Thursday, June 26, 2008

Summer Weather is here!




The weather is finally hot! The kids enjoyed having friends over to swim today. Aunt Sue, Grandpa Henry, and mom also stopped by. I am slowly getting to the landscaping around the pool and backyard. A lot of work still needs to be done.

Welcome Yukon!


It has been a year and a hlf since we had to put BoBo down, and we decided to get a new puppy. We ended up picking up Yukon in Hutchinson on Wednesday. The kids have not been around a puppy before - dogs yes, but not a puppy, This has been a challenge as he is running off with anything they leave lying around. I am enjoying him, and know that there will be a lot of work ahead to get him trained!

Ukraine Bound




It was a sad day saying good-bye to Misha. The last five months went very fast and we enjoyed getting to know Misha. I hope he learned more about the US and can share his experiences with his friends and family. I tried to remind the kids that even though we are sad to see him leave, remember how excited and happy his family is that he is coming home. Ten months is a long time to be away from your family. Jake continues to wear the A&W visor of Misha's, and both Lydia and Noah have said how much they have missed him. We will keep in touch through e-mail, and send pictures back and forth. We hope he has a safe trip and hope to hear from him soon!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Happy 95th Birthday Grandpa Henry




We celebrated grandpa Henry's 95th birthday with a party at mom's house. It was well attended with relatives from both grandpa henry and grandma ev's side of the family. I think grandpa enjoyed it, and it was fun to see Sue, Mick, Nancy, and Deb! I know mom really enjoyed the time with her brother and sisters!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Oh...and the running



Mile 22-High Fives for the kids as I go by.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

more marathon pictures





Grandma's Marathon Weekend






We had a great weekend in Duluth for the Marathon! Aunt Deb rode up with us and we arrived in Duluth early on Friday afternoon to pick up our race packets and information. We checked out a few things at the expo and then we headed off to lunch at Grandma's Sports Garden. Deb, Deb, Noah and I chowed down on a pasta buffet - load up on the CARBS! Then it was off to the Edge and check into our rooms. We had an lake view room that was great! We could sit outside our room and watch the ships come and go from the port.
Mom, Jill, Taylor, and Jordan arrived around dinner time and we headed down to the waterpark. What a fun place. I did not participate in the fun - conserve energy : )
I did not sleep too well, nervous about the race. And I did not need the alarm clock to get up at 4:30 a.m. I met Deb for breakfast and then we headed out to catch the bus to the start in Two Harbors. While waiting in line for the bus, I saw two former PCHS students. The first bus quickly filled and we did not get on. One of the bus organizers then asked us if we would ride on the 'elite runners' bus! Sure beats the orange school bus ride. So Deb and I rode to the start with the Kenyans! We were quickly brought back to reality when we were instructed that 'those of you not at that elite level need to exit the bus right away when you reach the starting line, but you elite runners can stay warm on the bus.'
It was actually cold in Two Harbors, and Deb even dug out a pair of gloves. We ended up being quite far back in the chute - way behind the pace team we hoped to start near. I did not even hear the starting gun, but when we crossed the starting line, over 6 minutes had already passed! Deb got me off to a great pace and I felt really good until mile 12. I could feel my right leg tightening up, and by mile 14 I was cramping. I tried to stay with Deb, but had to fall behind a little past the 15 mile mark. I walked for about a half a mile, and slowly started up again. The cramping was gone (except for an occasional twinge when I would step wrong) and I was on my way again! I met up with one of the former students, Jason, at about mile 17, the other one Deb and I passed at mile 6. Jason and I ran together for about a mile and a half and then he fell behind - but we did see him at the end and he made it! Starting at mile 18, the fun begins. The crowds become larger and louder. All that cheering really does keep you going! The family was at mile 22 with their signs. How fun to see them after coming up Lemon Drop Hill!
I made it to the end and there was Deb! She was just over 10 minutes ahead of me. I could not believe my time 4:32! I hoped to be under 5 hours, but never expected to be that close to a 4 and a half hour marathon! Deb and I enjoyed a couple of beers along with some food. We experienced a few rain showers, which felt good since it was a warm day again this year!
We all headed down to Grandma's for dinner, and enjoyed the water park - this time I went in too!
Saturday night's sleep was about as poor as Friday nights. Not because of nerves - because of soreness! My ankle was swelling again - guess it did not heal all the way before the marathon. And my quads! Going up the steps - ok, going down the steps-OUCH! We did a little more swimming and then it was time to check out.
We stopped off at Wicktor's cabin on the way home for the beach party. Lydia and Jake went tubing behind the boat. They had a great time!
What a fun weekend!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Play Ball!


Summer Activities are in full swing for the kids. Lydia is loving t-ball! She has done a great job and is on the same team as one of her best friends, Ellie. Lydia has also been taking some classes at her gymnastics gym, and heading off to the library to get some books. She is very excited about kinder-camp coming up in July. Jake had a week of basketball camp and now is playing baseball. This year they use a pitching maching, which makes hitting a challenge, but he has connected and spent many balls flying. He does a great job throwing and cathcing the ball in the field. Must be from all those hours he and Noah played catch! Noah had a week of basketball camp, and now plays in a 3-on-3 league every Monday and Wednesday. But before the goes to BB, he has be playing an hour and a half of USTA tennis, and then ends those evenings with baseball practice. He also has double header games one nigh a week. Quite a schedule - yikes!
Deb and I enjoy running the kids to their events and cheering them on. I am also doing some coaching with the USTA tennis program and with Noah's baseball team. Oh, yeah, and still trying to get ready for the Marathon!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Better Late than Never



Jake's birthday was on May 19th but he wanted to have his friends over to swim in the pool for his birthday. That meant waiting until school was out. Then our first attempt at a party brought thunderstorms, so we moved it to the next week. Even then, the pool was still COLD. With our cold rainy spring, the pool never really warmed up. However, these brave 7 and 8 year olds jumped into 68 degree water, and some actually stayed in for a while, before heading to the basketball court and front yard for so games. These guys took on Deb on the BB court and nicknamed her "the Old Lady". However, she shoed them who owns the court! Jake had a great day with his buddies

Thursday, June 5, 2008

GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soccer came to an end this week. It was a LONG season with all the rain outs and rescheduled games. Lydia had a great time with Deb coaching her team and the other 14 5 year old girls! Jake was an animal on the field and played hard all season long, even though he was often the youngest player in the game! Noah had an amazing season with many goals and his team finished first.

Now it is on to baseball with Noah's team playing double headers every Tuesday night and practices on Mondays and Wednesdays. It whould be a fun switch from the old baseball set-up.