Week 4

Halfway there! Only 4 weeks to go!
Fleas, Weevils, Ants, Dust Mites, Kids, and a Snake.
This week was a week of plagues. I am still battling the fleas that Maggie brought into the house two months ago. Vacuuming everyday and washing her bedding every few days.
I discovered a weevil outbreak in a small pack of crackers and didn’t want it to spread any further. I spent two days cleaning out my entire pantry and putting everything in plastic containers.
Just about when I was finished with the pantry, Aiden started yelling about the ants on the kitchen floor. I thought that he was just overreacting to a few small ants. When I finally came to see what he was so concerned about, I found a highway of what looked like a million ants who were loving a sticky spot on my floor. So the kitchen floor and all the floor boards got a good scrub.
Aiden has been coughing for several weeks. I finally took him to the allergists who reminded me that Aiden’s biggest allergy is to dust mites. I needed check the pillow covers, mattress covers, no stuffed animals, etc. So of course I had to get busy cleaning. I gave Aiden’s room and all the upstairs a serious cleaning.
By Friday I was more than exhausted. I skipped my stroller strides class and let Max and Jenna-grace play in the back yard. I didn’t want them to step in any of Maggie’s poop, so I spent a few minutes scooping. With my handy scooper claw in hand, I was focused on a particular target when I realized that I was standing about two feet away from a snake!! After the shock wave passed, I got a good look at it and determined that it was just a garden snake. It was a decent size; definitely not a baby. As soon as I baked away, it quickly retreated under a very large planter box. Even though it was not a poisonous snake, I still had a very thorough talk with each of the kids about what to do if they see a snake.
Needless to say, this week, exercise was not at the top of my list. But I did get to class a few times and I ran 2.5 miles in 26 minutes on Saturday!

As a side note.... BYU is now ranked 8th in the Nation!!!

Fun Pictures

I couldn't resist posting this funny picture of Max. Often, I will take Max's cloths off before dinner because he is so messy. After dinner the kids headed into the back yard while I was cleaning up the dishes. I think Max is saying that his tummy is nice and full. That or he swallowed a frog.

I have a great picture from that same evening of Jenna-grace holding a frog. But she has the same amount of clothing as Max does here. I am not sure if I want it out there on the Internet. She found three little frogs and said that they were a family. A mommy, daddy and baby. I made the mistake of asking which one was which and how she could tell. She said, ''that one is the mommy, because it is the biggest." Eric and I just busted out laughing!

Aiden my Mountain Climber! Wow!

At the Germantown Festival they had a climbing wall. Aiden seems to have grown out of the baby rides and wanted to climb. I had no idea he would be able to do it all by himself! He got almost to the top and decided he wanted to come down. But he didn't realize that the rope would slowly lower him if he let go. So he got scared, until we convinced him to just let go.

Look out world! We are all in trouble when these two get ready to drive!

Can you guess what was Jenna-grace's favorite ride?

Week 3

Last week was my most difficult so far. I'm tired and whiny. I missed two days because of other obligations. I was loosing motivation fast. But Friday night I ate a giant Huey's Burger and felt much better. Hee! Hee! But in all seriousness, I realized that I was not eating enough. Your body needs fuel to burn. Even when you have plenty in storage, it still needs some to get the engine started. So my focus for the next week is to remember that I am trying to get healthy. It is not all about calories! It is more about healthy food, and lots of healthy exercise! I did 2 miles in almost 20 min. on Saturday! This next week I am moving up to 2 1/2 miles.
Oh, BYU still rocks! 44-0 over Wyoming!

Week Two

A great week! I only missed Friday, because of a Young Women’s (church) meeting. I had plans to go play racketball that night, but the courts were all booked.
Saturday was the best. I ran 1 1/2 miles in 15 min! I wanted to puke, but I did it. And then BYU killed UCLA 59-0! Rise and shout! The Cougars are out!

For all of my readers who don't care about BYU and only want to see more pictures of the kids... Don't worry. It can't be too long before they do something worth blogging about.

The 8 week Plan

Over the past two years (since Max was born) Eric and I have been working on our health. We both felt that we had put on a few too many ‘baby pounds.’ Me gaining with the pregnancies. Especially the last two, being born only 11 months apart. I felt like I was pregnant for a solid two years! (Aren’t Elephants pregnant for that long?) Eric gaining out of sympathy for my pregnancies. (Who wants to eat ice cream alone at two in the morning?)
But over the last two years Eric and I have lost over 60 pounds each! We feel stronger and healthier, but not finished. We have more to lose, but the whole process is getting old. We took a break over the summer. Now we are ready to give one good last push before we put the diet on the shelf and just maintain a healthy lifestyle, for a while, without trying to lose.


It is an eight week program that we started on September 1st. Counting down to the Race for the Cure on October 25th. Our goal is to exercise everyday (except Sunday). On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I am going to either Stroller Strides or to kickboxing at the YMCA. Eric is doing push-ups. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday we are running. Our running plan starts at 1.5 miles each day and increases little by little to get us further and faster by race day.

I wanted to share this with you, our friends and family, because we have been so supported by you over the past two years. Your support and encouragement has made the difference for us.

Week 1: It is so hard starting any new routine. I ran the Chick-fil-A 5K on the 1st. I barely made it through the first two miles, and then had to walk the rest. 39 min. Not impressed. My best time is 35 min. I want to do the Race for the Cure in under 30. I have my work cut out for me. Then I skipped Tue. Uhhh, is busy an excuse? Wednesday’s kickboxing class was not up to par. It is not good when your instructor is more tired than you are. Then I skipped Thursday. Busy again! Still not an excuse. Friday I went to my first Stroller Strides class in over four months. Wow! I forgot how tuff and great that class is. I was sore for three days! Saturday was the first group meeting of the team I put together for the Big Race. I ended up helping a slower runner keep up her effort. Only 1 mile completed. Not the best week, but it can only up from here.

If you would like to join the team for the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure. Check out our team page. Click here.
Love you guys!

By the way, BYU won again last Saturday!! A game that we completely deserved to win, and won it fairly, no matter what the sports news people are saying! The officials made quite a few calls that were “iffy” against both teams. UCLA next week. It is going to be a tuff one, but this one is at home.