swimming!

Colton starts swimming lessons on Monday with his friend, Mason.  They will be taking them every day for two weeks at our clubhouse pool.  Colton is VERY excited!  He's been asking me if it is time for swimming lessons since I signed him up a month ago!  We have been practicing at the pool ever since.

This summer, he has much preferred swimming in the big pool over the splash area.  So, we have been working on getting him used to going under water, jumping into the pool, and "swimming".  He has LOVED using his goggles this summer.  I think he likes keeping the water out of his eyes.  He can do minor swimming ... that is ... he puts his head down in the water, and he kicks.  He goes a little ways before he stands up!  He is pretty proud of himself, and at least, he's trying and not afraid!  We'll see how swimming lessons go.  I hope all is well!

Here's Colton's attempts at swimming pre-swimming lessons: (They're all very similar, but they're all so cute ... I couldn't resist!)

This is a funny one I got of him ... ever since he got those goggles, he loves going under the water!  He loves to put on a good show.  What a ham!

by popular demand: penne arrabiatta

This recipe is a partial Pinterest find ... find it on my Pinterest board "Great Recipes".  Follow this link: http://pinterest.com/tashacolleen/.

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, diced

8 cloves of garlic, diced to minced

2 T olive oil

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1/4 c of kalamata olives, diced and pitted

2 T capers

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 T fresh basil

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 pound of penne pasta (I use whole wheat.)

Procedure

1.  Cook pasta as directed.

2.  In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent and the garlic is browned (but not burned ... otherwise it gets bitter).

3.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 10 minutes.  

4.  Add pasta to skillet and toss gently.  Serve hot!

Enjoy!

Color Me Rad

Last November, I saw an ad online for The Color Run 5K.  It was in Tampa in December ... and I always run the Reindeer Run 5K in December ... on that same date!  So, I looked and found Color Me Rad ... a very similar race ... was going to be in Tampa in May.  I decided I could wait and do that one. I talked to my friend, Gwendy, and she was going to run it with me.  At about the end of March, we were talking about it, and a few other friends from our MOMs Club decided they wanted to run it, as well.  One of our friends, Stephanie, was going to start couch to 5K, so it would be a perfect race for her.  By the time May came around 5 of us MOMs Club mommies and one other friend of ours were signed up!

I was pretty excited, because 5Ks are my thing ... I ran a half marathon, and it was death by running.  I enjoy a 5K ... and they're usually fun, too!  So, we made our WC_Mommas t-shirts (WC, because we are all living in Wesley Chapel), and on May 25, we headed down to the fairgrounds for our run.  Usually, I run in the early morning.  Late for me would be 7 a.m.  Our leg of this race started at 10 a.m. ... in May ... in FL!  We went with an earlier wave that started at 9:40, but it was too late!  Not a cloud to be seen in the sky.  Just a hot, hot summer day in FL.  It was tough.  Not to mention, I got runners issues and needed a port-o-potty about 1/2 mile off the starting line!  Ay!  But, it was fun none-the-less.  The color stations doused you with powdered and watery colors all along the run, and at the end, you threw your own bag of color at yourself and friends.

We all felt like that run was the death of us ... I'm guess because of the heat and the lack of shade.  But I think we're all planning on running another one next year.  Might have to be the one in December, so we don't all pass out!

It was a great bonding experience for all of us girls who ran, and we had a ton of fun listening to great old school music and getting clobbered by colors.  It took a bit to get all of the color off.  It looked like Billy beat me under my arms ... the color created a definite bruising look there, but it was a blast!  I would definitely do it again!

Pre-race ... me and Gwendy.

All of us Ladies, pre-color.
(Left to Right: Gwendy, Lindsey, Diane, Stephanie, Me, and Diane's friend.)

Post-race MESS!

COLOR!

Post-race ALL MESSY!

Yeah!

Me with Stephanie ... her first race!  She was amazing!

Pre-shower ... I was doused in color!

My gear!

Billy's New Ride

Well, it's time we say goodbye to the old Pontiac Sunfire.  Billy has been driving it for 11 years, and although it has been a good car, it was high time to trade up to something more grown up ... and less likely to break down!

Since before Khloe was born, Billy started thinking about a new car.  However, we both knew that we would need a bigger family car first with the arrival of our second child around the corner.  I felt badly, because Billy really deserved a newer car.  But we just couldn't squeeze our family into our XTerra for too much longer.  So, he waited ... and waited ... and looked and looked.  He probably visited Autotrader.com, at least, once a day to see what was available.  He finally narrowed his search to the type of car and the details he was looking for: a Cadillac CTS (in black or red).  There were other criteria, but I will probably list them incorrectly ... so I won't even try! Five months ago, he found a red CTS, and we drove nearly to Sarasota to see it.  It ended up being a salvage title (so it had been in an accident), a little smelly, and a few too many scratches and such.  So, even though it was a great price ... he passed on it ... and the waiting ensued.

This week, Billy sent me a link to Autotrader, and he asked me what I thought of this car ... it looked really nice ... it sounded really nice ... but it was time for us to go check it out.  That evening, we drove down to Sarasota (over an hour south of us), and we met this retired gentleman who was selling his CTS.  Billy took it for a test drive ... a long one.  Then when they got back, I took it out for a shorter drive.  As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, I knew he was going to purchase this car.  It had everything. I'm not just talking features.  It is in pristine condition.  It smelled new.  It had every upgraded option available to the 2009 Cadillac CTS ... and it was black with tan interior ... it had every single one of his criteria, plus things he hadn't even thought about wanting--and to boot ... only 20K miles.  It drove impeccably well.  I got back ... Billy talked with the gentleman some more.  Then we got in the car to leave.  I said, "You are going to buy that car, aren't you?"  He said, "I want to talk to you first."  I said, "But you're planning on buying it?"  He insisted that he was talking it over with me.  Then he says, "Well, I haven't signed on the dotted line, but we negotiated the price already."  I wasn't too sore about it, because I knew he had waited and looked a very long time for something to come along as good as this deal.

The next day, we drove down to Bradenton (which is nearly Sarasota), and he bought it.  I can see how happy he is that he was patient and waited for the exact right car to come along, and I am happy that he has something that he has worked hard to buy.  He deserved a more reliable car.

Now, we are the "old couple" family ... we drive a Buick and a Cadillac.  Doesn't get anymore FL than this!

2009 Cadillac CTS