Exhausted!!

I am SOOO tired. I have been sewing and crocheting like crazy this Christmas season! I can't wait to share pics of some of the stuff I have made...I'm very proud but some that might read this or pass the info along will have something on there! I spent 12 hours yesterday working on one gift! Yes, 12 hours! Okay, that does include getting the kids ready and Devon off to school...along with meals and such but still 12 hours! I couldn't sleep and ended up getting up about 4:30am-5am...so I started cutting out the pieces, ironing the fabric, etc. About 5pm, it was FINALLY done. I love how it turned out tho and hope the recipient likes it too. Today I spent several hours working on a little BIG gift for one of my nephews. I think he's going to love it, but wow, when the idea was in my head it didn't seem like so much work! That is how most of my projects have turned out...to be a bit more work than I planned on. They seem so clear and simple in my head! At least, so far, they have ended up looking like what I had in my head! Just a few more projects and then I AM DONE! And I will finally be able to enjoy the holidays, I hope!


On top of all the work, I am not sleeping very good! I'm running on less than the needed hours of sleep and the new birth control pill is sending my hormones on a roller coaster ride. I'm waiting for all that to settle down! Current mood: short-tempered and big mouthed! I apologize now for anything that I may say in this state! Just remember, I am running on little sleep, messed up hormones and working my butt off while gaining an insanely stupid amount of weight for no reason! I'm trying to be happy about what I can but hey, some things just aren't in our control!

It's beginning to look alot like...

Christmas! We have snow...everywhere! It is freezing cold! The stores and roads are full of people looking to get their shopping done. Our tree is up, and decorated so beautifully by the kids. The stockings are hung and the lights are up outside. My house is a mess with my sewing machines, fabric and crocheting EVERYWHERE! Devon has just gotten over strep, and most of us over our colds. Our tub upstairs is constantly clogging...we keep thinking it's clear and then the next day, no draining, again! Downstairs is freezing and we have to figure out a way to keep it warmer(Probably look into adding another vent). At least gift shopping/making is almost done. Just a few more days of constant sewing to get that finished! We have 2 Christmas parties today and the kids get to see "Santa". It'll be fun. It's supposed to snow and going to be very cold once again! Oh, Christmas time! It's beautiful and stressful at the same time! I do love this time of year tho! I look forward to Christmas morning when the kids are so excited to see what Santa brought them this year. I hope they enjoy all the stuff that I made them too!

We get to see Jared's parents soon, the kids are looking forward to seeing Grandma and Grandpa...I'm looking forward to having some family around close to the holidays this year. My parents talked about coming but it didn't work out this year. Last year I really missed family. It seems the last couple of years I've wanted to be around family more. I know it's not a bad thing but $$ really prevents us from seeing them as much as we would like. I know the kids wish they could see them more. They love visiting grandparents or having them come visit us.

Oh, it really is the most wonderful time of the year. I love the spirit of the season (just avoid the mall so you can keep feeling it! ) and the reason we celebrate. I hope I can help to make it enjoyable for our family! I know the kids are already excited and happy about it!

Merry Christmas!

Running....

So, April said I had to write about this since it's about our lives. So I decided to sign up for a 10K run that they did on base. I don't normally like running in things like this, so I normally don't like signing up for them, but it was free, and I thought, well, anything that's free right now, is good. So, I signed up after receiving some much needed encouragement from April. I figured I shouldn't have much trouble running a 10K anyways, since that's what I normally ran, I think, during PT three times a week. I really had no idea because I've never tracked my current running routine at PT. So, long story short, I ran, came in fifth overall out of about 20 or 30 people...ran it in 45 minutes, not bad...for me. I was a little perturbed by the fact that I couldn't catch the 45 year old in front of me no matter how hard I tried, but that aside, I had a good time running. As long as I'm not last, I'm good! I guess it's better than sitting in front of the TV watching Saturday morning cartoons!

Halloween....and our New Addition to the Family!

So...the kids just had a BLAST at Halloween this year! We went out trick-or-treating with some friends. The kids got their candy and other treats....Devon got scared out of his mind once! And we had the superhero bunch with us. Devon was his current "favorite" superhero..Ironman! And Ellie......... Well, we couldn't believe it but she wanted to be Superman! Yes, Superman!! We found her a Supergirl costume and she "flew" all over the house the first time that she put it on! Oh she loves that costume....but, just like a girl...her favorite part is the "shoes"! Aren't they just a crazy bunch!!

And now...for the new addition!What?! Were you expecting a baby?! I know...I am so mean...aren't I? Our "New Addition" is our piano. Yes, we are insane! I am totally in love with this right now! We are officially broke now...but hopefully it'll be worth it! (I know...I am so spoiled!) Devon is wanting to start piano lessons...and this has a lot of features that hopefully Jared will use too as "background" music when he's playing his sax. Christmas came early for our family...but hey, when you get a good deal...you gotta take it!

And for the final fun of it...this has karaoke...yes karaoke. There's a mic you hook up and everything...shows the words on the songs right on the screen! We don't have many yet...we are still awaiting the additional ones that are supposed to be coming soon!

The sweeties

Family pictures preview!

Finally had the chance to have annie take our pictures! I love her work!
Here's the preview! Aren't my kids cute?! They look so innocent...but really, in that first one I know Ellie is thinking... "How can I drive Mom crazy tomorrow?"

http://sweetyesterdaysphotos.blogspot.com/2009/10/sweet-ts.html

Hard Times

We all have our hard days and hard times. Lately, it seems like there is so much that it's hard to not think about it. It's always pressing on my mind, always something I have to try to deal with, forget or figure out. What I hate most about it is how shut off I become because of it. I shut myself off from family and friends, trying to deal with everything.

Today I had a wonderful blessing in my life. A friend with sick kids, asked for my help....simple nothing, just picking things up from the store, but very helpful for me. For a moment, I got relief from my problems...a break, a chance to breathe. Instead of dealing with my own, for a moment, I got to help with someone else's. And when I had to come back to my world...things seemed a little bit lighter, and a little bit easier. There are still things that I must deal with, but at least I have a fresh mind and heart to try once again.

I know they say that service helps to lighten our burdens but I never felt it as much today. I might not be able to talk about all my problems with my friends but at least I can find relief in helping them out. So thank you Stacy for giving me the chance to serve you today and for the help that it's given me.

Works of Art

Ever have a time when you look back and say to yourself "What was I thinking?" Well, we did! For family home evening I got the brilliant idea to let the kids have some kind of craft activity while we did our lesson, to hopefully keep them distracted. So, at the dollar store we found these little boards to paint....and here's what came to be! Okay, it wasn't really that bad. The kids had fun and behaved for the most part.
Devon wanted to go without a shirt instead of changing into one that could get messy. Oh well, he still stayed cleaned.
Ellie seemed to really enjoy it.

Hand prints were the best! At least, the kids thought so. The brush tickled when I painted their hands....and of course, they had to paint their hands themselves after that.

Daddy was pretty tired and falling asleep. Poor guy, very worn out.

It's a little blurry but so cute! What a little monster, not to mention she loves having her picture taken.

And the final creations! What fun! Tomorrow after they are dry we are going to hang them up on their walls. Devon was pretty mad at me so he wouldn't smile for this picture. Mostly, he was really working hard not to smile. Oh well, it's a usual Devon face!

Labor Day Weekend!

Oh What a busy weekend! But we have had fun! We had a family movie night on Friday and then Saturday Morning we went out to Antelope Island to the Balloon Stampede. It was too windy that day for the hot-air balloons to go up, but they at least had these pretty cool large kites out there. They also had a whole blow-up play area for the kids, slides and bounce house...really fun. Devon's favorite was the big slide! He just kept going on that and would have kept doing it all day long! Ellie, on the other hand, was afraid on the blow-up stuff. We aren't really sure but we think it might be because she didn't have the solid footing that she is used to. Ellie did, however, really like the big kites out there. She enjoyed watching them, while they bored Devon. At least they both had something they liked though! We also FINALLY finished our fence. It has taken us a YEAR. It is not so much that it is that hard just that we have been putting it off. We needed to finish staining the rest of the pieces and finally put them up. It looks beautiful though. Oh accomplishment! What a wonderful feeling! On to the next project.....one day!

On Sunday, I experimented and made some homemade pizza sauce. We have had a lot of good luck with our tomatoes growing but haven't been using them up very quickly, even giving half of them away! So, to use up some of those tomatoes I attempted the pizza sauce. It actually turned out pretty decent and we had homemade pizza that day. Yummy! The kids ate it up. I guess sometimes I can pretend to be a cook!

Then Monday (today) we took care of some things around the house we'd been neglecting over the weekend. :-) Then for dinner we went on a picnic to a duck pond. The kids like going out there to feed the ducks bread. After we finished eating, the kids saw one little duck close by where we were so they went over to start giving it some bread. After they started throwing bread in the water, a bunch of ducks started swimming over. In a just a short time, the kids were surrounded but having the best time. Afterwards, we went on a little walk around the pond.

It was such a nice weekend and the kids are definitely worn out! So are we! Hopefully we all sleep well now!!

8 Years

On the 25th of last month we celebrated our 8 year anniversary. Yes, it has been 8 years. I can't even believe that we have been married for that long, but at times, it feels like it has been longer. Also last month, we had 2 siblings get married (Congrats Adam & Leslie and Trisha & Ryan!). We thought back on the beginning of our marriage and just thought "Wow, they don't know what they are in for!" :-) Marriage is hard and every one has it's struggles. We have had our struggles and at times, really didn't think we were going to make it through. And honestly, a few times, we almost didn't make it. We survived them, and we've just become better and closer because of them. We still have a long way to go to get to where we want, but we are headed there and we have years of being together ahead to learn what we need to about marriage.

I love my husband very much. I am so proud of him and everything he is doing and starting to accomplish right now. I know a lot of it is hard for him. It is hard to put into words how I feel about him. Each day I look forward to him coming home from work. I'm glad he is in my life. We have our problems and our fights, but we make it through them. Thank you for staying with me for so long Jared. I love you!

(Hopefully Jared will add on to this later :-) )

Here is my add on! First, I say a huge "amen" to everything that April said! It has been a pretty difficult road for us, for sure. I'd be lying if I said that I never thought about giving up, wondering what it's all for. I'm glad for the struggles, though, and am trying to get to where I welcome the ones we'll have in the future. I'm not there yet. I know that I love my wife though. She has given me the two best gifts I have in my life in Devon and Ellie...I learn from them daily. She cares for them while I toil away at work everyday, and I believe that she definitely has the tougher job, and the more important one. My job puts food on our table, but hers puts direction and meaning into lives by planting seeds of faith in our two little crazies! All I have to say to April is thank you for putting up with me. For seeing in me what I cannot, or will not, for many reasons, see for myself. I know it takes a lot of faith in a person to look past shortcomings and see what they can become, and not what they are...I admire that in you. I do look forward to our many years together and struggling through whatever life throws our way, and doing it together....which is most important. I love you with all my heart!

1st Place!

This weekend Jared ran a 5K and got first place! He finished in just under 20 minutes. Okay, it was our community 5K but he still did great!

Then this morning, Jared had his PT assessment (military fitness assessment). He accomplished his personal best since being in the military and his goal that he's been working on for at least a year. He finished his 1.5 miles is only 8 minutes and 53 seconds! Under 9 minutes was his goal, he beat last year's time, 9 minutes 11 seconds! Getting older and only faster! Congrats Jared!

Ellie's Birthday!

So I'm finally posting pictures from Ellie's birthday last month. She turned 2! Our little girl is 2.....thinks and acts like she's 16 sometimes. :-) We didn't do much but she got to have Grandma and Grandpa Tobler up here for her birthday as they were awaiting the arrival of their new little grand-daughter. Ellie got to go and make herself a teddy bear and get clothes for it. We went out to lunch and then opened gifts. What a fun day! Then Ellie and Devon played with the kitchen all day. At least they MOSTLY played nice together.

New Plane!!

So, I got the go ahead from the wife to buy a new plane! I've got two of the Parkzone planes now, this one is the Typhoon 2 3D...flew it for the first time today. It is much more responsive than the T-28 Trojan I've been flying around! I didn't even touch my high rates today...the low rates threw it around well enough for me! Lands differently too. Going to need to get used to landing it with power on, doesn't glide as well as my Trojan. I had a lot of fun with it though, the control surfaces have a really good amount of throw on them at low rates, pretty surprising. It's still in one piece even with my less than perfect landings today...so I call it a successful day! Hope to get some video sometime if I can ever remember to bring the video camera with us when I go to fly! Good times!

Over 30 days now!

Well, it's been over 30 days since starting to be better about exercising, and exercising with a buddy. I have to admit, exercise with someone makes such a HUGE difference. This last little bit has been hard though since my workout buddy broke her toe and hasn't been able to workout. Get Better Soon Stacy!

I do feel much better then I did when we started though, I have to admit. I haven't been perfect at all my goals but I have kept trying. I do feel better about my self-image, I have more energy and just all around feel much better and healthier. I can't wait for Stacy to get feeling better though! I'm not so great at working out on my own still! Thanks to the family bike rides though, I've been able to keep something up at least.

Thanks Stacy for all the help with working out! I couldn't have done any of it without a workout buddy and someone to push me to work out on my lazy days!

The "NEW" Bike

Devon got himself a 'new' bike! It's a trail along bike! He absolutely loves it!! He's been having a blast. We got it all cleaned up yesterday but just needed a part. I was able to find it at a bike shop today and we were set.

Devon was scared at first, but after the first ride, he didn't want to stop. I think Jared ended up taking Devon around on about 5 or 6 different bike rides.

Then, Later this evening, after dinner, we went for a family ride. Devon was right there on his bike, just having a good time, telling Jared to go faster. Devon wasn't just dragging along either. He helped pedal the whole time. We ended up going about 3 or 4 miles, with a rest stop at the park in-between so the kids could have some play time! He wasn't even tired after, just wanted to keep going! It's amazing the energy a 5 year old has!! This wonderful 'new' bike we have now was a 'gift' from the very generous Rodemacks! They just gave this to us the other night when we stopped to talk. It was last used by their kids at least 10 years ago. It was so kind of them to just give this to us without letting us give them something in return! We are very blessed with good friends and neighbors!

TuTu

For some reason, I decided the other day that I wanted to make a tutu for Ellie. It's not like she has ever shown that much interest in anything like that, so I really don't know what made me look up how to make one. Anyways, I did and it wasn't that hard. So we hit the fabric store and $10 and 1 hour later, we had this! She likes it but doesn't. She'll wear it for awhile, dance around in it and then ask to take it off. :-) It turned out really puffy but I think it's fun and cute! Maybe she'll like them and I can make more. It was kind of fun. She would probably love a Superman Cape more since she's always stealing Devon's. :-) My little girl!

Preschool Graduation!

Devon had his preschool graduation on May 21st! My little man is 5 years old and moving onto kindergarten now! He is growing up so fast, but he's growing up into a good little man. Devon will be starting kindergarten in August! He's exicted and he has a few friends from preschool in his new class. He will miss preschool though and Ms. Liz. I'm sure we'll have to stop by every now and then! These are the cupcakes I was assigned to make! Yes, they are all a different color. That was fun. It all started last year when I made cupcakes for Devon's birthday. He wanted everyone a different color for his class....no big deal, just 6 kids. Well, they loved them so much, Liz asked me to make them for graduation last year and again this year. The kids think they are so fun and they can pick their favorite color!

The Class! (From Left to Right: Daxton, Sydnee, Joe, Truman, McKay, Madelyn, Devon, and Jayne) Nobody would look forward. :-) Close up of Devon. Here's Devon collecting his graduation certificate from his teacher, Ms. Liz.

And the cute little gifts that Ms. Liz makes for each student. There's a scrapbook with projects from each month, pictures, graduation pictures framed and goodies. The kids love them.

Halfway

I have to admitt, I haven't been so great at 30 straight days of cardio. BUT, thanks to Stacy, I have been working out Monday-Friday since I started this. I've lost a bit as you can see from my updated measurements and Stacy lost an inch off her waist and some off her thighs! Gotta love improvements! I have more energy and am feeling better about my body, although slowly. :-) Almost done with the 30 days but I have to admitt I'm already feeling the change! Best of luck to continued success!

30 days to my "Perfect" Body

Okay that might sound crazy but let me explain. I have set a goal for myself of working out for 30 days straight. My problem whenever I try to do less than 7 days a week is that once I miss a day, I miss 2 weeks. :-) My goal is at least 30 minutes of cardio every day for those 30 days. I also do strength training (with 2-3 days of more intense weight for some muscle building) and skin brushing. (Yes for me, this does include Sundays. We are suppose to do uplifting things that help bring us closer to the spirit that day. For me, exercising is very uplifting. I feel happier and my head is more clear so I can feel those things I need to more. These are my feelings towards it and just an opinion. Everyone has their own.)

If you haven't tried skin brushing, it's wonderful! It can be very relaxing and has some nice benefits. Skin brushing exfoliates your skin, helps detox you body, give you more energy, it can also help firm your skin and reduce cellulite! Yeah, it does work. The thing with it though is that is usually take at least 30 days to start to notice the real benefits of it. If I can get a week in I can tell a difference. My skin gets much smoother. You can do a search for "Dry Skin Brushing" on google and find out many things about it, and ways to do it. Some methods are more complicated than others. I really don't have much time so I do a simple way like this-
"Begin brushing your skin in long sweeping strokes starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction. Always brush towards the heart. Try and brush several times in each area, over-lapping as you go." (found here: http://www.jashbotanicals.com/articles/skin_brushing.html)
If you have stretch marks or cellulite in an area you can brush that area extra. Also a nice thing is a couple drops of Lavender Essential Oil to the brush before you brush...sweet smell and relaxing. If you try it, let me know what you think!

So now, the "perfect" body part. At the end of 30 days I do not expect to have the perfect body. I do not think I will look like a Victoria Secret's Model. My goal for my "perfect" body is feeling healthy, having energy and being happy with the way I look. I want to play with my kids without getting winded. I want to feel good about the way I look and sometimes, it's not our size that makes us feel that way, it the way we take care of ourselves.

Right now I'm on day 4. So far so good.
Good luck to everyone out there trying to get healthier!

Accomplishment!

I have to write this now before the kids wake up and the whining, fighting and complaining begin to ruin my good mood. It took some effort but I am proud of my little accomplishment this morning. I was able to get myself up around 5ish to hit the treadmill. Okay, so the plan was 5am but I hit the alarm and laid in bed for a few minutes trying to give myself a pep-talk to get going. About 15 minutes later I was finally able to get up and get my workout clothes on. Then, I went and laid in bed for 5 minutes. :-) I finally did it though. I got myself up and went down stairs and did a mile of running (I know not much but I felt so winded) and an additional mile+ of some fast-paced inclined walking, followed by alittle cool down. I made it through 30 minutes of cardio! Yay! My goal is to be able to run that whole 30 minutes. One day!

So this is just a small accomplishment, only one day of getting up this early, but we need to celebrate the little victories in life or we'll always be disappointed for falling short of the big ones.

Good Morning!!

It's who I am

I am a wife, and a mother.

I am happy, sad, exhausted, energetic, joyful, depressed, excited, understanding, impatient, and mad. And I can be all those things at the same time.

I am beautiful. I am insecure about my looks.
I am intelligent and yet dumb at the same time.
I know what I'm saying even when it doesn't make sense.
I like to listen to music when I fall asleep.
I like who I am but hate it at the same time.
I am blunt and honest. I will probably offend many people.
I am loving and forgiving but will probably never forget that time you hurt me.
I like chocolate. I enjoy eating.
I love my children and my husband, even though they all drive me crazy.
I really don't enjoy sleeping that much. I would rather be awake doing something.
I yell when I'm mad.
Small things irritate me.
I enjoy a clean house but don't have the energy to clean it most of the time.
I am blonde, and I act it at times.
I am crazy, or can be.
I am shy now, although, at one time I wasn't.
I love 80's music.
I have dry skin.
I love my eyes.
I am stubborn.
I hate being alone but love it when I have I quiet house.
I don't like the military life, but I enjoy the security of it.
I feel old but know I am still young.
I like to exercise.
I hate my body. I have a low self-esteem.
I think my daughter is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and am saddened at the fact that I know she's going to hate the way she looks one day.
I enjoy some 'girly' things.
I bite my nails.
I hate shaving my legs. They are too long, it's too much work.
I love wearing makeup and doing my hair when I have the time.
I enjoy working on my car and changing the oil.
I love to learn new things.
I can sew and crochet.
I love fixing up my house.
I hate chick flicks, but I love the idea of romance.
I need to be loved and shown love.
I need to be listened to sometimes.

Above all, I am a woman. I am moody and very emotional. I love it but wish it was easier to control at times. I believe because of it, I can feel great amounts of happiness and joy in the little things in my life. I can feel pain and sorrow more easily but it's worth it to me. I love being a woman. I love being me. It's who I am and I can't deny it, no matter how much you might hate it. I am changing what I can but accepting of what I can't. So love me for who I am, not what you want me to be.

My Bitter-Sweet Symphony

So today, here I am so proud of myself because I got up and exercised even though my muscles were just so sore! And then, I had to have that pizza I've been craving for days tonight for dinner........and those M&M's. Yes, the candy....wow...just couldn't pass it up. We went to wal-mart to get candy to reward the kids and there they were.....big bags of Peanut M&Ms, I mean bigger than movie theater size, marked for only $0.36. Yes, it was real! I couldn't resist. So we got 4 bags! Yeah, that's going to help me with this "Get Fit" challenge!! So much for eating healthier, at least right now! At least the exercising is going well.

I couldn't run last night because I started feeling like I was getting the stomach flu, again. Luckily that was gone this morning. I was able to do the morning Turbo Jam work-out and then the 'quiet time' weight lifting (only like 10-15 minutes) yesterday and today. Now, just have to get myself down on the treadmill tonight! It's not that much really. I only do the 20 minute Turbo jam....so that plus the weight lifting and no more than 30 minutes on the treadmill puts me at about an hour of working out a day. So, like I said...it's not that bad!

So here's hoping that I can keep up working out for the rest of the week....and get my husband to hand out all those bags of M&M's at work!

Exercise

So the hardest part of this whole 'Get Fit' thing is going to be exercise. I love it. I really do, but my problem is keeping up with it. I end up getting discouraged after awhile. Normally, I workout for weeks with absolutely no change. That is very hard for me. Last time, I actually started gaining weight. Oh how I wish I could say it was muscle, but sadly, it wasn't. Hopefully, I have better luck this time.

Okay, so I'm posting my plan so that I have my accountability with that too now. Jared has been needing to study nightly for his promotion test at the end of the month so I'm thinking of taking this time for a bit of running down on the treadmill-at least until the weather gets nicer and I dare venture outside to run. I'm also thinking of doing some Turbo Jam in the morning before the kids wake up. I know, it's twice a day, but in all honesty, I can't workout for long periods at a time so it's easier for me to split it up.

So that's the plan. It starts tomorrow.....best of luck.

Let's Begin

A friend of mine issued a challenge to get fit that I accepted. She has bravely posted her measurements on her blog to track her progress and I have agreed to do the same. So now, finally I am doing it. Stacy, so sorry it took so long. I have FINALLY started myself a blog of my own that I can do this on.

I am by no means what anyone would consider overweight or probably really even a little meaty. I know this....I understand this. I do, however, wish to get in better shape and just get some tone to my 'mommy body' that I vowed to never have. I'm looking forward to having the accountability of working out regularly, and hopefully eating better. I cannot diet. It's too restrictive, but I can make better choices.

All I ask is that if anyone comments on the 'get fit' posts, they just post words of encouragement. Please do not make comments about my already small enough size or how you wish you looked like me. I really don't like hearing it. I will make this clear, just because I have issues with the way I look, does not mean that I find anyone else fat or unattractive. I am basing my judgements on me and what I can look like....not what someone else can. I know I am not large....but I can look better...and I can work harder at it. That is why I am doing this.....to improve. Besides, as we all know.....as we workout, it gives us all a better attitude about ourselves.....and I really need it. So please, just encouragement. Thanks.

So, I better go get those measurements now..... :-)