Cycling for Parkinsons

Every year our team helps sponsor the Cycling for Parkinsons races.  (Did you know there was a study for people with Parkinsons where they road tandem with someone to see if cycling affected their symptoms.  I don't remember the details, but generally that did help.)

This weekend are the races.  Today was the road race and tomorrow is the criterium.  At the road race, the "little" juniors had a pretty big field.  

When they came around after the first lap (of a two lap race), James was still with the older kids.  (They often race only 10-12 year-olds.  This race all the "little" juniors, including the 13-14 year-olds, were racing.)

When they came around at the end of the second lap, I heard the parents that were up the hill yelling "Go James!  Go James!"  When I could make out the riders, I could see that James was leading the entire field.

He was the first one across the line of the 10-14 year-olds.  The team worked together so well.  I heard from his coach that he had a beautiful attack and that his teammates helped block and slowdown the field so he could get away.

Very exciting.  Tomorrow will be another hot day...stay tuned.  Maybe he will get to help someone else win.

Swim Team

Tonight was Christopher's one and only swim meet.  We have missed so much because of baseball, general schedule and swimmer's ear.  He hadn't even been to practice in a couple of weeks and decided he was just too tired to go to practice this morning.

Yep.  That's green hair.  River Rat green.  I remember kids having green hair from the chlorine, but this is hair spray to show team spirit.  (We actually converted from a chlorine-based system to a salt-based system - lot of ear infections, swimmer's ear and other sicknesses to the jury is still out.)  You should see some of these kids.  

I was so proud of him tonight.  He has a very distinct approach.  He "streamlines" or stays underwater as far as he can before he starts his stroke.  For the 25 free he went almost the entire length of the pool.  Unfortunately, he was so into his swimming he didn't realize he was drifting out of his lane.

Such great form.  I was able to watch him in one event (missed the others because I was timing) - there was a group of guys James's age standing around me.  They thought it was so cool that he was able go half the length of the pool underwater.  They went on and on.  It was a cool moment for a mom.  He was about even with the two other leaders at the turn.  

He really turned it on the second half of the second 25 and won by a decent margin in his heat.  We didn't stay to find out exactly how he did, but I was so proud of him.  He really gave it his all.  

Summer Surprise

We had a great summer surprise earlier in June.  My cousin called to say they would be in town for a couple of nights.  We don't get to see him and his family very often so we were very excited to get to spend some time with them.  

Julie (of whom I am very fond), Michael (whom I have always called Mike so I'll never get it right), David (a.k.a James) and teenager Madeline make quite a nice-looking family, I think.   Our kids get along quite well and, despite the distance, we really would like them to grow up to be friends.

The second day they were here, we ventured off to Six Flags.  That is always interesting when it's just the four of us because James wants to ride every roller coaster multiple times.  Christopher will do the small ones and Keith and I flip a coin to see who has to do rides with James.  (Although, we have been known to send him off by himself for the really giant ones.)

Mike's entire family likes doing the big rides so Christopher and I took a leisurely walk around the park, spent a lot of time shopping for his souvenir for the day, did a few rides and got his picture taken with many characters.  It was one of my best Six Flags trips ever.  (I even got a hug from Bugs, which did creep me out a little.  He seemed just a little too anxious for that hug, but then, look at that face...it was just Bugs Bunny.)

I think everyone had fun - at least they looked really cool, which was hard to do because it was a million degrees.  Most of all, we just enjoyed hanging out with our cousins.

I think we need to visit them the next time.  After all, they live close to the beach.

Boys Will Be Boys

I have so many things to update you on....baseball, cycling, family visits.  I have so many pictures to go through, but in the meantime...

I was working at my desk the other day and the boys were very quiet.  Too quiet.  The next thing I know, Christopher shows up with James following closely, but not too closely behind.  With a Sharpie in his hand.

Yep.  This amazing work was done with a Sharpie.  Keep in mind we had a baseball game that night.  I tried to calmly respond that this was a very creative work, but they needed to figure out how to get Sharpie off Christopher's face in the next 30 minutes.  Somehow they did it.  Well enough that James showed up with black markings.  They got if off too fast for me to get a picture.  I just thought quiet was a good thing.

State Crit

James had hopes of winning the state crit even though he is an 11-year-old racing in the 10-12 year old age group.

  

It was a hot day and we hadn't exactly been focused on race diet and rest because we were having way too much fun with cousins who were visiting.  (Six Flags was a lot of fun.)

It was a tough race and James ended up riding alone for a good bit of the race.  That'll use up a lot of energy fast.  He still came in 2nd.  He'll get 'em next year.  

I'm going to get you caught up on baseball...I'll leave you with a teaser.  Pee wee games are 5 innings.  The game today went to 7 - a nail biter!

Baseball Heartbreak

It was hot.  CBT has swimmer's ear, which by the way, is an infection of the middle/outer ear.  Didn't swim growing up so I never knew that.  I also never knew it is painful.

The district tournament started today.  It was a hard fought game and we were truly in it to the end.  CBT really struggled today - he is so hard on himself.

I really hate that I didn't get my "focus dot" in the right place for this play.  He made an amazing catch in right field.  Tomorrow is another game at 2pm.  Now that we are in the losers' bracket maybe we can catch a break (or maybe a ball- LOL).

Family

It's after midnight and I'm really tired...work, travel, the nutso sports schedules.  But I haven't blogged anything in a while and I am just in the mood.

We have had such a good day (notwithstanding the fact that Christopher woke up with "swimmer's ear."  For those of you like me who have heard of that but have never known what that is, I will educate you.  It is an infection of the middle/outer ear that is caused by the ear not drying out well and creating a great home for bacteria.  Fortunately, we got in to the self-named Wicked Dr. Bob.  He is not our usual doctor, but I really liked him.  We have drugs and hopefully CBT will be feeling good for the All Star tournament that starts Saturday.

Once again, I digress.  We have had a really good day because my cousin, Mike/Michael, is here with his two kids and wife.  (Maybe that multiple names thing is genetic, ie, Candice/Candi, Robert/Whitey....hmmmm.  I will have to ponder that more.)

Mike is Daddy's nephew whom we don't get to see very often.  But as with many visits with my parents, we do have fun, ie, we laugh a lot and our kids seem to enjoy each other.

Tomorrow is a big day at Six Flags.  I seem to remember a post about that and some different slice of humanity.  Nevertheless, I am sure we will have fun.  Look forward to baseball tournament and James's state crit race this weekend.

Out of the Mouths....

Whoa!  Too much going on for sure.  I have thought about sitting down to share almost every night this week, but we just have so much going on.  The two additions to the current schedule are swim and All Stars for Christopher.  We have a long history with All Stars, albeit with a very short reprieve last year.

Christopher has grown up so much since last year and has actually asked us if his attitude has  been better.  Tonight he absolutely amazed me.

I have been taking pictures of all the kids at practices and our scrimmages.  Yesterday I took a bucket to stand on so I could get above the fence so get better shots.  It was one the hubby had that had a nice, cushiony seat on it.  Well, tonight when we headed back to the park I realized I had left it.  I got in a really bad mood really fast.

In the car Christopher asked me why "[I] was so negative about the bucket" and then that I should "be more optimistic."  We both prayed for my attitude (and that the very nice bucket that any baseball coach would envy would still be there).  How did he get to be so wise?

By the way, check out the buzz that his dad gave him today.  Isn't he precious with that haircut in his catcher's gear?