Working out with Mom

There are a few things that I want my children to grow up always knowing, things like:

Who they are, and where they came from

Their Heavenly Father loves them

Mom and Dad LOVE them no matter what

Santa only brings gifts to believers

and...

Working out is important!

I want them to grow up knowing that physical exercise is not only fun...but necessary. I don't care how skinny you naturally are...exercise is still IMPORTANT (especially when you eat as much junk food as I do)!!

I am by NO means a fitness expert or even fanatic, BUT on the odd days when I feel good (i.e. not completely exhausted from this pregnancy), we get all geared up (panties and tank tops for Hailey, onesie undershirts for Paige) and head on down to the basement to get in a good workout.

We do things like:

Yoga - downward dog (with my back acting as a ramp for anything and everything)



We do a little 'modified' Child's Pose


And we try to get in some abs too


Sometimes we get some stretching in too


It's pretty funny...you've got to see them doing jumping jacks. And Hailey's lunges and squats are HILARIOUS!!!

Anyway, I feel like I'm teaching them a good lesson. I hope they remember these times and learn to love fitness even more than me one day! And hopefully...just hopefully their form will improve:)

Mexico

So we went on another trip to Mexico...it seems to be our favourite destination. And why not? It's gorgeous! The Weather is perfect! The People are Great! And It's Gorgeous. Did I mention that it's gorgeous?

This trip we went back to Puerto Vallarta where I travelled two years ago with my girls (see This post). I had so much fun with My Mom and Brother, cousins and Aunts and Uncles, that when the opportunity came up to do it all over again, we JUMPED on it!! This time Ben came along, and this time we didn't bring our girls. Which honestly is a whole separate post. We wanted a chance to Holiday without kids, and it was wonderful; BUT I missed them sooooo much! Honestly, if we go again we'll for sure bring the kids! They make it so much more fun!

We did take full advantage of our 'freedom' and relaxed, played a LOT, and relaxed some more. Eating dinner at night was a DREAM! Sleeping in as long as I wanted was much needed. And spending some quality time with my hubby was perfection!

On this trip we:

We went shopping in Bucerias



Went swimming with the Dolphins (well Ben, my cousin's husband and their two sons)


We lounged on the Beach

Helloooo...model pose!

We ate breakfast on the Balcony with the crashing waves as our soundtrack

We Boogie Boarded a LOT

Helloooo preggo belly (23 weeks)
We went surfing (well Ben and my cousins husband did...the rest of watched)


We ate Tacos at little roadside stands and restaurants

We went on a sunset boat ride, landed on a candle lit beach, watched an amazing show (with crazy characters), and ate a delicious meal.

We went Whale watching and snorkeling....sorry I don't have pictures. I'll explain: I knew we were going on a tiny boat, I knew we were going to see Humpback whales (40+ feet long), and I knew that when my cousin went a few years ago the whale swam right under their boat and surfaced RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM!! So I was worried that we were going to get tipped over and I didn't want my camera to get ruined (my life obviously wasn't as important). So I left it (the camera) back at the resort. My cousins have pictures which I'll have to bum off them, because it really was so exceptionally amazing!

Another thing 'we' did...that didn't include me was Zip lining! Ben and my cousin and her husband went and because I'm pregnant I wasn't allowed to. I can't even begin to describe how sad this was for me! Which means...I'll just have to go back to do it again when I'm not pregnant!



Anyway, the trip was so fun! I loved hanging out with a few of my cousins and Aunts and Uncles...getting to know them better. I loved going to church and having no clue what anyone was talking about. I loved sitting in the car while Ben did his best to fit in on the crazy Mexican roads. I loved the food...Pinadas, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole etc. I just LOVED it all. And best of all? I loved coming home to my sweet girls who were so wonderfully taken care of by their Aunt Sarah and Uncle Nick as well as their Aunt Lauren and Uncle Chris. We're so grateful to them for watching our girls!

Another week via the iPhone.

I'm a week or two late on this one...but at least I'm getting something done around here. Here is a glimpse into our life (2 weeks late):

Playing 'school bus' together...these two PLAY so well together 95% of the time. And the other 5% of the time? Well, we're still recovering.

Tired after a Day at cousins Max's Birthday Party

My pregnant Belly...22weeks

Decorating the Family Tree...Big sister Helping little Elf

Decorating the Girls tree...and clearly eating chocolate

Making Crafts...like robots and other fun things

More sleeping because the 'sneezles' made their rounds in our home

2:00 am self portraits after watching the latest Twilight movie never turn out well...you just end up looking like the Bad Vampires everyone's afraid of. (I was actually trying to get a shot of my makeup...it clearly was too late to even bother)

21 Weeks

21 Weeks now! So I've already posted about our Ultrasound experience and not knowing what we're having. I'm actually kind of excited about this baby being a surprise. I'm still going to guess 'girl' though because that seems like a safe bet in my home.

At 21 weeks I'm definitely showing, there's no hiding this baby bump, although I'm notorious for forgetting it's there. I'm always side swiping my kids with this thing...or getting stuck in awkward places because the belly won't fit. I'm still trying to decide if I should make the full switch to maternity clothes. Most of what I wear isn't maternity...with the exception of a few pairs of sweats. But I think it's that that time...I may just need to take that leap. I really do LOVE maternity clothes, but I just hate being stuck in them for too long.

I'm still feeling good, not too sick, not sore yet etc. My blood pressure is CRAZY low though, and I find I'm constantly dizzy, lightheaded and exhausted! I feel like I'm being drugged...that's how tired I am. It could also be due to the fact that I'm actually really busy. I have two little kids to take care of, I teach a million piano students and I have a busy calling at church.

We haven't really started preparing for this baby in any way (I still have a little more then 4 months so it's no rush). But we did set up the toddler bed in Hailey's room with the hope that Paige will decide to leave the crib and sleep in there. She NOT interested at all. She LOVES her crib. She can climb in and out of it without problem, but when it's bedtime she willingly stays in it all night long. She just LOVES her crib!! So we'll have to see what happens in the next few months. We're not really pushing it because there's plenty of space in our room for the baby. But one day the babes will need it's own room...and bed. Which means Paige will be making the move. Poor girl.

Anyway, enough of the chatting, here's my 21 week pic:

A week from the iphone

Playing Baby and (naked) Momma in Cousin Millie's car seat

Doing a little Jungle dance with the scarf Nana and Grandpa brought mommy from St Maarten

Me Tarzan, You...CRAZY?

Begging Dad to take us to the wave pool (which he did...and we had a blast)

Playing with Daddy's iPhone

Sunday naps...maybe a bit sick

I never thought

-I never thought I'd defend my ability to have children to strangers so much. "Yes...because you asked...I AM old enough to have kids. I have been for quite some time. But that's not what you mean right? Ok, I'm married....have been for almost 9 years! Therefore I think it's OK to have two children and one of the way! Now send your judging somewhere else please!"
-I never though that after an hour of explaining germs to my 4 year old I'd just give up and tell her it's all magic and not to worry anymore. I was JUST trying to explain why she needed to keep her 'sneeze in her sleeve'.
-I never thought I'd hear my two year old walk into the room while I was in sweats, vegged out on the couch, and say "aaaawkward". Thanks 'child of mine' who I so lovingly have cared for all these years. Thanks.
-I never thought I'd be making pretend band-aids (out of kleenex and tape) for my kids because the real ones have magically disappeared.

It's a...

Surprise!

Yes...we're having a surprise:

We went in for our 19 week ultrasound last week. We were desperate and excited to find out what we were having. I've felt like it was a boy this whole time, Ben was pretty sure it was going to be a boy too. We really don't have a preference either way though. I have pretty strong opinion about this actually. For some reason everyone seems to think that I NEED a boy. Well, I'd LOVE to have a boy. But I think a girl would be equally as fun! In fact it would be kind of magical! And contrary to popular belief...you don't need one of each to make a proper family. I am fully capable of LOVING the family I have, just the way it is!!

Can you tell I have a bit of an issue with this?

Anyway, on to the ultrasound. In the past my babies have been VERY active....so much so that I have always been asked to come back again the next day because they had a hard time getting pictures of my busy baby. Not the case this time. This little baby just slept the whole time. The baby was curled up in a corner and didn't budge the whole time. This made for a quick and very easy ultrasound...until it came to getting leg and foot measurements as well as gender guessing!! The baby was in the perfect position to hide it's goods...which means we don't even have a good guess at all! With Paige, the ultrasound tech didn't get a good look, but still was able to tell us she was most likely a girl. This time was different...she couldn't even come close to guessing. At all!

So we got one grainy little profile picture (another hard one to get because the baby LOVED getting all squishy with my placenta...which doesn't make for good profile opportunities).


With this picture I at least I feel like there's a baby on it's way...even if we have no idea what we're having!

P.S. After this Ultrasound...I'm leaning towards it being a girl now!

Halloween...as it really was!

Life has been a bit busy lately...almost overwhelmingly busy. For example, on Halloween we went in for a our BIG ultrasound early in the morning (more on that later), then I drove to my sisters house (an hour away) and spent the afternoon cutting and prepping vinyl for our HUGE craft day at church this Saturday. We got stuck in serious rush hour traffic on our way home, and made it in the door just in time to throw these girls into their costumes and head out the door for some trick or treating.

In the mad rush of things...I forgot to try and get some decent pictures (i.e. use the right setting on my camera), so instead I got these blurry pictures of kids who wouldn't cooperate.

BUT, you know what? This is how our day really was. This is what my life really is. I don't have a perfect or clean house, my kids aren't models, they don't get along all the time, and sometimes life is plain ol' CRAZY!! When I think about recording our memories...I want to make sure I'm accurately recording them. I want to remember my REALITY and not my DREAMS! So there you have it! I've got a few rascally little munchkins who are dearly loved and adored! We have a LOT of fun being less then perfect..and that's just perfect to us!










p.s. in case you were wondering...the girls got some serious candy! Thanks to three rounds of trick or treating. The parents in this house may have been pushing the extra trick or treating so we could guiltlessly sneak their candy at night:) maybe.

Halloween Prep

Hailey is VERY VERY excited for this baby to come...excited in the way that she asks almost every day if it's time to go to the doctor to get the baby out! So we've made a little countdown of fun events that will happen BEFORE the baby comes.

First is Halloween...

Hailey got all dressed up for a party at school and did a few cheerleader poses for the camera before.

Paige has an equally as cute bumblebee costume that she'll hopefully wear this year (she's the mascot for Hailey's cheerleading game, and also has a set of pom-poms in order to get the crowd excited).

Then tonight we carved pumpkins! So fun and soooooo gross according to the girls. I LOVE having kids around to let me enjoy these kind of traditions. I just feel so much better carving a pumpkin when there's a kid beside me who's more excited than anything to see the finished product.

Hailey brought out her scary face to get in the mood...

If I look a little tired here...it's because I am. Do you love Paige's new smile? Arrrgh.

So next we have the actual Day of Halloween. We've already plotted out our route and plan to hit up all the scariest houses on our street. Paige has been practicing her "boooooo's" to scare every one! And both girls have got their "trick or treat's" down pat.

After Halloween, we've got a few other dates on our 'countdown' to cross off, they are:
-Christmas
-New Years
-Valentines Day
-St Patrick's Day
-and the BABY!
Did I miss any?

Maybe it's time for a weekly

I have been reading other blogs lately...stalking a LOT actually (that's what happens when your library membership expires and you're too lazy to renew it). Without books to spend my time on I've had to read blogs...and because of that, I have decided that I like the idea of a weekly column - or whatever you call it. Anyway, I've been trying to think of some sort of subject I could use as a 'weekly' and I think I figured it out. My 'weekly' will be called:

"I never thought..."

The life of a mom is often so hilariously sad that I thought it would be helpful to share some of the daily battles I fight. So here are this weeks battles:

-I never thought I'd get in a heated debate with my 4 year old about Vaccines. Really? Since when did I even have that strong of an opinion? And why was I even arguing it with my 4 year old...who's all caught up on her vaccines for years to come.

-I never thought I'd get pantsed (i.e. pants pulled down) at the grocery store by my two year old? Really? I guess that's what I get for wearing maternity jeans that are a few sizes too big...but they're soooo comfortable!

-I never thought I'd bribe my two year old to go potty in exchange for getting her soother? Really? Shouldn't I be working on taking it away?

-I never thought I'd give my kids fake medicine to keep them quite. Really? Who does that? A little juice in the medicine syringe works every time....hehehe I'm evil

*and finally for this week*

-I never thought my two year old would be so good at putting on her own makeup...every single DAY!!

So that's it this week...I'll have more to share next Friday.

Update

On me only...

I was the BEST at recording my pregnancy with Hailey, and the WORST at recording it with Paige. I really do cherish the pictures I took of myself with Hailey and I wish I'd done better with Paige, so this time around I've decided to take more belly pics. It's fun to look back and see if I'm bigger or smaller then I was in the past.

So here I am in my 17 week glory!
I'm feeling good...but still very tired!

I haven't felt any baby kicks yet (anterior placenta to blame for this)

I stopped my 'Insanity workout' a couple weeks ago because it was too much for me. I still try to ride to exercise bike 3-4 times a week. I remember with Paige's pregnancy that if I kept moving I felt a TON better. So that's my goal this time again.

I'm still morning sickness free! Sort of. I get nauseous here and there, but NOTHING like my other pregnancies.

We're going to find out what we're having on Halloween day (if the baby cooperates)

Hailey loves thinking up names for the baby (Princess, Raggedy Ann, Strawberry Fruitcake etc.)

Paige loves kissing my tummy and talking to the baby

Ben still hasn't quite accepted that another baby is on it's way.

Besides that we're just really busy around here with Ben working a LOT, School for Hailey, Super Saturday business for church, Teaching Piano, etc. I'm feeling a bit worn out...but this is the life I signed up for, so I'll gladly play along.

Why Yes...I did have a Birthday!

Thanks for asking:)

So this year my Birthday sort of crept up on us...like it always does. Somehow life gets so busy in September that the early October Birthday's get forgotten. I'm not complaining....really. But it's true, it's also a little frustrating when your Birthday falls just days before Thanksgiving. Not as many people are excited about celebrating it with all the other exciting things going on. But this is my Birthday and I LOVE IT...plus I truly believe some of the best people are born in October:)

Anyway, Ben just so happened to work late on my Birthday, I just so happened to pick up 4 new piano students for the evening of my Birthday, and we just so happened to be broke. YAY Birthday! I did have a great day though, I took the girls to Walmart and closed my eyes as they each picked out two things to buy me...then I closed my eyes as I paid for them. I spent the day doing laundry (which sounds lame, but when you've been without a washer for over a week, and you finally got a new one the day before your Birthday...nothing is more exciting then 10 loads of laundry. Which clearly makes me a mom). Anyway, it really was a good day...just so normal and lovely. Lauren babysat my kids for me while I taught Piano (and so kindly helped them wrap their presents for me) and my good friend Lahni made me a brownie (with a candle) to snack on before piano lessons. With good friends and family, and a wonderfully normal everyday life, I honestly couldn't have asked for more.

When Ben got home LATER that night we had a quick little party.

Ben was sooooo excited!

I was very surprised with the nail polish the girls bought me

I had to read the fine print on the mascara Hailey picked out...it looked kind of interesting

And I helped the girls put on the 'lipstick' they bought me

Then the camera died...therefore no pictures of the fabulous cake (which I made). It was delish!

To really celebrate my Birthday Ben and I went out for Vietnamese and a movie on the weekend. It was fun. So we did make up for the kind of normal and boring Birthday I had. But like I said...I really was happy with the way the day unfolded.