Thursday, September 30, 2010

My Broadway Boy

Jackson had his first mini concert of the year this afternoon. They sang three songs and it was so much fun to see how proud all of the kids were. I was able to record the first song until my Flip camera conveniently died - guess I should have taken the "low battery" signal seriously when I noticed it flashing at me two days ago. My little guy is quite the performer. He even gave a formal bow at the end of the show - too funny!

And now for your entertainment!




Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Wordless Wednesday


My favorite smiles in the entire world.



Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Crazy for car washes

I'm not even sure when it happened, but sometime over the last year, Jackson has developed a crazy obsession with car washes. Not trucks, dirt, or bugs - but car washes. Eric thinks it started when he took the car through one last summer and it absolutely terrified Jackson. Now one of his favorite activities is watching car wash videos on You Tube. I can't imagine what it must sound like to other parents on the playground when I shout, "Buddy, you will lose your car wash videos if you don't come here this instant!"

Last Christmas, his Uncle Nick and Aunt Amy gave him one of his most prized possessions to this day - a Matchbox Car Wash toy. If you could have only seen his reaction when he opened that baby up. Absolutely hysterical. It was one of those moments where I kicked myself over and over for not video taping the memory.


I spent over an hour playing "car wash" with my boy yesterday afternoon. It was a very long, repetitive game that I found myself yawning through at one point - but when I looked down at the grin on his face and witnessed his imagination in motion, I was able to stop and reflect on how much I wanted to remember this crazy obsession of his. I can't wait for the day when he's a teenager, moaning and groaning when I ask him to wash the car, and I can remind him that he used to beg me for some car washing time.



Monday, September 27, 2010

My battle of the bulge


After my pregnancy with Jackson, I was a physical wreck. I gained fifty-three pounds while pregnant with him. I guess you could say I took the term "eating for two" a tad too literal. Granted, the second he had evacuated my stomach, I dropped thirty pounds over night (I love how that happens, don't you?!). However, I was stuck at a very scary weight for me. I joined Weight Watchers and had great success with dropping twenty pounds. Even with that twenty pound loss, I still had around forty pounds to lose until I hit my goal weight. To this day, I still can't believe I allowed my body to become so unhealthy. Not only was I severely overweight, but I was completely inactive and had zero energy. Unfortunately, it's a vicious cycle - you're so tired from all the extra weight that you have no energy to exercise, therefore you can't lose the weight. And it continues and continues.

My pregnancy with Charlie was very different. I was much more focused on how much weight I was gaining. In fact, I actually lost eight pounds within the first few months from being so sick. In the end, I only gained thirteen pounds while pregnant with him. Over the last ten months, I have somehow managed to almost reach my goal weight. It's not only what I see in the mirror, but it's how I feel that reminds me daily how much healthier I have become. Exercise has become my best friend, no longer an enemy. I look at food and treat it like fuel rather than pleasure. That's not to say that I don't indulge here and there. Everyone who knows me is aware of my ice cream addiction!

Last week, I came to the realization that I am officially fifty-seven pounds less than I was two years ago. I'm not usually one to pat myself on the back, but this is something I am incredibly proud of. I've worked hard for it and no food in the world can taste as good as this feels.

Food belongs on a plate, not a pedestal.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

School days are here again

It's that time of year again. The temperature is dropping, the leaves are changing colors, and you start seeing children getting off the school buses in the afternoon. Yup, school days are here again. I still can't believe my oldest boy is in school already. Okay, technically he's not a school aged child yet - but he is in Pre-Kindergarten! Not quite Kindergarten, but no longer a preschooler. Or is "pre-kindergarten" just a fancy cover up title for an older preschooler? Either way, he loves going to school and Mommy loves the two and half hour break each afternoon! Jackson now goes to his school four afternoons a week. Tuesday through Friday afternoons, he gets to be with his friends and I get a brief period of time to catch up on things around the house before my son the tornado comes back. We've just finished up only the second week since school started again and we've all loved every minute of it.

Let me tell you, this boy was beyond excited to pick out his backpack for the new school year. Ever since he saw a Spongebob Squarepants pack at our local Wal-Mart, he was determined to carry Mr. Pants on his back this year. I tried to entice him with a lovely Buzz Lightyear pack or even a Spiderman pack - oh no, he wasn't having it. He wanted the famous sponge to accompany him to school each day. I was so thrilled when the one he picked out happened to be the cheesiest backpack I have ever seen. No one will ever be able to miss seeing my boy trotting up the sidewalk with this thing gleaming in the sun. Ready for this?

May I introduce you to Jackson's best friend this year - Spongebob Squarepants.



His first day of school was fantastic. He woke up that morning and could speak of nothing else but his new classroom, which friends from last year would be in his class, which new kids would he meet. He was so excited that he could barely eat his breakfast, and if you know my son, you would know that is almost unheard of. And get this - he was the one to insist on taking a bath that morning so he would be clean for his first day. He is such a character sometimes!

After getting dressed and handsome, he was ready to take the standard "first day of school" pictures in front of our house. What blew me away was taking a peek at his first day picture from last year and comparing it to this year. He has grown so much, it's hard to believe.


























On our drive to the school, you can only guess what music he wanted to listen to. You got it - the Spongebob Squarepants soundtrack. Awesome. I couldn't help but laugh a little when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw his head bobbing along to the beat of the music. When we arrived, he jumped out of the car and immediately saw his best buddy, Damian, getting out of his car at that same moment. I'm not kidding, it was like they were long lost brothers - they ran towards each other and embraced in a huge hug. I could almost hear the corny violins and see everything in slow motion.

We walked the boys into the classroom and Jackson immediately found his cubby. He put his backpack away and we found his place at the table. He insisted on sitting next to Damian and his other best friend, Isabella. It was so fun to see the three of them together again - I always called them the "Three Amigos". So cute.

Hard at work already.


It's going to be a great year.


Saturday, September 25, 2010

I want to ride my biiiicycle!


I have a new love. Don't worry, Eric knows all about it. Bicycling. Dear Lord, why have I not been doing this my entire life? Over the last week, I have been putting more miles on these legs than ever before. We literally live three minutes away from the Centennial Trail, a thirty-seven mile paved trail that runs along the river. It is absolutely breathtaking and so phenomenal to see on a bike. I can't believe how fortunate I am to be able to jump on my bike and ride directly onto the trail within minutes. How have we lived in this house for over five years and I have never done this before now? Seriously, I keep asking myself that question out loud while riding - people must think I'm crazy when they hear me talking to myself as I pass them.

I rode seven miles this evening and it was the most fulfilling exercise I have gotten in months. Not only because my heart was pumping and my legs were burning, but because I was in the midst of nature and sunshine. What could be better than that while burning a ton of calories? The feel of the breeze on my face, the sound of the river rushing by, and the smell of pine trees in the air. It's especially beautiful right now with autumn on the horizon - all the colors are sensational.

I do think it's hysterical that I've discovered my love of cycling right at the end of summer. All I can think about is how I could have been doing this for the last five or so months. But I plan on packing in a lot of riding in the next month or two before the snow flies.

Maybe this time next year, I'll have those awesome biker legs. One can hope, right?


Friday, September 24, 2010

Back in the saddle again!

It's hard for me to believe that I haven't written since July. I mean, really? How is it possible that over two months have passed and it literally feels like two seconds? I'm not going to lie - the more time that went by without blogging, the less I wanted to do it because I started feeling overwhelmed by it. How silly is that? I realized that I spent so much time trying to think of a good topic to blog about, I never wanted to sit down and actually just write.

So here I am - I'm back and I'm ready to blog! It's been far too long and life around our household continues to change with each passing week. Starting tomorrow, I'm back and my blog is going to become something it has never been before. I plan on writing at least three times a week, but let's cross our fingers for even more.

In the meantime, I leave you with this precious picture of Charlie Boy. I snuck in to check on him about thirty minutes after putting him to bed, and this is what I found. Enjoy!