Preschool at the Park

Colin's final day of preschool was held at a local park where all the kids could play. The teachers handed out these great memory books that capture Colin's progress and artwork throughout the year. He was sad to say goodbye to his friends and his teachers, but it just makes us excited for next year!

Here are some pictures of C0lin and Owen at the park playing. Owen found a girlfriend and spent about a half hour following her around. It was very cute, everyone was pointing at them and saying how cute Owen was with her. I think he just isn't used to kids his own size and was fascinated with her. If you ask him now if he had a girlfriend at the park he will nod his head profusely. Cute!

Colin finishes Preschool!

Today was Colin's last day in his preschool class. (They have a party at a park on Thursday this week which officially ends the school year) These are some images of his classroom and the playground. He says he loves his teacher, Mrs. Reich, and I know he will miss her tremendously this summer. He has invited her to come see his bounce house at our home this summer, so maybe we will see her! We had to make a quick decision about which preschool to send Colin to when we moved and I am so touched that Evergreen Christian School has worked out so well for Colin. He's had a blast and learned so much there this year, we are very blessed to have found such a great environment for him and a wonderful teacher in Mrs. Reich!

Great Grandmother

On May 10, Jen's grandmother passed away in Cleveland, Ohio. She was 88 years old. She was a wonderful woman with a great spirit and zest for life. She has 11 great-grandchildren, Colin and Owen included. She lived a long and healthy life and is adored by all who knew her. My memories of her include her insisting my brother and I drink grapefruit juice and eat foods cooked with celery and onions (they seemed to be in everything!). We were young and those foods didn't appeal to us as much as her candy bowl did. She was always looking for that perfect little gift for people - and just a week or so before she passed I received a very suitable birthday card from her with a runner on it. This is part of the last email I got from her, on April 8th.
Hello Jen, I was so pleased to get you e-mail. Your mom has been keeping up to date with your coming ad goings. Your boys are so cute and growing by leaps and bounds. That was a big move for you and a ot of getting used to. I have enjoyed your blogs, the pictres are adorable and I am sure they are a handful. Love to all, Great Gram.
She will be missed.

Owen's Antics

Owen has been very silly lately. Here you can see a few of his recent endeavors. He can get to this position in his high chair in about 10 seconds. Just about the same amount of time it takes him to climb onto the bar stool and up on to the counters. He is a monkey! He's growing so fast though, you can see how handsome he's getting!

England Rugby

Owen is finally able to wear another England shirt that Colin used to have. We love this shirt - it was a gift from Benjy's mother and is very special to us. And it's so darn cute! These are some shots of Owen right before his nap today. He loves to read right now and although a lot of his "words" don't make much sense, he's really trying to say them all. And he knows what just about everything is, which is very fun. It's truly amazing how quickly he's growing up.

Rainy Days

The boys do many things to amuse themselves on rainy days. The other day I found them sitting by the window on their chairs. Colin brought the chairs from the playroom and set them up so they could watch the rain. It was super cute! Owen has really taken a liking to the cats - and Daffy has even let him get close enough to pet her. He's very loving, although not very gentle with her. You can also see Owen and his climbing skills. He climbs on EVERYTHING right now and has absolutely no fear. Once he reaches the top he will lean over and reach with his hands like you see in this picture. If you don't help him quickly he's been known to just walk off the edge. Fearless!

Eating Fun

The boys continue to have a lot of fun eating - and making a mess with their food. Owen is a classic "professional mess maker" as his bib accurately states. Although the weather is barely spring-like here, we've gotten out the patio furniture. I just can't stand it any longer. I've been getting the kids out on their picnic table for some snacks and lunch, clean up is a breeze!

Capitol Peak 50

So I usually make this blog all about the kids. But yesterday I did something I haven't done before and thought I'd share some photos from the event.

I ran my first ultramarathon yesterday. The race was 50 miles long and was run in the Capitol State forest here near Olympia. The course had about 7,000 feet of climbing and descent and was run on single track trails through the woods. Terrain was rocky, covered with tree roots and mud puddles. It was my third trail run ever. And I can tell you, trails are SO much different than roads. The day was cool, in the 50's for a high, and foggy at the top of the mountains. Thankfully no real rain to speak of, only some misting along the way! I finished in 10:08, which averages to a 12 minute mile. I ran just about all of it, but had to walk several steep inclines and made several stops due to an upset stomach. My stomach gave me serious issues from about mile 20 until mile 35. I was able to self-correct by changing my drink and eating some real food. The kids came out to watch me finish and I was so happy to see them. I spent most of the day alone on the trail and thought of all my friends and family who helped me get there. Thanks to all of you for inspiration!

A special thanks to Paul who is an amazing friend and spent his entire day out on the course with me. Knowing he was waiting at aid stations helped me so much! He also took these awesome pictures!

I had a lot of fun and am looking forward to doing it again! I am training for the Cascade Crest 100, which is run on August 27th and 28th.