- He’s be walking any day now. He pulls himself up and can balance for a few seconds, but he’s not yet taking the steps on his own. When he does, though… watch out big sister!
- His second top tooth will (hopefully!) break through soon. Then he’ll have a match for both bottom teeth. There are days you can tell he’s really uncomfortable, but it just sits up there. Poor kiddo.
(placeholder. Beth raced in the Ryka Irongirl Sprint Triathlon this weekend. Here’s some pics and her race report.)
]]>The entire family headed to Grand Cayman for a week of Caribbean relaxation and scuba diving. David’s mom (a.k.a. “Nana” to the grandkids) and Aunt Judy were also invited. It was a wonderful situation for everybody. Kids and relatives got to spend time together, we got to scuba dive without fretting about the kids, and Nana and Judy got a nice vacation and time to relax.
(plenty more to post later. For now, just a stub to the picture. Here’s the deal with the pictures… I’ve loaded the same set to two places. I want opinions about which place you prefer. Where do you like the layout better? Which is easier to browse? Or more responsive? etc. )
]]>But nature hasn’t been kind to North Texas recently, with record rainfall and flooding. Most of the lakes, including the one for this race have been closed to boat traffic due to ramps underwater, submerged hazards (oh, like the picnic pavilions), and unsanitary conditions. So what was to be Disco Triathlon was changed into the Disco Duathlon. The new Olympic-length race was going to be — 2mi run - 26 mile bike - 6.2mi run.
Though Beth stayed home with the kids this particular weekend, but neighbor Teri was also racing at Disco (the Sprint race). David finished 6th in his age group, and 16th overall. A great finish, considering the brutal, oppressive humidity that had even some of the area’s elite competitors walking today. In addition to race photos of David, you’ll find her race photos in the album, also. Here’s David’s race report, too.
]]>Another triathlon — this time, a convenient local Sprint race. David was racing, but Beth brought the kids out to cheer along. The bike course was a somewhat technical, including quite a bit of two-lane coutry roads with rolling hills and turns. David turned in a fanstatic performance, and we cheered him on to a 3rd place win in his age group! (8th overall!) For the first time, he even squeeked in under 20min for his 5k run (3.1 miles)!
]]>Watch Out! Ryan is crawling now, and he is at that ultimate cute-baby phase. His laughs and antics are adorable, and he is learning so much about the world around him now. Alexa is learning new skills about keeping her toys away from him, but she is also enjoying how much more interactive he is now. We are starting to get those “He’s touching my carseat!!” comments now, though! As always, click on the thumbnail to check out the gallery for other fun times.
]]>David was originally signed up for the Olympic-distance race on Sunday. However, after Beth’s race on Saturday, we were browsing the expo where we happened to learn that the July race that David has been targeting for his first Half-Ironman triathlon (and training for since January) was being canceled! Now what makes this interesting is that, as part of the Playtri festival, in addition to the Olympic race on Sunday, there was a Half-Ironman happening at the same time. In fact, with the July race being canceled, the Playtri race the next day was on the only Half-Ironman until later in the fall.
Congratulations David, you’re a HALF-IRONMAN!!
Quite remarkable for a first-timer! Way to Go! You can even read the race reports if you want:
(oh, and one thumbnail takes you to pictures of Beth’s race; the other takes you to David’s race)
]]>Easter was celebrated at the Hester house with a large gathering of family. Julie made a wonderful Easter lunch, and then the gaggle of girls including Alexa, Emily, Katie, and their cousin Laura hunted up baskets-full of eggs. Ryan dozed through the egghunt! Alexa also got two “practice” egg hunts at a playdate and the church’s Easter celebration.
]]>Our first race of the season was in Galveston at the new Lonestar Triathlon Festival. The kids had a ball playing with Nana and Frampa in Houston while we raced in Galveston.
Beth raced on Saturday in the Sprint event. It was her first race back since the birth of Ryan, and she had a great start to the season. It even poured buckets of rain during her run, and she still finished smiling. In fact, she came close to a personal best on the run!
Beth’s Lone Star race report
David had a phenominal race on Sunday during the Quarter Iron event. He came very close to earning a medal, a first at this distance for David. We also had a nice gathering with family in Houston after the event where we celebrated Alexa’s birthday a second time and saw Ali’s finished remodeling.
David’s Lone Star race report
(note: The three thumbnail pictures each take you to a different photo gallery.)
]]>Alexa had a great birthday party with family. The Hesters and McCorkle grandparents came over to help celebrate. The biggest attraction at the Pink Poodle-themed party was the new bicycle. Alexa had been wanting one for quite a while, as she is a regular at the local bike shops with Mommy and Daddy.
She had become so proficient at “testing” all the children’s bikes that we decided it was time she had one of her own. She is now the youngest cyclist of the family on a purple puppy bike with training wheels. We got her the 16-inch size to last her a long time.
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