Wheelchair wheelies

Wheelie practice didn't go as Ken had hoped. Silly boy.

Ken did some computer work for a company that rents wheelchairs, so they let him use one for free. Fortunately, he doesn't have to use it for long. The specialist told him that he should fully recover, possibly within the next few weeks. Ken was feeling pretty down after the last doctor told him it didn't look good and would takes months to recover and he may not be able to play tennis or raquetball anymore. We're so happy for the good news!

Wild Things

We went to the Rocklin library to see a group called Wild Things. They brought a huge iguana, a bear, a turkey vulture, a lemur, and an alligator. The kids got to pet the alligator! We went with our friends, the Picketts. Nathan, Branden, Christopher, Andrew's scalp, and Hilari and pictured with Elizabeth. It was really cool.

Sing and Dance

The girls did their Sing and Dance Co. show yesterday. They did great! Natalie sang a duet with her cousin Olivia. Elizabeth sang a short solo. They each danced 2 dances. Natalie kept telling her fellow dancers when they made a mistake (see picture). She also stopped to tie her shoe twice (at least there were during a sit-down-and-sing time). She also lifted her dress to show her underwear through her tights. She also made a lot of funny expressions. She also briefly picked her nose. She was entertaining to watch. I'll post videos if I figure out how to do it with our new camera.

Encounters with nature

In one day, we saw a snake eating a mouse (while we were walking on a trail near our house) and watched a robin feed her babies (in a nest in our tree). The picture of the snake is hard to make out and the video I took of the baby robins is missing (probably a user error), but it was cool for us to experience. Nick was especially excited.

Duathlon

I completed a duathlon! My friend Kathryn Moore (on left) inspired Becca Brandi and me to train for the race. I did the duathlon (3 mile run/ 16 mile bike/ 3 mile run) and they both did the triathlon (1/2 mile swim/ 16 mile bike/ 3 mile run). It was awesome! I wanted to finish in less than 2 hours 15 minutes and I did it in 2 hours 3 minutes! I was 4th place in my division (there were only 7 of us- ha ha!) My friend Tiffany was volunteering at the race and she was there when I crossed the finish line. My nephew Matthew did the triathlon as well as some old friends that I didn't expect to see- Matt and Elizabeth Overton and Tanisha Bair Laret. I am so excited to start training for my first triathlon in August!

Celebrity sighting

We were walking through the mall (well, all of us except Ken who was being pushed in a wheelchair) and we noticed a crowd of people looking at something. We stopped and discovered that they were looking at Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger! He was browsing at a watch kiosk. Ken said, "I want to be in a picture with him! Elizabeth, push me past him! Cherie, get a picture!" The security guards got in the way, but there is the picture below. The guards were watching Ken to make sure he wasn't a danger. It was funny. We're going to show the kids Kindergarten Cop tonight. :)

Ken's accident

Ken rode his bike to the store (he was exercising because of a weight loss competition we're doing) and when he was coming home from a store, the box in the bag hanging from his handlebar got stuck between his knee and the handlebar and turned his bike into a jagged brick wall. What are the chances that the exact spot he would crash would be a brick wall at a Chevron station? He hit his head, shoulder, hand and arm against the wall and then his hip and knees twisted the wrong way as he fell off the bike. Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet or we might have lost him (notice the hole in the helmet and the other dents). We were in the emergency room for 3 hours to find out that nothing was broken. We're waiting for an MRI to find out the damage done to his knees, which are causing him the most pain. He can't bend them without great effort and pain and he needs crutches or a wheelchair to get around. Despite all of that, he's in good spirits. We see improvement and that is encouraging. We feel blessed that the accident wasn't worse. And something good came from it. Ken's dad decided to buy a helmet to use on his daily bike rides.