Max's Frazer Mountain Wreck

This is Kris--Ginna insists that I report on all things bike racing. This past weekend we went up to Taos Ski Valley for a mountain bike race.

This was the second year that we've done this. We went last year, got a good deal on a funky condo for the weekend and had a great time. There is a kid's race in addition to the adult race and last year Max got really sick the day of the race and wasn't able to race. It was too bad because the age split is age 6. Last year, he would have raced in the under 6 group with a bunch of toddlers and done great. This year, however, he got to race with the 7 and ups, who were significantly bigger and faster than him.
Max has been really nervous about this race. He was faking injuries and illness the whole drive up to Taos. When I saw the field of boys he was going to race against--four 10-year olds--I knew it had potential to be demoralizing. And it's not like it's that big of a deal if he doesn't like to ride or race bikes, but since it's all I want to do it would be fun if he liked it too. This year, he really watched the Tour de France and so I thought it could be a breakthrough year if this race was fun.

Max practiced by racing around the lodge and little town, while he got up the courage to race. We were excited that he seemed to have the courage to try. I tried to get him ready by reminding him that I never win races (very true) and that racing is just to challenge ourselves and have fun, but that's a tough lesson when you're 7.



The raced started and Max was instantly in last place. It didn't help that he was racing on the bike we bought him when he was 3 and the other boys were on the nicest kids bikes you can buy.


Max has a tendency to quit doing things when he knows that he will lose, but he kept on riding in his race, even though he was well into last place. We cheered him through until he came into the final stretch and wrecked using the coaster brake on his toddler bike.
The EMTs were right there, fresh from aiding in a life flight mountain rescue ( I found out Monday at the hospital that the guy was ok) and ready to patch up Max.

Sandy didn't get too caught up in all the action. He just played in his backpack, enjoying his rain cover.

In the end, Max was just fine and he even says that the crash was his favorite part of the race. I think he liked all the extra attention.

And after we got home, I bought him a real racing bike, so at least we can't blame the bike next time.

::bike race video::

More reporting to come later.

::who's ready for breakfast?::

::long overdue::

And I mean this post is LOOOOOOOOONG overdue.

At Christmastime I was surprised by a package from my dear friend Rachel. Rachel is an amazing person that I feel so lucky to know. She was friends with my mom first, technically, but now she's mine too. Thanks to the internet, blogging and such we've been able to keep track of each other's lives and keep in touch.

Anyway, she sent a gift for both Max and Sandy. So so nice, right? But just wait. It's nicer than nice. She made the stuff by hand.

I will show you now. But first I want to say this. There is one benefit for me having taken so long to post this. We get to see baby pictures that are now old. Baby looks so much different now and seeing the old pictures from December and March is fun.

First of all, she knitted a little Yoda guy for Max. I don't have a picture of him handy but he was super cute and Max loved him. He fit perfectly in with the Star Wars sleeping bag Max received from his Grandma.

But Sand was the one who really scored. He got an amazing hat that Rachel knitted.

(He's only about a month and a half in this picture. SO CUTE AND NEW!)

Isn't that a gorgeous and amazing looking hat? Sand wore it all winter and I got so many compliments on it. It's just different and gorgeous.

Awwwwwwww. Back when he used to sleep in his carseat.

AND he got a jacket. He had to grow into it a bit, so in these pictures it's March and he's about four months old.



The jacket matches the hat of course. I think it's amazing. So cute.



Rachel is amazing. She has a great big family with all sorts of cute kids. She takes great care of them. She's creative and fun and crazy and gorgeous and such a loving friend. I just feel so lucky to have her as one of my buddies.

Thanks again for the gifts Rachel, they're such treasures--just like you!

::buddies::

I meant to post this forever ago, but oh well. There's a lot of that happening around here, and it just has to be acknowledged and then ignored.
Anyway....
Max has a great friend here in our ward. Her name is Emily and the funniest part about her is that she's only four. She's four, but you wouldn't know it. She's such a funny, precocious, crazy girl. She and Max get along so well and she adores him with all her little heart. He likes her pretty well too, but I don't think you'd catch him admitting it.
We had Emily over a couple of months ago (long enough ago that there was still a bit of a chill in the air). I took a few photos and they were just so funny I had to post them.

I fed them lunch outside in the courtyard, and their conversation was hilarious. It always is, really.

And if you think maybe Max is too silly for Emily I'll tell you. She gives as good or better than what she gets.

They make quite a goofy pair of friends.




Hams, really.
Sandy isn't ever sure quite what to think of the two of them.
Emily likes him a lot, but I think she's not sure what to do with him.

She's the youngest in her family by a ways, and babies are a strange and wonderful thing.
She wanted some pictures with Sand, but wasn't quite sure how to pose with him.

We tried.


So there you go. I'm so happy that Max has a good friend out here (she's one of many cute friends in the ward, really.) and it's so fun that they can hang out. I'm so glad to see Max getting along great with a younger child. It's so great, especially a guy who was an only child for so long.
And Emily is SO darned cute.

::summer sunsets::

Out here in the desert we have some pretty spectacular sunsets. Not always is the light perfect for photos though. The other night we were eating dinner with friends and I happened to look out the window into the courtyard and saw the most superb light shining in from the sunset. I ran and got the camera and inflicted people with my photo taking for a while.

It was worth it. The light was gorgeous!



I love the sunsets and the evenings out here. They're very pleasant and often pretty spectacular.

And yes, also silly.

::8 whole months::

Our sweet little Sandy is eight months old today. To sound predictable, I just wonder where the time went. And it also seems like he's been with us forever--how could our family ever have done without him?
We sure do love the little guy.


And I have so many more fun blog posts to come if I can just find some time.

Happy birth anniversary to cute Sand!!

::fire::

The fires out here are finally starting to get under control, and I'm finally getting around to posting a few pictures.
We all noticed the new fire out by Los Alamos as soon as we came out of church a week or two ago. It looked like there had been some sort explosion--there was a crazy large plume of smoke heading out of the mountains out towards the sky.

That night the smoke was pretty spectacular. We were all sad, since the mountains on the other side were already on fire, and this new one was obviously huge. But watching the smoke was still pretty fascinating.
Check out the sunset scene.


A little later.

That night we climbed a ladder in our courtyard and we could see the flames out there burning and dancing. It was pretty scary looking.
This is what I saw the next morning.


It's been pretty smoky ever since. And the poor folks in Los Alamos had to evacuate for about a week.
Here are a couple of poor quality iPad shots of how the smoke looked as we were driving to UT.


Pretty crazy stuff. We'll be so glad and relieved when that fire is out!

::10::

Our ten year wedding anniversary was last week. It's hard to believe it's really been ten years. It seems like such a long time--I'm sure someday it will seem short, but for now we're in a bit of awe over it.
I just have to say it's been a wonderful, difficult, challenging and highly rewarding ten years. I'm so glad to be who I am and where I am, and I'm just delighted that I get to do it all with Kris. Love you tons honey.