TWO NEW GRANDCHILDREN!!

I don't have pictures, but I have to share the news that Nick and Rachel gave birth to their third son on July 21st.  His name is Benjamin KeKoa, and he weighed in at 9 lbs 11 oz, 22 inches long.

And for more news, Jorgen and Amy gave birth to their second daughter via emergency c-section on July 28th.  Jessalyn weighs 5 lbs 8 oz, 19 1/2 inches long and is doing remarkably well for being born 5-6 weeks early.

That's three grandchildren born this year, but the birth rate will probably slow down for a while.  I have been playing grandma to Keira, the 15 month old big sister to Jessalyn Goodman.  Talk about life slowing down, I have cancelled everything to play with her and keep her happy.  I must admit, it has been an adjustment!

 Keira is learning how to feed herself.  Notice the piece of spaghetti hanging down from the back of the chair!

 Keira loves playing with the play food!  I knew those pre-school toys would come in handy with grandkids.

This is a diaper cake with a Hawaiian theme I made for Amy's baby shower that did not happen since she was in the hospital!

Attention young mothers or mothers of young children:  I admire you, I respect you, I think you're amazingly wonderful to do the things you do.  I had 5 children in 8 years, which is fairly close, and I do remember being busy, but taking care of one little 15 month old takes a lot more time than I remember.  How do you do it?!

My Second Triathlon

Today I did my second triathlon.  Three weeks ago my friend who lives at Ft. Huachuca invited me to stay with them if I was planning on doing the triathlon on base.  I asked Xela if she was interested, and since it only cost $15 (most are $45 and up) she said sure.  I thought about it for a couple of days after she registered, then signed up myself.  Three weeks to train---not enough time!  And for several days I wasn't going to be home.  But I did it, and I didn't drown, crash, or walk (well, maybe a little bit).  The weather was very cooperative, cloud cover and on the cooler side.  Actually, Ft. Huachuca is in a beautiful setting--I'm glad the fires didn't get that far.

800 Yard Swim

12 Mile Bike Ride

3.1 Mile Run

A few years ago I would never have posted pics of myself on any kind of public network, especially looking less than "lovely."  Why am I doing it today?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps it's because I'm over 60 so who cares, or maybe my focus is different.  I like seeing what my body can do, how far I can push it (not very far), and doing hard things is good for me.  Maybe I've said this before, but feeling and enduring physical pain helps me endure emotional pain.  Or maybe it's the other way around?  Whatever the case I hope I can keep it up!     

The Busyness of Life

This is the only picture I've downloaded into my laptop's photo album since the beginning of June.  I have a lot in my phone, but since I walked into the pool this morning with said device in my pocket, I'm not sure I'll be blogging those pix.  Grrrrr!

This is the latest picture of Grandma Goodman with her El Paso, Texas grandchildren.  Soren is two and the spitting image of his dad when he was two, Dailan is 6, Grandma is ??, Kylamarie is 4 months, and Magnus is 4.  Lively children, full of love, being a grandma is the best!

Here are a few of the 4th Year YW after our first practice hike at Catalina State Park.  A few weeks later we were told Mt Lemmon was closed to all campers and hikers until measurable moisture, so no Stake Girls Camp this year.  What a disappointment and even a sad time for me!  I really had to ponder on this because I had a distinctly strong impression last year that I was to do the hike again even though I was resistant to the idea.  To make a sweet, long story short I got my answer "why" while standing in the cultural hall waiting to leave with the Ward YW for their camp.  And what a blessing to be invited to our Ward's camp in Virden, New Mexico!  Heavenly Father really does know what's best for all of us!  I've got to learn how to be more trusting.

I've run only a couple of races in June, both 5Ks, but interesting and different.  The first one was running the hills around Colosal Cave on the far SE side of the valley.  We got a free pass into the cave which we did that day.  It has been a dry cave for 10,000 years so not as dramatic as Kartchner Cavern, but still very interesting.

The other race was downtown Tucson with almost 1800 people running.  When you get that big of a group the energy is tangible, and even though the race was in the evening I thought the heat was an advantage.  All my joints felt loose and bendable!

I have had lots going on the past month, and one of the craziest things ever to take up more time is the sprint triathlon I'm doing on Saturday, that's right in 5 days, at Ft. Huachuca.  I've only done one other tri and that was almost 3 years ago.  It is an 800 yard swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run.  Again my goal is not to drown, keep the bike upright, and finish whether walking or running!  I will report next week!