So Cool

Jesse's WIN

Jesse is first on the race result. Go Jesse!

Racing here in Colorado is very different than racing in Nebraska. We have actual mountains, we live at over 9,000ft and the competition here is rough. Everyone here is great at racing- it's not just a hobby.

Jesse raced today in a large race with mega competition and WON!!! He is now a cat (category) 2 racer- last year he was a 3. We knew him racing with more competition would mean a bigger challenge, but he won! I started to cry. I love nothing more than seeing Jesse so happy that he's nearly moved to tears. However, we didn't know he won...

He started his race and within the first 1/2 mile, he was away from the pack (because he sprinted when he started- he left the others in the dust quite a way back) and saw a dude in front of him riding fast. He followed him and ended up in a parking lot! The dude he followed turned around and yelled, "I'm not racing! Go back! Go back!" After swearing for a bit, Jesse turned and got back to the path. He was convinced he had fallen to the rear of his category. He finished and I noticed no one finished before him. I really didn't think much of it since there are so many categories racing at the same time and different cat's finish at different times. The race announcer only said Jesse's name as he came through the finish line, not that he won. So, I stood there cheering him on and said "good job honey".

We sat on the grass with other racers eating our catered fish taco burrito thing (that was healthy and amazing!) and beer and when the results were posted, Jesse went to look. I saw him walking back to me and he was saying, "I won! I won! I won!" I stood and nearly tackled him with hugs. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM. What a stud. Go Jesse! To all of you who don't know much about bike racing, this is a big deal. Not many people actually win races and this is Jesse's second. What a guy.


Jesse and his teammate from Nebraska, Ryan Cech, before the race.

Maximus and Pops after the race enjoying oranges.


Jesse proudly holding Maximus on the first place step of the podium after the race. We don't know what happened to the dude who got second.


I am so proud of my honey!

Facing the Fear

Every night my dog barks at something in the darkness in the backyard. She freaks- there's definitely something out there that makes her furious. Jesse always tells me to look out there with a flashlight, but that seems freaky to me.

During my mom's visit (that was far too emotional when we said goodbye at the airport- Maximus crying hysterically and calling for Gamma Barth even 20 minutes after she left, thus making me cry like a baby...yeah, my parents are pretty addicting when they visit because we have withdrawals when they depart)...back to what I was saying: During my mom's visit, she was in the livingroom at night and heard something right next to the open window she was near. She was terrified. So terrified that she bent down to reach up and close the window above her. She didn't want whatever it was to see her and you know, attack her through the window. (Sorry mom, that was a hilarious one and I would have done the SAME thing). The next morning I saw a moose on my run. He was the Ptarmigan Moose, not the Willowbrook one though. (Each neighborhood here has a family of moose)

Tonight I heard Jackie barking at "the thing" at 10pm, like usual. I was upstairs in our bedroom and I walked to the upper patio and turned the light off. I stepped out and leaned over the hot tub and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. After several minutes, I heard the moose noise. They just exhale loudly, no grunt, nothing. Just a weird breath. Then I saw "it" (not sure if it was a female or male) and you know, I guess I never realized how big a moose is until I saw it standing on one side of the fence and my 14lb Jack Russell Terrier on the other side. I only saw the ridge of it's back as it walked along the back side of our backyard.

It's funny to me. It's also so fascinating. My neighbor told me she saw "the big guy" near the freeway eating some grass today. Our landlord stopped by today (he is the BEST landlord ever. So nice, chill and loves that we love his house) and said the mother moose, "teenager" moose and father moose stop by his yard a few times a week. They're cool yet ugly creatures. I'm still amazed that I live in their territory and they feel so comfortable roaming around.

Nick Jr.

I know my opinion on this isn't mainstream, because Nick Jr is one of the biggest channels for little kids. Nearly every parent has it on for their 2-7 year old. "Nick Junior- it's like preschool on tv" is their slogan.

Maximus would watch the channel Nick Jr once in a while. He really likes "Dora the Explorer" and "The Upside Down Show". I will no longer allow him to watch the insanely popular show "Yo Gabba Gabba" because it's SO stimulating! What 3 year old (or even younger) needs that much stimulation?! It makes me antsy.

I was talking to Maximus' teacher about tv in general. She said that young children are often over stimulated by television and can benefit the MOST from age appropriate toys or being outside. Now, when she mentioned being outside- she said not some little plastic playground that lacks natural grass, trees, etc., she means outside in the yard making up things to play with what's available. It not only helps a child problem solve, it's soothing, nurturing, healthy, his imagine and sense of wonder will thrive, and simple "outdoor play" reduces struggle, conflict and worry with little ones. She said simple wooden blocks can inspire creativity much better than any show can.

I really feel that Maximus needs to only watch an hour or less a day. We live in a house where the tv is NOT on during the day. Don't get me wrong, Maximus used to watch Nick Jr frequently, but the last few times I watched it, I was unimpressed. It's nothing like "preschool on tv". Nick Jr and mindless cartoons aren't needed for a little one. It's weird watching Maximus so zoned out when he watches cartoons. Lately, if he does watch tv, he watches National Geographic or the Science Channel. Turn off the tv and go outside!

Ice Bath

Maximus thought it was cool to fill his dump truck with ice and water and have Grandma Barch hold his feet in it. This has been such a fun time having her! I want her to stay.

Fishing!

I love our neighborhood. It's beautiful, the people are beyond friendly, everyone keeps their yard nice, the dogs and kids run free, there's a creek, wild animals, beautiful homes, beautiful scenery AND a kid fishing pond! Winning!

The pond is stocked with trout each June. Maximus has a fishing pole. His parents both like to fish. We were all over that in a heartbeat. Jesse came home from work so he, Maximus, my mother (who is visiting...yeah!) and I went to the sporting goods store and got him his first little fishing tackle box. And the excitement begins.

Jesse showed Maximus what he was doing. Maximus was excited.
Jesse cast the line out into the pond. Maximus can cast accurately and we were impressed that he was only 3 and casting better than kids twice his age. But although Jesse and I encourage Maximus to do extreme sports, we agreed him casting a real hook wasn't an option. He's three, dude. Jesse threw it out and we all...waited. And waited. And waited.

Jesse and Maximus moved to a different part of the pond and WHAM! Maximus caught a fish. Me saying 'he was so excited' is an understatement. Then another. And another. AND ANOTHER.

By the end of the evening, Maximus had caught four trout and two additional fish got away. Not bad for his first time fishing. Maximus said the ones that swam away were the "sneaky fish". I'm glad we live less than a block away from the pond so this little boy can go fishing whenever he wants. I'm so glad my mom was able to see the excitement and joy of her grandson's first catch. What a great evening. I love family.

Link to the cute video of him catching his fish:
http://vimeo.com/24809530

Have I Mentioned I LOVE Living here?!

The snow has melted (and caused Denver mega flooding issues), the biking trails are clear and dry, everyone is out riding or running. Everyone is happy to live up here. I demand that each night after dinner, we ride on trails. So much fun.



Maximus and one of his teachers, Miss Kathy. He loves her, Miss Candace and his speech pathologist- Miss Kirsten. So sad today was his last day. The other parents and I had a big healthy breakfast and I met with his speech pathologist about his improvement. He needs to be tested for his IQ because she believes (and us too) that he is incredibly intelligent. Go Maximus!
We went riding last night. We found a trail that is cleared of snow and tackled it. Such fun living in a place with so much mountain biking!


Hahahahahahahaha! This photo was posted on Bolder Boulder's website. I can't believe how exhausted I look. It was only 6 miles! Tomorrow I do TWELVE! I must mention Maximus' other teacher, Miss Candace, who has offered to hang out with and watch Maximus during my long run tomorrow. What a gal. SO many sweet people up here! Can't wait for the family who will be visiting us this summer to meet them. And stoked to see Grandma Barch THIS Sunday!!!

Although he's on the go, is potty trained, goes to school, can snowboard and ride a bike...my Maximus still reminds me of when he was a baby when he sleeps. I love the sound of him breathing.

Yeah! Family!

Me: Um, do you think you could shave Goog (dog, Jackie) before my mom visits? She's so cute when she's trimmed.

Jesse: Yep, sure thing.

Me: Thanks. You're a really good Googoo shaver.

Phone rings. My mother! She says she's flying in THIS Sunday. I laughed, cheered and nearly threw the phone. Maximus spoke to her and when she said she was coming to see him, his face softened, he smiled and said, "okay gamma Barth (Barch)". The smiles spread across my face, Jesse's and Maximus'.

Yeah! I love the fact that she can't wait until August to see him and wants to come now. Just like my father. I love when both sides of our little family visit! We're excited to see Jesse's brother, Fletcher and his hot gal, Laura, over the 4th of July. We love when they visit us. Hopefully Jesse and Fletch can teach Maximus to fish. (Maybe Laura and I will go shopping?) We were excited to have his other brother, DJ, visit us a couple weeks ago. And we're excited to have my entire family in August- my brother's side, my sister's side and my parents. Tons of cousins and epic family. Let the grilling and good times begin! I love living in a place where almost everyone wants to visit us! Yeah! Feeling the family love! We are SO excited!

Bolder Boulder!

I ran my race today! It was SO MUCH FUN! I'm so hooked and I cannot wait for my marathon. I seriously want to run a 10K every weekend, it was insanely fun. The crowd was nuts. Some of the other runners were nuts. I ran with 4 dudes dressed head to toe in Teletubby costumes. The course went through downtown and through residential streets. It seemed that nearly all the homes I passed had people on the front lawn cheering us on. They didn't stop there- some had slip and slides, one was throwing marshmallows at us, many had their hose out and sprayed us, one had about 10 people with bowls of Doritios shoving them at us. I passed a frat house and they handed me water, so I thought, and it was beer! I flew on this run. It was at 4,000 feet lower than what I train at, so I felt great. I remember sprinting down a hill with the intent of passing these other tall and thin girls (yeah, I'm THAT vain) and as I flew past them, some dude in the crowd screams, "go tattooed girl! GOOOO!" When we came up the hill into the stadium, we could hear the crowd going nuts. When you enter the stadium...I'm not gonna lie...it felt GREAT. People were leaning over the guard rails with their hands out cheering and telling you to run. Passing the finish line was even better. I know it was just a 10K, but Bolder Boulder is one of the biggest 10K's in the country and man, it was SO MUCH FUN!!!


Check out my fly shoes...I love these things. They might just be the only shoe on the planet that will work for me.

Maximus and me in the lot before taking off. Geez, it took us forever to find parking.

Me getting amped for the race. I ended up throwing those gloves in the trash about halfway.

A cow decided it wanted to stretch with me.

I'm at the very front of the start line, to the very far right. There were over 200 people in my wave. We heard there were over 50,000 people running in the race. I was slow, but I DID manage to score within the top third of all women and my age group!

Jesse snapped this moments after finishing when I was talking to Maximus.

Birthday Party and Boulder

Yesterday Maximus' buddy, Kohl, had a birthday party. All his little friends went to the pool and swam and had a good time.

Maximus and his little girlfriend (depending on the day), Sarah. They climbed to the very top of the big slide and went down all by themselves!

Maximus is so close with his buddies. It will be hard for him next year when a few move onto kindergarten. All the parents of his classmates are so friendly too! I love chatting with them and I'm looking forward to spending time with them during the summer. Have I mentioned we love it here?!

After the party, we went to Boulder to pick up my race packet and check out the city. We got there and we both said, "this is so us." Wow, Boulder is not only beautiful, it's a great size, it's filled with bikes, the people were super nice and chill and there was so much to do. We walked through the sport expo, went to lunch, played, chatted with people, it was fun.

Check out my name under the numbers on my race number. Stacor! I race tomorrow. When I first heard about the 10k, I thought running over 6 miles seemed terrifying. Now, I'm not even worried about it. I do 10 and 12 mile runs twice a week and they'll increase over the summer, so I know it's not hard. While we were in Boulder, Jesse suggested I register for my marathon in October in a booth. We'd get a huge discount if I did, so I did! When I hit "confirm", I cried. I'm going to do something I never thought I could and it feels liberating to work toward a goal! And thank you to my family, friends and my wonderful man for all the love and support.

Preschool Scholar

Today Maximus had a little graduation ceremony for his classmates in preschool. Although he's only three and isn't going to kindergarten next year, he and the other young ones were included. It was cute- the class stood and sang songs and then went one by one to receive their diploma. Maximus got nervous and totally refused to stand in front of the room, so he sat on my lap the entire time. Hopefully next year he'll do it. (I was prepared with the camcorder too!)




This was the closest he got to the front. I don't get it- he's the class clown and is so close with his buddies. He must have gotten stage fright. But you can see Marcello, Yaretsky, Javy, Marilyn, Kohl, Christian and Jeremiah. I can't believe how quickly he's growing up!

Catching Up

Since this blog isn't JUST about Maximus, I decided to write a little about what's been going on with the rest of us lately. Pretty much we live boring lives of training athletes, but we do have somewhat of a life.

Jesse raced both Saturday and Sunday of this weekend in Salida, CO- about an hour and a half away. I've been battling a nasty cold, so Maximus and I stayed home. I hate missing Jesse's races. I'm his biggest cheerleader! He did better today but hurt his leg. He's glad he raced and it looks like this year will be similar to last- doing well in the races at the beginning of the season and then rocking them and winning them toward the end. I love that he races. Besides racing, he's doing great. He has his little personal bike mechanic shop set up in the basement and has been working on people's bikes, including that of a pro snowboarder! (He even beat Shawn White!) Here's Maximus checking out pops' racing wound.


I made some delightful and nutritious homemade chicken and whole wheat noodle soup for my cold and a worn out Jesse today. It hit the spot.


While Jesse was in Salida, Maximus and I hung out. Yesterday was a bit hard until we both took a 3 hour nap. Today I took Maximus and our bikes and went out. We rode the paved trail and I also took him on some single track through the woods. For a 3 year old, he did incredibly well!


I always tell my mom about the herd of 20 or so elk that live in our neighborhood. They are often out in the main field grazing. Many afternoons when I drive past, I notice them just laying down soaking up the sun. Jesse thinks I'm lame for thinking they are so cool, but they are! Click on the picture below to see them better.


Our dog, Jackie, is still doing okay. She's old and losing her mind. I found her Friday night at 11:30pm in the dark kitchen staring into the darkness. I called her name and after a moment, she snapped out of it and looked at me. I carried her upstairs and put her to bed. However, this evening I was able to get her out on a nice walk and she acted as herself again. We even ran into moose poop!


My Aunt Alice recently passed at age 90 and it hit me pretty hard. She was my grandmothers sister and the only one of the siblings left. She lived such a wonderful life and left comfortably. I'll never forget the fun I used to have shopping with her and my grandmother when I was a kid. I've learned that the memories are truly what you clutch to.

I'm spending most of my time marathon training. I train while Maximus is in school and the other day I ran 8.17 miles without stopping. My weeks are filled with shorter 3, 4, 6 mile runs and I do a 10 miler this next weekend. The miles increase at the weekends until I run 20 miles 2 times before my marathon in October. I know I can do it, even with the damage to my bones from rheumatoid arthritis. I want to run this before I start harsh treatment that will make me feel sick. I am so grateful that Jesse is as supportive as he is. I love that we have a relationship where we encourage each other. I'm excited to have my parents be present at the marathon. I pretty much run, make and sell the burritos/sack lunches, do housework, make nutritious meals for my family and pass out at bedtime. It's fun and I love it.


Other than that, we love living up here. We're excited to have family and friends always visiting and we love that we've made friends so quickly. We miss Lincoln and the wonderful relationships we have there and we miss Salt Lake City as well. The plan is still to return to Salt Lake and it's looking more and more like it as time goes on. We love our dear little family and we're comfortable and happy. I know we're not old, but as we grow older together, we have established ethics and a lifestyle that are great for us. It just works!

Dacing in Underpants

Jesse has part of our basement as his personal bike mechanic shop and he works on people's bikes. Maximus and I love hanging out down there with him and here's Maximus the other night.

Our Neighborhood

Yesterday afternoon Maximus and I cruised around our neighborhood. I realized how cool it is. I love that there are ponds, streams, trails, the woods and wild animals in it...until all the bears wake up and eat us. We found this trail that cuts behind some homes about 50 yards away from our house. He thinks it's cool to ride his bike on it and go over the rocks like a "big mountain bike racer guy like pops". Our neighborhood is seriously the best place to raise a 3 year old boy. We love it.


He stopped to throw rocks in a stream. He also grabbed a large stick and told me to go home because he was too busy fishing.


Here's the fishing pond that sits next to a play ground and a couple tennis courts. It will be stocked with fish in the middle of June. Look at the view!


He went out into the bushes to find bears. It's hard to tell when he's using his imagination or if he's being serious.


And there's a baseball field here too! He ran around the bases with Jackie for a long time.

EAT

Large bowl of plain oatmeal
2 scrambled eggs
granola
milk
banana
2 cups green juice
half of my protein shake
peanut butter on 2 slices of super heavy 9 grain bread
whole wheat crackers
apple
1 slice of bacon
veggie burger
black olives
large bowl of cereal

...this was ALL consumed by Maximus yesterday. He's three. He ate more than me, and I'm consuming more food because I'm training for a marathon. Dude. When we got to school this morning, he went into the bathroom and sat for 15 minutes, pooping. His poor buddy, Jeremiah, sat outside the bathroom doing his "pee pee dance" because he had to go so bad. I'm constantly shocked at how much a little person can consume.

Sun Spot

I grabbed my coffee this morning and walked into the living room and noticed Maximus and Goog, lounging in the sun spot. The nice and calm moment quickly turned sour when Maximus moved closer to Jackie as she slept. No one messes with her when she's asleep. That old lady will snap. (She's missing most of her teeth anyway)

Goog

My dog has a million names: Jacqueline Margo, Jackie, Yack, Old Lady, Googoo, Goog, Idiot, etc. The name we use most for her is Googoo or goog.

I don't know her age. When I rescued her seven years ago, the veterinarian thought she was seven...making her fourteen now. Who knows. All I know is she was beat in the face from her previous owners. She hasn't slowed down much, she just sleeps a little longer after a long walk or short run. She still does her ridiculous "sprints" when Jesse gets home and when I get her going. I have noticed she can't run with me very much anymore...it could be that she's aging or that I'm training for a marathon.

Lately, Goog has been...off. When I look at her, her eyes are a bit lost. I walked her this morning, stopped at the pond to talk to her and when she looked at me, she looked right through me. She's so active and healthy, but she sometimes will walk into a corner of a room and not know what to do. Lately she'll forget to use her doggy door. Sometimes she stands outside in the snow or rain and bark to come in...as she stands next to her doggy door. She won't get up to greet me when I come in, but she still sleeps in my dirty running clothes as I shower in the bathroom- the bond we've always had.

My dear friend Sarah emailed me an article about dogs with dementia. Goog falls into 8 out of 10 signs. Yeah, I should take her to a doctor, but it's sad to see. As I type this, she sleeps under her favorite blanket next to me. When I go upstairs to bed, she will stay on the couch, come upstairs in an hour and sleep in her pillow box next to Jesse, sleep the night, wake when Jesse wakes, come back upstairs until I wake, then spend the rest of her day between the sofa and the deck outside.

I love my dog. She's my first born. I honestly expect her to live forever. She's Maximus' sibling. They play their weird games every evening. Seeing her behave differently is sad. At least she knows I love her.

Mothers Day

I am so glad I'm Maximus' mom! And Jesse's partner! I have the best little family ever and I couldn't be happier. My kid is super cool, my man is dreamy, life's good.

The weather we've had here for the last week has been unreal. I mean, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. It is PERFECT. It only gets to about 70, but there isn't a cloud in the sky, so the sun at 9,000ft makes it feel like 90. I got sunburned pretty bad and it hurt for one day, and now I'm all tan and happy. Saturday morning I went for a 6 mile run (and broke my time record!) and I realized I CAN run a marathon. My training has been such an emotional boost.

Anyway, on Mothers Day, all I wanted to do was be with my guys. Jesse brought me coffee in bed and I sat there with a sleeping Maximus for over an hour. Loved it! Jesse went for a long bike ride and I know this sounds lame, but I wanted to get laundry and housework done alone while he was gone and Maximus slept in late. Doing housework and getting my house clean for us actually makes me happy. I feel gross when it's dirty and cluttered with stuff. So, I was honestly delighted to do a few things alone, but when Jesse found out, he was like, "you're not supposed to do anything like that today! Let me!" No, sorry. Then I secretly swept the kitchen floor as he showered!

After we got ready, I wanted to go for a hike. We found a great 2 mile trail and took off. Jesse even taught Maximus how to pee in the woods! Maximus exclaimed, "ik (it) bubbles!" After the hike I was dying for my favorite restaurant- The Boathouse- for a hummus plate and eating out on the patio with a view of all the mountains. We enjoyed that, strolled around Main Street, did a little shopping, I rode my bike around the neighborhood jumping curbs alone, chilled with my guys, LOVED MY DAY.





Horrible view, eh?

Maximus is happiest running through the woods.




I got the hummus I wanted!

Jesse raced Saturday and here's Maximus winning.

Cute little video of Maximus:

Sous Chef Maximus

Sous Chef Maximus from Stacey Barch on Vimeo.