Italy 2012 Week 2

Brian and I had a great time in Italy. We flew into Rome, rented a car, and then made our way up through Tuscany. We visited hill towns like Volterra and Montalcino and saw and climbed the leaning tower of Pisa, we spent an afternoon in Siena and a day in Lucca, riding around the old town on rented bicycles. We spent two days in Florence, we saw Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus, we toured the Medici palaces and fortress and saw the frescos of Fra Angelico...all amazing.

Bagnoregio Di Civita, this hill town is so old that the only access to it today is the footbridge you see behind Brian

The main square in Siena where the Palio horse races take place every July

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The marble stairs going up the Leaning Tower

Brian at the top of the Leaning Tower, it leans at a 15 percent angle and we could feel the lean as we climbed

I feel the tower leaning, scary

Brian on his cruiser in Lucca

Lucca's rampart walls surround the old city...we rode our bicycles on top in their green space/park

Brian in Florence, our hotel in the background

Palazzo Vecchio or The Medici Town Hall/government building where the Medici's ruled Florence from

Florence on an early Monday morning

Baby Boys!

My Mom and I threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law Autumn last week. The celebration turned out really nice and it was really fun catching up with family.

Autumn is expecting a little boy in early August. She is a month ahead of me as our baby boy is expected at the end of August. These two boy babies will not only be close cousins, but are considered Irish twins. We are so excited for Autumn and Andrew! They are going to be amazing parents.

My Dad Is An...

IRONMAN... Brian finished the race with flying colors. The pro-athlete who came in first said the St. George course was the hardest he had done in all 45 of his Ironmans...unfavorable conditions in the swim and high gusting winds during segments of the bike course made the course especially difficult.

Sand Hollow Reservoir

The shore...it was an early morning with a 7 a.m. swim start time

The start, before the windstorm

 The swimmers started off in flat water, 5 minutes into the swim, the wind started blowing...boats were pulling scared and exhausted swimmers out of the 3 and 4 foot swells. Each swimmer had to finish the 2.4 mile swim within an allotted amount of time or be disqualified...more then 400 athletes didn't finish the swim.

After the swim and he still has a smile on his face

I was more then relieved to see Brian come out of the swim/bike transition...he even had a smile on his face while he chowed down a peanut butter and honey sandwich...I teared up at this point as we cheered him on. The kids were freezing and were happy to see Brian safe and onto the bike so they could go back and get in the bus.

My Dad came along and ended up being my quiet strength, chauffeur, and support throughout the race. He was great to be around, and patient with the kids and with me and all of our emotions and mood swings! Thanks Dad, you are the best! Brian's Dad Gary and Grandma Maurine took Sadie for us for the weekend! It was a long day and would have been really difficult with Sadie. Thank you Gary and Maurine! We appreciate you!

We saw Brian pass on the bike course while we sat down in the shade in the town of Ivins. He was in the aero position and bound and determined to finish the 112 miles within the allotted time. He was gearing up for his second loop when we saw him come through town.

Brian is in the back left, silver helmet, down in the aero, Ivins

 The run was the most fun to watch as we caught sight of Brian 4 times as he made his loops through town...he always looked comfortable, relaxed and happy and was actually having fun out there. What an example he was to me and the kids in setting a goal and accomplishing it. We are so proud of him!

Waiting on the run course

More Waiting

The Finish Line on Tabernacle Street in St. George, Utah

After

Brian finished his race in just over 15 hours. He is our IRONMAN.

Ironman St. George 2012

He has been training religiously, 5 a.m. mornings, 6 days a week, for the past 5 months! He is ready and we will cheer him on! If you'd like to follow Brian on Saturday (tomorrow) go to: Ironmanlive.com
Enter his race #753. The race starts at 7 a.m. MST.

2.4 Mile Swim, 112 Mile Bike, 26 Mile Run!

Ironman St. George here we come! Brian is already there and I am headed down this afternoon.

The kids worked on this last night.

Music and Flowers

Maggie had her piano recital in early April and played two pieces. She surprised me the morning of the recital with a fully memorized piece "Wish Upon A Star." I was really proud of her and she nailed both of them in the recital.

Maggie, sitting at the Steinway in the recital hall

Last weekend we headed to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. The flowers were breathtaking and the evening was so warm and mild that it felt like summer, even the bugs were out.

The kids had a day off of school on Monday and so we headed to see the Spring animals at Wheeler Farm. It was the hottest day of the year, 86 degrees, but it felt more like 100. Sadie enjoyed feeding the ducks and chasing the geese. Maggie and Sam happened upon a mother goose protecting her eggs. They snapped dozens of photos of the white eggs.

feeding the ducks and geese...

The infamous eggs...

and the geese

The belly is getting bigger

Samuel's #7 Birthday

My boy is growing up and celebrated his 7th birthday a few weeks ago. He chose to go to Momentum Climbing Gym for his party with his school friends. Sam enjoyed climbing and being with his friends. They celebrated after climbing with pizza, soda, and Sam's special request brownies (he doesn't like cake). It was fun to watch him climb, reach the top, and then repel back down. Maggie had a great time too and Sadie wasn't so sure of the height of things, but seemed to enjoy watching for the most part. Happy Birthday Samuel, my big 7-year-old!

At Momentum Climbing Gym

My 7-year-old climber

What happened to you Sam?

Making a birthday wish... or two

Easter Celebrations

This has been one beautiful Spring. I don't remember seeing the trees and flowers blossom this magnificently since we've lived here. How grateful I am for renewal, growth, warmth and the promise of a resurrection!

She was into the egg hunt and insisted on the ears

Showing off a full bucket

Easter Morning

Sunday afternoon

The LeadmanTri and My Own Kind of Race

Brian took a weekend trip down to Henderson/Boulder City, Nevada to compete in the LeadmanTri...the race began late Saturday morning and went into the evening. The race course, as well as the entire western united states, was plagued with a windstorm that made the course and conditions less than desirable, to say the least. The swim was difficult as wave after wave slapped across the water, the bike was insane as it blew riders off their bikes and slowed their speeds, the run was exhausting, uphill into the mountains, but through it all, the sweat, the grit, the fatigue and muscle cramps, Brian finished the race and crossed the finish line with a smile on his face! He is amazing...he said it was mind over matter (mind over body)! but I think it was much more than that...he is one tough guy. We are so proud of you. So, the countdown begins, Ironman St. George on May 5, here we come!

Brian was 225 as you can see displayed on his calf, he has quite the suntan lines now.

They call the race the Leadman because lead is heavier than iron. They say the course, although shorter distances, is actually harder then the Ironman. With the nasty conditions the athletes battled through, I am sure this will be the case.

I've been running my own kind of race the last five months, that of growing another Ramos baby inside my belly. Yes, we are expecting Baby Number 5 in August! As Brian has been dropping the weight, I have been putting it on. On Monday, we found out that Maggie, Samuel, and Sadie will welcome another Baby Boy into our family! We are thrilled, especially Sam, as he will finally have another brother.

Here's the little guy...he had his legs crossed and his hands over his face for most of the ultrasound. He moved at the very end, long enough for us to see his boy anatomy and his cute little face.