Here's what we've been up to lately:
Sam got a double ear infection and a fever that wouldn't respond to amoxicillin, so that was really tough for the poor little guy. He had a fever for 9 days and finally after starting another stronger antibiotic, he was finally able to kick it. The ear infection came the day after he got his 1 year shots, so I think he was fighting off a little cold and once he got the shots, his little immune system couldn't fight the cold off any longer and it took hold with a vengeance. I think our rainy camping trip may have had something to do with the illness. Sorry Sammy! Don't worry - next time we'll only go camping if we know there won't be any rain!
We went to a fun going away party for our friends in Smiley Court, Cammy and TJ, up at the picnic area on Flagstaff and had a fun time watching all the kids run around and play together. Cammy and TJ just moved back to Albuquerque and we'll miss them!
Here are the Smiley Court kids! This crew of little ones have a great time playing together at the playground and at all the family housing events.
I gave Don a much needed haircut. This was right before the haircut...
...and this was the day after.
What do you think? I miss the long hair, myself. Don, on the other hand, says he is happy to look respectable again. One of our friends at church thought that Don was his younger little brother and said, "You look so young with short hair! Like a teenager!" Don says that is why he cut his hair - so he wouldn't look like a shaggy-haired teenager anymore. He looks good both ways, but I prefer the shag since that was what he looked like when I met him.
Our great friends, John and Dakin and their three little ones came in to town, so we had an awesome day showing them our crazy hippie town. I was very pleased that while on Pearl Street, we had a quintessential Boulder moment. A girl wearing a Green Peace shirt said, "I know you love the oceans! Help me save the oceans and I'll give you a biodegradable sticker!"
We went down to Boulder Creek to watch the kayakers and then went up to Flagstaff Mountain for a picnic. We did have to leave John and Dakin at the "rocket ship park" (a.k.a. Scott Carpenter Park) while we took Sam to the doctor again because his fever wasn't going away, but they were great sports about it. They are making a whirlwind road trip across the country before moving to England where John will be a professor of Economics. We were so happy to see them before they move abroad and hope to visit them there soon!
Then, on Friday, Don's sister Christine and her husband, Josh, came in to town for the Bolder Boulder. I absolutely love the Bolder Boulder and I look forward to it so much each year! It is the most beautiful time of year here because everything is so lush and green and the huge influx of people for the race just makes the whole town feel like a party. Also, it is a great reason for people to come and stay with us! I love hanging out with Josh and Christine, so I was thrilled they came out for the race.
On Saturday, we went to REI and then walked to the Boulder Creek Festival. I have never been to the festival before and it was thoroughly enjoyable. There was a good amount of hippie dancing and craziness as well as lots of free food and carnival type activities. We ate some gyros and Philly Cheesesteaks, and then walked around and got all the free food samples we could find.
Enjoying the hubbub.
I gave Don his Father's Day present early because I wanted him to have it for his race. He always trains so hard for the Bolder Boulder and has been trying to do the race in less than 40 minutes for the last five or so years. So, I decided that it would be awesome for him to have the watch he'd been coveting for quite some time to keep himself on pace during his big race. I gave him the Garmin Forerunner 405CX, which has a heart rate monitor as well as a GPS and other really cool features. He was very excited about it and has had a good time learning all the cool things it can do.
Sunday, we went to church and played bocce ball on the lawn, ate our pre-race spaghetti dinner, and then went to bed. We got up early and got ready for the race and Don, Christine, and I headed over to the starting line. Christine and I got to see Don start, since he was in the AB wave with all the super fast people.
I missed my wave start, so I started with Christine and we ran together for the first two miles. Then, the course gets really hilly, so I took off and ran as fast as my marathon tired legs would allow. I was hoping to do 8:30 min. miles, but I couldn't keep that pace. I got a crazy side stitch at kilometer 9, just where Don was taking pictures, so I had a really slow last kilometer, but over all, I felt great about my race. I finished 6 minutes faster than my previous fastest time, so that was exciting. My final time was 54 min 13 seconds, so that is about a 8:43 minute mile.
I was in so much pain here because of the darn side stitch. This is the only picture Don took where it actually looks like I am running. The others look like I'm walking up the hill. It was a rough last kilometer, but I had a great time.
Don was just flying! He met his goal and finished under 40 minutes, with a final time of 39 min 23 seconds. That is a 6:20 min/mile! He got 15th in his age group (out of 471) and 458 overall (out of 27, 456). When you consider that there were over 50,000 people running this race, that shows what an accomplishment this was! His goal next year is to get in the top 10 for his age group. I know he can do it. What a speed demon!
Notice how Don is completely airborne?
Christine had a great first 10k and finished in 1:01:18, which is faster than the first three years I did it. She hurt her ankle and knee during the race, though, so she was hobbling around and in quite a bit of pain. We had forgotten to establish a place to meet, so we wandered around looking for her for a really long time after the race. Finally, we saw her hobbling toward us and were so relieved! There were so many people and we didn't have our phones. I was worried we would never find her.
Yes, it looks like Don is going to punch me in the face. He was actually just showing off his cool watch.
Sam had a great time hanging out with Uncle Josh while he watched Mama, Daddy, and Aunt Christine run the race!
We ate our annual Illegal Pete's post Bolder Boulder burritos and then Christine and Josh left town. Here are some cute pictures of Sam I took while we were eating...
We then went to a BBQ and birthday party for Sam's friend, Kaia and enjoyed the rest of our Memorial Day in style (we sat our tired selves down and watched a movie). Then, on Wednesday, my mom came in to town. A bunch of the city council members and other people from the city government in Orem came to Boulder to learn about bikeable communities. She was able to get an extension on her plane ticket so she could visit us and we were so happy! Sam loved spending time with Grandma!
On Wednesday night, my mom took us to The Med, which is a really nice restaurant in Boulder. Then on Thursday, she came to the music class I teach for Family Housing and we did some window shopping. Friday, mom and I went on a jog with Sam in the stroller and that evening, we all went on a really nice hike up Eldorado Canyon called Rattlesnake Gulch (yes, there were rattlesnakes according to some people we ran into on the trail, but we didn't get to see any ourselves). We saw a lot of wildflowers, the ruins of an old hotel from the early 1900s, and ended up having a beautiful view of the Continental Divide.
I think you'll see a bunch of pictures just like this one this summer. We love to hike with Sam in his backpack.
Don looking adoringly at his awesome watch.
I love these beautiful rock walls in Eldorado Canyon.
Sam's squishy face
Such a happy little guy! He still only has those two little teeth!
Then, we got some yuppy hamburgers and truffle aioli and parmesan fries at Larkburger and played games 'til very late. It was so nice to have my mom here. I love spending time with her!
So, it has been a very busy couple weeks, but they've been so wonderful! Summer is finally here and I'm loving every minute of it!
Random side note:
This is what we call "the headbutt of love." Sam is not a very cuddly baby, but when he wants you to know he loves you, he gives you "the headbutt of love." He especially likes to give them to us when he is eating and when we are getting him ready for bed. I love this little guy!