Mushy

This boy. This boy who loves reading and baseball and swimming and climbing. Who hates homework and showers. This boy who is the best of his father and the best of me.

Pitching his first season of Hart Spring baseball for the Tigers.

This boy who loves broken jokes and tigers and radishes. Who is an only child but has built a band of brothers around him.

He learned to sew so he could make his Daddy a special pillow for his birthday.

Who worries about everything but is brave despite. Who wakes from nightmares and asks to be pinched.

Portrait of me: Queen Elizabeth the 3rd.

Who has my barking laugh and his father's taste in music. This boy is light and love and a little bit sweaty rust smell. He is more than I ever imagined was possible and a blessing upon us. Oh. This boy.

Receiving his basketball trophy from his coaches at the Fire Dragons team party.

Tri is the Magic Number

I know I'm always going on about how much our lives have changed since Josh & I got married, bred & moved to the deep suburbs, but I just can't help it. When Josh & I first were dating, we'd spend entire 48-hour periods drinking cheap rum and wandering around my Los Feliz neighborhood in search of kitschy tiki glasses and ironic t-shirts. Now he does triathlons while Dash & I scamper from point to point, trying to guess his times and screaming encouragements at him. I like it. I like it a lot.

We headed into La Quinta (La Keeeeeeeentah) on Friday morning. Since we'd only be staying one night this time, we had Josh's annual Hog's Breath birthday dinner before the race.

Aren't we a beautiful family?

Hi Honey! How many triathlons have you done so far?

After tomorrow?

This is possibly my favorite tradition. I'm starting to take bets on when Dash'll be taller than Josh in one of these.

The next morning we hauled our asses out of bed at 5:30 to head out. Don't you wish your husband was hot like him?

One of these humans is about to swim in freezing cold lake water with a few hundred other people who paid lots of money for the privilege. 

The other is about to eat some Cheetos.

In case you were wondering if Josh & Dash were related at all.

Swim: done. Boom.

no bike pic, again. but here's what we can assume he looked like:

I love this picture so hard! It's the moment Josh saw Dash & me, and realized that Dash was going to run to the finish with him. Look at how happy he is!

My boys.

(Dash's blue lips are from his snow cone, not from being cold. In case you were concerned.)

And, despite the fact that he keeps getting older (So. Much. Older.) and is constantly going on about how unprepared he is, he just keeps getting faster. Jerk.

But really, we're so proud of our old man. He even got his own Team Engel shirt this year.