A Nice Long Weekend

Lots to be thankful for this year, but I'll save that for another post and focus on the nice long weekend.

Wednesday night we tried the new Pi pizza place in the old Two Nice Guys building on Manchester. I grew up spending Friday nights eating pizza and playing Pacman in the downstairs section of TNG and have good memories of that place. I doubt I'll feel the same way about Pi, but I might be the only one. Since it opened a month or so ago, this place has always been packed and the parking a mess. We got there at 4:45 and were seated immediately. By the time we left the wait was over an hour. Erin thought the pizza was pretty good, but I was under-impressed to say the least. I'll give it another try, but would never consider waiting.

We spent Thanksgiving at Bart and Tanya's and both Erin and I agreed that the meal was one of the best we've ever had on Thanksgiving. Madeleine had a great time playing with the big kids and Hadley, as always, enjoyed being passed around. Both were out within seconds of being fastened into their carseats.

Friday afternoon was reserved for a trip to the zoo and dinner with Erin's parents, so I took advantage of the cold and sunny morning and met up with Tom, Bob, and Chris at Castlewood. Tommy had too much chardonnay with his Thanksgiving turkey and found my intentional constant chattering so annoying he finally told me to be quiet. And then almost crashed into a tree. It was a good ride and a great way to start the day.

Saturday saw a high of 66 and Madeleine and I didn't waste the opportunity to pedal over to Grant's Trail. I told her we'd go after her nap but she was so excited she couldn't fall asleep, at least in her bed. She made it to Sappington and was then out. I had to wake her 7 miles later when we got to the park. We both had a great time swinging and later visiting with the Clydesdales. I can't wait until next year when Hadley can join us.

Jim and Patty had us over Saturday night for pizza and to let the kids play. Madeleine and Connor were instant buddies and cracked us up all night. We need to do that more often!

It's been a good long weekend.

Hadley not letting Gracie get in her way:



Into everything:



At the big girl table:



Hadely making the rounds:



Out:



Turkey Tom:



Bob checking the DRJ board:



Sleeping through the zoo:



Hadley's new favorite chew toy:



I can't wait for spring!:



Excited, for real:



See, super excited:



Madeleine had Connor eating out of her hand:



Buds:

Milestones

#1: Two kids napping at the same time! This one probably won't be repeated anytime soon but I'm enjoying it.

#2: Two posts in one week... largely due to #1.

#3: Only one kid in diapers... this is more important than the previous two. Good job, Madeleine!

#4: Hadley started pulling up on everything and is now tentatively starting to cruise and let go and stand for 10-15 seconds on her own. She is into everything... especially Madeleine's toys.

And now for a few pics.

Hadley reading Outside Magazine. She isn't really into her books right now but she loves ones that she can try to rip.
Having a tea party. Madeleine really enjoys her tea parties. Hadley enjoys chewing on the cups.

A sleeping Madeleine. You can also see the assortment that has to be put to bed every night. Madeleine always tries for at least two dolls who have to be tucked in. This is usually followed by Madeleine telling me that we need to make room for her :)

Hadley in one of my favorite onesies... thanks Dennis and Shelly!

Berryman Epic & A Family Hike

I created this blog shortly after finishing the 2008 Berryman Epic mountain bike race. It's hard to believe a year has passed. I raced the 2009 version of the BTepic almost a month ago but am just now getting around to a post. 2010 should be here in no time.

I had high hopes for the 2009 BTepic. In 2008, I finished in roughly 5 hours and 20 something minutes, good enough for 14th overall and 2nd single speed. Hadley's arrival in February put riding on the backburner once again, but I figured I'd be in shape by October. I figured wrong. With one of the rainiest October's on record, this year's course was a wet mess. I finished 25 minutes slower than last year and can't blame it on conditions.

The race started out ok for me. I did my usual slow start and then worked my way up towards the front. By the second checkpoint (~1/2 into the 56 mile race), I was in roughly 15th place out of 120 or so that finished. I had just caught GORC's Larry, and he and I were chatting it up and having a good time riding together. Then I flatted. I run tubes with more psi than what most people would run, but don't flat much. It took me more than a few minutes to fix the flat and then I just couldn't get going again. I lost a half dozen spots fixing the flat and then maybe 10 more on the next long road section. I've never lost anywhere near that many spots in a long race before. I was able to gain a good number back in the next section of singletrack, only to lose most again in the final 6 road miles to the finish. The end result was 31st place and 6th ss.

Since everyone always makes excuses about why they could/should have done better, mine are as follows. In the week preceding the race: four days of work training (and playing) in Chicago, a sick kid, an injured kid, a trip to the airport at 4:30 AM the day before, and a Dad at home by himself with sick kid. That week, and about a combined 2 dozen rides/races in 2009. Oh well, there's always 2010. Good thing it will be here quickly.

A couple weeks later, Erin and I took the kids and dog out to the Lewis & Clark trail for a short hike. Madeleine hiked some and rode the rest in the "big backpack," while Erin carried Hadley. We were quite a sight and drew a number of comments, but it was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time.

Pics:

Start:



Mid-race:



Finish:



Lewis & Clark Family Hike:

Lions and Tigers and ...

Candy! Madeleine has discovered what Halloween is all about and she loves it. The rainy weather in St. Louis stopped just in time for Halloween. Our street had a block party with dinner and some pre trick or treating. It was fun watching Madeleine try to keep up with the other kids. Both kids looked adorable in their Halloween outfits... Thanks Tanya and Megan! Hadley was a big hit at the party and I think she was passed around to everyone there even the high school boys from accross the street. She kept her lion hat on all night! When it got dark Jim took Hadley home and Madeleine and I headed out for some door to door trick or treating. She had a blast. She keeps reminding me today that she "wanted to go that way"... that was the opposite direction of back towards our house. Today she has been enjoying her candy (and so have Jim and I).