Monday, March 17, 2014

Farewell to Winter! {picpost}

This past weekend was the very last one of Winter! 
And, as normal California weather goes, it was NOTHING like Winter! It was mid 70's, sunny and just plain BEAUTIFUL out! 
It was the perfect weekend to be outdoors - so that's exactly what we did. 
ALL.WEEKEND.LONG! 
 
It was just what we needed after a stressful week at work and especially after we finally are ALL healthy after the Ornelas Plague that took over our house the last two weeks.
(there are not enough words to explain how thankful I am we are finally over that!)

Anywho - here's some pictures from our fun weekend in the sunshine! 






















Saturday we spent the day walking around the Fountains and Sunday was spent at family brunch (Sunday tradition) then washing cars at Grandmas & playing in the water!



























All in all - it was a very beautiful, very SPRING-like and very simple weekend. But any weekend full of sunshine, gunner & Kenzie - is a perfect weekend in my books! 

Cheers to the start of Spring! After this weekend I realized it may not be so bad leaving my beloved cold weather after all :) 
















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!