Thursday, February 26, 2009

Steps!!!

Easton took her first steps on Sunday! Of course, by the time I grabbed the video camera, she was done for the night. But I still got this fun shot. She has taken a few more steps here and there this week, but nothing consistent yet. She has really been wanting to play outside with the big kids this week though, and I think she realizes that crawling outside hurts. Man, I love her. She is such an absolute joy!

perfect days!

Oh my gosh! Could the last few days have been any better? Mid seventies! I love it. I forced the kids to be outside any time we could be. We did the zoo, parks, yard work, backyard soccer, whatever, as long as we were outside. We went to good ol' Chisolm park Tuesday and had such a wonderful time. Thain brought some of his birthday presents to play with, and there was another boy there to play with him. I brought Easton's walker and she loved walking around the playground. And Ava, well, she is just her absolute happiest when she is outside! She would swing and slide and walk outside all day and all night. We brought a whole loaf of bread to feed the ducks. Easton kept reaching for them from the stroller. Ahhhh, such a great day!

Easton walking with her walker!Ava loves a balance beam!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Girl after my heart!

I just love this little video. We recently gave Makenzie one of our older digital cameras. She loves to shoot her little sisters. And Ava seems to like the extra attention. I shot this through the window, because I didn't want to interrupt the session. LOL


please excuse the screaming baby in the background!

Monday, February 16, 2009

8pm bedtime

I love when All the following things go together!



The good with the bad

I am usually an "All or nothing" kind of gal. It is either right, or wrong, fulfilling, or a let down. So it is a little tricky for me, all this exercise, weight loss hub-bub. Because it is neither all good, nor all bad. And sometimes that is hard for me to grasp. So here it is. I will give you the good and the bad! Let's start with the bad. (only because then that way I can end with the good, and feels like a happier overall message. LOL)

The BAD.....
I have only lost a little over 5 lbs. (Oh, as of today I am 153.2.. 2 days ago, I was 152.6, but that went away quickly) 5 STINKIN POUNDS!!!! I am so irritated at this. It has been over a month. I have been fervent in going to the gym 4 days a week, and missing my cokes, and being so hungry at night, that I have been going to bed at 930, just so I don't get grouchy because I am hungry.

BAD....
The 5 pounds... yeah, they all came from my BOOBS! Ok, not ALL 5 lbs. But what the heck. It's not like they are perky beauties from my teen years. They need all the filling they can get these days! Why can't the noticeable weight come from my face, or my thighs?? It is not fair.

Bad...
I am sore all the time. When does working out stop hurting? And if it stops hurting, does that mean it is no longer working?? It is one of the obstacles I have to face in the morning, my body wants to stay in bed or on the couch, because of how I punished it 2 days before. But I fight through!

Bad...
It takes time away from the family. The kids hate when I go at night, because I am not there to tuck them in. But even worse, I am missing out on time with Rick. And that is in short enough supply already. When I go at night, it is really, "Hi babe, dinner will be ready in 12 minutes, please give them baths, I'll be back at 830." Then when I get back, he is worn out from having to deal with the kids, and I am tired form the work out. So we veg in front of the tv for a few minutes and then go to bed.

Ok, so on to the good stuff...
I have lost 5 pounds. 5 WHOLE POUNDS!!! That is 5 pounds less I have to haul around everyday. And 5 pounds closer to me being the sexy MILF my husband deserves to be married to.

Good...
The kids see me exercising. And I have conversations with them about it. We talk about how our bodies are healthier when we exercise, how we feel better when we exercise, how God wants us to take care of his temple by being healthy. All kinds of good lessons. They do crunches with me at night, and lunges, and think it is tons of fun! I think they can see it makes me feel better, even if they don't yet see that it will make me look better too.

Good....
I feel better about myself. Sure, I get discouraged that the weight is still there. But It feels good when I leave the gym nasty and dripping with sweat. I am proud when I RUN for 10 minutes on the treadmill, instead of walk. Or when I do 70lbs on the hip adduction machine. Or when I am the biggest one in the kickboxing class, but dadgumit, I do it full out the whole 55 minutes, while some of the others leave in the middle, or have to take multiple breaks. I feel good!

Good...
I can run around with my kids with out getting winded. That is a big one. Before we would go play soccer, and I would be goalie, just because I didn't want to run up and down the field. Last week we did dribbling races back and forth on the field, and it was fun!! We can go out and ride bikes and I am not dreading going uphill!

I'm sure I will have much more "good" in a few weeks. But I think that is a pretty fair assessment of my feelings towards all this. It is about even, the good and the bad. And I am ok with that. If it was easy and all good then there would be nothing for me to strive for. So here I am . 153.2. Not exactly where I was hoping to be at this point, but closer to it than I was last month! And hey, if I lose another 5 pounds this month I will be UNDER 149. And that will be FANTASTIC!!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

FB/Blog Friends

I am addicted to facebook. I didn't like it at all the first couple of weeks I was on it. I liked my myspace, where I could change the background and do little blogs (even though I never did). But now I am all about facebook. Let me tell you what I think is funny, and what I love about it. What I love is that I have reconnected with quite a few of my old friends. Alot from high school, and alot from various, almost forgotten parts of my life. And it is fabulous. Today I read Megs 25 things and really enjoyed learning new things about her. I like reading about Amy's amazing love and Faith in God. I love knowing that Gina randomly thinks about how much she loves her husband even though they have been together forever. I love to write that I am having a crappy day, and almost immediately 6 people try to cheer me up! And as far as blogs. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. It is so wonderful to be able to jump on Marcia's blog and see what they all did for Christmas, or read in Ginger's blog about the juxtaposition of her greatfulness and fears from having tiny twins. It is such a fun outlet for me to write when I am happy, sad, frustrated, joyful and fearful. But here is where it all becomes a little silly and strange for me. It has kind of given me a false sense of friendship. Not that my fb friends and fellow bloggers are not my real friends. It is just weird to feel so close to people when you don't see them often, or sometimes... EVER. Please don't misunderstand and think that I am saying that you guys are not my friends. But alot of the stories that we read about are very personal and very heartfelt. And these are not regular things that would come up in a conversation between friends that are not super super close. I love to learn all these things about people that I usually wouldn't. The other funny thing is that when I actually DO get to see my friends it is sometimes hard to find things to talk about. for instance... "Oh, I have the funniest story, Ava has started acting like a dog!" other friend, "Yea, and she is eating dog food and peeing outside, I read your blog! So funny." me, "Oh did I tell you Rick is out of town?" Friend, "I read it on your facebook status"
It is so great the way we all know so much about each other now. And you guys should know, Gina, Ginger, Marcia, Carolyn, Amy, Jodi, Alex, Josh, and many, many others, I love you guys. And I feel, oddly, closer to you than I would if I didn't read your blogs and your Fbs. But I feel silly that I feel that way. And I wish we all had time to see more of each other. But for now I will settle for reading your blogs and commenting on your FB statuses! Does that make sense?

Sunday, February 8, 2009

I Puppy!

This whole week Ava has been a puppy. When you call her, she will tell you, "I no Ava, I puppy" So I have given in to saying, "Come here puppy it is time to get dressed." Or, " Puppy, It is time to get in the car." She really likes when you play along. A not so big secret of Ava's is that she loves to eat dog food. I know it is awful, but she has since she was very little. We actually have her on video sitting in front of the tv eating dog food out of the dog bowl, like it is popcorn! So this weekend, she has been carrying the dog food bowl around, and these words have had to come out of my mouth, "No puppy you cannot eat a whole bowl of dog food. You can have 3 pieces." To which she answers, "But mommy, I puppy!" What are you gonna do?? I also realized this evening a new chapter in the "I puppy." She said she needed to go potty, I told her to go, so she... WENT OUTSIDE AND PEED!!!! I noticed it when she was in mid stream and yelled, "Ava no Ma'am, you go on the potty"... "But I puppy, Mommy."

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

155 forever! NO!!

I have a new strategy. The personal trainer told me that I had to do regular weight training. He said the more muscle I build, the more calories and fat my body will burn on it's own. And it will increase the effectiveness of my cardio. I feel like it is counterproductive at this point to me losing weight. So, My new plan is All cardio all the time! I was doing 25 mins of weights, then 30 mins of cardio. Now I am doing 45-55 mins of cardio. Just for these next 2 weeks. I want that damn number to go down. Then when I get it down a little, I can go back to the weights and work on my strength. I haven't been able to go to my kickboxing class the last 2 weeks, and I really feel that. Rick has had baseball lessons. But he has promised me that he will not schedule any more on Tuesdays. That is just a nice, hard full hour work out. What is funny, is that I am becoming one of those people that, if I don't work out when I am supposed to, I have started getting grouchy. I guess that is a good thing. The kids don't like it when I work out at night though. They like me to be home to say prayers. But daddy does a good job putting them down.
Oh and last thing... The other day when I went to the grocery store and I was STARVING, I bought some skinny cow ice cream sandwiches. they are fat free and 50 calories, and SO GOOD! I might go eat one now! Good night!

Monday, February 2, 2009

tomorrow

I will make a post about my weight tomorrow.. Man, uploading pics can take forever!

SUPERBOWL!!!

What a fantastic day Sunday was! I had made all the girls rhinestone Steelers shirts. And we had gotten one for Thain at the store. We got them all dressed to go meet Grandma for lunch. I must say, we looked like a pretty cute little family! We were stopped by tons of Steelers fans just to say hi. It was like Christmas how nice everyone was being! LOL.

We were invited by my fantastic friend Dawn to come to their house to watch the game. I love going to her house, because she has five kids. So I know she understands that kids are not always going to be perfect. They might have a break down in a your living room. Or they might hit your kid for no reason at all. Or they might pee in your sons closet because they are scared to aske where the bathroom is. (Yes, all of these are things my children have done!!) But she understands because more than likely one of her kids has done it too. Maybe not pee in someones closet, but you get my drift. I was amazed at how good the kids were. Yes, there was some noise, and some grouchiness towards the end of the night, but they did pretty good. Easton was amazing and didn't fuss the whole time! It was also fun because I think Rick had a really good time, and may have made a new friend in Dawn's husband! And OH MY GOSH, What a fantastic and exciting game! We really had a good time.
Oh I almost forgot the funniest part. Saturday night Romy and Eric t-ped our house... Sort of... They put red streamers and baloons all over our bushes and front yard. And a big Cardinals balloon. it was so funny. They rang the doorbell at about 1030 and night and Rick was like, " who the hell is that??" I said, " I don't know" and tried to subtly grab for the camera. He was so suprised! It was hilarious!!




Daddy craft

Rick came home the other day with crafts for him and each of the kids. He is really good at taking time with each kid and giving them his undivided attention. They were very simple wood crafts that he had picked up while he was out. But the kids were so excited to do them with him. They were like 3d wooden puzzles. So they each sat down with him and popped all the little pieces out and then built them with him. They were so proud of them when they were done. Thain's was a little airplane and it has a music box inside of it. He has been taking it to bed and winding it up to listen to it when he goes to sleep.

And yes, Thain does have 4 wrist bands on one arm. he thinks this makes him look cool and strong!
Ava's was a giant butterfly. She did so good punching out all the small pieces. I think she was pretty proud of herself.

My Funny Valentine

I know I am their mom, so I have to think this. But my babies are so gorgeous!!! This weekend was so beautiful I couldn't imagine spending Saturday inside. Makenzie was camping with a girlfriend, so she is not in these pics. I will take some of her next weekend. But Me, Thain Ava and Easton spent the day at the ft worth botanical gardens. It is such an easy spot to take pretty pictures. Thain is going through a weird stage, and is not taking the best pictures right now, but he is still so handsome. And my baby girls are just too precious. Alot of you have already seen these, but I wanted to post them here, for you guys that don't do facebook.
Not only did I use the suckers as bribery to get the kids to take cute pics. they also made great props! It is hard for me to pick just a few to post, because I thought they were all so pretty.
Easton's latest thing is "the tongue" It is sticking out all day long. I think if you look closely enough at this picture there is some drool hanging off her chin too. She is so sweet!!

Then there is my handsome young man. I can't believe how big he is getting! He is quite a handful these days. But He has such a good heart, and loves his sisters so much. He asked the other day if he could marry Ava, because he wanted to be with her forever! Does it get any better??

Ice day

We had such a fun day when school was canceled. We took the kids "ice skating" in the street. Ava has played in the snow, but never on ice. She had such a blast! She kept runningin place with her feet slipping under her. She thought it was pretty funny.
Even when they were falling everyone had a good attitude and that always makes for a better time. Thain fell alot. His bottom was pretty cold by the end of our skating
Makenzie did pretty good. She was suprised when she took her first step onto the ice and her feet came right out from under her. You can see in the pucs, by about 1030 almost all the ice was gone. We had find places in the shade where there was still ice. It was fun