Mature Readers Only-L

About a year ago, I had one of those moments with James where I just about bust a gut trying not to laugh.  In the end I did laugh.  Until I cried.  There was a bit of mystery and intrigue around it that was not solved until this morning.  It seemed like a perfect story to share with my dear friends and relatives that share this blog with me.  I asked Christopher if he thought I should share the story.  His quick answer was "Yes because it's not about me."  So, I feel quite justified in proceeding. (OK,  I did ask James who wasn't quite as sure but did give did finally give the ok because I think he now feels vindicated.)

When James first started riding, he endured some of the ailments that all riders endure.  One of them is a sore bottom.  As I was tucking him in one night, he sheepishly said "Mommy, I think I have Monkey Butt."  (I can't help but smirk even now as I type this.)  "Monkey butt?" I asked.  "I don't think I know what that is."  He very seriously said that he had read about it, but couldn't remember the treatment for it.  That was the point where I just lost it.  He couldn't remember where he read it, but he was sure he had read it and was sure it was a medical condition.  James reads a lot so it was hard to doubt him, but Monkey Butt?

Of course, I immediately had to go tell Keith and we both laughed.  Even James finally chuckled about it because we were laughing so hard.  The year has passed and I forgot all about it.  This morning James was in my room and noticed a catalog on my floor.  "This is it!  This is where I read about Monkey Butt."  He quickly flipped through it and behold,

Well, of course, Monkey Butt.  It's right here in black and white.  In the very faint print it even mentions bikers.  What is it they say?  The joys of boys?

Our Fall Tradition

Every fall we make a trip to Burt's Farm and to Amicalola Falls.  The tradition started a long time ago.  Fourteen years to be exact.  Keith and I met at Amicalola Falls.  It's not quite the way it sounds.  There was a Sunday School class trip there.  A long story really that includes to two of us being there at the same time.  We met there and started hanging out together not long after that trip.  The day he officially asked me to marry him later that fall, we drove up to the Falls.   

So, every fall we drive back up to Amicalola.  Once we had the boys, the trip took on a new tenor but is great fun and has become very important as we were to learn this year.  You see, it was supposed to rain all day on Friday and the high was supposed to be around 48.  Absolutely miserable weather.  There's only been one other year when we had such bad weather.  That year we just went to the outlet mall - the boys were too little to care.

This year we found out that Christopher was not hearing of our not making the trip.  "How did we know it was going to be raining there?" he demanded.  We tried to explain about weather.com and weather maps, but to no avail.  Besides, he concluded, it would be fun to hike in the rain.  We (especially the older brother) weren't so sure.

We made it to Burt's Farm and for the first time ever, we were the only ones outside looking for a pumpkin.  It was pouring and the water was standing several inches deep. The search was no less careful or thorough because of the weather.

We found our pumpkin and went on to the Falls.  We hiked in the rain and went down all 604 steps from top of the falls to the bottom.  Fortunately, we had lots of layers and were able to strip down a couple when we got back to the van.  

For all his complaining, even James ended up having fun.  There's just something about boys and puddles.  This will definitely be a trip we never forget thanks to Christopher's persistence and reminding us a family tradition is a family tradition, after all.

That Amazing 2nd Child

My second son amazes me, cracks me up and sometimes totally frustrates me for as straightforward as James is, Christopher is complex.  I adore him for that because I never know what's going on in his precious little head.  I absolutely never know what to expect next.  Christopher loves to take things apart.  Partly to see how they work and partly because he loves to destroy them.  

Last weekend he announced he was making a museum of his parts.  How cute, I thought, until I saw it.  He found various containers for his parts and he made explanatory signs.  The signs labeled each item and explained what it had done in its previous life.   Amazing!  He told me he was working toward a world renowned museum.  

He continues to ponder his future frequently.....college, what will he do when he grows up, what he will be doing when Jesus returns ("if, Mommy, I'm alive), and how to know who you're supposed to marry.  What?! I remind him he has a lot of time to think on such things.  

That precious little head holds so many deep thoughts.  What an amazing gift he is.

This one was of our more interesting weekends.  We got to attend a square dance on Friday night!!  (James says, "We HAD to go.")  It was with one of the homeschool groups we're a part of.  It actually was quite fun.  Christopher endured some kind of knee injury that involved bumping into some immovable, very hard object and wasn't keen on participating.  (Although I did see him late in the evening flinging a young lady around in the "kid's corner."  Daniela was cute...maybe more about that another time. 

James was quite the participant.  He danced every dance and even danced with some GIRLS.  It didn't seem to matter which girls they were just as long as they wanted to dance.  I even got his last dance when he was boxed out of one of the squares.  (OK, I couldn't resist the pun.)  I had as much fun watching him as I did actually dancing.  It also brought back a lot of memories of when Keith and I first met - many of our first evenings together were spent country western dancing.  It was fun - if you get a chance to go square dancing any time, bow to your pardner and do-si-do....

Christopher woke up with a very sore and swollen knee, but he had a soccer game.  I wasn't sure how fired up he was going to be after all was said and done, but it was his most aggressive game.  He was everywhere.  He was very proud of his hat trick - he scored 3 goals in this game.  I love to watch him when he is totally engaged.

Finally, we had the last race of the season.  Keith and I didn't go because James's coach had offered to take him.  We were up at the crack of dawn to get him to the QuikTrip.  We waited anxiously for James's call.  His start time was 9:31 and we thought he should be done in 20-25 minutes.  It was an 8-mile out and back time trial - the Georgia State Championship.   Finally, he called after what seemed like a really long time.  All the words came out in a massive jumble - something about coming in last, a car crash, having to turn around because it was graphic but he saw no blood.  What?  Slow down and start over.  He was second to start and quickly overtook the guy in front of him.  (In a time trial, they start the riders every 30 seconds.)  About 2 miles into the ride, the officials started yelling at him to slow down and turn around.  He couldn't really understand what they were saying until he realized there had been a car wreck.  He passed the wreck and the officials chased him down and made him turn around.  He was feeling good and, according to his speedometer, was going very fast.  He mosied back to the start thinking they would do it over.  After all, that stopped him halfway.  Only, they didn't.  That was it.  He was disappointed, but he is so good about disappointment.  

As he rode back he said he kept wondering about how that lady could have a one-car crash in such a beautiful day on such a straight road.  We were just thankful it wasn't a one-car/one bicycle crash.

Now the season is over.  We get a few weeks to slow down a bit before the hard training starts for next year's season.  I can hardly wait.

End of the Season....Almost

Greenville, South Carolina.  It's a trip that traditionally marks the end of the cycling season for Frazier Cycling.  There is a very heavy concentration of cyclists there - who would have ever guessed- led by none other than George Hincapie.  For those of you not in the cycling know, he is one of the most famous of American cyclists and one who was with Lance for each of his victories in the Tour de France.  It takes riders like George for riders like Lance to succeed.  And, George has had his won share of success on the European circuit.  He and his family have also started a clothing line there in South Carolina and they host a series of races, which brings us back to this blog.  (I do eventually wind my way back.  Dr. Dulek would be mortified at my lack of bottom-line writing and my circuitous routes, but this isn't business writing, after all.)

The Greenville Cycling Classic is the last of that series.  It occurs right in the middle of downtown Greenville at the same time as a city festival.  Saturday's races include some of the biggest prize money I've seen so people turn out in droves.  It is such a lovely setting - and such a tough race.  

One thing that was really hit home today is that the boys that are older are just faster than James and the ones that are his age are a lot slower so he just has no one to work with.  It's really difficult to ride by yourself in a race, which is exactly what he had to do today.

I think he's really looking forward to the day he gets a little more muscle mass and can keep up with the older guys better.  Alas, all was not lost.  His two teammates did very well.  One broke away with about 4 laps to go and almost lapped the field.  He is just so fast.  All in all, James and I had a good trip and enjoyed our time just hanging out together.

Keith and Christopher stayed home and had their own ride together, which unfortunately included a little crash.  Christopher seems to be ok, but underneath it all a little frustrated that he can't race.  Maybe that's a good thing.  Maybe by the time he's old enough he'll really want to.

As for mom and dad, we're glad Coach Kelli said she would drive James to Ringgold next Saturday morning for the state time trial championship.  You see, we got this e-mail a couple of weeks ago....they didn't know that Greenville was supposed to be the end of the season, I guess.  Of course, James just thinks he HAS to be there even though it's two hours away and we have to be there by 8 am on SATURDAY!  It is a race, after all, and that's what competitors do.  They race.  God bless you, Coach Kelli.