Masters

Nope, I am not going back to school to get a Masters. I would like to but it is not very high on my priority list at the moment. Neither is Karl. He already has one and is currently looking into PhD programs for next fall.

I did, however, join the Orem Masters Swim Team. I am now a Masters Swimmer.


Sounds like I am old . I am old. But guess what? In swimming, age does not matter so much. Everyone on the team that is faster than me is also older than me. By at least 10 years. That still leaves me some time to improve. Maybe.

I had been swimming at BYU for 8 years, when they decided to be mean and not let me into their pool anymore. Swimming is the most difficult logistically. And I am hard to please. Provo does not have any good options. Unless I want to get up at 4:30 am and elbow my way through a crowded pool.


Finally I decided it might be worth two weekly trips to Orem plus $35 a month to swim in a 50 meter pool and to have a coach. And it sure is! I love, love, love having a coach. Even if he says things like

"Ok, now for our main set: six times four twenty-fives at thirty two fifties at sixty two one hundreds at one thirty one two hundred at three with twenty seconds rest in between"

all in one breath. Did you get it? At first I as very confused, but now I am getting the hang of it. I guess it is 'swimmer language' and I had not been a swimmer in a long time.


Did I mention the score board? The first few times I was there, I did not even notice it. I was too busy figuring out what I was supposed to be doing. Now, I love it. It tells me everything I need to know without having to wear a watch. Good thing. My watch battery has been dead for more than a week.

So. I guess my point is: Swimming is so much more fun now! I am really enjoying it. I don't have to come up with my own lame work-outs anymore and I might even be able to have a three-word conversation with a team mate in between sets. Amazing! Never mind that it starts at 5:30 am ...

Now, I just need a biking and running coach. Any volunteers? Unfortunately, our budget is very limited.

PS: Excuse the lame pictures. I feel dorky taking a camera to swim practice. Really dorky.

Mountains and Water

When the thermometer hits 100, we need to escape. Either into the mountains or to the pool. Ideally, to a lake in the mountains. So that is what we have been doing lately: 7 Peaks, Veteran's Pool, Scera Pool, Deer Creek Reservoir, Salem Pond, ...


Friday night we went up to Deer Creek with Jen's family. Lucky for us, we ran into our favorite neighbor Jesse and his family. They had been up there boating all day and were all tired, so Jesse offered to take us out on the lake. Sweet! We traded Max for Eric and jumped aboard. We zipped and zapped through the water, screamed in the wind, hung on tight on the tube, and had tons of fun. It was definitely the highlight of the evening. BUT we left the camera on the shore. Too bad. Noah loved boating so much, we had to pretend the turtle was a boat. I was the motor.


Then we did what we came for: eat and play and swim. Until it was bedtime.

Earlier that same day we biked up to BYU campus and played in the super cold stream and waterfalls.


Noah did not mind the freezing water.



This is what Max thought:

Hey, there is water to play in. Awesome. And rocks to climb over. Sweet.


Here I come.


I am going to just dip my toe in there and see what it is like.


It is way too cold. Why did not anybody tell me? Mama, save me!


Ok, I am ready this time. Let's do this again ... and again ... and again ...

The next day the whole family was off to Salem Pond. One of my favorite places in the summer: shade, grass, sand, water. The kids (mainly) just play and I (mainly) just sit there. Every once in a while, when Max has eaten too much sand, someone is about to drown or I just need a cold drink, I say: "Hey, Karl. Can you help?" And he does. Nice.


Noah's new favorite water toy is my kick board. Actually, to be correct, it is Karl's. I (think I) gave it to him. That must have been a long time ago because he has not been in the pool for about a year. Oh, wait, he has. He ran around the valley so much that he got a stress fracture in his foot. Now is back on his bike and in the pool. Such is the life of an ultra runner. Anyway, now Noah claims it.


He had so much fun with that thing, unbelievable.


PS: I do feel bad for Karl.

Our MaxMan

Just like his brother, Max loves water, dirt, mud, and everything in between. So this sprinkler puddle was a welcome break from the heat we have been having.



Although a really fast crawler, Max is getting a little frustrated with it. He is really trying hard to learn to walk. He has taken 2 steps on his own a few times, so he is getting there. He is pretty good at pushing things though.



We think he is the very cutest baby around here. With Rubie being a close second.

Cousin Camp

So this cute big boy is gone for almost 3 days. I miss him already.


Mainly because I am still stuck with this cute little boy. 'Stuck' as in 'I still won't get a lot done'.

I was trying to talk Becky into letting Max come as well. But the rule is: You have to be potty-trained in order to attend cousin camp. Max did not quite make it. Bummer. I am not sure Max could have hiked all the way to Stuart Falls and back anyway. But then again, I am not sure Noah can. I did not tell Becky that.

They are going to play/hike/sleep at the cabin, swim at 7 Peaks, play/sleep at Becky's. Sounds like a lot of fun to me. I hope they take lots of pictures.

PS: Yes, that is Karl's parents' truck in the back of the first picture. Our car is in the shop AGAIN. It has been there for about 10 days now and they still have not figured out what is wrong. Discouraging.

5 Minutes

Friday afternoon Karl came home with a bike he found at a yard sale for $2. Can't beat that. Well, I guess you can. The last one he found in a dumpster. I told Karl and Noah that there is no way I am storing yet another bike in our garage-less house. 3 Karl bikes + 3 Sarah bikes + 4 Noah bikes = too many bikes. Plus, why should Noah be the one with the most bikes? So they decided to combine two of Noah's and make one good one. They had a great time doing so and I guess it worked.

It took Noah 5 minutes to learn how to ride a big boy bike! He is really excited about the pedals and chain. Yes, I am proud of him. So is Karl. And in case you were wondering if the balance bike idea works, here is your answer.



Sunday morning before church, the boys went outside to get rid of some wiggles and they found a puddle. Puddles are our friends. They are so much fun.



That afternoon he rode about 1 mile to the Ellis' house and then another mile on the way back. The rule with this new bike, which is about 20 lbs heavier than his balance bike, is: I will not carry it on the back of the chariot. Not with 22 lbs of Max and 36 lbs of Noah in the front, and about another 10 lbs of diapers, toys, drinks, clothes, etc. So when Noah gets tired, we just lock it up and get it on the way back. It has worked so far.

A nice bonus: Noah was so tired and worn out, he did not come out of his room until almost 9 this morning.

Summer Fun

We have been having lots of fun this summer at home, as well. I don't mean inside our house but in Provo and surroundings. I still have a hard time entertaining these boys, especially Max, inside for more than 30 minutes.

We love going to the pool. Even when it is pretty cool outside. Then we have the water slides to ourselves. We very much enjoy having one pool pretty much across the street and 7 Peaks water park across town. Yeah for playing in the water when it is hot.













It is too bad I don't have any pictures of these two fishies in the water. But I am too busy keeping these fearless boys from drowning to take any pictures. Those of you who have been to the pool with us know that it is a big job. Max just crawls right into the deep end, I fish him out, he crawls back in. It does not even face him. Noah has recently learned how to dive and enjoys doing so 50 times in a row. He now thinks he can swim. But we still have to work on that a little. We love it when Karl can join the fun.













We still go to the park a lot but have to do so in the early morning hours before it gets unbearably hot. Not a problem, since they are usually both awake by 7 am.










Rock Canyon Park is really fun in the late spring. With the snow melting in the mountains, there is a river running through the park. Freezing but irresistable.













Max is having so much exploring everything and learning to do things on his own. He is a trooper and happy most of the time. I can't believe his birthday is in less than a month!











Other activities include hiking and looking for rocks, painting and then dancing in the paint, and much, much more.

Noah's Race Report

The Mountair Mile is the funnest kids' race I know of. Last year it did not go so well for me. I was only two then, that is pretty little. I never even crossed the starting line until Papa put me in the Chariot and pushed me. I guess, I did not know how to deal with pre-race jitters yet. I have learned since.

This year, I have been excited to do this race for a while. I have also been training for it quite a bit. Sometimes Mama comes outside to tell me it is time for dinner and I say: "Mom, not now. I am training!" Duh, can't she tell? And then I continue to ride my (or my friend's) bike around the parking lot. Seriously, what is more important: training or eating? When I am lucky, my friend Junior chases me through the neighborhood. Then I go really fast. I count that as interval training.


At the Mountair Mile there are Mighties and Minis. The Mighties are the big kids, like my cousins, Sam and Toby. They race one 1-mile loop on their bikes and one running. I could have totally done that. But Mama did not think so. So I had to be a Mini. We do the same loop once. However we want to. I am not nervous in this picture or anything. I am just practicing my game face.


So I lined up right behind Sam on my bike. When I looked over there was this girl next to me on a bike just like mine but green. I was definitely going to beat her.


Max and Mama were racing, too. Max really loved it. Sometimes he was trying to jump out of the stroller and run. He is funny.


Look, we were totally ahead of everyone! At least it look like it in this picture.


I biked for about 2/3 of the way, then I switched to running. But running made me tired. So I decided to ride my scooter all the way to finish. It was super fun! I even beat Toby and Sam to the finish line! Here is Toby taking a shower after the race. He was really, really fast and took 2nd overall.


Then Sam came and did an awesome sprint at the end. Way to go, Sam!


Afterwards, we relaxed. I REALLY like my cousins.


And Max REALLY likes bikes. He explores and crawls over them every chance he has. Then he gets all black and greasy. But that is ok. He is always dirty anyway.


I REALLY wanted to be on the podium. I thought that is what you do after a race: you stand on the podium. But they never called my name. So, afterwards, Max and I climbed up ourselves.


I had a blast. It was (almost) worth the 3-hour round trip from Logan.

PS: Papa decided to skip my first triathlon and do his own race. He ran 27 miles more than me up to Logan Peak and back. I think I was faster than him though.

Independence Day

This weekend we celebrated our independence by

• Karl not having to work
  
• getting up early to watch the Balloon Fest

• having lots of fun at the Freedom Festival
• only taking one (rather lame) picture of Noah and Eric in an army truck while at the Freedom Festival

• doing an Indian hunt and dance at the Colonial Days
• spending time together as a family AND getting in good training
• watching the Grand Parade in front of Jake's house
• pretending it was Max's birthday and letting him eat two frosted cupcakes

• watching an extremely happy baby

• having delicious Brazilian food in Jake's backyard
  
• playing with cousins

• watching fire works
• getting really frustrated making this list - I will not use this feature again