Five For Friday - Instagram Pics

I fairly recently joined Instagram, and really enjoy it.
And although most of the pictures I take for it usually end up on my blog, a few have not yet made it.
So a bit of a catch up:

1. Our backyard is going through a transformation.

I happily purchased and in ground basketball hoop from the D.I. for $50!!! Seriously $50!!!

But it has meant that we now need to put in some kind of court for it in the backyard. To enable us to start using it right away, Eric dug a hole in the grass and placed the hoop in concrete. Uncle Todd was here to help!



I am fraught with indecision about the project, so in the meantime, Jackson has been doing a lot of grass playing.



Anyone know of someone that does concrete work? I'm ultimately going to need a lot of it.

2. Just me and Megan enjoying a perfect weathered day in the backyard:



I feel like this has been one of THE BEST springs we have ever had in the 12 years we have been living in Vegas. It has been gorgeously warm.

3. For April Fools Day I provided my children and Eric with "Brown E's" (Brownies) for dessert!



I found the hilarious idea on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it. I was extremely entertained, but the children were not.

4. While shopping for new swimming suits for the triathlon, Eric dressed Sade up in Seahawks wear. It entertained us to no end, but she wasn't thrilled with me taking her picture. If only she knew that the frowny face she was sporting makes her look even tougher.



5. And finally.....Megan left us this week for a 3 day field trip!



Say what? I'm not sure when she became old enough for these type of activities.

She left on Wednesday morning for the Adventure Science Camp in the San Bernardino National Forest, and she gets back today! I can't wait to hear all about it.

And if  you haven't joined Instagram, do it! It's fun.

Trying Out A Triathlon

As previously mentioned, Megan and Jackson have been working hard towards training for a triathlon this past weekend in St. George. They both did the Kid Sprint Triathlon which included a 200 yard swim, a 2 mile bike ride, and a 3/4 of a mile run.

Before the race:



Lining up for the swim. Jackson tolerates a lot of picture taking, but Megan was quite ready for me to leave and go sit down:




Megan is a strong swimmer and was out in and out of the water super fast:



Although Jackson is a good swimmer, it is not his strongest event and he was slightly worried about it:



But his time ended up being great, and right on par with the other boys in his age group!

Next up: The Bikes!

Although parents are not allowed to help their children on the course, you are allowed to help them in the transition areas. Which basically means you pick up all of their discarded items (goggles, swim caps, etc.) and make sure they get properly dressed for the next event.

I really didn't think the kids triathlon would be all that intense, but it is! The kids are super laser-focused and determined to make it to the next event quickly. Megan made it to the bike transition area first where she threw on her shorts and helmet and tried to take off on her bike. Eric had to stop her and remind her that she needed her shoes and socks. He also tried to get her to put on her shirt, but after attempting to put it on and determining after 1.5 seconds that it was taking too long, she threw it back at him and said, "Forget the shirt!" The entire transition was hilarious.



But her intensity paid off! She was in and out in no time at all:



Next up: Jackson!

 Although about a minute behind Megan at this point, he quickly got ready and was on his way. In day to day life Jackson is rather, shall we say, lackadaisical about time frames. But put him in a competition setting and he transforms! His drive to win takes over:



And he's off:



What I believed would be Megan's second best event, the bike ride, for some reason ended up being her most difficult. Eric and I were waiting and waiting for her to finish, and had just started to worry that something must have happened, when she appeared. Right behind Jackson, who had caught up.



They dropped their bikes (literally) for Eric to pick up and place on the racks, and were off to complete their final event: The Run!

Megan had pulled ahead, but running is Jackson's best event, so Eric and I knew he would catch up.



And he did.

With a time of 24 minutes and 20 seconds he crossed the finish line:



Megan was right behind him, finishing with a time of 25 minutes and 38 seconds:



Eric and I were so very proud of them and so impressed by how well they both did.

It was a serious blast to watch!

Posing with their medals:




Megan said the race was harder than she thought it would be, that her easiest event was the swim, and that her hardest event was the bike ride.



Jackson said that the race was easier than he thought it would be, that his hardest event was also the bike ride, and that his easiest event was the run:



They both can't wait to do it again in October.

Spring Break On Repeat

My mom and Ken (Grandma and Grandpa) were here visiting for a couple of days last week, and we pretty much did exactly the same things we had done on Spring Break the week before!

First up: Bowling:



Jackson did his best to sit anywhere and everywhere he wasn't supposed to:



As did Sade:



She also declined to bowl and instead spent her time climbing the rails:



My mom and my kids:



The triathlon was only days away, so we snuck in some training time too:



Countless games of Old Maid were played:



Along with countless Thumb War competitions. Instead of saying, " 1, 2, 3, 4 I Declare A Thumb War",  my mom taught Sadie the refrain,  "1, 2, 3, 4 Shut Your Mouth And Say No More." It has been a nice addition to our home.

Just like on Spring Break we indulged in ice cream:




We also celebrated my moms birthday with her (just a couple of days early):



Me and my Mama:



Short but sweet trip.