Getting Ready for the Issaquah Triathlon!

I'm in the home stretch of my training for the Issaquah Triathlon next weekend. I am starting to get nervous and really excited! It is a sprint triathlon (although I won't be sprinting!) so each leg is pretty short - 1/4 mile swim, 14-mile bike and a 3-mile run. 


I've been running, swimming laps at the pool and biking almost every week. Occasionally I miss a bike ride or swim but then I workout at the gym to keep my cardio up. Last week I did my first lake swim in lake Washington. The water is so cold that you have to wear a wet suit. OH MY GOSH...it was FREEZING! It was shocking to get in it. My first thought was that I didn't think I could go ahead with my triathlon. I could barely put my face in. I finally forced myself to do it and after a while, my body got more used to it....but I took the longest, hottest shower ever when I arrived home!


Today I did a brick training where I rode 14 miles and then transitioned into a run for 1 mile. I've heard the hardest transition is from the bike to the run because your legs feel like stumps. It wasn't too bad today but next weekend will be a different story because I will have swam and biked before the run. I am hoping my adrenaline and my family cheering me on will help out. Wish me luck!!!

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Dance Party! Check out B-boy shaking his booty!

The kids love to play with the pillows...mommy hates to clean it up!

Playtime at the park!

We've got a great park in the area that has a fun playground and a paved loop that is about 1/4 mile around that circles the park. I took the kids there the other day for some playtime and let Madeleine ride her bike around the loop a few times. It was so much fun! Madeleine is a speed demon on her bike and Braden loved exploring the playground!

Rock Climbing!

Madeleine went to the coolest birthday party over the weekend...a rock climbing party at Stone Gardens! She had a blast! We celebrated a friend's birthday from school, Dean, who turned 5. Madeleine has so much fun with Dean and was excited to be the ONLY girl :)

Here is Madeleine with the birthday boy!

Another friend from preschool

I was amazed at how brave she was. Each time she climbed, she went higher and higher! By the end of the party, she climbed all the way to the top and could cascade down! Way to go Madeleine!!!

Visit from Kathryn!

Kathryn came for a visit over the weekend while my brother & sister-in-law enjoyed a vacation in Las Vegas! We were a busy bunch over here with three kiddos! Luckily we had sunny weather for most of the weekend so the girls were outside most of the time. They rode bikes, played in the sandbox, got soaked in the water table, played at the park and ate lunch & dinner outside!

The girls played well together and Kathryn is a very good listener! She always did what I asked, always said please and thank you and was very sweet to Madeleine & Braden. Madeleine was so excited to have Kathryn over and especially to have a sleepover! Madeleine kept giving Kathryn kisses all weekend and really tried to make her feel at home :)

We did a few craft projects and Kathryn loved all the stamps! So cute to watch! We also had a campfire and I think this was Kathryn's 1st s'more - yum!

No Training Wheels!

Madeleine rode her bike today without training wheels! It was so cool to watch!

Fun in the Sprinkler!

This was Braden's first time in the sprinkler...we thought is was hilarious to watch!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there!

We had a fun day celebrating Mother's Day with just our family. My mom was out of town and of course Jeff's family lives out of town so we celebrated with just the four of us. Jeff & the kids made me feel very special :)

I got to start my morning off with a little triathlon training since my very 1st triathlon is June 2nd. I rode my bike and then went for a run...it's called doing a "brick". The ride went well but the run was hard because I've been laying off my foot since it started hurting again a few weeks ago. I was scared it was fractured again but it's not, thank god! I am not running as much in fear of hurting it so the less I run, the harder it is. My hopes are to run a few times right before the triathlon so I am ready. Running is where I struggle so that will be my focus the next few weeks!


Then Jeff took us to get some yummy picnic food at Evolution Fresh (new Starbucks brand, really yummy, healthy food!) and then to a beach on Lake Washington. The weather was GORGEOUS! The kids played in the sand and in the water. We then headed home for a Braden's nap and a BBQ. The best part of the whole day was watching Madeleine ride her bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS! After just a week or so on the balance bike, she can already balance and tried a regular bike today. I ran beside her as she peddled down our alley! Jeff & I were so proud of her!!! It was awesome to watch!

We ended the day with the kids running through the sprinkler. Braden was hilarious to watch. He LOVED it!

Here are a few pictures of our day!

Visit to Rattlesnake Lake!

I braved taking the kids to the lake by myself...I wanted to see how Braden would do and if it's something that's worth going to this summer. I'm still undecided. I thought maybe Braden would sit and be so interested in the water and rocks that I could relax for a moment...um, no! Not going to happen!

Braden sat for a minute or two and then he was up, stumbling around the rocks and almost falling. He loved it there though and so did Madeleine. They really enjoyed exploring so I think I will go back, but my wishes of a relaxing afternoon are not going to happen...not yet anyways!

Look at Madeleine...this is ice-cold water and she's up to her waist in it!

I didn't have a relaxing time but someone else did...

Madeleine took this picture of Braden & I

Mother's Day Tea

Madeleine's preschool class hosted a Mother's Day tea in appreciation of all the moms. Madeleine was very excited about the tea party...she would start to tell me about the plans but then quickly told me it was a secret and that I would have to wait.

The kids sang us a few songs, danced with us and served us lemon cake that they made! It was so precious! Then the teachers read out loud what each child had to say about their mom - Madeleine's was quite funny! Check out what she had to say about me and "laxing" on the couch...HA!

Tantrums?

Can you imagine this sweet little blueberry face throwing a tantrum? I can...and yes he does! Wow, I'm scared for what the next 6-months will bring. He's already showing his strong will by screeching, pulling away when I am holding his hand, or just sitting down when I am trying to get him to walk someplace we need to go. He's even thrown a few objects and rolled around on the floor screaming. Did Madeleine ever do this? I can't remember...I guess I'll look back at the blog to see :) I find it's best to keep him fed, well rested and busy to avoid tantrums! Off to the YMCA, the park, the lake, or digging in the sandbox will definitely be our summer plans. We will be busy little bees!

Balance Bike!

We got Madeleine a balance bike...but she had to work for it :) We started a chore chart that included cleaning up her room, helping to clear the table and putting toys away. She already helps put toys away but she isn't very helpful when it comes to cleaning up her messy room or clearing the table after she eats. She was very excited to do her chores and get her stickers...and was even more excited to get her balance bike. She has been riding it non-stop ever since! After just a few days of riding it, she can already balance for quite awhile! Crazy!

She's been continuing to do her chores to keep her balance bike and we've been enjoying the help!

Staycation!

We had a little staycation this past week. Jeff had originally planned to see some family but it didn't end up working out but he kept his days off and we did some fun things around the area...a staycation! On Friday we headed up to the Mountlake Terrace pool that had an indoor activity pool and lazy river...so fun and even more fun for the price - $15! The kids swam and played all around. Just in the past couple of weeks, Madeleine has started to swim on her own! We are very proud of her! She can kick underwater for quite a ways and come up for a breath of air and swim some more. She is now working on floating on her back. Swim lessons have definitely paid off!

Braden also enjoyed playing in the water and really liked the lazy river...despite his face in the picture below. He became quite 'lazy' in the lazy river...he laid back and relaxed while he floated around. The latte stand and cookie/popcorn treats on the way out topped off the fun trip!

Friday night we headed to the YMCA for a pirate treasure hunt. We are enjoying the YMCA very much because of their family friendly environment. Madeleine did a pirate craft, some pirate games and then headed out on the treasure hunt!

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with my family in Fremont. We ate Mexican food at a yummy restaurant and the girls danced to the band...good times!

Jeff surprised us with a little outing to Golden Gardens afterwards. Madeleine squealed with delight, she was sooooo excited to play in the FREEZING water and sand. The kids had fun at the playground too and then we stopped for gelato on the way home...yum! Braden got totally soaked in the water so he rode home naked :)

This was Braden's first time in salt water and being in the puget sound. He loved watching the water come up over his feet. He didn't seem to mind the cold water...I'm not sure he knew what to think of it but smiled a lot!

Craigslist Find!

Found this basketball hoop on craigslist for the kids! Lots of fun for the summer ahead!