The epic ride...

So this past weekend, I set out on a brand new journey. A new adventure. Something big. Something awesome. And something that, up until the day before, I wasn't entirely sure I was going to do. Fundraising is always a challenge, and the ride to conquer cancer was no exception. For me, coming off of Mother's Day, where we always put in a good effort to raise funds, since we know that the Mother's Day Run supports NICU and since that cause is obviously very near and dear to us, it was tough coming away from that, and turning around and basically asking all those same amazing people who supported us in that, to turn around and support the ride to conquer cancer as well. And really, things were not looking so good... with one night to go, I had $1000 left to raise... and since we aren't really in a position to afford that, it was tough deciding to go ahead or not. In the end, after getting a couple more donations, I went for it. I wanted to honour the donations I had already received and devised a plan to raise the rest, through a combination of a 50/50 draw and bottle drive.

So, then it was time to pack... hmmmm... deciding the night before a 200km ride, is not always the smartest move. I was scrambling trying to get everything together. Where was my platypus pack? Found the bag, found the backpack, found the tube, couldn't find the end piece... I remember Sebastian playing with it. It could be anywhere. Well, eventually found that, but then couldn't find my riding sandals (yes, my clip shoes are keen sandals... they are AWESOME!!). Well, Jeremy saved the day on the sandals, and I should also point out, that he was out in the garage working on my bike. Tuning it up, cleaning it up, making sure the gears shifted nicely and the brakes worked properly. He too, was signed up to ride, but hadn't raised any money, so him riding wasn't even a consideration that day. The work he put into my bike though, really meant a lot. He also offered up his bike. He has a nice Argon tri bike, but I just felt I'd be more comfortable on my mountain bike, so went with what I knew. Might not have been the fastest choice, but it was the choice I made!!

Went to bed with the alarm set for 0500hrs... did I mention I only work nightshifts? This was a VERY early morning for me, and the boys as well. We put my bike on the car, packed my bag, and off we went, headed for Spruce Meadows. It seemed a bit surreal, but there I was, getting ready to embark on a journey more epic than anything I had ever done before. To date, my longest ride has been 50km. So, the idea that over the next two days I'd go 200km seemed just a bit unbelievable. Yet, I knew I could. I never really doubted I had it in me... well, there was one point, but I will get to that in a bit. So I have to check in, since this was a last minute decision, I hadn't done that yet. Which is also the point where I hand over my credit card number and hope I might actually raise something in the next two months!! From there my gear was checked in, then it was time for a snack. Ran into my cousins and my uncle and chatted a bit, they didn't realize I was actually riding. The ride was important to them as another uncle had died from brain cancer and as they were quite close, it was especially hard to watch him suffer and ultimately lose his fight. Then, before I knew it, it was time to line up and get ready.

There were bikes as far as the eyes could see. I mean, when you have 2280 riders, you pretty much have 2280 bikes (except for a couple tandem bikes), and even an eliptical bike. And then there was every kind of bike for the rest of them. Road bikes, mountain bikes, tri bikes, mountain bikes with aero bars (Jeremy found this particularly amusing). And the riders came in all shapes and sizes. There were young people, old people, tall people, short people, thin people, fat people. Literally, every conceivable possible rider was there. Some had barely biked a day in their lives. Others were seasoned athletes for whom this was a mere training ride. It was really an incredible group. And when you realize that collectively, we had raised over 8 million dollars, that is powerful. That kind of money can do a lot of good in the world of research. And it's because of all those funds that everyone was there. And then there were the bikes with yellow flags on them. Each of those riders were cancer survivors. Having already battled a brutal disease, they were out here showing that cancer couldn't beat them, and taking on a huge challenge at the same time!!

There were a few speakers and of course by the end of it, I was in tears. Thank goodness I was in sunglasses. Jeremy was super emotional too (understandable since he lost his dad to cancer). It made the ride matter, it made doing this important. There are so many fundraisers out there, collecting for so many things, and all of them do matter. But today, this one really mattered. And for every person that has ever been diagnosed with cancer, and for every person that will be diagnosed, this mattered. This group of people went out of their way to try and help fight this disease. To honour the memories of those lost, to celebrate those fighting, and to try and make sure that nobody else will suffer in the future. So to everyone who took the time to donate and help me get to the starting line, thank you. Every donation mattered. Because together, with all the other donations, the money raised really will have an impact. An epic impact!! It's putting Alberta on the front stage of cancer research!!

And then we were off. I was a bit nervous on the count of my sandals and the fact that I don't have a lot of experience with clip shoes on a bike, and with so many bikes, it took a bit to get everyone going at a pace that is condusive to balancing while in clip shoes. I managed however and all was good. It was very emotional starting the ride, being part of something so much bigger!! Very soon, I settled into my ride and just kept riding. And then came the first hill, and there were people who stopped and walked their bikes up. I'm happy to report I made it to the top. And so the ride continued. With lots of hills. Soon, I approached the first pitstop in Okotoks. I was impressed I had made it that far. Grabbed myself some gatorade and a bagel with peanut butter and was on my way. Next pitstop came along and I got to snack on fruit cremes and munchies... yum!! Lunch was the third pitstop and now more than 60km was done. Chatted a bit with my uncle in Longview and then I was off again. The day was filled with lots and lots of hills and the last two legs were super windy. It was a tough ride, but it was good. I decided against the last pitstop as it was about half a kilometre off the highway and didn't really feel the need to stop, just wanted to get to the camp!! By now my butt was rather tired and not really too happy with my decision to bike so far all in one day. However, I finished and arrived at camp in the mid afternoon. Best thing ever? Having a chocolate covered cherry in your bag to eat at camp... yup, it was sooooo tasty!!

Camp was interesting. Hundreds of tents lined up in rows. Portable showers. Food. Drinks. Shops (Sugoi and gear for the race). Massage tent. Medical tent. Yoga tent. Racked my bike upon arriving and grabbed my gear. The whole thing was so well organized!! Had a shower, the shower felt so good, and the water was even hot. Who knew there were mobile showers like that!! Dinner was nice. Chatted with my uncle and cousins, and ran into a friend from work. It was nice running into her as she had given me all sorts of hints and tips for the ride. And for her the ride was especially meaningful as her dad had died just a few months earlier from cancer.

I wandered around, checking things out, filling up my platypus pack, and eventually headed towards my tent. Met my tentmate who was from BC and super nice. We chatted for a bit, and soon it was off to sleep. For being in a tent, on a foamie on a definitely not flat piece of land, I slept surprisingly well. Sadly however, I woke up to rain. This was not part of the plan. It took awhile to will myself out of my sleeping bag. The rain was depressing me to no end. I did not want to ride in the rain.

So, packed everything up, dropped my gear at the trucks, and headed off, wearing slightly different clothing from the day before. I kept my Sugoi compression tights on, along with my Sugoi bike shorts (you'll notice a trend here hahaha). Then I put on a long sleeved tech shirt, with my new Ride to Conquer Cancer jersey (also made by Sugoi), over top, and finally my Sugoi all weather jacket. At the last moment, I added another light jacket underneath, as it was really quite chilly. I had my helmet on, and away I went in search of something to help my feet (remember? bike sandals?? not so ideal in that weather!!). At the 2012 sign up tent they had garbage bags they were handing out, so I took one and made pseudo booties by wrapping my feet in the bag and taping them up. I also turned my bike gloves into mitts by wrapping part of the garbage bags around them and taping them (yeah, it was that chilly). I went out to my bike, and then had to clean out my sandals underneath so they'd be able to click in (since they were covered in mud). Yup, it was challenging, and hadn't even started riding yet. And I was absolutely dreading putting my sore butt down on that seat. Lucky for me, it was not nearly as painful as I was imagining it would be.

And off I went. It was raining, it was windy, it was cold. And, it was uphill. I had opted to skip breakfast as I didn't feel like standing in line in the rain, so I popped a GU gel and off I went. It was tough. And it was really cold and windy. rain was coming up under my sunglasses somehow, still trying to figure that one out!! The first pitstop was a welcome site. I grabbed a bagel and a banana. Stood there freezing while I ate it, then got back on the bike. Bikers were dropping like flies. Sweep vehicles went past, loaded with new bikes every time. It was tough to watch, and tempting to give up. At the second pitstop, they were asking who wanted to be swept. I made myself new booties with mylar blanket pieces so my feet would stay warmer, and headed out after some cookies and munchies. The hills going into Longview were tough, so stopping there would have been easy!! And then, the hills leaving Longview were tough. Fortunately, the next stop would be lunch, so I pushed onwards, even though it had started brutally raining again. At some moments, between the wind and the rain, even breathing wasn't so easy!! By the time I got to Turner Valley, the rain had subsided again, so lunch was pleasant enough. Ate and headed out. This time, it was the wind. Biking straight into the wind. Are you kidding me? First all the rain and cold, and now a strong head wind?? It was tough. And still some hills, let's not forget. By the end of this leg however, things were improving, the pitstop was in sight, and then, my chain falls off. Instant panic. I'm in clip shoes, and about to fall off my bike. Thankfully, I was able to get my one foot unclipped and then steady myself before falling. Phew!! Flipped my bike over, put the chain back on, and biked the 250m to the pitstop (yup, I was that close when it fell off). Got my final snacks and at this point knew I'd make it.

In chatting with a sweeper, there were 300 bikers who didn't even start on day 2, and they were picking up bikers 4 at a time from the course. And a bunch of others stopped at the pitstops. She even said good athlete type bikers couldn't take it. Lots of hypothermia that day!!

The last stretch was good. The beginning part was still tough, but let me tell you, once I hit 22X, I was a whole new rider. I had a renewed sense of energy, a new passion. And I pushed. I pushed hard. I got up to 65kilometers an hour even at one point. I just road and road my little heart out. And I thought about why I was there. Why I had just put myselft through 2 grueling days of biking 200+km (cause it's actually longer than 200km by the way, hahaha). I thought about my grandpa, and how I had seen him going through radiation at Foothills, back in the 1980s. I thought about Jeremy's dad, and how quickly cancer took over his body. And how hard it's been on Jeremy not having his dad, his go-to guy. I thought about my uncle, who was actually my godfather even. I went out and saw him in the summer before he passed away, trying hard to fight, but the cancer was winning. I thought about some of the kids I've seen at Ronald Mcdonald House, in the midst of chemo with no hair, trying to just be regular kids, probably not really understanding the battle they are facing. Cancer is horrible and takes away people we love, well before we should ever have to lose them. This ride gets people trying to do something about that. The funds raised go towards research. I truly hope one of the research projects leads to a cure, or at the very least, more effective, less destructive treatments. And the spinoffs. Some of the drugs go on to help with other diseases that just don't get the funds and attention that cancer does. So what this epic ride does, has an epic impact on the world of cancer resarch and treatment. It will make a difference.

As Spruce Meadows got closer, I was full of emotion. I was happy, I was sad. I was missing people that matter. People that should have had more time here. My heart was heavy for all those left to survive without their loved ones. It was very emotional, but in a good and healthy way. I am, so far, blessed with good health. I have a responsibility, to use that health to make a difference to those that aren't so lucky. It's important to take the time and be passionate about these causes, because they really do matter. I could hear the end. All the cheering, the announcer. It was incredible. I rounded the corner and the sides of the finish were lined with people cheering. The Canada flag (and several other flags), were all flapping in the distance. It was amazing. It was the perfect ending to two days of pushing myself to new limits. I rode through the end with tears streaming down my face. I saw my boys. I was so excited for them to be there and share in that moment. It really was epic.

Thank you so much to every single person who donated to this ride. Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your support! Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for helping me reach my goal. Without each and every one of you, it would not have been possible. I am eternally grateful!!

So I'm signed up to do this again next year. And so is my husband. I want to keep trying to help and to make a difference. It's important. And maybe, just maybe, I'll have inspired someone else to join us. It's not easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Fundraising is tough. Training is tough. Heck, the ride itself is tough, but it's amazingly well supported and worth every moment. So take these words, and be inspired. Come bike with us, and if that's not something you can do, then support us. Because it's that support that makes it possible for us to do this, and truly, it's the ultimate example of how much bigger we are, when we all work together for a common goal. So, if you want, feel free to donate to the 2012 ride!! You get a tax receipt... you know you wanna...

http://www.conquercancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Alberta2012?px=2607040&pg=personal&fr_id=1411

The Ride To Conquer Cancer

Tomorrow is something totally new for me. Tomorrow I am part of the ride to conquer cancer. This is 200km ride spread over two days. It's in the beautiful foothills with the spectacular Rocky Mountains in the background. I hear the route is a little bit hilly. I think I can do it. I hope I can do it!! It's something totally new for me. Although I've always enjoyed biking, I've never really put my heart into it, the way I have with running. So this is totally new territory for me. But it's a challenge I'm ready to face, and a challenge I'm excited for.

This ride raises money for research. Important research. Because of this ride, Alberta is doing some cutting edge research that's making a real difference. The funds raised have funded many projects, including research into childhood cancers, brain cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even blood disorders. The thing that really gets me though, is how far reaching this research can be. Cancer gets a lot of focus and rightfully so, since it does affect so many people. But there are tons of other diseases that end up with spinoff benefits because of the cancer research, so even if those diseases aren't the initial focus of the research, they benefit from the research. Take for example Avastin, a drug commonly used to treat cancer. Now, an injection of Avastin into the eyes of a preemie suffering from severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), fixes ROP even better than traditional laser therapy could with the added benefits of no surgery required and most kids not needing glasses later on. For our son alone, this treatment would have made a huge difference. So, in only 5 years since he was born, a cancer drug has crossed over into a disease that we have dealt with as a family directly.

Don't get me wrong though, cancer has definitely been a part of our family. When I was little, I watched my grandpa try and battle brain cancer, yet still succumbed to this awful disease. And more recently my husband lost his dad to cancer. In less than a year, he was diagnosed, attempted to fight it, and sadly lost his battle. My godfather also tried to beat brain cancer, yet once again cancer proved too much. For me, the hardest part is watching these people with iron will try to beat something that their bodies were just unable to. And then, the families they left behind are left with a huge hole in them trying to figure out how life goes on, with such a pivotal person missing. It's truly awful.

So, rather than sit on the sidelines, I'm choosing to do something to help. I am choosing to help raise money to fund research to find a cure. I don't want to see anyone else suffer this horrible disease. I want the spinoffs to help my mom and others suffering from diseases that don't get the same focus. I want a cure to be found so that if someone else I love is diagnosed, the battle can be fought, and won. Cancer doesn't have to win. So much progress has been made, and many people are beating it, but there is still so much work to do. This is my part. This is what I can do. And you can do your part, by supporting my ride. It won't be easy, but this ride is nothing compared to what people suffering from cancer face on a daily basis while in treatment.

I'll let you know how it goes, but in the meantime, please consider making a donation to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, supporting my ride: https://secure2.convio.net/cfrca/site/Donation2?idb=1774709699&df_id=1604&1604.donation=form1&FR_ID=1372&PROXY_ID=2607040&PROXY_TYPE=20&JServSessionIdr004=k4j5k5vwo2.app209b

And I promise to blog about the ride after all is said and done... thanks!!

A Family Triathlon!!

Clearly, I have neglected this blog to nearly the point of no return. However, I have good intentions and therefore I will try my best to commit to having more regular posts of an interesting nature. Will I succeed? Time will tell I suppose, but for now, if I get at least one post a week I'll be happy.

So, what has been going on lately? Well, Jeremy is busy training. Training, training, training. And a little bit of work thrown in, just for good measure. He is currently loving the training and the working. Our family has definitely become a busy household though and some weeks it feels like we go nonstop. However, there are some nice times and I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

Take today for example. This morning, Sebastian had preschool, Jeremy went for a run, Sully hung out with me, while I wrote my anatomy quiz. Then, we all went swimming as a family and that was fun. Jeremy snuck in a 500m quick swim, and then Sebastian and I did a 50m swim. Sebastian is excited to do a triathlon this year, but needs some practice at swimming and biking before that is going to happen!! He did good, and this should give him some confidence as he gets ready to try out triathlon. Of course his first race is going to be a team effort in Canmore at the Canmore Try a Tri on Father's Day. He is very excited for that and we are now officially registered as a team. Jeremy will be our swimmer, I'll be the biker and Sebastian will be our runner. Sullivan will be there to cheer us all on since he is a bit little still for this type of thing... but he'll get his day, just give him another year or two!!

This afternoon I think we'll go biking. Sully on his run bike and Sebastian on his big boy bike. They have been wanting to bike forever and we just keep having excuses. Well, today will be the day, although the beautiful sun has just been covered by some ominous dark clouds...

And fire trucks. Our world revolves around fire trucks. But more on that another day...

Ironman Family!!

We've sped things up a bit in our family for our Ironman aspirations, because, if you can believe it, Jeremy won an entry into Ironman Canada. I mean seriously, what are the chances!! The race sells out so fast and you pretty much have to volunteer and sign up in person to guarantee yourself a spot (that was my plan for this year!!). The contest was put on by Sugoi, and it was a natural fit because we love their gear so now, not only will he be doing an ironman, he'll be all geared up in Sugoi's awesome clothes!!

So, we are now going to be an ironman family. Life is going to be centred around Jeremy's training for the next 138 days until the race in August. It's exciting, but it will be a big change. Jeremy will have to put in hours every week to make sure his body is ready for the brutal reality of an ironman (swimming 4km, then hopping on a bike to go 180km, then running 42km). Given that his longest ride up until this point has been 25km, it's a daunting task. Luckily, he's starting with a pretty good base. We've been training for the Calgary Police Half Marathon, so actually, on the day the winner was to be announced, he'd done a 20km run. And, he's been swimming on average, about 2 days a week. So really, it's just a matter of stepping things up. His challenge, of course, will be balancing training with raising the boys and keeping our house in some sense of order. But, if we all work at it together, we are going to rock it!!

So, this year will be full of new adventures, most of them fitness related, but lots of fun and a chance to bring our family into an entirely new domain. So very excited for what lies ahead!!

If you want to read his adventures of training, check out his blog...

http://www.triplesportdad.blogspot.com/

Congratulations Jeremy, we are super proud and excited for you!! And here's a photo of the guy post 23km bike ride (and don't forget the 2km swim he did in the morning!!)

Happy 5th Birthday Little Man

Wow, apparently my little man is not so little any more. I can't believe you are five years old!! I can't believe it's been five years since that very scary day when we welcomed you into this world twelve weeks before you were ready!! I still remember it like it was yesterday and I will forever be grateful to the doctors and nurses that saved your life!! They truly gave us a miracle when they gave us you. I know the beginning was scary, and you probably will never truly understand just how sick you were, but a quick recap for you anyhow...

We went to the ultrasound, and after lengthy secret discussions, they sent us to Foothills, and a few short hours later you were born at 1300hrs weighing just 1pound 13 ounces (830grams). You were intubated almost immediately, due to the fact that you couldn't breath on your own. And, very quickly, all your medications started up. You took meds for blood pressure issues, meds to paralyze you so you wouldn't fight the machines, meds for pain, meds for your heart, a fat drip, an IV, and soon it was blood transfusions. And then the ventilator you were on wasn't good enough so they moved you to the oscillating one. And then they added nitric oxide, and you were maxing out on that. There was nothing else they could do, if you didn't start responding then the course of treatment would change drastically.

Our heads were spinning from all the new things we had to learn. You were our miracle, but you had a long road ahead of you, including a real test at only one week old when you coded. That was scary. Really scary. Once again though, the doctors and nurses were there to help. That was a real turning point for you. I mean, the road was still rough, don't get me wrong, but at least we talked in days and not hours when talking to the doctor.

You've had your challenges. The bowel perforation, the eye surgery, two different hernia surgeries, delays in speech, gross motor, fine motor. But through it all you have been this amazing little guy. Truly, our super trooper.

We look at you today, and seriously, you blow us away with how far you've come. I have no idea how we were chosen to be your parents, but I so grateful to have you for a son. God truly gave us a gift when He gave you to us. I will spend the rest of my life being the best parent I can to you (and your brother), because truly, I am the lucky one!!

So, you started out as this tiny little 28 week baby, and now you are five. You have rock star glasses (with transition lenses), that are new from January, and you look very stylish in those. You have an incredible smile. You give the best hugs. You say the sweetest things.

You started gymnastics this year, and today is your last day of this session. You have learned so much in gymnastics!! You can do a somersault, log roll, stork stand, walk across the balance beam, koala hang on the bars, and you especially love the foam pits!! You took skating lessons again this year, for the first time, without a parent!! You are now in Sunfish for swimming lessons, and you have done great with Sportball.

You completed your second block of preschool treatment and although you are still very delayed with fine motor skills, we have been working very hard to get you excited about fine motor stuff, and eating better. You've done another feeding assessment (with yet another one to happen in April). Although, truly, in the last three months, your eating (specifically using cutlery), has come a long way. And soon, you will be going back to perinatal for your final assessments. We are both excited and nervous for that visit (another long morning at the hospital with test after test after test). You also started rock climbing and I take you every week or two and my goodness, one of these days, you are going to get to the easy button!!

You love reading stories. Favourites lately include "Believe In KatieLynn" (about a preemie baby, that makes mom cry almost when she reads it to you), any book about the body, and any book about pirates. You love playing playmobil and setting up scenarios for emergency responders (usually traffic accidents or fires, enabling all three emergency services to come out, including STARS!!).

You are becoming an amazing big brother. You will help Sully set up track for the trains, and often play trains with him, or playmobil, or you try and convince him to play upstairs with you, where you usually hijack your dad's phone and play "Bad" by Michael Jackson, while dancing. You also love listening and dancing to Kate Perry, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Coldplay and They Might Be Giants. If you are going through the ipod on dad's phone, you will search until you find Fix You by Coldplay and come play it for me (because it was one of the songs from the torch relay).

You are also starting to help around the house. You are excellent at letting Cronos in and out. You help with the cooking sometimes, and especially like helping out with puffed wheat squares!! You are hanging up your own jacket and making efforts to keep your toys neater. I appreciate your efforts at all this!!

You are in your second year of preschool and doing really well, bringing home all kinds of arts and crafts, swimming, trips to the library, climbing, and I'm sure more to come!! And wow, next year you will be in kindergarten. We did a lot of research and toured a few schools and talked with speech pathology at perinatal, the nurse at perinatal and other parents and finally settled on putting you in french immersion. I'm excited for you to learn another language and looking forward to helping you with it.

You have been such an amazing part of our lives little man, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for your smiles. Thanks for your willingness to try new things. Thanks for being such a good brother to Sullivan. Thanks for being such an incredible son. We are so grateful to have you in our lives!!

Love, Mom, Dad, Sullivan and Cronos the Super Dog

Sebastianisms:

"we have to clean this world, it's the only one we've got"

"mom, I don't want cookies, I want a healthy snack"

"can I have your phone" (seriously, we hear this probably 50 times a day!!)

"mom, can you pretend I'm a little baby in the hospital and you are coming to visit me? Don't forget to wash your hands"

"I have a great idea..."

"Extra kiss and hug!!"

My baby is 2!!

I really can't believe that my baby is 2 years old today. I mean, when did that happen? Time really does fly by!!

Wow, what to say. Sully, you are incredible. You really are. You have such an amazing curiousity about everything. You are always watching and learning. And you absolutely idolize your big brother. If he can do it, you want to do it too. You started the year crawling and very

quickly moved onto walking. You still don't say much, but you are always making noises and babbling in your own special way. You have an incredible smile. You are very determined and if things are not going your way, you are very quick to vocalize your displeasure. And your eating is incredible. You are excellent with a fork or spoon and seldom will let us help you eat... even if you make the hugest of messes!!

And sometimes you can be such a little mama's boy. I have to say, I don't really mind this one bit. Since I am working fulltime, I don't get a lot of time with you, so it's nice when you want to cuddle. One night in particular I recall, when you were upset and overtired, you just snuggled right in and fell asleep on my chest while we were rocking on a chair. It was so sweet.

You love water, in any form, and had a lot of fun in the summer playing outside with the water table, running in the sprinkler and going in the pool, shoes and all.

You also love colouring. It's incredible to see how interested you are in crayons and markers. When your aunt Kim came over in December, we decorated sugar cookies and you were totally into it!! A week later, you were decorating Christmas ornaments, again totally loving it. This time, when it was time to stop, you were so upset.

And trains. My goodness you love Thomas and the trains. You can point out any train we ask you too, you love the show, you love your Thomas and Percy shirts, and you love building trains and tracks and are very good at it. Sometimes, you'll make your train so long it falls off the track and you get all frustrated. Funny, your brother used to do the same thing!!

You also started in gymnastics in the fall, and have done quite well with it. Sometimes you are so desperate to be in the big class with your brother that you forget to enjoy your own class. You do an excellent log roll, and climb ladders with no problem to get a toy (but then grab the toy and forget to hold on to the ladder, oops!!). And you love searching for fishes in the big foam pit.

Sullivan, you truly are a gem. I am so lucky to be your mom!! You are in such a special place right now because your dad has been home with you for the last year. You have no idea what a special gift it is to be home with a parent!!

We've spent the last year watching you grow and change from a baby just learning to walk, into a full on toddler. It's been such a treat. Keep on being curious and being the amazing little boy you are. We love you so much and look forward to the next year and what it has to offer.

Love, Mom (and dad too!!)

Is it really the end of 2010 already??

Wow, I can't believe that 2010 is coming to a close so quickly. Time really does fly!! But it's been another fantastic year. I feel so lucky to have the amazing family and friends that I do!!

So, where to begin... in January I had one of the all time best experiences of my whole entire life. I had the privledge and honour of being a torchbearer for the 2010 torch relay for the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. I won't go into all the details as I did that back in January, but suffice it to say, it was awesome, amazing, unbelievable. And made even more special by the fact that my family was there to share that moment with me, even though it was in BC in the small town of Oliver.

I was still nursing my stupid foot injury so didn't get the opportunity to train a whole lot at the beginning of the year. I spent lots of time at chiro trying to get my foot better. I was completely out of the habit of exercise and managed to put on about 20 pounds. It was not so fun!! Needless to say, life carried on, and I eventually got back in the groove. I did a short triathlon in May, along with the Mother's Day run 5km, and this year, we had Jessica and Scott running with us, and even more special, little Sebastian ran his first ever 5km race. It was incredible. We also did the Rock the House run in August, this time with my friend Jody. I did another triathlon in August, with Jody as well, and felt quite good about my performance, despite the fact that I had only tried Jeremy's bike the day before the actual race!! Oh well, it worked fine, haha.

The Strathmore triathlon was a real turning point for me. After a year of very poor fitness and eating, I wanted to make a change. I was tired of always having an excuse as to why I didn't exercise, so that day marked the start of no more excuses. And, now, it's January 3rd, and I'm still going strong, having done something every single day since August 15, 2010.

Jeremy and I did Melissa's Road Race in September and it was great. He hadn't done the race in several years and we had a babysitter (thanks Joan), so we even got to grab a bite to eat after at my all time favourite restaurant in Banff, the bison. It was wow factor amazing as always. Next up was the Ambulance Chasers and this one Kim came along for the run. Sebastian was most excited about this, and we spent the race pretending to be trains or STARS or firetrucks.

I also started to watch my eating using the MyPlate application on livestrong. It is a fantastic little calorie counter that has an app for the iphone also. Using this helped me lose about 25 pounds, to the point where I now weigh less than I did before having kids. I still have a little way's to go, but I'm back on track again and looking forward to more results!!

Jeremy and I were both accepted into a personal trainer certificate at Mount Royal University, so I look forward to learning more so I can help others reach their fitness goals. It starts in a couple weeks and I am very excited for this!! I also took the first AFLCA course so that I can get a certification in fitness.

Work was certainly a challenge last year and sadly it made it very hard to be excited about a job I truly love. I look forward to the changes ahead this year and hope that things will be a bit more promising!!

Jeremy had a good year as well. He was at home with the boys and it has been great for them. He's also started working diligently on the basement and I'm hoping that 2011 will be the year it becomes functional usable space for our family!! Jeremy also hit his bottom in terms of weight and exercise. We both managed to come to this conclusion around August and haven't really looked back. He's lost 35 pounds, and looks amazing!! And he's also learned to swim and completed 3 triathlons last year. He also ran his best ever 10km at the Melissa's race finishing well ahead of me (but is still chasing the one hour mark!!). He ran his first ever half marathon as well, being the Police Half. It was fun cheering him on, but very hard being sidelined for one of my favourite races!! Jeremy is also looking forward to getting started on the personal trainer certificate. He also had the opportunity to take a coaching clinic for triathlon in December. He's hoping to do an open water triathlon this year!!

Sebastian finished his first year of preschool and also got through sea turtle on his third try, and then breezed through salamander. Now however, he's working on sunfish. He went to pedalheads bike camp in the summer, and took skating lessons in the fall again (this time all by himself!!). He finished a second block of preschool treatment and did quite well. He's still quite delayed with fine motor and also gross motor skills, but he tries so hard and has the best attitude. If only he could apply this attitude to his eating, which continues to be a struggle. We went camping once in the summer and the boys loved it!! He also started taking gymnastics. We figured it was a good way to build his core, and it has been incredible. He loves it and is now doing somersaults and having the best time!! He loved his advent calendar this year and had so much fun leading up to Christmas. He amazes me every day.

Sullivan had a big year too. He went from being a baby, to a full on toddler, walking and having a very independent streak develop. His eating is phenomenal. He uses forks and spoons and nearly always insists on feeding himself. He adores trains and all things Thomas. He builds tracks and runs the trains along them. He loves colouring, even on the couch on occasion. He loves books and is always bringing up books to us to read. He did swimming lessons with his dad and loved being in the water. He enjoys anytime we go swimming as a family and has the best time. He also started gymnastics and has done well with it. He's often a bit sidetracked and wants to be with his brother, but we worked hard getting him to focus on his class. He loves his brother and copies everything he does. It's quite cute actually. He also had fun with the lead up to Christmas. He loved decorating cookies when Kim came over, and had a lot of fun decorating ornaments too. He goes to child minding at Cardel and totally went from being attached to his stroller to participating in any of the activities they do there. He's a wonderful little toddler, and I can't believe he's almost two!!

That was our year in a nutshell. Busy and fun. And now, I look forward to 2011!! Time to think up some goals for this active little family of ours!!