New Addiction

I've discovered a new addiction: Sprint distance triathlons. I entered my first mini-tri last October in St. George. It was a 200 yd swim in a pool, 5 mile bike ride and 1.5 mile run. To be honest, I ran one time on the treadmill for 15 min prior to the race just to make sure I wasn't going to die. I finished the 1.5 miles in 18 1/2 min and realized, I think I need to train if I'm going to do a Sprint distance. So this has been my life for the last 4 months.

Since Christy was pregnant I had to do all the training by myself and literally "force" myself to go to the gym at times but it was nice having a goal and a purpose for the workouts. I literally had not been swimming since junior high, besides recreationally or at the beach. Swimming laps was a different story, but I've grown to love it. I still hate and will continue to hate running, but I'm learning to endure it. Biking is awesome, but is not the same during the winter on a stationary bike at the gym. Bring on the warm weather please.

I participated in my 1st Sprint distance triathlon on Sat. March 2oth and did ok, not great, but I finished and I did significantly better in the run portion than I thought I would.

My new year's resolutions included competing in at least 2 Sprint triathlons this year and improving my time each event. Yesterday I swam 300 meters in 6 min 48 secs, (average by my standards) biked 12 miles in 46 min 59 sec (horrible by my standards), and ran 3.1 miles in 30 min 9 secs (good by my standards).

I definitely have a lot to improve on but I've found a new love that is healthy and competitive. Next goal: have Christy do one with me. I'll keep you updated on the progress. Next stop St. George on April 3rd for the SHAC Sprint Tri.

Life with 2 kids

So we've officially survived the first month of life with 2 kids. It's been an adjustment, but it's our reality and we're learning everyday. Here's just a few of our "fun" moments.

1. We took Easton in for his 2 day checkup after discharge from the hospital. They wanted to check his weight and his bilirubin levels because he was jaundice. Thought it was going to be a quick visit so we took Ry with us. 2 year olds don't have a great attention span. After waiting in the doctor's office, Ry did not want to wait for the registration process to have blood drawn. Nicole took Easton in for his blood draw and Christy stayed with Ry. Mind you we are the only people of the 30 people in the waiting room under 70 years old. Ry had a fit, threw a temper tantrum and was screaming, "I want my brother". As Christy tried to calm her she received kicks and slaps to the face and just about tore open her c-section incision while attempting to discipline Ry. You wouldn't believe this behavior was coming from this sweet little thing.

But then again, after you look at the next picture you can see how she has the typical 2 year old attitude. She pretty much does what she wants, when she wants. She lets us know who is boss.

2. Nicole took Ry to the McDonald's playland to keep her busy while Christy went in for a post-op ultrasound. Easton was along for the ride as well. About 10 minutes into the adventure Ry began yelling "Mom I peed my pants" from the TOP of the playland. So Nicole quietly tried to coax Ry down but she refused. "Come get me". Nicole kept explaining she had Easton and couldn't "come get her". After several minutes and getting nowhere with the negotiation Nicole quickly removed her shoes, left Easton in the carrier, and desperately made her way up the tubes to save Ryley. If you are not familiar with these tubes, they are not big enough for 32 year olds to maneuver gracefully up or down while carrying someone soaked in urine. Fortunately, I had spare pants in the diaper bag, but no underwear. This was my white trash realization moment. Had I sunk this low? Going to McDonald's, not ordering food, just playing on playland, my child had peed their pants, was now in pants with no underwear and no socks, I'm leaving my 1 month old alone while I maneuver through a tube 1/2 my size. Please no one call DCFS.

At the end of the day you look at a picture like this and realize this is why you do what you do. These moments are precious and cherished and outweigh the moments described earlier.