Try-a-Tri

This morning I completed the Try-a-Tri in Kelowna! WHAT A HOOT! It's so much fun! I expect all of you reading this to sign up and do it next year. 

300m swim

 +15km bike

+3km run

+lots of smiles and laughter!

 = priceless memories.

Here we are looking well rested (ha ha) and ready to race at 6:30 am.

   Ardie, Michelle,                    Alex, Sarah and me

I  am not one to post pictures of myself in a bathing-suit, for obvious reasons, but this was too funny not to.

  Sarah, Michelle, Alex (behind), Ardie, Nicole, Kim and me

We all made it and are better for it too :) I just wish all my family and friends were there participating. 

The victorious competitors!

I especially loved the free massage at the end.

Check this out

My sister found this guy on youtube and he's crazy talented. As is the boy who arranged the medley.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R12QVtuB0_Q

Click on his other numbers too. I highly recommend "Don't Stop Believing".

Hawaii 2

Here are a few more pictures of our trip to Hawaii. I could probably post all 300 more pictures but that might become a little boring so I'll try to be selective.

Ryan and Joe out boogie-boarding. 

I love this shot of Edwin... he looks like a serious boogie boarder.

Greta loved running in and out of the waves and being tumbled by them.

Hawaii

Yesterday we returned from our 2 week vacation to Hawaii! ( Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Kilistoff for letting us crash with you.)

Other than the trip there it was a great time. Greta was an absolute nightmare on the flight over. 

Here are the kids waiting at the airport while Ryan (khaki shorts in the background) checks in our luggage.

Ko Olina lagoons. Edwin tries out some flippers. ( No, that is NOT me in the background! you are so mean)

Joseph jumped right into the ocean and began snorkeling like a seasoned pro. 

Greta and Edwin were a little more timid of the ocean but played well together on the beach. ( I believe they were playing horsey here.)

Thanks to Uncle Bud we went hiking to J@$%*! Ginger Falls. It was absolutely gorgeous and so much fun!

 The bamboo forests were so amazing!
 Ryan went out fishing with his parents one  night and caught 5(?) fish. That's my boy! 
Ryan's mom caught a fish too...
but his dad was skunked.
Mmmmmm.... we love tropical fish.
We took another hike out to the lighthouse near Sea Life Park. Very dry and different than our hike to the falls but still gorgeous. We could see Molokai in the distance. 



 Ryan purchased a Canon SLR... can't remember the model right now but it's super slick. So, I'll do another post with those really good pictures once I download them.

ALOHA

Van's 1

Thank you for inviting us to your SUPER birthday party. We had a SUPER fun time and we love our SUPER HERO capes.

Our Seven Year Old!

Seven years ago today Joseph came to our family. I don't regret one millisecond of the 27 hours of labour it took for him to arrive. I remember when I first held him and looked into his little face and felt recognition. This little man was familiar to me and our spirits knew each other.

Joseph has always been a keen learner and was walking at 10 months. When he was just learning to walk, I remember coming out of Ryan's parents home. There were a few shallow steps down. On the second step Joseph stumbled slightly. I was ready to carry on but that tiny boy turned around and practiced going up and down the step several times to make sure he had it right.
Joseph and I have always enjoyed each others sense of humour. I have so many memories of us laughing ourselves sick over the silliest things.
There is such magic in watching your first grow up.  I am humbled by his desire to do what's right and to reach out to others.
Joseph spoke at a rather early age. He continues to have much to share. A real storyteller.
Like most boys he's gone through many collections. From snails to sticks to stones. Now his favorite thing to collect is coins. He doesn't have to have coins from a certain country or time just whatever he can find around the house and he can spend at Dollarama!
Joseph has really begun to like Harry Potter.  It's so cute to hear him play and speak in an English accent. 
We love you so much, Joseph. You bring so much love, joy and peace to our family.  Happy 7th Birthday!!!

Half Marathon and more

Last saturday I ran my first half marathon.  It was such a BLAST!!!! Back in February when I signed up I had very low expectations of how I would do and what it would be like.  The reality of it went like this. 

8am Friday morning- drop the boys off at a friends to be babysat, drive with Greta and Ardie to Seattle. 

After a ticket, long border wait and insane traffic we arrived at the Health Expo to pick up my packet at 4pm

Friday evening- carb load dinner and asleep by 10:30 to be awakened by Greta half an hour later. My sweet sister Ardie told me to go back to bed and she rocked Greta until she settled down again.

5am Saturday- woke up, dressed for the race and headed out. Ardie stayed to babysit Greta and Van. 

6:45 am still stuck in traffic  trying to get to the race. Start time was 7am. Droves of runners were bailing on their cars and running to the start. We decided to join them. Picture this: the 6 of us running down the side of the freeway trying to get to the off ramp. James decides it would be faster if we hopped over the side and scrambled down to the lower road... through blackberry bushes. After de-tangling ourselves from the thorns and checking for major cuts :), which we couldn't feel because of the adrenaline coursing through our bodies, we began to run the 2 miles to the race. 

I was placed in the last wave to start and finally crossed the start line an hour and 10 mins into the race. 

The course was absolutely gorgeous.  From Tukwila, along Lake Washington where we saw a bald eagle, lovely homes where the owners cheered us on and sprayed us with their hoses to cool off, joining the I-90 through the express tunnel (so wild) and back downtown to the Qwest Field. 

Every mile a different band was playing and local cheer squads kept us pumped up. 

I crossed the finish line feeling ... emotional, happy, tired but not overly and proud of myself. 

It took me 2hrs 11mins and 47 sec. I'm really happy with that. I ran a nice easy 10 min mile.  

We all met up and stretch and basked in our runners high. 

Can't wait till next year... or maybe Phoenix in January!?!

After the race I jumped back into the car and headed for home. We were detoured because of a major accident on the 1-5 and didn't make it home until 10:30 that night. My quads where a little stiff the next day, I like to think it was from sitting in a car for 7hrs and not from my lack of  peak physical perfection. :)

Ready to go at 5 am

Basking in our achievement. 

Returning home victorious!

I'm planning on doing a mini triathlon in August for those of you who would like to join me. Aug 22 in Kelowna!!!

This summer has started out quite nicely. It's hard to describe how perfect the Okanagan is in the summertime. We've already had friends visit and look forward to more guests in the next week.
Greta can't get enough of summer junk food. She could eat chips and ice cream all day. 
Rolling down the hill at the waterslides.
How obvious is it that Greta has two brothers? She can already wield a sword and shoot a gun.
 Greta is also making huge progress with her walking. Inspired by her younger cousin, Van, she took her first steps this past weekend.