Rambler 120

Earlier this summer, B-man and a few of his co-workers decided to sign up for the Rambler 120 Challenge put on by Randolph AFB. It consisted of a 22 mile bike ride, a 6 mile run, a 2 mile rafting event, and a mystery event. You had to at least have 4 team members. You could have more team members and do a relay, but only 4 members were allowed on the course at any one time. You also had to stay together as a team (within 50 yards of each other) throughout the race. B-man's team only had 4 members, so they all did each even to its fullest length. They all work in the plans section of US Army North so they named their team "Sans Plans," joking that they didn't have a plan and were just out there on a whim.

So, we got up e-a-r-l-y on Saturday morning around 4 a.m. to get ready to drive up to Canyon Lake for the event. I woke up Boo at the last minute and when I walked in his room and said "Good morning," he jumped right up and said, "Okaaaaay!" and was thrilled to be going somewhere in Daddy's truck. It was still dark out when we left the house and on the way to the truck, he pointed at the sky and said, "That's nigh night." So, we drove about an hour up to Canyon Lake and met up with the rest of B-man's team. Boo and I were driving B's truck as the support vehicle for their team. We would drive ahead of them and meet them at the designated checkpoints as they came through the course. We had extra bikes, water, Gatorade, fruit, and the best little mascot around...Lil Boo of course! I'm going to take a minute here to say that Boo was AWESOME! He couldn't have been any better behaved throughout the day. He was a trooper getting in and out of the car seat and stroller multiple times and was eager to see Daddy along the way. He was great and so sweet!

So, we met them at the checkpoints and cheered them on their way. I saw a lot of teams that day and I'm glad to report that Sans Plans was a team that was having a good time. They were laughing and joking and really doing well throughout the race. Other teams were a little too hard core for my taste, but that's just me.

They finished the course in 2 hours and 58 minutes. And they won 3rd place in the Xtreme Division (4 person teams) out of 26 Xtreme teams. The funny thing is, they did the road bike race on mountain bikes and one of his teammates rented one from MWR for $11. It was a terrible squeaky bike to say the least. So, not only did they beat a ton of teams who were using road bikes, which provides a huge advantage, they didn't have to spend $3000 on a high speed bike to end up on the podium! They got a kick out of that. Go ARMY! :)

We are sooo proud of B-man for participating and placing in the event. And for having a good time doing it. He has been training hard all summer, mostly biking and running in the super hot afternoons/evenings. He truly is our personal hero and if you had any doubt about that, just look at Boo's face in the pics below as we cheer on Daddy. He loves B-man sooo much...and I love that!

Coming up on the first bike checkpoint at 7 miles.



Second checkpoint at 14 miles.



B-man giving Boo and me a hollah.

Transition point between the bike and run events.
Gatorade was provided by the most awesome team support evah..Boo and me.

Coming up on the 3 mile checkpoint on the run.
Canyon Lake Dam

Lil Boo cheering on the team saying, "Yay, Daddy!"

Transition point between the run and rafting events.

Start of the raft event.

Lookin strong!

Crossing the finish line!

BBQ lunch

Receiving their medals! Woohoo!

Team "Sans Plans" and their mascot.

It was a beautiful day for a race!! Great weather, great team, and I had a great lil helper! Maggie was good too...ha! Way to go team Sans Plans!

Oh yeah, the 120 in Rambler 120 comes from 4 team members completing 30 miles of events
(4 x 30=120).

Don't forget to check out the Pumpkin Patch post below.

Bracken Pumpkin Patch

On Friday, Lil Boo and I joined our Moms Club buddies at Bracken Pumpkin Patch for a morning of fall fun. It was a beautiful crisp fall morning and Boo had a great time. There was a pumpkin patch, different activity stations, and a hay ride. What more could a child ask for?



Posing with the scarecrow.



My cute lil pumpkin!
What am I going to do with his hair?

Checking out the tractor.

Looking so grown up!

Pic with Mama and Bitsy.

Picking out his pumpkin to paint.

Do pumpkins sink or float?

Painting his pumpkin.

Playing with the pumkin spice smelling play doh.

Counting pumpkin seeds.

HAY RIDE!

Posing with playgroup buds!



Trying to get a group shot.



Hitching a ride with his friend M!

Boo would hijack any wagon that was on the move. He took off through the patch at one point and ran over to a wagon that was being pulled by someone I don't even know and stopped her and hopped in the back with her son and said, "Okay, bye mama". It was so funny. He kept trying to get in everyone's wagon. Luckily, most people were very nice and obliged his requests.

Lil Bit's curtains

Here are the photos of the curtains!!
They look so good!
I'm terrible at taking pictures of room decor, so this is the best I could come up with for now.

We already had this curtain rod (black) from G's room.

I'm considering changing it, but don't know what color to use...white? silver??
Any suggestions?


It's hard to see, but BeBe made some cute embellishments to put on the tabs at the top.

With the changing table in front. It's also black, but I don't think I'll

be painting this one before she arrives.

Today, we're off to a pumpkin patch with the Mom's Club. Tomorrow B-man is participating in the Rambler 120 (22 mile bike ride, 6 mile run, 2 mile raft, and a mystery event). Boo and I are driving the support vehicle for their team! I hope we don't let them down!

Cute thing Boo said yesterday: He was concerned that my belly button was poking out and as he was trying to push it back in, he would say, "Help you Mama...". What a sweetie.

Have a good weekend!

Riding his Motorcycle

We've been trying to get Boo to ride a tricycle for a while now without much luck. Our cul -de-sac has some slight but apparently quite challenging inclines and he just couldn't do it. I also decided to try a different type of tricycle. He had a more traditional one but it was top heavy and would tip over all of the time. So, recently at a consignment sale, I scored this trike below for $3.00!! He was still having trouble with it in front of our house, so last weekend we took him to a park near us that has some trails to see if he could do any better out there. He took off without any problems at all and LOVED every minute of it! We'll definitely go back and I think it will be a great place to take him to ride while Bitsy and I stroll. Oh yeah, he calls his trike his motorcyle...hence the title of this post.

Sometimes he needs a little push to get started or to go up hill.
I believe this trike originally comes with a handle for the parents to push with, but it was no longer with the trike when I bought it.


Nice shady park trail!


There he goes!



Concentrating so hard and looking so cute.

Uh-oh. Crash landing.

Video of the slide at the park: Wheeee!

Video: Look at him go!

I also have to share some cute things he has said lately.

1. We were out to supper last weekend and B-man ordered fish n chips. He offered Boo a hush puppy and about ten minutes later Boo says, "I wanna nother hush dog, please"!

2. We're trying to teach him appropriate responses to common social situations...like saying please and thank you and "God bless you" after someone sneezes. Yesterday morning I sneezed and I looked over at him and I could tell he wanted to say something in response but was having trouble figuring it out. So, I prompted him by saying, "What do you say after someone sneezes?" and he replied..."Gold fish!" It was too funny and very cute.

3. If you ask him if he's a big brother, he points to himself and says, "No, that's Grady"...hmmm.

4. And last but not least, when asked who Maggie is, he will most often point to my belly and respond, "Maggie's baby in mama's belly".

Update on Lil Bit's Nursery: BeBe sent me the curtains and they look so good! Thanks BeBe, Aunt B, and Aunt R! I got them hemmed on Sunday afternoon and they are now hanging in Bitsy's room. I also finished the painting I've been working on for her room as well. I have 2 lamps on her dresser (trying to decide b/w the 2...maybe I'll post a poll so you can help decide). I have ordered a few additional items to finish things off and they're on their way. I'm very eager to get it all together! I'll try to get some pics of the curtains up tonight or tomorrow. I've also been working on packing my bag to take to the hospital, which makes B-man happy. It's more fun to play around in her room, but I guess it is necessary to pack a bag of necessities for the big day.

That's all for now. Have a good day!

HER NAME IS...

Maggie Fulmer Faye

After months of trying to decide on Lil Bit's name, we've finally decided and it was one of the names on the top of our list in the beginning. I don't know why it was so hard to choose her name. Boo's name came pretty easily, but his is a family name, so maybe that had something to do with it.

We had it narrowed down to two names and Maggie just makes me smile! I mean, it's super cute, right? And, Boo started praying for "Maggie" while we were in SC when we said prayers before bedtime. He did it on his own too...no prompting from me. We normally would pray for Lil Bit and one day he said, Maggie. So, that definitely tugged at my heart. And so, now she has a name! Yay!

Yesterday, my friend K hosted a baby shower for me! It was so much fun! She did a pumpkin theme and everything was so cute. My Texas momtourage has been so great to us since moving here. They just welcomed me from the start and I am very grateful for them. Here are some pics of the afternoon.

K and me
K really pulled off a great shower and has been through a lot lately.
Her hubby recently returned from a deployment to Iraq, she just had sinus surgery, and just had her floors torn up and replaced in her house. She amazes me!

K's pumpkin cake. It was delicious!!
Yes, she made it herself...she has cake skills!

Pumpkin cake pops...also delicious.


All of the yummy treats.


Momtourage


Enjoying time with just the moms


I told you the cake was good.


C is also pregnant. She's due in January with a little girl of her own.
She made some of her gifts. This is a blanket that hooks on to the infant carrier, a stroller, or around the baby bjorn, etc.


More homemade treats from my friend M.
She made these cute headbands with flower clips.

More goodies.


Maggie and I had a great time and thank all of our friends for showering us!

Where did my baby go?

I've been working on cleaning out photos and videos from my computer. Yesterday, I came across a folder with these videos in it and I got so teary-eyed looking at my baby! He's grown so much in a year! Travel down memory lane with me for a moment...sniff...sniff!

This one just cracks me up! We used to get that blanket out every time
we watched Jack's show so he could sit on it.

Stacking cups

Today is also Aunt R's bday! Happy Bday Aunt R! We love you and miss you!