My Family

The last night we were there, we went to a mexican restaurant on the Arkansas River in Tulsa. It was great food and fun. The kids had Christmas themed balloon hats made for them as you can see in the picture below. We are so lucky to have such a great family. If only they lived closer. Love you guys!

Jacob, Zach and Sydni

Debbie and David Lee

Davena and Glenn

Me and Randy

The kids showing off their balloon hats

Everyone enjoyed getting to meet Bryce. He had a great time on the trip too and loved all the attention he got. Here are some pictures of him playing on the floor at Davena and Glenn's house:

More Grands

You might be wandering what I was doing with Bryce while at the Grands. Well, Shane and Jacob were busy most of the time with warming Jacob up to race, racing, etc. Bryce and I had a little area in the stands were we sat. We spent some time in our pit and some time just walking around looking at the vendors and such. Bryce is such a trooper at these events. There are so many people to look at and the races to watch. He never once complained of boredom or just being tired of being there. He was so good. I think he has just grown used to being at these events as he has been going to them since he was a couple of weeks old.

My family also came to watch the races a lot of the time. It was great to have them there and Jacob loved that they came to watch him. I loved having someone else to help me with Bryce and to give my back a break from holding him. When he was tired, he napped great in his stroller. Here are some pics of my family:

Uncle David Lee, Aunt Debbie, my brother Randy, Dad holding Bryce and Mom

Randy, Jacob and me

Here are some pics we took during some down time:

My three boys

Happy baby

Bryce and his daddy

The Grands

On Saturday, the national race started. This is a separate race than what we raced on Friday. This is the final national race of the year. Again, Jacob raced in 2 separate classes...mixed/open and class (see previous post for description). This time we did not miss any moto's:) On Saturday, the first 2 moto's were raced. Unfortunately, he did not qualify that day. On Sunday morning, he raced the third moto in both classes and qualified to move on.

Just to give you a perspective on how long our days were, there were about 350 motos for ROC on Friday and about 450 motos for the grands. It takes close to an hour to do 150 motos as long as they are running more than one moto on the track. Each race takes about 45 seconds. It goes fast but we did have some periods of waiting 2+ hours. Not to mention the fact that our days started very early. Sunday was different in that the races went so fast that Jacob barely had time to eat. After the third moto, there were quarter finals, semi finals and then the mains. Jacob made it to the quarter finals in his mixed/open class...again, a huge accomplishment. He made it to the semi finals in his class race but missed making it into the main by one place.

To tell you that Jacob handled not making it into the main well, well, I would be lying. Shane called me (I was in the stands) and asked me to come see Jacob. He was hysterical with anger, then crying, then anger. He felt like he had been cheated. He hadn't. It's just that racing the best means lots of hard, heavy competition involving elbows, knees and strategy. It took him about 30 minutes to settle down before we could all just take a deep breath and forget racing and enjoy the mains.

On our team, 4 people made it to the mains. Our best winner was a mom who races the 40-45 class and brought in a 2nd and 3rd place finish. I believe our team came in 11th out of 30+ teams. I hadn't expected the grands to be so tiring, so exciting and that they would make me so nervous. I was a wreck waiting for Jacob to qualify. There was one day were I couldn't even eat for 7 hours. I just wanted him to do his best and to be proud of himself, whether he made it into the mains or not. I think, in the end, that is what happened. He had a lot of fun and is proud of himself. Now he knows what he needs to work on to improve for next year. Tulsa, here we come again!!!

During our down time, there were lots of things to keep the kids busy. Below are some pictures of Jacob riding a big wheel and playing Rock Band:



Here are some pictures Shane took while he and Jacob were waiting to race:

Jacob and his friend Bryce waiting in the chute to get to the starting gate.

Jacob with Brad and Bryce Leach

Our teammates, Darren and his boys Blake and Rayne in back

Jacob ready to race

The Drive and Thanksgiving Day

On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving (yes, I am just now getting around to writing about Thanksgiving), we drove to Tulsa, OK for two reasons. One, so Jacob could race in the BMX Grand Nationals, which is the final and biggest race of the year, and two, to see family. We are lucky enough to have family to stay with and to not have to stay in a hotel which, lets face it, is no fun with a baby. It took us about 9 hours to get there. Shane, the boys and I stayed at my cousin Davena's house in Jenks, which is about 20 minutes from the arena in downtown Tulsa. Jacob got to spend lots of time with his cousins, Zach (9) and Sydni (7). My parents and my brother Randy, who flew in from Denver, stayed at my Uncle David Lee and Aunt Debbie's house in Haskell, which is about 30 minutes from Davena's house. They were kind enough to drive in every day to see us.

On Thursday, Shane took Jacob to two separate practice sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each practice session lasted only 15 minutes. He was able to make it around the track about 5 times. In between his practice sessions, we did manage to have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with our family. Davena did an awesome job preparing a meal for all of us and didn't need my help much at all. She looked so calm whereas I would have been all stressed out cleaning and cooking for that many people. I promised myself that I would try to do better next Saturday when we have Christmas here....yeah, right :)

Jacob was signed up to race the Race of Champions (ROC) on Friday. Only the top 10 riders in the state in an age group are invited to race that day. He raced two separate classes... 7/8 mixed open and class. Mixed open were 7 and 8 year olds (boys and girls) in the novice and intermediate class. Class is just all 8 intermediate boy racers. There were two moto's (or two chances to get in to the main event). Unfortunately, this was our first time and we got a little confused and he missed his second moto in the mixed/open class and did not advance in that class as a result. We were so bummed and will not make that mistake again. So then we only had class left. There were a total of approximately 40 8 year olds in the 8I class. Jacob advanced through quarter and semi finals and made it to the main event! We were so excited and proud that he made it to the main. He came in 8th place. Only 3 riders on our team made it to the main for the entire ROC on Friday. This was a huge accomplishment and the highlight of our weekend.

Here are some pictures of the track:

The starting gate

The track...starting gate is upper left and finish line is to the left of that by the orange JBL sign.

We are lucky in that our team manager designs and builds tracks for the ABA and he did so with the grand's track. All teams have a pit area that they can hang out in, cook in, keep pets in, etc. We had a great pit area and went back and forth between the pit and the track to eat and rest. Here are some pics of our pit area:

Thor/Stmpo pit area

Another view...see all the bikes?

Jacob, Shane and Rayne

It's Official!!!

Baby boy is now Bryce David Cauley! He is legally ours in the state of Texas. We should receive a new birth certificate in a few weeks.

On November 19th we drove up to Dallas and stayed in a hotel downtown. My mom and dad made the drive too. The next morning we were at the courthouse by 8am. Friday's are official Adoption Day for the Dallas area. All hearings are held at the juvenile courthouse just outside of downtown. When our name was called we walked into the court room and went to stand right in front of the judge, who was very, very nice. Apparently, they like to have the adoption's first thing in the morning before getting to the juvenile defendants to lift up the mood in the room. There were a lot of people in the court room, all waiting for their case to come up and all either juvenile's or their unhappy parents. I was suprised to see so many people there and they were all looking at us but pleased to see the smile on their faces when we were done.

First we were sworn in. Shane, Jacob and I all raised our right hands. Jacob was so cute in front of the judge :) Then, our lawyer basically read some statements/questions and Shane answered either yes or no to them. Some of them didn't make any sense to us but we were instructed to say yes to those. I just had to affirm that I agreed with all that Shane said. Then we were done. Here are some more pics from that day:

Waiting for our name to be called.

Being sworn in

Listening to the judge

After we were done, we went to Pappasito's to celebrate. Our wonderful friend, Sherry, joined us. Then mom and dad drove to Longview to see family and we drove to Desoto to ride the bmx track there. It was rainy and cold that night but Bryce and I sat with some friends that we have made there in front of their heater to keep us warm.



We are so thankful to finally have the adoption made official. We keep contact with Bryce's birth mother and she was especially on our minds that day. If it weren't for her and her amazing bravery, Bryce would not be with us. We had something very special to be thankful for this Thanksgiving...Bryce!

Love to all,
Laura

Update on the Cauley's

Things have been crazy as usual for us. Just busy, busy, busy and this week is no exception. Neither is next week for that matter.

Bryce had his six month well baby visit today...4 shots and 1 oral vaccination. He cried for about 20 seconds and then smiled. That is so unlike Jacob, who would cry for 10 minutes after his shots or should I say screamed bloody murder. Bryce weighed in at 18 lbs (50%ile) and was 26 1/2" long (75%ile). I am proud to say that he is doing GREAT!

Jacob is in full training mode for the Grands over Thanksgiving in Tulsa. He loves it as he is getting to ride more than usual. That is a big trip for us and we are all looking forward to it. Not just the racing but getting to see family too. He made straight A's the first 9 weeks of school and we are very proud of him. He is such a smart kid!

I feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Always busy, never a break until the evening gets here. Today Shane and I went to have lunch with Jacob at school. He loves it when we surprise him. When he gets home from school, he has to do 2 days of homework. Then we leave for the book fair at his school. The prices aren't necessarily great, but Jacob and I both love books so we manage to spend too much money anyway. After the book fair, Jacob is in a Thanksgiving musical at school. I am sure it will be cute.

Tomorrow, Jacob has a BMX bike lesson. The lessons last 2-3 hours so it is a long afternoon for him.

Thursday, we will be going to have lunch with Jacob again for the Thanksgiving Feast....gross! Nothing worse than cafeteria turkey and dressing. We are pulling him out of school early that day to drive to Dallas.

Friday is our adoption finalization in Dallas!!!!! We go before the judge about 8am that morning. It takes about 15 minutes in front of the judge and then we go somewhere else and sign papers with the lawyer. Mom and Dad are driving up to Dallas to be there with us. I am sure the morning will be anticlimatic but emotional and exciting at the same time. After that, we are planning on meeting my friend Karen and her mom, Sherry, for lunch. We will most likely go hang out at their house until we drive to Desoto so Shane and Jacob can race. Saturday we plan on coming home.

Does that sound like a crazy week or what? I even left out all the cleaning, packing and errands I have to do over the next 3 days!

I am trying to not even think of what has to be done for next week's long trip. One thing at a time, right?

God bless!

In memory of Jeff Lee

I wanted to share with you an awesome experience that happened to me recently.


My friend Jeff Lee, age 81, died last Wednesday. I am embarrassed to admit that I as unaware that he had been diagnosed with cancer about 6 months ago. Jeff and I didn't see each other extremely often, but I was touched by his genuine nature every time we spoke at the YMCA or at church.


Jeff loved to worship the Lord. The first time we met, he approached me at that YMCA while I was on the elyptical machine with my headphones on. He approached, with a smile, and said something that I didn't hear. I removed my headphones and said, "excuse me?" with a smile of course. And he said "Are you practicing?" I said, "excuse me? Oh you must go to Cypress Bible Church." to which he replied, "Yes, I do." He had recognized me as the drummer from church and proceeded to tell me about how much he thoroughly enjoyed worship every Sunday morning and in particular how much he enjoyed the drums ;-) He had hit the nail on the head, because I made a practice of putting our upcoming Sunday Order of Worship on a playlist on my iPod, which I listen "practice" to while I work out. Over the next year or so, I would run into Jeff at the Y or at church. He always had a smile and a kind comment to share. We shared stories about infertility and adoption (I believe both of his kids are adopted), church, worship, drums and various other topics. It was never a bother to stop and visit with Jeff.


I had the distinct honor of being asked to particpate in the music for his funeral service this past Monday. We played four songs: In the Garden, How Great Thou Art, I Am Free and I'll Fly Away. It is so awesome to attend a memorial service for someone who really loved to worship. My friend and worship leader, Paul Taggart, introduced the song I Am Free as an unlikely song to hear at a memorial service due to its really upbeat tempo, but it was one of Jeff's favorite songs. Paul told the story of how Jeff (I introduced Jeff to Paul shortly after Jeff and I met) would approach Paul after services and ask "When are you going to play I Am Free again?" It is not often you get such a request from the older community. How awesome is that? We played it at Jeff's service very tastefully with acoustic guitar, piano and a cajon for the percussion part (the fancy wooden box you see me sit on and play at church; very cool instrument.) I was a bit curious to see how the song would go over. I am pleased to tell you that the attendees, and especially the family, LOVED it! Wow, how incredible it was to see everyone praising God in a time of earthly loss. You see, they all knew Jeff had gone home to be with his Father. It was a very special time and I wouldn't have traded it for anything.


If people have a fraction of nice things to say about me at my funeral as they did at Jeff's I would feel very honored. How are you living your life? Are you living for Christ or for self? Jeff lived a very Christ honoring life and it was an encouragement to hear all of the nice things said of him at his memorial service. What will people say at your funeral? Of course, what is really important is what will God say when you stand before His throne? I am confident of what he said when Jeff entered... Well done, good and faithful servant.


I wish I had had an opportunity to visit with him during his final months. I regret that I had lost contact and didn't check on him when I didn't see him for a while. I look forward to seeing him again someday. His smile and forever positive attitude will not be forgotten.


In memory of Jeff Lee, my brother in Christ.


Peace,
Shane

Happy Six Month Birthday Bryce!

My sweet, precious baby boy,

What a blessing you are to our family. You have completed not just me but your Daddy and brother as well. It is so amazing to see how you light up when your Daddy and Jacob walk into the room. You have the biggest smile I have ever seen on a baby and I can't help but smile back each and every time I see your face light up. Your milestones have been slow coming but so special. You keep us laughing with your silly noises and silly faces. I can't believe you are about to start crawling and sitting up all at the same time. Life is about to really change at the Cauley house.

Bryce, you were hand picked by God to be our son and to be carried in the womb of a wonderful and beautiful woman who I hope to someday get to meet with you. It is so special to me to know that you have another mommy out there who loves you just as much as I do. She gave me the most special gift that a mother can give....YOU! From the moment I first held you, you were mine. It didn't matter that you didn't come from my womb, you were my son. You were a gift from God and you completed our family.

I look forward to the adventure we have ahead of us.

I love you,
Mommy

Not flesh of my flesh

Nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously My own.

Never forget

For a single minute:

You didn't grow under my heart

But in it.

Where have the Cauley's been?

Since my beautiful wife is too busy to post these days, I figure its about time someone did :-) Bryce is doing very well. He is sleeping through the night consistently; however, he can't seem to make up his mind what time to wake up. The current wakey time is 6:30, but some days it's 7:30 to even 8:00! That doesn't happen very often though. He does however seem to be happier the longer he sleeps. We have found that putting him down earlier seems to help. We like to have him down by 7:30 and sometimes as early as 7:00. He still has some difficutly napping during the day, but its not that bad.

Tomorrow, Bryce will be 6 months old. Wow, how time flies. He loves to smile and demands constant attention, which he is usually provided. We don't want to spoil him, but he is making it tough :-) He is getting up on his hands and knees and taking that first lunge forward. I expect he will be crawling in the next few weeks. Here is a cute video I took of him this morning. He has become much more vocal lately and this is one of the first giggles caught on video.

Now if that doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will :-)

Bryce is a true blessing to this family and proof that God hears our prayers.

Jacob is training very hard for the BMX Grand Nationals in Tulsa. He is taking lessons from one of the true masters of the sport, three time world champion, John Purse (see pic below.) John is an amazing coach and has helped Jacob improve in just three lessons. The lessons are about 2 to 2.5 hours each. We plan to have two more lessons before the Grands, which are the weekend after Thanksgiving in Tulsa, OK. Jacob has shown significant improvement from one lesson to the next. It is amazing what a good coach can do both physically and mentally. He is not only training Jacob on the bike, but strength training (no weights) off of the bike. Jacob is usually pretty shot after 2.5 hours. John knows how to push him just hard enough; something us parents usually get all wrong.

The Grands schedule will be very demanding of Jacob as he is racing in multiple classes and the Race of Champions. The top ten riders in each age group are invited to the Race of Champions, which is the day after Thanksgiving and the day before the Grand Nationals (It's actually considered a different event, although it is raced on the Grands track.) It gives the riders the chance to win the acclaimed "ROC1" number plate for the following year if you win. It also gives the riders extra time on the track before the Grands, which is highly prized. Each eage group gets a whopping 30 minutes of practice on the track so extra races are a key advantage on a new track in preparing for the Grands the next two days. Jacob is registered to race two different classes in the ROC, 7/8 Open and 8 Intermediate. 7/8 open is a mixture of any qualifying 7 or 8 year old on a 20" bike or cruiser. It's just an "open" race. Jacob is a tough 8 year old so he should do very well in this class. Then he will race his usual 8 intermediate against other 8 intermediate riders. The Grands actually begin on Saturday, with 2 qualifying rounds on Saturday and the final qualifying round and main events on Sunday. Again, Jacob is racing 7/8 Open as well as 8 intermediate so he will be racing at various points throughout the weekend. There is a lot of time between his motos, but I'm sure it will still be somewhat hectic. We are so excited!

Here are a few more pics. Enjoy!

Cute boy.

Jacob and I dressed in our BMX uniforms for Halloween. We even rode our bikes door to door. Laura says I'm a dork.

Laura and Bryce.

Peace,
Shane

Update on Jacob's broken arm

Laura mentioned in her last post that Jacob got his cast off on Friday 10/2. The healing process has gone well and the break was ~80% healed as of that time. He was sent home with instructions to take it easy for two more weeks and to wear a sports splint when engaging in strenuous activitites. Well that two weeks is over on Friday of this week!

We have big plans to get back on the track with a vengeance as there is a double points race on Saturday in Pearland and another at Armadillo on Sunday. Jacob will be racing both events as he returns for the first time to the track since the arm break.

Next comes training for the Grand Nationals in Tulsa, OK on Thanksgiving week. Yep, we'll be in Tulsa on T-day; that is the first day of practice, with races ensuing on Fri/Sat/Sun. Jacob starts lessons with the living legend, "The Jackyl" John Purse, next week. John holds the number 2 spot for all time ABA professional BMX wins at an impressive 71 wins. To put this in perspective, it's like taking lessons from say...Tiger Woods for you golfers. John lives about 20 minutes away and has a small ~800' BMX track in his back yard with an official 4 position starting gate, with the ABA starting cadence! He will be working with Jacob on strength training, sprinting, turning and general race conditioning and strategy. This should be awesome for the Grands. We have high hopes for the Grands this year as Jacob is definitely at the top of his game in the 8 intermediate class. I estimate there will be 50-60 riders in his class at the Grands striving for 8 positions at the main event. To qualify will be huge! To win would be, well HUGE!

"The Jackyl" John Purse

Anyway, back to the arm. Here is a pic of the post cast removal xray. You can clearly see the break and the new bone growth. Interesting how the bone is still a bit crooked, but the new bone growth on the backside of the break will continue to pull the bend back towards a straight position as it heels according to the doc.

In other news, Bryce is doing very well. Mommy and I have been illin' for the last week. Laura is almost well and I am on the downhill side of this allergy/sinus infection, whatever the heck it was. We both need to get better for the busy weekend ahead.

Peace,

Shane