More Vegas

We're back from Vegas and still working on unpacking. Mom, you know how much I hate unpacking! Being unpacked means the trip is actually over. As much as I hate living out of a suitcase while I'm away, doing it while I'm home reminds me that it wasn't too long ago that I was on vacation! The only problem is that the suitcases are starting to spread . . . all across my bedroom floor. Last night I woke Matt up trying to get to the bathroom when I stepped on a bag, went the other way and tripped on some shoes and then basically fell into my suitcase. He just giggled and gave me "it serves you right" look. So, I guess I'll unpack today. Or maybe tomorrow. Did I mention that it's a little bit sad to unpack? All of the shorts and sandals in my suitcases have to directly up to the top shelf because it's Fall here. Okay, enough whining . . .

I think I've already said this, but we had a great trip. Of course we missed Matt and Josh and Liz. But a little heat and some grandparent time was much-needed. My mom and Dennis were so nice to take lots of time off of work to hang out with us and watch Tali while I had a little no-kid time. I went to the InterBike dirt demo and the indoor trade show. I also went to two races, mentioned later. We got to have lunch with my sister Tiffani and dinner with her and her family. (Yes, we have the same name, minus an e. She's my step-sister. We were Big and Little Tiff all our lives. She got the raw end of that stick. She's not big, by the way.) I wish I lived by just one sister!

Grandma and Tali had a hard time parting ways when we left. Tali wanted to get on the plane, but not without Grandma. I'm so glad they got reacquainted, but sad that we don't live closer.

On to the photos! Yes, I am going to go ahead and post a bunch because Grandmas and Grandpas love photos! If each picture is worth a thousand words, I can save you guys a lot of time . . . because I can write a lot.

Fun-fun Tali:

Tali making some cake and then taking a little break to check her texts.

We went to lunch at the Yard House (mmm) at the new City Center Mall with Aunt Tiff on Friday. Tali saw the little park with the water fountains and was smitten. We let her play in the dry area and I told her we'd go home and run through the sprinklers at Grandma's house. When we got to the car, we were roasting, the swim suit was right there, and I thought, Why would we possibly pass up a park this cool. So, I changed Tali and we went right back in. Besides, I passed Godiva's on the way out and really needed an excuse to go back and get a cold drink, with some chocolate in it of course (double yum!). Later that same night we went to the park again for a Ward Party. Tali was still in her swim suit. There's really no reason to not be in your swim suit all the time if you're two and in Las Vegas! (I think I wore a swim suit all summer long until I was . . . well, way older than two.)

Cross Vegas:

This was a Cyclocross race held at Desert Breeze Park. It's a cool type of race to watch because the riders do lots of laps and have to occasionally dismount and remount their bikes very quickly. Whenever you're trying to do something technical really fast, there's a good chance someone will crash. Oh, and it was in the dark. Lance almost crashed once. TeeHee!

There were two barriers at the bottom of this hill, so riders had to dismount, hurdle with bike in hand, run up and remount. This is a little action shot. Good riders jump and land directly on the seat - ouch! Really good riders can actually bunny hop the barriers and ride up the super-steep hill. Then there is no need to rack oneself. (I didn't do this race, but it looked fun. Am I crazy?)

The Lance Chronicles:

Left: Lance racing. He got 22nd place. Right: Lance after the race - looks hammered.

Left: Lance after the race - feels hammered. Right: A few minutes later - recovered already.

By the way, I didn't use the zoom for these pictures. He was so close and I was so star-struck! Once I saw Ashley Simpson and Pete Wentz in Las Vegas. That didn't even compare in levels of coolness. I got lots of pics. I promise I wasn't following him. He must've been following me.

USA Crits Finals:

Lastly, these are pictures of the pro men at the USA Crits Finals. A Crit/Criterium is a fast-paced race held on a very short, technical course. Sometimes it's around a city block. This one was in the parking lot of the Mandalay Bay. To make it at least 1K, they had to twist it and turn it quite a bit. They called it a supermarket course because it felt like racing your bike through the supermarket - at 25-35 mph, seriously. I did do this race. The only option for women was to race with the crit pros (at the USA finals). I knew I was out of my league, but I wanted to see how it felt. It may have looked fun, but I assure you it was not. It was SO hot, so technical and SO fast! I won't brag about my results, but they were definitely what I expected when I signed up. I stayed with the pack for 20K out of 40K. In a crit if you get dropped off the back of the main pack, you will eventually get lapped. So, to keep the course free from obstacles (I was an obstacle after 20K) you get pulled from the race. 50 started, 33 finished. A few crashed. Thank heaven I didn't. If they listed the order of people pulled, I was probably fifth (from last). I have no shame!

InterBike, Cross Vegas, USA Crits Finals & Lance

Tali and I partied until there was no partying left. I'll complete this post when I get home, but for now, check this!

Lance was holding my hand and opening his car door for me. Actually, I was feeling his bike shorts to determine what fine material he uses on his rock hard posterior. Okay, really, I thought it was Matt (because they look so much alike), so I just followed him to the car. When I got in and sat directly on his lap . . . well, let's just say his personal jet is really nice.

Vegas Baby!

Las Vegas, here we come!
Tali and I are ready to party! We have decided we need some hot weather before winter settles in here in Alaska. It rained yesterday and when the clouds cleared, there was snow on the tips of the mountains. Uh oh!

So, it's totally last minute, but we'd love to get together with all you guys that live in the city built on the sun. E-mail me tiffanie50@hotmail.com. We fly in on Sunday 9/21 afternoon and fly out on Saturday 9/27 early morning.

**Also of importance: I have some friends that will be in town for the Interbike Convention. I'd like to go on a bike ride with them and possibly to part of the tradeshow for a few hours one day. So, I might need a babysitter while my mom and Dennis are at work. If you know anyone that is available during the day, please, please send me their info or call me 907-764-6666. CUsoon!

Josh's Baptism

Josh was very excited to get baptized. He turned eight on August 22 and could barely wait until the big day, which was September 4. He was baptized and confirmed by his dad at the Strawberry Chapel.

It was a special experience for all of us. It was very touching to see my boy making the choice to get baptized. Like I said, he was so excited about it. My friend Wendy helped me make a slide-show/video of Josh for the baptism, and seeing all the pictures of him growing up and always being so loving to me and his little sisters really got me. Josh is a good kid - sensitive and strong. I really like him :)

And I can't believe he's growing up so fast! He even goes to Cub Scouts now! When my kids were babies, everyone said to enjoy every second and I couldn't wait for them to get just a little bit older and sleep just a little bit longer. Now I know what they were talking about. They really do grow up so fast.

No longer pull-up runner-up!

Background: http://rockinrepublic.blogspot.com/2008/04/pull-up-runner-up.html

Reporting live from Anchorage, AK: Eight-year-old Josh Novakovich came agonizingly close to breaking the Huffman Elementary School pull-up record last April. Josh completed 19 pull-ups, but the record, set 15 years earlier, was 22. The Presidential Physical Fitness Test is administered twice a year, so Josh would have another chance this week, as school is back in session. In our interview with Josh, he said he'll never forget that moment. But he's been training all summer to break the record. Not really :)

Well this time Josh was ready to go. He popped out pull-up after pull-up. When he got to 17 and still looked strong, his classmates could see that something special was about to happen. They started chanting and counting with Mr. Rowe. 18, 19, 20, 21 . . . 22 . . . 23!

He had broken the record . . . but he was still hanging! And he was going for more! Josh Novakovich doesn't do things halfway. Oh no, he goes the extra mile! And I'm sure it was in his mind that he wanted his record to stand for 15 years also. Imagine all the kids trying their fitness each year who would hear his name stated with accents of wonder as the long-standing pull-up champion and record-holder.

And so he continued. 23! . . . 24!! . . . 25!!!! After 25, Josh dropped from the bar, exhausted, but beaming with joy because he is the new Huffman Elementary School pull-up champion with a record of 25 pull-ups that is sure to stand for years to come. When we called his mother for a comment, she said, "Go Josh!"

Time Out for Women

This weekend Aunt Hilary was in town for Time Out for Women. It was my first time attending a Time Out production and it was breathtaking. I loved it! Of course, Hilary was my favorite part, and that's not just because she's Aunt Hilary. She continually impresses me with her vocal and musical talents. I love sitting in her living room while she plays and sings for us. She's also spectacular onstage. (Hil, you should try out for Nashville Star! haha) In addition to Hilary, we heard from Sheri Dew, Wendy Watson-Nelson, Ardeth Kapp and several others. My favorite speaker was Merilee Boyack.

My point here is this: The Time Out tour is just starting, and chances are, they're coming to a city near you. They will be in Las Vegas on Sept 19-20 and Logan on Sept 12-13 (Hilary won't be at that one, but Kenneth Cope and Jenny Oaks Baker will). If you're able, you should really go. Visit www.deseretbook.com/time-out/schedule

Our camera's memory card was MIA all weekend, so no pics. Lisa, don't you have one? Send it to me!

Tali's Candy Potty

I have never enjoyed potty training. Who does? I once had a friend offer me $200 to potty train her kid. Are you kidding? Maybe $2000! If you're one of those moms that says it's easy, I don't believe you.

So, when we were walking through the store and 25-month-old Tali fell madly in love with this cute little pink potty, I was not amused. I don't think there's any point in potty training before two and a half. I mean, really, how hard is it to change a few diapers a day? It's a lot easier than using every public restroom you come across because a two-year-old can't hold it for more than an hour. Or maybe they can hold it and it's their little way of telling mom they don't really like shopping. And for punishment, mom will have to squeeze into a stall and hold them an inch above the seat for an indefinite amount of time while holding her breath. Or maybe they have been hired by the city to make sure there is always a toilet (or something comparable) within three minutes of any given point in town.

Whatever the case . . . both Tali and Liz were absolutely smitten with this little pink potty. I thought it was slightly cute also, and that's when I made my first mistake. I let Tali sit on it for a minute and then tried to put her back in the cart. Seconds later, Tali was screaming "NOOOOOOOO, Potty!!!!" Liz, also hoping the potty would come home with us for its asthetic value alone, said, "Mom, Tali will need it later and it says 'sale', so why don't we just get it now?" Such reasoning and logic for a 5-year-old. One minute later, the potty was in the cart, two girls were smiling, mom was rolling her eyes, but everyone was happy. And I was planning on hiding that beautiful abomination in the closet for about six months.

Of course, Liz had other expectations. She brought it in the house and opened the box with Tali. How did they sneak it past me? I had already given in once to this potty battle, so I decided to put it together, let Tali sit on it again, put them to bed, and then continue with my plan to HIDE it. And, guess what happened?

Tali sat down and peed in the potty. The next day she went #2 (I didn't take a picture of that). I was so excited (actually completely astonished) that I made my second mistake and gave her a candy. And thus the phrase "Candy Potty!!!!!!!!!!!" Notice candy comes before potty. Why? Because for Tali, the potty is all about getting a piece of candy. Actually staying dry is a whole different matter. But I'm sticking to my guns and not doing any training because I think she's too young (or I'm too lazy).

So, now this pretty candy potty sits proudly in the kids' bathroom and I don't really know where to go from here. I've always tried the Potty Training in a Day method (which really takes a few weeks). Is this why people buy Pull-ups. I guess we're on the Potty Training in a year plan.

Back to School

It has been Back to School time around here for a couple of weeks now. Our school district adopted an early start (Aug 20), early finish (end of May) schedule last year. Josh started 3rd grade this year and Liz started Kindergarten!

Everything is working out superbly so far! Josh is usually a stellar student, but this year he thinks both of his teachers are "cute" so he is really trying to do a good job and impress them. He has quite a few friends in his class, but hasn't gotten caught "chatting" too much yet. When I ask him if he likes school, he usually says "Only girls like school." But when no one else is around, he admits that it's a lot of fun.

Liz has been impatiently awaiting her first day of Kindergarten for about three years. When Josh started Kindergarten, he had just turned 5 and I was really sad to let him go. My experience with Liz has been different. Liz will turn 6 in a month, so she is SO ready for school. There's just no way I can be sad when I see how happy she is everyday. She says that every day at school is the best day of her life. (I guess Kindergarten is a lot of fun.) When I asked her teacher how she was doing, the first thing she said was "She's very confident." I hoped that didn't mean bossy. But she assurred me that Liz is kind to everyone. Once my friend told me that "Kindergarten is pretty much like a carnival everyday."

On the first day of Kindergarten (6 days after Josh started), Liz posed proudly outside. Don't you see the confidence oozing? On Josh's first day, he finally succombed to my requests for pictures, but decided posing inside the house would be safer, just in case any of his friends were getting an early start and saw him.



(Left) That's Liz's little face peeking out of the window. After much pleading, I let her ride the bus to school on the third day. (Right) On the first day of school, I arrived to pick them up and Liz was truly unhappy that she wasn't riding the bus. So, I let her . . . yes, I followed it home.



Josh and Liz are best friends, really. So happy after Liz's 2nd day.

By the way, Tali is doing fine without her two best playmates. We have had some great one-on-one time together. When Josh was a baby, a friend of mine (who had no kids at the time) said, "How could you ever get bored, you get to hang out with him all day." I still remember that and am cherishing the time I have with Tali now. She is SO fun, but I think she gets bored of me sometimes. She asks several times a day, "Where's Josh? Where's Yiz?" If we stay home too long, she finds her shoes and yells, "Mom, yet's go bye-bye!" Her newest is "Mommy, go bye-bye, eat yunch w/ Josh n Yiz." So, we eat lunch in the cafeteria with Josh and Liz sometimes. I just can't resist the tater tots and chocolate milk!

Happy Birthday Josh!

Josh turned 8 on August 22. His cousins were still in town for the big day so, being the hip mom that I totally am, I let him skip the third day of school and we all headed to the Alaska State Fair! Josh said it was the awesomest birthday he's ever had.

Since we were sure to be gone the ENTIRE day, I wasn't sure how to fit in a cake. Aunt Heather solved that quick by bringing cupcakes over at 10am. So, I think we all had sugar cereal for breakfast, cupakes for brunch, Taco Bell on the way there. Then fair food, including funnel cakes, dipped ice-cream cones, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, fries, soda. I must be missing something because we spent more than I make in a month on fair food! Then, on the way home, we were all starving, so we had McDonalds in the car. I feel like barfing just thinking about it. But, enough about the food . . . how about the fun!

We watched a cool BMX show, twice. We saw a silly lunberjack show, just once, thank you. We walked by Sarah Palin's booth, not knowing she would be possible VP2B within days. We rode rides, visited booths, got autographed posters and pieces of wood?, souvenir shopped, got free hats and $25 hats, won a giant balloon (to be mentioned later) and a purple stuffed monkey, fell asleep in the grass (just Liz), and did handstands in the parking lot on the way out. On the way home we took pictures (out of the sunroof) of a beautiful rainbow, and the sun setting at 10pm.

(left) Matt & Liz on the pirate ship - I tried a few times, but couldn't get both of their faces because I was on the ride too.

(right) Ethan, Josh & Liz on the raptor-kite ride. I can't believe Liz is big enough.

(left) Ethan, Josh & Liz on the Rock 'n' Roll barf machine. (right) Liz's roller coaster stance.

What a day. I love the fair. Everyone had a great time. Especially Josh, who turned 8 that day. I think he'll remember his eighth birthday forever, because he said it was the awesomest birthday of his life.