Memorial Day Weekend Highlights

Three years ago this weekend we posted this after I (Derek) had completed my first marathon. That marked the second post of this blog. A lot has changed since then, what with the birth/raising of child number 1. Now here we are again with a baby on the way (due date is one day off from Henry's due date).

This weekend I did not run the marathon. However, we did go cheer for some friends that were running (both the full and half). Here you can see Tina and Henry poised for cheering (note the orange cowbell in the grass).

Saturday night we had a nice family night out on the town. After a dinner at home we headed out for some ice cream by the lake. Henry was in heaven. Ice cream + watching boats = loads of fun.

 No weekend (or weekday for that matter) would be complete without a bike ride. Now some of you may remember that Henry can ride his bike without training wheels. This doesn't mean he wants to at this point. I (dad) have had to practice restraint in not pushing him to do something even though I know he is perfectly capable.

A picture of Henry playing with his Automoblox (I/we are in no way getting paid to advertise for these toys but honestly, they are awesome).

Meditating.

And finally, an interesting sidenote. This weekend we had the vehicle pictured below parked outside of our house.

You can read all about them here. Now, I'm the last person who'd be against promoting 'permaculture' and ways to be more sustainable. However, I'm not sure I agree with their Slogan 'cause it seems to me their skills are really from a previous millennium. Anyway, it's an interesting group of folks to watch and talk to.

Boys on bikes

This past weekend both Derek and Henry participated in a local bike race. Derek did a criterium race for his age group and ranking and Henry did the kid's race. I sat on the sidelines, cheered them on, ate snacks and gestated.

The start of the race. Henry has the British flag helmet with the red bike and is in the middle of the picture here.

Midway point of the race.

Finishing. Notice the guy at the end giving away cookies to all the participants. Derek was a bit sad that was not included in his race. Also notice Henry's bib number--he was so excited to have one "just like Dad."

Derek's race was actually right before Henry's. The entire time Henry was asking when his race would start. It was a long 45 minutes for him. Here Derek is in the front. (photo courtesy of Adam)
Here are both Derek and our friend Keith on a corner. (again--thanks Adam for the great shot) Keith is just to the left of Derek with the matching Mad City Velo jersey (the team they are both on). I'm always a bit nervous with these races since it's such a tight course. Inevitably there is a crash, but thankfully both Keith and Derek finished the race with functioning bikes and no blood. Thanks to all those who came out to watch. It was a fun time indeed. Can't wait until next year.

Quick Visit

Grandma Janet and Grandpa Delmar flew in from Ohio a few weekends ago for a very quick and fun visit. We did a horrible job taking pictures and then Derek and I both got a nasty cold that Monday so therefore no blog post.

They came to visit and to go to a car show but the weather wasn't nice. Henry, Grandpa and Derek saw the whole thing but Grandma and I didn't see everything and did some huddling by buildings to keep warm. It was so nice to have them visit before the craziness of having an infant comes. Also, it was great to actually be with my mom on Mother's Day. Not sure when that has happened last. I think I'll always remember that visit. Thanks again Mom and Dad.

Got Eggs?

So this weekend we finally got the chicken coop to the point that it could safely 'host' chickens. This meant we needed to finish painting the inside and put wire mesh up to keep them from getting out or getting eaten whichever would come first.

The first picture is of Henry and I painting the inside and soon after this picture was taken Henry (totally by accident as far as I could tell) painted the entire side of my head from my face to just past my ear. I guess that's the hazard of painting with a 2.9 year old in tight quarters.

Once the painting was done and proper security measures installed, we drove to the local farmer (about 40 min away) and picked up our 4 chickens. Here you can see one of them just below the actual coop. Which is where they spend all of their time since it is also where their food and water are located.

Here's the only decent picture I have of the chickens so far. They move really quickly. Oh and finally, we have and egg! The most expensive egg we have ever purchased.

I should mention that we've been surprised with how much fun it is to watch the chickens.