Calling ALL Motivation....

Well, all the fabric is here for little one's vintage quilt made by Mommy... The question now is, will I get it done before Spring Break is over? How about before she arrives.... Wish me luck!

Teepee Butt

Do you see the resemblence?

This is what Mark and I have seen the last few mornings when I have woken up... We are guessing it is her bottom, but as I said, we are guessing... It is amazing how your tummy changes when you are pregnant, and it is quite fun to watch... Mine has been in all sorts of positioning since little one has begun moving, and is now running out of space....

We hit 33 weeks last Friday and have a doctor's appointment today! Roughly 6 weeks, give or take, to go! We can't wait!

Tagaman 2010

This last weekend, Mark competed and completed his 2nd Triathlon ever and Coconut and I were there from the start at 5:00 in the morning, Cheering on Daddy!

Tagaman is not like Xterra Saipan, it is much more calm =). Tagaman is a Triathlon that was started on Saipan I believe 22 years ago. It is an all road tri, but with greater distances then Xterra. Taga Swim is 2 km (1.25 Miles) , Bike is 60 km (37 Miles), and Run is 15 km (9.3 Miles).

Mark took a rest during the two Triathlons, not doing anything. And was a little worried about how he would feel doing Tagaman just 6 days after Xterra... Well I don't think he felt any differently =). He did Xterra 2 weekends ago, beating his goal of 4 hours and 3o min... completing it in 4 hours and 26 min. And Tagaman was no different. His goal was again 4 hours and 30 min. and he completed it in 4 hours, 29 minutes, and 39 seconds =). The picture of the clock below is a little off of his actual time because they were give an extra two minutes, because they didnt start right on the clock =).

This weekend, thankfully we are both home resting and preparing for Coconuts big arrival, but that doesn't mean Daddy is done training... He is planning to compete in the Tinian (the island just a mile off Saipan) Triathlon, which is in June, and then in another Xterra in McCall, Idaho in August!

He is a crazy man, but we sure do love him and are so proud of all his hard work, effort, and enthusiasm!

Congratulations Daddy!
Setting up his gear for the Swim/Bike transition at PIC (Pacific Islands Club). Roughly 5:30 a.m. Mark with one of my last year's 3rd graders. Kento is now in 4th grade and an absolutly amazing swimmer! He beat Mark out of the water =). And that was his plan, to beat Mr. Sawyer.
Watching and listening to Directions... and they are off........Mark coming out of the water, Swam 1.25 miles in 41 min. Off on the Bike, up near Bird island! Half way through the Bike! Off the bike, and onto his 9 mile run! FINISHED at 4 hours, 29 minutes, and 39 seconds! Mark came in 2nd place in his age division!
Congratulations Mark and all Tagaman 2010 Participants!

For check out more pictures of Marks Triathlons, take a look at our online Photo Blog, Snap Shots of Mark and Brittanys Wonderful life... Located on the right...

Negative-Postive

Pretty pictures huh? These are not pictures I took, but just imagine these little creatures in your house... crawling in bags of cereal that have not been opened... eating a crumb you dropped 5 minutes ago and forgot to pick up.... attacking your garbage can if you don't take it out each day...

Well Mark, Coconut and I don't imagine them... we live with them!

You may be asking what I spent my morning doing on the first day of spring break.... Well, I will tell you. KILLING ANTS!

In our apartment at the school last year we were always fighting ants, and I got very used to it... it became no big deal... but this year in our house up on the hill, all we have had to fight were carpenter ants, the big ones, but they only come out at night and usually die overnight. No Idea why, so it is mostly us sweeping them up and throwing them out...

But in the last week, we have been so lucky to be graced with the presence of sugar ants and black ants... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So this is the Negative. I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate ants. I got so used to living ant free for the most part up on the hill... however... they are now visiting. AND hopefully not for long...

The positive... It took me a minute to think of a positive, but I did think of one. In 3 months we will be leaving Saipan, hard to go, but so excited too, and living back on the beautiful Palouse of Idaho. Where ANTS do not attack your house... I can finally leave the peanut butter, cereal, bread, chips, spices, and candy out on the counter and not in the refridgerator! =) Oh am I going to enjoy that or what?

SO... HERE is to ANTS DYING ON SAIPAN... Now I have to run and kill a few more, and for the time being we may be ant free for an hour or so...

(disclaimer: We dont have them full on attacking our house, just the kitchen, and it is not overwhelmingly gross, just annoying. =). )

32 Weeks and Counting...

Last Friday we hit the 32 week mark. It is amazing how time has flown, and how big my belly has become. It is also amazing how in the morning you wake up feeling slim and feeling great as a pregnant Mama... but annoying how that by the end of the day, you feel very large, and not so cute =). 

Either way, our pregnancy is continuing to go great! Little girl is doing just fine! We have a 33 week appointment next Tuesday, then another appointment at 35 weeks, and then from then on out, every week. We are getting close! 

It is exciting and scary all at the same time to know we could meet our little Coconut in a minimum of 5 weeks or a max of 7-8! Either way, we are getting ready for her, slowly but surely, and are so excited to finally have her here! 

Next week I have the week off for Easter break, so I am hoping to get a lot of pre-coconut things done. LIKE: Get that quilt done, that I bought all the fabric for and haven't started, get some scrap-booking done, get the guest room ready for all of coconuts things and ready for her Auntie Angela's visit, get the house deep cleaned, relax, and get some much needed baby reading done =)... I hope those 7 days go by very slowly =). 

Anyway, here is a picture from last week: 
The Back View...
The Front View...The Side View... 

Xterra 2010

This last weekend Mark participated in his first Triathlon ever... and he did an amazing job!

As I have mentioned before Mark has been training since this last fall and has been very dedicated! And LOVES every second of it!

The Saipan Xterra is an off road triathlon where competitors of all ages from all different countries come together and have a fun and crazy race! This year was especially crazy... Most years we are in our dry season for this race, so there is really no major obstacles, however, this year, it poured the entire night before the race... so needless to say it was a bloody show at the finish line. Lots of bruises, cuts, scraps, cracked helmets, etc... and it is definitely off road... the run included having to climb over boulders, etc... BUT, the competitors had fun, and all did really well.

Marks goal was to complete the race in 4 hours and 30 minutes... at 4 hours and 20 minutes standing at the finish line I was a little worried he wouldn't make his time, but he did! He came running across that finish line, with a huge smile on his face, with a cracked helmet, one scratch and one bruise at 4 hours and 26 minutes! I couldn't have been prouder!

All in all it was a great race for all competitors and spectators! Right before the race began, first the swim...

Then the bike...

Then the run...

Coconut's and my Champ! Needless to say, before Xterra Mark said that if he survived it, he would compete in the next triathlon, Tagaman, which is an on road triathlon.... so nothing to crazy, just much longer distances... and he survived...... SO this weekend, Coconut and I will be cheerleaders again, and daddy hits up his second triathlon in 2 weeks!

He is crazy, but we love him.

For more pictures to check out, go to A snapshot of Mark and Brittanys life, on the right side of this page, to check them out!

Mr. Braxton Coming to Visit?

As a new mom, and this being my first pregnancy to last this long, I am still always questioning... Is this that? What if that or this happens? Should it be like this? etc... Throughout my entire pregnancy I have felt pretty good, minus the morning sickness and being extremely tired in the first trimester, and it showing up again now in the third trimester... However, I still do question... 

The new question is, is Mr. Braxton Hicks here for a visit? I don't know what a contraction should feel like, or even look like, as they say sometimes if you watch your stomich you can see it... I have done quite a bit of research this last week to get an answer, and I have gotten many answers, just none that make complete sense... 

I am not sure if I am having them or not, but there are been some discomfort, slight pressure, but it only lasts 3-5 seconds... and sometimes it happens 4-8 times a day? Does this ring a bell at all? Or is my body just weird? 

Either way, I have our 31 week appointment tomorrow, so I guess we will find out what is going on.... 

But,  ALREADY-MOMS, what did it feel like for you when you had these practice contractions (if you had them)? 

Mr. Braxton is that you? 

Braxton Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid-pregnancy, if you notice them at all. (Some women don't.) They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872.

As your pregnancy progresses, Braxton Hicks contractions tend to come somewhat more often, but until you get to your last few weeks, they'll probably remain infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks contractions are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm labor.

Play it safe and don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. If you haven't hit 37 weeks yet and you're having more than four contractions in an hour — or you have any other signs of preterm labor (see below) — call your caregiver immediately.

By the time you're within a couple of weeks of your due date, your contractions may get more intense and more frequent, and they may cause some discomfort. Unlike the earlier painless and sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions, which caused no obvious cervical changes, these contractions may help your cervix "ripen" — gradually soften and thin out (efface) and maybe even dilate a bit. This period is sometimes referred to as pre-labor.

A Note from Mark...

Hey family and friends!
I thought I'd take a moment to update you all on things out our way...
Life has been frustrating, and yet, other times full of blessings while being here in the tropical world of Saipan. As most of you know we bought a newer "reliable" car at the end of November and 3 weeks later we found out what a horrible purchase it was=the transmission was bad. So we brought it to one of the only mechanics on island that rebuilds automatics... That was the beginning of December and we just now got the car back 3 months later and the problem is not fixed! He actually has to pull the transmission out again. So that has been an on-going battle but amidst the frustration we've been extremely blessed to have a missionary's car while they are off island raising support. It has been a blessing but we also feel guilty that we still have their vehicle (we had intentions of borrowing it for only 3 weeks)

Aside from the stress from vehicles, Brittany and I have been spending a lot of nights at home just enjoying the "two of us" before little Coco enters our world! In the day light after work I've been training intensively for the up and coming triathlons!

I have to note; who would have ever thought that a Sawyer would do a triathlon? I was impressed when Julie ran a half marathon! I didn't think I would ever have ambition to do something like that!

The scary part is that I've really enjoyed it.

To let you know the distances I've put in: I've swam 11 miles, biked 245 miles, and ran 57 miles since my birthday in January! 

And so you know, Brittany has been just as diligent while I train. Almost everytime I'm out burning calories, she's in-taking them with ice cream! So she has become very disciplined in her game plan (dad you would be proud)

This Saturday the 13th of March I have Xterra which is an off-road triathlon. (and Very intense) The swim is 1.5K, the bike is only 25K (but seriously the hardest riding I may ever do) and the run is 10k, but even "run" is a loose term. There are 12' boulders I have to scramble over and then run through a washed out canyon that I am lucky to "walk through" without rolling my ankle! 
From a distant perspective it takes someone a little crazy to do such an event. But the more "screwy" people I get around, the more excited I get. 
I really hope to finish under 4.5 hours but we'll see. My biggest goal is that I survive the bike and not feel too light headed going into the run.

If I survive Xterra, I then want to register for Tagaman Triathlon the next weekend March 20th. This tri is all road so it should be easier. It's a 2k Swim, 60k bike, and 15k run. It's much longer, but everyone I've talked to on island says it a piece of cake if you can finish Xterra! The only part that I'm not looking forward to in Tagaman is the run. It's from Micro Beach all the way to PIC so it's on all pavement and in the sun. I plan on running for 9 minutes, walk one minute then run 9 again... so I can finish.
My goal is to finish this one under 4.5 hours as well. 
If you have any further interest you can check out www.saipansports.com

Aside from my new obsession, we've been holding successful Wyldlife clubs where I get to share the Gospel with many of my students, and I absolutely love my job teaching all the islanders. They make me laugh everyday, and I have a hard time getting mad at them even if they do something completely inappropriate. One student still reminds me daily ever since my bicycle crash that "Mr. Sawyer your face is still messed up" (I think Brittany would get along well with her)

On a different note, please keep us in your prayers, especially as we move deeper into the 3rd trimester. Brittany has been a champ with going to work and I know it's getting harder for her each day, but it will be worth all the pain and effort in the end! And she looks beautiful if you haven't noticed! She's all belly, and she's stink'n cute!

As much as we look forward to coming home to the Palouse, we are trying to savor the little moments that we now take for granted for living on a tropical island. AND We are THRILLED to have Angela come visit in 72 days and we wish the rest of you could come too! I keep hoping the little one arrives early, but based on her sizing with the ultrasound the doctors say her date is more like May 18th... 

Not much else to say that I can think of... Lots of pasta and bread for the next few days!

Oh!!! and most of all, I need to say THANK YOU to some of you for the Birthday presents! I don't want to admit how much money I've invested into this training! But I would not be equipped properly if some of you hadn't blessed me with awesome gifts! (It helps having an REI employee in the family!!!) And I do apologize for not thanking you earlier. Time swims/bikes/runs when your having fun!
Blessings to you all this week!

Mark