My Family Carr

Stomach Flu

2011-09-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

If only we could sleep like this...

Park Time

2011-09-16T06:00:00.005-05:00

Had a beautiful random September Sunday here and decided to take the girls to the park to enjoy the nice weather!

Sammie's First Day of School

2011-09-15T06:00:00.009-05:00

Sammie started kindergarten this year. I am still in shock at how fast five years went by. She did great on the first day, Brenna did great, and Nathan and I did pretty well not chasing after the bus as it drove away with our baby...

Of course it helped some that we followed her to school that first day and walked with her to her classroom...

Sweetness

2011-09-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

Another daddy as the photographer moment, love this one!

Nathan, The Camera Man

2011-09-13T06:00:00.013-05:00

My Grandpa Hershberger took virtually all the pictures between him and my Grandma. He was good at it too, had a great eye for good shots, and liked the cameras that he got to use manually instead of point and shoot. Somehow though, whenever at the beach or pool, he would end up with these random shots of good looking women in bikinis. My grandma would pick up the developed photos and while looking through come across these shots, shake her head and smile and laugh as Grandpa explained that he was really taking a picture of a seagull or a boat in the background...honest! Sure enough, there always was something else in the photo, but it was a long-standing joke in our family.

With Nathan and I, I pretty much always have the camera. Which is why there are virtually no pictures of me and the girls together, but we are working on it. One day at the beach on vacation, Nathan took out the camera and spent the day getting lots of really great shots of the girls. I still had to shake my head and smile as I came across these while sorting through though...my grandpa would be so proud...

In the first shot he covers his bases with Sammie, the second he apparently forgot to do so altogether, and then by the third he's just plain sucking up ;-) But I'll take it...

Vacation - 2011 - Destin, FL

2011-09-12T06:00:00.004-05:00

After our visit to Mamaw and Scotty's, we traveled across Florida to Destin. We'd never been, but heard it was a fabulous family vacation with the most beautiful beaches. We were not disappointed. Brenna was a little timid of all things water at first, but warmed up as the week went on. Sammie on the other hand, loved everything about both the beach and the pool.

Vacation - 2011 - Destin (Fudpuckers)

2011-09-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

The last night that we were in Destin, and on vacation, we decided to go to Fudpuckers. A local rustic restaurant that offered great food, good drinks, a play area for the kids, and live entertainment in the form of live alligators. We thought the girls would love, turned out we were right, which was very beneficial considering the hour and a half wait we encountered.

One of my favorite pictures of my girls :)

And finally, after being on vacation for 10 days, we were able to get ONE family photo. *SIGH*

Vacation - 2011 - Destin (The Track)

2011-09-08T06:00:00.005-05:00

One of the days on vacation we went to a place called The Track, which offered go karts, mini golf, rides for the kids, arcade games and bumper boats. It was hot, the day was long, and the kids really just wanted to go to sleep, but we all managed to squeeze in some fun just the same.

Vacation - 2011 DeLand, FL

2011-09-07T06:00:00.009-05:00

This year's family vacation took us to two places in Florida, the first being a visit to Nathan's mom (Mamaw) and her boyfriend, Scott in DeLand, Florida, and then on to Destin. The girls had a great time visiting Mamaw and Scotty, they got to "play" the player piano, help walk the dogs, go to a natural spring, and all sorts of other special activities that were planned just for them.

Bundles of Babies - July 2011

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in earlier blogs, in our group of friends, we had five families blessed with five little princesses within 3 months of each other from November of 2008 to February of 2009. When we all manage to be in the same place at the same time, we attempt to get them lined up in age order and snap a shot. It generally happens once a year, here is the results of this year's, which was in celebration of Carli Grace's 2nd birthday.

In Age order: Madison, Carli Grace, Avah, Brenna, Jenna

Sammie The Fish

2011-09-02T06:00:00.009-05:00

Sammie has always loved the water, but has in the past required our presence next to her to feel comfortable in the water. She would jump in, but only if we were either holding her hands or right there to catch her. This year however, she has taken off all on her own with the water. She swims and jumps by herself, she's working on treading water, she swims underwater completely for good periods of time. We are thrilled to see her thriving, and LOVE the way it wears her out for the night after a day at the pool, cause let me tell you, this girl has some kind of energy, all day, all the time, its incredible!

Father's Day - 2011

2011-09-01T06:00:00.003-05:00

May Randomness

2011-08-31T06:00:00.006-05:00

Butterfly Project

2011-08-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

For Sammie's birthday this year she received a butterfly house/project from Uncle Mike and Aunt Rachel. You get the house, then send away for the caterpillars and transfer them in cocoon phase to the house and wait for them to hatch.

April Randomness

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Easter 2011

2011-08-26T06:00:00.006-05:00

Easter morning was fun as always, got the girls all hopped up on sugar courtesy of the Easter Bunny, and then took them to Grandpa's church and told them to sit still for an hour. Riiiiiggggghhhhhttttt......But, after church we headed to Grandpa and Weeta's house and had a feast, then went home for naps. Yes, all of us.

Polish Sweet Bread

2011-08-25T06:00:00.023-05:00

My mom's side of the family is Polish. Not just a little Polish either, 100%, the kind where you have Polish Eagles and signs that say "Proud to be Polish" hanging in your house. My grandparents bowled in a coed league for years that wore bright red polyester shirts with the eagle across the back with the team name "Polish Power". Yeah...that kind of Polish, but we loved it.

Every Easter and Christmas would bring with it special dishes which to this day I cannot spell and most others can't pronounce, but they were delicious! On Easter in particular, my grandma would make her Polish Sweet bread which was WONDERFUL! It is a lot of work though, and had been years since she made it.

This year, since we couldn't be there in person, Karen and I (with the girls' help) decided to send grandma some love for her first Easter without my grandpa in sixty-five years. We made loaves of the sweet bread and sent it up to her overnight. It wasn't her sweet bread, but it was good, and it was a little piece of love that she really, really needed.

Mr. & Mrs. Kruse

2011-08-24T06:00:00.009-05:00

Friends of ours, Vince & Denise, were married in April. It was a great occasion, and we all had a great time!

Aren't they adorable?

Sammie's 5th Birthday

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

First Half Marathon

2011-08-22T06:00:00.021-05:00

In April this year I did something I never thought I would do, I finished a half marathon. That's 13.1 miles. Friends of mine had done it before, and when I took up running, I told them, "that's just not for me", but that was before I'd really caught the bug. I still can't say that I love running while I'm running, but I love the feeling when I'm done!

I had hoped to run the whole thing. I had trained for 14 straight weeks, 4x a week to run the whole thing.

I did not run the whole thing.

First thing, I went out faster than my normal pace, second thing, the weather after training those 14 weeks in winter months was 92 degrees that day, third thing, I started to feel a pain in my chest at mile five, started to walk to get my heart rate down and promptly threw up. The next two miles were a blur and I was sure I wasn't going to finish, but then I got better and did in fact finish.

My time was not stellar, my pace overall just over a 12 minute mile, but I was thankful that I listened to my body for the second half of the race as I heard they cancelled the full marathon due to the heat, the fact that so many people were collapsing, and they were running out of first, second and third responders.

Three other friends ran that day as well, we kept each other on target for training, drove together on race day, and celebrated afterwards, extremely thrilled to finish!

Erin - Rachel - Stan - Me

Rachel ran with precious cargo aboard - I'm still in awe!

Me before the mile five fun

Nathan is actually holding me up here, I'm sure of it!

So what did this first half marathon teach me?

That I can do things I never thought I would.

That training is very, very important.

That having friends and family to support you both in the race and on the sidelines is just as important as all the training.

That walking is not an option for the next one.

That I would like for another ribbon around my neck to someday be simply: Marathon.

So, next step? Next half this October!

Currently in week five of fourteen for training, and going very well.

March Randomness

2011-08-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

Cousin Party

2011-08-18T06:00:00.011-05:00

In March of this year my grandfather passed away. It was my mom's dad, her first parent to go, my second grandpa to leave this earth. Even though he'd had some health issues for the past seven years, his death was very unexpected, and it rocked our family. My mom is the eldest of five children, and my grandparents were further blessed with twelve grandchildren and at that time, nine great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.

Growing up in Ohio with most of my cousins (two lived in Arizona) was a wonderful experience. With all the birthdays, anniversaries and holidays to celebrate, we saw each other on a very regular basis. And by regular I mean it was VERY uncommon to go a month without seeing each other. Because of this, all of us cousins grew up very close, and I have some of my most cherished memories with them all.

We've obviously grown up since then, given that I moved from Ohio seventeen years ago and have now lived in both places the same amount of time. Some have married, some have had kids of their own, and it still amazes me that when we get together, even under the most somber of circumstances, nothing has changed. We've added amazing spouses to this cousin clan, and not only do they all tolerate us, but they get along with each other as well. We have a great time, and it always warms my heart with childhood memories.

As we gathered in Ohio this time to say goodbye to grandpa together, my cousin Christi had a great idea to have a cousin "party" to get us all together and say goodbye from our generation. Two cousins weren't able to make it that weekend; my cousin Nikki in Arizona who was expecting her second child, and my cousin Keith who is serving overseas in Korea. They were terribly missed, but there in spirit.

I have a ton of pictures from all events growing up; us all lined up by age, etc...unfotunately none on digital to share with you now, but here are some from that weekend.

Grandkids

Top Row: Christopher, Brian, Johnnie

Middle: Christi, Karen, Me

Bottom: Scott, Kerri, Jen

Grandkid in-laws: Chris(Christi's Husband), Missy (Johnnie's Wife), Sarah (Christopher's Wife), Nathan (my Husband)

Great-Grandkids:

Morgan, Alyssa, Kyler, Sammie, Reese, Lily, Brenna

At my grandma's 80th birthday Nathan and I went up to celebrate with them and share the good news that we were expecing our first child, Sammie. When my grandpa gave me a hug to say congratulations he said he'd been doing a lot of thinking about all the milestones he'd been able to enjoy in his life time. Seeing all of his children married and become parents, seeing them celebrate 25th wedding anniversaries, seeing most of his grandkids (at that time) graduate from high school, some from college, military, police academy, etc..., and more recently, seeing his grandkids become parents, and his children become grandparents. With our news, mom made four out of five to be grandparents. He told me that it would really be nice to see all of his children become grandparents before he died, and a short time later my cousin Brian made it so with the birth of his son, Kemper.

I hope that when I reach that time in my life I have the presence of mind to look back on all that I had, all that saw, and all that I enjoyed instead of what I didn't do. Family is the most important thing in life to me, and I can't imagine a better way to measure my life later than by those moments and milestones I was able to share with them all.

My 34th Birthday

2011-08-17T06:00:00.004-05:00

My girls made me a cake, and were so incredibly proud of all their hard work :)

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-08-16T06:00:00.021-05:00

Yes, I know this is from February, which is now six months old, however, that just seems to be how I roll with blogging. There will be several weeks with lots of new blog posts and then I will be quiet for months on end...I probably know some people that wish this happened in more areas than just my blog so all I can say is just enjoy it where it falls :)

So, our town does an annual Daddy's Little Sweetheart dance every February for little girls and their daddies, grandpas, uncles, etc...once they are over three.

Being the wonderful "date" that daddy is, he even got her a corsage

This was the first year taking Sammie, and Brenna was too young...we didn't think it would be a problem...

But as soon as Sammie was getting in her dress, Brenna started to get upset and wanted to go too, informing us that "Brenna a pwincess too..." (her pronunciation for it)

All Christmased Out

2011-03-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Finally! My last Christmas post!!! Even Brenna felt like it was enough Christmas already!

Christmas Day - 2010

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas Morning - 2010

2011-03-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Another failed attempt to get a GOOD picture of me with my girls...

And somewhere mid-present opening, both girls managed to get themselves put in time out. Something we felt we should really get on camera, to show them when they are parents.

Christmas Eve - 2010

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

The kiddos entertained themselves with spinning around in Grandpa's office chair for a while, the younger two were so thrilled just to be included!

Brenna's Second Birthday

2011-03-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

Every year on the girls' birthdays I take the day off to do something with just them. I like to look at the clock and remember what we were doing at that time on the day they were born, and just be with them. I also try to find something fun for them to do, this year, I took Brenna to Build-A-Bear, and she had a blast!

Then it was off to the mall for some indoor playground time and some carousel rides!

Then home for naps and the family coming over to help us celebrate that night!

And some dancing with Weeta and Grandpa C. to finish off a great day!

A Christmas Story

2011-03-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Is all that kept coming to mind as we prepared to go out in the snow!

What A Difference...

2011-03-02T07:00:00.002-06:00

A year can make.

On my 33rd birthday (last year) I wished for two things. First and foremost, I wished for my mom to get through breast cancer and be declared cancer-free, as soon as humanly possible, and with as little amount of pain as possible. Not too long after my birthday she was, in fact, declared in remission, and we will celebrate that anniversary very soon, thank God.

My second wish was for me. I wished that I would finally get back on track with taking better care of myself. I wanted to get back to working out, I wanted to lose weight, I wanted to feel better again. I felt so run down all the time, most evenings after a long day at work, then all the things you have to get done when you get home, when my girls would want me to run around and chase them, or get down on the floor and play with them, etc...I felt too tired. I hated that, hated that at 33 I felt like I couldn't keep up with them, and decided I was the only one that could change it. So, a couple weeks after my 33rd birthday, I joined a gym and started working out, for the first time in seven years.

It was hard, the results did not come right away, as a matter of fact, it took months before I started seeing changes. It was discouraging, it was disappointing to have it become so obvious to myself how much I had let myself go, but I kept going, kept pushing. The only result I did see right away was the one that meant the most to me. I no longer felt run down all the time, I no longer wanted to tell my girls I was too tired to chase them around. I decided even if I didn't lose weight and look better, that was enough for me, because I want to be there for them more than anything. And then, it finally started to happen, slowly, but surely, I started to lose weight, and inches. I took up running in May, and then it started happening even faster.

In this whole process I've had great support from friends and family. Nathan has been great about me needing to head to the gym or out for a run, my dad and sister run with me from time to time, my mom is my own personal cheerleader, and my friends (all of which run as well) are like one huge support group of moms who know that it is hard to drag your butt off the couch after a long day of work, dinner, errands, cleaning, taking care of the kids, etc...but we all do it, and we're all much better off for it!

So, what a difference a year can make, today, my 34th birthday finds me:

32 lbs thinnner (-20% for my fellow Biggest Loser fans)

31 inches smaller

able to run 9 miles at a time

and currently in week 9 of my half marathon training for the April 10th half

I never, ever thought that this was something I would be able to do, but I'm excited and thrilled to see how it goes!

Sisters Today, Friends Forever

2011-03-01T06:00:00.007-06:00

Not sure exactly what it was about these that demanded their own post, but if I had to guess it would probably be the last picture.

Dancing Queen

2011-02-28T06:00:00.008-06:00

While at Epcot on our last day, I sat with the girls while the other adults went on a ride, and we happen to catch the fountain show put to music by the Epcot ball. Brenna was very tired and almost completely out in the stroller, but Sammie decided to get up and dance, and had a wonderful time.

Disney Princess Luncheon

2011-02-25T06:00:00.003-06:00

While at Disney World, I took Sammie to a special Disney Princess Luncheon. She was in heaven! We started that morning by painting her fingernails, which she had to show each and every princess we met!

Disney World - German Dinner

2011-02-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

One evening my folks treated us all to a nice German dinner at Epcot. It was delicious, and there was live entertainment that ended up being our girls before the night was over. They had so much fun dancing to the music, it made me a little sad to think that this was the only time we would be there with them at this age. One of those moments I'll have to bottle up and save for myself always...

Sammie the Amusement Park Daredevil

2011-02-23T06:00:00.022-06:00

While at Disney, Sammie surprised us with the rides she was willing to try. For example, she went on the Tower of Terror. She was tall enough, and after we explained it to her she informed us that she wasn't afraid of anything. I'm pretty sure she changed her mind once it was over though... When we asked her what she though she said "it was not very good daddy".

We lack a picture of this event though, as Nathan and I both went into protective parenting mode on the ride and had her completely covered in the picture, oh well!

Her favorite ride of all was one of those boat rides that has the big hill at the end, she went on this three different times. First two with Auntie Karen, and last with Daddy. She LOVED it!

It was not the warmest weather while we were there though, and she was freezing by ride number three, and decided to be done.

Disney World - 2010

2011-02-22T06:00:00.008-06:00

In November of last year we took our first trip to Disney World. We loaded up the family truckster in the evening and drove through the night to get there. The first day was spent checking into the condo, making sure the tickets were all in order, grocery shopping, and getting settled in. We got to enjoy the fireworks of the Magic Kingdom and Epcot from our balcony and then put two very tired little girls to bed, completely excited for the next day.

Sammie seeing Cinderella's Castle for the first time:

Brenna was so happy just to be able to walk around and dance to the music!

More pictures to follow on the lunch with the Princesses, our little daredevil Sammie, and ones that melt my heart of my two little sweethearts...

Sammie's First Sleepover

2011-02-21T06:00:00.010-06:00

Sammie had her first friend sleepover at the house back in October. They had a blast, no one had to go home in the middle of the night, it was great! I of course, had to take pictures, of which by the end of the night, Sammie was completely embarrassed. I must be doing something right!

The Many Shades of Myrtle

2011-02-18T12:00:00.014-06:00

This is our very good friend Mike, a.k.a. Myrtle. He takes this arm wrestling thing very seriously, or he just gets really, really red, you decide...

This is how I looked when Bridget beat me too, like I said, these two are beasts!

Roctober Party Arm Wrestling Match-ups

2011-02-18T06:00:00.036-06:00

Mike vs. Brian

Bridget vs. Rachel

Nathan vs. Stan

Will vs. Dave

Stan vs. Ben

Mike vs. Stan

Erin vs. Me

Dave vs. Brian

Dave vs. Stan

Bridget vs. Me

And the winners were Bridget for the ladies and Stan for the men, these two are beasts I tell you! From there it just got silly (cause you know, it wasn't already...)

Ben vs. Bridget

Bridget vs. Nathan

Me vs. Mike

What can I say, it was a fun, silly night with some great friends!

Roctober Party 2010

2011-02-17T06:00:00.007-06:00

Some shots from the second annual Roctober Party at the Carr house.

Shortly after these shots, someone decided it would be a good idea to put on an arm wrestling contest. I'm told it was me, and since I have virtually no recollection of that part, I'll just go with it...pictures of the match-ups to follow tomorrow.

Halloween 2010

2011-02-16T06:00:00.006-06:00

Trunk or Treat 2010

2011-02-15T06:00:00.004-06:00

Yes, I'm aware it is February of another year, but I like to get behind and then blog like crazy apparently. At least I try to go back and catch up, right? It is the same way I scrapbook too...

So, here are some shots from Trunk or Treat last year:

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:00:00.001-06:00

To the three loves of my life, I'm thankful for all of you each and every day, and I hope you all know how much I love you!

My First 10K

2010-11-04T06:00:00.027-05:00

I ran my first 10K on October 17th this year. My goal was to run the whole thing, and I didn't, I walked, two times, for a short distance, and am still very disappointed that I did. However, I am happy with the fact that in the ten weeks since the Flat Five, I managed to shave a minute off my pace, so I'll focus on being happy about that. My dad ran the race with me, and he kicked my butt! I'm so incredibly proud of him!

We got ready for the race, ran about the first mile together and then I didn't see him again until after it was over!

Nathan and the girls came to the race to cheer me and dad on along with mom. This is the first time they were there at the finish line, and I can't tell you how much it meant to me to see them there cheering and clapping, I could feel a huge smile spread on my face, and my eyes stinging with some tears, I love my family, and it meant the world to me to have them there.

Nathan's sister Jessie also ran the race, this was her first race ever! She did a great job and was immediately ready to do it again!

The finishers:

When I was a kid my dad used to run a lot of races, 5K's and 10K's. I can remember attending several of them, and in typical "tween" fashion, being utterly bored sitting around waiting for the race to be over. Never, in a million years, did I ever think that he and I would be running races together, but I so love that we are.

Strong Little Brenna

2010-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Our little Brenna is strong, but more than that, she thinks she's strong, and will pretty much try to push or pull anything if she's interested...

How Tall This Fall?

2010-10-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Every year we get this shot with Sammie, and of course added Brenna's last year. Sammie proudly stood there, Brenna wanted to run!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-29T06:00:00.005-05:00

This year's trip to the pumpkin patch was great! The girls had a good time, it was a perfect day, the farm we went to had a lot to offer while not being overly expensive or overcrowded, it was a fantastic trip! And, because we picked a place close to where we and lots of our friends live, we even ran into some familiar faces!

Lewis & Clark Half Marathon

2010-10-20T06:00:00.035-05:00

A few weeks ago, our friends Rachel, Jamie, and Stan did something incredible; they ran the Lewis and Clark Half Marathon. I'm still in awe!

Sammie and I went down to the finish line to meet up with Erin and Lucas (Stan's family) and Adam and Aiden (Jamie's family) to cheer them on. It was cold!

But Sammie was a trooper, we wer there for three hours total, and she spent her time picking flowers, leaves, and making a sign for our friends!

We managed to meet up with Erin and Lucas, but neither of us had Adam's number, and with so many people, we didn't just run into each other. As we waited we thought of all these great ideas that would have helped us be able to pick the runners out of the crowd, but they were only useful had we thought of them the night before the run. You know, find out what they were wearing, what approximate time they thought they would be in, get Adam's number so we could meet up with him and the kids could play, etc... Oh well, next time we'll have this down, right?

Aunt Rachel made Sammie's day by giving her a high five as she ran by at mile 13!

And then made it even better by letting her wear her medal for a while!

Erin and I somehow (and very unfortunately) missed both Jamie and Stan running past us, we could be bad specators! But I'm sticking with the story that we would have been better off having known what they were wearing!

Rachel's brother Vince and Mike both rode along the 13.1 miles to cheer Rachel as she went, they definitely get the best cheerleader award!

And as Adam, Erin, and I all lined up to get pictures of the finishers (at the same time) the photographer in Rachel couldn't help herself - "now who are we supposed to be looking at here?"

But we managed to figure it out:

This was the last Lewis & Clark event, next year it will the the Rock N Roll something or other. It was incredible to be there, to see all the different families and friends lining the streets to cheer on their loved ones, to see all the different runners each FINISH, and most of all, to see our friends achieve a something incredible, see their pride in themselves, and to get to be there to tell them how wonderful I thought they did.

Congrats to all three of you!! Amazing job!!

Random Shots - September 2010

2010-10-19T06:00:00.002-05:00

That's right, just last month, a couple more posts and I'll be current!

Apple Picking 2010

2010-10-18T06:00:00.016-05:00

This September, for the first time, we took the girls to a local orchard and went apple picking. Sammie loved it, and Brenna was much more into it than I thought she would be!

Flat Five Race - August 1

2010-10-11T06:00:00.034-05:00

Finally! Some pictures from our Flat Five Race in August. Yes, it took me that long to catch up, and yes, two months later I did just download them from my camera, however, I've been busy, running, among other things - which was very noticeable to me by these pictures and then the pictures I just got done sorting and filing from our apple picking in late September.

There were five of us in all (that knew each other) racing that day, total obviously much more.

Before picture:

Dad - Jamie - Rachel - Me - Karen

Rachel blew us all out of the water:

Dad and Karen finished together, in under an hour!

Jamie finished with a smile on her face! A trick she will have to teach me someday!

And I finished, finally, but I finished, which was goal number one for me. Goal number two was to not finish dead last - check; finished before 11 other people...And goal number three was to finish in under

one hour, fifteen minutes - check, finished in one hour, three minutes and change.

After picture:

And some other shots I like from this day:

Last but not least, my favorite, my awesome big sister coming back to run the finish with me, and help see me through...

Dr. Sammie

2010-10-08T06:00:00.007-05:00

Sammie got a play doctor kit from grandpa and weeta last Christmas, and she and Brenna both love to play with it. What amazes us the most though, is how Brenna will go along with just about anything Sammie says while playing doctor, despite the fact that she throws one mean fit when we go see her real pediatrician. Sammie will even have Brenna wait for the nurse in the "waiting room" until her name is called, and little boo bear will sit there and wait patiently.

Learning to Walk...

2010-10-07T06:00:00.004-05:00

...in heels is never easy, and when you are Brenna, it can be downright dangerous!

Visit from Grandpa

2010-10-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

7 Months and Counting...

2010-10-05T06:00:00.025-05:00

It has been about seven months since I started getting myself back in shape, started exercising and taking better care of myself. Seven months, 22 pounds, and 20.5 inches later, I find myself getting ready for my first 10K race, and even seriously contemplating a half marathon in April of next year. I'm pretty sure that I will go for it, however, I wanted to keep my goal for the 10K in mind without focusing on larger future goals until I had accomplished it.

My goal for the 10K is to be able to run it, without stopping. I know that doesn't sound like a big goal, the majority of people that sign up for these races run it without stopping. I however, had never run a day in my life until May of this year. After I started running, it was extremely short intervals with lots of walking in between. You may recall that for my 5 mile run in August, my goal was to simply ~~not have emergency personnel peel me off the pavement anywhere~~ finish it.

Shortly after that run however, I got a swift kick in the butt by a good friend of mine, who talked me through the "I just can't seem to move ahead" ~~excuse~~ phase. She encouraged me to make small goals for myself, which I did, and it proved to me that she was absolutely right, there was no reason that almost four months into running, I could not be going farther without stopping. By the time I reached two miles without stopping, I set up a plan for myself to get ready for the 10K race. Increase how far I was running without stopping by a half mile every week, which would get me to the six miles total by race day. Last week's goal was four and a half miles without stopping, but I got to five. I had never felt better after a run, and for the first time, the half marathon didn't seem so far fetched, but I am still not going to think about it until I get past the 10K. This week's goal was 5.5 miles, and I did 5.8. I'm actually excited for the 10K race!

Fourth of July - 2010

2010-10-04T12:00:00.018-05:00

Brenna was a little scared of the fireworks at first...

But then she decided they were pretty cool after all...

Gymbus Celebration 2010

2010-10-04T06:00:00.007-05:00

In June (yes, I'm still back in June...) we had Sammie's Gymbus Celebration. This year, the celebration fell on the same day as Race for the Cure, so Nathan went to Gymbus with Sammie and Brenna and I went to Race for the Cure with Mom. Happily though, Nathan's mom and Jessie were able to attend Gymbus as well so Sammie had a great cheering section!

Uncle Mike and Aunt Rachel

2010-10-01T12:00:00.009-05:00

One of my favorite things about or good friends Mike and Rachel are how much my girls love them, and how mutual it is. Sammie considers a visit to their house the equivalent of a going to a magical castle, and is just as delighted when they come to visit ours. Brenna is a sucker for Uncle Mike, and the feeling is completely mutual, so fitting since he's her Godfather.

Random Shots - June 2010

2010-10-01T06:00:00.006-05:00

Rachel - Can You See It Yet?

2010-09-30T12:00:00.008-05:00

Our good friend Rachel and mom of one of the Bundles of Babies, Carli Grace, posts a series of blogs on her site inquiring whether or not her husband's mini-me is starting to resemble mommy more than daddy. Most times we all have to say now, but lately, with this smile, I'm seeing it more and more. If only we could have gotten them both making this face in the SAME picture...

Karen's 40th Birthday

2010-09-30T06:00:00.014-05:00

My dear sister Karen turned 40 in June of this year. After threatening to disappear the last couple of years as it was approaching, she finally decided that if we promised no big party or anything embarrassing, she would stay in town and celebrate. My grandparents flew in to surprise her for her birthday (she is their first grandchild) and spent the week. We spent the day with the girls at the park, played games, and then had dinner at Cheesecake Factory, YUM!

And yes, we did put 40 candles on the cake, and by we I mean I did it, but hey, that's what little sisters are for, right?

These Boys...Part Two

2010-09-29T12:00:00.004-05:00

And then we have pictures like this, that make us feel (somewhat) sorry for the boys afterall...

Arrrrr!!!!

2010-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

In May we had Stephen's 4th birthday party which was a pirate theme. The girls had a great time with their goody bags, and one Saturday we spent the ENTIRE day playing pirate!

These Boys...

2010-09-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

In our group of friends, there are A LOT more boys than there are girls. As a matter of fact, until the Bundles of Babies, Sammie was the only girl. Now that more than just Nathan and I have a girl to think about, all the parents in our group of friends are noticing things about the boys...like those that can dance like this:

And two thoughts come to mind; one, where did a seven year old learn to dance that way, and two, which one of the girls is he going to date first!

ESI Day at the Zoo - 2010

2010-09-28T06:00:00.017-05:00

Our 6th Anniversary

2010-09-27T12:00:00.003-05:00

Nathan and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary in June this year. Hard to believe that it has already been six years. Just tonight as we were having dinner with the girls he asked me what we would have been doing on a Saturday night ten years ago...My how the times have changed. We have had almost twelve years together total, been blessed with two amazing, smart, sweet, funny, beautiful little girls and I can't imagine our lives any other way. Looking forward to the next six, and every year after that!

This year my parents decided to take us all out to dinner for the evening, we had a nice night out, lots of chasing the girls around, but that is the way our dinners out go these days!

Love My Husband

2010-09-27T06:00:00.002-05:00

And love this picture of him...

Jessie & Nick's Wedding Day - Part 2

2010-09-24T12:00:00.050-05:00

I have no pictures from the ceremony, however, we have some wonderful ones from the reception!

The crowd waiting for the Bride and Groom to arrive:

The Happy Couple:

Some other happy couples:

Nathan performing his Man of Honor and brotherly duties and giving his speech:

And then the party started!

Sammie and Grandpa H. dancing with her favorite monkey:

Three Ambo Generations:

Auntie Jessie and her flower girls:

Nathan got to dance with both his mom and his sister that night too!

It was a beautiful day; beautiful bride, handsome groom, gorgeous couple, amazing wedding, and two wonderful families brought together by two incredible people.

Congrats and best wishes to both of you, Jessie and Nick!

And to Nick, welcome to the family!

Flower Girls and Ring Bearers

2010-09-24T06:00:00.009-05:00

Nick's nephew, Joss, was the ring bearer, and he did a fantastic job!

Sammie and Brenna were the flower girls for Jessie and Nick's wedding. Sammie did make it down the isle, in record speed, she RAN to me the second she saw me. She also proceeded to run all over the church during the ceremony, next time we'll all know that letting her do that at the rehearsal only makes her think she can do it during the ceremony as well.

Brenna however, did not make it down the isle, she actually didn't even make it to the isle. Ten minutes before the ceremony, she dislocated her elbow. Turns out to be the way she was picked up, by the lower part of her arms, and it is very common, called nurse maid's elbow. Never heard of that before, and what timing! We weren't sure if she was hurt or just tired, over stimulated, and hot, so I went through with the ceremony, and then had to leave to take her to the ER. While waiting, we felt a slight pop and she was able to move her arm again, and was happy, thank goodness!

We asked the doctor and they said it would be fine to head to the reception, kids are resilient! And so they are it seems, Brenna was running and playing all night!

Jessica & Nick's Wedding Day - Part 1

2010-09-23T12:00:00.008-05:00

Finally! I'm finally getting around to posting on Jessie's wedding! Jessie and Nick were married on June 5th of this year. June is good month for weddings in our family, Nathan and Jessie's grandparents on their father's side were married June 19th, Nathan's dad and Patti were married June 14th, Nathan and I on June 19th, and now Jessie and Nick June 5th. May we all be blessed with many years together as were the original June bride and groom in our family!

Jessie and Nick planned their entire wedding, and with the help of friends and family, did the vast majority of things themselves. I have never seen a bride and groom so ready and deserving of a honeymoon as these two were. The day was amazing, it was beautiful, it was special, it was everything they hoped it would be and more. I spent the day in awe by all they had done for their special day, it was incredible, the details, everything so well organized, so personal, so them.

Nathan and I were in the wedding, as were our little angels, as the flower girls. Brenna, however, in her accident prone special little way, was unable to perform her duties that day. Ten minutes before the ceremony, literally, she dislocated her elbow. That will be a separate post though...

Here are some shots from getting ready:

Jessie's Rehearsal Dinner

2010-09-23T06:00:00.011-05:00

As I mentioned, my sister-in-law got married this summer, and now that I have made it to June in catching up on blogging, we are finally at her wedding! Jessie and Nick had their rehearsal dinner on a Thursday night, it was a beautiful evening, hot, but gorgeous and everyone had a great time.

Jessie was glowing

Nathan and Jessie's dad performed the ceremony

Sammie was EVERYWHERE

And I was a little exasperated...

Visitors from Cleveland

2010-09-22T12:00:00.010-05:00

In May, mom's two sisters and one brother-in-law came down for a visit. It was also the weekend of dad's birthday, so we had a nice celebration as well. We had a great visit with them, and my Uncle Johnnie was a huge hit with Brenna!

Random Shots - April 2010

2010-09-22T06:00:00.007-05:00

Easter Part 3

2010-09-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

Easter Part 2

2010-09-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

And this is the closest we could come to getting 3 of the 4 grandkids together for a photo, better luck next year!

Easter Morning

2010-09-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

Not Sure...

2010-09-20T06:00:00.006-05:00

If Tucker is showing Brenna something that shocked her, or if he was trying to feed her something, but I just loved this picture!

Bundles of Babies - April 2010

2010-09-17T12:00:00.012-05:00

As is the case whenever we are able to get the Fab Five (bundles of babies) together, we attempt to get a group photo. This time however, we seemed to have more adults in the picture than babies, but still managed to get some cute shots!

Madison

Carli Grace

Avah

Brenna

Jenna

Sammie's 4th Birthday Party

2010-09-17T06:00:00.010-05:00

We had great weather for Sammie's birthday party this year, which is the first of now 4 parties we have thrown for her that we were blessed with great weather! Everyone had a great time, most of all the birthday girl who was completely zonked by the end of the night!

Sammie's 4th Birthday

2010-09-16T12:00:00.011-05:00

Each year on Sammie's birthday, Nathan and I take the day off of work to spend with her doing something fun, different, and special just for her. This year, she chose ice skating. We had a great time!

Jessie's Shower

2010-09-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

This summer my sister-in-law, Nathan's sister, Jessie got married to a wonderful man named Nick. It was a gorgeous wedding, and I will be sure to post pictures later (you know, as I'm getting caught up!), but for now, here are a few from her bridal shower back in April. Sammie and Brenna were her flower girls, which is another story entirely to follow later, in the meantime...

Random Shots - March 2010

2010-09-15T12:00:00.002-05:00

Birthdays with Carr Family

2010-09-15T06:00:00.011-05:00

With increasingly busy schedules, we celebrated an early Easter with Aunt Dee and Uncle Howard, and Grandpa and Weeta Carr and also celebrated Sammie's birthday and Grandpa's birthday. We had a great time, and Sammie thought it was fun to have two cakes! Go figure, right?

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-09-14T12:00:00.008-05:00

Still playing catch up on blogging, here are some pictures from our local Easter Egg Hunt this year:

Disney on Ice

2010-09-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

I took Sammie to see “Disney on Ice” when it was in town. I was a little worried that she wasn’t quite old enough yet to really enjoy this; I could not possibly have been more wrong!

First off, Sammie was about the average age for the crowd, there were some younger, some older, some families with one boy who got dragged there with his sister in a princess costume, lots of parents, lots of moms who took their kids with other mom friends.

We got there right as it started, sat in our seat and Sammie’s eyes were instantly glued to the ice. Thankfully we had really great seats and she had a perfect view of everything going on! The first out was Alice in Wonderland, then they did the broom scene from Fantasia, then a Halloween skit with all the villains, and then onto a Valentine’s theme featuring all her favorite princesses! She squealed each of their names as they came out on the ice with their prince, but was the most excited for…

“Snow White Momma!!! It’s Snow White!!!!!”

The first part was an hour long and she loved every second of it! Then we broke for a snow cone, which of course was a huge hit (and mess), and back to the seats for the second half. She had a harder time sitting still during the second half, so like the movie, she simply stood up and danced around!

The ending was a Christmas theme, complete with Goofy dressed up as Santa Clause, which of course, was her favorite part of the whole thing.

My Mom, My Hero, Part 2

2010-09-13T12:00:00.026-05:00

After mom was through her treatments and started feeling better again, she was positive she wanted to do the Komen Race for the Cure this year. We all went, Nathan and Sammie had an event for Sammie that kept them away, but it was an amazing and very emotional day. Mom thoroughly enjoyed it, and we decided it would be on our annual list of celebrations of mom's health going forward!

Our friends Mike and Rachel joined us with Carli Grace:

Mike got a shirt that put a smile on everyone's face:

There were an extraordinary amount of people there, it was our city's biggest Komen event to date:

My parents handled breast cancer, and the Komen event, the same way they have done everything through life, together, hand in hand, supporting each other, and with great, great, love.

My Mom, My Hero, Part 1

2010-09-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

In February of this year, I took a business trip, and when I got home, I got horrible news. My mom called me and told me that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Weeks before she had her annual mammogram and they called her to tell her they had found an abnormality and she needed to come in for more tests. After these tests, the breast surgeon she was put in touch with felt 99% sure that it was malignant, and they were going to perform a biopsy. The surgeon also stated that even if the biopsy came back as benign, she still wanted to perfom a lumpectomy to be on the safe side. The biopsy would be in a couple of days. My mom had not told Karen or me about this earlier because we were both going to be out of town, and she didn't want us to worry.

My first thought was sheer terror, my mom is my rock, she and my grandmother are the two strongest women I have ever known, I felt like I was 10, and I immediately fell apart and cried. Then, as my mom started to comfort me, my mature, mother side kicked back in and I pulled myself together. The next thought I had was if it were me, I would do everything possible I could to make this ok for my girls, and I didn't want my mom to worry about me. I asked her where she was and got in the car to go see her. I needed to see her, to see that she was just as beautiful and strong as she always was, and when I saw her, that was exactly what she was.

My mom has always been the type to put her family first, to make sure everyone was alright, and this time was no different. She worried about my dad, about how my sister and I were doing. She took comfort in knowing that we had a support system of each other as well as amazing friends and if she was worried about herself, she didn't show it at all. I only hope and pray that I am able to be that same source of strentgh for my family if I ever have to be.

The next month was an emotional roller coaster, first bad news, the tumor was malignant, then worse news, it was the worst kind it could be, then amazing news, IT HAD NOT SPREAD, followed by more good news, mom was able to have the shorter round of radiation therapy and no chemotherapy was required. After her surgery and treatment, she was declared in remission, music to everyone's ears.

Karen, Nathan and I put together a "care package" for mom when she was getting ready to have her surgery that had books, a blanket, a bag for her things, a necklace, and this was my favorite thing we did for her:

It is important that I share with you the fact that our family had no history of breast cancer until my mom's this year, and that without this regular screening mammogram, we may not have been so lucky. Please share with any woman that you love to take care of themselves. As mothers we often put ourselves last, our appointments are the hardest to fit in among children's appointments and activities, days off to care for them when they are sick, but the best thing we can do for our families is to take the time to take care of ourselves as well.

Mom took the time and it saved her life. This inspired me to start taking better care of myself, this is what got me back into working out, got me to make sure I am scheduling regular check-ups and getting the tests I should be getting. Thank you mom, I'm 33 and I am still learning from you. I love you more than I can put it to words, and I'm sure that I don't tell you that often enough.

Six Months

2010-09-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

Last week marked six months since I started working out; since I embarked on a mission to take better care of myself and get in shape again. It has been a tough six months, but it has been so worth it. When I started I wasn't the least bit interested in running, and now I find myself registered for a 10K race in October, and a 5K the following weekend! What has happened to me?!?! Whatever it is, it is a good thing.

Six moths after I made the decision to kick my butt into shape, I find myself 18 pounds lighter, 18 inches less round, 3 pant sizes smaller, and most importantly feeling great! I have more energy, I'm sleeping better, and best of all, I no longer feel like I can't keep up with my girls!

I still have more weight to lose, and inches too, however I am looking forward to the next six months, and seeing what I get to report back on then!

First Face Plant

2010-08-02T12:00:00.001-05:00

Although this is months old, I still had to share. My baby had her first face plant. Thankfully Sammie has yet to have this happen, but not our little Brenna, our little adventure, lead with her head, no hands in front of her girl. This girl, has no fear, and knows no limits. As much as it pains me to watch her bruise and bump her beautiful little self up right now, I can't help but hope that she keeps this same confidence and attack for life in all that she sets out to do...

The Run - The Results

2010-08-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

My first "competitive" run was yesterday. I have been training for it, running outsdie 3 to 4 times a week trying to build up my endurance and adjust to running outside, and on average go about 3 miles. Yesterday's run however was for 5 miles. Needless to say I'm sure, I was starting to panic about my ability to finish, and was hoping and praying not to come in dead last, which became my two main goals. I said that I wasn't going to worry about time, but in my head I was secretly praying to finish below 1 hour 15 minutes, or roughly a 15 min pace.

There is something to be said for adrenaline. Not only did I finish, and not finish last, but I managed to finish at 1 hour 3 minutes, running around a 12 minute 43 second pace, which is admittedly slow, but for me, is my best pace ever. I felt great, and can't wait to do another. I had the wonderful support at the race of my fellow runners - Dad, Karen, Rachel, and Jamie, and our own personal cheering section, Mom. Thanks to all of you! I couldn't have done it without you! Pictures to follow soon!

July Challenge - Results

2010-08-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here are the results of my July challenge, it did not go as hoped. I did not work out for 31 days straight as planned, as a matter of fact, I started off HORRIBLY slow… and did nothing for the first five days but celebrate the 4th with great (but not healthy) food…

1 – Nada

2 – Nada

3 – Nada and I ate badly at a great BBQ

4 – Nada and again ate badly

5 – Nada

6 – Yoga Meltdown challenge (and let me tell you, Ole Jillian is not messing around…)

7 – Ab Challenge and 2.7 mile run/walk

8 – Yoga Challenge

9 – Ab challenge and 2.7 mile run/walk

10 – Yoga Challenge and 15.5 mile bike ride (which left my back and butt in agony for two days…)

11 – Nada (gave my poor back a break after the day before)

12 – Ab Challenge and ran 1.2 miles (would have been longer if not for the thunder and lightning that started .5 mile in, boo)

13 – 1 hour weight training at the gym – arms, legs, core

14 – Yoga Challenge

15 – Ab Challenge, Run 3 Miles

16 – Yoga Challenge

17 – Run 3 Miles

18 – Yoga Challenge

19 – Ab Challenge, Run 2.5 Miles

20 – Yoga Challenge

21 – ab challenge, 3 mile Run

22 – Nada

23 – 2.75 Mile Run

24 – Nada

25 – Nada – came home sick as a dog!

26 – Nada – still sick

27 – Nada – sensing a pattern, so pathetic…

28 – Nada

29 – 2.75 mile run

30 – Yoga Challenge

31 – Yoga Challenge

So the results are 19 of 31 days I worked out; I won’t call it a failure, cause working out period is success, but I blew it on the challenge front this month. I have discovered that while the Yoga Meltdown was a good workout and I think benefited my balance and flexibility, I get very bored with video work outs.

Today is my first official run, the Flat Five. I’m nowhere near where I thought I would be for this run as far as training goes, so I hope to finish, without making a fool of myself.

Next up, the August Challenge! Same idea as the month before, alternating regular work outs with an additional challenge; this month’s focus, buns & thighs!

Grandma's Bowling Birthday

2010-07-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

For my mom's birthday this year, my grandparents flew in from our old home town of Cleveland, so we decided to celebrate with a Cleveland family tradition and go bowling! It was Sammie's first time and she had fun, although was frustrated that she wasn't perfect, wherever does she get this competitive streak I wonder???

Friends

2010-07-29T12:00:00.001-05:00

You know those great friends I mention from time to time? Just one more thing I love about them? They love my girls and my girls love them...

Christmas In July

2010-07-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Upon finally getting all my pictures electronically organized, I thought I would do some catching up, so here are some pictures from our various Christmas celebrations, you know, last December...

July Challenge

2010-06-30T12:52:00.001-05:00

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again, I’ve got some AMAZING friends, and I’m so very thankful for them. They are the kinds of friends that motivate, challenge, support, assist, and best of all (if there had to be a best) laugh with you when you need it the most.

In this group of friends, there are a few of us that have been working out, trying to kick our butts back in to shape, or train for a run/race, whatever. In June, we did an Ab Challenge together, only took 15 minutes or so, 5 different exercises, and we did it almost every day since June 11 or so. The July challenge is going to be Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. Deal is since most of us are also running or otherwise working out so we will do the Meltdown four days a week. Hmm…I run three days a week, so I guess that means July 1 marks the day of my first month of attempting to work out every day. Considering my first run/race is August 1, let’s hope I can still walk at the end of the month!

We’re doing measurements and before and after pictures (for ourselves), nothing more humbling than that! And to report on the running outside effort, it is improving, my legs are getting more used to the concrete, shin splints aren’t as bad as they were, and I actually find it more motivating to run outside than at the gym but I sure do miss that AC!

18 Months Old!

2010-06-23T11:45:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Brenna’s 18-month “birthday” and her check-up as well. She did pretty great at the appointment, until the nurse I’m going to call turtle came in to give her the shots at the end. I have to say, nothing makes me want to reach out and slap a nurse more than seeing her move at a snail’s pace while stabbing my child with multiple needles. She even hummed. Really? Ok, moving on now…

Brenna weighed in at 24 lbs. 1 oz. putting her in the 47th percentile, and measured at 32 ¾ inches tall landing her in the 84th percentile. She is on track with her fine motor and verbal skills, and way ahead as always on the physical side of things. He said she looks healthy and hopes to not see us back there until her 2 year check up, that would be so nice!!!

She received three shots yesterday, one of which was the new and improved Prevnar vaccine, which now vaccinates against 13 strains instead of 7. Sammie is going to have an impromptu visit soon for one herself, which will be SO much fun! (read sarcasm here, a lot of it...) Hoping this new vaccine will help keep my girls healthier this winter. We had a blood panel done on Sammie in the spring that revealed her antibodies weren’t as mature as they should be for fighting certain strains of pneumococcal, and our pediatrician felt that this new vaccine would cover those that she was weak on. We didn’t test Brenna, as they always catch the same thing at the same time, so the hope is that this will be a “fix” for them both! Keep your fingers crossed everyone!

I haven't posted pictures in a LONG time, so here are a couple recent ones of the girls, courtesy of Rachel, so that you can remember what they look like!

The Run

2010-06-11T14:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I have done it. I have officially lost my mind. I just got done registering for my very first run. Unable to find a 5K that worked out timing and location wise sooner, I chose a 5 mile run on August 1. I refuse to use the word ‘race’ and me in the same sentence, so we are going with ‘run’. I would consider it a huge, HUGE accomplishment if I could run the whole time, but I am not that crazy. My goal for this first one is simply to complete it, running as much of it as I possibly can.

Here’s my biggest problem at this point, I NEED to start running outside. I run, but I run inside on a treadmill at the gym. I need to get adjusted to the outside, with no a/c, no fan blowing on me, no TV in front of me, with horrible humidity and no peppy music pumping in the background—wait, that last one I can do…

So on the nights that I do not go to the gym, (not all but some) I'll be working on my outdoor running stamina, if you don't hear from me in a week, please send help...

Wish me luck, I’ll need it, I have less than two months to get ready!

Psst…oh yeah, a milestone for me today, my weigh in this morning left me at a 10 pound deficit since I started (this is week 13). I’ve been in the best mood ever since!!

Working Out - Week 10

2010-05-20T13:00:00.001-05:00

I posted here that I had gotten back to working out again. This is week ten for me, and it is going well. So far, no one has had to rush over and resuscitate me, and Rachel has even gotten me running now! I can hardly believe it. After just two weeks of running, I talked myself (with her encouragement of course) into trying for a 5K race this summer. We’ll see how it goes. I have been improving slowly, so I’m hopeful though!

In these ten weeks, I have noticed some changes that were my motivation to get back in shape in the first place. First, and most importantly to me, I feel better, I have more energy, and when Sammie says to me, “mommy chase me” I no longer want to tell her “mommy’s too tired, baby”. Second, I’m sleeping better! Granted most of our work outs going until ten at night, which puts me in bed after showering and coming down from the adrenaline high somewhere between eleven and midnight, this leaves me usually with about five hours sleep, but they are five good hours of sleep! And finally, my clothes are fitting better. I have lost six pounds, and I’ll freely admit that after ten weeks, I expected that number to be higher, but I am older and had farther to go to get in shape this time than I ever have been before, so I’m being patient, or trying to anyway!

This week though, I had some nice milestones to boost my motivation a little in place of big numbers on the scale!

1) My dress for my SIL’s wedding in two weeks fit! (I ordered it one size smaller, which is exactly one size bigger than my wedding dress was, six years and two babies ago!)

2) While working out with Rachel this week, we noticed two friends watching our exercise, this is something we were doing when we first started, and Rachel and I had to laugh when she said “OMG Kelly! It’s finally happened!!”

3) I ran for one mile this week without stopping at all

4) I had four different people tell me that they could tell I’ve been working out, hubby included!

I had a thought last week of how I would like to celebrate and “treat myself” once I lose more weight. In addition to some new clothes, I’m going to hire Rachel to take some pictures of me and my girls. I have very few pictures of me with them both, and even fewer that I like the way I look in. Since they were my primary motivation for taking better care of myself and getting back into shape, I want to get a picture of me with them and put in on my bedroom wall to always remind myself that they are my best motivation.

For Mother’s Day to support these goals, I bought myself two gifts. One, a new pair of running shoes, which were very necessary! And two, the frame that I will put that picture in. The frame has the perfect saying of exactly what I want for my girls as they grow up:

Dance like no one is watching

Love like you’ll never get hurt

Sing like no one is listening

And live like it is Heaven on Earth

Milestones - April 2010

2010-04-16T12:03:00.003-05:00

This week I took the girls for their check-ups. Together; at the same time. I thought it would be easier. It was not. It may have been except for the 50 minute wait to see the doctor, by which time both girls were in total melt down mode; but thankfully Grandma was with us to lend an extra set of hands!

This was Sammie’s four-year check-up, and the first where she got to answer all the questions. Of course, she came down with a terrible case of shyness and whispered all her answers to our doctor, but he did get his answers and determined that she is on track in most areas, and as always, ahead of the curve on vocabulary and pronunciation. The one area we need to work more on with Sammie, which we already knew was letter and number recognition. She is able to spell and write her first name, she has known all her colors since she was two, and can currently count to twenty in English and ten in Spanish. She weighed in at a whopping 29 pounds putting her in the sixth percentile, and measured 37 ½ inches putting her in the tenth percentile. So Sammie remains our petite little monkey as always!

For Brenna this was her fifteen month check-up, and she was happy as always to be in the doctor’s office; not so much. We were a little worried that we were not doing as good with Brenna on working with her on speech. Not that we are comparing, but Sammie has always been verbal and way ahead of the curve on vocabulary. While we understand that every child is different, I was worried that I wasn’t working with Brenna as well as we did with Sammie. So I was very happy to hear our doctor tell us that she’s actually ahead on speech (she says a lot of different words, just not consistently, and understands complex instructions), especially for a second child, and is WAY ahead on gross motor skills. When he asked if she climbs, I informed him that we find her on top of the kitchen table on a regular basis. Brenna weighed in at 23 ½ pounds putting her in the fifty sixth percentile and measured 31 ½ inches long putting her in the seventy fourth percentile.

Most importantly, both girls are HEALTHY and doing very well! Despite having to get two shots, Brenna was cheered up later in the day, and Sammie was thrilled that she escaped having any at this visit. (it has now become THE question when I tell her that we are going to see the doctor)