little rudolph

We went hiking a little over a week ago and I didn't realize Eamon would get so cold. I felt so badly as I felt his freezing hands as we were coming back down the trail. Next time we go I'll be bundling him up in his little bear suit (not made out of real bear in case you were worried). That's what I've been putting him in when we go running or walking in the morning. Keeps him toasty.

I don't want these gorgeous mornings, days, and evenings to leave. Not ready for the cold to settle in. But, alas, I guess I'll survive. And I'll certainly enjoy these days while I can. Hopefully from my bike as well. Today I discovered a flat and I don't know where my bike repair stash is. It's not always the best idea to have stuff still packed away at your parents'.

Anyway, gotta go turn the water off on the squash and then it's beddy-bye time.

tri tri tri

Had a lot of fun Saturday. It was my first race in two years, thus, obviously, my first since birthing my firstborn.

The swim was actually the roughest part because I've been in the water fewer than ten times this whole summer. The bike wasn't too bad, and the run was probably the best because that's primarily what I've trained.

I love competing. I let out a couple war whoops on during the bike portion because I was just so excited to be pushing myself in a way I hadn't for a while.

Yuba really is the perfect triathlon. It's not killer hot because it's in September, nor is it stinking cold.

In other news, my baby has been out just about as long as he was in. Crazy!

you will come around

Don't let it bring you down.
It's only castles burning.
Find someone who's turning,
And you will come around.

-Neil Young

because it's easier to sit here for a few minutes

than to grab my journal and jot down a few happinesses of late:

• Finley and Eamon yesterday. Finn walks around like an impressive explorer. He pointed out the way and Eamon followed with his lumbering bear cub crawl. I loved seeing their interactions and hearing them jabber away at each other.
• Pears from Heather. So yummy! They tasted divine in my oatmeal this morning.
• Reading stories with Andrew and E at bedtime and then singing songs. So cozy.
• (On a recent run) Seeing a schoolkid bolt out of his house. He was hurrying so he wouldn't be late (or later?) to school.

And that's all I have time for because I need to go wrestle with Bubsy.

september

It's my absolute favorite time of year. The nights cool off and leave the mornings precisely how I like them. The days warm up pleasantly and don't become unbearably hot. For me, it's perfect running and biking weather.

I have my triathlon coming up on Saturday. I signed up for the olympic distance several months back. I was optimistic I would have loads of time to train and get in tip-top shape. Problem was I didn't have as many chances to hit the pool or bike as I thought I would; swimming and biking are a bit impossible with the wee one, especially since we don't have a bike trailer. We do have our nice jog stroller, though, so I've done a lot of running, hiking, and walking. Anyway, I started to stress out about running a 10K after biking 24 miles. It just wasn't sounding fun to me. So I've now got it sorted out that I'll be doing the sprint distance. I'm feeling a lot more excited about it. I know I still won't be super speedy or anything, but it will be fun.

I haven't been reading much of late. I started a Brandon Sanderson book before Hawaii, but haven't gotten back into it yet. I want to, but we've been trying to get Eamon back on schedule and have simply just been busy with other things.

We've been enjoying heaps of tomatoes, carrots, and squash from our garden. I love picking something off the vine and eating it soon thereafter. It's just magical.

I started coaching again yesterday. It's fun to be back on deck. The real experiment will be today when I take E to practice with me. Yikes! I really don't know what to think. We had all of August off and I didn't have to take him too much in July. He's moving a whole lot more than he was back then. I think we're going to have to figure out a babysitting solution for the days Andrew teaches, but we'll see how today goes.

We took Eamon for his first swing and slide rides this past weekend. It will be fun to see him start to enjoy playgrounds more.

Well, that's all for now. Happy Wednesday!

tournesol