A little of this and a little of that

Norah and her friend Alissa playing in the sand at Alki Beach

Nolan loved the sand at the beach, and he didn't even try to eat any!

Enjoying a popsicle after a dip in the pool on one of our VERY hot days!

Just cute, that's all I can say about this one :)

Daddy cooling of the kids!

Norah after being cooled off

She swims!!!!

He's been making this face a lot lately, it cracks me up.

I leave you with this, I don't even know what to say..... a broken crown, nasty teeth, and her Christmas dress (from when she was 2) over her footie PJ's.

We've been busy the last 2 weeks, mostly trying to keep cool. We have been doing a lot of swimming in our pool, Norah goes in daily sometimes for hours(no exaggeration) and she has learned to swim all on her own. I'm a proud momma! We went to Alki beach and Lake Tapps both were fun. We've taken several trips to the park, BBQ'd lots and lots trying to avoid turning on the oven. My best friend came up from Cali and stayed with us for a day :) And we're planning a camping trip for next weekend with friends and family at my aunt and uncles property on the Satsop River.....so excited for that! Also, Casey's birthday is one week from this Sunday and I have to think of something good to get him, any suggestions?

Swim, Bike, Run

Waiting for the start of the Triathlon, I'm wearing a purple swim cap

The start of my swimming wave

Transition area from swim to bike

Beginning of ride

Headed back

Crossing the finish line, such an AMAZING feeling!

Me and my bike, after the race.

Last Sunday I participated in my very first triathlon! It was the Benaroya Research Institute Seafair Triathlon, and it was so much fun. There were around 2000 participants, including an elite group all the way down to some pretty young kids. It was a sprint distance triathlon that consisted of a 1/2 mile swim, a 12 mile bike ride and a 5k run(just over 3 mi). It was a beautiful course, the swim took place in Lake Washington, the bike ride followed the lake and crossed the I-90 bridge and the run finished around Seward park with great views of the lake and Mt. Rainier. I finished in 1 hr and 35 min, not to shabby for my first one, the fasted time was 58 min by a 27 yo male, pretty impressive! It was so much fun and I felt so accomplished at the end. I am debating on whether or not to do another one this season or wait until next year, we'll see.

Casey was great that morning we both got up at 4:45 and made it to the race around 6:15. He took all these pictures of me, which was a workout in itself. His mom stayed at home with the kids and brought them up after the race. Norah loved it and says she wants to do one too! My favorite quote of hers that morning "I bet I could win the whole thing" she's so cute and has a little competitive streak in her, I bet she could win the whole thing :-)

Stressfull.....

2 doctors appointments, 2 rowdy, hyper kids, 2 hours, waiting rooms, vision and hearing screens, autism questionnaires, 1 finger and 1 toe poke, Nolan ripping off his bandage and bleeding all over the floor, waiting, a total of 7 immunizations, Norah pushing the nurse trying to give her shots, Nolan digging through all the drawers of the exam table, 2 crying & screaming kids, and to end the visit trying to get Norah to pee in a plastic cup!

And these were both well child visits. So much for scheduling the appointments at the same time for "convenience," I WILL NOT be doing that again! By the time we were home both kids were happy after a quick trip to McDonald's for ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. I have 2 healthy kids so I guess I shouldn't be complaining, but wow what a morning. Here are the kids stats for 4 years and 18 months.

Norah = 34 lbs, just under the 50% and 42 in. 75%
Nolan = 28 lbs 75%, and 35 in. >100%(off the chart)!

Norah's 4 !!!!

My little hula girl! This didn't stay on long :)

Norah's Cake

Opening some presents

Saying "thank you" to everyone

*****
Yesterday Norah turned 4! We had a backyard birthday party with friends and family. We did a Hawaiian luau theme and it was supposed to be a pool party too, but the weather didn't cooperate. Some brave kids still got in the pool but it didn't last for long. We had yummy snacks, opened presents, did a princess pinata and had cake and ice cream! It was lots of fun. Norah is one lucky little girl she got so many cool things; she got lots of cute new clothes and tons and tons of new crafts! I cannot believe my baby girl is 4, she's growing up so fast it makes me a little sad, but a lot excited to watch her become a beautiful little girl. Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us and for all the great gifts, Norah had a great birthday!

18 Months

My baby is 18 Months today !
He........
Talks, favorite word is NO~loves to swim~loves to eat, but not lunch~plays so hard~runs~climbs~digs~throws~loves his sissy~total mommas boy~is getting blonder by the day~has beautiful hazel eyes like his daddy~has 12 teeth~cuddles~kisses~hugs~and gives me a run for my money every single day! I love this boy.

Lake Tapps

This morning my sister and I took the kids to Lake Tapps to play! When we got there she watched them for a while so I could practice some open water swimming before my triathlon next weekend. It's definitely different from swimming in the nice calm, warm pool at the Y. But, overall not too bad. We stayed for a few hours, the weather was perfect and it wasn't even too crowded there. I think we will venture here a few more times this summer, it was nice for the kids :) Here are a few pictures I managed to get while I wasn't busy chasing Nolan around, enjoy!

My Little Fish

Norah and Me with a great view of Mt. Ranier in the background

All boy.... dirty, wet and loves rocks!

My Sis with the kiddos, thanks for coming with us!

The 4th Weekend Fun

Friday at Jefferson Park, spray ground!
This place is soooo much fun.

The 4th at home and BBQ with friends!