Jack turns S E V E N !

Jack turned 7 this month.

Look at that sweet smile! And that gigantic donut!

Jack is such a sweetheart. He loves big. Feels big. His love language is affirmation and lots of hugs. He works hard at being brave and stepping out of his comfort zone. Now that sounds like his mama. :)

Jack is really enjoying school except when he is woken up for school. Ha! Almost every morning, he voices his opinion on getting up while it's still dark outside. Get some food in him though, and he perks right up. :)
He is making friends and tells me he even has a crush. Oh for pity. I'm down playing this. :)
Jack is getting A LOT of attention at school regarding his height. He always has, but now that he is at school, it is a very concentrated amount of attention. And he does not like it. He mentions is all the time... "I don't want to be tall anymore. Kids always ask me why I'm in first grade..." and on and on. Bless his heart. He is already shy, so the added attention feels terrible to him. He is VERY tall. He is also the oldest in his grade. I've had several occasions with other moms or teachers where I have referenced Jack, the tall first grader, and they immediately know who I am referring to.

We continue to encourage him and try to help him see the benefits. And I do think the comments are dying down.

*Sidenote: Bella EMBRACES the attention her height  brings her, and she keeps telling Jack to respond with an enthusiastic "Thank you!". Hahaha.

Jack is by nature a follower... he is very easy going and goes with the flow. I do talk to him though about it being okay to not do something he doesn't want to just because a friend is dragging him along. It's okay bud to want to play something different! You can politely say no! I've heard him stand up for himself several times, and I literally high-fived him. That's my boy! :)

He likes sports, music, video games, legos, books... in particular Hank the Cowdog, the outdoors, his Ripstick, his cousins, his friends, oh... and food. The boy loves food!

I really couldn't be prouder of this boy, his caring heart, his willingness to please, his kind soul, and all the ways I see him growing in his courage and accomplishments. Happy Birthday Jack Anson!!

TRI 2.0

On Labor Day, which was also my birthday this year, I competed in and finished my second Olympic distance triathlon in Austin.

Look at this stellar crew...

From left to right... my mom competed in her first triathlon! We were so proud of her! She trained hard (especially for the swimming), and she did it... just as we knew she would. :) Candace, my sil, competed in her 3rd triathlon... this was her first Olympic. This was my brother Micah's first triathlon, and Erika's (his wife) second tri. On the far right is Erika's mom who competed in her first tri and rocked it.

I AM SO PROUD OF THIS GROUP! Also, our support crew and cheering sections were the BEST. There is nothing like passing your people shouting your name during your race... it gives me goose bumps as I write it.

We were blessed with cloud cover for most of the morning because competing in a race in September is HOT. We were also blessed with no rain, so we got to do the swim portion in Lady Bird Lake (which was canceled last year). This was my favorite leg of the race. It was early in the morning, the water was calm and cool, and it was just a really fun 1 mile swim.

Excuse the MarathonFoto... the files for these pictures are outrageous.


After the swim, you run to transition, get your bike gear on and ride 25 miles through really pretty downtown Austin. The cycling is so fun... it's a loop that you complete 4 times so you get to see your cheering crowd over and over again. Lots of spots to go fast... one small but painful hill that after 4 times I was sick of. :) I love the cycling portion!

After cycling, you are back in transition to drop your bike and switch to your running shoes. The last leg is my least favorite. Not because I don't enjoy running, but because I don't perform well running in the heat on spent legs. But we all pushed through. I carried an energy gel pack with me and sucked on that throughout the run. The run is two 3 mile loops... 1/3 into the second lap, if I'm being honest, I was hurting. :) But I was self talking, "1, 2, 1, 2"... telling my feet to keep moving. :)

I finished, and my beautiful daughter was there to run the last few feet with me, and we crossed the finish line together! What a sweet moment for this mama!

Another one in the books! It was the most fun birthday I've had in a long time! I got to accomplish a goal and be with people I love while doing it. Happy Birthday to me. :)