The definition of "hard core"

For those who have never learned the real definition of the phrase "hard core," let me enlighten you:

hard-core   /ˈhɑrdˈkɔr, -ˈkoʊr/

[hahrd-kawr, -kohr]

–adjective

1. unswervingly committed; uncompromising; dedicated: A hard core athlete never gives up, even when the swim is cancelled.
           Can you believe that Will's picture is included with webster's definition?

Let me back up a few weeks and start from the beginning of our story, just so you can appreciate the pictures that follow.  I will warn you that there are several pics of my sexy husband in his wet suit.  What can I say?  He's trained hard for the past 5 months and he's lost over 35 pounds.  He feels healthy, happy and fit.  And he's discovered some strengths he never knew he had...

A week before Will's half ironman in Vegas, he took Grant and I with him for his last practice swim in open water.  Though the day was warm, the water was cold- only a slight preview for what was to come during the actual event.  Grant was under the impression that he was going swimming with him.

 These pictures illustrate the sad scene of Grant's disappointment when he was left on shore to wait with Mom.  We watched his red cap disappear and did a little sun bathing while we waited.

 

 

  This past weekend, we dropped Grant off with his cousins and headed for Vegas.  Just outside of Phoenix, I HAD to go.  There was nowhere to pull over!  When we finally came to a spot, we discovered it was meant to be: A solid waste station.  Seriously. Funny. Stuff.

There is NOTHING between Phoenix and Vegas.  But when you gotta go, you gotta go.  We pulled over a few times for Will, too.  It was all part of the romantic weekend- just the 2 of us.

The morning of the race followed the same trend from Will's previous triathlon.  It was cold, cloudy and extremely windy!  The race directors cancelled the swim portion because the water temp dropped below 52 or something crazy.  Because Will wanted to do the whole thing, he suited up for the swim anyway! 

Who does a half-ironman without the swim anyway?  I'll tell you.  All of the other participants except Will and 6 other athletes.  Here they are making their way out to the middle of the freezing lake.

I watched and waited until I couldn't see any of them. 

He made it back.  Completely frozen.  But he had a little time to dry off and thaw out before the bike ride.  Things started looking up, too.  The sun came out and blue skies appeared.

With number 183 painted on his skin, Will had to wait toward the back to take off on his 56 mile trek.

It started with an uphill and from what Will said, it just kept climbing.  Sometimes the only reason to climb the hills is to enjoy the decent.  That downhill apparently never came...

until the last 1/4 mile.  A volunteer was waiting to direct Will around the corner to the transition area.  Ironically she motioned for him to slow down.  Really?  On his only downhill?

Watching Will hop off the bike and start the run made me a little worried.  His legs were locked up from the climbs, but he was about to run 13 miles... and most of those were uphill, too!  This course was insane!

This maniac finished strong.  I couldn't catch a shot of him running in because he picked up his speed.  All I caught was a blur of green and gray.  This happy face was proud to have completed such a challenging 6+ hours of intense exercise without giving up. But let's face it, the smile came from the fact that it was all over... until his next triathlon anyway.

Will, you are amazing and I'm so proud of all the training you did to make it possible: 5 am work outs, long Saturday rides and giving up sugary treats.  Next year, when I lose my belly, I want to cross the finish line hand in hand... pushing a jog stroller.  And towing a tricycle.

Baby update

20 weeks ---------------------21 weeks----------------------22 weeks   

                                

Grant begs to get his picture taken, too and he insists he also has a baby

I forgot to take one at 23 wks, but I bet I looked the same.  Here's 24 and 25 weeks.  I know that last picture is incredibly attractive.  I only look that good first thing in the morning, right before I do my workout.  And I'm too cheap to buy maternity clothes, so all of my shirts now look like this. 

Today marks 26 weeks.  The baby now enjoys lodging one foot in my ribs and one in my side.  Somehow he smuggled some blocks, a train set and a trapeeze into the womb & keeps himself busy all day. 
Can I get some sympathy for having a short torso with not enough space for BIG boys (he's on track to be as big as Grant was... yikes).

Peanut butter playdough

Grant has an amazing attention span for a 2 yr-old!  Last week he kept asking to watch movies and I hate putting him in front of the TV.  But I really had to get somethings done... so I made peanut butter playdough (just PB, powdered sugar and a little honey) and let him have a few kitchen tools.  I thought it would last for 20 minutes or so...

45 minutes passed and he was happy as ever

1 1/2 hours later...

2 hours later... and Grant was still humming, stuck in his own world making hot dogs, pizza, whales, and cars.  He would have stayed in that chair until bed time if I didn't make him clean things up for dinner.  I love his imagination and how simple he is to entertain.

Let's re-cap the last month...

Cousin Rylee comes over every Wednesday and Grant LOVES it!  They do everything together, even if it means taking baths when Grant forgets that he's potty-trained.  She's so supportive.

My youngest brother returned home from Chile last month.  Grant quickly accepted him when I explained that Wesley was "Keith's brother."  (For some reason it didn't make sense that he could be my brother, too)

We started our Spring garden and taught Grant about how things grow.  He planted some seeds in cups so he could help water them.  He learned about faith, patience and work.

He watered the seeds every day and within a week or so, he could see the tiny sprouts that soon grew into small plants.  He was so proud!

Grant's peas and zuccinni

Will had a "Tour de Cure" ride this past weekend- 62 miles to help raise money for diabetes research.  The event earned over $250,000 and Will was excited to be a part of it.  He finished in 3 hours and that included a stop to call me half way through.

Will enjoyed a massage and Grant enjoyed lots of free food, games and give aways.  He even won his very own water bottle that he now carries everywhere.