Rockstar Ironman

This past weekend, Jason completed his second Ironman triathlon in Panama City, Florida. At a finish time of 13:02, he shaved more than two hours off his race time from last year! Thankfully, Jason had no nutrition issues this time and so the race went as smooth as possible. In fact, when I saw him between the bike and run and asked him how he felt, he said just one thing: "Rockstar!" That seemed to sum up the race. Evan and I were very proud of his accomplishment and so happy that his hard work paid off for such a great finish. His final stats were:

Swim (2.4 miles): 1:05
Bike (112 miles): 6:15
Run (26.2 miles): 5:37

















An aerial view of the swim start-- it was a mass start into the ocean. Very cool to see.


Meanwhile, during the race, Evan and I enjoyed the beautiful beach and weather in Panama City. The sun was hot, but the water and breeze was very cool, making for a perfect Florida weather. Evan was a great Ironman spectator. Technically speaking, this is his second race as a spectator, so he has had some practice.











Evan's first swim cap.... awww.
























One afternoon we opened a window in our little beach bungalow to let in some fresh air and along with it came a friendly cat. Evan was so intrigued.




The Ironman was a tough day for everyone!

More Halloween pics

As promised, here are more pictures from trick or treating last Saturday. As you can see, Tai makes a great Tiger Woods!

Trick or treat

Last year, Evan was so little that I didn't bother with a costume for Halloween. This year, I went full steam and made the costume, bought a candy sack and took him to a trick or treating party at a local outdoor shopping plaza in our area. And even though he is older this year, let's face it, the festivities are really self-serving. I'm the one who gets a kick out of dressing him up; I'm the one who's going to eat the candy (and maybe Jason if there's any left); and I get to show off the pictures. Even so, I think Evan still had a good time. We met up with his friend Tai, who dressed up as a younger version of Tiger Woods. The two boys got comments from nearly every passer-by. Evan, as you can see, was Bamm Bamm from the Flintstones. I wanted a no-fuss costume, but it didn't really turn out that way. The hat kept coming off-- who knew that barrettes won't stay in a little boy's hair? And his shoe covers were not very well attached. Oh well, it was great for the photo op. And really, that's what it's all about. ;)

PS-- the picture above is taken at our house before we went out. I wanted at least one picture au naturel, but put a shirt on him before we went outside-- it's only in the 60s here and I am a responsible mommy. Tai's mom Yuki took more pictures of the event, so I'll post those later.

Spinning

Evan has developed quite a few fascinations/obsessions lately, one of which is spinning. For the past month or so, at least 1/4 of his day is spent spinning. How he hasn't thrown up yet, I have no idea. He thinks it is the most fun thing to do. At first he just stood in one spot and spun in circles, quickly got dizzy and then fell over. Then it developed into spinning for several minutes and at the same time, he turns his eyes to the corner of his head while he's spinning. It's hard to describe and I haven't caught it on film, but it is the funniest thing to watch. In the last couple of weeks, he's started using his toys to spur his spinning habit. He sits on his bounce & spin zebra and will seriously spin for 5 minutes straight. In the last few days, he learned to use his sit 'n spin (below)-- yet another tool to feed his addiction. I have no idea why he has only one sock on in the picture.

"Showing"

Some of you have asked if I was showing yet. I can definitely say that I'm showing much sooner with this baby than I did with Evan, which I hear is pretty common.

I promise not to bombard the blog with belly pics like I did last time. But, just to satisfy some curiosity, here are pics of me at 13-ish weeks the first time around and then now.

Same glasses, same maternity jeans, same half smile-- different belly!

Road trip

Last week, we took a road trip to Florida-- first to Melbourne, then to Sarasota. Every year, Jason goes to Melbourne for his alumni weekend. Evan and I tagged along and spent part of the week in Sarasota visiting my mom, brother and sister. It was a busy but fun weekend and it was great to see everyone.


Misty (Jason's college friend Chris' wife) and Evan. We met Chris & Misty's new little boy Cole. He's a sweet little boy. He's 6 months and doing really well.





Evan's Aunt Rachel.

Evan takes a close look in the fridge.









Uncle Nathan read books to Evan, again and again and again.






"Grammy" and Evan.

Hmm...

Uncle Bob's and more

It was a busy weekend for Evan and I. As I write this, I'm only half conscious. Jason worked this weekend, so Evan and I went on a few field trips together. Saturday was Uncle Bob's Pumpkin Patch, where Evan met up with farm animals, saw newly hatched chicks, pet a pig's nose and took his first hay ride. It was a great little place for kids. It is located on wide open farmland, so Evan ran out his energy... and mine!












Today, we went to the Great Georgia Air Show, which is held yearly at the Peachtree City airport. Jason and I have been once before and loved it. I wasn't sure how Evan would react to the loud planes (especially the F-16s), or if he would even be interested. To my surprise the noise didn't phase him and he was actually quite intrigued by the airplanes. He really liked watching the aerobatic stunts. Despite blinding sun and no shade in sight, we had a good time. (no pics, sorry)

And one more = 4!

Yep, you read it right, we're adding one more to the brood! I'm pregnant and expecting #2 around April 29th of next year. Evan is such a great kid, we figured we'd try our luck with another one! I'm about 12 weeks along and so far, so good. Apart from some morning sickness earlier on and two awful colds, I'm feeling good. It's a whole new experience being pregnant and chasing around a 16 month old. Nothing like the first time-- no more naps-on-demand, "taking it easy," etc.

And as most people have already asked, YES, we are finding out the sex of this baby! In fact, the big ultrasound is scheduled for November 26 (and I'm counting the days!). Jason was a little disappointed and I think he's still secretly hoping I'll change my mind about finding out.

Evan is, well, clueless about the whole thing of course. I imagine as I get bigger and he gets older, we may be able to explain it some more. But I'm sure the real shock won't come until the baby is here. I'm sure he'll be a good big brother.

The pic above shows how we told Jason's parents about the pregnancy. We had phoned nearly all of our immediate family once we found out, but we knew that Hugh & Barbara were coming to visit in a couple of weeks, so we thought it would be fun to tell them in person. Evan was taking a nap when they showed up. When he woke up, I put his t-shirt on and he walked into the kitchen. The grandparents were so charmed by Evan that they didn't notice his shirt! Hugh finally asked, "What does his shirt say?" And Barbara chimed in-- "Are you trying to tell us something?!" It was a fun way to break the news.

Evan Gogh

A couple of samples of Evan's first attempts at art.

Father and son moments

Evan likes to help daddy with his Masters homework. So that's why he's been getting such good grades.

Future cyclist or much-needed protection from bumps & bruises? You decide.

Aww... baby's first shiner

Tile floor, toddlers and short-height dogs don't always mix. The other night, we came in from an enjoyable dinner out and as we went into the kitchen, Bullit ran in front of Evan, tripping him. At first I was relieved because it looked like Evan fell on his hand instead of his face. Yeah, not so much. His under-eye immediately turned blue and swelled up like an egg. We gave him a popsicle to make him feel better. Funny thing is, as the days go by, it's looking worse, not better! And I just love the questions and looks we get when we go out. PS-- These pictures don't do it justice. It looks a lot worse in person! This morning, Evan's teacher asked if he got into a bar brawl.




1 minute after








1 day after







2 days after

Flowers planted

We finally decided on some knock-out roses and a second butterfly bush to plant in our new garden area. I just need something small and green to use as filler-- then it will be complete.

Yard projects continue

After sodding the back yard, we were left with a few designated garden areas. We're finally getting around to fixing them up. In the smaller area, we built a stack stone border/retaining wall and added in a nice layer of topsoil. I would love to say that I did this project from start to finish. Well, I started the project and it just so happened that Jason ended his long training run as I was laying the first couple of stones. I reluctantly let him finish the digging and laying of the stones. I did spread the topsoil! We're very happy with the finished product-- now we need to figure out what to plant! Suggestions?

As you can see, Evan thinks it's a lot of fun to play in. Must figure out how to keep him--and Bullit--out of the new garden!

Making friends

I've posted here before about Evan's friend Tai. Tai is about 1 year older than Evan, but the last few times they've played together, the change in interaction has been incredible. They are such good friends. They run around the house, push each other on their trucks and Evan just laughs and laughs at the things Tai does. He's enthralled with his cool older friend. Tai and Yuki came over this past weekend and the two boys wore each other out!

Fall Training Update

Jason's Ironman is less than six weeks away and he's knee-deep into long bikes and runs. On his shorter bike rides, he takes Evan out for a spin. Evan loves the bike trailer (also a jogging stroller). He's good for up to 2 hours before he either falls asleep or gets antsy. Jason seems to be much more prepared and confident for this Ironman. He's been extremely consistent with his training and has gotten into amazing shape! Evan and I are very proud.

Should be in bed...

But instead, I'm blogging. I thought it was time for some updates, and I can't keep Evan's adoring public waiting for too long. As usual, he has been a busy kid-- constantly on the go and always entertaining us. Here's a pic of his new chair. We've been wanting something like this for a while and it finally went on sale at Target. Evan loves it! He loves furniture in general--anything he can climb on, roll around in and stand up in (although the latter is a no-no). His new chair is where he plunks down in the morning for a rousing episode of Sesame Street and a snack.

And a cute "off to school" picture. Evan loves his school. He has so much fun, the teachers love him and he is so excited to see me when I pick him up. I can tell too that he's learning new things and is getting really good at interacting with other kids. The report I get from his teachers, other than "he's so happy and such a good kid!" is that he eats other kids' food and imitates them when they cry. Great.

School bugs

Evan brought home his first school bug last week and it has infected us all! The first of many I'm sure. So, for the past week, we've all been walking around like zombies, hopped up on TheraFlu and Robitussin. The one good thing is that the weather around here feels like fall and we've been enjoying the fresh air out in our back yard. I love this time of year, but dread the bags-full of leaves that we'll have in a few months time--ugh! If anyone is handy with a rake and wants to help, call me!

G&G Terreri visit

G&G Terreri visited us over the race weekend. They had a great time witnessing Evan's antics and enjoying our new backyard. We had fantastic home-cooked meals each night, courtesy of Grandpa Hugh and Jason's Weber skills. And Sunday morning, Evan and Grandma Barbara whipped up a nice breakfast. Evan is becoming more and more interested in what we do in the kitchen-- cooking, putting the dishes away, the exciting microwave, etc. I have a feeling that he might inherit his Daddy's (not Mommy's) love for cooking. Won't I be lucky to have 2 men in the house who like to cook?!

Star triathlete

Jason raced the sprint distance triathlon in Peachtree City a couple of weeks ago. He had a phenomenal race and came in 9th in his age group (out of 44). He was 5th out of the water in his age group! It was a sprint distance, which means .5mi swim, 13 mi bike, and 3.2 mi run. His time was 1:13:50. He was very happy with his performance, especially since we're on the countdown until Ironman, part deux, which happens on November 3 in Panama City, FL.

And the bruises keep coming

Evan fought with the coffee table... and lost. Thankfully we have rounded corners on our coffee table, otherwise he might have lost an eye.

So many pics, so little time

Sorry so overdue with pics. It gets a little crazy around here with my work schedule! Here are a few pics from Heather, Bella & Sophia's visit down to Peachtree City. Bella and Evan played so well together. Her nickname for Evan is "Ian" pronounced like the letter "i". Apparently ever since she has gone back home, she keeps saying, "Want Ian? Ian? Nice boy, Ian?" Sophia didn't get in much play time, but we enjoyed her just the same. She's getting so big, and cute!