2010 tradition

So I thought of a new tradition to start this year and thought i would share in case anyone else liked the idea and wanted to do it too. I wish i had started it before Dalten came along. I am cutting out the numbers 2010 and since there are 5 of us an exlamation point too and taking a picture January 1st with us holding them. At the end of the year I am going to make a photo albulm of my favorite pics from the year with that one being the cover. I am sad I have not done this sooner. I thought it would be a cute way to document the kids growth along with a reason to make a photo albulm every year. =) Anyway that is what I will be doing from now on so thought i would share. =) Hey Jess, since I know you will read this at some point maybe we can start doing it at midnight on our future New Years parties. That could be one of the crafts the kids do----decorate the numbers for us. =)We may all be in our PJ's but i think that would be super cute. =)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I have been so bogged down with getting all my gifts done I feel like i have had no time to do anything. Now that the holiday is over and my house is halfway cleaned up i figured i would take some time for me. I even started a new book today. Man I havent read a book since school started last August. Man how i have missed reading. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Years and for those who drink please be smart and safe. I will be spending New Years at my mother in laws. It is our last adult party. After this year we will have family New Years eves and i find myself looking much more foward to that!! My kids are the last grandkids of the family and the very youngest so now that they are almost at the age that they can understand what new years means it will be exciting to let them stay up and ring it in with us. Daven probably wont be ready yet but Dalten for sure and possibly Kayden. Anyway thats a whole year away but like i said i am looking very forward to that! Any chance my kids get to spend and make traditions with their cousins is great for me. My favorite childhood memories are from times spent with my cousins. I want my kids to be as close to their cousins as i am to mine. okay so i will stop rambling. lol Happy Holidays!

30th Birthday weight loss goal acheived..score!

I have reached a couple of milestones in my weight loss journey. The first one being I am now at the weight I was when I met my husband and most of my current friends over 8 years ago. Unfortanetly i am still 1 1/2 sizes larger than i was then. Gaining so much weight during kids plus just having three kids really proportioned my body a lot different (mainly in the gut, which i can not wait to have surgically removed lol). I say 1 1/2 sizes because though i can fit in 1 size up from what i was then it is a little tight in the tummy (that huge gut area i was just talking about)and being big i am just more comfortable wearing my clothes big even though they probably make me look larger. Still I am very excited to have reached this weight and look foward to continuing this journey and reaching sizes my husband has never seen me in. =)

This paragragh is about my 2nd milestone. This is a milestone that i never imagined i would have to face but nevertheless did so i thought i would share it with you in hopes to remind myslef of the humiliation i have felt about it so that i will always continue the determination to never backtrack. I know by example how easy it is to lose and gain lose and gain lose and gain and i am so tired of being on that yo-yo. After my husband and i got together umpt years ago (cause i have no idea when we got together lol) i switched from a run around job to a desk job. Between that time and the time i got pregnant i gained 30 lbs. 30 lbs when you are already over weight is a huge deal. During pregnancy though i was warned over and over and over again i gained at every visit. Being over weight i should only have gained about 15-20 lbs though the whole pregnancy. I remember walking into the Dr's office the week before my scheduled c-section and realizing i had gained 70 lbs. Not only did i gain 70 lbs but i reached a number i never thought possible and i was extremely horrified and disgusted all at the same time, not to mention hormonal so i am sure you can only imagine what darren went through the rest of the day. ha More then likely i went home and ate my feelings away so no telling how much i gained during the next week before my c-section. If you added those two numbers up I am sure you saw I gained 100 lbs after i met my husband. And this is me meeting my husband already very much over-weight. Pretty scary! I can't believe he married me looking like that. (we got married when i was 9 months pregnant and had only been engaged 1.5 months so yes i had already gained it all). But, as i am sure you all have figured out many sentences ago, I have finally lost the 100 lbs i gained. I still have anywhere from 50-70 more lbs to lose and no that will not put me skin and bones, in fact i will still be considered chubby to most but my goal is not to be skinny. I have never been skinny and i am just fine with that. I have a husband who loves me no matter what weight i am and 3 great kids. My goal is to be healthy for them so i can grow to be very very old, so that i can have the energy to keep up with them, and so that i never have to worry about whether or not i can fit on a ride they want to enjoy. Basically I want to live with them and not just watch them live.

I am attaching the first picture of us after becomming a family. Dalten's birthday 3/18/05. it is a very embarassing picture i never in my life thought i would share but i wanted you to see how far i have come. The second picture is our family pictures from November 09. My kids ages are 4,2, and 1.

Christmas Decor

I have seen many people posting about their decor so i thought i would throw some pictures up too. =)I am still not done and in fact just bought my mistle toe at the dollar tree. =) I could not put out my breakables this year for an obvious 3 little reasons. ha In fact in some of my pics you can see the bottom half of the tree is now completely bare and i am even having trouble keeping the top half covered. little Daven loves to take it down but so does miss Kayden. Hopefully next year will be better. anyway here are some pics of my decorations. Happy Holidays. =)



This first one i made a few years ago. The cat plays music and the wings light up.

Giving Thanks

Well tomorrow is Thanksgiving (actually in about 30 minutes). I have had so much fun baking away today. I have made 3 types of fudge, oatmeal cookies with peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips in them, chocolate chip cookies, melting moments, smores brownies, caramel nut chocolate cake, and cheesecake squares. Like i said i have been baking baking baking. The funny things is I am not really a desert eater. In fact I probably wont eat any of these tomorrow but my family will and that is why i made them. =) I made some of this stuff for the guys that work for Darren and took them up there today so don't worry it is not ALL going to just family. =) We go to my moms house in the morning and Darrens moms house in the late afternoon. I love hanging out with all of our family and am so thankful for each and everyone of them. At my mother in laws a lot of close friends come as well so it is always a huge party over there. We always have a good time! I hope everyone enjoys or enjoyed their Thanksgiving! Now i will list some of the thousands of things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for God and the wonderful blessings he has bestowed upon me. Everytime things are looking grim he sends a little miracle our way to let us know we can do it.

I am thankful for my husband. He gives me unconditional love and makes me feel beautiful even when i dont think so myself. He works hard so i can stay home and raise our family and even though he doesnt help with the kids or around the house as much as i would like (partly because i have never asked him to) he is truly trying to learn how. He is a good father and loves are children emensly and i know he would do anything and give anything to make them happy!

I am thankful for my children! They are the most precious gifts i have ever recieved. Children see the world through rose colored glasses and it is so much fun hearing their interpretations of life. I am thankful for their warm smiles, gentle hugs and sweet kisses. Their contagious laughter, beautiful singing and non rythmed dancing makes my heart happy. I also love seeing them play together. When Kayden asks Dalten if he will be her best friend my heart melts with joy. They have even started including Daven in all their little escapades. I can't wait till he can talk with them. =)

I love my family! Each and everyone of them have a special place in my heart. I have been so blessed to not only have been born into an awesome awesome family but to have married into one as well. We have plenty of laughter and good converstations with every encounter. There are certain family members i wish i could see a lot more, like my brother Jon. I miss him tremendously and sure hope he makes it down this way soon!

I love my friends new and old. Most of my friends are my family but i am starting to socialize a little more than i used to and i have thoroughly been enjoying it! I have always been somewhat of a tomboy and automatically got along better with boys then girls. I still feel a stronger connection with guys sometimes but obviously after marriage the thought of having a guy best friend flew out the window. ha But i do believe God is sending people my why and I am trying really hard to listen to him.

I could probably go on and on and on and on (does that remind anyone else of a song lol) but I will just leave it at my top five. Once again I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving (which it now is cause it has taken me forever to write this ha). I am leaving you with a picture of my three blessings. Man I LOVE them!!

Family Pictures

So the weekend before last we went and got family pictures done. It was just a mini session for Christmas time so we can get some cards in the mail. I am not posting any on my facebook page because i am pretty sure i am giving a few to my mother in law for Christmas. Anyway my friend Holly did a great job but i was still kind of dissapointed, not in the work!!!, in me. I have been putting off family pictures for so long because i am very unsatisfied with myself and very critical. But i was sure hoping that after losing 60 lbs (though i am no where near my end goal) i would like at least a few of them. But of all the pics with me in it I only fell in love with one of them. I am still critical of course and wish my chin looked slimmer but the pose and the look just makes me feel all giddy everytime i look at it. My husband of course says i am a dork. haha But he is critical of himself too. all he keeps saying is how blad he is getting. Now he has been losing his hair since we met but I have to agree with him the pictures do make him look even balder. lol At least he is still super sexy, even bald. =) Anywho regardless of what either of us look like the day started off sort of bad. I put off till very last minute finding me a top to wear and getting the boys haircuts. So that day i got the boys hair done then came home gave them all baths put them to bed and went on hunt of a black shirt thinking it would take five minutes. Can you believe it was just my luck that black is not in this year or something. Catos did not have 1 long sleeve black top. Walmart had exactly 4 and of those 4 the one i did not like at all was the only one that fit (or so i thought till i saw the pictures). Anyway due to all that i was running behind and did not have time to flatten my hair all the way so it is way too poofy and i sweat off half my makeup. Kayden of course would not pose at all and anytime we let go of her for a second she would take off running. Darren was plum wore out by the time we finished. So we did not get the kids together for a picture and limited pics of all of us but thats the way it goes sometimes. Hopefully next year we will get better ones. Here is the picture i was refering to earlier. =)

Put In Perspective

For the past week I have been in a funk. I feel like I need a break from home for some serious me time. I hate when I feel like this and I always feel so guilty and selfish when i do. I LOVE being a stay at home mom. It is very rewarding and I can not imagine being anywhere else. But it would be kind of nice if i could get a break every now and again. Darren has been working so much the last few months. He is not even home during the kids waking hours except for 30 minutes at lunch during which time he is shoving food down his face and rushing back out. He has even been going in on the weekends. Kayden seems to do the opposite of everything i say and i have no idea how to fix this problem. I sure dont feel like i am doing it right though because she is not learning and it does nothing but make me feel like poo. Dalten himself has even been back talking. That darn school is really teaching him. lol I am just hoping they grow out of these stages soon before i lose my mind. Anyway with all that being said I hope you can understand why i just want a few hours by myself so that i can regroup and come back a better mom.

Earlier this week I was reading a blog I follow that mentioned a blog she has been following this past year. the Williams family blog. i decided to check this blog out and spent over an hour reading all her blogs and bawling my eyes out. She has two sons, her first born Gabe was still born, and her second son Jonah was born with a rare hereditary disease called EB. The Dr's believe this is what killed their first son as well. i don't remember all the specific symptoms to write on here but the outward one that is unforgettable is that his skin falls off or blisters at the touch. They have to keep him in wraps and pray that they do not get infected. He is literally in pain because of this disease. Can you imagine your child hurting all the time? I cannot! This absolutely killed me. I have 3 beautiful healthy babies and pray i never have to share in the despair so many families have gone through. It sure puts things in perspective when you read about others tragedies and realize just how many blessings have been stowed upon you. Needless to say that was my regrouping session and i felt i was a much better mom today.

On a side note, pray for me that one day i will find a way to raise money for charities such as this one. I dont have extra money to give but i have the want to give it. There are so many charities i want to give too and i just know one day i will be able to. I do not want to see children suffering!

Handmade gift ideas

So this year I am trying to make as many homemade gifts as I can. Staying home does not leave a lot of money in the pockets plus I LOVE doing crafts and to me a handmade gift is so much funner to give then a bought one. Maybe it is because i have taken the time to make something to show someone how much i care about them. Anyway I am super excited to have finally gotten some ideas to make for the family. Google and I do not get along that well so I have had tons of problems finding ideas that are not handmade gifts for sale by other people. =) I am having trouble finding guy ideas so if anyone has some feel free to shoot them my way. As long as they turn out good though I have some ideas for a few of the woman in my life and I have an idea for my husband so I can now officially start. =) Hope everyone else is enjoying gearing up for the holiday season. This is my favorite time of the year!

Here is a picture of the homemade gifts I made last year for 3 of my family members to sit on their front porches. They seemed to like them. =)

Gap Casting Call

I entered Kayden and Daven into the Gap casting call. I doubt they will be chosen and I really doubt there is time to catch up for the fan favorite but I figured "hey why not try". If they do win we could get money for new clothes which is always a plus and I could get profesional pictures of them. Whats not to love about that!! =) So anyway if you read this please hop on over to www.gap.com/castingcall and put in the contestant id of 613811213, 653811782, 873811510, and 803811124. I also have a friend who has her daughter entered as well that i have been voting for so while you are there if you wouldnt mind throwing in a vote for 806123406 as well I would appreciate it. =) Thanks to all who vote!

"BREADED" PORK CHOPS WITH MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE

The only problem I had with this meal is that I wanted to keep eating. it was soooo yummy! I will have to say it is one of my faves at the moment. I seemed to have more sauce then she did but i am pretty sure my porkchops were smaller. I bought the small ones that come in a package of 5 or 6 at crest so i didnt have to pound them or cut them up except to cut off any fat. I served this up with some cauliflower and lowfat cheese sauce and a baked potatoe for Mr. Darren. If your going to try a recipe i list I would DEFINITELY try this one. I'll be posting more reviews later in the week. I hope someone gets some good use from them. Happy Cooking!


Recipe
"BREADED" PORK CHOPS WITH MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE

2 thick boneless pork chops

salt/pepper
Penzey's Pork Chop Seasoning (optional - If you don't want to buy this, season the pork chops with a tiny bit of garlic powder)
1/4 cup almond meal
1-2 T olive oil (will depend on your pan)
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 T cream or half and half or milk
1 T Dijon mustard (or less)


Trim all fat from pork chops, then put between saran wrap and pound until 1/4 inch thick. For best results, pound the pork chops on both sides with spiky side of meat mallet, then cut each flattened pork chop in half for more manageable sized pieces for frying. Season pork chops on both sides with a tiny bit of salt, pepper, and Penzey's pork chops seasoning. Put almond meal on a plate and press pork chop into it, sprinkling almond meal over both sides of pork chop and pressing on until you have an even coating on each chop. Heat olive oil in pan big enough to hold all pork chops, then add pork chops and saute over medium heat until well browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Turn them a couple of times and be sure not to have the heat too high or the almond meal will burn. Quite a bit of the coating will fall off, but don't worry about it. There will still be enough left on to give a good brown color to the pork chops. The part that falls off gives a delicious nutty flavor to the sauce.



Remove pork chops to plate and cover to keep warm if you want. Turn up heat in pan and add chicken stock, scraping pan until all the browned bits of almond meal are loosened. Cook about 2 minutes over high heat, then lower heat to medium low and wisk in mustard, then cream. Cook sauce at a low simmer 1-2 minutes more. Pour over pork chops, garnish with parsley if desired, and serve.

Stuffed Zucchini Cups

I have decided to start blogging on some of the meals i make since a lot of my friends are looking for healthier meals. Right now i am following a south beach phase 1 friendly diet. I get all of my recipes from Kalyn's Kitchen food bog. She is awesome. If you havent checked her out you should!http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/recipe-for-meat-tomato-and-mozzarella.html
I am on the fence with this particular recipe. I liked it enough to recommend it but it is not a meal I said "wow i want more!" She mentioned she liked hers crispier but i am thinking that was my problem. I think i would like them a little softer so next time I am going to try and cook the zuchinni for a little while first then add the stuffing. The inside was very good! Excuse the picture i obviously cant stack cheese. ha Anyway all in all i would recommend this, especially if you like zucchini!

Recipe
Meat, Tomato, and Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Cups
(Makes 6-8 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 12 inches long
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (may need more, depending on your pan)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 T finely minced fresh garlic
1 lb. ground beef (10% fat or less)
12 oz. ground turkey (10% fat or less)
(use any combination of ground meat you'd like, but use low-fat ground meat for the South Beach Diet.)
1-2 tsp. Spike seasoning (optional but recommended)
2 C flavorful tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 cups low-fat mozzarella or other mild white cheese (I used low-fat blend of six cheeses called Italian blend.)


Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Chop onion and green pepper. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick pan, then saute onion and pepper for 3-4 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add minced garlic and saute about 1 minute more, being careful not to brown the garlic. Remove the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture to a bowl.

Add 2 tsp. more olive oil to the pan. Crumble in the ground beef and ground turkey, season with Spike seasoning, and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Tilt pan to see if there is any extra fat, and remove with a spoon if there is, then stir cooked vegetables and garlic back into the meat. Add tomato sauce and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat.

While meat cools, cut zucchini into 2 inch thick slices, discarding ends. Use a sharp spoon or melon baller to hollow out a cup in each zucchini slice, leaving just over 1/4 inch of zucchini flesh. Be careful not to get too close to the skin or the cups will leak liquid when they cook.

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and stand up zucchini cups, open end up. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture (it doesn't need to be completely cool), then spoon the meat-cheese mixture into zucchini cups, pressing down with the spoon and mounding it up a little over the top of the zucchini.

Bake zucchini cups for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use remaining cheese to top each one with a generous pinch of cheese. Put back in oven and bake 10-15 minutes more, until zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot

Things I LOVE about my kids

I LOVE the way Kayden sings ALL the time.
I LOVE the lyrics she makes up while singing. =)
I LOVE taking Daven out of his crib in the morning and having him tuck himself into me as tight as he can.
I LOVE the way Dalten can make me laugh just by laughing.
I LOVE that Dalten loves to learn.
I LOVE that my kids all fight over me and say "my mom" even though I get on to them and explain there is room enough for me to hold all of them.
I LOVE that my kids all love books and reading.
I LOVE that they are learning to play together.
I LOVE how much they LOVE each other.
I LOVE the way Dalten's eyes light up when he sees me after school and runs and jumps into my arms.
I LOVE how Kayden wraps her arms around him and squeezes so tight Dalten screams before she will release him to his seat after school.
I LOVE that they still need me to kiss there boo-boos before they are better.

I could seriously go on for days and days, between Daltens humor and animation, Kaydens very creative imagination, and Daven's sweet innocent charm. I am going to miss these days very much. Children grow so quickly. It honestly seems like yesterday I was learning how to nurse Dalten in the hospital. Can he really be creaping up on five? Can I really have three children who are quickly growing into their own little people and slowly not needing me as much? I swear I could be the mom of 18 children and counting. I honestly completely understand why people keep going. Children are such wonderful little beings and I have been so blessed with the three I have!

weight loss

I realize I have not updated in a while so here it goes. I am still doing very well. I have lost another 20 lbs bringing the total to 50. I know that sounds like a lot but embarassingly enough most people can't even tell I have lost weight. I have a long way to go but hey at least I am doing it. =) I have not been this size since before I got pregnant with Dalten over 5 years ago so that is a huge achievment for me. I am shaped differently after 3 HUGE kids though so I am still a larger size than I was then. That part is NO fun. I am 20 lbs from my first major milestone. I hope to reach this by my 30th birthday in December. This will put me at the weight i was when I met Darren and all of my current friends and in laws. Every pound after that will be so much fun because I know it will be a weight my husband has never seen me at. It will be another milestone as well but I will wait till I hit it and blog about it then. =)

Be the change you want to see in the world

I LOVE this quote. "Be the change you want to see in the world". I want to live by this quote but i feel i am failing at it miserably. I am not a bad person in any way. I love others, I teach my kids manners, I teach them to like everyone, I would do anything I could if someone needed me but I am not actively out there changing things. Everyday I watch Extreme Homemakover and those people are so extraordinary. They are the people I want to live like. They are actually out changing this world for the better. Yesterday's episode displayed a family who moved to a poverty ridden crime infested neighborhood to teach god's will to others and make it a better place. When they first moved in there were gun shots heard every night and crack whores squatting in the abondoned homes a few houses down. Their love and support to the community decreased crime by over 50%. Yes you read that right 50%. Can you imagine? One family changed an entire area that drastically. Imagine what could happen if each of us did our part. It's kind of like going down a street with tons of old cracking houses and right in the middle you find one beautifully fresh painted house with flowers all over the yard. It's a home you would be proud to live in all because 1 person took a little care in it. While getting to know people in my online English class i found out one woman takes her kids to feed the homeless at christmas time. She also has them take money from their allowance to give to a family for diapers or clothing. I SOOO want to teach my kids things like this. I WANT them to be humanitarians. I want them to love others as they want to be loved. My problem is i don't know where to start. I always use the excuse I am too busy, I don't have enough money, my kids are too young but i know there has to be something out there, even the tiniest thing that we could do for someone. I would love to learn to knit or crochet so i could make beautiful hats for the little boys and girls in cancer centers, but i have been saying that for about 6 years or more. It's time i stop talking and start doing! If anyone reading this has any suggestions for me please let me know. It's time for me to be the change i want to see in this world!

Daltens First day of school

I am just going to post some pics for my brother Jon in case he is still checking out my blog. =) Dalten did great today,wheni asked what he learned he couldnt remember. when i asked if he went to the potty he said yes i peed but the girl next to me was pooping. lol He was all smiles so i know he liked it. Today started out rough though. it was a complete down pour, i had to park a block away,push a stroller with two kiddos, hold ones hand, and carry the schhol supply bag, book bag, and camera bag. We were drenched by the time we got there. no fun!! Then i came out to a flat tire. ha at least the year can only get better! I was too busy to get weepy and didnt have time to get hardly anything done before picking him up so i am pretty sure this year i will be just fine. now all day kindergarden next year i may be having a different story

Lazy Sunday

Well it has been a while since i have blogged. We havent really been up to much. Just doing back to school shopping and things getting ready for my big boy to start pre-k. We had orientation Friday and i teared up. I truly thought i would be ok until Kayden or Daven started but i guess i willbe teary with all three of them. I am so excited for him to start this new adventure. All the new things he is going to learn and the friends he is going to make are going to be awesome. But i guess i feel like my little boy is actually growing up and some day very soon he isnt going to need me in the same way he does now and that is so scary to me. Especially since the other two are just right behind him. It also means I AM getting older. lol I pretty much stopped celebrating birthdays after i got pregnant with Dalten. Mainly because i stayed pregnant. =) but as these huge milestones start coming up for my kiddos i cant help but think of how fast the years are flying by. I do look forward to all the fun activities we are going to be having in the near future but i am sure going to miss the baby stage. I still have another year or two before i am completely out of it but i know that will come very quickly! once school starts the years really fly by!! Anyway here area few phone pics i took being silly with the kids. the bad part about being the camera woman is i am never in the pictures!! So i took some myself big zit,no make up and all. lol Here are my 3 little treasures.

week 4update

Sorry keep forgetting to write my week 4 process. i am down 30 1/2lbs. 6 lbs from my first goal. I am finishing phase 1 though. i couldnt do it another week. i am nervous about eating again though. supposedly you dont gain weight back but since i have been eating next to nothing it is scary to think i'll be eating a lot more. i guess we will see though. phase two is basically like the phase 1 of south beach. no sugar and no carbs. So most of my recipes will come from south beach. You do this for three weeks and then you can add carbs back in. i am hoping to lose at least 10 lbs before i start the phase 1 process again in 6 weeks. i would obviously love to lose more then that but i will be happy with 10 lbs. anyway thats all the update i have for now on dieting. i may stop putting down the amount lost. i am afraid pretty soon the numbers will be too embarassingly large to put down. =) i mean most people lose 30 lbs and have dropped 2 or 3 sizes and at their goal. i am in the same size and still have gazillions of more weight to lose. lol but thats ok. 1 day and 1 lb at a time. =)

finished with week 3

week 3 is down and i have lost 26.5 lbs. i am only 10 lbs from my first goal. i am really hoping to hit it by the time i finish this round. i have 3 weeks or 10 lbs left. they suggest to lose no more than 34lbs but i figure an extra 2 wouldnt hurt. =) then i will take off for 4-6 weeks and do another round or phase 1 of the diet. anyway thats my update. its been a little hard this week. i am a huge snacker around that time of the month and it has been hitting me hard!!! hopefully week 4 will be easier.

Daven's Birthday Party

Daven had his first birthday party today. We had lots of fun with our family. We did the sesame street theme. Who doesnt love elmo? =) Anyway here a few pics from the party. So many good ones its hard to just choose a few. =)

Daven's 1st birthday

I can't believe it is already here. 1 year has come so quickly. My little man had a great day today celebrating lots of firsts on his 1st. He had eggs, he got to sit foward in the car seat, and he recieved his first hair cut. He is no longer my little baby but turning into my toddler who is starting to become more independant. I was really hoping it would go slower since this is my last one but he seems to be doing everything faster! Whats up with that. =) He even gave me his first kiss today. What a beautiful day it was for me. =)We celebrate his birthday on sunday so ill throw some pics up then but here are a few from today. He is my angel!!

VBS

My little man enjoyed his first taste of vacation bible school this past week. he had so much fun. I was really worried he didnt enjoy it or get anything out of it because he acted so shy the whole time. he hardly smiled and didnt really talk during it, which for Dalten is super unusual, but he always said he wanted to go back. Finally Thursday night after the last evening he came home and spilled everything he learned. i am talking this kid sang five versus of a song i have never heard. He has a crazy memory. I was absolutely shocked. Now he wont stop singing them, which in my book is just great. =) Anyway tonight we went and watched the highlights they taped over the week. it was wonderful. and they made a copy for all parents. I was so excited. Everytime a picture came up of Dalten he would say "mom thats me sad" then he would smile and say but i am smiling now. ha Leave it to Dalten. =) Anyway here is a cute pic with his hat on he made at vbs. He would smile for me. =)

13 days and 20 lbs down

I have slowed my progress a lot but i new that would happen. i have gotten at least half a pound a day until this morning. i reached the zero mark. talk about depressing.i know it just had to be a little extra water though. i am eating no fat so i know its not that. yesterday and today have been kind of tough. not sure why but i have been craving food out the ying yang. i thought it would get easier as time went on not harder? i am hoping i might be creeping up on that time of the month issue and thats the reason for the hunger and craving pains! of course my hunger pains right now are coming from the smell of my husband and childrens extremely yummy looking pizza from papa johns! my 3.5 oz of super lean hamburger meat and handful of cabbage is not holding up against that!! i guess its time to go eat my apple. =) Just 28 days left though and only 16 lbs from my first goal. i am hoping i hit it or come really close. anyway i guess 20 lbs and 23 inches is pretty darn good for it not even being 2 weeks. Hopefully this week will be easier!

1 week complete..16 lbs down

I have completed 1 week of dieting. I have lost 16lbs and 18 inches. During my first MONTH of working out extremely hard at the gym i lost 19 inches so to me this is crazy i did it in a week. I am now losing between 1/2 lb to 11/2 a day. I havent seen the zero mark yet but i know it will hit pretty soon. But i have never been on a diet where i didnt have an off day and gain a lb or two. So we will just see what happens. I feel better each day,more energetic and less feelings on food. Dont get me wrong i still have my cravings but they arent near as strong. I am officially 20 lbs from my first major goal. I look foward to hitting that mark!!

day 5..down 1.5 lbs

woohoo, down another 1 1/2 lbs. i definitely like seeing more then 1/2 a lb in a day but i am perfectly content with 1/2 lbs as well. i know i will have plenty of those and some zeros too but as long as i dont have plus signs i'll be happy. yesterday was a little rough for me and i am not sure why but i was really craving some food. I stuck to my guns though and only ate what i was supposed to. it obviously paid off for me today. So 5 days down and 14 lbs smaller. Very exciting things. Only 22 lbs from my first major goal. I am really hoping i hit that milestone during my first 40 day round. I am definitely heading in that direction though so i have high hopes. =)

day 4..down .5 lb

another half lb gone. i should be ecstatic but i cant help feel a tinge of dissapointment after the other great numbers i have had. i new it would slow down soon enough though. i just hope it stays to 1/2 or 1 lb a day. that would be awesome! My moms numbers are still staying steady so i have good reason to hope. 13 lbs in 4 days is nothing to sneeze at though. Yesterday was another good day though i started getting signs of womenly monthly issues. I am assuming the drastic change in diet is going to mess me up in that area. i guess i should be grateful i didnt gain any. =)other then a little extra craving and some crankiness though i was fine. =) i am ready to start day 5.

day 3..down 2.5 lbs

2.5 more lbs down. yeah!! it sure is nice seeing the scale going in that direction. its been too long since it has done that!! yesterday was another good day. I am not hungry and not getting tempted by other food. Not thati dont still think about it from time to time, cause like i said i am addicted, but it is not unbearable. =) i stayed up late with pool league last night, which i may add i kicked some serious booty. 7 out of 10 games. =) i got a little hungry come 10 but lots of water helped though having to rush to a bathroom where my 5'2 inch body actually touched the door was not so much fun. ha i cant imagine what tall people go through i mean come on people its time to expand. anyway love sharing great news hopefully more tomorrow. =)

4th of July faves of my babes

2nd day eating healthy..down 6lbs

I am sorry did i read that right? Yes, yes i did. =) and i checked 3 times to make sure that scale wasnt playing a joke on me. 10 lbs in 2 days is notbad. now i know you lose the most in the first few days so i am not getting my hopes up on it continuing. But this is a very good motivator! Yesterday was not hard either. I truly find i am not that hungry. yesterday i split my dinner up to where i had my apple and peice of melba toast at 8 when i usually get hungry. this helped a lot! I already find my energy is getting higher. That is a huge plus in my book. I do not like being lazy. And it is nearly impossible to be with three kids running around. Well i will update again tomorrow. =)

3rd day,first day of eating right..down 4lbs

yeah! i am so excited to see the scale moving in the other direction. i am sure the next few days weight loss will be water retention but i will take whatever weight loss i can get. ha yesterday was not near as hard as i feared and i actually was not cranky like i figured. i just new making food for everyone else would bother me but it didnt. I did not stay hungry but mentally i craved food. like i said i am addicted. i know it will take my body a few days to detox from this. around 8pm i did start to get a little hungry. not sure if its cause i slowed down on water or becuase that is when i snack the most. I like to enjoy food once the kids are in bed for two reasons 1)i finally can enjoy some food without 3 kids pulling in my leg begging for some and 2)i am super bored with nothing to do. I am very glad for the not being hungry part though.i know if i can get past this addiction phase i can handle the next two months with no problems. Well i am off to start another day. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes.

2nd day..up 1.5

I have gained a total of two lbs which is not much compared to most. this makes me worry that 1) the weight gain will all hit tomorrow when i should lose or 2) this diet wont work for me. But i am trying to think positively. i am definitely ready to get through today. i am already thinking about food constantly. I am such an addict it is sickening. But i know i can do it and i think once the scale is going the other way i will have good motivation. My mom is on day 8, 11 1/2 lbs smaller and says she feels terrific and is now over her constant cravings. so my week countdown is on.

1st day of diet complete..up.5lbs

Well i started my diet yesterday. One of the two days you are supposed to eat all you can to get your fat reserves up. I honestly tried but only went up .5 lbs. A lot of people go up 8 or so in the first two days. I have alot of eating to do today.haha but i just ate a small microwavable sausage biscut and am stuffed. so this is not going to be as easy as i thought. when my mom started last weekend i told her she was crazy for saying she couldnt eat much but now i completely understand. Anyway off to another start, i'll update again tomorrow.

Old pics

Here is a pic from Kaydens 1st,2nd and 3rd 4th of July. I wish i could find Daltens first few years but when my husband got a virus a few years ago it wiped out all pictures. =( This years 4th pic is obviously from a week ago but i did her 4th outfit. =)