Something About Weight

I really hate posting pictures like this, but I really need to start having more accountability AND...conversely... more self esteem.  I am not a spotlight kind of person, ordinarily.  Especially when I'm not comfortable with my weight.  I've always been pretty active, and my body has responded fairly well to exercise and dieting.  Until I hit 30 and had three kids.  You read my post on that earlier.  It's been a nightmare to lose this baby weight, and there is 30-40 pounds of it!  I hate wearing a different person on the outside than how I feel on the inside.  BUT, I'm still working on it, and not giving up.  

This is a picture of me at the beginning of September.  I really hate it.  I'm bowling, by the way.  I started Body for Life in November, which I've done in the past and I love it.  And since then I've gained 5 pounds and lost...maybe half an inch.  Yup, I've been so frustrated!  However, I have toned up so much with the weight lifting and extra cardio, so that's good news.  I have since had to ease up on the weight lifting after a visit to the chiropractor which I'll post about later.  

Here' a picture from the other night.  Granted, I'm wearing black, but my arms, waist, and hips are a touch more toned.  Plus, I do feel better.  I need to focus on the positive moments, however small and keep moving forward, no matter the slip ups!  Also, ignore the disaster in my room, my 14 month old is a crazy girl!

I have been growing my hair out for ages, AGES!  It grows so slowly!  It's finally getting long enough to actually look long!

 I didn't dye my hair, it's just the filter.  But I've been able to do some fun hairstyles with longer hair, so don't let me cut it for a little while!

Unique Traits to Cherish

I love my kids.  It's amazing how a person can create something and cathect to it with as much fervor as a parent does to their children.  I love each of kids as much as the other, but differently because they are very different little people to love!  As they have grown, and I have grown as a mother, I have come to appreciate different things about each of them, their qualities and characteristics, the parts of their personality...I'm able to find them sooner with each child because I'm a more experienced mother than I was seven years ago; and I'm sure I will discover more and more as my children grow and I grow with them.

This is my sweet Marin, how I love her!!  She is my firstborn; and at age seven, she is ready to take in the world with wide eyes and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.  Those cute little glasses of hers only exemplify the studious nature of Marin.  She loves to learn and misses very little, much to my chagrin at times.  She is such an obedient girl (well, for being seven, of course), and she is very aware of her surroundings; she notices someone in need of a friend, she notices if the baby gate is down and needs to be put up. she notices if one tiny little thing of hers is out of place.  I have come to appreciate this feature of her.  While sometimes it's hard to have an 'eagle-eye' living in our house, she is so helpful and aware and I just don't know what I would do without her.  She is incredibly responsible and I know I can trust her with tasks beyond the normal capacity of a seven year old.  She really is my sweet girl and I am so grateful for her.

This is Owen.  My second child and my only son.  He is six weeks shy of his fifth birthday and is such a handsome boy.  His thick brown hair, his deep blue eyes with long lashes, and the most darling freckles smattered across his nose and cheeks....this boy leaves the little girls in his primary class wishing they had another chair next to his.  Owen is innately a shy and soft spoken little guy, taking after his daddy, and other little children tend to trust him because of this...another trait after his daddy.  One of the characteristics I love so much about Owen is that somehow, he makes me laugh EVERY day!  I don't know how he does it!  He doesn't mean to be funny, he isn't theatrical or dramatic by any means, but every single day, some funny little phrase innocently bubbles out of his mouth and it cracks me up.  And I need that SO much!  For example, the other night Owen was folding his clothes...his pants to be specific, and as he was focusing so diligently, he said "Daddy, it feels like I'm trying to fold a loaf of bread.".  I lost it.  It wasn't anything meant to be comedic, it was just an innocent little boy very seriously noting the difficulty of his task.  And I laugh, and he giggles, and then I laugh some more and hug him and think of how grateful I am for my little buddy.

And my darling Rosalie, last but certainly not least!  My little 14 month old girl has given me a run for my money.  She has been my most challenging of my three children.  I have only had 14 months (plus nine additional counting pregnancy) with this little one, but I am starting to figure out this little pistol.  She will not be forced or persuaded to do anything she does not want to do, and it requires a great deal of new found (and growing) patience.  She loves her family and in particular her mama....outsiders and strangers are not tolerated and you can be sure to hear her shrill, ear piercing screams if you get too close to her 'bubble'.  I haven't had a baby be so attached to me....so...loyal.  And that is what Rosie is, loyal.  I can tell that this will be a very tricky trait to nurture as she grows and in different ways, and for now I am trying my best to not betray that loyalty while still encouraging her to branch out and grow socially.  It's a difficult balance, to say the least.  I know that her loyalty will be a blessing to me and our family in the future.  We love our darling girl! 

I cannot believe how fast these kids of ours are growing and part of me is grieving the forever loss of those years passed already.  My husband is so great at helping me to look forward to the things that are coming (though some things terrify us, HA!).  We've been blessed with three beautiful babies and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Decemberings

There are all these little things that happen day to day in our home, most of which are so mundane or routine, that I just don't think much of taking pictures or documenting!  I try to snap pictures when I remember, but so many times my kids are just too quick and the moment is over before I can even get my phone.

This cute little munchkin is now ULTRA fast on the stairs.  She can climb them in thirty seconds, phew!  And boy does she love to be chased, it's about the most adorable thing to hear a baby giggling on their way up the stairs as you chase them.

 The Christmas tree was complete and utter fascination for Rosalie.  Every day she would stand by it pull my tree skirt off and throw that on the ground.  Pull at the lights, reeeeeaach for those bottom branches and ornaments that Marin and Owen would diligently rearrange every single day.  And the cat (if you look close, you can see her under the tree) would watch and cheer her on from the sidelines!

 Our wonderful neighbors across the street brought each of the kids these chocolate advent calendars from Germany.  These are the ones I remember as a kid and I was so delighted when he brought them!  They had a great time opening one each night, though Owen would get carried away and tell me we were really on a different day...

 My mother sent me this absolutely beautiful FRESH pine wreath for Christmas and I have absolutely loved it!  Since we don't have a fresh tree, and I'm not really down with having one necessarily while my kids are still little, having something that was fresh and beautiful hanging on my front door made me happy a million times over.  I hope she makes this gift a tradition!

 A very blurry picture from our Ward Christmas Party.

 All three kids pulled strange faces.  This girl is getting so tall!

 My cute Owen.

 Haha.  Nope.  Just nope.  Rosie was not having anything to do with this Santa business.  She went from 0-10 in less than a second.  You would have thought someone punched her in the stomach it was that instant.

 At least on family picture.

Our little gingerbread village all ready to be decorated!

 I kind of loved that we could each decorate our own.  It's nice having these pre made kits.  Someday when my kids are bigger I'll attempt the real McCoy, but for now, these are amazing!

 I had parked on the top level of the parking garage at work one day, and as I left that evening, I caught one of the most stunning winter sunsets.  This picture simply doesn't do it justice!  

 The clear, crisp air, the snow on the mountains, the cold winter sky and rays of light streaming from behind the mountain.  It really was breathtaking.  I stood there are watched for a minute or two while I snapped some pictures.  A few other people stopped to take it in as well.

 This is why I feel my house is *never* clean.  This girl is fast.  She had a very good time emptying this bag of cuties and biting into them....seven of them.

 I did break out my pasta roller and we had fresh pasta.  SO good.  

 A winter storm!  It was fantastic....though driving to work at 5am the next morning was not so fantastic.  It took me two hours!  The roads were not cleared, just snow pack, and yet people were still zooming past me.  CRAZY!

 It did make for some pretty pictures, though!

 My friend and I got together and made a bunch of treats for our Visiting Teaching Sisters.  We spent the whole day baking and letting the kids run around.  It was so fun!

 I love the pre-Christmas activities, they are crazy and sometimes overwhelming, but so much fun!

Sweet Tooth Fairy and Cupcake Wars

My Marin has somehow gotten into watching Cupcake Wars; a ruthless baking battle of the most delightful little girl food there is....cupcakes.  She loves it and it's kind of fun to watch her squirm when someone drops batch of cupcakes on the floor or a the end when they are about to choose a winner, because to her, that's the worst thing that could ever happen in life!

I took the kids to The Sweet Tooth Fairy one day as a little treat so we could all choose a cupcake, and once we walked in and Marin saw the sign stating they had WON Cupcake Wars, she became so excited!  "Mama, mama, look, look, they won Cupcake Wars?!  They won Cupcake Wars!  Mama, that sign says they won Cupcake Wars!!".  It was pretty cute.  She asked for her picture to be taken in front of the sign, this one came out a bit blurry though:

 Isn't having a little brother the best?!  Haha, I love this.  And if you see the next few pics, it's the relationship these two share, I love it!

 Just watching for sister's face.

 Awwww, he loves her so!

 And she's still smiling for the camera!

 Nom nom.