Running Routes

If the weather is even remotely tolerable, there's a good chance you'll find Drew & Jackson somewhere in the neighborhood tossing around a ball.  This fall it was all about football.  The boys were almost always in the front yard, across the street in the green belt or next door at the swimming pool playing football.

On this particular day, Drew was teaching Jackson a three-step drop and I'll be darned if the little dude didn't have it mastered.  Since this video was taken he's perfected his passing skills and throws a perfect spiral nearly every time, but I still love this video of a typical day in the life of the boys in my house.  And I especially love Jack's little "hut" as he snaps the ball.

Jackson Rides a Bike

Sometime last summer, back when we were still living in Castle Rock, Jackson requested that we take the training wheels off Travis.  Travis Michaelson that is.  Because every child gives his bike a first and last name right?  We obliged, took a few obligatory photos and  a video or two and let him roll.

It was a valiant effort, but not particularly successful.  It was only a few days before he wanted the wheels back, but we insisted that they were off for good and he needed to learn to ride without them.  As a result, the bike sat untouched for nearly three months.

On occasion Drew or I would suggest that he give the bike another try but Jack was completely uninterested.

One day in late October while taking Ruby for a quick walk after school Jackson asked if he could ride Travis.  He was worried that Travis was getting a little lonely hanging in the garage all by himself.  (And I imagine the twin 6-year-old girls next door who rode their bikes - without training wheels - had a little to do with it as well.)  It was the first time Jack had expressed an unprompted interest in his bike since the training wheels came off so I seized the moment.  I spent the rest of our walk explaining to him how easy it was going to be for him to ride on two wheels.  I told him it was all about keeping your balance and looking straight ahead while your legs did all the work.  I reminded him what a good athlete he is and that he is very strong so it was going to be a piece of cake for him.  By the time we got back to the house he was pumped up and ready to go.

Drew was still at work, but I decided to keep going while we had this momentum.  We walked across the street where there is a nice wide sidewalk through a green belt area.  I held on to the back of his seat while Jack got his balance.  Then I gave him a little push and let go.

I'm not sure which of us was more surprised when he pedaled away as though he'd been riding forever.

No running behind and holding the seat.  No crashes and skinned knees.  No lesson from Dad, a former cyclist himself.  I like to think my pep talk had a little to do with his instant success, but more than anything I think he was just ready.  We were both pretty proud to show off his new skills when Drew pulled down the street and witnessed the little cyclist in action.

Since then Travis has been replaced with Travis 2 thanks to Grump, the avid cyclist who always seems to have the next size bike ready and waiting for the grandchildren.  Jackson has been on countless bike rides, including a 6 mile trek on the river trails when Gram & Grump visited over Thanksgiving.  There were also a couple of helmets under the Christmas tree this year so now the whole family is ready to hit the trails once the weather warms up.

And just like that, Jackson Rides a Bike!

It's Official...I'm a Soccer Mom

First, let it be known that my husband hates soccer.  I'm not sure when or why this hatred developed, but it may very well be his least favorite sport of all time.  I could go on, but suffice it to say, he's not a fan.

Jackson, on the other hand, loves anything and everything that involves balls and sticks - including soccer - and has been playing sports (from golf to basketball to baseball to football) with his Dad since he learned to walk.  This is his mother talking, but the kid is athletic.  He can throw a spiral, hit a golf ball, run faster than most his age and has pretty awesome hand-eye coordination.  But we've never had him participate in any organized sports. We neglected to put him in soccer while living in Lawrence (see above). Tee Ball would have been an option this summer but since we were temporarily in Castle Rock, and somewhat unsure how long we would be there, we didn't pursue that either.  Once we got settled in Fort Collins getting him enrolled in some sort of fall sports was a top priority.

After some research, we decided that the programs the Parks & Rec Department offered were probably not the best fit.  They were mostly basic skills classes which we thought would be a little boring for Jack.  He's still a bit young for any football or basketball leagues and with tee ball season behind us the only real option at Jacks' age, much to his father's chagrin, is soccer.  Enter the Fort Collins Soccer Club.  

I discovered FCSC less than 1 week before the season's first game.  Based on the registration policies (teams are formed by geographic location on a first-come, first-served basis beginning in June and based on date and time of application, etc.) getting a spot less than a week before the season seemed like a long shot to say the least.  I'm pretty sure that's why Drew went along with it and we agreed to give them a call.  Long story short, while Jack's elementary school team was full there was one other team with a spot left (a private Catholic school in town) that happened to be using our neighborhood school as their practice facility.  He was in!

Reluctantly, Drew agreed that it would be great for Jack (although I think he secretly hopes that after playing it for a bit Jack will decide it's not his favorite either) and that very day we hit up the sporting goods store to buy shin guards, socks and a soccer ball.  

When Jackson learned we had found him a team he was absolutely overjoyed.

First Soccer Practice

Warming Up

Dribbling Drills

Flirting?  There's no flirting in soccer!

Go team!

I have to admit, soccer at this age is absolutely adorable.  One little girl declared, about 1.5 minutes into practice, "Coach...I think I'm done with soccer now."  A few minutes later 2 kids disappeared from the field to go pet a dog that was being walked in the park.  It's like herding cats.  And to top it off, Coach Chris let the kids vote on their team name this year.  The winner...Giraffes.

And so it begins.  Our calendar is now booked with soccer practice on Wednesdays and soccer games on Saturdays.  Jackson absolutely loves it.  He practices almost every night (at his own request) and despite knowing absolutely nothing about the game until last week, he's already getting the hang of it.

Drew and I laughed our way through the first game.  I should have kept a tally of how many times a coach or parent yelled "Wrong way!  Go the other way!"  There was a giant stuffed unicorn (or as Drew thought, a giant My Little Pony) in one of the goals to help the kids remember which was theirs.  There were snack breaks at halftime and following the game.  And while we were chuckling at being called Team Giraffes, our opponent was Team Mickey Mouse Club.  So there's that.

Pre-Game Warm Ups

Game Time!

Getting some pointers from Coach Chris.

Who knows if Jack will stick with it or not, but for now it's fun for all of us.  

Here's a video (from my phone - sorry for the poor quality) of the Giraffe's in action.  And yes, that's Drew, Mr. Anti-Soccer himself, you hear cheering in the background!

Swimming Lessons

Another June activity that I have yet to write about is Jackson's swimming lessons.  With a pool in the neighborhood at Mom & Dad's house and one less than 100 yards from our new house in Fort Collins some basic swimming skills are a must.  Plus, after not being a fan of the water as a toddler at all, Jack has finally taken an interest and we've been spending lots of time at the pool.

He no longer hesitates to dunk his head, jump in the water or pretend to swim.  But he always has floaties on his arms.  Without them he has absolutely no skills.  Enter Maggy and private swim lessons.

Maggy is a total sweetheart and Jack's first lesson was a huge success.  He tried everything she asked and did way more than I expected him to.

Unfortunately, he went backwards from there.

While he never threw a total fit and always went through the motions of lessons, by the last one Maggy said she had done all she could with him until he got over his fears.  She was walking a very fine line of pushing him to his limits without scaring him away from the pool forever.  And she was stuck.  Turns out he has gotten way too dependent on those floaties.  As long as he is in shallow water where he can stand, he has absolutely no fear.  As soon as he gets to the deep end, he gets nervous and refuses to do any of the skills he is totally capable of doing.

As a result, we're taking a break from the private lessons for a few weeks to see if we can get him over his fear of the deep end on our own.  And the floaties have been retired.  No more safety net.  Hopefully we'll get him in a few more lessons before the summer is over, but for now we're just going to keep working on it on our own.

If you're looking for us...we'll be at the pool.

Taste of Fort Collins

As often as possible, we have been spending weekends in Fort Collins.  It gives us a chance to check on the house progress and get acquainted with our new hometown, gives Mom & Dad a break from our family of 3 plus the Labradiva living in their basement and, most importantly, gives Drew a break from making the dreadful commute back to Castle Rock every day.  Plus it's a super cool town and we always have a blast.  So when we heard that the annual Taste of Fort Collins was June 7-9 we marked the calendar, booked a hotel and headed up north.

Taste of Fort Collins is one of the biggest events of the summer in FoCo.  A 3-day festival featuring local food and beer, national bands and lots of other activities from a kid zone to eating contests to a craft fair.

We started the day by meeting some friends in nearby Windsor, CO where the fire station was having an open house.  One of our friends is a chief at that station and we knew the kids would love to see the equipment and hang out with the firemen.  From the kid-friendly obstacle course, to the firetrucks, ambulances and police cars to the free hot dog lunch to the jaws of life demonstration to the burning up of an old beater car it was a huge success.

A pause from the fire excitement to give Slapshot, the mascot for the Colorado Eagles hockey team, a five.

After all of the morning's excitement, we headed downtown to the festival where Jack and his buddy Brody (ironically wearing matching fedoras) worked up quite a sweat playing on all of the inflatable slides, bounce houses and obstacle courses.

Of course, we indulged on lots of delicious food (The Waffle Lab is quite possibly the most dangerous food truck we've ever encountered) and drank our fair share of local brews.  Even Jack recognized the logo for his Dad's new favorite by New Belgium.

Clearly, Fort Collins is well versed in the execution of an outdoor festival.  Despite crowds of over 30,000 people, the lines were extremely efficient, the bathrooms plentiful and even fairly clean and the trash/recycling readily available and never overflowing.  The meeting planner in me was more than impressed.

After pausing to listen to some live music for a bit, we decided to call it a day.  On our way back to the car, we walked through the kid zone again and despite being a bit timid earlier, Jackson asked to give the giant trampoline a try.  We were skeptical, but let him give it a shot.

He started slow, but got the hang of it pretty quickly and before we knew it he was quite the daredevil.

Cheers Fort Collins!  We can't wait to call you home.

Three Day Weekend

We need more of these in our lives!

It's safe to say our first official holiday as residents of Colorado was a success.  The perfect mix of food, friends, family and relaxation.  (Update:  Third holiday.  We were here for Easter, but it was moving weekend so I think I've permanently blocked it from my mind!  And Mother's Day doesn't really count because Jack & I were in Iowa most of the day.  Anyway...)

I should have known we were in for good things when I got a Facebook alert from Jack's school on Friday that the Kona Ice Truck would be on site that afternoon to help the kids kick off summer.  To add to the excitement, Nana & Papa made a surprise appearance.

Can't beat a sno cone with your grandparents on a hot Friday afternoon!

That evening we took advantage of living just a short walk from the Castle Pines Village and took a stroll (as Jack rode his bike) to Anthony's for pizza and pasta on the patio.  It's so awesome to be able to sit outside and eat with no bugs, no humidity and mountain views...I'm sure getting used to this!

The main event for the weekend was on Saturday.  Drew & Dad were playing in a golf tournament that morning while Mom & I took Jack to Epic (I give it 3 out of 5 stars), but then we had plans to head north to Fort Collins for the Realities Ride & Rally.  We were meeting friends in Old Town Square where bands, beer gardens, food vendors and fireworks were planned. 

Poor Drew has to endure the 90 mile trek up I-25 every day so spending another 3-4 hours on the road was not exactly high on his priority list, but he sucked it up for Jack & I and we were so grateful that he did.  We had a blast!

Jack & Brody climbing on the sculptures and making silly faces.

All the kiddos getting ready to bust a move.  (Gavin, Jack, Reagan, Brody, Riley)

Playing a tune.  Pianos are decorated by local artists and displayed all over town during the summer months.  Reminds me of the "Jayhawks on Parade" in Lawrence.

Big Buddies holding Little Buddies.

If this was the show for a weekend rally I can hardly wait to see the display on the 4th of July!

Sunday turned into a lazy day.  My Aunt Deb & Uncle Terry are recent transplants to Colorado as well so they were visiting for the day.  The guys played golf, girls went shopping and Jack & I baked cookies and made homemade ice cream.  We had planned on a sunset picnic in Daniel's Park that evening but the cloudy skies convinced us to postpone.  Plus, we were all pretty pooped and totally content just hanging out at home.

On Monday Mom & I took Jackson to the opening weekend pool party in the village. 

Turns out we have quite a little fish on our hands!  We've already been back once and Jackson is now officially signed up for private swim lessons.  With a pool walking distance away in Castle Rock and a stone's throw from our new house in Fort Collins I have a feeling we're going to log some serious hours at the pool this summer!

Somewhere in there we managed to fit in some laundry, grocery shopping and other chores.  As well as a bike ride, TV time and lounging around.  Pretty much perfect in my book.

If only there were another three day weekend on the horizon.

America the Beautiful

There's something about the mountains.

It's hard to describe the sense of peace and serenity they provoke.  Nature's reminder that we're really quite small in this big world.

I hope I never get used to their beauty.

Never take it for granted.

And never lose the feeling of joy and contentment they bring.

Pictures taken at Daniel's Park - less than 1 mile from Mom & Dad's house.  I need to hone my camera skills.  I'm not doing the mountains justice.

Couch to 5K - Color Run 2012

It started on a whim on September 5.  I'd been meaning to get back into a regular exercise routine for weeks, but a myriad of excuses were winning.  When I heard The Color Run was making a stop in Lawrence it was just the motivation I needed.  If I participated, not only was I making a financial commitment, but my pride was not going to let me make a fool of myself.  So I signed up.

Then I panicked.

I mean, I don't run.  At all.  Ever.  But The Color Run isn't just for runners.  In fact, it's not even a timed event.  They call it "The Happiest 5K on the Planet" for goodness sake.  Surely I could do that.  So I downloaded an app on my phone (MapMyWalk - highly recommend it), recruited a partner (Jackson) and started walking.  4 weeks and 20 walks later, we were ready for race day.

Team Elser

My very first race number...ever.

Guys, if you ever have a chance to participate in a Color Run, DO IT!  It was so much fun.  I mean...look at all these people!

I heard estimates of 7,000.  Literally lined up as far as you can see.

Drew joined us and served as cheerleader and photographer for Team Elser so we were able to get lots of great pics.



Our view at the starting line.



After the first color zone.  Jack got covered in yellow...and LOVED it!  You can see the yellow cloud behind us.

Coming out of the orange zone.

Almost done.  Jack and his stroller absorbed most of the color so I ended up staying relatively white.

Approaching the finish line!

Woo Hoo!  We did it!

The party zone at the finish line.  Color throws occur every 15 minutes.

Resulting in a rainbow clous of dust.

I'm so glad we did it.  I got to spend some quality time with Jackson leading up to the race as we walked every evening in preparation (the little guy rarely stops talking so I learned all sorts of things about his day), I finally got moving again after an inexcusably long hiatus, I tried something WAY outside of my comfort zone and had an absolute blast on race day.  As icing on the cake, I even finished the race at my quickest pace yet - despite having to maneuver all the traffic and slow to a near crawl through each color zone.

Such a fun day.  And now that I have my first 5K under my belt, it might not be my last!