One Step at a Time

Have you noticed I'm trying to get up to date on my blogging this week?!? I'm getting there! One step at a time. That's a good segue into my weight loss update! :-) I'm getting there! One step at a time. I'm currently at a total of 29.8 lbs lost, a mere 0.2 away from 30 lbs! It's funny how those measly two tenths of a pound can keep me from saying "I've lost 30 lbs!" Drives me batty, really. Anyways, I'm getting there, and I'm super pumped about it! I've noticed me giving myself slack lately, not working out as many days each week, letting myself indulge in little treats more often, etc. So I'm getting back on the band wagon now! I just know if I had made even ONE smarter decision within the last week, I'd be at a firm 30 lb loss tonight, and I'd be able to say "I've lost 30!" It's the little things...

BUT I am still proud of my loss, I've been working hard overall and have been seeing great progress, both in how my clothes are fitting and on the scale. I'm finally getting to wear my old clothes again. Yet I am definitely not content with that! I have at least 50 lbs to go, I'm not even to my half way point! So I will keep chuggin' along, and am excited to keep seeing and feeling the progress!

The other day I bought yet another box of cat litter, and it was a 31 lb box. I handed it to Matt and said "This is how much I've lost!" He held it for a few seconds, really taking it in, and just looked at me wide-eyed and goes "That is INSANE!" And it is! It is SO crazy for me to hold that super heavy box and realize I am no longer carrying that around!!! And even FAR MORE crazy to think about losing another 1 1/2 boxes worth (or maybe even two!). I feel like I'm going to be FLOATING around whenever I reach that point! Insane...and so wonderful...I can't wait!

My goal is to lose another 14 lbs by my birthday (remember, one step at a time, I'm making mini-goals all along the way). That means losing 14 lbs in 10 weeks. I can totally do that! I just need to stop cutting myself so much slack! Anywho, when I reach that goal (which I will!), I'm going to FINALLY use a massage gift certificate my boss had given me when I quit McKinstry a couple years ago. And am also going to go get my hair chopped off! A little "pamper me" day in celebration of passing my half-way point and hitting my next goal by my birthday. WAHOO!!! I'm already excited :-)

So there's my update, I'm getting there, step by step, and am SO happy about it!

Is That FROGS I Hear?!?!?

Why yes, yes it is!!! Matt's bringing out the garbage cans right now, and as he opened the door, the sound of ribbitting frogs came flooding in! That just thrills me to no end!!! You know what that means, don't you?!? SPRING!!! :-D We're closing in on that wonderful time where we get to hunt for frogs in the back yard, not dress in quite so many layers, open the windows, let the sunshine in!!! It's almost here, I can feel it!

Bowling For Buzzards

OK, so I'm a Lion King fan, I can't help it!

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Anywho... ;-)

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We've been talking for I don't know how long about going bowling again, but for one reason or another we haven't been able to. So we finally made it happen! Saturday morning we headed out to Acme Bowl for some good ol' bowling fun. They have decreased prices on Saturday mornings from 9:00-11:00am, and we keep wanting to take advantage of that!

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The kids had a GREAT time! They did really well waiting for their turn again, and being excited for whoever was up to bowl. It was quite comical waiting for what seemed like hours as we'd wait for some of Juliana's bowling balls to get allllll the way down the lane :-) And one time as it went straight to the right of her ;-D We put Jenna in the stroller with a bunch of cheerios, planted her right up front, and she did pretty well!

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I am happy to announce that I both started AND ended my game with strikes!!! I ended with a grand score of 92, which for ME is amazing! I was quite pleased... :-) Anywho, great family time! We then went to Wendy's for lunch, and let the kids play at a nearby park for a while. What a beautiful day outside!!!

Jacob bowling, sometimes right handed, sometimes left, he's not picky ;-)

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Juliana very excited to knock some pins down!

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A very excited Jacob!

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Ahhh, they love each other...(sometimes) ;-)

Jenna's 11 Months!

Can it be?!? Have we almost reached an entire year?!? I must say, it feels like quite the accomplishment! As ya'll know, Jenna has been quite the challenging baby. Anytime we meet someone new, Jacob says "Do you know her name? It's Jenna. She's a fuzzy baby." (aka: fussy) But even amidst her "fuzziness", the kids LOVE her to pieces! They are such a great brother and sister to her!
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This has been a month of growth for Jenna! Well just barely before her 11-month birthday, she finally decided to start crawling! AND she cut a couple more teeth! She has a whopping 4 teeth now, bring on the steak! ;-D Her new freedom has definitely helped her "fuzziness" issue! Being able to get herself to whatever toys she wants has been HUGE for her! Ahhhh, I love it :-) Of course along with this new found freedom comes other hurdles; choking hazards, chewed on computer cords, ten thousand pieces of napkins and kleenex all over the house, 3 times the mess to clean up, rug burned feetsies, and and and... But I tell ya, IT'S WORTH IT! Seeing that big smile on her face, less screaming, it's worth it!!!

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And what else are we super excited about?!? We are mere WEEKS away from never having to buy formula EVER AGAIN!!! Wahoo!!! I cannot tell you how excited we are about that! Nursing didn't work with her from day one, we tried and tried for at least a few weeks, to no avail, so we have bought MANY MANY MANY cans of formula, and my goodness is it expensive! We are SO ready to switch to milk! Ahhhh, what a cost savings that's going to be...not to mention it's another step of MOVING FORWARD! :-) Ahhhh, yes...

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All in all, we are so in love with "Baby Jenna", and are SO enjoying watching her grow! It's so fun watching her interact with her brother and sister, watching her big ol' diaper bootie swishing back & forth as she's crawling around the house (especially on the hardwoods! she works so hard, as her pudgy little hands slap against the hardwoods and her cute face has a look of utter determination to get to her destination!), the funny faces she makes, and she rocks her high chair like the best of them!

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So Happy 11 Month Birthday, Jenna! Next up, A FULL YEAR!!! Wow...

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Jenna's monthly growth picture next to her monkey

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Sweet Baby Jenna showing off her bottom teeth :-)

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So sweet...

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Standing against a chair, she's getting stronger!

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She sure is growing up!!!

The Mean House

So tonight at dinner, Jacob told us that this is the Mean House. Why did he call it that? Because Mommy & Daddy are always mean to Jacob & Juliana of course! How are we mean? "Because we don't eat our food and you get mad." Yes, I must confess, Matt & I are convicted, he got it spot on, we get very annoyed that our kids don't eat their dinner and we have to tell them to eat each and every bite, one by one by one...and after a few years, our temper grows short and we more quickly tell them to EAT YOUR FOOD!!! What awful parents we are... ;-)

OK, I'm off my soap box now :-)

Jenna's 10 Months!!!

Happy 10 Month Birthday, Jenna!!! That's right, she's in the double digits now! She sure is growing up, she's like a little person now :-) Granted she still has two lonely teeth (with two up top threatening to pop thru!), and doesn't crawl yet, but hey, no biggie! She's just takin' her sweet time. I love when she gets so super excited and her entire face lights up and she buries her head in my chest! Her brother and sister love her to pieces, they do so great with her, they're very helpful to me, keeping her happy when I'm making meals and what-not. We're really getting into a good groove, and I'm so thankful for that!!!

I am so thankful for family time. When it's just the five of us hanging out, no tv, no computers, just good ol' quality family time. Fun, fun!!! I was also thankful for the wonderful weather we had on Monday! How great was that?!? The kids and I spent so much time playing outside! Played with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, toys, swing, balloon fun, swung the kids around, and Jenna loved playing outside on a blanket! And I have to say, my losing weight has totally contributed to the "fun in the sun" aspect! I have so much more energy, and I WANT to be moving and playing with the kids!

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That leads me to my next update, today I reached the 20 lb mark (20.2 to be exact!). WAHOO!!! 20 down, 60 to go...but let's not think about that right now... ;-D I've been working so very hard at it, still working out every day, watching every little thing that enters my mouth, just trying to keep moving in general. I'm so excited and having so much fun! I still can't fathom losing that other 60...I can see another 20, that's where I often max out and "get content" and stop trying...but this time I'm really looking forward to getting there and CONTINUING ON!!! I have no idea what I'll look like or feel like, like I said, it's unfathomable... We'll see!!!
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Jacob had the flu today, that sure hasn't been nearly as nice as the "fun in the sun" on Monday. I'm really hoping that no one else in our family will get it...time will tell...please no, please no, please no... Anywho, here are some pix of our family fun :-)

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Me making Jenna laugh...yes that's Juliana's undies on my head... :-)

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Ariel Princess Undies Rock!!! ;-)

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Jacob made "FOX" into a fox, like on WordWorld, impressive!

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Juliana with her "new doo" ;-D

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This is for Baby Jonathan - "Wassup, Cuz?"

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Baby Jenna playing outside, LOVIN' IT!!!

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We LOVE playing outside! God is amazing...

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Silly Juliana having a good time :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!! (a couple days early) The kids and I surprised Matt (Daddy) tonight with a little Valentine's Day dinner and some decorations. I cannot begin to tell you how excited the kids were!!!!! It was so fun watching the excitement on their face as they heard his key going into the front door :-)

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Also, we've had quite the varying weather lately, huh?!? Hail, snow, warming sunshine, the whole shabang! Anywho, when it started hailing super hard earlier this week, Juliana RUSHED over to put on her boots so she could go play in it :-) She's so cute...