Track: May meets

Track and field went full swing in May, with Gavin competing at every meet in the area. It was great seeing his progress over the course of just a month.

Last year he stuck to shorter distances - 100, 400 and long jump, and the occasional 200. This year he has been working towards longer distances, as he is not terribly competitive as a sprinter.

May 5th - Hoover meet
400m - 1:23, 3rd in heat
800m - 3:30, 2nd in age group
4 x 400 relay - team placed first (they were the only team in their bracket!)

May 12th - Waukee meet
400m - 1:24, ? don't know place
800m - 3:18, ? don't know place

May 20th - Grinnell meet
1500m - 6:24 - 1st place (only one in age bracket)

May 26th - Omaha meet
1500m - 6:25 - 1st place (only one in age bracket) (and it was 10 - 15 degrees warmer than the prior weekend)

May 27th - Ames meet
200m - 38 sec - tied for 6th out of 19 kids
400m - 1:25.10 - 4th out of 20 kids
800m - 3:13.02 - 3rd out of 4 kids

There is one little boy on our team that also runs these longer distances. So far Gavin seems to hang back and stay behind him. We are hoping he pushes through and gets ahead of him one of these times. They haven't gone head to head at the 1500 yet, but that is sure to be an interesting race when the day comes. Looking forward to a cooler weekend for our next meet this Saturday, for another attempt at the 1500. He gets to dye his hair red and blonde if he beats his 1500 time of 6:24. Overall, I couldn't be more proud of him, and the rest of the kids on the team. We have had the pleasure of working with some really dedicated kids, and it's been fun to watch them grow throughout this month. We also have our share of kids that don't seem to realize they signed up to run but you take the good with the bad.

Gavin Breakdance Circa 2009

California Vacation Continued (Day 1)

At this rate we'll have taken our next vacation before I get the write up done on this one! We have had a lot going on lately.


After sleeping in not the best conditions - Chad and Gav in the bed, Sam and I on the floor, with a space heater for warmth (it ws in the 30's overnight and most souhern CA homes don't have heat), we woke up ready to start our vacation. Well, three of us did. Chad woke up with a scratchy throat and not feeling great. I was hoping it was just feeling off a little due to flying (that's foreshadowing for all you English majors).


My dad had appts tht morning so we took off in search of brunch. We headed down a main street expecting to find plenty to choose from. Not so much. We eventually saw a Denny's and figured we'd take what we could get at that point!


We stuffed ourselves full of brunchy goodness and headed back to my dad's to figure out what to do with the boys given the 50 degrees and rainy conditions. About ten miles away was a Jump Zone, which, incidentally we can now find right here at home, but we needed to let the kids blow off some steam. It wasn't terribly busy and it was a pretty good place for the kids. There were several grid sections with square trampolines and then solid gridlines to walk on. There was a special little kids section where the trampolines were not quite as bouncy so it was easier for them to manage. There was also a big foam pit at the end of a row of jump pads that kids could bounce and jump into.


A couple hours of sweaty fun and we were headed back to my dads. Sam may or may not have taken a nap at this point, I remember him really needing one!


After an afternoon of relaxing, we headed to Bob's Big Boy Diner with my dad for dinner. For some reason I have this visual in my head of a movie and some guy going through the drive thru and getting mad and beatin up the Big Boy statue and then later in the movie you see it flying through the air. Chevy Chase or Adam Sandler maybe? Bonus points for anyone that has any idea what I am talking about and can name that movie.





We had an awesome meal of tasty burgers and shakes. The shakes were enormous and super cheap! We seemed to get lucky as it was not busy at all for a Saturday night. We even got to sit in a booth that the Beatles sat in!!

Then we headed back to my dad's and crashed pretty early......to be continued....

To My Amazing Boy

To Gavin,

You are capable. You are strong. You are, simply, amazing.

Yesterday you ran an amazing race. 6:24 for the 1500m, a track distance you had never run before. Nerves started getting the better of you as it came time to warm up. You were nervous that there was no one your age running, that you were certain to be last. The fact that there may not be any team mates, even older ones, running in your heat made you even more insecure. I love the fact that being on the track with your team is a reassuring thought, I'm so glad you feel a part of the team and like it's a community for you.

I came to give you a little pep talk. I reminded you of your training. How you had run 3.5 miles on Friday, a 1500 was no big deal. That it didn't matter if you were last, you had already won the race because you were the only kid your age running it. That all you could do, was do your best. Try to stay with the pack, and run the whole race. That's all you had to do.

I was so nervous at the start of the race. The gun went off and it took me a second to hit the button on the stop watch. All age groups, boys and girls, all running together. The group quickly spread out and you distanced yourself from a kid behind you. As the gap widened, I breathed a silent sigh of relief that you wouldn't be last. Not that it would have bothered me, but I knew it helped your confidence to have someone behind you. You passed by me, looking strong.

During the second lap around the track, you started closing in on the next kid in front of you. Two laps down. You passed him on the curve down by the start line. You looked strong, and I realized you could finish this thing out. I could see the wheels turning in your head, making adjustments to your form as you started to get tired.

As you passed by me for the third time, you were going back and forth with a girl you had caught up to, one taking the lead from the other, back and forth. You sped up as you went by me, thinking you were on the home stretch, but you still had one more lap to go. Oops!

You held on to the last lap. You looked beautiful gliding around that track, you didn't even make it look hard. You passed by me for the last time. 100 meters to go, give it everything you have Gav, go!!

I looked at my stopwatch hitting the 6 min mark and asked Aidan's mom, this is the last lap right??

I clocked you at under 6:23 but given my delay in starting, I'm guessing it was more like 6:24. That time is incredible. I almost cried.

But what is more incredible is that you proved to yourself that you could do it. You went out there and you took a risk and you did something that was uncomfortable. That you were afraid of. You'd set a goal to run this race earlier in the week and you nailed it and then some. Not every risk you take will work out so incredibly. I can only hope that this accomplishment gives you the confidence to keep taking them. I hope you know that working hard reaps rewards, as you put in a lot of good work in your work outs this last week. I hope you know that there are so many people that love you and are cheering for you, and that we are so proud of you, no matter what the outcome, if you give it your all.

You inspire me, my sweet boy. Heck, you make me want to go run track workouts and I hate track workouts!

To my amazing boy, with all my love and a heart full of pride,

I love you

"I Wish I Could See Her One More Time"

Last night Great-Grandma (Bridie's grandmother), Lois passed away. It was very unexpected. She loved her great-grandchildren so, so much.

I came home so as not to bother my aisle mates with spontaneous crying all day. I tried to work from home, but mostly stressed about what to tell Gavin. His anxiety levels are high anyway, and I had no idea how he would react, or how it would affect him, or whether he would start stressing about me and Chad and other loved ones dying.

Children have an amazing ability to break emotions down to the purest sentiment. He burst into tears immediately, I have never seen him cry so hard. I hadn't been entirely sure if he would really get it, but as soon as he pulled it together enough to talk, I realized just how well he "got it".

"I'm never going to see her again"

"I'm so very sad"

"She'll never be at Grandma Janet's house again"

"I wish I could see her one more time"

Me too, Gavie, me too. Now off to pick up Sam and field the kinds of tough questions that only a 3 yr old can ask.

That's Three, If You're Counting

Ladykiller, thy name is Samson

Seriously. I show up at school yesterday and Miss Becca pulls me aside.

Sam has a new girlfriend. We've caught her trying to kiss him several times in the last couple days. She scoots her lunch chair literally right next to his and when we try to move her back to her spot she says "I NEED to be by him. I BELONG there!"

This makes girl number 3 since he's started at this school last August. First it was K, a shy quiet little wisp of a girl that befriended him on his first play date at the school the week before he started there full time. Then K moved to the 3 yr old room.

Next was "Wizbeth", an adorable girl with curly black hair, one day when Chad dropped him off, she ran up to him and asked if Sam was her boyfriend. Then she moved on to the next room.

Lately he has been talking about "Evwin" a lot. Last week he told me how someone knocked her over on the playground and he went to help her get up and then he fell over and that's why the knees of his pants got wet. So chivalrous!

And now this girl, it seems, has to claws in my little man. Apparently they have "double dates" with "another couple" - another boy and girl that are buddies, the four of them go and sit at the lunch tables and talk. Can't you just picture it? Hilarious!!

Miss Becca also told me that Sam had gotten hit in the ear and was worried because she saw some red in his ear. That happens to be the infected ear so I assured her that was there already. I asked Sam later what happened and he said that "Evwin" had hit him in the ear.

But it was on accident! We were dancing.

I also asked him about the kissing. And reminded him that we shouldn't be kissing girls at school.

But Evwin always tries to kiss me, but I don't try to kiss her back!!! Complete with the Italian hand gesture for effect.

Dancing...double dates at the lunch table.....I did send him to a church pre-school right? Seems oddly reminiscent of 8th grade to me.

*I have to point out that sticking with one girl exclusively for a period of time is not shocking given the early years he had with a nanny and KK. I'm sure forging a spend every moment relationship with a little girl at school just feels very natural and normal. He does have friends that are boys too, he talks about them often and there are several that are his "best friends too".

Perforated Eardrum & Full o' Crap

I tell you, the fun never ends in the Sellers household!!

Took both boys in to the Dr this morning for lingering issues. Sam has had all sorts of nastiness coming out his ear ever since our CA trip. Gavin has had stomach pain on and off all school year, but it's been much worse as of late. Last week I called to make an appt when I could bring them both at the same time (as our dr's office is half an hour away), and he was out last week so we had to wait until today.

Sam - perforated eardrum and a nasty infection still brewing back there. No shock on that one. His hearing has been a lot worse lately (lots of what? what mommy? what?). "What?" may be more annoying than "Why?" Maybe. So ear drops and antibiotics that I am going to have to bribe him to take are in order there.

Gavin - tummy was sore upon physical exam, so off to radiology we went. He got an x-ray of his tummy, and then I grabbed lunch for the boys at the cafe stand in the atrium

When did hospital food get so delicious? Boys had chef salads and they were awesome and I had a hummus wrap which was totally awesome. And yes, my kids choose salads for lunch of their own free will. She shoots....she scores!!

I kind a knew when I was looking at the x ray in radiology (the radiologist was so nice and showed it to Sam and Gavin and explained what all the bones were). But back at the dr's office, he explained that his system was all sorts of backed up. So he is starting him on Miralax and hopefully this will work.

Poor Gavie, we talked about it on the way to school and he said he was a little scared. You're just going to poop more than usual, I said. He asked if it was because he eats too much. No way!! I assured him it's nothing he did and that these things just happen sometime, and that it's even more important that he is drinking lots of water and making sure he goes when he needs to. He stressed that they only get one bathroom pass a day (in addition to plenty of regularly scheduled bathroom breaks), but I emailed his teacher and explained the situation and she is going to let him know that it's ok to go more often if he needs to.

So that's the latest in our house.