Kids Triathalon

Swimming. Biking. Running.

It makes me proud to even say it ...

Sam competed in his first triathalon!

oh, the excitement, the nervousness

and the cold

{55 to be exact}

He swam 100 yards

biked 1 mile and

ran a half mile

As soon as the race started

he was on his own

He swam his 4 laps as we all cheered him on

then outside he ran to find his towel and clothes

everything he needed was waiting for him with his bike

He dryed off, got dressed and couldn't get his shoes on!

He rode the mile with his heels hanging out of his shoes

Before the run, he stopped and took the extra seconds to get those shoes on

he looked upset, worried ... he was fine

{it's all for fun, baby}

He looked so tired, but he ran

and when he could see the finish line

he sprinted, all the way in!

 his overall time was 17:29.6
19th place

Wow, we are all so proud of our little triathlete

19 35 Sam  Bowers  214  11 19  2:47.0  16  1:57.8 20  6:27.0  31 1:27.1 15  4:50.4 17:29.6

Easter

One of my very favorite holidays ...

this year held even a little bit closer

to my heart

I wasn't sure how big our celebration would be

since Grandpa is not feeling so great

{he just finished another round of chemo}

We went to Grandma & Grandpa's

and to my surprise

he looked and felt great!

We all ate a big lunch and then

 we headed outside for the Easter Egg Hunt!

What a gorgeous day!

We all opened a few gifts and read cards

 had a few emotional moments

and relaxed and just enjoyed hanging out

with family

Happy Easter to All

 We finally did it

we bought Sam a cell phone

I am only a little excited about this

but this kid ... he is over the moon!

 

I get the reasons that he "needs" it

he is starting to be away from me a little more and more

 each day

walking to school by himself

riding his bike to his friends house

meeting friends at the park

btw, I can hardly handle any of this

but I truly realize how important this bit of freedom is for

my independent, growing, confident child

... I do

it's just tough on a mom, a little tougher than I expected

I'm struggling with the fact that this is the last year of elementary school

where I know his teachers, his friends, their parents

he will be in a new school next year

 a middle school student

with new friends, new responsibilities, new opportunities.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited too

excited to see him make new friends and have these new experiences

and for him to grow into the young man that Brad and I dream of him becoming.

It just all feels like it is happening faster, all of a sudden

and for me ...
.

it seems to be starting with this phone ...

this little piece of freedom

Always Remembering ...

Our daily lives can be so busy

work, school, sports, appointments, etc

sometimes it's hard to make time to get together

but today, we make time

for our families to be together and

celebrate Grandpa/Dad ... together.

It's so important to me and to Shannon

and I think it is really important for the boys

they all miss him so much

Red.Blue.Yellow to represent KU

of course

Purple to represent Pancreatic Cancer

for shannon and i

little notes attached

we release them to ... Heaven

Then we're off for a delicious dinner at Stroud's
Daddy's favorite place for all of us to eat together

I know that he is there with us

We all enjoy this little ritual so much
the remembering and the together-ness

I hope we are never to busy

to remember

missing you daddy

Today is the day

the day my dad passed away

three years ago ... today

I seem the same

I act the same

I look the same

but boy, it sure feels different

heavy

even sometimes physically different

my chest, my stomach, my heart
hurts

it's so hard to understand

just how much I miss him

sometimes, I don't even understand

I look at his pictures

and it takes me right back to that moment

His face always makes me smile

always

He was such a presence in my life

in Sam's life

in Brad's life

our entire family

The impact of him not being on this earth anymore

is so strongly felt by so many

... still

It warms my heart, unbelieveably

to know how much he meant to my friends

and to his friends and to his employees

everyone still loves him

and that

means so much to me

and

helps keep him alive

I miss you everyday Daddy,

every.single.day

Day at the K!

First Royals Game of the 2011 Season
... with the Myers

A big surprise for Keaton's Birthday
and a day of fun for all of the boys!

{I am so jealous that I didn't get to be there}

 

They went early so they could check out the Royals Hall of Fame

and participate in the Outfield Experience

.

The Royals *lost to the Mariners that day

{hopefully they will get their mojo back soon}

but lots of goodies were bought and eatin'

and it was a beautiful day spent with friends

Oh, the memories.

So Cool



Keaton/Sam



Sluggerrr's Batting Cages



Sluggerrr's Base Run

Sluggerrr's Pitching Mound



Finished at last

After a lot of hard work

{thank you honey and thank you Kevin}

and a lot of patience

the family room is complete

It's even furnished but still needing a few more touches

here and there

We are all so happy to be able to turn on a movie

and get cozy and comfy in our new family room ... together

I am delighted to have Sam and his buddies back

down there having band practice and playing video games

I can't believe we didn't do this sooner

So excited to have my Family Room back!