Girl Power

Here's the girly pics from the Bicycle Classic.

Whitney came in 2nd in her heat, go Whit! Evidently she's got some "fire in her tires" as Bret called it. It probably didn't hurt that I gave her back wheel a lil' nudge when the whistle blew.

Abby was just happy to be there. She pedaled with all her might, and crossed the finish line 7th or 8th. She did get some air time from the announcer as she finished, though, that was cool.

Bobbie gets the ultimate girl power award, since she was the ONLY girl 18-25 to even enter the race. I wish I'd known, and maybe I could have pumped up the air in my mountain bike and given it a shot. I would have come in a lap or two behind Bobbie, but at least we could have made it a family affair. She had to ride with the men 35-55 so, she got some SERIOUS air time each time she came around the corner.

the new face of Kyle Douglas

Since it was Kyle's birthday picture that I posted last (more than 2 weeks ago...sorry. No excuses, just haven't had time) you can easily see the difference between his first (lame) haircut and the more...drastic one I gave him before we left for Redlands last week. He looks like a bona fide big kid now, eh? Sniff Sniff, my baby's growing up.

More pictures from the Bicycle Classic in Redlands on my next post. Hopefully it won't be another 2 weeks before I post again.

Bubba's Big Birthday! (from last week)

almost a week late, here's the pics from Kyle's birthday celebration.




We snuck in a party after piano lessons, cub scouts, and just before bed. Whew!



Kyle got for his birthday:


3 new books

2 cool balls (his favorite)

his 1st haircut

4 shots and....

an ear infection.

Brotherly Love

So, Bret wasn't feeling too hot today (Doug wasn't either for that matter, he's been sicker than I've ever seen him). They both came home early (Bret from school with a stomach ache, etc. and Doug from work when he couldn't stop coughing or sneezing or falling asleep while driving).

Tate, on the other hand, was feeling fine, and somewhat more saintly than usual. These were the contents of a letter he left for Bret by his bed tonight:

Dear Bret,

I hope you get better soon. I feel really feel bad for you. I know we ushaly fight but I still love you. Again I hope you get better soon. I'll make you a deal, I'll make your lunch and breakfast too.

Love,

Tate

all together now: awwwwwwwwww.

I never have that Chinese star when I need it...

Our thirty-five minutes in Chinatown produced 1.) a pretty good AND authentic meal with strange French people we didn't know (who, I should mention clearly had nothing against PDA) and 2.) these smashingly fashionable Chinese pajamas for the girls.

When we saw them, we had flashbacks of the Chinese pajamas our aunt and uncle once brought us as kids (they were probably from the REAL China) after a trip they went on, so we just HAD to get them. They've been a real hit so far, and I've only had to mend one seam (after 2 days) so hopefully they'll last a while longer.

Don't worry Jenny, we got a pair for Sadie and Addison too, which is what brought on the scuffle with the vendor. I wanted to drum up a deal with her since I was 'buying in bulk' and while she agreed to it initially, she sorta fell apart when it was time for me to pay. I held strong though, and prevailed. Our family reunion this August, while in the Rugged Outdoors of Idaho, could maybe have something of an Asian flare when it comes to bedtime.

new york, new york

Well, I returned in one piece from the big apple weekend with my sisters!

What a RIOT that was! I highly recommend it (but only if you have someone like Mary,

who can navigate the subways and busses like she did with such class).

It was great fun, and despite the

'almost getting run over by the taxis in Times Square'

and the

'sitting with people we didn't know at dinner in Chinatown'

(not to mention getting into that squabble while bargaining with the chinese-pajama-selling lady) it was JUST GREAT!

I realized (when I kept making comments like, "oh, they filmed part of 'the Race' here," and "on 'The Apprentice' they did this here," and "This is where they find the drug-dealers on 'Law and Order' ") that I watch WAY too much TV.

And on that note, however, just where WOULD they film any TV shows if there were no New York City?

I was concerned at first about 'looking like a tourist', but then quickly realized that HALF of the people there are tourists, and the locals are probably used to them by now.

What's funny is, we must not have looked THAT much like tourists, since the tourists kept asking us where stuff was. That cracked me up. Once, someone asked ME where Washington Square Park was, and since we had just left it like 5 minutes prior, I told her exactly where it was, and how to get there.

THAT was rather empowering. It wasn't but about 10 minutes after that, that we almost got run over in the street in Soho by a bus, while we tried to run across to catch it. No one asked me where to go after that.

I can't imagine WHAT location could top NYC in regards to the next sister's weekend, but I'm sure we'll manage to scrounge up something. Thanks you guys!