Halloween 2011

Well, we survived.  Halloween is OVER!  I so wish that I was one of those people that just loves Halloween and all the spookiness and sugar highs (and lows) that come with it.  But I'm just not.  That however does not get in the way of me making sure that the kiddos enjoy everything about the "holiday".  To add insult to injury, I was plagued with a migraine the night before and the day of Halloween.  But, was able to come around to make them a special dinner and get in better spirits for the actual event!

Like any good mother, I waited until the last minute to search for Halloween costumes.  After spending one of my two days ALONE searching high and low for the perfect costume for Coltrane, I found it.  (I found Kingston's the first day)  He was with me and was SO excited when we were at the 100th Target.  When we got home, I tried to force him to wear it and he had a breakdown like I was trying to put him in tights lined with cactus needles.  Needless to say, he chose to wear a Steelers Football Player outfit, that he found in our dress-up basket.  At least he has good taste :)  Kyle was able to meet us for the last 10 minutes we were out which was such a "treat" for the boys!

Here we are:  The Hulk, A Steeler and a Married Single Mom Who Had/Has a Migraine

The boys special Halloween dinner.

Cupcakes from a fellow coaches wife Gina :)

I was going to make a special scary eyeball meatball dinner for Kyle and I, but was too exhausted, and settled with just normal spaghetti (not cool I know) but did manage to make some Bone breadsticks :)

And Trick or Treating

Over the weekend, Kingston helped me make some Halloween Smores and he even dyed some sugar orange for me!

He also had a school party this morning, so here are a few pictures from that.

MFG Cyclocross Series - Race # 5

The cyclocross train keeps on rollin' with MFG Race # 5 now in the books. The MFG and Seattle series usually alternate weekends, this weekend being the rare doubleheader. MFG on Saturday and Seattle on Sunday. More 'cross then you can shake a stick at. Better eat your Wheaties.

This patented Cross-O-Report reflecting the action from Saturday...



Magnuson Park in Seattle hosted as the official race site. Spectacular fall day included at no extra charge.

SRAM red and blue skies.

Still working on my alleged photography skills, playing with blur and panning. Crappy, decent, not bad? Place your vote now.

Aligned helmets. Ian to the left of both shots.

Fast kid and teammate Henry, buzzes the tunnel.

Ian dives into the tunnel.

Other junior racers cruise the tunnel. Not really a full tunnel, but a cool vantage point for some overhead shots.

Teammate Jarrett focuses on the win, taking first place for Junior Boys 13 -14 division. Great job.

Ian looking pro running the barriers. Nothing cooler then watching your 12 year old son race. Put in a solid ride, taking 5th place in Junior Boys 13-14 division, only 7 kids in that class for the day.

Not really Ian's type of course - flat, fast, decent amount of pavement - him being more of a technical mountain biker. Also racing with two swollen knuckles, courtesy of a gym class mishap that bent his fingers back. Ouch. Then, even though he seemed fine at the race, spent the rest of the day on the couch feeling sick. We elected to skip the Sunday race and sleep in - smart move - need to keep all this fun and positive.

Being close to Halloween, Costumes-O-Plenty circulating the course. Gotta love the 'cross scene.

Yes indeed.

Surf Rock - Dick Dale Style

My fascination with surf guitar continues. Specifically, old dudes still rocking surf guitars in defiance to age, trends, tide levels, and loss of hearing.

With that, may I present Dick Dale completely melting ears and shredding guitar picks, along with generally kicking ass. If you don't think this rocks - better get yourself checked...

We now return to our regularly scheduled bike fluff, already in progress...

iPhone Friday

My Sweet Kingston

We have said since Kingston was very little that he has the voice of an angel.  My voicemail on my cell phone is his sweet little voice that Kyle says still gets him every time.  And every once in a while I will listen to it.  So not only is his voice angelic, but also the words that he says.  Take this example from when he was three:

Me:  Kingston, I'm the lucky one because you're in my life.

Kingston:  No Mommy, I'm the lucky one!

Me:  Why Bubba?

Kingston:  Because you're my best friend.

And then the other night when I was saying our prayers and affirmations Kingston chimed in and said the following (and I literally melted in the bed bc he drifted off to sleep as he said the last sentence)

"Kingston is brave"

"Kingston is at home with his family"

"Kingston has a big heart, just like his Mommy"

"I have a picture in my heart of when Coltrane was in Mommy's belly and I am hugging her"

One From the Archives!

One of our favorites from 2008. Two men jump for the Guggenheim in NYC. Photo by Pablo Garcia.