LOTOJA

Last weekend Mark completed the LOTOJA bike race for his second time!!!  I am so proud of him and I know he worked so hard this past year.  I love this split photo of the before and after the race pics of Mark.  At the start line he looked fresh, relaxed, and ready to go.  By the finish line he was one tired guy.  

This season he trained and biked the entire day with his friend Chad.  They were a great team...kept the same pace, got nauseous at the same points, and were so happy just to finish before dark!  They completed the 206 mile ride from Logan to Jackson Hole in 11 hours and 30 minutes.  Mark beat his last record by 15 minutes...woot woot!  Nausea was the hardest part for both of them today.  I was so impressed how Mark powered through the nausea and kept on biking with very little in his system.  Neither of them experienced mechanical issues or cramping which is a huge blessing.  Nothing gets to Mark more than those two problems.

Chad's wife Corrine and I were the support vehicle.  I told Corrine after we dropped the guys off at the start line that today she will feel like we're taking care of toddlers.  The guys will be very demanding, particular about their food, and refuse to eat the food we give them.  By the end of the day she totally understood what I was talking about.  

At the Alpine feed zone they were both so nauseous and were refusing to eat anything.  I would have Mark sip some Coke and then offer bananas, granola bars, pb&j's, snickers, oranges, chips, boiled potatoes, and the list goes on.  He would take one bite of each after I forced him and then say he didn't want that.  I was so worried he would have a hard last stretch to the finish line, but Mark somehow manages so come to life at the finish.  We stopped and grabbed some chocolate milks...Mark's favorite recovery food...for them to drink at the finish line.  I think that made our day of support perfect in Mark's mind!

We spent that night in Jackson Hole with our friends Zach and Erika before driving home the next day.  It felt like we had been gone for about a week instead of two days but it was worth it.  I am so proud of Mark and I love to see how happy he is when he completes such a big task!  Love you babe!     

Five Months Old

Brody is becoming such a big boy.  He is becoming a little chunk and loves to eat!  You can tell he is trying so hard to become a big boy.  If you lay him down he'll try and pull himself up so he's sitting.  He can't quite hold his bottle yet by himself but he sure does try and loves to be involved in the process.  We are almost positive he rolled over already.  The other day we were getting ready for church and Mark found Brody on his tummy.  Luke always rolls Brody over for tummy play time...such a helper...but he wasn't with him at the time.  I can't wait to see it again!  Brody still loves Luke and gets so excited when he sees him.  He'll play with Luke and be so happy just watching him.  Yesterday morning I was just starting to wakeup when I heard Luke say to Brody, "Hey Brody, thanks for coming out of mommy's tummy and being with me.  I am so glad you're here." I hope they continue to love each other just as much!

-Weighs 17 pounds

-Size 3 diapers and has at least one blow out a day

-Eats every 4 hours

-Loves rice cereal and any fruit or vegetable

-Sometimes refuses milk until he gets a fruit or vegetable

-Takes 3 naps a day for about an hour each

-Sleeps 10 hours at night

-Obsessed with his binky 

-Rolled over once

-Sleeps in his own room and Luke sleeps on his floor to be with him

-Will grab anything in reach and put it in his mouth

-Still loves tv and will watch just about anything

-Not a fan of the car yet and screams the second he gets in

Little Artist

Luke has fallen in love with painting this summer.  I brought home a little easel from my classroom and now Luke wants to paint everyday.  He will paint about five pictures in ten minutes and then want to hang all of them up around the house.  Our house is very decorated now thanks to our little artist.  

His new thing this past week has been painting rocks.  I'll send him out to gather up rocks and then we'll wash and paint them.  Sometimes he'll even go back and paint over his old rocks if he's really bored.  

Last Saturday our two little neighbors, Karly and Acadia, were over playing and they decided to paint.  After they found their rocks I washed all the dirt off and then we put them outside to dry.  They were not liking all the waiting around for the rocks to dry so I let them to watercolors on paper to keep them busy.  Once the rocks were dry they headed outside to paint.  Luke loved mixing the colors on his rock.  He told me that he painted a Stegosaurus on his rock and when it dried he would turn it over and do a T-Rex on the other.

Halfway through their projects Mark asked Luke if he wanted to go swimming and Luke freaked out.  You don't mess with this kid and his painting!  

Campers

Over Labor Day weekend we joined my family on their annual Bear Lake camping trip.  After this weekend I decided we need to take Luke camping more often.  He kept telling Mark and I how much he loved us and how happy we had made him!  This little guy loves to camp.  It's all he could talk about for two days.  He wanted to know everything we were going to pack and what he was going to be able to do when we got there.  He even nicknamed brother "Brody Camper."  

It wasn't the best weather for camping...pretty much a downpour the entire night.  We were having a great time around the bonfire roasting marshmallows, little smokies, banana boats, etc. while Luke was trying to convince us that he was tired and ready for bed.  We didn't fall for it...he just couldn't wait tot get in that tent.  Brody and I snuggled up in my sleeping bag while Mark tried to stop Luke from rolling all over us.  I couldnt' believe that I was cold and Luke wouldn't even stay in his sleeping bag.  Every time I woke up he was in a different spot.  Brody Camper was such a trooper.  He slept all night and was a dream!  I just can't get enough of this little guy!

Luke loves camping because he can wear whatever he wants, pee outside, and run wild all day.  Uncle Mitch kept trying to convince us that the water was warm.  Luke fell for it and was pretty cold by the time he got out.  He spent the rest of the day digging holes in the sand.  

As much as I don't like camping, it is fun for a night or two each year.  I love being cuddled up with Mark and the boys in the tent.  We get to spend a lot of time together and just relax.  Let's just hope for no rain next year!

Havenwood Days

Our neighbors decided to throw an over the top end of summer party.  It was officially named Havenwood Days.  The party started with a bike parade through the neighborhood.  We procrastinated on decorating the bike so I printed out a few superhero logos and attached them to Luke's bike to match his Spiderman cape.  It was about the hottest day for a party but the water activities helped with that.  There were slides, pools, water balloons, sprinklers, etc.  However, every time I turned around Luke was asking to go for another train ride.  Our cute neighbor built this little train and it was the hit!

Lukers even decided to join the big kids and try out the chicken pants.  They were hilarious...the fabrics alone were priceless.  Our neighbor would shoot rubber chickens in the air and the kids would run around and try to catch them in their pants.  Pure entertainment to watch!

Luke just discovered face painting this summer and he never passes up the opportunity to get his face painted.  He told Brother Barber that he wanted a shark on his face.  Luke had a pretty mean shark across his forehead.  We had a wedding reception to attend later that night and sadly the shark didn't quite wash off.  Everyone kept asking Luke what happened to his forehead.  They thought he had a huge bruise.

We were so sad to leave early since the party continued into the night.  There was a snow cone truck, outdoor movie, BBQ, and the list goes on.  Next year we will be sure to clear our entire day for Havenwood Days!