We're all racing!

Well I'm sure you've all been wondering about Barr's first triathlon, so to not keep you in suspense any longer I'll start with him...he finished! That's what his response is anyway. Since I was able to be a bystander, I'll give you a few more details. My mom came up Friday evening to watch the kids so Barr and I could drive to Oxford, Ohio. We stayed in a hotel just outside of Miami University. That night we walked through campus to check out the pool and the race course. It was the first nice Friday night of the year so all the college kids were enjoying it out on their lawns. Having attended a church school, Barr and I got our first taste of how other universities party! We saw some very interesting games going on, all involving alcohol in one form or another. It was a much different atmosphere than what we experienced at BYU. The next morning I think I had just as many butterflies as Barr as I saw how much planning and equipment you need to participate in one of these events. Barr was a little nervous about his transitions because that really wasn't something he had practiced, and unfortunately was what slowed him down. He felt good and relaxed during his swim and strong on his bike. Starting the run his legs were cramping quite a bit, but he finished strong and still standing! I admit selfishly I was hoping he would have hated it and would not want to do another, but I knew that wouldn't be the case. Of course it just gave him all the more desire to improve and do it again, and again, and again......

He had to settle for just a 5-K with me yesterday. We had perfect running weather for the Komen Race for the Cure event in Columbus. With over 37,000 participants, there was a neat excitement in the air. As we were weaving in and out of other runners I would read on their backs who they were running in memory of or in celebration of. I had wished I had my grandmother's name on my back, but also felt very grateful that my list could stop there.

We raced home with just enough time to race Brigham to his last soccer game of the season. We were a little surprised that he wasn't playing like usual and kept yelling for him to "get in there" or "go after the ball" when he finally came over and told us that this game he had decided to play defense. You hear about those crazy soccer moms who are yelling on the sidelines at their 6-year-old, well I guess now I can see why. I had to remind myself that if he didn't care if he scored a goal, then I shouldn't care either!

I need to keep this "race" theme going, so it's perfect that Ben just showed me his X-treme Racing courses he drew. He's constantly making up new race tracks, complete with names, hazards, weather conditions, etc. He just drew up 16 new ones in like 20 minutes with names like Rainbow Ribbon Path, Brick Market, Underwater Fortress and Electric Pinball. I would love to see inside his brain as these wheels are turning. It's also a race every morning to be the first one up so he can get on the computer. I've had to have several very loud talks (if you know what I mean) with him at 8:30 when he's freaking out that he's going to miss the bus because he can't find his homework or his lunch isn't packed. How do you teach a 10-year-old boy about time management? Ben also had to make a tough decision when his gifted class's production of Julius Caesar fell on the same evening as the Father and son camp out. Because he was one of several senators who had to stab Caesar, he felt that the show would go on without him, so with his teacher's blessing he was able to go camping. That turned out to be quite an adventure when they got lost in the woods trying to find the building where they were to meet for the program. After a few hours of hiking in mud and grass up to their knees, they gave up and headed back to their tent. The boys were fine with this as they really only wanted to burn marshmallows and tell jokes anyway.

Brittany tells me everyday after school how she races around the playground chasing boys or they are chasing her. With this information, I shouldn't be surprised when her friends that come over tell me that all the boys in school love her. It's only 2nd grade, so I shouldn't be worried, right? On Mother's Day she was up at 6:00 and in the kitchen. At 6:30 I finally told Barr he might want to go down there and see what was going on. They brought me a wonderful breakfast in bed, and the usual handmade treasures and cards. Brittany will be a great mother some day.

She has been such a help lately with Brooke who has discovered the trampoline. She bobs her upper body up and down for the sign for jump and does it every time she looks outside and sees and trampoline, which is a lot. She loves to be out there on it but is still very nervous if there are kids jumping and she's not secure. The kids are usually pretty good about giving her a turn, but Brooke hasn't quite learned about giving them a turn! Brooke can also tie in with this blog racing theme as her other new skill is running. She loves to run away from us giggling with delight in her new game of come and get me. It's so fun to watch her light up with joy! Her other new love is a toy one of her therapists recommended for her. It has slots for pictures with buttons for recording their names. We've started out with pictures of our family and grandparents so Brooke can press a picture of one of us and hear our name. She will play with this for hours a day, pressing the button and then doing the sign for the person's name she hears. I recently read The Story of My Life by Helen Keller and I can see the same kind of excitement Helen experienced as she learned she could communicate with others as I see in Brooke as she is able to "say" our names through this toy. I know she has the words in her head but is just not able to get them to come out of her mouth!

Another exciting thing for Brooke was her move from the crib to a toddler bed. She would only lie sideways in her crib so her legs would stick out of the slots and get stuck. She was also getting too heavy for Brittany to get her out in the morning, so we were hoping a toddler bed would help with these things. The first night she seemed scared and fell out twice, so the next day I put her bumper pads from the crib around the bed. She felt secure again and has loved it ever since.

All of our spare time has been spent tearing down the stone wall in the backyard and moving a driveway of dirt back there to try to level it out. It feels good to have that project done so we can move on to the never ending list of other home and yard improvements. Gotta love a 22-year-old home!

Barr, Becky & Kids










Barr and Ron Thomas after the tri











Brooke's first night in her new bed











An electrifying time on the tramp!











Hurrah! Soccer season is over











At Scotts' Spring Family Day activity