The guys start school this week -- Andy, Benjamin and Elias will all get on the bus together on Thursday morning! Elias may explode before we even get to the bus stop since he is so excited about getting on the bus. We have an open house on Wednesday to meet the teacher. When we do that, I will be bringing all the school supplies to school so that we don't have to worry about any of that stuff on Thursday. I will also be bringing cookies to the teachers -- got to start off the school year on a good note, you know!

The playset is completely done -- and has been for awhile, I just didn't get the chance to take pictures. Ron did a really really fantastic job on the playset -- it is THE BEST. The roof is terrific -- the guys go out there all the time and play up in the fort. The playset has already made my life much easier.

Benjamin was going to play tackle football this season, but has decided not to after all. I don't think he realizes that what this means is that he will be playing soccer. He isn't just going to sit around while Andy and Elias play soccer, after all, he has to be active too. I have also decided to continue the guys' swimming lessons through the school year. I want them to be very comfortable in the pool and to be able to do all four strokes well. They have a great time at their lessons, so it works out. This means that one day a week we have CCD, one day we have swimming lessons, two days we have soccer practice or a game. It is going to be a busy fall.

I rode about 50 miles yesterday with a bunch of TriGirls and had a fantastic time. I am a little sore today, but that is ok. I have four races scheduled for the fall; one each in August, September, October, and November. I managed to alternate the distances too! The races in August and October are shorter, and the others are Olympic length. Brigid is coming with me for the November race. This race is my focus for the season; I hope to do really well at this race, or at least improve my bike time a little. This race is in Parker, Arizona, which is right next to the California border. The bike route goes over a dam on the Colorado River. If you want to see it, go here: http://www.mountainmanevents.com/bluewatertriathlon.htm