runs in my "blue" blood too.

I took several photos (mostly for my Dad and brother), here are a few:

Me in the locker room (isn't it nice that they usually separate showers into stalls for women?)

Mom and Me with Harvey Unga

Mom with Bronco Mendenhall

Sitting in the middle of the field where all the magic happens...Game one's in 29 days, get ready!