A Newborn.....

Well people, I am starting to believe I have the lung capacity of a newborn.  I have been trying really hard to do something about my health (*cough*weight*cough*) and so I have been trying to use the things around me to help out with getting my body healthier.  I have been walking on the treadmill, doing push-ups, planks and I even have been working a little on arm exercises whenever I am sitting.  I was thinking about something I could do to help streghthen my legs a little more than just walk/jogging on the treadmill and I thought about stuff they do on the Biggest Loser which they do a lot of stairs, easy enough right, I have stairs right in my very own home, YAY me!!!  14 is the number of stairs I have, you know, not to many, not to little, just right.  I figured I could do 50 reps of going up and down the stairs No Problem, sounds a little "under-achiever" if I do say so myself, phssh, I got this is the bag!!  I seriously could not have been more W.R.O.N.G., as if my ego hasn't suffered a lot lately as it is, I only did 7 reps, yes you read it right 7 measley times of going up and down.......my heart hurts, my ego is shattered and my lungs I swear are filling up with blood as I am writing this because I over worked them, pathetic :(  I am thinking there is only one explanation for this and it is not that I need to exercise more.....it must be that my lungs are the size of a newborns, I would google my symptons but the last time I did that I found out I had leprosy, so before I go to the dr. with my ailments, could all of you go do some stairs and let me know that I am not a loser, that I am just one of you, and that maybe with a little more hard work I can make my goal of being more Healthy a reality.........please!!!

The Wrong Way

So as I was driving home from work tonight, on the slushy, crappy, snowy roads, it conjured up a long lost forgotten memory, and so I must share;

Scott and I had been married only a week or so and with me being a country small city girl, I was slowly learning how to navigate my way through Salt Lake, I however did not like to drive anywhere by myself, in the dark or without being told in "countryfied" directions; ie. go down the street turn left at the blue house, past the field of cows, turn right at the big rock....you get it right, and Scott being the newly married, wanting to keep his new bride happy, was soooo good at helping me even though he got (still gets) frustrated with my being seriously directionally challenged.  Scott at this time was working out by the Airport and since we only had one car it was my responsibility to make sure he was picked up from work if I needed to use the car while he was away.  Oh the days before Cell phones, I know most of you cannot even remember such a time and my kids ask me if grew up with the dinosaurs, since I was around BEFORE cells, Ipods, internet, and such.  But I just tell them, No, your grandparents grew up with the dinosaurs so I am way Modern :)  On this particular night I headed off to pick up Scott at around 11:30 pm, his shift ended at midnight and I wanted to give myself a little cushion.  I remember seeing all the signs that pointed me in the right direction and I was getting so excited to show Scott just how big I was and that I could find places on my own (now remember this is even before GPS), I only had one more exit to take and then I would be at the International Center by the Airport, but somehow I missed seeing that exit, as I was driving I thought that I had gone to far but I couldn't remember exactly, so I kept driving hoping that I would recognize something that either told me I was still on the right road or that I had gone too far, now looking back and remembering this, I realized that I didn't know what was past that exit because I had never been past, so everything should have looked foreign, but it was dark and I knew I wouldn't be able to tell if it was familiar or not.  I found myself alone, in the dark, on the wrong road and scared because I didn't know where to go from there.  I was getting so stressed because it was well past midnight and I started getting a migraine from the thoughts of disappointing my husband and feeling completely stupid that I couldn't find where I needed to be even though I had been there multiple times.  I pulled over to the side of the road and prayed, I prayed hard that I would be able to get to home safely and that my headache would stay at bay long enough to get me back home, I also prayed that Scott would find a way home and that he wouldn't be mad at me when he did.  When I was done with my prayer I remembered "oh yeah, Scott works by the airport" the airport is all lit up so it was very easy to navigate my way back towards it, and once I made it back there I was able to finally see the signs that would take me back to the safety of my apartment and Scott.  I finally got home around 1 ish and Scott was not there but I had the feeling that he was okay and that he would soon be home, he came bursting through the door about 15 min. later, frantic and happy that I was home, he then asked what had happened and I just commenced to crying, I was so grateful that he was home, I was happy that he wasn't mad and I was so thankful that the Lord had answered my prayers and brought us both back home safely.  I think the really funny part in all this is that the wrong turn I made actually had me heading out to Tooele, maybe subconsciously I was already heading home I just didn't know it then......  I hate to admit it but I am still so directionally challenged but thankfully for Scott's sanity, I now have a cell phone, with a car charger :), I have a GPS system in my van and on my phone and I have 17 years of living out here under my belt, so I can drive anywhere with confidence, okay maybe that was too strong  a word, but I am getting better!!!  And I have driven across the country with my Mom and Sister, so I think I am pretty awesome!!! I am pretty lucky that my husband has stuck with me and is very mindful on my "one" flaw and I love it when my Dad is giving me directions, using words like east and west, Scott is right behind him saying, left and right and turn by the big rock.   I so Love him!!!

Home Lunch....

I am having a raging debate, mostly with myself, about the pros and cons of home lunch.  Most everyday this school year, Zachary has been taking a home lunch which he gets up and makes himself, my job in this whole thing is to make sure he has what he needs and never run out.  But this week he has taken it to a whole new level, let me explain; his lunch consists of:

PB & J sandwich (PB has to be a certain brand, jam has to be my freezer strawberry jam and his white bread is that cheap sandwich bread, that makes me shudder each time I put it in my cart.)

Chips (doesn't matter what kind as long as there is an extensive selection)

Grapes (he doesn't care how much they cost in the winter)

Capri Sun

There really isn't much to complain about there except for the fact that he is so specific and I can rarely get him to see that substitutions are okay, oh and did I mention that at promptly 7:45 am every morning he calls Zane to verify the lunch plans and they pack their lunches while on the phone with each other, so keep in mind I am making sure that not only 1 but 2 kids are satisfied with their lunch requirements, and I always have to keep spares of everything on the off chance that Zane's Mom has run out of something and she does the same for Zach.

So this past week as I have been weighing the cost of groceries vs. school lunch, Zach kindly reminded me that he has a field trip on Thurs. which of course requires a Lunchable (I refuse to let them eat them any other time), and also since Zane's mom has now purhased Twinkies for Zane's lunch I had to get them too, so for his lunch tomorrow he will pack his disgusting lunchable, chips, a twinkie and a Kool-aid Jammer (they were cheaper than Capri-Sun), so as I am buying this stuff keeping in mind that I am also trying so hard to eat better and healthier I find myself thinking, "what in the heck kind of lunch is this, there is absolutely no nutritional value in it whatsoever, yet I am buying this stuff and then I am saying to my son, go ahead pack the lunch that is suppose to sustain you through school hours and have a great day!!!  I feel like a great mom!!!

Despite my knowledge of good vs. evil foods, I have to say that for whatever reason his making his own lunch empowers him and so for that reason and that reason alone, I will still continue to let him pack his lunches and hopefully my buying a box of twinkies doesn't come back to bite me in the butt!!!

(I really must love them!!!)

the Big 1-0

3 of my 4 kids have now entered double digits.....................................aughhhhhh!!!

Okay well he did actually have his birthday in Nov. but hey, I am a mom and a busy mom at that so sometimes you have to celebrate the birthday in Nov. and then blog about it in Jan.

I usually let my kids decide what they want their birthday cake to be but this year for Zach I decided for him, only because my idea was so super fantastic and I knew he would love it!!!  Zach is such an artist, he loves to draw, color, paint and doodle, so I thought it would be so fun to have him decorate his own cake!!  I rolled out some white fondant for him and then let him use some edible markers to color his cake with.  And although the markers were really hard to work with he still had fun and his cake turned out cute!!!

I love that he had to sign his cake!!

One year older and wiser too, Happy Birthday..to you!!

(what a bunch of posers!!)



A Birthday Girl!!

You have to fight for the right to

PaRtY!!!

Or at least turn "12" so you can have an awesome party!!! 

What could be better than lots of girls, getting their hair done, nails done, playing games, playing Just Dance on the Wii, giggling uncontrollably at nothing, making their own cupcakes, watching the series ending of Wizards of Waverly Place and then giggling more.............Nothing!!!

I asked Kennadee how she thought her party had gone and with the biggest, brightest smile she said, "Best. party. EVER!!!  And I think that says it all...............well except for maybe these:

(Apples to Apples Jr. one of K's faves)

Our Stylists, McKenna H., Bailey M. & Elysa M., they were awesome and so fun to have there, Kennadee did not want her haircut until after her party because she wanted Elysa to do it!!!

She wanted a Strawberry Shortcake Cake AND cupcakes to decorate, the cake was Delish!!

she was Dared to put her face in her cupcake and hard to believe but she did it!!!

Yay, she finally got her I-pod, she asked for it for Christmas and when she didn't get it she said, "Well good thing my birthday is soon, so I have another chance!!!"

Kennadee is such a JOY to have as a daughter, I love seeing her grow up and even though she is small in stature she is huge in love and kindness.  I love everything about this young woman and I cannot wait for all the wonderful things that are just around the corner for her.  It seems so hard to believe that it has been 12 years since the Dr. placed this little girl in my arms, and I feel so lucky that I get to be her Mom.