Cayle is looking forward to being a big brother, and teaching #2 all the tricks he has learned!!!!

More Veggies!

Got our first yellow squash... we ate it already, and it was fantastic! First batch of Jalapenos, with more ready to be picked, some serrano, or other sort of pepper, (can't remember exactly what I planted...) but they are VERY HOT!!! and got our first 2 tomatoes.


Also decided to pull some potatoes, just to see if there was really anything growing under there or not...

It was hard work digging the potatoes out, but this is what I got from the smallest plant in the garden!!!
Below you can see the biggest one and the smallest one. Fresh Yukon Gold potatoes!
8 nice potatoes from the one plant. Still have 5 other plants to dig up at some point, so guess we will have lots of fresh potatoes!

First day of Students and new schedule

School has begun. I am most excited to get into a new routine. On mondays we go swimming in the morning at the rec center. Cayle LOVED it! They have a little kiddie water slide that he was sliding down. We slid down it together a couple of times, it was a lot of fun. He went completely under 4-5 different times, and didn't really act like it was that big of deal. He is so much fun to hang out with! It was hard dropping him off at the sitters today, especially when he started screaming and trying to get out the door with me when I left... I look forward to our mornings together, packed with all the exciting activities, or just hanging out together. Tomorrow is library.

School went really well too. I had 2 health classes and media productions today. I think they are going to be a lot of fun! Love helping all the 6th graders on their first day at a new school, and seeing how much the 7th and 8th graders have grown/matured over the summer. It's nice to be back at school.

Lots going on...

Last week was the first week back for all teachers. Since Nick is only working part time this year, he only had to work half the week last week. He conveniently worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and was off Thursday and Friday so that he could go to the US Pro Cycling Challenge stages that were in Vail (Thursday) and Avon-Steamboat (Friday). He and Cayle had an awesome time at those races. Cayle even has a fun cowbell to ring now :)

Thursday night was the middle school staff back-to-school party at our new principal's house. It was great for all the kids to be able to play outside. And, I was treated to an awesome chocolate cake from Costco for my birthday.
Friday after I got off work, we headed to Breckenridge to see Nick's grandma Alice, aunt Cheryl and uncle Tony, their daughter Jodi (who lives in Highlands Ranch) and her son Nathan. We went to a cool park for Nathan and Cayle to play a bit, then headed to the Dillon Dam Brewery for a yummy dinner.
On Saturday, Jess and Alana treated me to a pedicure. It was fantastic. Every time I go there I say I need one of those massage chairs for the house. Although I'm pretty sure I'd never get anything done - ever - if I actually had one. Then, it was home to get things ready for our big night out!

A few weeks back, Nick had won a free pair of Keens at his mountain bike race raffle drawing. Some other guy won the complimentary stay at the Westin. Hmmm, shoes or a free night at a very nice hotel? Well, for this mom and dad there was no question about it! So Nick asked the random guy to trade raffle prizes, and the guy agreed! Fast forward to yesterday...Nick and I were going to use the complimentary stay at the hotel, courtesy of Torrey and Alana who had offered to spend the night with Cayle.

We left Gyp-town about 330 and arrived at the Westin about 4. We checked in to a studio room complete with a kitchen, double-headed shower, huge king bed, living space, and balcony. Yay for us! We headed down to the pool and hot tubs...and ended up spending way more time in the hot tub than the pool. As hunger pains set in, we walked over to the sushi place and ordered some yummy sushi. On our way back to the hotel, we walked by Burger King and got a strawberry sundae for dessert. We walked along the bike path that runs along the river and made our way back to the hotel. After that, we decided we'd better take advantage of the hot tubs again :) We apparently aren't party animals anymore - we were asleep before 10 pm. We did sleep in until almost 7 this morning before heading out for a walk on the trail. We stopped by Denny's for breakfast before heading home. What a fantastically fun time we had!
Today was spent hanging out with Cayle and trying to get ready for another busy week. Tomorrow is the first day of school for kids. It's also the start of football and volleyball practices, so I'll be staying after school to make sure those programs get up and running. Tuesday night we have the school open house. Wednesday is a dr. appt. and a meeting. Thursday? I'm sure we'll find something! Ronnie, Michelle, Ethan, and Lexi are due to arrive in on Friday for their first trip to Gypsum, so we'll have to squeeze some house cleaning in there sometime this week! Whew! Thank goodness for a long weekend coming up :)

USAPCC VAIL

One of the most awesome pics from the Time Trial in Vail today. Got our picture taken with Dave Zabriskie after the race! Got lots more pics to come, but this one was super cool!

Race

USA Pro Cycling Challenge here we come! Look for us by the start house at the Vail TT today on Versus! I will be in my black and pink Yeti's top, and will have Cayle with me.

And So it Begins....

Back to work today. I have thoroughly enjoyed my last couple weeks off to be at home with Cayle. This week is not too bad though! It's teacher's only, and I'm only working Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then next week we start with kids, and my new schedule starts as well. 12-4 daily. 6-1145 in the am to spend hanging out with Cayle!

Beaver Creek Blast and the Season 2011

It was a bittersweet ending to a fantastic season. Going into the last race, Natalie and I had talked about how I could not even race and still get 3rd overall, but I could move up to 2nd or maybe even first with a win and a poor showing from 1st place in the overall. So basically, I should have no pressure. I felt great going into the race. My weight was at an all time low 164 lbs! I was light and fit and ready for the first 3 miles of steep climbing on the course. I started out in the lead, and stayed there for the first half of the first climb. By the time we got to the top, I was about a minute behind the leaders, but they were still in sight, and that is a HUGE improvement over previous years versions of this race. I blasted down the single track, and ripped the false flat on village to village. Shannon (2nd overall) was in front of me, but Brinton (1st overall) was behind me. Brinton caught me shortly after the first downhill, he is more of a climber, so I think he was on a fairly bad day. We rode together for a bit, really pushing the pace. I ended up dropping him on the false flat of village to village. On that same trail, Jay Henry (1st pro cat) passed me (after having started about a minute in front of me and riding 3 miles further,) I surged and caught him and drafted off him for a bit. This is really when I realized how fast I was going! When we got to the end of Village to Village, I caught sight of Shannon just a bit in front of me in 3rd place. There was a 14 year old kid from Vail Mt. Bike camps just in front of me and behind Shannon, so I was currently in 5th place, and moving up! We hit a good single track traverse and the kid in front of me pinch flatted on a rock, and I quickly passed him moving into 4th. Climbed a short dirt road section, ready to begin the last 2-3 miles of singletrack downhill, and Pssss.... CRAP!!! FLAT TIRE!!! My race was done! It sucks because I was riding so strong, and making ground on the guys in front of me! Shannon who was directly in front of me ended up winning the race, and consequently lept from 2nd to 1st in the overall with Brinton finishing 6th on the day. I DNF'd for the race, and kept my 3rd in the overall, but felt like I would have been challenging for the win w/out the flat tire. Unfortunately that stuff happens though. To make up for it a bit, I won some cool prizes at the after party raffle. An Oktoberfest stein with chain lube, a Yeti's Grind gift card, and a couple other things. I also won a free pair of KEEN's which I later traded for a one night stay at the Weston Spa and Lodge in Avon, who sponsored the series! Looking forward to that! Also a way to show my wonderful wife my appreciation for all her support!It's difficult to be too upset about the result of the final race. I had my best season ever! I got my FIRST win EVER this year (road or mountain)! I finished 3rd overall in the sport category! I proved to myself that I could climb and ride with the other guys in my field! It felt pretty awesome showing up to every race as one of the favorites! All new experiences for me, and it was pretty cool. My previous racing weight had been around 180, and this season it was 170, dropping to 164 for the last race. There were many times that I thought I could not get my weight below 180 lbs! The season was super awesome, and I had so much fun! Of the 7 races, my results were: 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 3rd, DNF. Pretty freaking cool! And even cooler thinking that most of my training was done while pulling Cayle in the Chariot! He was a part of my success!... :)

Next year I will be racing expert, and there will be many new challenges. I am looking forward to it with newfound confidence. I know that I will struggle on many of the courses, but I also plan on being competitive on some of the courses. The races will be longer and harder and I will be racing with the Pro's, but I am looking forward to the challenge!

The Big Climb

We left the house today about 4 am to head over to Quandary's Peak...a 14,265 foot peak located just south of Breckenridge. We arrived at the trail head about 525 am and got Cayle changed and ready and our packs on our backs. Still dark at this time...about 540ish am as we started up the trail using Nick's headlamp to guide the way.

The trail was steep early on. Once the sun came up we were treated to awesome views (and seeing just how steep things actually were!).

(the sun coming up over the mountain)

At about 12,500 feet, Cayle starting crying. We stopped hiking and tried to calm him down and see what was wrong. To no avail. So, Nick decided Mark and I should continue on and he'd stay behind with Cayle. Not a best-case scenario, but better than no one getting to the top. So, Mark and I carried on.

(up we go)

The hike was difficult - really steep. We reached the false summit about 45 minutes before the actual summit. Total climb time was about 3 hours going up. Mark and I were at the summit about 4 minutes before other groups behind us reached the summit and things started to get crowded. So, down we went.

(proof I made it to the top!)

(view from the top)

On our way down, we ran in to Nick and Cayle at the false summit. We didn't figure out exactly what Cayle's problem was earlier - stomach ache (hadn't pooped overnight)? altitude sickness? hungry? cold? Obviously we had brought him food and warm clothes, but you never can tell exactly what they're thinking! Anyway, Nick and Cayle had eventually made it to just over 13,000 feet to meet us and hike down with us.

The hike down took about 2.5 hours and although you'd think it was more fun coming down than it was going up, it was actually pretty challenging stepping through all of the rocks and keeping a good pace.

Once we got home, we got Cayle a bath and a nap...which meant quiet time and a nice nap for mommy and daddy!

14er

Heading over toward Breck early in the morning to climb our first 14er. Mark is going to meet us there and climb with us. We are doing Quandary which is supposed to be one of the easier climbs. Should take us a couple hours up and a couple more down. This will be our first 14er as well as Cayle's... obviously.... He will be getting his first much earlier in life, than we did. I will get some pics tomorrow.

2 Today

A friend from work needed someone to watch her child, who is just a bit younger than Cayle. I told her I could watch him today. So Cayle, Carter, and I spent the day together, and I have to say, I didn't get much done around the house. But that being said, Carter was super awesome, and did a great job! He took a 3 hour nap, Cayle took a just over 2 hour nap, and I took a 1 hour nap! It was a really good day, and gave me good insight into what life may be like if we ever decide to have another child. 2 kids are definitely more work than 1, but Cayle did super awesome! He plays so well by himself and is so independent!

Garden Update

Here we are in the final part of the summer, and the garden is producing like crazy! Hopefully things finish growing before it gets too cold. It's already gettting into the high 40's at night. The chillier weather is coming, and the veggies are sucking up the final days of warm sunshine.
Green peppers are growing bigger everyday. I think there is 3 or 4 of them. They grow noticeably daily.
We have been harvesting Basil all summer. Natalie has been using it to make some amazing pesto with lots of garlic. It's delicious!
Shortly after we planted the tomatoes, we didn't think they were going to make. They were really struggling and turning brown. Now look at them, they are growing like crazy! Just waiting for some fruit to ripen. They each have 3-4 tomatoes growing on them.

The Broccoli has some kind of bug eating the leaves, but I can't find anything. That being said, it's still growing out of control! There is a small head forming in the middle of the plant.
In the last month, the peppers have just taken off! The Jalapenos (above) should be ready to harvest soon, just waiting for some "stretch" marks on the shoulders. The Serranos below will be ready as soon as they start to turn red/brown. There are about 6-7 jalapenos growing, 6-7 serranos, and then the couple of green peppers on the plant above. Looking forward to having some peppers and tomatoes to make some salsa!

15 mo. appointment

Cayle had his 15 month check up at the Doctor yesterday. He is getting big! 22lbs 4oz, 32 in long, and 18.5 inch head circumference. That puts him in the 25th% tile for weight, 75th%tile for length, and 50th%tile for head circumference. Doc also said he was doing very well, and is a healthy and happy little boy!

Today before his nap and before we headed to library for reading time (at which there were 12 kids 2 years or younger.... CHAOS!!!) he was out exploring the yard. He has been doing this a lot lately. In the mornings, I go out and check the garden and see how things are doing. I guess he has been watching. Today while I was cleaning the kitchen, I left the back door open so he could go outside and play. I was watching him out the window. He was walking around the yard, the garden, checking out the bird feeder, and generally just seemed to be enjoying himself. He does a great job entertaining himself!
Walking laps around the garden, barefoot of course! Checking out the veggies.
Making sure the sprinkler is set up properly.
This one I caught him just staring at the bird feeder. One of his favorite things to do every morning is watch the birds feeding from his bedroom. I guess he's probably wondering where all the birds are???
Watching me take a picture of him. He is so awesome!

Since it was Tuesday, we headed to the library after his morning nap. Upon arriving, there were several moms already there (I am the only dad with his kid). The conversation was going something like this, "My kid loves watching Barney, I can't even get her to watch anything else right now." To which 2-3 other moms chipped in with what their kids favorite tv shows were. I chose to stay out of the conversation. Cayle doesn't even watch T.V. other than sportscenter with mommy and daddy. The tv is on a lot, but he pays it no attention, he would rather be playing with toys, or playing outside. Do most kids have a favorite tv show at the age of 2 or less???

It was really cute, about halfway through the reading time he decided to leave my legs, he always stands between my legs while I sit, and stride up to the lady who was reading. He then stood just in front of her... about 2 feet away, and just watched the book while she read. He was pointing at things as she read. It was pretty cool!

After reading time is over, the kids all get to play with mini beach balls for a few minutes, and interact with each other. Cayle loves this time, and loves playing with the other kids. Today another kid that is always there, he's about 18 months, came up and pounded a ball on Cayle's head! The kid got in trouble from his mom, but the interesting thing was, Cayle just kind of looked at him with confusion in his eyes, wondering why he would do something like that. Cayle then walked to me and just kept looking at the kid that did it. I didn't really know what to tell him?

Flat Tops Camping

We just go back today from a weekend of Camping at Deep Lake up on the flat tops. A 35 mile dirt/rock road drive from the house. Jeff and Jess, and Torrey and Alana joined us for this trip. It was a great weekend! Lots of awesome meals, awesome weather, and awesome friends! Cayle struggled the first night, and ended up sleeping with Mommy and Daddy... (not much fun for us..) That night it did get below freezing, as there was a hard frost on the car in the morning. The next night it didn't get quite as cold. Cayle did an awesome job sleeping that night, even staying in his sleeping bag all night, and using the mummy portion of the head cover to stay warm. It was a great weekend!

Vail Rec Mountain bike series 2011

Current standings:
1. Brinton Barry 515
2. Shannon Crockford 480
3. Nicholas Brummer 470
4. Parker McDonald 245

The winner of each race gets 100 points, followed by 85 for 2nd, 80 for 3rd and down by 5 for each place.

So as you can see, the top 3 places are locked up. There are not enough points available for one of us to lose our top 3 spots in the overall.

Assuming everyone has a clean race and we all finish about how we've been finishing, Brinton has 1st place locked up. Before last race I was in 2nd. I finished 3rd and Shannon won, therefore moving him up to 2nd and me to 3rd. Brinton finished 2nd adding points to his 1st place overall.

Several different scenarios could take place, but a couple things will most likely happen. Most likely, Brinton, Shannon or myself will win the race. If I win, that would guarantee 2nd place overall with the 15 bonus points for winning. If Shannon or Brinton win and the other finishes somewhere in the top 5, the top 3 will stay the same. Basically the only way I can guarantee that I move up into 2nd overall is to win the race next Wednesday. Otherwise I will have to rely on Shannon finishing 2 or more places behind me, to make up that 10 point lead he has.

Whatever happens, it's gonna be fun!

First day

Natalie started work today as a mentor... Meaning she teaches other teachers... or at least gives feedback and advice. Since I don't start school until the 22nd, I have the next few weeks to be at home with Cayle. Mr. Mom... :) Today was the first day of awesomeness! Each day is set out with chores to be completed, and I have to start working on my curriculum maps for my new classes, but the rest of the time, I get to play with Cayle!!!!

Today we took the car to Silverthorne to get a recall isssue fixed on the car, something with the emissions computer. It's an hour drive each way. We got back just in time for library reading time at 11 in Gypsum. Since we've been a few times now, the leader lady remembered Cayle's name. I guess you could say he's kind of a regular. After library we played in the park for a bit before heading home for some lunch. After lunch it was time for a 2 hour bike ride. Cayle slept in the Chariot for about 45 minutes of it, and we met up with Torrey to ride around Eagle. Then home to shower and prepare for Natalie coming home from work. We tried to go for a short walk tonight, but Cayle was wiped out... in bed and sleeping for the night by 7!

Date Night

Natalie starts work tomorrow, so tonight we had date night, to celebrate our last night of summer break. Mary came to watch Cayle for the evening so we could go see a movie. One of the perks of the job is the free movie tix we get, so we decided to use a couple of them. We chose to see The Change Up in Eagle.

Short brief review - It was good, very crude, lots of language, but funny. Not sure I would pay to go see it, but that's the great thing... we didn't have to pay. The buttered popcorn was fantastic, as always!

Always nice to get out for a date with my best friend and wife.

Daddy-ism

Conversation that may have taken place pre - Cayle: Me; Everyone Else

Having a child will change your life. Ya, I hear ya, but how much can really change... I mean so I don't sleep as much at night, and have to change a few diapers, but that's fine. Your child will control your life, everything will revolve around them. I understand that you say that, but my child will be different, and it will not all revolve around him/her....

Fast forward to having a wonderful baby boy whom I love and enjoy to death, and I can honestly say that what everyone told me, was absolutely true and I love every minute of it. Life revolves around him, and it doesn't bother me one bit. Natalie and I's schedule absolutely revolves around Cayle (especially over the summer when we are not working.)
One of the things I appreciate most about my dad is the fact that he got me outside; in the woods, in the pond outside our house, hunting, playing in the dirt, etc... Natalie and I want to do the same for Cayle. So far in the first year and a half of his life, we have taken him camping, hiking, we play outside daily, swimming in lakes, bicycling, and now we can add tubing on the Eagle river.

This morning we went for a bike ride up Cottonwood pass, then we took Cayle tubing on the Eagle river with Torrey and Alana, and John and Sara. He LOVED it! He did a really good job! The water was fairly cold, but the temps were high 80's and not a cloud in the sky. The sun was HOT, and it made the river feel really nice. Tubing is the latest of Cayle's outdoor adventures, and another attempt at getting my son outdoors with mother nature.

Sorry... because cameras and water don't get along so well, there are not actually any tubing pics.

Cousins

Cayle loves playing with his cousins, and we are very fortunate to have 3 of them so close by, and others to play with in IL.
cousins Ethan and Lexi

cousin Finley

cousin Sophie

Cousin Nathan (my cousin's son) from Denver

cousin Finley being a bully...

Cooler Mornings and Denver

For a while there it was pretty hot out here, seemingly hotter than I remembered in years past. Although I say that with a grain of salt after coming back from the midwest where we spent about 2 weeks. But it's a totally different kind of heat. There the humidity is so bad you don't even want to go outside. Here the sun is just so intense because of the altitude... although not bad enough that we would need a/c. Even the mornings were warmer than usual it seemed... usually in the mid to low 60's. In the last week or so though, things have really begun to cool off. It's so nice getting out of bed in the morning and putting on a fleece and having coffee and sitting on the back deck looking at the mountains. Cooler mornings have arrived. The plants in the garden better get producing!!!

Updated: Aug 5, 2011, 9:45am MDT

Today Aug 5

Sat 6

Sun 7

Mon 8

Tue 9

Isolated T-Storms	Mostly Sunny	Sunny	Sunny	Mostly Sunny
85°FHigh	88°High	88°High	87°High	86°High
50°Low	49°Low	48°Low	47°Low	46°Low
Chance of Rain: 30%	Chance of Rain: 0%	Chance of Rain: 0%	Chance of Rain: 0%	Chance of Rain: 10%

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Next 5 Days

Heading down to Denver this afternoon to run a few errands. Planning on having lunch with Luke, Jodi, and Nathan at the Cheesecake factory, and possibly sampling the new menu. However, it's like people have said, "What's the point of going to The Cheesecake Factory if you are going to eat something healthy...." So we'll see I guess....