Proxy Falls Hike

These moss covered cascades of lava flow were abundant on this trail;

I thought they were just beautiful!

He melted... like the "hot lava".

My good little hiker.

It was a gorgeous day, with hints of fall around every corner.

"The Falls"... best family shot in a long time...

My favorite leaf of the day

Intently watching a butterfly on the rock... can you see it?

Yesterday we took advantage of our beautiful weather and Joe's extra day off work and headed out on a family hike. While our little guy is not awfully fond of walking (why walk when you can ride??), we've decided we just need to make him do it, in hopes of him developing a love for hiking and the outdoors. This was our third official "hike" with him, besides the occasional "nature walk" around the park or strolls around the neighborhood. He did great! The loop was about 1.25 miles and he hiked the whole way! Towards the end he even said he wished he could go there everyday. I'm sure the promised treats at the end had nothing to do with it! The trees are just starting to turn around here, and the colors I had read about on this blog did not disappoint!

HALT!

I knew my great running season couldn't last forever. After several months of breaking records and feeling stronger than ever, my running came to an abrupt end about a month ago. As I was out on my longest training run for an upcoming (now past) half marathon, I developed a horrible pain in the back of my left "upper thigh". Shrugging it off to having run 12+ miles, I kept pushing through to the finish. After that run, the pain did not improve over the next week, so I finally went to the doctor. Of course, physical therapy was ordered. I thought I had just "pulled something". My PT had much different news for me. Apparently, I have "sacroiliac dysfunction". That's a fancy way of saying that my pelvic bones do not like to stay in place and the muscles surrounding them are not strong enough to keep them there. Great. He informed me that my legs were actually two different lengths, since one side of my pelvis was massively rotated forward. After a swift adjustment to my pelvic bones, I was back in line. Now... how do I stay that way?? More good news! He had a handy-dandy gut-wrenchingly tight belt for me to wear... 24/7 for at least 2 weeks. Lovely. No running until my muscles are strong enough to not wear the belt. Pretty much the only good news out of the whole thing is that he still wants me to be active, and he encouraged me to walk for exercise. (BTW- walking is NOT easy for a runner!) My awesome and super supportive running partner agreed to walk with me during my recovery, so that's made it much, much easier! Back at home, my son sees my nifty new belt, and calls it my "superhero belt".

Any hoo... fast forward 2 weeks to today. I finally have a PT appointment worth talking about! For the first time I went back and my bones have stayed put for the past 2 days!! Record breaking! Still no running, but I get to start spending time out of the belt! He actually said by the end of the weekend he wants me to be spending 3-4 hours a day without it. I also get to progress my home exercises, and I can now ride my bike! I'm so encouraged, and feel like I'm coming back to life. Best of all, my pain is much, much, much better! Only occasional twinges now in certain positions. Guess all those kegels really are paying off!!

Now if only the weather would cooperate so I can take advantage of some of my newly rediscovered freedom!

Make new friends... but keep the old...

One theme for our summer has been making new friends. New school, new neighborhood... it's inevitable. We have been spending time with a handful of special new friends this summer, and we've gotten to see some good friends from the past as well.

Here's some pics of the fun times we've had with some of our new friends! The boy is the grandson of one of Joe's co-workers; he and Kai hit it off right from the get go! The girls are some of our new neighbors, so we've spent lots of time at the park with them, and some fun excursions. We feel lucky to have met such great kids from wonderful families, and Joe and I think all the parents are pretty fun, too! (My new running partner is actually the girls' mom!)

Eatin' pie in the little house

Parade time!

All ready for a fun day at the coast!

(They're watching a movie, not rolling their eyes!)

Nature walk at Hendrick's park

Kai has also had chances to see some of his old buddies this summer. He's gotten to see friends from his previous day care a few times at birthday parties throughout the summer, and he talks about missing them quite frequently. We've also had a great friend (of mine!) move back to our area; remember how well these two got along?? We are sooo happy to have them closer and look forward to many, frequent play dates!!

Coast x 3

After not making the drive for nearly a year, we have gotten our much needed fill of our beautiful coast. We went three times in August! I may be a *bit* prejudice, but I don't think there's anywhere more beautiful than the Oreg0n coast. Being a native, I've seen it many, many, many times and it's beauty never ceases to amaze me... no matter what the weather is like.

Our first trip was a day trip with just our little family of three. The next trip was an overnighter with Joe's parents. Our final trip was a day trip for Kai and I with some friends! Each one had pretty decent weather and tons-o-fun! Here's some pictures from our little excursions!

Trip #1

Haceta Head Lighthouse

Our most successful family hike to date. Half mile each way.

He hiked up by himself; had to carry him down.

Contemplating life...

Playing in the cool "fort" we found

Trip #2

Roasting marshmallows on the beach was definitely the highlight of this trip,

even though he didn't roast any and didn't eat any of the roasted ones.

So sweet...

No explanation needed...

First official sand burial

Haystack Rock

Trip #3

See what I mean??

He is a true native. Got soaked,

even though the water was

FREEZING!!

Perfect tree stump... a cubby for each kid!

Celebration Time!

About a month ago we had our annual celebratory weekend. Joe's birthday and our Anniversary are only one day apart, and our Anniversary is also our nephew's birthday. This year our nephew had his party on Joe's birthday, so we attended that as a family. Then, my parents took Kai home with them for his first "real" overnight at their house, while Joe and I enjoyed a quick 24 hour mini-vaca! We were in the same city as him, but we definitely enjoyed the adult only time and went to one of our favorite restaurants, the Me1ting Pot, where dinner can take a couple hours or more. We savored every moment and every bite! The next day we indulged in his and hers foot treatments then saw P0rtland in a while new way... on a jet boat tour! It was amazing what new things we saw and learned about the city where we both grew up. Later that afternoon we picked Kai up from my parents and travelled the whole 6 blocks to Joe's parents house where we had a little birthday gathering for Joe. Kai had a blast playing in their wading pool, but wasn't too sure about this new little girl that seems to be intruding on his grandpa time. Our niece on Joe's side turned one this summer, and is acting more like a person than a baby... K wasn't too sure about that situation! (Kai, by the way, did great on his overnight stay and really enjoyed some one-on-one grandparent time with my parents!)

Total Yumminess!

Another satisfied customer!

Awww...

Looking slightly wind blown on our jet boat ride!

Punching water seems to be a theme this summer.

Neither one was too sure about this whole "grandpa sharing" thing.

Kai using all his will power to not be crazy in the pool

On the lookout!

The Fence That Joe Built

Way back in early August, my hardworking hubby had a week (plus a few extra days) vacation from his paying job. So, he spent it working hard on projects at home... bless his heart. A few weeks prior, we had our driveway poured (it was previously gravel). After being given a few days with some serious uninterrupted time, he "pounded" out this beauty... no pun intended. We have fabulous neighbors, but they also operate their restaurant and catering business from their home. Viewing all the hub-bub and other commercial type stuff over there got real old real fast. I think he did a great job on our new fence, and even our neighbors love it! Now we even have a start on the beds with just a few plants planted... we've got a ways to go!

Summer Catch-up

Seriously... where has the summer gone?? Or more appropriately for our region... when will it start? I can't believe it's nearing the end of August and we've yet to see any serious summer weather. It's been sunny and not much rain around these parts, but we've only seen a handful of days over 85. I was looking forward to summer and finally being warm, and now it's almost over and I'm still waiting. Oh well, at least it hasn't been wet or super, super hot. Amazingly, my tomatoes are ripening and my melons (watermelon and cantalope) are getting larger everyday. I can't wait to see if they're actually edible!

We've been having a fun and super busy summer, as you can probably tell by my bad blogging. I can seriously say it's flown by, but we've had lots of fun along the way. We've spent time with family, playing and working in our yard, watching hummingbirds, lots of time in the car off on grand adventures, and lots and lots of time at our neighborhood park with new friends.

I have great intentions of taking the next week to do some summer catch-up posts, complete with pics of our adorable, vivacious boy! Here's a little teaser from our latest adventure!

Swimming Lessons!

Kai is on week 4 (out of 4) of his first session of swimming lessons, and we couldn't be prouder! His first class was pretty rough, but after a class adjustment (switching him to the one his best buddy from preschool is in) he has been doing fabulously and making great strides! I am sad this is the last week, as he is just finally starting to get comfortable and relaxing a bit, but I will definitely watch for fall/ winter classes at this great indoor pool. He can now do a full front and back float with coaches assistance, blow bubbles, and not freak out when he gets his face wet or goes underwater. Not bad for his first go...

Here's a few pictures from week 2 of lessons. Notice how he won't do a full front float, but now he can!

"They want us to do what?!?"

Jumping in!

Yay! Smiles!

Blowing bubbles

Preparing to front float...

Attempting the front float...

Ladybugs

It has been all ladybugs all the time around our house! Kai has taken a recent fascination with them, and will hunt through the yard for minutes at a time (OK, that's a LONG time in Kai-land) in search of these beloved creatures. It is also the name of his class at school. So, he loves searching for ladybugs, and he is a ladybug. Luckily, in our yard he doesn't have to search far. See the plant in the picture below? It's a hops plant which came with our new house. Not sure why, but ladybugs LOVE it! We call it the ladybug bush. One morning last week, we counted 55 ladybugs on this bush.

I tend to not allow him to bring insects or wildlife into the house. However, somehow this little guy ended up in his room. Probably was stuck to his clothes or something, maybe he put it in his pocket... I wouldn't put it past him! Anyway, Kai played with this little ladybug for what seemed like an eternity. In reality, it was probably only about 15 minutes, but that is a record breaking length for him to keep his attention on one thing.

Unfortunately, the little bug above met his end by falling between the wood boards of our deck. It was a heart wrenching moment for our 3 year old little bug lover. But, fortunately, he only had to walk a few feet and glance at our "ladybug bush" to find another friend!

My Little Track Star

Last week Kai participated in his first track meet. Same sort of event as what I participated in, only for kids age 1-12. He did phenomenal! He did three events; softball throw, long jump and 60m dash. He did them all with amazing confidence for his age and experience with "competition"... which would be none. He was throwing the softball farther and straighter than 4 and 5 year old boys, and the long jump... well, I'll let that one speak for itself!

He was catching some serious air! Most of the kids in his age group (1-3) would run up to the sand, stop, and hop in. Not my boy! He ran with all his might, and leapt into the sand. We have hardly even practiced this at home. Recently, he's been having fun with Joe and I making a hurdle out of our arms and jumping over it. That's really the only practice he's had at running and jumping, except of course in his everyday play.

He got a little more shy in the 60m dash, it was pretty overwhelming. Lots of parents lining the track and cheering; lots of kids running all at the same time. He still did it, and did great, but it was the only event that he looked back for me and wanted me to come with him. He definitely did best in the "one at a time"events.

We got some great video of all three events, but blogger will not let me upload them... URGH! You'll have to be happy with the picture above, it's the best shot of the night, and pretty much sums it up. Joe and I were beaming with pride, amazed at the confidence and skills our little guy is developing.

With all the track meeting, blueberry picking and playing at our park, we've been super busy lately. I've had to work extra due to our office moving locations (which is complete and my schedule is back to normal... thank goodness), and just your general summertime craziness. By the end of last week, it was starting to show. Our sweet little boy had turned into somewhat of a holy terror. Luckily, we seem to be back on track after a quiet weekend at home with just the three of us. Good thing, cause this coming weekend we've got big fun planned!!

3 Races, 3 PR's, 1 Week

Last week I did something I never imagined I could do. I ran in 3 races in one week, and I PR'd all of them! As I mentioned in my last post, on July 4th, I ran in our city's traditional Independence Day race, that was PR #1. On Thursday last week I participated in my first track meet, an "all comer's" meet put on by the track club in our city. I ran the jogger's mile, which I completed in 6 minutes and 43 seconds! Total shock! That is the absolute fastest I have ever run a mile. On Saturday I ran in the "Turkey Trot" (8K) in my brother's town. I have run it about 5 times, and always just miss getting a ribbon. Since I've been faster lately, I had high hopes of finally placing. My running legs did not let me down. I finished in 37:29 (another PR), and came in second in my division! Ahhh... what a sense of accomplishment!

Up until a couple years ago I was a very solid 10 minute mile runner. I've been getting a little faster over time, but in the past few months I have (seemingly out of no-where) gotten this tremendous need for speed! I'm really not sure what is going on, but it feels great, I feel great and I have no plan to slow down anytime soon!

Approx. half way through the trot

Crossing the finish line

Me & my ribbon!

Cousin Peter and Kai

I could not have done this without all the support of my family. Thanks to Mom and Dad, Dan and Joanna for helping with K on Saturday (and taking the great pics), and a million- trillion thanks to my dear hubby for being so supportive and helping me get my "running time". Love you all!!

Independence Day

Hope you all had a safe and fun 4th of July! We enjoyed a fun, low-key family day. The day started early with my traditional 4th of July race. I had a great race, and got a PR (personal record) for that course. I've run it (probably) 5 out of the past 8 years. It's a tough course, with the first mile being a huge hill, then down and flat and fast. I always feel like I'm going to die at the end, but can't resist doing it again the next year. It's a great community event, and I'll get my name in the paper today! Much thanks to my hubby for getting out early and bringing Kai to see me finish!

After the race we ran a few quick errands, then brought K home in attempt of nap time (note *attempt*). Nap was a no-go, so we moved on to lunch, then a little work around the house. Mid-afternoon we headed out to our favorite local farm for their free watermelon feed, and more strawberries. I think we got the last of their berries; it took us about 40 minutes to find just enough to make some fresh strawberry shortcakes. As we headed home, Kai (of course) fell asleep in the car, and ended up taking a short, late afternoon nap. Then it was dinner time; grilled hamburgers, grilled veggies (farm fresh), watermelon (farm fresh), and beans. We decided to burn daylight by taking a walk around our neighborhood, ran into some of our new friends, and they invited us to join them in their yard for marshmallow roasting and fireworks. We had a great time, although K was a little unsure of the fireworks. We came home, did our own few fireworks, washed up the boy and headed to bed.

We somehow got only one picture yesterday (I think Joe has a few more on his phone), Kai eating his pot stickers at lunch with chopsticks. Not bad for only his second attempt!