Doug's Triathlon

Doug completed the 4th triathlon of his life on June 26th in Plattsmouth (3rd one in Plattsmouth). He did so good! He trimmed a whole minute off his swimming time! He ran so fast, that I didn't even get to take a picture of him running during the race! He swam 500 yards, biked for 15 miles, and then ran for 3.1 miles! All in sweltering heat and humidity!! The kids all wore "Tri Daddy, Tri" shirts to support him. Doug's mom was there to help with the kiddos (which I needed in the worst way! - Thanks Sandy!!). Doug got a LIVESTRONG sticker for his bike that says "I ride for BRYAN BOTKIN" in honor of my 9 year old cousin Bryan who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Afterward, the kids and Doug went swimming in the pool while we waited for the results to be calculated. When we got home, we all collapsed...well everyone except myself! I needed to clean up our mess from the early morning departure for the triathlon. Clair took a little while to fall asleep, but when she did, she was playing with her toys, and basically fell over. She ended up sleeping on some of the toys which I don't think was very comfortable at all! :)

Last Day of Tour of Missouri

Our last day in Missour at the Tour was in Chillocothe, for the start of a stage of the tour. This day was more exciting for the kids, as Chillocothe knew how to entertain people! There was an expo again for local and state businesses, where the kids got more cow bells, foam fingers, and balloons! The kids would have been just fine with that, but they also had a little carnival put on by one of the churches in town. There was a couple bouncey houses and a rock climbing wall, cotton candy & popcorn, and face painting! Samantha went in one of the bouncey houses and got her face painted. We told the girl that we wanted an "N" for "Nebraska" in red and white. She obviously didn't understand, because she kept saying "I'm going to make it a fancy "N" ". So, I watched her do a letter that kind of looked like an "N", but then she kept decorating it until it was unrecognizable! :) But, Samantha thought she looked just like a Husker cheerleader with a painted face! :) It was a very hot day, so we took a break in the shade a few times while Doug went and looked at bikes and riders. He got some close up views of David Zabrinski (yellow jersey & blue shorts) who won the tour and yellow jersey and he also got to see George Hincappie (red, white, blue top and bottom) ride right by him. He realized how easy it was and how nice the riders were at stopping to take pictures and autographs, so next year I'm thinking he will be more forceful with his plan to get autographs! We got to see the start of the race while the riders did a few laps around town before heading out on the road course, so that was neat! They went by really fast and it was fun to see all the good riders together! After the riders were out of town, we headed for home and Alden was zonked out before we even got through the McDonalds drive through for lunch! It was a fun couple of days!

Tour of Missouri

We drove to Sedalia, MO last Friday morning to see the Tour of Missouri Pro Cycling Race. We stopped at our favorite McDonald's in Odessa, MO - it has a toddler playground. Then on to Sedalia to watch the Tour of Missouri Individual Time Trial. We arived early (Michelle claims I was speeding) and we were able to see the team buses set up bikes and trainers for riders to warm up on. We got to see Lance Armstrong's bike (Yellow Trek bike) because the team he was on this summer - Astana - was there. We also walked around the expo area and Sam and Alden recived the loudest cow bells on earth! It was hot, so we found a place to watch with a bench and shade away from the big crowds. It also was the steepest hill of the day. Sam and Alden rang their bells for the riders as they went past one by one. Some of the riders, Sam knows by name from the Tour de France. After a long day of cheering we loaded up and drove to Columbia to Meet Charlotte. We got to spend the evening with Dusty, Goldie, and Little Charlotte. Then we headed north to Macon, MO (the middle of nowhere) and went straight to the pool! The pool was freezing cold, so we weren't there too long. The kids were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows! Alden & Sam slept together again, but this time, Alden fell out of bed. :) (Written by Doug)

Doug's Plattsmouth Triathlon

Doug competed in his 2nd Triathlon of the summer last Saturday - August 1st. This one was in Plattsmouth and we had great weather! (Unlike the nasty cold, rainy weather we had at the Norfolk Triathlon in June.) My uncle Craig and our friend Joel also competed in the Plattsmouth one. Doug did great! We are so proud of him!! He shaved some minutes off his time from last year and decreased his transition times. He thinks I'm going to train for this one next year (we'll have to wait and see!). I had to help with the Triathlon and be there at 5:45am, so we enlisted the help of my mom and Doug's aunt Jodi. My aunt Janet also came to help Craig and also ended up helping Doug. They were great help! Doug's grandma & grandpa McKnight also came to support Doug. After the triathlon, the kids got to play in the pool while they figured out the results.