Tooth #2....GONE!

Alexa just lost her second tooth! She is now missing both bottom front teeth, just in time for the first day of school on Monday. She's adorable!

She wiggled and pulled this tooth out all by herself. Looks like the tooth fairy will be coming to our house tonight!

She saw this picture and said, "Wow, I look like a vampire bat!" 

Giant Eagle Triathlon

On Sunday, July 28th, Matthew and I competed in another Olympic distance triathlon. This was my second one (my first was 3 weeks prior). It was a great race and I enjoyed it much more than my first race, mostly because there were many more participants and I didn't feel so alone on the course. I was very proud of myself for improving my time by 17 minutes. My finish time was 3 hours 3 minutes. Of course now I want to do another race and finish under 3 hours!

This is Matthew's team roll: members that raced (except for the girl behind me that's 8 months pregnant! Nice of her to support!). They are always so kind to include and cheer for me even though I am not on their team. 

I'm very proud of Matthew for having a great race and finishing 7th in his age category! Way to go!

Alum Creek Beach

Matthew and I competed in a triathlon on Sunday so the evening before we had to take our bikes to transition 1.  Matthew also had to volunteer 2 hours of his time at the roll: tent as part of his team obligation so while he was doing that, I took the kids to play on the beach.  They had a blast! It had rained most of the day so we practically had the whole beach to ourselves.  The kids loved playing in the sand and water and just exploring a new place.  We had so much fun and we will definitely be back again.

Love this picture of my kids

Bowen liked the sand but wasn't sure about the water.  He only stuck his feet in.

Splashing around

Tysen loves the sand

Ha! Tysen put on his goggles all by himself! 

Alexa and Gavin working together on a sand castle

So peaceful on the beach

Bowen wanted to throw everything into the water that he could get his hands on!

Back To School Shopping

Another first at our house this week....back to school shopping for the very first time. My little girl starts kindergarten on August 5th. She is very excited and she loved picking out all the supplies from the list. Her school has a dress code and she was even excited about her "unicorn" (uniform) but mommy wasn't. She has very boring colors: navy blue, gray, khaki, and white. This school thing is going to be a huge change to our daily schedule and it means 2 hours less sleep for me. I might have to start napping with my little boys in the afternoon to make up for it. The thing that makes me the saddest is just the lack of time I will have with Alexa now. Since I started working evenings, I have been having a blast with my kids all day. Now Alexa is going to be in school all day long and the bus will be dropping her off just about the time I need to leave for work. Matt is going to have to be responsible for making sure her homework gets done and doing all the required reading every night. 

Why do kids have to grow up so fast?

High waters

The kids and I were having a fun day at the swimming pool when suddenly the sky turned dark, the wind picked up, and it began to downpour!  We ran for shelter in the community club house. Luckily I had packed snacks so we sat in a circle snuggled in our warm towels and enjoyed some food while we watched it rain. Once the storm passed, we headed home since they had closed the pool. Alexa and Gavin were riding their bikes and I was pushing the double stroller. The kids were delighted by the huge puddles that the storm left and they had so much fun riding their bikes through the water. 

My kids scared of storms???  NEVER!!!

Park fun

Pelotonia --> One Goal

One of my biggest goals this summer is to complete a 180 mile bike ride for a very special event called Pelotonia.  Pelotonia is a huge fundraiser that has raised over $48 million dollars for cancer research.  So far there are over 6,000 registered bikers!  Each rider has a fundraising commitment and the amount is based on the distance you select to ride.  My fundraising goal is $2,200.
 I have been working hard since January and I think I'm ready for the challenge.  You may notice that I recently got a new bike! Yay! It is so much better than my old bike and it's a joy to ride.

These pictures were taken a week ago when I participated in a women's only bike event called Rapha 100.  It was 64 miles of hills and it was tough!

I had stopped to take a little break when I noticed that Matthew had texted me to see how it was going.  I snapped this picture of myself and sent it along with the message, "Still smiling!"

This is me with my friend, Siobhan just before the ride got started. I love training with Siobhan because she has way more experience than I do and she's so helpful.

This was just after climbing the steepest hill I've ever attempted on a bike! I survived.

I am so excited about Pelotonia next month.  I've wanted to participate in it since it was created in 2008, but the timing just wasn't right with my pregnancies and recoveries.  This is finally my year!  My mother-in-law will be coming to our house to stay with the kids so that Matthew and I can both participate in Pelotonia, which is a 2-day event.  I am very thankful for her because I wouldn't be able to do this without her help.  Thank you, Sherry!!!

I've received several donations towards my ride already and I am very thankful for each one.  I still have a long ways to go before reaching my goal.  Please visit my Pelotonia profile page and consider making a donation.  You can make the donation in honor of or in memory of someone who has battled cancer.  All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you for your support!!!

https://www.mypelotonia.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=260528&SearchStart=0&PAGING

Portrait Time!