So I Married a Triathlete...

...which required me to pack up the boys and the dog last Saturday morning after swimming lessons (Jonas didn't cry at all this time), and head up to Ben's one and only triathlon of the summer. (It is amazing how much a baby and a 2 year old can hinder one's training regimen.) First stop, Papa and JuJu's house to drop off Dixie. Then on to Chisago City to pick up the race packet. After driving the bike course so Ben could "mentally prepare," we checked into our hotel. We were on the 3rd floor, which was great because Jonas loves pushing the buttons and riding on the "alligator," much to the entertainment of other hotel patrons.

Sunday morning, we woke up at 5 am. Apparently, they assume all triathletes are morning people...no one accounted for their wives (or significant others. I was joined on the playground at 6 am by some triathlete-husbands and their small children.)

Jonas looks chipper at 6:15 am on the playground near the race start.

Here's Miles, not so chipper, snoozing in the stoller.

Still waiting at 7:30 am for Ben's wave to go.

Finally, 7:48am...Ben starts the 1/4 mile swim.

Now, 8:47 am, Ben is back from his 17.1 mile bike ride and entering the transition area.

8:53 am - Jonas and Miles appear to be patiently entertaining themselves. Of course, those of you who have ever had or spent even 5 minutes with small children know this is not the case. Good thing JuJu and Papa also came up to watch the race (and entertain kids.)

9:14 am - On the home stretch after the 3.1 mile run. Ben is easy to pick out from a distance since he is not exactly built like the majority of the triathletes (think tall and lanky).

9:23 am - Whew! He did it! He met his goal of doing it in less than 1 1/2 hours (final time 1:28.40).

9:41 am - The boys are somewhat delirious now after the 5 am wake-up. Jonas just keeps going down this slide (which, by the way, is one of the coolest slides I've ever seen.) And Miles remains happy as long as he can be held!!

By 11 am we were back at the hotel for early nap time. Which worked out well in the end, since Uncle Russ, Aunt Jenn, Noelle, and Joshua came up to spend the rest of the day with us at the beach! We had a great time!

Monday we spent the afternoon at the Children's Museum in St. Paul. We thought this picture would make Papa happy!! :)

Miles gets in on the action, too, playing at the "pond."

Mommy and Miles on the rooftop garden.

And then, back home. Because 3 days and 2 nights of "vacation" with a 5 month old and 2 year old are enough for even the triathletes among us!

Oxbow Park and Zoo

Today we took advantage of the pleasant weather and went to Oxbow Park and Zoo. We decided we needed to have some fun with Jonas, since he screamed through his entire swim lesson this morning. Jonas is always up for animals, so this 40 minute drive was well worth it!

Above...the river otters. Below, we gaze at the cow. Yes, a cow. See, Oxbow is all about Minnesota animals...and what says MN more than a cow??

Jonas tempts this goat with some clover picked from the OTHER side of the fence...

I've always been a bit fascinated by the American Bison (aka buffalo). I even did a project on them in grade school...took a trip to a bison farm (or ranch?) and everything! Much to my dismay, Jonas was not overly excited by them, and referred to them offhandedly as "cows."

Do we all look exhausted after our fun afternoon? This time, daddy was behind the camera. He got lots of pictures of the other MN animals - a wolf, bobcat, fox, bear, etc. But about 15 pictures of a turkey? Seriously? See Miles's expression below for a good estimation of my opinion of the turkey!

A Painter, A Beach Baby, and My Silly Boys

I think I've mentioned this before, but these summer days are just flying by! So here are a few recent highlights:

Seems like we rarely do indoor activities, but one day Jonas wanted to paint...clearly, he is into abstract art...and face painting...

So, at some point in my not-always-so-logical state of mommyhood, I purchased Miles this oh-so-cute swimsuit. Of course, we don't take him to the beach...or even to the pool...due my my paranoia of sunburn. And there must be a reason all of the sunscreens (even the "baby" ones) say not to apply until the baby is 6 months old (on August 29th he must magically become immune to toxic sunblock?)! So when Jonas is at the pool, Miles is carefully shaded and has absolutely no need for a swimsuit! But last week on a rainy day I realized that Miles is quickly growing OUT of his clothes, so I dressed him in this beach apparel anyway. Of course, I made him model it!

The best part is the profile... :)

Here is Miles during his typical dinnertime activity. Although he still relies on Mommy for all of his food, he likes to join us at the table for meals. Here it looks like he is enjoying this toy...but his favorite thing is just leaning over and gnawing on the edge of the highchair tray.

The boys (and Dixie) hanging out!

And finally, another video of my wild and crazy boys. This is one evening after bathtime. Jonas was dancing around his room like a maniac (naked, as usual, although I made this video PG) and Miles was laughing hysterically at him! I tried to catch some of the cute baby giggles on video, but as you will see, Jonas was not so impressed and wanted all eyes on himself!

Visiting Friends

Monday I took the boys to visit friends in Mason City. As we watched the "big boys" go down the slide and play in the pool and passed around the crying 4 month-old and 4 week-old, we marveled at how much our lives have changed since we met in college! Someday, we imagined, we would be going out for margaritas again. Then, we were brought back to real life to remind our 2 year-olds to share or to feed a complaining baby...

We had lots of fun, though. See the evidence below...

Apparently, staying home all day with a 2 year-old and a newborn has made my friend Katie throw caution to the wind...I bet the slide in the pool provides HOURS of fun!

Miles decided against traditional styles of stroller-sitting.

New baby Kayla gets her beauty rest.

Miles loved being one of "the boys." Jonas was overwhelmed with Logan's awesome train table!

And here is a new video for my nieces to watch over and over...and over and over!!