2013 Cowtown 10K

This is me with my good friend Cynthia.  Last August Cynthia asked if I would help her train for a 5K.  She had never run one before and really wanted to do it.  I was thrilled! I wanted to get to know her better and I love helping people exercise so we were a perfect match.  She had only run track in high school but hadn't done any serious running since.  

We started out running at 5am in the morning 2 to 3 times a week, and then a run on Saturdays.  She works full time as a teacher and the summers are HOT here in Texas.  Looking back we were pretty crazy! I lost so much sleep! But it's all been worth it.  We ran our first 5K right after Halloween and our second 5K on Thanksgiving.  Then it got cold so we switched up running in the evenings.  After the Holidays were over we started back up and decided to run the 10K.  Cynthia works so hard and I'm so proud of her for making it this far! We'll most likely do another 10K and then she wants to make it to a Half Marathon.  

Side Note: There is something about running with someone that brings you close together.  Maybe it's all that time you spend with each other so you just spill your guts to them everyday.  I've been lucky that Cynthia is such a good listener because I talk her ear off and it's great therapy for me!

Valentine's Day

We were in Houston for Valentine's Day so we decided to take the boys to Chuck E Cheese! This was the boys' first time.  When Chuck E came out to say Hi, Blake freaked out!

 The both LOVE the carousel

 Blake wouldn't smile....stinker

 They really got into some of the games. It was fun.

 Go Blake Go!

 All the Boys enjoying the game

 Austin climbed up and went down the big slide

 Cruising with Chuck E!!!

 Throwing baseballs

Tyler really enjoyed it!  Not your typical romantic Valentine's Day. But we had lots of fun!

Afterwards we bought some BlueBell ice cream and headed over to our friend's house and had ice cream and heart brownies with some of her delicious homemade chocolate sauce. YUM!!!

Houston

 Tyler has a training meeting in Houston that lasted 3 weeks.  So after he was gone for a week we decided to join him for the next week.  He was staying at a really nice hotel and the company was paying for it so we thought, why not? 

Well, after being cooped up in a hotel room for the first two days due to rainy weather I began to second guess my decision to come.  I did take the boys to the racquetball courts which was really fun for them, but that only lasted so long when I was trying to fill an entire day up to keep the boys busy.  But thankfully I connected with a friend who lives in Houston and the next 3 days of our visit were perfect weather so we took the chance to get out and explore. 

 We went to the Houston Zoo which was a very pretty zoo! Lots of nice scenery and very large.  There was a lot to see.

 Here is my friend Sharon and her cute little Rosie!!! 2 and a half months old.  She smiled a lot and was a really good baby while we were out and about.

 Here is the other half of the crew.  Austin and Blake got along really well with Gordon.  He became our new best friend.  In fact, he attached himself very quickly to me and was more cuddly than Austin and Blake ever are to me.  It was pretty funny.

 We also went to the Children's Science Museum which was amazing! So much stuff to see and do. I felt bad pulling them away from some things because I wanted them to experience other things as well.  Here is Austin practicing his EMT skills.

 And Gordon was so excited to make us a pizza!

 We went shopping for fruits and veggies.

 The boys got a kick out of this.  You press a button and watch the pompoms. I need one of these in my house.

 Austin showing off his muscles

 Golf ball swirly. Blake LOVED this one. 

 Golf Ball racetrack...another favorite

 Gone Fishin'

 Austin loved this car and rode in it to avoid eating lunch.

 Blake loved it too.  I love his face here!

 We also headed over to the Museum of Natural Science and History.  On Thursday from 2-5pm you could get in for free so we went to see the new dinosaur exhibit.  Austin has really gotten into dinosaurs recently.  We stayed only an hour since Austin kept asking when he would get to see the real dinosaurs! He wasn't so impressed by just the bones.

 Friday was another beautiful day so we hung out at a nearby park that was very nice!

Blake tried out the big swings for the first time and picked them right up! He's getting so big!

Overall, I am so glad we went.  It was a hard beginning and we didn't get much sleep, but it ended up being a fun trip with lots to do and see.  Thank goodness for Sharon!  She almost talked us into staying an extra week to go to the beach, but Tyler said it wouldn't work because he wasn't getting enough sleep at night...since Blake still wakes up multiple times during the night.  I don't think I could have lasted another week either.  We were ready to get back home on a normal schedule and home cooked meals!

Austin turns 3!

Austin's Backhoe Loader cake. Vroooooooom!

 Tyler has been working hard every night on the Treehouse and he really wanted it to be finished for Austin's party.  It was pretty close!  Tyler will be posting his experience sometime I'm sure.

 Singing Happy Birthday!

 Blowing out his candles

 He was a pretty happy boy all day

 Excited to open his cardboard box! hee hee.  We get lazy when it comes to wrapping.

 A new basketball to practice his dribbling! He'll also be able to make baskets on our basketball hoop outside when it's on it's shortest setting.

He also got a Superman shirt with a velcro cape, a play golf set, frisbee, bubble wand, sticky mitt and ball, squirt gun, m&m's(his favorite), and a slinky from his friends!!! Thanks everyone!

 Tyler also made this wooden airplane for him from scratch.  He's getting to be quite the "wood" man lately

"When will it be my birthday?"  Way too soon I say

6 Feet Up

 For the last two Saturdays I've been plugging away at the tree fort. I've got very limited carpentry experience/skill, but I'm learning quick from my good friends Google and YouTube. It's incredible what you can find online from so many other talented Dad's and Grandpa's. 

Once I had the posts cemented in I fastened the 2x8x12 beams to form the triangular platform. This part was frustrating! I had read/seen online in multiple places that I should drill the pilot holes slightly smaller and shorter than the lag screws that I would be using to fasten the beams to the tree. Unfortunately, my Pecan tree's core is MUCH stronger than I realized, and by leaving the pilot holes too short I actually broke 3 of the 1/2" lag screws in half! They just sheared right off while I tried to tighten them on with a socket wrench. I finally figured it out, bought a long drill bit to drill the holes deeper, and got the screws firmly in place.

Next I attached three main joists from one side beam to the other. Then I cut shorter joists to connect

to the main joists at a 90* angle. I used metal joist hangers and galvanized nails. Might be a bit over-engineered for a kids tree fort, but I want it to support adults weight and to last for 5-10 years.

Rachel thought I looked like a dork wearing my old Home Depot apron. I must say I got pretty nostalgic when I tied the strings, hooked on my official HD tape measure and exacto knife, and filled my pockets with nails and screws. It used to rain briefly every afternoon in Colorado Springs, and I'd be outside the store under the covered breezeway with all of my lumber carts (we became well acquainted, me and those metal carts), waiting for it to pass so that I could finish loading some contractors flat bed with another 30 bags of cement. Ahhh, good memories.

The platform is nearly finished, just need to cut the final pieces to fit around the tree trunk. I've got the lumber for the ladder all cut and ready to assemble, and it'll attach in the forefront of the picture above, right where the longer boards stop.

Our battle with Eczema

This picture pretty much sums it up.  Poor Blake has battled with Eczema since he was about 6 months old.  It hasn't been until very recently that it has flared up and we can't get it to go away.  The worst areas were his diaper, face, and scalp.  Everywhere I went people commented on him and would tell me their battles with Eczema too so I knew I wasn't alone.  

Tyler's co-worker recommended a local skin specialist so we took Blake there this past Tuesday.  He gave us 4 prescriptions and 4 over the counter products along with 2 extra household items to add in his bath.  Unfortunately it took us 3 days to get all the prescriptions filled and the first night we put on the over the counter lotions, Blake's neck swelled up and started seeping a clear liquid and his diaper area got really bad! The rash then slowly started spreading to his back and torso.  There was an oral medicine we were giving him too to stop the itching and it made him tired. The second night I pretty much held him from dinner on.  He was miserable.  I called the nurse and she said it was probably just the Eczema acting up and to keep giving him what the doctor ordered.  I didn't have much faith in the doctor at this point!

After another night and no improvements I called again and talked to another nurse and told her he must be allergic to one of the products so I stopped using one of the creams.  She said that was fine and the last prescription we had yet to get would definitely help the face and diaper area.  We finally got that prescription filled yesterday and have FINALLY seen an improvement today.  Blake has been a champ though and hasn't been itching very well so I think we are finally over the worst of it.  The swelling in his neck has gone down and now he just has dry, peeling skin everywhere!  I hope to see even more improvements in the next few days.

Moving On...

Austin and I finished the retaining wall the week before Christmas. The deadblow is probably his third favorite tool (behind the tape measure and the level).  

 The finished product. We used every last block, but still have a little pile of rocks left over. Now we're planning what to plant behind the wall. Rachel would like to start a simple garden in the spring with spinach, broccoli, cucumbers and maybe swiss chard? (not sure about that last one...)

Aerial shot from the roof...

...which Blake thought was hilarious! While I was up there he kept running around in cirlces laughing and pointing at me.

What a TEAM!

Project #2: The Tree Fort

I dug two 2 foot deep holes, filled the bottom with 4 inches of gravel and compacted it. Then I staked and leveled a 4x6x8 pressure treated post and filled the holes with concrete.

I hope to build the platform this week. The plan is for it to be shaped like a triangle and sit 6 feet off 

of the ground, with 12' long side beams connecting the top of each post to each other and to the tree. Then I'll add railings, a ladder and a slide. Eventually I hope to have a fireman's pole, 1-2 swings and possibly an enclosed space on the back side of the platform big enough to camp out in with the kids.