I'm off and running...

Well it's another new year and just like EVERY other new year I have been blessed to see rung in, I have some major resolutions. And just like every single human, most of these resolutions won't see the light of day or the end of the tunnel. I do feel however, different, this year. Like somehow writing them down on this computer/blog will make them seem more doable. And I do believe my goals this year are totally attainable and some are a must! There really aren't pictures to go along with this post, so if you were looking for that sorry. I will keep this short and sweet.

Goal #1
I want to get in shape. This entails that I will lose weight but more importantly I want to be able to walk or run without falling over in a dead sweat and panting like a dog. I want to have more energy for my kids and my husband and most importantly for myself. I want to be the best me there is and that includes getting in shape. So what am I doing you ask, well 1 hour on the treadmill for the last 2 weeks (minus our time with family) has helped. Instead of sitting around during naptime cleaning the house or sitting in my sewing room, I have been on this machine. I even got the dog on it. BTW she hates it and refuses to even try it. It is kind of funny. Legs all spread, nails digging into any non moving thing she can find. It reminds me of what we all probably feel like about treadmills. I have to stay on it until I burn 200 calories. Yeah, I don't know where that number came from but hey 200 sounds good. Somedays that means just a nice walk for a LONG time or like today comes in the form of "hurry up and get to 200 so we can eat"! We are also as a family, cutting our portion sizes down. I would say we are limiting sugar but if you really know me, you would know that baking and cutting down on sugar just don't happen. So I bake less often and only bake the size of _________ that we can eat in one sitting. So we will see how this theory goes. My hope is that I can get down to a size 10 well actually my real goal is to get my BMI in the normal category. Here is my inspirational swimsuit, never had one of these before. I just want the swimsuit, not to be that skinny. Wish me luck!

Goal #2
Be a more positive thinker. I am NOT a positive thinker for the most part. I see the bad in everything and automatically think the worst is going to happen in every situation. I may not come off this way to my friends but it is the way I view my life. This negetivity has affected everyone in my household-negetivily. At one point, my son was writing me letters telling me ways that he was going to help me have a good day because he didn't like to see me so upset. Ugh, bad mom moment which led to massive chocolate intake and massive guilt trips. But that is no more. The massive guilt trips brought me to a place of "yep it's you and yep you can change this" So here I am. Placing no expectations on my day...no need to get a dress done or more hairbows done. No having to keep the house spotless (I hear someone from the back saying "it was never spotless to begin with") or keep my girls in prestine appearance. If we dont' get out of jammies for three days, oh well. I am bound and determined to change my way of thinking and the way that I have lived my life for a number of years. Man, this goal is a doosy and has already slapped me in the face hard these past two days. But I will make it through it and the girls will someday, soon, take naps again so that they aren't clingy monsters anymore. In the meantime anytime I have gotten down or upset, I watch this:

Come on could it be any cuter! And she (and he for that matter) are all mine!

Goal #3
De-clutter my home and my life. Easy, right? Nope, not so much. This was very evident at Christmas. Between all of us and then all of our families, wow did we accumulate a ton of stuff. So last weekend, it was out the old and in with the new. And I mean out, out to the trash NOT out to the basement. Even as I type this my desk or our desk is covered with more papers and bags and boxes (woo hoo for getting Lightroom for Christmas from my hubby!) and manuals and cds....ok you get the point. I will declutter this house. Which means I will be doing it when Ryan is at work, sorry honey. And that is also applying to our lives in the financial world. We are and have been getting rid of those pesky little credit cards that seem to sneak up and slap you upside the head all the time. We are decluttering our monthly bills and trying to work our way to a new house. And that decluttering goes for our family as well. We will be limiting sports to only two, not only for budget purposes but for family purposes. Basketball, adios amigo! And trying to focus more on us / the kids than the tv. We got so many great games for Christmas and have , so far, spent every night playing one of them with one of the kids. It is great and I feel a scrabble game coming on this weeked!!

So those are my goals, with even bigger goals in mind in our not so distant future. We have one goal that I (and Ryan) are so excited about. It will forever change the lives of our family and all those around us. We are waiting for that "right" time to let this plan loose and in the meantime we are enjoying each other and our kids. (And no I'm not pregnant) Please pray for us in this journey and achieving this goal, as it is a very important one for us.

What are your goals for this new year? And how did you spend the new year? I would love to hear from you! All 3 followers I have....hahahahahha how sad is that. Oh well Positive outlook right, at least I have someone reading this thing!

The Motherload of all Christmas Post

Oh this is going to be a long one so grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
We finished up our holiday season with our extended family Christmas. We decided to make a long weekend of it so that everyone had a long chance to see us.
First stop, Grandpa Melvin and Grandma Roma. This was quite a treat!! We arrived in weather that made us think it was spring, which led to Chase being able to play outside almost all day. Beau and Duke (doggies) loved it! We got the gift opening out of the way and enjoyed the rest of the day watching football, eating, and catching up on both of our lives. I so enjoy this part of being with them. Chase got Scrabble for a gift and we broke that open after the girls went to sleep. Nothing makes you feel, well, stupid, like Scrabble does. I am seriously reading the dictionary as a resolution this year. But the game between us all was a lot of fun and OF COURSE Ryan ending up winning. After Chase hit the hay, we decided to introduce the dogs and let them have some fun. Oh and way after Ella had went to bed. For those of you that don't know, Ella is TERRIFIED of big dogs, hence why we got a dog. She did a little better this trip but they still can't be out while she is up. Anywho, the dogs had the run of the kitchen and they did just that, ran around and around the island in the kitchen. Beau was playing with Ava and Duke was running away from her. I am pretty sure she knew that when she went at Duke, he was scared to death of her. It was a rather funny sight to see. Little pipsqueak of a dog running after a big big dog that is scared to death. So funny!! We had a load of fun and are looking forward to our next visit! Here are some pics from our visit.

Stop #2
This was the Pickett Christmas and this consisted of 3 various present opening stages all day. We started with a visit from our grandparents and aunt and uncle. We enjoyed some great Chili and Potato Soup then we moved onto the presents. It is always so fun to see our kids opening and LOVING the presents. Then other grandparents joined us and then it was our turn. I know the kids had a great time and really had a lot of fun playing with the packaging more than the presents, which is always the case. We had such a great time and after the kids went to bed, the goofyness began. Ok maybe before but it was nice to kick back (a few) and really kick back and relax the day away. Here are some pics from our visit:

Stop #3
This was Grandma Sue's Christmas. We were excited that both uncle's would be there with us. Poor Jason wasn't feeling well but he toughed it out and made the most of it. We were all spoiled here in every sense of the word. The food was great and plentiful. The gifts were fabulous and plentiful. The company was excited and there was never a dull moment for any of us. By the time we got the Grandma Sue's house, we weren't sure we would be able to get home. We either had to choose to leave presents behind or kids. But we somehow magically fit it all in the minivan, not sure how.  Here are some  pics from our visit:

These stops are a great lead into my New Year Reflections. Each of our families are so different and I love each and every one of them. We are all so lucky to have so many of our extended families still alive and so interested in our kids. Here are some of my favorite reflections from our trip:


Come on, what is cuter than my grandma, Kyndall's great grandma, dancing with her in front of the tree. I mean really, so cute and such a great memory for us all.


Ok so these 2 pictures don't really need any reflection. Great drinks = great times!!



And this, look at these faces. All they say is "I'm happy and I love life", what more could a mom ask for?


Animals were the highlight of most of the houses. Duke, Beau, and Ava had a blast running around and playing. It was a little different at my parents house. Katie (beautiful spaniel girl) was less than impressed with Ava, and her keep her nose is Katie's toosh all night. It reminded me of those shark scenes everyone has seen. Big shark with this little fish attached to it's side, always right there and never moving. This was Katie and Ava. Katie was never without Ava and it wasn't until the next day when Kaite finally put Ava in her place. Although it didn't really do much. But the highlight of the trip was Ava's new friend, Smoke. Smoke is a gorgeous black cat that my mom has rescued and has let live inside. Smoke is not a very lovey cat but seems to understand kids and is very understanding with Kyndall. But Ava, there was NO understanding. Smoke hated Ava and hid for most of the time we were home. Here is where she hid and here is what she did when she came down. Check out the dinosaur like fin on her back!

We had such a great time with everyone and the kids are definitely loving all the new toys. We are so blessed to have all of these great people in our lives. And although we all live these crazy busy lives, we all find time for each other. Since we are a little behind my New Years Resolution Post is going to have to wait a couple days. Hope you enjoyed the post! Talk to you soon!