Things!

Got out for a nice ride today with Cayle. It was really warm. Low 70's! This is a road up behind school. It's a great climb about 6 miles long and fairly steep. Super tough climbing with Cayle!!
Toward the end of our ride, we stopped to see some horses. Cayle even asked to get out and pet them! He loved it until one of them pooped... then he wanted me to pick it up... I think the size of it scared him a bit. Time to go buddy! :-)
Cayle figured out how to use the doggie door today to get in and out of the house! Pretty cute!
In other news: Bruce Weber gets the job at Kansas State. Wish him good luck there! And ILL gets John Groce this week from Ohio University as the new head coach. I think he seems like a good choice, and am excited for next season. Now to see who declares for the NBA...

Lottery

Ok, I admit. I did not buy a lottery ticket. Not sure why really... Seems like everyone else did. Come to think of it I have never bought anything other than the scratch and sniff tickets. Actually, don't think they are scratch and sniff, rather just scratch offs. I have several theories as to why I did not buy a ticket, but I think when it comes down to it I just never had enough motivation to go to the store to purchase one. One possible theory is that I believe people should have to work for their money, and it not just be handed to them.... that being said, I am pretty sure I would not turn it down if it were to be handed to me. I just really can't stand the people that win, and then change everything about their lives and become irresponsible bums.... I think if I would win, I would keep working in some aspect, or at least stay involved somehow in society, set up a yearly donation fund to a charity, travel more for sure, buy nice bike parts and a few more bikes, a new house with some land for puppies and the kids to run around on, and turn the rest over to a financial adviser to invest for the future. (there may be a few other misc. things that would come up as well...)

Then again, I did not buy a ticket.... Luckily for me, I have a great wife, 1 fantastic child with another coming soon, a good home to live in, good friends, and more beautiful mountains surrounding me than I could ever even dream of being able to explore. Life is great! :-)

Dog Fight

We had a HUGE one tonight! I was upstairs and Natalie started yelling, and I could hear the dogs fighting, so I took off down the stairs and Sophie was on top of Wrigley trying to rip him apart! Rusty was sitting back a bit just observing. I stuck my Croc covered foot in between them, and that didn't work, so then i just put my foot down on Sophie and pinned her to the floor and then pulled her off Wrigley... multiple times! It was pretty severe! One of the worst we've seen in a while. When I finally got them settled, Sophie was bleeding pretty good from a gash in her ear, and Wrigley was limping pretty good. Stupid Dogs!!!

Dr. Appt. today went great! 36 1/2 weeks. Going to happen pretty soon! Everything was great! Weekly appointments from here on out.

New Routine

for Wednesdays. We started music class today. Music Together is the name of the class. The class is on Wednesday mornings in Eagle. The schedule is filling up fast! Pool Monday, Library Tuesday, Music Wednesday, Thursday morning I have a meeting at school and get home about 845, and Free Friday (so far...) :-)

So the class today was a blast. It's in a small Yoga studio and has about 7 or 8 kids and moms. Cayle and I were the only new participants in this session, so everyone else already knew each other. One of Cayle's friends from library was also there. The teacher just told me to let him do what he wanted and to model the behavior for him that we wanted. The parents are active participants in the class. He LOVED it!!! He loves music, that's why we signed him up, and he had a blast today! Most of the class is singing and rhythm stuff. There was a time where we had silk scarves and were dancing like they were blowing in the wind, and there was also an instrument period, where each kid got an instrument to play along to the music (Cayle selected the biggest drum and 2 drum sticks.) We also got to shake eggs with beads in them to make rattles. Cayle loved all of it. Most of the time he sat on my lap and clapped or rocked or just watched, but several times he got up and danced. He was even putting his moves on the instructor for a bit.... So much fun watching him learn new things!

4th quarter

Entered my first grades for the 4th quarter today at school. Can't believe it's already the 4th quarter, and therefore almost summer! The year has flown by! Even more exciting when considering I won't be back next year, and there will be another addition to our family soon. Has been a great year, and looking forward to finishing it out!

WINDY Day

Breakthrough day for Cayle in the pool! He was jumping off the wall into the deep area and even going underwater! He did this maybe 20-30 times. He also allowed me to take him in the lazy river only holding him by his belly while he kicked his legs. He was loving it! After the pool it was time for his Monday doughnut!
While walking around the grocery store looking for a few things he found this mini plunger. He really liked it. Here he was inspecting it, probably wondering what kind of new cool toy he had found! It was just his size!!



I took the afternoon off work to take Cayle to see the child dermatologist in Frisco. It's about an hour from the house, and she's only there once a month, so gotta make it happen. Windy as all get out today was causing havoc on the interstate. A double fatality shut down the westbound lanes for the better part of the day, so they were routing all the traffic through Frisco (a tiny tourist town!) This made traffic ridiculous! Took us 50 minutes to travel the 2.29 miles from one end of town to the other to get back on the interstate to head home. At least I had some Jimmy Johns to enjoy, and Cayle was playing on his Ipod from Uncle Ronnie! The wind was quite ridiculous all day, gusting up to around 50 mph, and blowing dust everywhere!

What a great day

70's again here in Eagle, Colorado. Church this morning then groceries. Out for a great 55 mile bike ride with good friends, and back home to hang with the family. Cayle may have spent more time on his bike today than I did! His buddy Mack came over this evening for a bit to ride the dirt with him. He loved it! As Cayle said after we prayed night time prayers, "bike, bath, grandma!" All the things he remembers that he enjoyed so much about his day! We are so blessed!

MIA

Where the heck have we been? No clue...time is flying by although I'm not sure what we've really been up to! Hmmm....

I've been participating in an interview committee at school as we search for a new ELL (English Language Learner) teacher. The interviews have not been very exciting...

Nick had a cavity-free visit to the dentist!

Nick has been getting in some decent bike rides lately. We've had great weather for it! He's been taking Cayle with him in the Chariot since I'm supposed to be resting after school each day. Nick just brought up the reminder today that since the baby's arrival is getting so close, he will need to start keeping his bike rides in cellphone range in case I need to contact him. That's pretty exciting :)

Jess and I hosted Alana's baby shower today. We had about 25ish people show up and had a wonderful time!

Alana and her cake

Yesterday we worked a half-day because it was a records day for the end of the 3rd quarter. I worked 6-10 am and Nick worked 8-10 am so that we could get home and enjoy some family time with Cayle. The three of us (plus Rusty) walked over to the post office, which is about 2 miles round-trip. Cayle rode in the Chariot on the way over, then rode his bike about half-way home. He is doing a great job checking for cars before he crosses the road! The weather was again beautiful and we spent a good portion of the afternoon playing outside and hanging out on the deck.

Cayle riding the rocks

We have made some big decisions regarding next school-year...Nick will be staying home with the kids. His position at school has been eliminated. He had an opportunity to fill a position, but it was full-time and not a good fit for him. It has been our goal for Nick to stay home with the kids, so we are very excited about this opportunity! Nick is going to provide daycare for one child in our home in order to bring in some income. He also plans to coach and officiate middle school sporting events. Nick has been a great dad to Cayle, and I'm so glad he has this opportunity to be with our kids full-time.

My two best friends

Lots going on

Lots of things to think about... my job status/situation for next year, things for the baby, helping Cayle adjust, organizing the kitchen to make room for all the baby stuff, organizing the house to make room for all the baby stuff, lots of stuff for the baby really... That being said... We are super excited to meet our new little boy/girl and excited for Cayle to be a big brother!

I have picked up hunting again!

For mice that is... Seems like we have a small infestation growing in the crawlspace... (judging from the increased amount of poop droppings around. I started yesterday, and I checked them tonight. 1/2... not a bad start! In case you don't know how to hunt for mice....Mice Hunting

Stuff

We are now down to 29 days until Baby B #2 arrives. And I'm starting to get anxious about all the "stuff". There is stuff to bring up from the crawl space, stuff in the house that has to be re-arranged or stored in the crawl space, and stuff I had wanted to get done before the baby arrives.

The more I think about it, the more I realize there is a ton of stuff in the crawl space that we need to set up: baby swing, pack 'n play, infant play mat, infant bath tub, breast pump, bottles...and I'm sure there's more! Where the heck are we going to put all this stuff?

Yesterday I went down to Glenwood with Jess to stop at Target and get things for Alana's baby shower that we are hosting next week. So as we were walking through all the baby aisles, I was struck with the reminder that o, we need this, and that, and that, and on it went! So I bought the things I knew we absolutely needed. And then I came home to put them away (bottle drop-ins, bottle brush, little things!) and quickly came to the realization that we don't have a dedicated space for these things! Which leads me back to the question of where the heck are we going to put all this stuff?

Then there's the stuff I want to do. The big things on my list? 1) clean windows and the sills (indoor only!), 2) touch-up the paint on the walls, 3) make casseroles to freeze (for use after the baby is born and Cathy leaves and Nick goes back to work), 4) get my hair cut (the week before the baby is born), and 5) get a pedicure (again, right before the baby is born). That's all I want done. Doesn't seem like too much to ask? I think probably #3 should become my priority. And then the next priorities are #4 and #5. And the others are probably not that big of a deal.

In between all of these things to do, I am trying to rest as much as possible and also give Cayle all of his deserved time and attention! He is getting so excited about the baby it seems! He is being very kind to mommy's baby and giving my belly lots of kisses. He is asking to sleep with the baby at night (instead of letting the baby sleep in the crib!). Currently, Cayle's favorite book is "Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Baby?" He has me read that book to him at least one time a day :)

Random

THE DONALD's 757 parked at the Eagle County Airport. (In our backyard) Huge plane, wouldn't expect much less...

Took Cayle out for a bike ride today. It was 66 degrees and sunny! Great weather! It was during his nap time. A 2 hour ride. He did great, as always! Slept for an hour and forty five minutes. When he woke, he was kind of fussy, so I took off his hat and opened the windows in the Chariot. He said he was hot. A couple minutes later he was still fussing, so I stopped to try to give him a drink. He didn't want it, so we took off, I was just thinking he would stop crying, but after a couple minutes of screaming his head off, I stopped again, knowing that he just doesn't act like this! When I opened the cover on the Chariot.... I saw what he was screaming about! There were chunks everywhere! He had puked all over himself! His ENTIRE lunch! And he was freaking out! So I got him out, and took his clothes off, and called Natalie, since we were on our way home anyway. I took him to the medical center to use the bathroom and clean him up, and Natalie came and picked us up. Once he finally stopped crying, he was fine! Came home, took a bath, put fresh clothes on, and.... fine! Sat on Natalie's lap for a bit, then started playing like nothing had ever happened. Had a great night! So... not sure what happened really. I was thinking a combo of things... just woke up/hot/hat over eyes and confused/panicked/puked... something like that???

Fun vs. Training

One of my favorite things about biking is getting new people involved with the sport. I enjoy it so much, and know that others will too, so always want to help them get a new bike, learn to train better, go on group rides, etc.... So it's always tough when someone says to me, "Hey, if you ever wanna just ride slow, let me know, I'd love to join you."

You see, I would love to say, ya that sounds great, let's do it (and sometimes I do.) But it's tough because of the time that I put into it and what my goals are (win races.) Especially on my training plan. I only train 6-8 hours per week, and the value is placed on quality over quantity, so there are not really any "wasted" go slow workouts. I am either going hard/all out, or resting. The system works for me to have a successful season, and works the best with my growing family, so I am not going to change that. The one day a week that there are no structured intervals is Sunday. 2 hours at a decent pace. Too bad, Sunday's don't work for a lot of people.

So there is often this dilemma: ride slow and get people more involved in the sport OR seem like a bike snob and shoot for my personal goals...

I'm sure a lot of amateur/elite level athletes face this dilemma all the time, and probably just want to say, "How about you just train a little bit more, then I don't have to ride so slow..." But that's actually pretty jerkish and insensitive. (and not like me...) :)

For now I will try my best to incorporate rides with people that want to get involved. That is after all, what I want in the big picture... you know since my chances of being a PRO cyclist are most likely past.... :-)

March Madness!

The best time of the year in sports is when college basketball starts. The 2nd best sporting time of the year is when the NCAA tournament begins. Then MLB and yadda, yadda, yadda. But you get the point. NCAA tourney begins tomorrow!!! 3 weeks of great and intriguing basketball games! Natalie and I each have 2 brackets filled out, well actually, I have one, she has one, Cayle has 1 and Baby B #2 has one. I have Missouri winning it all, Natalie has Missouri, Cayle has North Carolina, and Baby B#2 has North Carolina as well... go figure, and we didn't talk to each other about our brackets either! I did Baby B's and Natalie did Cayle's and we came up with the same thing.... hopefully Missou and Carolina do well!

Weather

Has been great! We hit just over 60 today, and it looks like that for the remainder of the week, before mid 40's and rain this weekend. That's gonna be a shock to the system, but I think it will be short lived... fingers crossed! Ready to get out on the Mountain Bike!

Looks like it hit mid 70's today back at my parents house in IL... That's crazy for March!! Wondering what all these warm spring temps will mean for summer heat??? Wait and see I guess?

Emotions

I cried myself to sleep last night. Did I get some really bad news? No. Did Nick and I get in a fight? No. I simply read the articles I received yesterday about helping Cayle transition from being an only child to a sibling. Here's how it all went down...

A few months ago, I received a flier from Dr Kohn about services offered by the hospital. Among the services they offer are some educational classes: for soon-to-be new parents, refresher courses for those who have had already been through the birthing process, and a class for children who are about to become siblings. I didn't feel any of the birthing classes really applied to us since I'll be having a C-section. But I did inquire about the siblings class. I found out the class consisted of avisit to the hospital to meet the nurses, see a birthing room, watch a short video, have a tour of the maternity ward, that kind of thing. I figured Cayle would enjoy the hospital, and it made me feel better knowing he'd be comfortable coming to visit me in the hospital. So, the class was yesterday. We attended the class with our friends Justin and Melinda, who have a son Macklin (Cayle swims with him on Mondays at the rec center). Macklin is about 7 weeks older than Cayle. And Justin and Melinda's baby girl is due on April 8.

The class went well, and the boys seemed to do a pretty good job. Cayle did not wnt to wear his scrubs when he took the tour of the hopsital, but he certainly did enjoy the popsicle he received at the end of the tour! Both Cayle and Macklin paid special attention to the 2-day old baby they got to see! At the end of the class, the boys received stickers and coloring books. All the moms and dads received some articles to read over with helpful hints on making the transition from one child to two.

Macklin and Cayle not quite sure what to think about such a small baby!

The boys enjoying their post-sibling class popsicles!

Cayle sporting his stickers from Macklin...on his face, of course!

Last night, I decided I'd read the articles before I went to bed. Big mistake. There were two articles and I barely finished one. I appreciated the information about trying to understand where Cayle is coming from, how he is used to getting all of our attention - immediately! - when he wants it, how to incorporate him and allow him to "help" with the baby, and to remember to give Cayle plenty of one-on-one time with both mommy and daddy. I also read about keeping Cayle on a schedule and not forcing him to think the baby is "all that and a bag o' chips!"

The part that really upset me was the reality that is setting in that Cayle won't be the very center of my universe. For almost two years, my life has revolved around everything Cayle needs and wants. Nick and I have both made so many sacrifices for this little boy who deserves nothing but the very best from both of his parents. Now I'm starting to feel sad for him to have to share that attention. Obviously Cayle isn't the first little boy to have to share mom and dad's attention...but he's MY first little boy, and it breaks my heart because I am worried about him being sad or not getting the attention he needs. He has made being a mommy so easy because he is such a good boy - so happy and fun to be around! I am so excited for the next phase of our family to begin (only 36 more days!), but you can bet that I'm going to spend every moment I can in the next 5 weeks giving my little boy every bit of mommy's attention that I can :)

System Break-Down

I had one of my top 5 worst days in education as a teacher today....

Ya, I hear ya, "but it's Saturday, how is that even possible???"

I worked Saturday school this morning. Saturday is supposed to be a time from 7am to 10am for the kids that are behind to come and have help from teachers to get caught up. It has in the past been a great thing, and a lot of the kids really use it to help them stay caught up. It just so happens that some of the kids that are so far behind, also some behavior issues.

When Natalie and I were kids going through the public school system, we never got in trouble... :-) Ok, so maybe we did once in a while, but if and when we did, according to our parents it was always our fault. Not once, not EVER was it even a remote possibility that it may be the teacher's fault! It was always up to us, to go back to the teacher/person in charge and apologize, or find out what we did wrong, and what we could/should do or have done differently. At the time, I thought it was so unfair that my parents wouldn't even listen to MY side of the story. Now I thank them for that lesson! From what I hear, Natalie's parents were the same way.

So here's the issue, if you haven't already figured it out, the kids with behavior issues, bring those issues with them to Saturday school. Defiance, disruptions, distractions, not listening, arguing every single thing you say, I think you get the point. And you say, why not tell them to be quiet or just to get to work? For one they don't listen, and two, there are different ways you are supposed to approach/instruct each kid, and if you happen to say anything that they don't like, they will go home and tell their parents, and then you (the teacher) get in trouble because the parents don't like how you told their child to get to work. The last time I worked Saturday school, I kicked a kid out for being a major disruption, then had to hear from his dad how I wasn't fair to him, and he just wanted to be there to get caught up on his work, and I was taking that opportunity away from him. 2 times ago when I was working, I kicked a kid out for being a major disruption, and then his mom called and accused me of not being fair to her child, and not being just, and she cussed at me, and told me that I just don't know how to deal with kids with learning disabilities... (I had a chuckle at that one...)

So what it has come down to is you have kids there that want to work and get caught up, and you have kids that are there because they refuse to do anything. ever. And teachers think they should go to Saturday school for punishment. Those kids distract the ones who are behind and use it to catch up on things, so then the Saturday school concept is no longer working. And if kids are being distractions, how dare you (the teacher) say anything to them and ask them to stop, cause they will have their parents take care of you. So you are just stuck.

Let them be distractions while still trying to help the others? Or Try to get them to stop being distractions and risk getting in "trouble" for doing so?

This morning about 9am, the other teacher and I were just at a loss as to how to proceed? What do you do?

The system (public education) is breaking down, and has been for several years now. Classroom teachers deal with it every day, and it's just a part of the job. I respect them for their ability to do this. Some are very good at it, and some not so much, and for that reason they tend not to stick around long, or are always involved in confrontations with kids and parents.

It's just so different from how we were raised, and I only see it getting worse.

It just scares me because I wonder what our society will be like when all these kids are grown up?

Happenings...

View of the valley that we live in. The big mountain in the background is Hardscrabble mountain. Home of the "real" mountain bike trails.
Sweet potatoe pancakes Natalie made for dinner last night! Awesome! Super smooth and yummy! I had mine with Light and Fit yogurt and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Fantastical!
Cayle loves laying on Natalie's lap and play the Iphone or Ipad while she scratches his back.
We got out for a good bike ride before school this morning. Took Cayle up a semi-dry dirt road for a little ride. He loved it! He HAS to ride his bike every day! He loves riding on rocks the best!

Crash!!!

After "our" bike ride tonight, it was Cayle's turn. He MUST ride his bike every day! Sometimes it's the only way to get him to do other things, like pick up his toys or put his books away. After I helped him get his helmet on, I headed down the drive to wait for him. When I turned around he had a determined/bold look on his face. Uh-oh... he picked up his feet and took off down the driveway.... FULL SPEED, no slowing down! The picture above shows what was going through my mind at this moment, and it's actually pretty close to what happened. When he got to the bottom, he attempted to put his feet down to stop, but since he has never gone that fast before, he didn't know what to expect... The bike went one way, and he went the other. His knees hit first, and the next thing that hit was the front of his helmet on the pavement. I just kind of stood to see what his reaction would be, and he got up, cried for a couple seconds, looked at me to see if I thought he was ok, and got back on his bike and headed back up the driveway for another attempt! What he doesn't know, is that my heart may have skipped a beat or two in that moment. My first glimpse of understanding what our parents may have felt when we did these things as kids...

Taking it Easy...

I spoke with the Dr. yesterday to let her know how I was doing after the time she had made me rest over the weekend. Based on what I told her, she said she wanted me working only 8 hours a day, nothing extra, and lots of rest. Unfortunately, we had PT conferences last night, and the phone call from the Dr. came pretty late in the day, which gave me no time to figure out what to do about all the conferences I had scheduled for last night. So I ended up staying for those conferences. The Dr. also had me schedule another appointment for today for her to check up on the baby.

This Dr. is apparently smarter than I give her credit for. I figured I'd be fine with the conferences - I mean, it's sitting in a chair and talking to people, right? Well, this morning I woke up feeling dead. My body hurt so bad, and I had no motivation to do anything. I made it through the day and Nick, Cayle and I headed to the Dr. this afternoon.

She wasn't very happy to hear I had worked late last night, but I promised her it wouldn't happen again. She suggested I cut back to part-time work, but I let her know I thought I could handle work as long as I do nothing extra. So, I have a note to take to school tomorrow - no more than 8 hours of work a day, stay seated most of the day, no heavy lifting. Not much fun, and definitely not my style, but we need to keep that guy in as long as possible!

Many thanks to my husband for stepping up and taking over on pretty much everything in our household. Since last week when I was told I could do absolutely nothing for 3 days, he has taken care of meals, laundry, cleaning, and helping Cayle with whatever he needs. I hate not being able to do everything I want, but it's definitely easier to relax knowing I have someone so supportive to pick up the slack :)

It has begun...

Bike training for 2012. First year racing expert category. Bring on the good guys, it's time to suffer!!! Not sure yet who I am racing for? Lots of things to figure out in the next month.

In light of Natalie's recent bout with contractions (Friday) we are trying to make a few changes in our routine so that she can come home from work and be able to sit and relax. Just simple things, like having dinner ready, having the chores done, things I can do before I leave for school. That baby needs to stay in there for as long as possible!!! Tonight we had Orzo Stuffed Green Peppers. Fantastic. I prepped the stuff this morning, and Natalie threw it in the oven when she got home.
Have been very impressed with this book so far! Easy and nutritious recipes specifically formulated for athletes/active people/anyone who just wants to eat fresh and healthy! Highly recommend this one!

Too Much Time to Think!

So, now that I've been sitting in this chair for what seems like forever (yes, I realize less than 48 hours is not forever), I've let my mind get away from me. I have decided I have two very pressing issues at hand. 1) Write lesson plans and organize things for my classroom for the remainder of the year. 2) Plan Cayle's 2nd birthday party. The first issue (lesson plans) seems so boring and blah, so I'm ignoring it...for now. So, I've dedicated some time to planning Cayle's party. Everyone is all caught up in "Pinterest" and how wonderful it is. I have to disagree. I have searched that stupid sight and find nothing, NOTHING, helpful! Every idea I've come up with was either my own or found somewhere else online. So now that I'm frustrated that "Pinterest" is apparently not going to be planning Cayle's party for me, I'm going to go pout for a while and watch basketball. And read a trashy magazine. And see what else I can think about.

Another Birthday Party!

Cayle was invited to his second birthday party in the past few weeks. Today's party was for Macklin, who turns two at the beginning of April. He had his party a touch early because his Mom (Melinda) is due with Baby #2 April 8. Macklin's party was at the Gypsum Rec Center, mostly in the tumbling area. Cayle's first experience with foam pits and trampolines was a few weeks ago in Colorado Springs, and I was hoping that first experience would make him feel more comfortable going to today's party. Daddy took Cayle to the party since mommy is off her feet this weekend. The pictures from the party say it all - Cayle thoroughly enjoyed himself!

Playing on the trampoline with the other kids

Diving into the foam pit

Whoops!

Daddy showing off his mad skills...

The boys :)

Being thrown into the pit!

A little surprise...

Natalie began having some contractions this morning at work... She is 32 weeks, so still a little early. I suggested via chat that she sit as much as possible. When that wasn't working, she called the doctor and they said she needed to get home and sit down. So she left work at noon. Once at home and sitting, the contractions stopped. She has an all day wrestling tourney tomorrow that she is hosting at school, and the doc told her NO WAY was she allowed to attend... That's tough for her, but I'm sure she did such a thorough job organizing it will all run smoothly without her there. She has to stay seated/resting for the rest of the weekend. If it's good on Monday, she's fine, if not, off to the doctor we go. The longer Baby B #2 can stay in there the better!

Disappointing

That is the one word to describe watching Illinois basketball the last couple of months. It's just disappointing. Just when you think they may have turned a corner... they lack intensity. I don't think it is just the coaches fault, the players have a lot of the responsibility, but it is frustrating that Bruce Weber refuses to bench people, or change anything about his coaching style to fit specific situations. Not sure why I get my hopes up anymore... One more game in the regular season, then the Big10 tourney and then unless they win the Big10 tourney, the NIT. Try to get some kind of momentum heading into next season, and see what the off season brings.
Man... I feel like a cubs fan saying that... "Wait till next year..."