Tuesday, February 25, 2014

f i f t y p o u n d s

Today I hit a huge milestone in my weight loss journey.
50 pounds lost
since the day I went into labor!
 
I can’t even believe I’ve shed that much already, but boy do I notice the “loss” of extra weight weighing me down!
I walk faster, I have much more energy, my clothes are loose & I even have a little “pep” in my step again!
All in all, I feel better than I have in a long long time.
Don’t get me wrong – I still have a long way to go in this journey of weight-loss, but everyday is getting easier!
& hitting this milestone is very motivational to keep me sticking with it!
p r o g r e s s
I now have 48 pounds to lose to be at my pre-baby(s) weight.
& then another 10 to lose to be at my goal weight.
But those numbers are far less terrifying to face than the numbers I was looking at towards the end of my pregnancy with McKenzie.
 
With hitting my halfway mark – I now want to go stronger with my diet & now start incorporating daily & weekly workout goals as well.
No time like the present to step up my game.
& seeing as how I am finally seeing results - I'm really excited to take everything to the next level!
 I’ll keep you guys posted on my progress,
but here’s to the next 50 pounds to kick!
 
 
--Also! My friend Kyla has started a weekly series on her blog and has kindly asked me to participate!
The series will share mine & other brave mama's stories on their journeys to become Fit Moms!
We'll share workouts, healthy recipes & all our progress!
If you'd like join us on this journey, feel free to contact Kyla and she'll set you up!
I'm so excited to be apart of this blog series,
as well as being apart of group of women who will also be battling the same battles I am.
Finding fitness in health in the chaotic life of motherhood!
 
So cheers to that, and cheers to the journey.
We're all on our own journeys, why not face it together!?
 
#fit2bemom

Saturday, February 22, 2014

[status] married with kids.

almost 2 years ago, we got married.
may 3, 2012.
we had a small ceremony at city hall because our big wedding had to take a backseat until after gunner man was born (we were mid-planning when we found out about him).
then we got pregnant in 2013, three short months after gunner's birth.
once again, our wedding had to get postponed, this time, indefinitely.
we still plan to have that big wedding on the beaches of Lake Tahoe one day...
but life with 2 kids just doesn't allow that to happen right away.
which is totally fine with us,
because we have our "happily ever after" already.

Anywho... that's the back story.
I've realized lately that our "wedding bliss" has fallen to a backseat in our chaotic life of being full-time workers, full-time parents & just... full-time grown ups.
It's nobody's fault, it happens.
two babies in our first two years of marriage
I can't imagine how that wouldNOT have happened.

Just recently though we have decided it's time to put ourselves back in the front seat.
we are married with two kids...
we're not old & dead - we still got a lot of life to live
and a lot of adventures to take together.

Now that I am not pregnant (still so surreal!) there are no longer any reason we cannot go out together and have fun [[I am sure I still remember the term]]. 
-We have plenty of family that beggggg us to leave the kids for a bit so they can babysit (hint, we never leave them so we always have people begging us to be first in line when we do leave them for a moment or two).

This year we made our #1 goal to put our marriage & our relationship ahead of all else.
[[obviously the kids will always come first, this is 2nd to them of course]]
so that's my plan & my focus for this year to come.

So I ask you guys this - 
how do you balance kids & marriage?
what are fun ways you keep your marriage alive & still thriving?
what are fun dates you've discovered with your spouse?

We have set aside one day every month that we have a date night or outing together
-no kids, no phones, no excuses.
We did it already this month & it was 
A M A Z I N G.
I forgot how much fun adult time is! 
Just Rick & I having fun at the movies & the arcade, watching a movie without 202930932029 moments of pausing & rewinding - it was all so much fun!
& just so, refreshing to take a little breather from our normal routine to just
get out of the house & enjoy each others company again.
I loved it. I am already so looking forward to it again!

It's so important to keep focus on the marriage aspect of my life, and not just the parent aspect. I am a mommy first and I take that roll more serious than anything - but I also am a wife. It's so easy to lose track of priorities in life and put ourselves & our own relationship on the back burner - just because we're focusing on our life, our kids & our daily duties as adults.

But now that changes.
Now it's time to really be man&wife.
& this is the first time since our wedding that we have the ability to do just that! 
{2 babies in 2 years folks - it's hard to focus on anything but babies when that's the record that keeps playing during your first & only yaears of marriage thus far!}

Sorry for my random blabbing, this has just been on my mind a lot lately.
I am so excited for the fun 2014 brings - for our family & for my relationship with my husband.
SO many things are possible now that we are finally reaching some stability in our lives again (LOVE THAT WORD)
& it is so exciting to think of all things to come this year! 

Happy Saturday! 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

our three day weekend! {picpost!}

This past weekend was Presidents Day weekend & we had SO.MUCH.FUN!
date night! first date night in EIGHT months folks! movies & arcades - couldn't ask for a more fun night!

 
let's recap! our holiday weekend consisted of:
three days off work.
three days straight of fun with my little ones.
rick having short shifts at work all weekend & home in time to spend the evenings with us.
one whole family day w/o work or plans.
two mommy&daddy outings *including date night!*
lots of family time with both sides of our families.
seeing an amazing movie at the theaters.
blueberry pancakes.
homemade strawberry crepes.
kenzie in a bumbo sitting.
gunner learning a new word: bubble.
& lots of relaxing time at home as a family.
 
all in all, it was perfect!
I wish with all my heart that every week was a 3-day weekend.
or better yet - I wish I just didn't have to work at all.
lolllllll {insert daydream cloud above my head}
 
 
Here's some of my favorite pictures from our fun & family filled three days.







Gunner got some fake rayband glasses to match daddys - such cuties!

 

this picture cracks me up everytime! her first time in the bumbo lasted about 25 seonds, then she just laid down her head and gave up. haha!
no weekend is complete without a trip to target!


The moment date night ended. Kenzie was MAD at me and kept pulling all my hair and screaming in my face. LOL!
 
gunner learned how to make blueberry pancakes!


&& then learned how to do dishes (lol!)




by her 2nd attempt in the bumbo - she was a PRO! Now she LOVES stting in it!
ps - how cute is she in gunner's old onesie!? I love throwbacks/recycling their clothes - makes the cutest comparison pics!


the very BEST moments are all too rare. all of us in bed watching cartoons - there is absolutely nothing sweeter than moments like this.

daddy's groomer! he does both the kids nails & toes - clearly gunner isn't complaining about his service! lol!



Total pro!



THEY ARE SO SWEET. Gunner loves going over and sitting with her while she's in her bumbo. It's like he's finally able to have a conversation and loving it.


when we were out shopping monday we found this awesome fox hat for gunner! I adore it.



I hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend as well!
I am already counting down the days until our next 3-day weekend :)
Oh yes - Happy President's Day!



Tuesday, February 18, 2014

our LOVE-ly Valentines day

Valentines Day 2014
Rick and I are very lucky because we both have TWO valentines!
[Rick --> me & kenzie & Me --> rick & gunner]
 
we take valentines day verrrrry seriously at our house!
Let's be honest, I take it the most serious - but rick plays along with my crazy festivities (gotta love him for that!) so he always helps me get a little crazy over holidays at our house.

I spent the last few weeks gathering little surprises for all three of my LOVES.











Rick got Bad Grandpa (hilarious!!), a HUGE box of chocolate (because he's got the biggest sweet tooth at night than anyone I've ever seen!) and he also got a sweet card both the kids signed (well, sorta signed).
McKenzie got a tiny box of chocolates that said "princess" on it from me & daddy picked out his own that said "drama queen" for her - so she got both of course. Then she got a sweet pop-out book all about valentines day, a cute kitty cat valentines day card from us both and a pink and white hearts teddy bear. It's hard to find age-appropriate gifts for a 3 month old, but getting nothing is never an option. You can never be too young for any holiday. That's my motto at least!
Gunner also got a cute teddy bear (the boy version of Kenzie's), he got a box of chocolates from me with a spaceship & rocket on it that said "you're outta this world cool", and rick got him one that said "cool dude". Then he got a toy airplane to go with his 2038920290 toy trucks he already has, a dinasour valentines day card from us both and he also got a really adorable new sippy cup w/ a STRAW on it (big boy status) and it's got a cute dog that says "I Wuff You". Totally adorable right?!


Gunner & McKenzie also got a gift for both of them to share. It was Charlie Brown's Valentines Day Special - titled "best friends forever"... I know, I could NOT pass it up.

I may have gone a bit over the top.
But hey, it's the day to shower your loved ones - and that's one thing I LOVE to do more than anything!



 
We also had special valentines day cards made at target.com and we mailed them out to all our friends & family the week of valentines in hopes they'd all make it to them ON valentines day.
How cute is this card?!




 
The night before valentines (thursday) Rick & I stayed up until 2am crafting a couple banners and decorating the house for the kids.
[what an amazing dad/guy right? this is what I mean when I say he plays into my craziness with holidays]




Once we finished decorating it was BEYOND past my bedtime so we put all the gifts out for the morning and it was a wrap.
 
Literally 3 hours later, I woke up for work.
As I was stumbling around half-asleep - I stumbled across this beautiful surprise from my sweet sweet husband.






50 reasons why he loves me - all handwritten & numbered on 50 pink & white balloons.
Like I said, he's pretty amazing<3
 
Not only did he do this for me - he managed to do this in the THREE hours I was asleep!!
Even crazier.
 
I woke the kids up and gave them their cards, but the rest of the gifts were for later when Rick & I both were off work and could celebrate with us all together.



I picked the kids up after work from my mother-in-laws & we headed home. Both kids were exhausted from their fun day at grandma's, so they both took naps while I made us all dinner.
The three of us ate dinner together in the living room while we watched the Charlie Brown movie they got, and gunner ran around playing in the field of balloons for hours! 










Rick ended up working late (almost till 10pm) so when he got home we all played together for about an hour and gunner stayed up a little later than normal so we could open all of their goodies with them. 
Oh & we gave him his surprise cake we made him!

Rick ALSO surprised me by coming home with a couple more sweet surprises (like I wasn't spoiled enough!)
- A bouquet of purple lillies (he's always trying to be non-traditional)
-- & a bag of groceries.
At first I was like... oh you got grocies? okay cool he got a few things for himself...
But no. He found a small grocery list in my purse the night before (I always have lists of things we need) - and he got everything I had written down so I wouldn't have to go to the store.
It's little things like that - that really really are the best surprises!
 
After the kids went to bed, we watched Bad Grandpa together and played video games for a little bit together.
[[yes, my guilty pleasure is playing video games with him after bedtime - it's so fun & it's actually quite a bonding experience. haha quality time w/o going out - it's great!]]
 
Our valentines evening wasn't crazy eventful or romatic - but it was still so great because it was full of love, some really sweet surprise gestures - and our family time.
& those are the thigns that valentines is all about to me: family, love & sweet reminders of how much we all mean to each other.



Oh yes & remember how I told you how incredibly SWEET it was that my husband stayed up decorating and writing in the kids' cards? 
Haha. 
These are his "thoughtful" messages to both our little ones.
SUCH a dad.









Hope you guys enjoyed your valentines day as well!

Friday, February 7, 2014

McKenzie's 3 Month Photo Session {1.29.14}

During the same session with Lisa that she took the kids' Valentines Day photos, we also did McKenzie's 3 Month Photo Session! 

I just about DIED when I seen these!

Here are all of the pictures from her session! 
I didn't post a couple on facebook just because Rick asked me not to (a couple nakey pictures) but since this is our personal family blog - I can finally show off my cutie pie!
I especially LOVE the couple pictures without any clothes - because those adorable baby rolls go away farrrrrr to fast! & lets face it, naked babies are just plain precious! 





Look at those chubby rolls - ADORABLE!!! Guess it's just a dad being a dad sorta thing (lol!)