City girls in the country

So this is a little different for me. I've always been a 'country' girl. I guess I never realized that since we live in the city (or close enough to it) that my girls would be 'city' girls. But alas, they are. So we made an effort to country-fy them:

Even Maggie got to go for a ride!

Here's a picture of me and my favorite baby girl, Maggie! She brings such joy to my life. I'm so glad Val and Brian had her so I could be happy:)

What great weekends are made of!

Not sugar and spice and everything nice (though there was a little of that). The weather this weekend was just absolutely perfect! Starting out Friday, the girls and I spent the morning at the pool and after we came in for lunch we convinced Ryan to ditch work early so he could spend some time at the pool with us too. He was due some short Fridays since he worked so much during vacation. So he got home and we got back to the pool around 4. The rest of the weekend was more of the same...the highlights being carnitas made from a recipe we got off of triple D (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) that's where the sugar and spice part comes in...the girls having water balloon fights with the boys next door with the real fun beginning when Ryan was the main target:). We were outside all day yesterday. We didn't have church because of the race (well, we had church on Thursday) so we hit the pool first thing in the morning. Then for lunch we stayed in our bathing suits in the backyard while Ryan grilled some super yummy chicken and we had a side of cherries. We re-lotioned up and headed back over to the pool and stayed until about 5pm. After showers and dinner Ryan and I sat out on the patio until it got chilly, then we moved to the sun spot in the driveway. Kaylee eventually joined us and played with some playdoh pretending she was a chef making all kinds of delicious things. Alexis stayed inside most of the evening until Ryan started his juggling act with the croquet balls. Too bad every weekend this summer hasn't been this nice!

Today was another weigh-in/measurement day for me. This was the 4 week mark. I'm really happy with the progress I'm making, but I still have quite a bit to go. I think if I can get to the point when I pinch my stomach I only grab skin, that maybe my "birth marks" will not be so visible. Ryan says he can see a difference in them already...I'm still skeptical. But anyway, in 4 weeks I've lost 3 pounds and at least a quarter of an inch in all my measurments and as much as an inch and 3/4 in some areas. I didn't lose anything in my arms these past two weeks, but I'm not surprised because my muscles there are getting big. You could almost call them guns (not really);-) My body fat percentage is finally under 20%. I'm having a hard time keeping my pants up now...I need to invest in some belts. Like I mentioned last time...I think it's going to be hard to stay motivated once school starts back up. But I think I have a good support system.

Lastly, I leave off with a picture of my pink haired girly. It didn't last long...washed out as soon as she had jumped in the pool about five times. Good thing it was only koolaid:)

Two in a billion (or more)

These girls are just the best. I find myself in awe just thinking about who they are and how they behave. This summer has been just an absolute joy! I am really going to miss these girls when they go back to school! You would think with the flurry of activity that we've had this summer that we would have grumpy, whiny days. But we have had ZERO Monster Mondays! Let me just share some examples of the things the girls do that make me burst with pride!

First of all, the girls are playing very well together. They pretend all the time. From what I can hear from down stairs, there are minimal disagreements and they are really good at taking turns leading the play. Yes, their playing usually creates messes. But all I have to do is tell them they need to take a few minutes to clean their bedrooms and the play room and there are no arguments. In fact, more than once I've heard the phrase, "I'm playing while I clean up my toys." Then I come to check on them in about 20 minutes and their rooms look spectacular. Alexis has even organized all her books and drawers in her dresser!

We spent some time at the Children's Museum with Uncle Roger and Aunt Brooke (side note: nothing like being around tons of kids to make you appreciate your own!) on Wednesday. The girls had a great time and were on their best behavior. When we said it was time to move on, they moved on...no whining or "I'm not done yet". Only at the very end of the day did I hear a small bit of complaining that they were hungry and thirsty, but I was too. After some gum to tide us over until dinner there was no more of that.

Ryan also realizes how good these girls are. Last night in the car on the way home from church, he had a conference call with some people in Singapore. Other than him talking on the phone, you could have heard a pin drop in the van. The girls kept quiet the entire trip home. Afterward I wondered if any other dad with kids that age could have done the same thing without "interruption".

Well, speaking of these wonderful kids, we're watching all the Harry Potter movies together. We just started last night with the very first one. We have to finish it up this morning. But the girls both said they want to watch all the movies and then go see the most recent one at the movie theater. So, I better go see if they are ready to get started.

Thank you God, for these two wonderful gifts you've entrusted me with. I do not take them for granted. I pray that you continue to guide me in raising them to be your faithful children.

I can't help it!

The count down is on...only 47 weeks until we leave for Florida again next year! I'm curious as to why I love being there so much. But honestly, what's not to love! You have the beach...awesome! You have the sun...awesome! You have the fresh seafood...um...awesome! You have a couple of guys getting to play their favorite sport for two weeks...awesome for them! But probably the best part of the whole thing is getting to 'live' with Mom and Dad for two whole weeks. These two weeks are my 'consolation' for living so far away. We will never shorten our trip for anything! I seriously think I could do much longer than two weeks. Even going through a slight bout of the blues is very much worth it. It's just really hard not to miss them and our time together once we get home. So it's no surprise to me that I'm ready to go back before we even leave the condo parking lot.

In other news, I believe I wrote about Alexis getting her first tooth pulled. Here are a couple of pictures of the 8 year old with her new smile:

Let me tell you...these two kids of mine just make me so happy. Kaylee had a bit of a difficult day yesterday. What I mean is that I was having to put her in her place more often than usual. But once I had had enough of just telling her to stop doing things, I kneeled on the floor and looked her straight in the eye and very calmly told her that she needed to stop her behavior or I was going to have to really punish her. The most I had done before then was tell her to stop doing whatever she was doing without even raising my voice...but it was just happening too frequently. But after we had that little 'heart to heart' she was absolutely fine. These girls just amaze me and make my job too easy. I told them both to clean their rooms today because there was stuff all over their floors. They both got their rooms spotless with minimal complaining. Being only four, Kaylee needed a little more direction than Alexis, but I just gave her one task at a time. Like...put all your blankies on your bed and when that was done she'd come and ask me for her next task....put all your Bakugan in your Bakugan case. So, so easy!

Kaylee read her first whole book today. It was a book Alexis got at the end of her 1st grade year. It was a very simple book with 3-4 word sentences on each page. I did have to assist her by sounding out some letters, but I never gave the entire word away. She's beginning reading about 3 months earlier than Alexis was able to. But I'm guessing that Alexis could have read much sooner had we worked on it. But that's what first borns have to go through...their parents' learning as they go.

Lastly, my new diet/exercise plan is going well. I think I have my calories figured out. I just left them the same and I started gaining some muscle weight this past week. I did remeasure myself at the two week mark and I've lost a quarter of an inch in the majority of my measurements. In my waist I've lost 3/4 of an inch. I think that's pretty good for two weeks. I'm definitely getting stronger. I repeated a work out that was my very first recorded work out. I was able to do 10 pounds heavier on the weight and was 52 seconds faster on the exercise total. I'm a little anxious to see if I can stay motivated once the weather turns colder and/or once the girls are back in school. We'll see...

Only one month left...BOOOOO!

So, school starts back up on August 12th:( I'm not looking forward to that! I'm really hoping the weather cooperates a little more for the rest of summer vacation. All this rain and cold cloudiness can be a bit depressing. But it's amazing what spending an hour basking in the sun does for your mood! Must be the vitamin K.

Anyway, Ryan and I reached our 10th year of marriage on Friday the 10th. It's getting pretty hard to remember all the way back to our wedding day! I am so extremely happy and blessed, words just can't even begin to describe it. Friday morning I drove the girls to Terre Haute to spend the weekend with Gramma and Grampa. It really sounds like they did a lot of fun things like fishing, driving Grampa Cook's golf cart, eating at the Snack Shack and Cheeseburger in Paradise...the list of fun things just goes on and on!

I drove home by myself (you know how I feel about alone time, YUCK!) and waited for Ryan to get home. This was probably one of Ryan's busiest work weekends! I felt bad for him for having to work so much while we were trying to enjoy our time without the kids...but one thing's for sure...he doesn't have to worry about job security! There were really only a couple of times where I got frustrated sitting twiddling my thumbs while he was on the phone. But I am human. We went to the Claddagh, did some shopping, went to a going away party for someone Ryan works with who is moving to Spain, ate at Bonefish Grill, and saw Transformers 2. Sunday morning when the sun was actually out, we spent just over an hour at the pool. We had the whole place to ourselves, but I guess that happens on a Sunday morning. We then drove to Terre Haute and met the family at Olive Garden and headed back to Mom and Dad's to celebrate Alexis's birthday.

Some time ago, we had planned on doing a big anniversary trip since this was the first decade. But after much trip hunting and consideration, we decided we'd save our money and plan something special for our little family of four instead. I'm not sure when we're going to get to go on our special trip, but the girls are only little for so long (and Alexis is not so little anymore) and Ryan and I will have plenty of time to go on duet trips once the girls are all grown up. Heck, in just 8 more years, Alexis will be old enough to stay at home by herself if we choose to go on a trip together...YIKES! So, I was absolutely fine with skipping a trip for just the two of us.
Anyway, that was our weekend. I KNOW the girls had a blast...I just wish the weekend hadn't been so hectic for Ryan. And I wish the weather had been nicer on Saturday. But we reached the milestone and it was a breeze. It's true what they say, having God as the Head of your family makes all the difference.

Happy Birthday!

Well, on Friday, Alexis turned 8 years old. She's getting to be such a big kid...I don't even feel comfortable calling her a "big girl" because it sounds too babyish for her. We celebrated with the Willman side plus Jaime and Jenna on her birthday. We had a wonderful time eating yummy grilled food and having DQ ice cream cake for dessert.

Earlier in the week, I took the girls to the dentist. Alexis had quite the ordeal there...she was getting some of her permanent molars sealed, plus they asked me if we wanted to have her loose tooth pulled and I told them to go ahead. So after many months of waiting...Alexis was finally visited by the "tooth fairy". I could tell the trip to the dentist was a little overwhelming for her, so after some snuggles and talking, she was really excited about getting her visit in the night. She's such a trooper!

On the fourth, we took the girls to see the movie "Up". It was a really great movie. Though it was kind of strange to have some true to life drama mixed up with crazy cartoon antics. Parts of the movie were major tear jerkers. But I recommend it to anyone...even if you don't have kids!

I just wanted to take a moment before I go on to just say that I love my kids. They are truly the best! We've been running them ragged so far this summer and the worst I have gotten was a little teariness and some slap happy hyperness. They are just amazing!

Well in one week I've lost almost 2 pounds. That's a little more than I was hoping for in one week. I really want to try to be careful not to slow my metabolism down, which can happen if you cut too many calories. Your body will go into starvation mode and as soon as you switch to maintenance instead of loss mode, you will gain everything back. Besides, I really only want to lose about 7 pounds, so I can be patient. I may have to do some calorie tweaking in the future. I did only rest from exercising one day in the last 7 days and that was only because I was getting shin splints. So, my plan is to stick to the crossfit schedule...maybe changing an exercise (what they call WOD) here and there and to keep my calories the same for this next week and see what happens. If I still lose what I think is too much for one week, I may have to bump my calories up a little bit.

So, that's the short story of what we have been up to.