The Denim Duo

Actually it's Chambray, but that didn't sound as good. Anyway, we discovered that Ezra and his cousin Phineas had almost identical rompers, so of course we had to snap some photos. At first, they weren't too interested.

Then they were a little too interested in each other.

Then we finally got 'em. Holding still isn't exactly Ezra's forté.

What do you think? Do you see the resemblance? (They are 4 months apart in age, by the way).

My Second Century

Yesterday I completed my second ever Century Ride (100 miles). I wasn't able to train for it like I wanted to, but I was surprised and amazed that I felt really great all the way to the end. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. I felt good the whole way. In fact the first half was more challenging to me than the second half. I ate a good lunch and I think that made a huge difference. And I think after 57 miles my legs just gave up resisting and said, "fine, just do whatever you want." But I had plenty of energy and no real pain.
I also found a hidden gnome at the last rest station, which meant I won a prize! That was extra fun. And Ryan was so nice to let me go and do this on his birthday! What a great husband.

And yes, I have a photographer follow me around and take my picture, so here you go. (Thanks Todd!)

 Lacey and me. This is my brand new carbon bike that Ryan got for me the night before the race. I LOVE it. Cannondale Synapse, and it made all the difference on the hills I think!

 At the finish line.

Me and Sheri and Lacey. Great riding companions and good company.

California Vacay Part 3

After spending time with G&G Forbes we went down to the Bay area to hang out with sisters Tanya and Patti and their families. We went to the Exploratorium and the dinky Aquarium. We tried to get a picture of all the cousins together, but made the mistake of waiting until the end. So this is the best I got.

Of course every fish tank and every aquarium now has to have a Nemo and a Dory (Finding Nemo is currently Ava's favorite movie).

This picture is not upside down. The jellies were swimming down, not up.

 And the glow in the dark jelly fish were cool. They looked just like this.

Ava looooved touching the starfish and the anemone.

That's it for photos. We also went to the beach and to Santa Cruz and rode our bikes a little along the coast. Ava cried when she first had to walk on the sand. Then she cried when we had to leave the beach. All in all, it was a really fun trip with the kiddos and great to see the sisters/cousins and grandparents. Ava is used to mostly boy cousins around here, so playing with Tanya's girls was a real treat for her. She had a permanent smile on her face when we were with them.

California Vacay Part 2

Ava had a blast running around G&G Forbe's yard/land. They live in the mountains with lots of space. She got to pet some mules and feed them carrots, ride on the tractor with G'pa Forbes, ride her bike all over the place, see deer and bunnies and caterpillars and all sorts of other good stuff.

 And Ezra got to sit and walk and crawl.

Speaking of Ezra, he is 10 months old now. So here are a few stats on him. He's 20 lbs 8 oz, 30 inches. He loves to eat and play in the toilet (much to our dismay). Still puts everything in his mouth. He is getting better and better at walking and I think any day now he will be walking solo. He can reach tables and low counters now, so we have to keep things away from the edges or he will pull them off. He's a pretty happy little guy, and this stage is one of my favorites of infancy. They sleep, they eat, they play, their personalities start to show more, and they are generally pretty fun.

Family Vacation to California

Last week we took the kiddos to California. We visited Great Grandma and Grandpa Forbes in Volcano (in the east mtns) and my sisters Tanya and Patti in the Bay Area. We drove the 10 hours through the night so the kids could sleep through most of it (rather than crying through most of it). Worked pretty well, and with the help of G&G we were able to catch some naps and not absolutely die.
The first outing we made was just down the road to Daffodil Hill. We were glad they were still open and in bloom (last day).

I'm going to split this up into several posts or else it will never happen. This one has been sitting in draft mode for over a week already.