My First Triathlon

David, my sister-in-law's husband finally convinced me to do a triathlon with him. He has done 5 or 6 of them. When Jaren found out I was doing one He got excited and decided to join us. We all had a lot of fun. There is something unique about swimming, riding and running all in one race. It is great doing this kind of stuff with family.
This summer I was able to ride with Jason and that was a highlight of my summer. Jason and I raced in separate races one evening and I finished my first road race.
Well, here are some pictures of my first triathlon... it was the best since Jaren and David did it too.

Because it is so cold here the triathlon was reversed. We ran, road, then swam in a warm pool to finish off. Does anyone else think I look kind of like the bullies that beat up "Daniel son" in karate kid after the Halloween dance?


Dismounting the bike to enter the transition stage.




If you want to see professional photos of Jaren and I, go to these links.


JAREN

JORDAN

JORDAN

It was so fun, a caveman, cavewoman, and dinosaur did it

I know you've all been holding your breath in suspense--what were the Fords for Halloween?? Here's the answer...

...Meet Oooga and Chaka, and their adorable pet dinosaur, Ianosaurus. They had a fun time at their ward Halloween party and chili cookoff.

 

They look fierce, but really they are just a normal American cave family.

 

Happy Halloween!

Gettin' Ready for Halloween

Jordan and I have loved dressing up for Halloween since before we were married. Considering my training in theatre and Jordan's general goofiness, we've always come up with fun costumes. Here's a look at past Halloweens:















2005: Idaho farmers (we were going to BYU-Idaho at the time and threw something together :)


2006: Miss Scarlet and Mr. Green from "Clue"


2007: Mad Scientist and Lovely Assistant


2008: Igor and the Ghost of Grace Kelly


2009: Carl and Ellie Frederickson from Pixar's "Up"


Now it is 2010 and, lo and behold, there is a third member of our troupe! We were excited to tackle the challenge of coming up with a theme for 3 costumes.

Grandma Ford gave Ian a dinosaur costume...so we brainstormed what his parents could be to complement him.

Jordan, the creative genius that he is, came up with an awesome idea...but we're not going to tell you yet! You will just have to wait till after October 31...mwa ha ha ha!


However, we just couldn't wait to see Ian in his costume, so here's a little teaser for the upcoming holiday:

Birthday Greetings

Happy birthday, Grandpa Ford! Even though you are away from your family right now, we hope that you will feel our love and have a special day.

Rice Cereal

Ian had his first non-milk food today: very runny rice cereal. When I (his mommy) first started breastfeeding 4 months ago, I couldn't wait for the minute when Ian would turn 4 months and could eat solids. Nursing has definitely gotten easier, so I was able to delay until 4 1/2 months, since the pediatrician recommended waiting until 5 months in order to avoid food allergies. But Ian was SO ready for solids. He can sit up very well with assistance and is curious about big-people food. I was very surprised about his reaction to rice cereal. Take a look:



I thought it was hilarious that he would grimace with every mouthful but keep on reaching for more. Maybe he was just excited by the shiny spoon.



Jordan had fun feeding Ian, too. It was great to get daddy in on feeding our baby.

Ian is 4 Months Old

Ian was blessed on August 22, 2010. We had the privilege of blessing him in Kelly's childhood ward, Firgrove ward, with lots of family and friends there. Ian and his daddy looked like total studs in white shirts, khakis, and matching blue ties.




Well, everyone said it would happen. Growing up, that is. And Ian has done it. He has gone from a 7-pound-peanut to a 15-pound sack of potatoes. He has grown from 19 inches to 25 inches--1/3 the height of Jordan! He has learned so much in the past few weeks. It is exciting to see him learn even the smallest things. He reaches for objects and grabs them, at which point he puts them straight in his mouth. He can grab his toes, although he doesn't quite know what they are or where they came from yet. He doesn't mind his tummy time, as you can see in the video. He is also smiling and laughing a lot now. We are sooooo happy to be his parents!

Ian Walter Ford

After 9 months in his mommy's tummy, Ian was ready to begin mortality outside of the womb. On Wednesday the 26th of May, Kelly and I went out to get dessert at Kneaders and we walked around upper campus of BYU by the museum and waterfall. Around 9pm contractions came on strong. After walking to the park and back in the dark, the contractions quickly changed to 4-5 minutes apart. After 2 hours of contractions we decided to make the 15 minute journey to the hospital. The contractions seemed so close together and so intense that having the baby in the car crossed my mind. It was 11:10pm and hoping to hit all the green lights was at the top of my wish list. We arrived safely, I dropped Kelly and her mother off at the door while I quickly parked. As I approached the receptionist I saw Kelly in the background laying in the hallway and the midwife holding our little boy... Just kidding, that's not what happened. In the background I saw Kelly enter the room she would spend the next 2 days in. Though Kelly was afraid it was false labor and we would have to go home the nurses were reassuring us that Ian would be with us in a few hours. "A few hours? what does that mean?" ran through my head. Contraction after contraction and groan after groan the pain was building and the intensity intensified. Kelly's mom was the assistant coach, Kelly's husband, that's me, was the birth coach and Kelly, the nurses and the midwife were already busy at work. The coach and a nurse were relieving the super athlete of some pain with counter-pressure on her knees, hips, and back. Coach reminded Kelly that she was in control and that she could push this little guy out. Though the nurses would count to 10 during hard pushes Kelly would go the extra mile and push for 3 or 4 seconds longer. She was determined and even encouraged when she could see Ian's little head start to appear in the mirror. With a few more tough pushes, Ian's head, shoulders and body were welcomed into the open air of this world. His father was overwhelmed by the miraculous occasion and could only exclaim "Hallelujah" which means "praise ye the Lord". No other words could be uttered by this man. He was captivated by the incomprehensible power contained in the mind, body, and soul of this new mother. The realization came that they really created a body for this special spirit to occupy and that Kelly did in fact nurture it for 9 months and then brought it into the world so that this new soul could experience mortality, the time designated for man to prepare to live with God for all eternity.

Kelly and I are privileged to be Ian's parents. We will lead him, guide him, walk beside him, and help him find the way. We will teach him all that he must do to live with God again someday.


May 27, 2010
1:33am
7lbs 11oz
19.5in