Sorry for not updating the blog regularly anymore...basically the twins are zapping our remaining free time and putting together week events and pictures has been a struggle...:)
We regularly update Facebook quite a bit since it's easier to upload a few photos at a time rather than grouping them all together in Picasa to share.
For the foreseeable future we'll probably suspend the blog for a bit and just update everyone on Facebook. If you don't have a Facebook account, we'll gladly e-mail pictures to whoever wants them, just drop us a call or e-mail.
My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/Michael.Syring.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Rohan Goes Rogue
Rohan’s First Mud Run
This last weekend we had a HUGE number of people sign up for a race called the Rogue Runner. It was tons of obstacles over ~6.2mi (10K) through the gorgeous mountain desert. But it wasn’t about our giant team that day. It was about Rohan. He had been asking to do a “Tough Mudder” since we ran our first one 15 months ago. Since they can’t electrocute 3 & 4 year olds we had to wait until a race came along with a kid’s mud course. Finally during this year’s Tough Mudder a plane flew overhead advertising the Rogue Runner, and Rohan was signed up as soon as we got home.
Rohan has been training by climbing, running, and doing anything crazy just to say it was “training”. He was so excited. The race was supposed to be 200 yards long, and when we saw the course, it was a joke. This kid could do this in his sleep. But Rohan was still VERY excited. Rohan waited VERY patiently with Mara and the twins while our group of 32 people did the adult race. Rohan sat and played in the mud for close to 3 hours before his race…:)
Turned out they didn't have very many 4-8 year olds sign up so they just grouped them in with the 9-12 year olds. That meant a ½ run with some real obstacles, not the kiddie ones. I was able to run with him and film a lot of it. The kid blew me away. He was fast, excited, and out for blood when challenged. Even as hyped and jacked up as he was, he still waited patiently at the obstacles and was (fairly) courteous to other racers…aside from the fat kid he tackled at the bottom of the water slide. Nothing malicious; just jumped farther than I thought he could and landed falling forward…:)
After the race he got his medal, and was gleaming ear to ear. You could tell this was the highlight of his life to date. It was great having such a HUGE support team with friends cheering Rohan on, getting tons of pictures and congratulating him at the end. It meant the world to him. He capped it off by impressing EVERYONE by doing 2 chin-ups on an ox yolk that we won for largest team (totally random prize).
Our friend Shannon put together a great compilation of his race. Enjoy!
Rohan has been training by climbing, running, and doing anything crazy just to say it was “training”. He was so excited. The race was supposed to be 200 yards long, and when we saw the course, it was a joke. This kid could do this in his sleep. But Rohan was still VERY excited. Rohan waited VERY patiently with Mara and the twins while our group of 32 people did the adult race. Rohan sat and played in the mud for close to 3 hours before his race…:)
Turned out they didn't have very many 4-8 year olds sign up so they just grouped them in with the 9-12 year olds. That meant a ½ run with some real obstacles, not the kiddie ones. I was able to run with him and film a lot of it. The kid blew me away. He was fast, excited, and out for blood when challenged. Even as hyped and jacked up as he was, he still waited patiently at the obstacles and was (fairly) courteous to other racers…aside from the fat kid he tackled at the bottom of the water slide. Nothing malicious; just jumped farther than I thought he could and landed falling forward…:)
After the race he got his medal, and was gleaming ear to ear. You could tell this was the highlight of his life to date. It was great having such a HUGE support team with friends cheering Rohan on, getting tons of pictures and congratulating him at the end. It meant the world to him. He capped it off by impressing EVERYONE by doing 2 chin-ups on an ox yolk that we won for largest team (totally random prize).
Our friend Shannon put together a great compilation of his race. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Great weekend!
This last week, Mara's parents came out to see the twins. I think they were pretty excited to see them...the break from the snow was an added bonus though...:) Rohan had a blast showing off his sisters, and G&G were along for the ride to parks, space centers, and more parks. G&G even got to see Rohan's TBall practice.
Saturday I went to a car show while Mara, Rohan and the twins ran errands. Afterwards we made some awesome beer bread, coconut shrimp, asparagus, and scallops with Shannon & Angelika. We topped the night off with S'mores and a fire in the pit.
Sunday we started off with Matador and then met Shannon & Jeremy in the McDowells for some climbing. We found an awesome boulder and Rohan was able to do his FIRST official outdoor route, which he has named "Avengers Assemble"...:)
A great week & weekend!
Here is a little video of Rohan's climb set to his favorite song..."Sail" by AWOLnation:
Saturday I went to a car show while Mara, Rohan and the twins ran errands. Afterwards we made some awesome beer bread, coconut shrimp, asparagus, and scallops with Shannon & Angelika. We topped the night off with S'mores and a fire in the pit.
Sunday we started off with Matador and then met Shannon & Jeremy in the McDowells for some climbing. We found an awesome boulder and Rohan was able to do his FIRST official outdoor route, which he has named "Avengers Assemble"...:)
A great week & weekend!
Here is a little video of Rohan's climb set to his favorite song..."Sail" by AWOLnation:
Monday, March 18, 2013
All our kids are home!!!
So we are finally getting settled in with our giant family
of 5…:) Actually it hasn't been that much of a
struggle. The girls are on a pretty
solid, regular schedule already so we can plan things pretty easily without too
much trouble. To be honest, they could
be nightmares and we’d still love having them home rather than the trips to the
NICU!
Rohan has been an AWESOME helper and loves to snuggle his
sisters. We've been venturing out as
much as possible so we don’t get stuck in any ruts staying at home…we like to
stay moving around so we train our kids to do the same. J We took the family to a spring training game
last weekend (Brewers of course!) and have done several walks, trips to
Matador, and out to see friends. Next
stop will be taking them to the climbing gym to start them early!
We've just finally also cleaned out our camera from the
Tough Mudder and some of Rohan’s soccer games.
Soccer is finally done, so we can jump back into TBall! Yeah!
Enjoy the pics...there will be more to come once everything settles down...which might be never...:)
Enjoy the pics...there will be more to come once everything settles down...which might be never...:)
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
TOUGH MUDDER 2013!
Mara and I were fortunate enough to have another AWESOME team to run the Tough Mudder with. This year we had ~14 people (9 last year) and all but Mara and I were first time runners. The course was just as brutal as last year. Everyone had a lot of fun, and I really mean that. We were laughing, joking, and being our goofy selves the entire course...the pictures & videos prove it. I took our waterproof (& mud/shock proof) camera long and documented the majority of the fun run...:)
It was absolutely awesome to have Jen, Michelle & Chris, & Allison share the fun with us (another post for their whole visit). We wish the twins would have incubated a lot longer, but because they came early they all got to meet the newest Syrings, plus Mara (being awesome) was able to train enough to run as well!
This was another awesome experience, and we'll let the pictures (from us and others) and video (courtesy of Shannon) tell the story.
Shannon's video can be found here: http://goo.gl/yxfqq
My individual ones are in a playlist here: http://goo.gl/hL75c
It was absolutely awesome to have Jen, Michelle & Chris, & Allison share the fun with us (another post for their whole visit). We wish the twins would have incubated a lot longer, but because they came early they all got to meet the newest Syrings, plus Mara (being awesome) was able to train enough to run as well!
This was another awesome experience, and we'll let the pictures (from us and others) and video (courtesy of Shannon) tell the story.
Shannon's video can be found here: http://goo.gl/yxfqq
My individual ones are in a playlist here: http://goo.gl/hL75c
Monday, February 11, 2013
2.5 Week Twin Update
Hard to believe the twins are already over 2 weeks old! They are doing so well, gaining weight and changing daily. As of this AM both girls weigh 3lbs and are on full feeds through the feeding tubes! Their IV's and nasal cannulas have been removed and they are tolerating everything very well!
Saturday we were able to give Prana her first bath. Rohan was such a good helper as well, and the smile on his face was there all day!
Yesterday Mara was able to hold them together for the first time, which was a very special day. We happen to have our friend Hannah along to take some pics and the timing couldn't have been better. Mara was able to hold them for almost 3 hours! We were able to give Tesla a bath as well yesterday, so lots of firsts!
Looking forward to getting them home in the next month or so. We just need them to keep gaining weight and keep getting stronger.
Enjoy some of the pics we've taken over the last 2.5wks:
Prana squeaking & hiccups:
Saturday we were able to give Prana her first bath. Rohan was such a good helper as well, and the smile on his face was there all day!
Yesterday Mara was able to hold them together for the first time, which was a very special day. We happen to have our friend Hannah along to take some pics and the timing couldn't have been better. Mara was able to hold them for almost 3 hours! We were able to give Tesla a bath as well yesterday, so lots of firsts!
Looking forward to getting them home in the next month or so. We just need them to keep gaining weight and keep getting stronger.
Enjoy some of the pics we've taken over the last 2.5wks:
Prana squeaking & hiccups:
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tesla & Prana Have Arrived!
The twins have arrived!! A bit earlier than we were expecting, but doing great!
Both twins will be in the NICU at Scottsdale Shea hospital for a while so they can grow a bit before we take them home, but we've been able to snuggle them a bit and look forward to bringing them home!
Here are some pics and some stats:
Tesla Avery
Born @ 4am on 1/24/2013
2lbs 3oz (990 grams)
14.5 inches
Prana Claire
Born @ 8am on 1/24/2013
2lbs 8oz (1130 grams)
15 inches
Rohan learning about his new sisters:
Rohan meeting his new sisters:
Tesla Avery
Born @ 4am on 1/24/2013
2lbs 3oz (990 grams)
14.5 inches
Prana Claire
Born @ 8am on 1/24/2013
2lbs 8oz (1130 grams)
15 inches
Rohan learning about his new sisters:
Rohan meeting his new sisters:
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Twin Peaks
A couple weekends back Mara and Rohan set off on a pretty epic quest...to hike 2 of the valley's mountain peaks. The first one they hiked was Piestewa Peak in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. It's 1.2mi long and an elevation gain of almost 1,200 feet! I know several adults who can't do that, let alone a 4yr old! They were originally going to climb Camelback mountain where I was climbing with friends (Shannon & Jeremy), but the parking is atrocious there so they opted for an equivalent hike with a better parking lot. We all met up for pizza afterwards and regaled each other with our climbing & hiking stories
The second day/second peak Mara and Rohan were able to hike was on the same mountain I was climbing, Lookout Mountain. I took some first timers out to climb outdoors, and Lookout is a great in town, short mountain to practice on. The trail is much shorter, but still a 0.6mi trek and 500+ feet of elevation is solid, especially considering they took a couple rough scramble trails to get to our climbing area as well
Rohan also has been enjoying soccer and it's fun to watch all the kids just swarm the ball...frustrating at times too...:)
Rohan climbing like a beast and highballin':
The second day/second peak Mara and Rohan were able to hike was on the same mountain I was climbing, Lookout Mountain. I took some first timers out to climb outdoors, and Lookout is a great in town, short mountain to practice on. The trail is much shorter, but still a 0.6mi trek and 500+ feet of elevation is solid, especially considering they took a couple rough scramble trails to get to our climbing area as well
Rohan also has been enjoying soccer and it's fun to watch all the kids just swarm the ball...frustrating at times too...:)
Rohan climbing like a beast and highballin':
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Happy New Year!
It has been a whirlwind holiday season! Mara was working A LOT to cover people on vacation and leave so we have a somewhat unorthodox xmas. Rohan had lots of stocking stuffers leading up to xmas day and since Mara had to work we ended up doing a gift opening xmas eve. Rohan LOVED all his gifts! Seriously, there wasn't a single one he didn't like. By far his favorites were the Legos and sports equipment from everyone.
We took time to head up to Flagstaff and sled with friends we met through TBall/Daycare. Rohan had a blast going down and was a trooper climbing up the hill every time. We even went on the “big kid” hill which Rohan wanted to go down more and more. Mara did have some time off with some luck and schedule switching. She had 6 days off in the middle of the week! Unheard of! Luckily I had some vacation time left to burn so we took a lot of the week of Rohan’s birthday off together.
Besides a fun New Years with our neighbors and friend’s parties, we took a trip to the Tucson Air Museum. They had TONS of planes in hangers and hundreds on their grounds. It was a gorgeous day to wander and let Rohan explore this kid wonderland. My favorite (and therefor Rohan’s favorite) was the SR-71 Blackbird. An absolutely gorgeous plane and modern engineering feat. I’ve been wanting to see one since I was Rohan’s age! Couple that with seeing the Space Shuttle a month ago and my inner 5yr old is ecstatic!
For Rohan’s birthday day we went to a trampoline place with his friend Owen for a couple hours, then to a park for TBall and Soccer. They were worn out (Owen more than Rohan though…:P)
The day after his birthday we had a picnic at the train park in Scottsdale…one of Rohan’s favorites. We had a good turnout of friends…it’s funny what Rohan’s parites look like. There were a couple friends his age, but also a lot of single people we climb with who adore him…
All in all a great holiday season. We hope everyone had a great one as well, and wish you a Happy New year!
Rohan Manning The Control Tower:
Rohan Jumping Into The Snow:
We took time to head up to Flagstaff and sled with friends we met through TBall/Daycare. Rohan had a blast going down and was a trooper climbing up the hill every time. We even went on the “big kid” hill which Rohan wanted to go down more and more. Mara did have some time off with some luck and schedule switching. She had 6 days off in the middle of the week! Unheard of! Luckily I had some vacation time left to burn so we took a lot of the week of Rohan’s birthday off together.
Besides a fun New Years with our neighbors and friend’s parties, we took a trip to the Tucson Air Museum. They had TONS of planes in hangers and hundreds on their grounds. It was a gorgeous day to wander and let Rohan explore this kid wonderland. My favorite (and therefor Rohan’s favorite) was the SR-71 Blackbird. An absolutely gorgeous plane and modern engineering feat. I’ve been wanting to see one since I was Rohan’s age! Couple that with seeing the Space Shuttle a month ago and my inner 5yr old is ecstatic!
For Rohan’s birthday day we went to a trampoline place with his friend Owen for a couple hours, then to a park for TBall and Soccer. They were worn out (Owen more than Rohan though…:P)
The day after his birthday we had a picnic at the train park in Scottsdale…one of Rohan’s favorites. We had a good turnout of friends…it’s funny what Rohan’s parites look like. There were a couple friends his age, but also a lot of single people we climb with who adore him…
All in all a great holiday season. We hope everyone had a great one as well, and wish you a Happy New year!
Rohan Manning The Control Tower:
Rohan Jumping Into The Snow:
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