Thankful: Days 21-30

November Thankfulness!

Day 21: I'm thankful that Bailey's preschool was closed today for the holiday's because we got to spend extra time with her.

Day 22: I'm thankful for those in our family that cooked some amazing Thanksgiving food. I'm thankful for family period.

Day 23: I'm thankful for our friends. We have so many friends that have touched our lives in different areas and at just the time that we needed them most.

Day 24: I'm thankful that Parker took her first step today!

Day 25: I'm thankful for an amazing husband that has taken very good care of his girls while we each had a version of the stomach bug.

Day 26: I'm thankful for the beautiful, and warm, weather that we are having this late in November.

Day 27: I'm thankful that today was my last day of the stomach bug that has been going around our family for the past 11 days.

Day 28: I'm thankful for the 4 pounds that I lost while I was sick. There's always a silver lining!

Day 29: I'm thankful that my parents got married 38 years ago today. If not for them I wouldn't be here. :)

Day 30: I'm thankful for laryngitis because I'm certain that it kept me from saying things today that didn't need to be said. Literally.

1 Chronicles 16:34 - Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Recipe: Carmel Apple Cookies

My family LOVES carmel apples! They are one of the special treats that we get every time we go to Eureka Springs, AR. So today, I made Carmel Apple Cookies for the first time and they are FABULOUS! I have to share this recipe so that you can enjoy this yumminess for yourself. I did alter the original recipe a bit so here is my version.

Carmel Apple Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks salted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• I use wheat flour, but either is fine
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• It's easy to crush these up in a zip lock bag
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 small apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 bag (11 oz) cooking carmels (near the chocolate chips)
• I used a full bag, but I also doubled the recipe

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
• In a bowl, beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in both sugars until fluffy. Then add eggs and vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, stir together flour, crumbs, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in cooking carmels and apple.
• Shape dough into 1 1/4" balls (I use an ice cream scoop to shape my cookies evenly). Arrange balls 2" apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove and let cool on wire racks (or on a pizza pan like I did in the above picture).

I'll say it again, these cookies are fabulous! But, before you start thinking that I'm some kind of baking Goddess, I must confess. I completely forgot to add in the apple. Yup. Completely forgot. I didn't even cut it up. The cookies were still amazing, but I can only imagine how much better they will be when I remember to add one of the key ingredients next time. Enjoy!

Thankful: Days 11-20

November Thankfulness!

Day 11: I'm thankful for our Veteran's, past and present. Their service to our great country is unforgettable.

Day 12: I'm thankful for my extended family. Whether we live close enough to see each other on a weekly basis or we keep in contact via Facebook, you've all impacted my life in one way or another. I love you!

Day 13: I'm thankful for my job. I'm thankful that I get to work 3 days a week and be home with my girls the rest of the time. I have a pretty amazing boss, but don't tell him I said that.

Day 14: I'm thankful for a full night of sleep. It's been about two weeks of at least one of the girls waking up 2-3 times a night. Praise the Lord we all slept well!

Day 15: I'm thankful that our girls loved watching the play Mary Poppins at the Tulsa PAC. We were up late, but they did great!

Day 16: I'm thankful for a place to call home and for vehicles that run smoothly.

Day 17: I'm thankful for the weight set in our garage, hard work, dedication, and weight loss.

Day 18: I'm thankful for our coed soccer team. Most of us have been playing together for years; and although we're getting older, we've still got some pretty good skills left in us.

Day 19: I'm thankful for quick and easy recipes.

Day 20: I'm thankful for this time in our lives when baby and toddler giggles fill our house. There's really nothing like a good belly laugh from a baby.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.


To Be Continued...

The Walk of Shame

Lou is currently potty training herself. Yup! She asked to wear panties this weekend and has been wearing them ever since. I have to admit, she's pretty awesome!

So, after dropping Bailey off at preschool this morning, the other girls and I headed to Wal-Mart to buy groceries. I asked Lou multiple times if she needed to go potty, but she kept saying no. I should have made her go, but I didn't ... famous last words.

We checkout and leave. While I'm putting the bags in the car, I notice that Lou is doing the potty dance so I finish quickly and we head back inside. I go to the large stall because I have to put Parker in there with us. Luckily, I set her car seat down in the doorway of the stall, while I put tissue on the potty for Lou (public toilets gross me out). As I start to help Lou pull down her pants, I realize that she has already started to pee. And it's not stopping. She continues to pee while I put her on the potty and she finishes up. Way to go Lou!

As I look around, I notice that there is a stream of pee on the floor ... and my jeans ... but not on Parker ... whew! I clean up the floor the best that I can. I'm praying that Lou barely wet herself before I pulled down her pants. No luck. Her panties and pants are soaked. The diaper bag is now out in the car with the groceries. Don't panic.

Sticking with her routine, Lou walks out to the sinks - bare butt and all - to wash her hands. I love this girl! I quickly run out of the bathroom to grab a grocery bag from the nearest turntable. I put Lou's panties and pants in the bag and I shove it into my purse. It's time to improvise. I wrap Lou up in Parker's blanket, and get her in one arm and Parker's car seat in the other arm. I put on my best smile (even though I have pee on my jeans) and we do the walk of shame to the car. I can see the stares, but I'm not afraid. I'm a mom. And, a proud mom. Because my girl just used the potty in a public place (besides church) for the first time. Way to go team!

The New Me - Month One

One month ago, on Oct 13th, I decided to make a change. I was finally ready to start working off the extra baby weight. I mean really get the weight off. I was motivated. I had to get started that day for fear that my motivation would subside and I would come up with one more excuse not to get started. Speaking of excuses, I have come up with plenty of them. Here is my top 5 list of excuses and my best reason to overcome that excuse.


Overcoming Excuses:

• Excuse #1: I have ZERO time to work out. We have 3 girls ages 4, 2, and 9 months, and they take a lot of joyful energy to raise. I work three days a week and two Saturday mornings a month. Once a week, my husband and I play on a coed soccer team, we attend church, we go to a Bible study, and two of our girls have soccer lessons. Not to mention all of the time needed to keep our house in order. Zero time.
• Overcoming: If something is important to you then you will make time for it. I now lift weights or run after the girls are in bed for the night, but before I tackle the house work. Sometimes I run in the morning before the girls wake up
• Excuse #2: We don't have our weight set, and even if we did have it, we don't have a place to put it.
• Overcoming: On Oct 13th, we picked up our weight set from where it was being stored at my work the past three years. We made room in the garage (sacrificing my husbands car getting to park in there), and we put the weight set together. I started lifting weights that night.
• Excuse #3: I'm tired and I love to sleep. Remember the three sweet girls I mentioned before? It never fails that someone wakes up at least fifty times (ok, maybe it's just once or twice) a night so I rarely get a full nights sleep especially with the crazy time change and runny noses from all of the weather changes. I don't cut into my sleep for anyone, except my girls.
• Overcoming: No matter how much sleep I get, life still goes on. Believe it or not, I now attend Boot Camp on Wednesday's at 5:30am. So, now I only cut into my sleep for my girls and Boot Camp!
• Excuse #4: I have a fractured rib from a soccer injury in mid August. From my past experience with the same type of injury, it takes 6 months to fully heal. I guess that means I shouldn't start working out until mid February, right?!
• Overcoming: Anything can be modified. Our weight set has two sets of weights and three workout stations. I can't do one of the stations until my rib heals so I make the most of the other two stations knowing that I'll add in later what I can't do right now. So far, I've only had to modify one thing at Boot Camp. I've been able to do everything else.
• Excuse #5: Before having my girls, I was athletic and in great shape, so I kept telling myself that once I started working out, it would be so easy to get back to where I used to be.
• Overcoming: Easy? Really? If it's going to be that easy then why haven't I already started to work at it? Why am I not already seeing results? What's stopping me? Nothing now!

My Goals: I feel that goals are very important because they help you stay on track. They should push you to do your best, but they should also be attainable. I have three goals that I have written down to keep me focused as I work to get back in shape.

1. Family Goal: To be a role model for our three girls. I want them to look up to me, and not someone else.
2. Personal Goal: To be satisfied with how I look and to be comfortable in my clothes. To be honest, I want to wear a two piece swimsuit again and people not be able to tell that I've had three kids (or any kids for that matter).
3. Lifetime Goal: To simply be healthy. My family has a history of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc, so I want to be fit enough to potentially ward off some of those ailments.

Workout Routine / Accountability: This list helps to holds me accountable to actually do the workouts. If I'm going to tell you about my journey, then I better have a journey to tell. I committed to lifting weights every other day for the first month. Once I get a routine (aka habit) down then I might put weights and cardio on specific days of the week for month two.

• Day 1, Oct 13th: I took my measurements, my weight, and before pictures. I plan to share these pictures with you in the future so that you can see that this progress happens in real time, not in a week like those "get quick result" scams want you to believe.
• I lifted weights (full body)
• I ate 5 oreo's to celebrate the start of my journey. I'm just being honest. Don't judge.
• Day 2: Played back to back indoor soccer games. Cardio - check.
• Day 3: Weights, lunges
• Day 5: Weights, lunges. I don't see a change in my body, but I'm starting to feel a change.
• Day 7: A friend invited me to try a F.I.T. (Fun, Intense, Training) Boot Camp class in her neighborhood from 5:30-6:15am. I went, and I LOVED it. Don't get me wrong, it was brutal and I was extremely sore for days; therefore, I joined the class the following week.
• Day 8: One week down! I feel good and my body feels tighter even though I still can't see a change.
• Day 9: Soccer, crunches
• Day 10: Weights, lunges. My core and back are feeling stronger.
• Day 12: Boot Camp w/weights at 5:30am. I heard a song on the way home that said "waiting for always to change." I decided that I was no longer going to wait for always to change. I was going to make always change.
• Day 14: Weights. I can visibly see a change today - my stomach looks and feels a little tighter. I still have a long way to go, but this is some good motivation. I feel better in my clothes today.
• Day 16: Soccer, weights. I upped my weights today.
• Day 18: Weights
• Day 19: Boot Camp w/weights. We ran our best mile in class. I had not timed my mile, much less ran one since hurting my rib, so I wasn't sure how it would go. I ran alongside a good friend, my silent motivator, and we even sprinted at the end of the mile. Our time was 9 mins and 58 seconds. We originally thought our time was 8:58, which would have been awesome, but also pretty hard to top on a regular basis. I'm still impressed with our time, but I'm fairly certain positive that I could not have kept up that speed for many more miles.
• Day 20: Weights
• Day 21: Ran 1 mile. Core feels tighter.
• Day 22: Weights, crunches
• Day 23: Soccer
• Day 24: Weights
• Day 25: Boot Camp w/weights
• Day 27: Weights
• Day 28: Ran 1.21 miles.
• I've committed to eat like my Hypoglycemic Meal Plan recommends to help me lose the extra weight. I have low blood sugar so I have to eat 6 meals a day to maintain a steady sugar level. I was diagnosed with this 11 years ago so I know how to control my sugar with what I eat, but I also know how to cheat. I'm not saying that I'll never cheat. I'm just saying that if I do cheat then it will be less often. :)
• Day 29: Soccer, leg weights
• Day 30: Weights
• Day 31: One Month Down!

Month One Results:

• I'm seeing muscle tone again
• I feel healthier
• I'm motivated to continue
• I have more energy
• I'm sore pretty much every day and I love it
• I haven't checked my weight yet, but I believe that I've lost 1-2 pounds. I know this is not a lot, but I'm in the process of burning fat and building muscle so I'll take it. I feel like I will lose more weight in month two since I've altered my eating habits.
• I've lost 2 inches in my problem areas. Woohoo!
• My (very unprofessional) calculations show that I've lost a total of 3 3/4" all over, but that seems like a bit much so I'm curious to see how I measure at two months.
• My favorite quote from my Boot Camp instructor is when she says "it's hard" and we respond with "it's worth it."
• I'm proud of myself and this journey that I've started!

I've given myself 6 months to be get back in the shape that I want to be in so I'll update you again at month two.

Family Photos 2012

In October, we were blessed to have our family photo's taken by Travis Hall. He's a long time friend and he's been taking our pictures for years. You can check out his website here. He takes wonderful photo's and he's great with the kids. We combined our photo shoot with one of my best friend's families and I absolutely love that we were able to capture these memories together.

The Whole Gang

Dawn, Emma, Craig, Owen, Cole, Lou, Greg, Bailey, Me, Parker

I LOVE this photo because it's real life - Not everyone looking at the camera, some silly faces, simply perfect!

Bailey - 4 years old

Lou - 2 years old

Parker - 9 months old

Our Sweet Girls

Sister Love

The picture in the frame was taken one year ago, in October of 2011. Greg is holding a pumpkin and I'm holding my belly with Parker inside. It's amazing how much things can change in 12 short months!

Lou and Bailey in the field

Emma and Parker - born two weeks apart - Best Friends for Life

OUTTAKES!!!!

No photo shoot is complete without some silly outtakes.

Bailey loves to pull Parker into her lap and hold her - Parker does not enjoy this. 

Lou is jumping away!

There are no words

Love this one - Parker had just pulled Bailey's hair so I gave her to Greg so that I could fix Bailey's ponytail. Then Parker started pulling my hair. Soon after, she also pulled Dawn's hair. Hilarious!

These family photo's mean the world to us. They are capturing beautiful memories in our ever changing, fast paced world. We look forward to this photo shoot every year. If you don't currently have your family's picture taken every year, then I would highly recommend it. You will never get these years back so make the most of them while you can. And if you can share these memories with your best friends, then that's just icing on the cake!

Thankful: Days 1-10

November Thankfulness!

Day 1: I'm thankful that Jesus died on a cross for me. I'm thankful that He forgives me when I mess up,  He finds me worthy, and He loves me for me.

Day 2: I'm thankful for my amazing husband. He truly is my best friend, and I couldn't imagine my life without him. He's a wonderful dad to our girls and we all love him more than he'll ever know.

Day 3: I'm thankful for Bailey. We recently did a lesson at church on The Five Love Languages. Bailey's primary love language has to be Acts of Service. She cleans her room and makes her bed without being told. She helps around the house and with her little sisters. She truly has a servants heart. She's amazing!

Day 4: I'm thankful for Lou. She's our wild and crazy girl. Her primary love language has to be a tie between Touch and Quality Time. She loves to be held and she loves to spend one on one time with mommy and daddy.

Day 5: I'm thankful for Parker. She's a sweet girl full of lots of giggles. We love watching her grow and interact with her big sisters.

Day 6: I'm thankful for the right to vote, and for those who fought so that I could have this freedom.

Day 7: I'm thankful for 5:30am F.I.T. Boot Camp. I'm thankful for the women that I get to workout with. We come from all kinds of backgrounds, but we are all there for the same reason. I'm thankful for a trainer that pushes me beyond what I thought I was capable of doing. I'm thankful for getting out of my comfort zone.

Day 8: I'm thankful for my parents. I'm thankful that they watch our girls so that I can work part time. I'm thankful that my mom will call me at work to tell me funny things that the girls do so that I don't have to miss out. They were amazing parents to me and they are even better grandparents (if that's even possible).

Day 9: I'm thankful for my church family. I have made countless friends at Heritage UMC. Over the years, these friends have prayed with me, laughed with me, cried with me, supported me, and loved me and my family.

Day 10: I'm thankful for change. We all have the opportunity to change something in our lives that will make us better people. Change can be challenging and scary, but it's almost always a good thing.

Psalm 118:29 - Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

To Be Continued...

Keeping It Real

Isaiah 46:5 - "With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?"

I see LOTS of things in blogs, on Facebook, and online that make me compare. Yes, I secretly compare myself to the mom who does it all without one complaint. You know that mom. She's perfect, her kids are perfect, her husband is perfect, her house is perfect, and her life is perfect. Why can't I be like her?

I'm here to tell you to STOP comparing yourself to others. Stop wanting what other people have. Stop wishing you were that mom. Life is to short to miss out on what's right in front of you. You need to focus on being the best mom that you can be because you never know, someone may see you as the perfect mom even when you don't see it in yourself.

So, to that one person out there that might think I'm perfect, please stop reading right now unless you want me to shatter the perfect image you have of me. This is what my house looks like RIGHT NOW...

This is our dishwasher. I opened it at 7:00am to remind me to unload the dishes. It's now 2:00pm.

This is the pile of clean laundry on our bed. I put it there yesterday, and then we pushed stuff to the center to sleep.

This is our stove. Along with other items, I had to unload the diaper bag (purple backpack) because Parker's apple juice/water leaked out of her bottle and soaked everything inside the bag while we were at her 9 month checkup this morning. 

This is where I set my purse everyday. It's also where we keep our recycle items (on left) until they make it out to the garage, and where just about everything else ends up until it's sorted through and put where it actually belongs. I guess you could call this Grand Central Station.

This is our sink. It looks like this everyday ... except the dirty dishes are usually stacked a bit little higher. I'm kind of impressed that they dishes haven't overflowed onto the counter top.

 This is our laundry room and that is 11 (yes, 11) cans of paint that have yet to be carried two more feet outside to the garage. I walk past these cans multiple times a day so I guess they've just become part of the decor. Maybe I'll move them today and maybe I won't.

This is where we pile our projects ... and more laundry to fold.

Somewhere under there is our love seat. The couch is covered like this with the girls' clothes at least 2 days a week. Then after I get the clothes folded, they sit there for another day because it's more than likely night time and the girls have already gone to bed so I can't put them up.

This is a line up of picture frames in our bedroom that I have yet to go through. They've been sitting there for 5 months. Ouch! I think I'll take care of this one today.

So, the next time that you want to compare yourself to someone else just remember that their house probably looks a lot like mine. On paper (or the computer) we can all look perfect if that is the only image that's being put out there.

And for all of this madness, I...

 ... to the one clean place in my house. The mantle!



October Fun

We had a blast this October! The month literally flew by and it was jam packed with fun around every corner. Here are some pictures of our adventures...

Pumpkin Patch

Bailey loved the super tall slides! I'm still surprised that she even got on them, but she and her cousin went down them over and over. Pure joy!

Parker and her pile of pumpkins!

Greg's brother and sister, myself, and Greg are just doing our part to add to the Awkward Family Photo's out there. Goodness!

When it comes to family photo's sometimes you just take what you can get!

Bailey milking a fake cow

BA City Halloween Egg Hunt

The girls and their friends on Main Street. So much fun!

Cade, Camdyn, Natalie, Charlotte, Bailey, and Lou

Egg Hunt aftermath

Me, Parker napping in my jacket, Lou, and Bailey

Halloween Soccer

Lou - Love this girl!

Bailey's teammates

All of our friends at soccer!

Cole, Cade, Owen, Charlotte, Bailey, and Lou

Fall Festival at our Church

Lou, Greg, and Bailey handing out candy. Bailey was more interested in passing out candy than going car to car to get candy for herself. She has a servant's heart!

Parker "handing out candy"

All out of candy - Time for bed!

2012 Costumes

Bailey as Doc McStuffins

Lou as Minnie Mouse

Parker as Strawberry Kisses

Last by not least, I have to show our new blow up. It's 9 feet tall and Lou was deathly afraid of it; however, when we took it down after Halloween she was so upset. Go figure!

See you next year for another Spooktacular October!