I have just finished week 4 of training for the Denver Rock N’ Roll Marathon. The event takes place on October 20th and will be my first full marathon. I was a bit hesitant to train for the full because I didn’t want to take the time away from the girls, but I’ve come up with a plan that works well for everyone – Tuesday afternoons I get in a run at the gym while the girls play, Wednesday nights Bill puts the girls to sleep while I head out for a run at 7pm, Friday mornings I do a recovery run at the gym while L is at school and R plays and has music class, and Sunday mornings I do my long run while the girls have some time alone with Bill.
So far the longer the run has been, the easier it has been for me (although I don’t expect this to always be the case). I haven’t needed much time to recover and seem to have finally figured out a nutrition plan that works for me on the long runs. My heart rate hasn’t been spiking like it used to on the climbs and the 25 minutes of strengthening exercises that Bob Cranny (Altitude Physical Therapy – best in the business) has me doing 5 days a week is really making a difference!
Only 9 more weeks to go!
Bill and Mike at the start
Yesterday Bill completed the Pike’s Peak Ascent, a 13.32 mile ‘run’ up to the top of Pike’s Peak at 14,112 feet with an elevation gain of over 7,000 feet. He met up with his co-worker Mike and with very little training (aside from the Ironman) was doing great until the altitude hit him at 12,000 feet. He made it to the top of his first 14er in 5 hours, and I don’t think he plans on doing this race again for several years :).
For the complete set of photos, click here.
Lilly is quite the budding scientist. In group settings she is easily distracted but when working one on one with an individual or something she is interested in she soars. The latest example is her caterpillar/butterfly tent that Nana bought her for her birthday. From the moment the caterpillars arrived she was an exceptional caretaker and very interested in details. After two weeks our caterpillars emerged as butterflies and L was very excited to watch the process – she stayed in her room for over an hour watching and caring for the butterflies and we immediately hopped in the bike trailer to pick wildflowers for them. She even drew pictures to record the detail in her nature journal from Thorne Nature Camp. So adorable!
For the complete set of photos, click here.
After watching IronKids last year and watching her Daddy compete in several triathlons, Lilly was excited to participate in the IronKids (ages 3-5) event this Summer. It was a beautiful day for the event and the kids were all so adorable in their swim caps. Bill was able to run along next to her and it was heart warming to see how hard she was trying. Unfortunately we forgot to bring her helmet along so she had to wait a bit to start the bike ride, but she had a strong finish with the run! We didn’t push it at all but afterwards Lilly asked if she could do “another triathlon tomorrow”. Maybe next year, kid! 🙂
Bugs, bugs, bugs. Lilly loves bugs. And she knows all of their body parts. Check out this adorable video:
Okay, so we unintentionally overdid it this year (really this should be titled, “Lilly’s 4th Birthday Party, Round 4” due to multiple celebrations), but we had a great time celebrating L’s birthday with her friends at Clementine Art Studio. The kids decorated wands and crowns and munched on cupcakes, fruit, and popcorn. Lilly was excited to celebrate at one of her most favorite places and we are so thankful to all of our friends who were able to join us.
For the complete set of photos, click here.
We have enjoyed several morning ‘camp experience’ sessions with Thorne Nature this Summer. I wanted the opportunity to spend some time alone with Lilly and jumped on their 2 hour sessions for kids and adults. We did a nature hike on the Mesa trail and made journals to record the flowers and insects we found, did a bug hunt with nets and bug catchers at Sombrero Marsh, and even hunted for dinosaurs at NCAR. There are so many wonderful camps to choose from but we will definitely be coming back to Thorne next Summer!
Weight: 34 pounds
Height: 39″
How to sum up our baby girl at 4 years old? Sweet, silly, smart, just an all around genuine and wonderful little girl who brings us joy every moment of every day. She loves art and all things related to science, is becoming more adventurous, and is a great big sister to Robin. This next year is exciting for us because there are so many things we’d like to do with her and experiences we plan to share before she starts Kindergarten next Fall. We are just so proud of her and the responsible little person she has become. Happy Birthday, Lilly!
For the complete set of photos, click here.
After not having made it to Seattle these past three years we certainly made up for lost time on this trip! The four of us spent a full week at the beach house before Bill had to return home for work, then the girls and I stayed on for another week and a half. It was WONDERFUL to spent time with Todd and officially meet Jessica for the first time – we had not seen Todd in well over a year since he had been teaching in China. Bill and I did a night away with them in Seattle before heading back for the 4th of July.
We had so much time there to do everything we love about the beach house – boating, kayaking, walking in the mud flats, searching for crabs, eating all of Grandma and Grandpa’s delicious food :), visiting LaConner, the aquarium, the children’s museum in Everett, bbq’s, smores, Apples to Apples, many bottles of wine, etc.
Mark, Pinata, Leela and Tevin joined us the last weekend and it was so nice to see them and watch the cousins playing together. We look forward to our next visit to Seattle, when a new cousin will be added to the mix (!!) – we promise it won’t be another 3 years!
We are SO thankful to my parents for their endless hospitality. We appreciate all your hard work (and groceries)! 🙂 XO
We celebrated both Lilly and Bill’s birthdays a bit early with Nana and Boppa before they head back to Michigan. It was a beautiful evening and they were both showered with gifts – including the beautiful dollhouse from MarySue that Nana painted. Special thanks to Nana and Boppa for a wonderful evening!
For the complete set of photos, click here.
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