The 6 year old is in da houz!

The big day finally arrived. Kai turned 6. He was most excited. He's been changing up his favorite number alot lately. For a long time, it was the number 4. 11 got the nod for awhile then leading up to the big day, it became lucky number 6. Then just before his birthday, he switched it to 5. I think he realized he only had a few days left before he'd be 6 and 5 would be a thing of the past. He woke up on Saturday morning, walked into the living room and proudly announced "Mommy, I'm six."

Kai has been enamored with the red San Diego trolley for quite some time so we've been planning a trolley birthday party. But you can't plan too far ahead with Kai; he's very likely to switch things up on you and this birthday proved no exception. He loves the trolley, the Amtrak Surfliner and the Coaster (all trains in our area), and for awhile there even changed his name to "Trolley Surfliner Coaster." However, over the past few weeks a strong preference for the surfliner has been emerging. This required some flexibility on our parts to see how we could morph this trolley party into something of a trolley-surfliner party. Cue the reliable old internet and people who actually make Amtrak surfliner birthday stuff. We were able to get a balloon, pinata and some paper plates designed in the surfliner's glorious image. None of these details were lost on Kai. He loved every one of them.

Watching Kai open his gift was pretty awesome. He is not a kid who covets too much but this year we found something we knew he'd really like and took the gigantic risk of buying it in February (we've been burned by early buying with Kai in the past). We showed him some photos on Amazon and talked it up and before long our little man couldn't wait to finally receive his Lego Trolley. 

We were not disappointed. He opened it with a gigantic grin and squeals of "what is it? what is it?" although he knew full well what it was. I don't think I've ever seen Kai open a present in quite this fashion. 

He went straight to work (with Daddy's help). We had let Kai know that there would be alot of work to do to get this trolley in working order so he did expect it to come in pieces. But after an hour of work and no intact trolley in hand yet, Kai wasn't too keen on stopping so we could get ready for the birthday party. But what kid can refuse a bouncy house? We were finally able to get him to put Project Trolley away for a few hours so he could bounce to his heart's content and we could frantically prepare for the 60 person party. Yes....you read that right. SIX-TEE people. What on earth were we thinking? Let's just call this the party that spiraled out of control. Kai wanted to invite all of his classmates to his birthday party. He was pretty adamant about it. So, we figured, it can't hurt to invite everyone. I'm sure at least a third will have other plans. Well, we were wrong and almost everyone came, complete with moms, dads, siblings and even a grandma. 

Turns out we can throw a party for 60 people. The pool was full, the bouncy house was full, the yard was full. But the house wasn't. The weather was just too great to be inside. Everyone had a blast. 

Check out the cool Trolley take home boxes, courtesy of MTS. There are few buses in there too, just in case we ran out. 

And here is the fabulous (and gigantic) cake. This was our first time making our own decorative icing b/c we've become anti-food coloring at our house. We learned that it takes ALOT of vegetable-based blue coloring dye to turn white icing silver. But it still looked okay and tasted great. I can never get enough of the looks of excitement and surprise on my kids' faces when they see their birthday cakes for the first time. Check out the pic below as Kai checks out his cake - pay special attention to Teia's face (lower left). She just knows her brother is gonna love this cake!

Greg was the cake server, which he says was the most stressful part of the day. That is, until one of the other moms relieved him of the duty and very efficiently got that mega-cake cut and distributed to the masses. 

The Pinata pull was pure mayhem and I do look forward to the day my kids decide they don't want a pinata at their party. We did enforce a few rules given the age spread for the pinata scrum was 2 to 10 years, but it got pretty crazy anyway. Kai preferred a pull string pinata over the whacking kind, which was fine by me, although we did get tsked tsked by a Mexican mom at our party. (Okay maybe she didn't say tsk, tsk but if there is a Mexican word for haole, I'm sure she used it). 

I love this shot. Just have to wonder what Kai is thinking with that dreamy look on his face, "I wonder if she'll pull the right string and let the loot out?" or "one day I want Aurora to be my girlfriend." I think he's got some competition. I hear several of the boys in class have plans to marry her. But I do think Kai would be her cutest pick.

For the most part, Teia enjoyed the big day as well, although she struggled a little with seeing big brother get presents and attention. We tried our best to include her and keep her little nose in joint. Kai has been driving her crazy with his slow approach to gift opening. There are several unopened ones in our living room heading into Party day +2. But she is learning to be patient. She's also been busily planning her own birthday. She has gift lists and ideas for pinatas and birthday cakes. So tonight after dinner we celebrated her half-birthday with a candle on a left over piece of Kai's cake and sang her a Happy Half-Birthday song. Seemed to do the trick; she was pleased as punch. 

I know. She isn't turning 5. But she really wanted that #5 candle; carried it around with her all day. I think b/c 5 represents getting a booster seat, so she can be just like big brother and not stuck in a car seat anymore. Its hard to be the little sis sometimes. 

One final shot of my crew hard at work this morning on the lego trolley. I have to say I am very impressed with them. After about 3 hours of total work, they got the first trolley finished. Kai did it all by himself with patient direction from Daddy. Teia was not to be left out and put the tracks together. I think Greg is really enjoying this; b/c you know Dads really want their own Lego sets. 

And yep, today was also our 7 year wedding anniversary and we did get out for a few hours sans kidlets thanks to our wonderful babysitter and friend. But we do accept that, at least for the next several years, Kai's day is going to be the big late April event at our house. Happy Birthday Little Buddy!!!!

Hawaii

What a week, what a day. All this stuff in Boston just feels way too close to home. Only a few years ago, we were cheering at the Boston marathon and Greg was on MIT campus, daily. So relieved that our friends in the Boston area are all okay and so much sadness for those who are not.

For a happy distraction, reflecting on our trip to Hawaii seems like a good thing to do....

This was our second trip back to Oahu since leaving in 2008. Kai clearly remembers our last trip and was really looking forward to this one. A cold for he and I put a bit of a damper on the trip's beginning as we both felt pretty lousy. But sunshine, fresh papaya everyday, salt water and tropical breezes certainly helped us both feel better. You'll notice I didn't mention sleep. We all slept in the same hotel room for the first time ever on this trip. Overall, it went pretty well. The kids were exhausted each night and fell asleep rather than keeping each other awake to all hours. But a combination of the time difference and a little person named Teia, ensured that everyone was awake as the sun came up.

One night Teia fell out of bed and woke us all up. She settled back to sleep quickly but the rest of us tossed and turned all night long. So we were all pretty much sleeping by Teia's schedule, except that she was the only one taking 2 hour naps every day. But its hard to get too annoyed with her. She just enjoys life so much and brings us so much joy with her exuberance and love. Just look at this face....

But despite sleeplessness and colds, it was wonderful to be back. We saw great friends and spent lots of time in the warm waters of both the ocean and the hotel pool. Kai was so relaxed and happy in Hawaii-mode. He went barefoot or wore his slippas everywhere and couldn't get enough of the water - the pool and "the water with the sand" as he called it. 

Mama even got out for a surf session. It wasn't too successful in terms of riding waves. I was more than a little rusty and conditions weren't ideal. But it was a beautiful, sunny afternoon to be in the water and I was joined by a huge honu who surfaced beside me and stayed close as I paddled back to shore. (Yes, it was lovely to see him but he reminded me of the other large creatures that might be swimming about and I lost my nerve for solo surfing 200m from shore!)

Our hotel pool had an interesting rule where kids had to get out every hour for a 15 minute adult swim. We were puzzled by this b/c the hotel had another pool for the 18 and over crowd. At first we were annoyed, although the kids didn't seem to mind their towel time. But a few days into our trip after realizing that our kids could easily spend 3 hours in the water (requiring intense parental supervision b/c they both can't swim yet and the water was a perfect depth for Kai but Teia needed schlepping around the entire time), we came to appreciate this 15 minute break which surely was intended for exhausted parents. We'd grab a sip of water and momentarily rest our arms and legs, weary from tossing 35-50 lbs in the air repeatedly. Then the whistle would blow and Kai and Teia (and all the other little people) were off like shots to get back at 'er. It is funny watching little people waddle as they try to go as fast as they can without running on the pool deck. 

One of the big highlights of our trip was taking the kids to a luau. Seemed like a good idea until a few hours before when we started to worry that we'd spent a fair bit of money on tickets and we weren't sure we'd even get through the meal before the kids would want to leave. We were pleasantly surprised. Not only did the kids enjoy getting polynesian tattoos, watch a coconut tree climber and sit through a meal of pulled pork, seaweed, poi and rice (while I filled them up with pretzels from a zip loc bag), they really enjoyed the dancing. 

Little miss Teia found herself up on the stage twice dancing hula. These days where Teia goes, Kai goes too, so we all ended up on stage for a hula lesson in front of about 200 people, even Daddy was up there shakin' it! 

The second time Teia went up for a Tahitian competition. We were so proud of her, confidently heading up with her hula dancer, wearing her lei and giving it her best up there. Kai also headed up to dance with his little sis but changed his mind when he realized that Mommy wasn't going to be on stage this time. If you look closely, you'll see him. 

Okay, after 3 days of upload fails, I have to give up on this video. I did post it to my Facebook page. I will try again in a new blog post. I did manage to upload a different video of Teia dancing, this time on the beach. If you're wondering about her slow approach to the dance "stage," Greg and I were instructed to be the curtains. 

The final event of the night was the fire knife dancers. Both kids were entranced. That is, until the dancer set the floor on fire. Kai turned to us and said "this is a little much, I need a break." Later that night we asked Kai what was his favorite part of the evening. He replied "not the fire knife dancers!" Teia on the other hand gave us a pantomimed fire knife performance back at the hotel room. Wish I had video of that!

It must have been a good trip b/c the other night Kai announced to me "I'm ready to move now!" He must have felt a little unsure though b/c he looked at me and added "but you're not quite ready yet." Can't blame him, every time we go back the idea of living in Hawaii again crosses my mind. Scary thing is, this time I didn't even find it that trafficky or busy. I guess I am beginning to get used to busy places :-/

Xterra Black Mountain: Race Report

I know the grandparents are expecting posts about our trip to Hawai'i, and its coming, but I figured I'd do a quick race report while the details are still somewhat sharp and my perceptions haven't yet become too distorted i.e., it really didn't hurt that much, not sure why I didn't push harder....you know how it goes. No photos. This was a solo affair. Originally I wanted my little family there at the finish line but we're all still dealing with the time difference and its not in the right direction for early morning wakings for the little people.

I got the weather I was hoping for. Cloudy skies, cold breezes. I knew there was a good chance of this as we approach the month of May, known in San Diego as "May Grey." It was funny but I was hardly nervous at all as I looked around at all the runners around me lining up for the start, teeth chattering and jumping up and down to stay warm. Maybe it was the relief I felt that I wasn't going to bake like a potato on those exposed trails for hours that was washing away any pre-race jitters. Or maybe it was the lack of expectation that running on a hilly trail brings - no mile splits to make me feel slow and out of shape. Trail running kinda frees you up from all that road racing baggage. No matter whether you're a 7 or 11 minute miler, it happens to all runners I think. Slave to the watch.

Having pre-ran some of the course and pre-ridden the whole thing, I knew that we were all heading into a slice of rocky, twisty, downhill single track w/n the first few minutes. I'm not a great runner but I'm a little better at trail running and I'm not too shabby at descending. I think my years of mountain biking and adventure racing down mountains in BC trying to keep up with my 6 ft tall racing partners (all of them, even Jenn), gives me a little edge here over the nervous downhiller types. But as we all charged to the trail (yep, everyone was in a big hurry), I realized that trying to get some space to enjoy that single track just wasn't going to happen. About half way down though I did see an opening so I scooted out with a quick "on your left" and let it rip. A bit too much. Sub-7 min pace down the rocky trail was not in my race plan. But it was s-w-e-e-t.

Greg pre-rode the course with me so he knew the terrain and he also knows my running capabilities (or lack thereof). So he reminded me in pre-race strategy discussions ;-) that I only had so many matches to burn out there. I liked the analogy and kept it in my head. Once I was back on level ground and my pace slowed I remember thinking "....strike! that match is burnt!" I wasn't so sure how many more I had to burn but was hoping for at least a half a package.

Through to about mile 3.5 or so the race continued on some sweet trail, some level, some up, and alot of gentle down. I felt great and everyone seemed to be running so fast. I haven't raced much with a GPS but was glad I did today. When I felt like I was running too slow I'd look down and see that I was actually running in 8 min pace vicinity. Which for me, is pretty darn fast these days. I've been training my tempo runs in that pace range but I knew it was too fast for me for a race this long. But I felt really good and I knew tougher terrain awaited. So I went with it but I could smell the sulphur of my burning matches. I felt like I was holding back but it wasn't even close to slow enough.

As I passed the 3 mile marker I looked down and saw 24:14 on my GPS. Cripes! I haven't broken 25 mins for 3 miles in a long, long, long time. Even in my younger days I think 23:58 might have been my PB, on a road. It was somewhat elevation assisted but whatevah, it was way too fast for me. At that point I threw those matches into the nearest creek and wondered what it would take to hang on. So much for listening to my husband, a seasoned runner.

When I started to feel annoyed that the first aide station was a little further away than I had expected, I knew I was truly matchless. But I slogged my way to mile 5 where two ginormous hills awaited. These hills weren't super long but they were steep. Steep enough that I had walked the top portion of the second one the day we mt biked the course. Walking seemed like a good plan today too. I'm sure tomorrow I'll be feeling the effects of pounding down the backsides of those babies as well.

A steady climb up to a road crossing and the mile 6 aide station and I was at 1 hour. Seems my swift feet had left me. The terrain after mile 6 was about two miles of probably the "wildest" part of the course (meaning I couldn't see houses anymore). The vistas were sweeping and the double track trail was up and down with an overall elevation loss. My plan here was to run a good and reasonable pace b/c I knew the last 2 miles to the finish would be extremely tough with rolling terrain and a good uphill to the finish for the last half mile. I stuck to that plan for about 10 minutes before I wasn't sure if I was even feeling my legs anymore and my ears started to pop (this is a weird thing that happened to me last time I ran at Black Mountain and got really tired). I had made a deal with myself that when I started to feel rough I would take short 40 second walk breaks every 10 minutes. I've found that this can have a rejuvenating effect on me and even enable me to lift my pace. So I started my walk breaks. First every 10, then quickly every 5 minutes. Then I wasn't sure if I was doing walk breaks in my run, or run breaks in my walk.

Needless to say, I fell pretty much apart, spectacularly. I kept moving forward and I finished the race but it wasn't pretty. As I was climbing the last few hills and running whenever I could, just for morale's sake really b/c I don't know if it was any faster really than walking, I was trying to figure out how I could use my upper body to assist my tired and cramping lower body. Crawling? Envisioning a magical rope that I could grab onto and pull? At least this entertained and distracted me for a few minutes. I thought momentarily about cougars and how if one decided to jump in front of me that moment my fatigue was so great, I'd just lie down and say "buddy, I hope you like salt."

But there is always a little more in the tank than you think. Rounding the last uphill corner the race photographer encouraged me to "put on the gas for a picture!" And you know, I did. And then there was the finishing 50. Can't walk there. So I didn't. But sprinting to catch the girl in front of me? Not quite enough gas for that and she looked really young so not in my age group anyway :-P

Finished in 1:46 which strangely enough is just about what I estimated on my race entry form. The ankle and hip flexor held up and I seem to have found the energy to write this blog. Its nice to be back doing a little something competitive and challenging. Only 3 months ago I was probably in some of the worst shape of my life, running only 3 miles at a time and slow ones at that so I can't complain about today. It was a good day out :-)

Goals.

Its been awhile since Greg and I have had any fun, personal goals. And while I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, somehow this year the turn of the year got me thinking about making some changes. I decided I needed some good, old fashioned friendly competition and challenge back in my life, even if it is just a competition with myself. Bike racing is out....way too time consuming. Triathlon? similar problem. Skiing? No snow. But there is always good old running....all you need is shoes, a sports bra (and in my case, an ankle brace) and a road, or better yet, a trail.

I'm not a particularly good runner, particularly lately (meaning the last two years) but that made taking on a new running challenge even more appealing.  So I found an Xterra series trail race with 2 race options: 6K or 16K. Took me a few minutes and I pressed 'register' for the 16K. Bold move for a woman who hadn't run more than 5K in about 2 years!

Now the race is 2 weeks away and I have done the distance X1, thanks in large part to the fortuitous meeting of a great training partner. Hoping for X2 this weekend before I start my "taper" (aka we're going to Hawaii so I really don't want to have to work too hard while on vacation!) But, I'm excited. The injuries are manageable, my attitude is good and now all I need is a cool, cloudy morning.

http://www.trailrace.com/blackmtn.html

Greg has also signed up for his own little challenge race. http://navylifesw.com/bridgerun/

Its a little shorter than my event but he's in it for speed. He's recruited the "fastest guys at work" and they're pooling their results and hoping for a win, or close. He's so serious about it that we're not making his event kid-friendly this time around. The last race he did involved pushing the jog stroller but this time he'll be leaving it at home.

Stay tuned for some race reports :-)

This one's for you...

After some very gentle and loving pressure from my dear mom and dear hubby, I actually planned (and carried out) a trip away by myself, sans kidlets. Scheduling was such that it worked out for me to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends at a conference in Banff. This particular friend is also one of our most loyal blog followers so I am dedicating this post to Shannon. I know she'll read it :-)

A little logistical finangling also meant that I was able to visit Mike and Aynsley at their vacation home in Montana, see my Dad who happened to be there, as well as a lovely and unexpected visit with friends Bill & Nancy. I managed a fly by in Calgary where I had a great but short visit with dear friends there too. Oh, and a touch and go in Fernie to see Colleen and Gary (that one was even too short to be called a fly by!) Not too bad for a 7 night trip and this might explain why I felt pretty tired when I got home!

It was all lined up and worked out like a jigsaw puzzle and it all seemed like a great idea until it was time to leave. I think of all the involved parties (that would be Kai, Teia, Greg, Mom and me), I was definitely the most frantic and slightly panicked about the whole thing. It probably didn't help that Kai hurt his foot 2 days before I was scheduled to leave and was still limping pretty badly on Departure Day.

I had to be patient and understanding with myself, after all I hadn't been away from my little blondies for more a few hours in 6 years. So I withstood the feeling that I really shouldn't get on that plane, b/c then for sure something bad was bound to happen, and I did it. I flew far, far away. Thanks to skype, text messaging and the old fashioned phone I was able to keep tabs (I mean, stay in touch) with everyone while I was away.

Turns out I was pretty good at being just little ol' me again and had a really great time. I did some of my favorite things: skiing, running, eating at funky cafes with interesting menus and yummy chai tea, shopping for pottery, breathing in the wilderness, and just hanging out and catching up.

My breakfast view at the Banff Center.

Mike and I at Whitefish. Ya, I know, Jesus is there too. 

And here I go!

Can't wait to take the family to Whitefish, particularly Kai. He will love the train stuff that is everywhere, even themed cafes!

There was a little something for Greg there too. Can't wait to see his face when he actually drinks one of these..... (If you don't know which one, you don't know Greg). Hint - nutella is its own food group in our house and low quantities necessitate late night emergency grocery store runs. 

Things got a little exciting when our 5 hr drive from Whitefish to Calgary turned into an 8 hr trip thanks to a blizzard and a flat tire, particularly when Mike's overstuffed Audi had no room for the tire once we had the spare on.

Yep - me, Aynsley, Macy and a tire all in the back of a small Audi. But it was all good. Aynsley is just happy we're moving again and onto Tim Horton's. I ordered the mandatory box of Timbits. And why mess around and fight over the chocolate ones when you're in a blizzard sitting beside a tire. 

Shannon and I had our own adventures in Banff. Turns out the snow wasn't finished yet and we happened to have rented just about the least snow worthy vehicle west of Saskatoon. The Ford Fiesta was all good unless we encountered snow + any incline of any sort,  even if not visible to the naked eye. That equation equalled slipping and sliding and Louise pushing. But we managed to get where we needed to go, spinning tires aside. And after all isn't that just part of the Canadian winter experience? Kinda like skiing, hockey and block heaters. 

We had a great time hanging out, eating out, skiing, talking and talking and talking. We talked so much we left the ski rental place without our skis (and that'll surprise no one who knows us). But at least we didn't drive all the way to the trailhead before we realized our mistake. Silly girls. 

I had a great time. So great in fact that I think Greg is a little worried I'll want to do it again soon. But it was so good to come home, particularly to sweet little faces with happy smiles. Watching Teia skip into the airport to pick me up and getting a card from Kai, made especially for me, was probably my trip highlight. I can't say it enough....Thanks Mom and Greg xo

San Diego Snow Day

Greg and I keep getting foiled in our attempts to go for a "real" mountain bike ride together. We've managed one since moving to SD. This past weekend, we had snow to blame - Not quite the Snowmaggedon the East Coast experienced but a fair bit of snow for SD county. Truth be known, the snow was about an hour East of the city and above about 3000 feet so not really in San Diego at all.

12 inches of snow was reported for Mt Laguna so we unpacked our cycling gear and decided to pull out our ski stuff. Greg was a bit apprehensive about this whole plan, particularly when we learned 30 minutes before our sitter was due to arrive that we'd need chains for the car.

Luckily some friends had chains so we were able to embark on our last minute snow adventure. Said chains came in mighty handy when we were pulled over by the CHP to make sure we had them. The officer strongly recommended that we put them on. At that point the road was completely clear so we took our chances and pressed on.

This was about as bad as it got. Pretty typical winter driving conditions, not particularly chain-worthy. On the way back down a few hours later, the temps had warmed up the ice to slush and there wasn't even much of that. But partway down the mountain there were the State Troopers pulling everyone over and herding them off into parking lots on each side of the road so they could chain up. No kidding, there must have been 70 to 100 cars all struggling to get their chains on so they could drive on pavement. I should have taken a photo of that! 

It was pretty busy once we got up there with every chain-owning San Diegan snow lover out for some sledding. With our skis in hand we crossed over to the quiet side and pretty much had the Laguna meadow to ourselves. 

We discovered that Torrey Pines are really beautiful all covered in ice and snow.

We had a really great time and enjoyed our little reunion with winter, even if I am still feeling guilty that we didn't take the kids!

BIG girl bed!

We have kept Teia in a crib much longer than we expected. There was no reason to move her out. She hadn't climbed out (except for attempts during the odd temper tantrum), she was sleeping well and whenever we mentioned it, she'd say "I like my crib." And she still fit it, despite being really tall for her age. But right before Christmas Teia announced she was ready for a big girl bed. We decided a big girl bed and Christmas Eve might not be a great combination so we told her to wait, for just a few more days.

So right after Christmas, Teia, Grandma and Mommy set off to get some bedding for the big transition. Mommy had found some cute woodland animal bedding to match the animals on her wall and thought that might be just perfect. But once Teia spotted the horsey sheets, that was it. I checked in with her a few times, "are you sure these are the ones you want? Do you want to look at any others?" She chanted her reply "horseys, horseys, horseys." Horseys it is.

She was pleased as punch.

It has gone really well. We have only found her asleep on the floor once and she has never needed her "crash mat," unlike Kai who ended up on it quite a few times. It didn't take her long to figure out that this bed allowed her total freedom. So instead of lying in it when she wakes up hollering for someone to get her up which was her usual custom, she opens up the door and either goes in and wakes Kai up or comes into our room. Naps have become a little more challenging b/c she now has the option to play, or raid her bookshelf and "read" in bed, or just leave. 

I do think there is something to be said for waiting until a kiddo is ready for a big transition like this. We patted ourselves on the back that this was a cinch b/c Teia told us when she was ready. A few days later we felt even better about ourselves when she announced before bed that she was a big girl now and no longer needed her susu. But our self-congratulations were short-lived, PSYCH - she wanted that susu back the very next night.