The Family Who Triathlons Together, Stays Together

A couple weeks ago we made our annual trip over to Lake Chelan for the annual ChelanMan event.  This has become one of our favorite annual family traditions. We are pretty sure that James has participated in the annual tradition 6 years in a row (I've only missed one of those years for a wedding I was attending out of town).  And now the event has become an entire family affair!

First of all, Lake Chelan is by far one of our favorite places as a family.  It feels like true summer when you're there (if there's no smoke from wildfires).  It's beautiful, warm, lots of fun things to do and the lake itself is just so clean and refreshing.  There's truly nothing like that lake.  And now we've been there enough times that we have our favorite restaurants, activities, etc. that we like to do every time.

The other fun thing about the annual ChelanMan trip is it brings us back together in sort of mini-reunion style with our friends/community from Eastlake Church.  We don't really see each other during the year, but without fail the group makes it to ChelanMan every year.  Even people who aren't competing in the race still come back just to all be together.  Instead of renting a big house this year like we usually do, we basically all took over the Lake Chelan Motel.  A darling little place just 2 blocks from the race location (no parking drama this year yay!) with a major bonus--a pool!  We've never had a pool before and it was a game changer.  It was so nice to just hang out at the pool and have an activity for the kids.  We had a room without a kitchen which was a little tricky, but we've already booked the place for next year and made sure to get a kitchen. ;)  It was so so nice being walking distance from the park where the ChelanMan is held.

James did the Olympic triathlon on Saturday and did awesome.  He came in at around 3 hours, 10 minutes and felt strong and good.  The weather wasn't terribly hot either--it was a gorgeous day.  We celebrated afterwards by hanging out in the pool all afternoon and then had a pizza dinner at a rented house that one of the families stayed at.

My Sprint triathlon was on Sunday (always hard having to go the next day--builds up the nerves too much!).  Except for a challenging swim this year, I had a really good race.  I got overwhelmed in my swim and couldn't catch my breath.  It took me awhile to get in my groove.  I finally did and made up some time, but man I felt like the swim would never end.  The bike part was great--that's always  my favorite.  And I only stopped once to walk during the run!  I came in under 2 hours (1 hour and 50 minutes I think) which is always my goal so that felt good.

Of course we couldn't leave out the boys!  ChelanMan has a great Splash n Dash kids triathlon to wrap up the event weekend.  This is the third year Nate has done it and second year for Cam.  They did terrific!  They basically "walked" the swim part through the shallow water.  But then both were super fast on their bike and run.  They did great!

We spent the rest of the day at Slidewaters--the wonderful waterslide park in Chelan.  It was the best thing we could have done because it kept our bodies moving and it was refreshing to be in the cool water all day.  And this year we decided to stay an extra night--another fabulous idea so we could just enjoy time as a family and relax.  We went to the Lakeview Drive-In for dinner and then played in the pool again the next morning.  It was a fantastic weekend and not long enough.  Can't wait to go back to Chelan again!

10 Year Anniversary

10 years ago on May 24, 2009, James and I said "I Do" in front of all our favorite people in the world and started on our marriage journey.  On one hand it feels like it was just yesterday that we were dating, planning our wedding, living in Seattle, and getting ready to do life together.  And at the same time I look back on all that has happened in these 10 years: buying a house, having 2 kids, traveling, developing our careers, growing our little community in Snoqualmie, etc.  It's been a full, rich, challenging (in a good way) and happy time--definitely the best decade of my life.  One of my anniversary gifts to James was a word art piece that took over 150 words/phrases that meant something to us or signified a memory and the artist put them all together to form the number 10.  It was such a fun and overwhelming exercise to think back on all that has happened and all that these 10 years have meant to us and try to capture them in words.  I am so grateful for the gift of an incredibly loving and fun partner who so understands me and accepts me. And grateful for this life we've been gifted and have worked together to create. 

To celebrate our anniversary we decided to travel to one of our favorite cities again--Victoria, BC.  We also traveled there for our 5 year anniversary.  We love it because it's just far enough away to feel like a real getaway and it has such a great European vibe to it.  This time around we decided we just really love the Canadian culture and people.  Everyone is very friendly, laid back, and polite.  It was a nice break from the Seattle city intensity and "keep to yourself" mentality that we sometimes feel. 

We took the ferry up to Sidney, BC from Anacortes, WA which is actually one of our favorite parts of the trip. It takes awhile, but it's so beautiful and relaxing.  Random puzzles and games are left on the tables around the ferry and we got hooked on a puzzle that we almost finished.  I can't remember the last time I worked on a big puzzle!

We stayed at one of our favorite places--Abigail's.  It's a sweet little historical inn in the middle of the city (it's walkable to pretty much everywhere).  After checking in and resting a bit, we ventured out to walk the city and explore since the weather was so nice.

Upon returning, Abigail's had their daily happy hour snacks out and we grabbed one of the bottles of wine we brought.  Just as we were about to sit down, I recognized some people in the lobby.  It was Carol and Paul Abodeely, DeeDee's parents!  DeeDee has been a dear friend since childhood and so Carol and Paul feel like second parents (as do many of my childhood friends' parents).  They were randomly staying at Abigail's too and just enjoying a long weekend in the city like us.  They joined us for appetizers and we had a wonderful conversation.  It was not lost on me that we had this serendipitous moment with a couple who has been happily married for a long time and truly enjoys life. Definitely a God moment. They are wonderful role models for us.  We saw them throughout the weekend which was nice--such kind and loving people. 

One of the highlights of our weekend was a long bike ride.  We brought our bikes up with us because we're training for ChelanMan.  I had no idea Victoria was such a bike friendly city.  Lots of trails, bike lanes, etc.  I guess many people commute by bike.  We went along the Galloping Goose and Lochside Trails up north, took a short lunch break in Oak Bay and then rode back along the coast.  It was beautiful and such a fun ride.  I think we'll definitely do that again in the future!

Other highlights included visiting a new neighborhood area called Cook Village and eating at the yummy Pizzeria Prima Strada, an anniversary dinner at our favorite restaurant Il Terrazzo, an afternoon stroll through Butchart Gardens (and a fun ride on the most beautiful carousel), seeing the "Biggest Little Farm" movie in the theater, eating dinner at the bar and meeting new Canadian friends at Fiamo's, and the delicious breakfasts every morning at our hotel.  The biggest highlight for me aside from quality time with James was he surprised me and gave me a diamond band to add to my engagement ring and wedding band.  So sneaky!  It took my breath away. 

It was just the trip we needed after a busy winter season and just the right trip to celebrate 10 amazing years.  Plus there was a bonus--our puzzle was still there on our way back on the ferry and we were able to finish it!  Looking forward to seeing what the next 10 years brings!

Nathan's 7th Birthday

I think I've said it before but more and more I'm realizing the old adage is true: when you are a parent, the days are long and the years are short.  How in the world Nathan is already 7 is beyond me.  This such a fun age, but I also am feeling the need to stop time because it's just flying by. 

We celebrated his birthday a couple weeks ago with a fun Art Party.  He invited 6 of his friends along with his brother to do a painting party at Color Me Mine.  What a wonderful party idea.  The Color Me Mine Studio in Snoqualmie did such a nice job.  They have a separate little party area with a long table.  Their staff was so friendly and helped the kids the entire time with their creations.  Each kiddo got to pick one item to paint.  It was such a calm party too because everyone was enthralled in their project.  Plus what a nice favor to take home!  After painting, we enjoyed the beautiful, creative and delicious cake made by Grampa. 

Earlier in the day we had family over to enjoy lunch and Nathan got to open his presents.  It was a really nice, low key, fun day. 

Amazing cake made by Grampa!

Laila joined the party too!

For Nathan's actual birthday on May 10, we went out to dinner as a family to Chipotle and then enjoyed some Baskin Robbins ice cream. 

Nathan's favorite gifts this year were Zoobs (building set), Legos (of course), a make your own comic book set, a build your own birdhouse set, Pokemon cards, and a movie gift card.  He's definitely much more into gifts that allow him to be creative or that involve art which is fun.

Here are aspects about Nathan at 7 years old we don't want to forget:

• He is an extremely creative kid: always building things, drawing, making things, setting up forts or imaginary situations, etc.
• He has a true love for learning and enjoys school.  He's constantly bringing things home from school or talking about things at school that's he loving learning about
• Nathan plays well with his brother--involves him in his plans or imaginary scenarios, shows him how to do things and appreciates his companionship (although there are lots of conflicting times too ;))
• Nathan can fully read now!  He's getting more into chapter books such as Magic Treehouse, Magic School Bus, Andrew Lost, etc. and he still likes being read to.  Lately we've been reading James and the Giant Peach and Harry Potter
• Nathan constantly says he wants to be a scientist when he grows up.  We wouldn't be surprised.  He loves all things science: animals, plants, weather, earth, experiments, etc.  And he has an uncanny memory--he retains tons of information and loves to teach us what he knows.  
• We are definitely at the age where Nathan is sometimes crafty and tricky and experimenting with lying.  So we as parents are at a new stage of trying to navigate discipline and character development in a slightly different way than when our kids were little.  It's definitely not terrible and our kids are really good in general, but we're definitely more in the character building territory of parenting now.  
• It's fun to see Nathan get more coordinated and active.  He's swimming more on his own, loves riding his bike all over, improved a lot this past season in skiing and is getting more into sports such as soccer and flag football.  And man that boy is fast!
• Luckily even though he is now 7, he still loves and appreciates lots of snuggle time.  In his classroom presentation on family day this year, he said his family is a superhero family because we like to snuggle.  Melts my heart that that is so important to him and stands out to him.  
• He has started learning the piano!  He started lessons a couple months ago and it's been fun to watch him learn yet another skill.  It's so nice to have regular music playing in the house too.  
• Nathan is still very social and his friends are very important to him.  We're grateful he has some really kind, thoughtful, and interesting friends at school.  They build each other up and like to just have fun and play at recess.
• One of the things I love most about Nathan is he is utterly comfortable in his own skin.  He has great self awareness and likes just being who he is.  Even if other kids tease him, he just laughs it off and doesn't let it get to him.  Although I know it will be challenging in the adolescent years, I pray he can keep a lot of this trait as he gets older.  

Each year is fun and challenging in new ways.  Loving this parenting journey and grateful to witness these little lives as they grow.

New Sports

This spring the boys have tried some new sports that they've never done before and it's been really fun!  I have found a true joy in watching my kids try something new, bond with teammates, and ultimately have fun playing.  Plus watching little kids learn and play sports is just pure entertainment.  I think we take for granted to that we just know and understand the rules of sports like baseball and football.  But when you think it about it it took years of watching and playing to fully grasp all the aspects.  So no wonder Cameron ran to second base after hitting the ball in T-Ball.  So much more efficient!  Why run to first when you can just go straight across the field to second?   :)

This spring Nathan wanted to try Flag Football for the first time.  When he heard it was kind of similar to soccer which he did in the fall, and because he loves watching football with Papa, he was totally excited to try Flag Football.  We're doing the sport through the i9 Sports organization which has been very organized and well run.  Plus both practices and games happen only on Sunday which gives us one less thing to manage during the week.  Also, every week the boys play on the nice turf field at Mt. Si High School which is bonus close to our house.  Nathan knows many of the boys on his team because they attend Snoqualmie Elementary School too which has instantly helped him feel more comfortable and have a lot of fun. 

Flag Football is really fun to watch.  The coach has to set up every play because truly the boys really have no idea what they're doing.  But once they hand off the ball to someone, they know they need to run as fast as they can to try and get down the field for a touchdown.  And there's been some really good runs including from Nathan.  Passing and throwing is still a challenge, but totally understandable since they're 6 & 7 and don't quite have all their coordination yet.  Our coaches have been great--very fun and patient.  Nathan has also done quite well on defense.  He's fast and has stopped numerous runs by the other team grabbing the opponent's flag.  Nathan's team name is the Wildcats appropriately named after our high school mascot.

Cameron's new sport this spring has been T-Ball!  We found out that he could start even though he's not officially 5 yet which made him so excited.  He's been wanting to start sports for a long time.  He's on a co-ed team through the Snoqualmie Valley Little League program, also a very organized and well run organization.  We're spoiled with really good neighborhood sports leagues in our area.  The kids on his team are so cute.  Their team name is Team Flash!  He practiced for about half the season and then now twice a week they have games against other little T-Ball teams.  The games are hilarious and so cute.  Each team gets to go through their full batting lineup each inning.  There are technically no outs and there are only about 3-4 innings depending on how long the coaches want to play.  Most of the time the ball is hit and all the kids rush towards it at the same time--leaving their bases or positions so then whoever actually grabs the ball has no one to throw it too.  It's hilarious!  But they're happy and having a grand old time.  Cameron is naturally really good at throwing, is improving on his catching and is pretty good at batting.  I think he's just so cute in his little uniform!  He's made some good friends as well and we lucked out with really calm, positive coaches. 

Can't believe these boys are now old enough to be playing sports!  It's made for a really fun spring!  This summer they'll shift to swimming lessons and then both boys will play soccer in the fall.  Skiing in the winter.  :)

Maui 2019

Two years ago we took an amazing trip to Maui to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary and both of their 70th birthdays.  It was such a good trip--one that we couldn't stop talking about even a couple years later.  So when my parents suggested that we travel there together again, of course we jumped at the idea!  Plus, we were excited about the idea of doing a trip all together again so our boys might remember it better since they're older.  I don't think Cameron remembered the first trip because he was only 2 years old.

It was such a wonderful trip again. In fact it was one of the best trips to Hawaii I've ever had.  Of course we did such fun activities and made wonderful memories.  But one of the reasons it was one of the best trips for me was because I was able to be much more present, relaxed and intentional about my time on the trip.  I really focused on soaking up time with my kids, slowing down, and doing what I really wanted to do in the moment--not thinking about what activity was next. The result was a really rejuvenating week and a half.  And really great quality time with my family. The only bummer of the week was that Ryan, Carly and Laila weren't able to join us.  When we planned the trip, they weren't sure if they'd be ready or able to travel that far with Laila yet.  We missed them and we're already talking about doing a trip again in a couple years if possible.

Here are some of our favorite activities and moments from the trip:

Traditional first night meal at Hula Grill

Beautiful view from our room

Yummy dinner at Leilani's

Pops had hula pie twice on the trip!

Kid yoga session while waiting for dinner

Another pretty view

Lots of fun pool time

Nathan swam without floaties!

Cam got much more comfortable in the water too!

Nathan finally rode the water slide!

Fun day at the aquarium and the beach in Kihei

Jungle walk to Honolua Bay

Largest avocado we've ever eaten!

Lots of Go Fish card playing

Lots of beautiful beach time

And sandcastle building

The huge banyan tree in Lahaina

Date night to our most favorite restaurant Lahaina Grill

Lots of fun brother time

Lots of incredible sunsets

Our last night and wonderful dinner at Duke's

Favorite photo from the trip

Aloha!  Can we go back??