Portrait Time!

Dentist Appointments

On July 3rd, I took the kids to the dentist because Alexa, Gavin, and Tysen had appointments for their cleaning and check-ups.

The kids all had great reports and no cavities!

Alexa and I were both surprised to discover that she has 3 loose teeth- one on the top and two on the bottom! The dental hygienist said that one of the bottom ones was super loose and to get my camera ready! How exciting! 

Alexa is showing Gavin the loose tooth

Later that same day, the tooth came out with some wiggling and apple eating.  Alexa looked at herself in the mirror and said, "I don't think that Daddy will recognize me when he gets home.  I look so much older!"

I was just sure that tooth was going to come out quickly.  I videotaped for over 20 minutes.  Of course, once I gave up that's when the tooth popped out!  I just missed it.

Fourth of July

My kids are looking so cute in their red, white, and blue and they are ready to go see the fireworks!

My Quilt

One of Alexa's favorite things to ask me is, "Mommy, tell me a story of when you were a little girl." She asks me to tell her these stories at least 15 times a day.
About a week ago, I told her about the Christmas when my mom and I made a quilt together. We went to the store and I picked out all the fabric. Then I did most of the cutting of the squares using the lines from the linoleum floor in our dining room as a guide. I arranged all the squares and then my mom did all the sewing. I didn't see the finished quilt until Christmas morning and then there was also a matching pillow and curtains as a surprise. I used that quilt until I went to college and it stayed on my bed until my parents moved. After the move, it was sealed up in a plastic container and stored.
Alexa loved that story and she's asked me to repeat it several times already. Tonight I asked her if she wanted to see the quilt and she was thrilled. I brought it in from the garage and she was squealing with delight. She loves the fabric patterns (mostly teal/purple/pink floral) and she said it looks like something that fairies would love!
We talked about how special this quilt is and how she must take very good care of it because we can never go to the store and buy another one like it. I'm going to put it on her bed tonight. She said, "I'm one lucky girl!!!"

Had some errands to run at Easton today. The kids enjoyed seeing the new fountain and feeding the parking meter!

Movie theater

I took Alexa, Gavin, and Tysen to see the movie Despicable Me 2 last night. They loved it and I enjoyed seeing them so happy and laughing out loud.

Hanging out with Gabbi

The kids love Gabbi's new pet bed!

TriFitChallenge

Matthew and I competed in Ohio State's Ross Heart Hospital triathlon on Sunday.  We were thankful that Matthew's mother, Sherry Briggs, was here to watch the kids so we could do the race together.  This was my first Olympic-distance triathlon.  The last time I did a triathlon was over 4 years ago and it was a sprint distance, so I was very nervous about attempting something so difficult.  Here's the breakdown of the distances:
Swim: 0.9 mile
Bike: 25 miles
Run: 6.2 miles

This is T1 (transition one) at Atrim Park the day before the race.  All the participants are setting up their bikes and gear in preparation for the big race.  The first event of the day is the swim which was in Antrim pond, then the participants run out of the water, up the bank to T1, and hop on their bikes.  The bike ride ended at Ohio Stadium and that's where we started the run.

When I got to my assigned corral, I got a big smile when I saw the bike next to my spot.  I recognized it as belonging to our friend, Siobhan.  I texted her this picture and she was surprised too that out of hundreds of racers, we were assigned next to each other.  (Later we realized it probably also had something to do with our last names both starting with a "B" however Matthew was in a whole different row than we were.)

This is T2 inside the Horseshoe!  It is always an amazing feeling to walk onto the football field where our Buckeyes play.  This is where we set up our things that we would need once we finished the bike ride and started the run.  We left running shoes, socks, nutrition, and water bottles here.

Morning of the big race!  I was very nervous as I have been working so hard for months and months to get ready.
(And secretly hoping that I don't drown!)

Beautiful sunrise 

The race has started!  They did a staggered start to try and space out the participants to avoid injuries and keep people safer.  That black rectangle at the bottom of the picture is the back of a digital time clock and Siobhan and I are the girls standing just in front of it with our black jerseys with white polka dots.  Participants with silver swim caps are doing the Olympic-distance and the red caps are the sprint-distance.

The TriFit Challenge aims to increase awareness about the prevention of heart disease and encourage heart healthy activities to change the way athletes, family members, and spectators live their lives.  The proceeds benefited cardiovascular patient care and life-saving research at Ohio State.
I raced in honor of my grandmother who passed away from heart disease the summer before I entered pharmacy school.  I miss her and think of her every day.  She left us much too soon and there's so much I wish I could share with her.  She never got to meet Matthew or our children and that makes me very sad.

Gena, Matthew, Siobhan
We finished!

Matthew and Siobhan are members of the roll: multisport team.  The team decided to make me an honorary member for this race to recognize everything I do that allows Matthew to be a part of their team.  Without me, Matthew would not be able to do all of his races.  They also wanted to support me for working so hard after having four kids to get back into shape and be a role model for other moms.  Thank you!

Touchdown!
Not exactly, but a wonderful feeling and accomplishment!

Our finishers medals