What happened to September? The twins went back to school and now it's time to think about Halloween costumes. We had another month of busy - back to school night, lots of Silpada parties, Mommy being sick with whooping cough, a visit from Dee and the kids, and a weekend trip to Richmond. Wooph, we're tired....
John & Kathryn are thriving at school. Good marks all around. Kathryn is in her repeater mode - every word or sentence out of my mouth is repeated clearly and articulately out of hers. This goes for bad words, too (i.e. - the f-bomb). John is reading out loud his favorite book (Llama Llama Red Pajama). He likes to crawl into bed with me and tell me the story in his words.
I don't know what the twins will be for Halloween yet. Their costumes from last year still fit, I may just recycle the witch & dino one more year. Our neighborhood has seen an increase in families with kids. I expect candy distribution to be popular.
Kevin ends his eight week training program today. One word - YIPPEE!! These last eight weeks were important for his career development but not easy on any of us. I am very proud of this accomplishment, but look forward to some normalcy in October.
The leaves are changing, the crisp autumn morning air has arrived and the pumpkins are being picked. I love autumn.
You should see what the other pre-schooler looks like! Just kidding. John wasn't in a fight. We had a stroller accident and this was the end result. While jogging them to school yesterday, the pivot wheel malfunctioned (i.e. - popped off). What happened next - stroller flips, daddy falls on top of stroller, and John gets a boo-boo. I was almost at work when Kevin called. I immediately turned the car around and met them at the pediatrician's office. No broken bones or chipped teeth. Just some gravel burn & a split upper lip. Nothing a little ice cream can't fix. Grandma Busardo came over for some extra TLC. Kathryn told John last night that 'it's okay' when he had to take his medicine. I'm so proud of her compassion. And I'm extremely proud of what a big boy John was through this ordeal.
At a recent play date my girlfriend & I were discussing my decision to race in a triathlon. I mentioned that the hardest part of the three components would be the running. I just am not a running/jogging fan. She recommended a website that got her back into shape - couch to 5k (www.c25k.com). I have one word about this website - FANTASTIC! I've downloaded the weekly podcasts and did my first run. It's not so bad. The music is a little cheesy, but the intervals of running/walking are keeping me positive. Since most of my exercising includes pushing the twins in a jogger or pulling them on bike trailer, I should do pretty well when I'm solo! We are planning on running the Jingle Bell 5k in Dec-08.
The new school year begins tomorrow. That means me lite commute these last few months has come to an end. On Wednesday, the Gtown kids return to class. It's going to be a hectic week.
For the last few years, my parents have been renting a place in Myrtle Beach. This year would be no different. We would go for seven days the second week of August. Unfortunately, our plans were altered when Grandpa Busardo fell ill and it was decided we wouldn't travel. Instead of the beaches of South Carolina, I spent the week home with the twins. Kevin wasn't going to be able to join us at the beach this year because of the intensive management program he's currently enrolled. The twins and me stuck to our normal routine, except I didn't go into the office.
Our stay-cation began with the installation of our new 46" LCD television. We only missed the first thirty minutes of the opening ceremonies [of the 2008 Olympics]. It was beautiful to watch in high-def. We spent the next two days with friends - FiFi came to visit us for antiquing in Old Town Frederick. We then joined an old friend, from my corporate days, for a play date with her son. Since I was at home, I couldn't avoid a few around the house type chores - laundry, addressing August birthday cards, and yard sale tagging. Oh, and a new hairstyle. It'll take some getting used to (it's really short), but I think I'm going to like it. I made sure to get out on my bicycle -- 13miles/day for three days straight. My biking goal is 12 miles under 60 minutes! Thursday was spent in Baltimore. Grandma Busardo and me took the twins to the Maryland Science Center. We had tickets to the Body World 2 exhibit. The body is both fascinating and disturbing at the same time. To see it plasticized and quartered left me thinking about how I need to take better care of my body. Wow! Smoking really is a disgusting habit. And a coal miner's lung - there aren't words to describe it. I spent Friday in Arlington with Diana and her kids for our third play date of the week. A trip to Arlington just isn't the same without Joe's Pizza for lunch. We talked about Facebook and how there are four types of Facebook friends - the collector, the get-back-in-touch, the voyeur, and the peeping tom. I couldn't help but laugh when she shared her theories on Facebook. For me, I'm still finding the popularity of Facebook a bit creepy. Saturday meant a trip to the Montgomery County Fair. The twins identified all the animals, listened to a rooster crow, and loved petting the bunny rabbits. And, it wouldn't be a fair without a funnel cake. I haven't seen much of Kevin since he's been working twice as hard! We can't wait for October 1 - the end of his program.
It's back to work tomorrow. I'm not sure what will await me. I tried not to check email too many times. The buildings didn't burn down, which means it will most likely be business as usual. It would have been nice to sit on the beach for a week, but I'm not sure this year's trip would have been a vacation [sans Kevin]. I enjoyed the time off and look forward to my next real vacation. At least I saved $200-$300 in gas. And the naps! I haven't napped in weeks. Those afternoon siestas felt so good.
I'll end this post with a John & Kathryn update. They have gone from silent children to non-stop talkers. And, they hit another milestone today. As Grandma Busardo and I were chatting, they hopped on their tricycles and pedaled around the house. Today was the first day they actually pumped their pedals! The kids are growing like weeds. Maybe we should have another.
In a past post I mentioned I was training for a triathlon. The training continues. The triathlon isn't until 2009, but I'm glad I made the decision to do this. I'm getting in better shape, I'm eating better (no more meat), and feeling invigorated. My training focus for August is bicycling. It's been at least 10 years since I've been on a bike (for more than a few minutes). My neighborhood has rolling hills. I'm getting my balance and great practice shifting my gears.
My legs burn by the end of my ride, but my backside is looking slimmer. The tri is a 20k (approximately 12 miles). It was suggested that I train for a 15 miler, so that the 12 miles don't seem so hard the day of the race. I'm at the 12 mile mark, just need to add another 3 miles to my route. The 12 miles are taking me a little less than 1 hour. That time will improve as I continue my quest.
Next training step is the swimming. That will be my winter goal. Thanks to everyone for their continued encouragement.
