RAZ-ma-taz

so long kindergarten...

i can't believe that summer has officially arrived. the girls have been out of school for 1 week now and our lives continue at the same pace as before: hectic! ryan is on a swim team so she has to be at the pool every morning for practice at 8am so wake up time is close to the same as it would be if she were waking up for school. and poor cooper gets dragged along so things for her are pretty status quo as well.

ryan wrapped kindergarten up with a bang. she was awarded an achievement award, a science award and the 2nd top reader award out of all the kindergarten classes at the school (approx. 75 kids or so). evidently that award was reading comprehension test score based. to say that we're proud of her is an understatament. we knew that she was smart but wasn't sure how she was going to apply it in a schooling environment. so far, she's killing it and her appetite for learning has grown 10 fold. hopefully 1st grade will be just as exciting for her and i would imagine that being part of the discovery program will definitely keep her busy/challenged. she had a really hard time saying good bye to her teacher. she absolutely adores mrs. castello who has decided to take a new position at a different school closer to her home. ryan was very emotional and i imagine will not soon forget her kindergarten year.

this was one of ryan's journal entries from earlier this year...

picture she drew/wrote about "professions" earlier in the school year (before she learned how to spell ; ) that was hanging on the wall outside of her classroom:

 

author's tea

ryan's kindergarten teacher hosted an "author's tea" in their classroom last friday. each kid journaled all year and in the last month or so they all wrote and illustrated 3 short stories. then they got to choose their favorite to read aloud/share with their classmates and parents. there was cookies and pb&j sandwiches with juice (you know, typical tea fare) and each kid went to the front of the room and sat in the rocking chair to share their story. it was so adorable to watch and ry absolutely rocked it.

 

a teenager!

mel and i celebrated our 13th anniversary today. we did usual monday stuff because the reality of where we are in our lives right now gave us no other choice but we took the kids for frozen yogurt after dinner as a "special celebratory treat". 

while the crazy pace of our lives right now can be trying at times, i don't want to wish us on to the next phase. life has it's own way of going plenty fast. i do however look forward to a time when things are less hectic and we're better able to manage all that we have.

when i'm at the gym and see old couples strolling around the machines or pool, i fantasize about you and i starting our days similarly. you know, to give us a destination, a purpose of sorts to get up and get moving in the morning. ; ) if i had the opportunity to pick any human in all of the universe to share my life with for all of eternity it would be you. there is no better yin for my yang. you're perfect for me in every way and i love you more than you'll ever know...   

perfection

when i fantasized about being a parent, long before becoming one, a day like today is the kind that i pictured. at 10 this morning, we headed to the trails for a hike with our favorite boys. the day was gorgeous and everyone was well rested. the kids had a ball hiking through the woods and enjoyed stopping at all of the usual places where they searched for critters. they found tons of newts and frogs, some of their favorite things. we took our time and wound up spending a couple of hours in the woods. then we ventured over to the playground area and spent another hour picnicing. 

we headed home around 1 and decided to let the kids stay outside to play in the water before their baths since they were pretty filthy. melanie got their bathing suits on and set up the pool and water table while i made her and i lunch to enjoy on the new furniture out back. the kids played and squealed while we talked and lounged. when they started getting bored, i suggested that they go bounce and slip around on the trampoline. mel turned on the sprinklers and they had a ball. they jumped and dove and slid all around for a good 30 mins.

we pulled them in around 3:30 after they were sufficiently exhausted and gave them baths. we played for a bit and then ventured out back again for dinner to wrap up our day. we had a really great day. we over did it yesterday so it was nice to get back to basics today.

*not mentioned of course is all of the bickering because i wanted to focus on the beauty of the day but i'd be remiss not to document how incredibly annoying the girls are being to each other right now...

 

mother's day

here's the obligatory mother's day post because i'd be remiss not to document this fine hallmark holiday... it was actually a very low key weekend for us for a change. between cooper having a high fever and monsoon rain storms we had very little choice but to hang low. nothing like a random sickness out of the blue to slow ya down! there was lots of playing and tv watching and everyone seemed very satisfied with the change of pace. i ventured out in the afternoon and met a friend for a trail run. it was my first time and it was awesome! it drizzled on and off which wasn't so bad but toward the end the skies opened up. i felt like a kid running through the woods and then home in the pouring rain, kinda fun. hoping to do that again this weekend minus the rain part ideally. we saw a fox run out when we arrived being chased by two labs, never a dull moment!

ryan made us an awesome piece of art. then melanie did some shopping and found a small patio set that looked like it would fit onto our back deck nicely so we have some comfy furniture for lots of spring and summer time picnics out back.

picnic time!!

little bouncin' after dinner! (can you see ry in mid air on the tramp?)

 

discovery!

ryan was accepted into the discovery/gifted program at her school for next year (and all of her schooling thereafter so long as she remains in the public school system here) and we're ecstatic. they don't normally test until 1st grade but they pick a handful of kindergartners based on teacher recommendations. we're unsure how many kids were accepted but based on the results of her evaluation, she got in with flying colors. we've been very conflicted about whether to send her to public or private school and it seems that at every turn we're getting validation that she's right where she's supposed to be!!

because inquiring minds want to know...

i decided that i needed to write about our journey while i was running saturday morning. everywhere i go, i'm asked lots of questions about how much weight i've/we've lost over the last 9 months, how we've done it, what we eat, how much exercise we do, etc. everyone wants the magic formula. and the truth is, there is a magic formula, it's called commitment, determination, focus, and self control. i've lost 65 lbs. melanie has lost 25. when i think about the fact that we've shed a combined 90 lbs, it's shocking to me. i didn't realize how big i had gotten. sure, i saw myself in the mirror and in pictures but somehow i fooled myself into thinking it wasn't that bad. my plan was to lose 40 lbs. i didn't realize that i had 65 to lose. i've never been this small. this fit. i feel incredibly strong, and very proud of all that i've accomplished.

so i'll start at the beginning. we got back from miami at the end of july last summer and i decided that i needed to lose 20 lbs for my brother's wedding in october. i got off to a very slow start, i remember thinking several weeks into eating "healthier" that i wasn't losing any weight and i didn't understand why. i was pretty frustrated but i stayed on track for the most part because i was going to be in the wedding and needed to lose some weight to feel comfortable. at some point, the scale started moving and seeing results helped me to become more motivated. the more i lost, the harder i worked & the better food choices i made. the wedding rolled around and i had lost exactly 20 lbs. i was thrilled to have achieved my goal. i also had great momentum at that point and so when i returned home i set my goal at 20 more. that seemed like a realistic # that i could manage and maintain. at some point i started running intervals during my walks because i was bored and looking to speed things up. i wasn't able to run fast or far but i continued to push myself and made some pretty significant improvements over the next couple of weeks. at some point i registered for a 5K the first weekend in december for the salvation army and when the race started i made a pact with myself that i was going to run the whole thing with no walking intervals. i had never done that before. i thought i might die but i did it. it felt so awesome and i felt the most incredible sense of achievement. i knew then that there would be more races in my future.

i ramped up the running and cross training. i also started eating even healthier than ever. melanie has always been the chef in our family though prior to this journey, we ate out a lot more frequently than we ate in. during this shift, i realized that i needed the structure and control of eating at home so melanie scowered the internet for recipes constantly to keep it interesting. she came up with some amazing dishes that included different "super foods" (quinoa, chia seeds, etc), low fat, low carb. i also decided to go back to eating vegetarian at some point during this time because meat grossed me out and i wanted to keep her guessing. nothing seemed to phase her. she was happy to cook and eat super healthy despite not having nearly the same weight loss interest/need. sometime around christ.mas i decided to register for a half marathon in march and that's when i decided this running thing was the real deal. because running is so hard on the joints, i only do it 3 times/week and spend the other days in the pool or on the yoga mat. i have an awesome rhythm and could not be happier with the new me. melanie caught the running bug in the last month or so and started some training of her own. she and ryan are registered for their first 5K this saturday and i couldn't be more thrilled. cooper and i will run with them for support (i'll push cooper in the stroller). i've been researching half marathons because i'd like to get one on the calendar for the fall so that i have something to "train for", a purpose of sorts for my runs. then i intend to run the dis.ney princess in feb if i can get in.

i've lost a lot of weight and there was no "diet", no surgery, no pills, no nothing but sheer grit and determination. truth be told, i'm scared to death about how to live "normally" now without gaining it back. i've gotten good at losing it, i haven't quite figured out how to maintain it. i have no more weight to lose. it's shocking to me that i've arrived but i am very small and it would be unhealthy for me to lose anymore. i'm afraid to eat more because i know my triggers. i guess it's like any other addiction, the problem is we need food to live unlike other addictions that need to be avoided entirely. so my new journey will now involve integrating some things back moderately to learn how to manage. we went to an open house at cooper's school on friday night and it was really fun being dubbed "the incredible shrinking couple" by the mom of one of cooper's friends. i was approached by several different people who wanted me to be their coach/trainer/weight loss confidant. it's flattering, but unfortunately there's no magic, just a whole lot of hard work, but work that is well worth the committment!! i'm looking forward to seeing where else this journey takes us... i've enjoyed the ride so far more than anyting else that i've ever taken on in my life other than making my girls!!

it was a sizzler!!

damn, it's hot here!! we had another fun/hectic weekend and we spent a whole lot of time outside... we went on a hike friday at the forest after walking to the school to pick ryan up which she thoroughly enjoyed. we walk/jog to school a couple mornings a week typically but we rarely walk home in the afternoon because of how hectic our work is but both ry and cooper really enjoyed it so we're committed to doing it more often. while on our hike in the forest, we happened upon a mullberry tree that the kids proceeded to feast on.

<haha, will's expression after eating a particularly sour one!>

ryan found this incredibly huge leaf and in all of her cleverness decided to make a flag with it so found herself a stick to tie it to. i love how resourceful she is, totally opposite of me and she amazes me with each creative move she makes.

just a cute one of the babes!

then on saturday morning we went to the pre-school's annual earth day festival that was awesome (but super hot out!) the girls did some exploring, some bouncing, some eating, some crafting and some socializing. then we headed home after 3 hours to re-charge for ryan's soccer game. she played pretty well despite being really hot, even scored a goal. we went out and had some sushi and then called it a night.

quick pit stop in our back yard revealed this:

girls were happy to eat the ripe ones before the critters out back got to them!

sunday morning ryan had sunday school and after lunch we headed out to tur.ner field for a brave's game. cooper wasn't entirely thrilled but ryan had a blast. in fact when we finally dragged her out in the bottom of the 8th inning, she made us promise that we'd be back for another game soon. we were planning to let them run the bases after the game but it dragged on entirely too long and we were over it. they did win so that was cool!

so back to the grind stone tomorrow. i have some extra client meetings in the early part of the week and then ryan starts a swim team tomorrow that will meet daily (gulp!) for the next couple of months. just when i thought that things couldn't get any busier...

 

fun-filled!

our weekend was a whirlwind of time spent mostly outside. i'll start with thursday night. we went to the PTA meeting at ryan's school because the kindergarten and 1st grade classes were performing. it was incredibly cute! ryan absolutely loved it and did an awesome job! they sang and "performed" around 10 songs.

<scary grizzly bears>

friday after school we met our pals at the museum and the kids enjoyed the wild life exhibits. here's a picture of ryan controlling a condor puppet and feeding it's baby..

alex and the 4 kiddos, ry and will absolutely adore each other and so do jake and cooper as you can see here..

then we woke up saturday morning and headed over to ryan's school for an elementary school version of "the am@zing r@ce". we walked about half a mile to the school and got there right as the race got started. the object of the race was for families to complete 10 challenges spread out over a 5K (3.2 mile) route. we had a couple of obstacle courses (one was blind folded), a puzzle, a couple of trivia question stops, a blind folded ball toss, and a challenge where we had to spell a word with each family members body parts which was fun (we spelled the word "cat", cooper didn't participate from her stroller). the people who put this event together did a spectacular job. part of the challenge was figuring out where the location of the next challenge was based on a clue given on a card we received after completing each challenge. at one point, we got to a challenge location (at a local HS) where the gate was locked to the track on the side that we were on and so we decided to jump the fence rather than run to the other side of the track where the gate was open. mel jumped first, then i helped ryan over, handed cooper over to mel and then lifted her stroller over the fence to mel before climbing over myself. i was definitely NOT feeling like a 38 year old adult during this race! ; ) we wound up finishing the race first in about 90 minutes and ryan was an absolute rock star. both of the girls were but cooper had an easier time being pushed like a princess in the stroller. ryan did a whole lot of running and she was absolutely exhausted (we all were really) but when we realized we had a shot at winning, mel and i got really competitive. after the race was over, the school had some different healthy food stations where the kids could make trail mix, smoothies, and english muffin pizzas so that was fun. we also got some race swag (t-shirt, pedometer, etc) which ryan always loves. after the race, we went home so the kids could relax for a little while before ryan's afternoon soccer game. she was pretty distracted come game time so it was not her best game. she had more fun chasing all of the plant junk/pollen floating around in the air than she did chasing the ball. she did happen to score a goal but let's just say she was in the right place at the right time! 

mel & ry completing one of the obstacle courses...

finish line!!

sunday was another fun filled day of outdoor activities. ryan went to sunday school and i started the day with a nice long run. it got cold out again for the day so it was a perfect way to start earth day. after sunday school, ry went home with a friend for a play date (and they pretty much played out back in their amazing back yard for a couple hours) and cooper, melanie and i ran a bunch of errands which was super productive and easy with one kid (who happens to enjoy shopping). then we went to pick ryan up and had plans to meet some other friends at the community garden where we had ryan's birthday party for a big earth day block party celebration. there were bands and lots of different street vendors and arts/crafts stations throughout the garden that the kids enjoyed. they hung out by the stream and ate popsicles from the king of pops stand and generally had a perfect afternoon. we got home around 4:30 after pretty much leaving the house at 8:30 that morning so it was a very long, fun filled day.

i wish we had one more day to relax and recover. as much as i enjoy our weekends, i sure wish there was time to just chill. and next weekend, more of the same! we have a festival next saturday at cooper's school + ryan's soccer game and sunday ryan has sunday school in the morning and then we're going to a brave's game in the afternoon. i'm sure it will be another awesome weekend, but certainly not relaxing!!

tomorrow, we're meeting our favorite playmates after school at the meadow for some cricket hunting - fun, fun, fun! 

 

random

life just seems to stay incredibly hectic for us. i have good intentions of keeping this blog up to date, if for no other reason to print for the girls but i can't seem to keep up. when we got back from our whirlwind trip to miami, we went to the annual easter/spring egg hunt at some friends of ours house. they have an amazing potluck and everyone always has a really nice time. the girls racked up on the goodies and enjoyed playing with all of the kids. 

<group shot with a few missing kids, including cooper>

later that afternoon we walked to the playground up the street from our house which we don't do often. we also brought ivy which was a treat.

the most recent excitment in our home is the family of foxes that we have living in our backyard. we discovered them Saturday morning when the mama was frolicking about with her 3 babes in the way back of our yard. melanie saw her or the dad in the front yard Wed night when she got home from chicago so we knew there was a fox but we didn't realize they were tenants of ours. i tried to get a picture but they took off pretty fast when they saw me. i'll keep trying but hopefully they'll relocate before i have another chance, that would be a heck of a lot better so that i don't have to worry about our dog becoming their next meal!!