It's all about us!!

Another New Year!!

2012-01-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

With a New Year comes a new resolution...right?! In keeping with tradition I have committed myself to another weight loss competition. I DID NOT meet my weight loss goals last year. I tried and made great strides, but I have some work left to do. I am actually really excited about this years competition. My gym is doing a "Rock Your Jean" contest. Lose 2 jean sizes in 10 weeks! If you succeed, your name goes into a drawing for tons of really awesome prizes...like 100.00 gift card to a boutique, Subway is kicking in a great prize, spa prizes, etc. I don't know about the rewards a ton...just word of mouth. SOOOOO of course I had to go buy a new pair of awesome Silver Jeans!!! Expensive...yes. But it will give me a little more motivation to do this!
Tonight I have to go grocery shopping...on the list...fruit. Lots of fruit! Vegetables, chicken, pistachios, beans, turkey burger, yogurt. I don't really know what else to get.
Here is what concerns me. I did this last year...it was a team challenge. I felt like I did great but did not see the results I was expecting. I did not have a perfect diet but I thought I did a hell of a job changing my eating habits and was working out almost every day. So why do I think it will be different this year????

-I am no longer breast feeding. I think my body retains all my fat when I'm nursing. Nor am I only 7 months post pardum. I feel like my body is even more ready. (Those might be just some excuses for my mental state of mind...and that's fine:))
-I plan on having an even better diet.
-I really want to rock my new jeans. They are SOOOOO cute!
-This year is going to be full of amazing changes. I'm going to grad school, Kendall turns 2, Cass and I turn 31, Nathan will be 5 and going to start his 2nd year of preschool in the Fall...and I will start student teaching. Therefore, I have deemed this the year of Mind and Body!!! (I feel like I'm always working on soul so I didn't want to make it a resolution...make sense?!)

I am so ready for this and once again I want to blog about this 10 week challenge. Along with the 10 week challenge, it will also be my first 10 week term back in school...GRAD SCHOOL!!! So I will have lots to talk about I'm sure!
Oh and I'm no longer private. Just FYI!

CHRISTMAS TIME!

2011-12-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

We try to stay busy and do fun, festive things this time of year. We have done a ton of baking, looking at lights and Storybook Land.

This is little miss SassyPants!
Hope to post more soon...ages 4 and 1.5 together are a handful! You would think they were teenagers they way they antagonize each other! They keep us very busy!

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda?

2011-11-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will be exactly 4 weeks since we (Whitney and I) submitted our formal complaints against Ken Ball. Whitney just got word that she will receive a response sometime today. I'm not sure if I will get one in regards to my letter or not. As far as I'm concerned, I don't think Ken will tell the truth when asked about what he did/said. I don't think he even knows what the truth is.
Tonight is the post season awards night. I've contemplated in my head about making a statement about the situation. With my grad school acceptance and student teaching looming, I have to tread carefully. It just makes me sick to think back through the whole season...mainly the last seven weeks. I had to sit next to a coach who know very little about the actual game of volleyball, who disregarded my knowledge of the game and my suggestions on how to make the girls better prepared to play the #1 team in the state, who really only mentally prepared the girls on how to handle a loss, showered them with balloons and cupcakes (as if that wins volleyball games).
Now all I have is hindsight. I thought that when this was all said and done I would be proud of myself for sticking out a rough emotional season. For some reason, I'm actually a little more angry. I feel like the ones that suffered the most throughout all of this...the vb girls, Whitney and myself, still have no real resolution. The ones that F'd up in the first place haven't been held responsible. It disgusts me.
At the time of Whit's resignation, the #1 reason I had to stay was for the paycheck. It really is the only reason. I constantly wonder should I have left with Whitney? Put up a united front and stand up for what we believe?! Would it have made a bigger difference in making a difference in how things are done in the administration? Could I have done more? I question all of these things because I still don't feel at peace about any of this. I sat next to Coach Ball for the rest of the season and I feel like maybe I have somehow given off the impression that I stand behind her appointment, stand behind the decisions made by administration...and that is far from truth.
I still struggle emotionally with what I should have, could have and would have done. I regret not fighting for the Interim Head Coach position to finish out Whit's season the right way. I regret not sticking up for myself when Ken Ball practically mocked me. Even now that the season is over I feel like a prisoner who can't fully tell their story. I want everyone involved in the program... athletes, parents, administration, coaches to know that I hate what happened. That it was not easy for me to show up to practice every day and that I wonder if I did the right thing by staying to finish the season.
I'm still so frustrated that I don't even know how to write it in this post...I'm talking in circles. I'M PISSED!!! And I have to come face to face with these people again tonight. Well guess what?! I don't have to stand next to anyone anymore. I don't have to put on a supportive assistant coach face for the girls anymore. The charade is over. I'm done!

This Boy!

2011-11-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

This picture sums him up perfectly!

Things out of this boys mouth lately:

We recently had a talk about how "God lives in our hearts!" The next day while riding in the car he says to me "Mom, I figured out why I'm uncomfortable and itchy!" I say "oh ya? Why is that?"
Nathan: "Because God is living in my heart!"

Eating hotdogs with daddy...
Cass puts another hotdog in the microwave and says "I'm still hungry Nate. I'm gonna get fat."
Nathan: "Then you'll turn into Mommy."
(This stung a little. I had a pity party and then hit the gym.)

We were playing Playdoh yesterday (me, Kendall and Nathan). He wanted me to roll the play doh into little balls. Then I became an immature girl giggling everytime Nathan referred to "his balls." Here are some of the things he said!

"Mom, do you like my balls?"
"Look Kendall! I have big balls."
"Kendall, I have more balls than you."
"One of my balls is bigger than the others."

I kept thinking about the Saturday Night Live "Schweaty Balls" skit...SOOO FUNNY!

In the bathtub I asked him SEVERAL times to pull up the plug and get out. Finally he looks at me and says with conviction...
"I hear what you're saying and I KNOW what I'm doing!" (I guess the kid is aware totally aware of his ability to NOT listen and purposely keep doing what he's doing...grrr.)

The other day he referred to me only as "Honey" for about an hour and a half.

I need to start writing them down sooner because I know I've missed some.

Kendall on the other had thinks talking is for losers and has only chosen to speak a few select words.
-mamma

-dad

-don't

-up

-poop

However she fully understands what I'm saying and is very good at following directions! Love this little stinker!

What an Ordeal

2011-10-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have so much to blog about with regards to the family and things that have happened in the last several months. So I find it weird that my last post was about being a volleyball coach and instead of posting about my family, I am updating on being a coach!

Over the last couple months so much has happened. Our head coach (Whitney), one of my best friends, resigned three weeks into the season. The circumstances surrounding her departure left me furious, angry and a little confused! I supported Whitneys decision 100% and still do and I want to write everything that went down...but I would need MUCH more time! In a nutshell, I feel our Principal, who also serves as Athletic Director, failed to do his job correctly. I find him to be arrogant and egotistical. He claims to be very professional but I haven't seen that side of him yet. He left Whitney with two choices...admit to claims that are without merit, untrue and inaccurate and apologize for them, or tender her letter of resignation...and decide by 5pm that evening. So she resigned. I was also victim to his unprofessionalism and have written a letter to the Superintendent...breach of confidentiality, conflict of interest, breaking of board policies...all things commited by this so called professional.
All of this said, I am not willing to put myself in a situation for my name to be dragged through the mud and slandered as Whitney's has. She is battling now to have her name cleared. Parents and student athletes (I should say that some of them) have come to expect a sense of entitlement. If things aren't going their way, all they have to do is make a complaint and things miraculously start turning in their favor. It blows me away. I just don't remember it being that way when I was in school. The coach did their job of making us better athletes and responsible young adults and parents had a job to be spectators and supporters. There is no clear boundaries anymore and its concerning.
I have decided that this is going to be my last season coaching at Philomath High School. Because they have to hire a new head coach, I am not guranteed the assistant coach position...but do not want to be considered. I also will not apply to be the Head Coach. This season was so emotionally draining that I spent a lot of time writing letters and taking time away from my family to deal with the situation. I have missed out on a lot of Nathan's swimming lessons, football camps and other fun things.

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE to coach and I LOVE volleyball. I just can't and won't continue at PHS under the current AD. In a few years I might consider coaching elsewhere but for now I am going to focus on my family!

Volleyball Team Camp

2011-08-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

I just got back from two nights with some of the volleyball girls at a team camp down by Grants Pass. They get to work with some great coaches (a former NCAA three time Champion!). I loved being there and watching some amazing volleyball players coach our girls. I also learned a few things about myself while I was there :)

-I have more confidence as a coach. I really do know what I'm talking about! Listening to our coach and hearing her feedback to the girls, I realized I was thinking exactly the same things. Its nice to know that even though I haven't played competitively for a very long time, I know the game, fundamentals and can help the girls be better players.

- Often times I just wanted to take charge...not hard to believe if you know me very well. This made me realize that someday I want to be a head coach instead of assistant.

- Loved getting to know the girls. However, I found out that high school girls are exposed to much more than I ever was...kinda scary.

Had a great time and looking forward to our own Warrior Camp starting on Monday! Let the season begin :)

Summertime Highlights!

2011-08-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

T-5 days until Volleyball season starts for me! Which means the end of my summer with the family and kids! Looking back, we had a great summer. Ran into Kevin Boss at PHS...going to get me a Raiders shirt now!

Nathan has been in swimming lessons all summer and he loves it! Cass and I love to watch...we fight over who gets to take him. We would all go except Kendall does NOT sit still. Too much work, so we take turns!

We got our patio poured! So we spend lots of afternoons hanging out outside.

My cousin Selene came out for a two week visit! I LOVED having her here! She totally makes me laugh as you can tell by her silly picture. (Sorry Selene, I don't have any others!) That pic was taken on our girls night. We went to Applebees and ate yummy desserts!!

We took the kids to the Linn County Fair. Both kids are loving the fun rides! Cass has to take them because I get sick on them...even the Merry Go Round!

We went out to where Papa Tom was camping and let the kids explore the outdoors for a while. Can't wait until next summer...we plan on taking the kids camping and actually staying the night :)

We have more to add since I first put this post together. I have had it pending for a while now. We can no add Enchanted Forrest, a trip to the beach (that was with Selene), I went to volleyball team camp, I went to Las Vegas with some girlfriends, Nathan is turning 4, a week with Maggie and Kelsie.
We've been busy and its been great!

Disneyland!

2011-07-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Back at the end of May, Tiffani and her girls, Cass, the kids and I headed for Disneyland! We spent a few fun filled days at Disneyland and swimming at the pool. My mom and Bob joined us on Thursday. The pic above is the kids waiting for their breakfast with Goofy!

Nathan was so excited (and shy) about seeing all the characters.

Mommy and baby are happy too...mostly because the food was so yummy :)

The kids got their faces painted!

We got to see the new parade...Mickey's Soundsational Parade and it was AWESOME!

Bob and Cass took the kids on most of the rides!

So excited to get to Disneyland!

We spent a lot of time carrying kids, pushing strollers, piggy backs, etc.

Kendall was so good the whole trip!

Do you see how Cass' hand is strategically placed on Nathans knee? That was Nathans doing...he would grab Cass' hand and tell him to put it right there. Daddy made him feel so safe!

Does it get any cuter?

Snack time!

Tiff had to get her turkey leg...she made it look good but I just couldn't get myself to get one.

The last night, Cass, Tiff and I got to go to Disneyland and ride a few big kid rides! So much fun!

Splash Mountain! We literally were soaked from head to toe. Walking in wet jeans and sweatshirts was not fun...so this was the last ride and we headed back.

Catching the shuttle for the last time :( SO glad we went! I think we will go again in a few years.

I won't mention that we lost Maggie at Disneyland on the 2nd night and that we had all the employees and other Disneyland goers searching for her. The longest, scariest 10 minutes of my life! Disneyland has the best employees and when we found Maggie, they took her to the front of the line on any ride of her choice. She chose Finding Nemo.

Its official...

2011-06-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Kendall looks like me!

The pics below are me :)

2011-05-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

I seriously have the cutest kids ever.
Kendall had her 1 year check up on Monday...98th% for height, 81st % for weight!! Taking after her dad in height and mom in weight :)
DISNEYLAND in a week and a half and I couldn't be more excited!! Three days after we get back I turn 30!

What a difference a year makes!!!

2011-05-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!!!

Mommy, Daddy and Nathan love you SOOOOOOOOOO much!!

Nathanisms

2011-05-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks, I've written down some things Nathan has said that have made me laugh. He's turning 4 in a few short months and I want to remember everything about this amazing little man!!!

He falls asleep during the day (usually no naps). I hear him whining and kicking around to find him talking in his sleep. When I think I've gotten him awake, I ask him what he wants...
Nathan: I want a Nay Nay show (meaning show for him to watch....like Dora)
Me: Ok, I'll go turn a show on for you
Nathan: NO, I need someone TOUGH to turn it on for me
He doesn't remember this conversation :)

Digging in the dirt with Cass and pulling weeds. He finds a bug and asks me what it is. I say "Oh thats a millipede."
Nathan: "Look dad! A milliPETER!"

I bought Tangled as a surprise so we could have a movie night. He gets so excited and says:
"Now that you know you can buy me Tangled...you can buy me lots of other things too!!"

In the bath with Kendall:
Nathan: "Mom, Kendalls all up in my business!"

While I'm changing Kendalls diaper
Nathan: "You're beautiful Kendall but your poop is weirding me out!"

"Hey mom, lets pretend everything is a sidewalk and we are homeless!"

Me: "Nathan, what should we bake today?"
Nathan: "Speaking of 'bake,' Bacon starts with 'bake'!"

Outside with daddy...
"Daddy, I'm going to go over here and pull these purple weeds."
Daddy: "Ok"
Nathan: "Their gnarly bro!"

I DID IT!!!

2011-04-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!! 13.1 Miles!!!

We ran down the chute that the OSU football team runs in to the field and finished on the 50 yd line!

Me, Missy and Deidra!

Here I come!!!

Doing this half marathon was such a personal thing for me. I didn't do it for anyone else. I had 2 goals going in to this.

1- run the whole thing...no walking.

2- finish before 2.5 hours.

I did BOTH!

(I want to remember this journey so if you already know it...feel free not to read)

I decided to do the half in February. I have been doing Iron Fit classes since January and knew that would help me train. Three weeks before the race, Cass and I went out for an attempted 7 mile run. We made it just over 6 and had to stop. My right foot was killing me. The next week was tough to walk. After a stupid doctor, an xray and and MRI...I had fluid surrounding my tendon (tenosynivitis). I kept up with my Iron Fit but no more running. I considered backing out of the race...but my foot started to feel a little better each day.

Day of the race I was feeling positive. SO ready to do it!

I started the first half of the race at a comfortable pace. I wanted to be able to last. There was also a small incline up Bald Hill. It was about half way that I started to feel awesome. I decided it was time to kick it into high gear. Its that Crossfit mentality...go hard or go home:) I picked up my pace and finished the last half faster than the first half. It felt amazing!!

My official time: 2 hrs 16 mins 14 sec

761st out of 1800 runners

66th out of 140 women in my age group.

I'm hooked. I am signing up for another one in September. (I am now nursing an injury on my other foot). In the meantime I am going to keep up with my crossfit workouts, run some smaller races...5k's, 10 k's. In September I want to beat my time and finish a little faster.

I am just getting started :)

Paranoid/Anxiety or Being Prepared?!

2011-03-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQXDt4VdS0E

Watch this! This is not the first I've heard of Jim Berkland and his earthquake predictions. It is the first interview I've seen though. (Thanks Stephanie for posting this on fb!). I couldn't sleep last night. Ever since the Japan earthquake, I think about my own family and what we would do if a natural disaster ever happened here. Well it doesn't sound like that is too far off!
I lost sleep last night planning out my 72 hour emergency kit, thinking of meeting places for my family, the who's, what's, where's, and when's. I drove myself crazy. But I wanted to post what I'm planning!
-stocking up on LOTS of water. (A Costco trip is in my plans today)
-diapers and wipes
-food for my kids. Jarred baby food/formula/ etc
-other non-perishable food items
-gas in all cars
-charged cell phones at all times
-Batteries and flashlights
-lighters and candles
-we have a meeting place if Cass and I aren't together at the time
I'm still driving myself crazy. I worry about my friends on the coast. I'm just a bowl full on worry and anxiousness right now. Hopefully once I'm prepared, I'll feel better.

10 Month Fun!

2011-03-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

(Blurry Pic from cell phone)
Kendall is 10 months old and is so much fun. She can do so many things that I didn't think would happen for several months out...like ride in the car part of the shopping cart with Nathan...squealing with delight! So So fun!

Her milestones:
-walking
-says dada
-points at things
-claps
-waves
-recognizes words...if asked she can find the following: daddy, Nathan, mamma, ball, baby, hair, and a few others.
-can eat finger foods by herself
-loves big people food and is a great eater
-drinks from a sippy cup
-learning sign language. Has signed "all done" and "baby" but never consistently
-follows simple instructions...in the bath I say "sit on your bum" and she does. Then I say "good girl" and she smiles and claps.
-loves to wrestle and climb all over Nathan
-shakes her head "no"
We love love love love love her and I can't believe how fast she is growing up :(

Thinking OUTLOUD!!

2011-03-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

-I've been buying more Organic products/food lately. I feel like its a responsible decision. Its expensive so I just make small switches...for example, bread, peanut butter, bananas, jelly, and Costco is hugely responsible for making it possible on my budget :)

-Mike "The Situation" from The Jersey Shore is an idiot. He does not have the nicest abs in the world. I think seceretly he is actually referring to the STD's he's contracted...now THAT is a "situation."

-My kids are growing up way too fast. I picture my life being this exact way forever but the fact is, one day I am going to wish my kids were this age again! I'm LOVING this age and having two kids is the best thing in the entire world.

-My dinner menu is short and restricted. I have run out of ideas and need to quickly find some more.

-Half Marathon is a month away and I'm super excited to see how I can do.

-I have daily rituals that I enjoy and look forward too. They are:
-my morning coffee and oatmeal
-during Kendalls afternoon nap, Nathan and I snuggle on the couch for quiet time (I nap, he watches tv)

-I've been trying to ween Kendall. Harder than I thought because she is persistent and relentless when she wants ME and not a bottle. She also had really dry skin that I thought was exzema. The doc said no, her skin was being irritated by something. So I cut out most dairy from her diet and her skin is perfectly clear now.

-Nathan is enrolled in Preschool for the Fall....(tear, sniff)

My butt has gone from flat to plump. Thanks to all the squatting and running, my butt is getting bigger...hmmmm.

-We have not saved nearly as much of our tax return as we had planned.

-I'm going to have a new niece or nephew at the end of April and I'm so excited. (Shane and Cheurisya are having another one!)

-Would like to get my Scentsy sales back up to where they were last year. And by the way I'm hosting a Tastefully Simple party. If you read this and live in the area, you were probably invited. If you don't know if you are invited...you are!

-Did not successfully give up my diet caffiene free soda.

-I need to finish my blog on Kendalls 10 month milestones!!

A Sweet Victory in my Book!

2011-03-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

So there is some confusion about whether our final weigh in is today or next week. I'm fine with either. I know I've done what I can to help out my team...although I would love another week to knock off a few more pounds.
When I signed up for the competition, my main goal was to WIN! Those of you who know me well will not be surprised by this!!!!! However after a couple weeks in, I am forever changed.
At this point I'm only down 5 or 6 lbs. But my body has changed so much and in the right direction!!! (For my butt, that means UP!!) I've pushed myself harder than I probably ever have doing the Crossfit workouts and have learned that eating healthy is actually fun and delicious! I plan on keeping up with all of this. I am not only more confident, stronger, and happier...but so much healthier!
So despite the win or loss...I am THRILLED with my outcome. If it took signing up and paying $50 to jump start my new found motivation and lifestyle; then it was well worth it!
Not to mention that I have signed up for my first half marathon!! I will be training hard for that over the next month!!!!

Anywhere will do!

2011-03-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

Nathan was pretty quiet the other morning. I found him in the bathroom playing the iPod!

3 Days to go!!!

2011-03-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

Final weigh in is Friday morning. I can't wait!!! As much as I am on a mission to lose weight and look great, being in a competition and on a team with 4 other ladies puts so much pressure on me!!! I think three times before putting anything in my mouth. I've been doing good and I'm excited to see my final number. I haven't weighed myself in a couple weeks but the last time I did, I was exactly what I weight when I was 8 weeks pregnant with K. So I'm almost down to my pre-prenancy weight...but my goal is my pre-baby weight...meaning, before I had Nathan.

Anyway, I'm working out extra this week and my diet is near perfect! So what do I have planned for Friday night to celebrate 8 weeks of hard work???
A buffet binge and Izzy's Pizza!!! Call me crazy but I love that place! Salad, pizza, breadsticks and their yummy cinnamon roll things!
Then back on track. I signed up for the half marathon in April and have just over a month to train. I know LOTS of friends who are also signed up and as much as I love and support them...it's hard to not want to be the best. That's that stupid competitive bone that I was born with. Being realistic though, I am not where I should be as far as my running endurance is concerned so I have my work cut out for me.

Funny Kid

2011-02-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

Nathan says the funniest things. I need to record them before I forget!

We were discussing what he wants to be when he grows up...
"I want to be a poor guy...a poor guy with smoke."
After further discussion on this future aspiration...it turns out he meant...
"a guy that pours dirt (a POURER guy) and the smoke when the dirt comes out (the smoke/dust from the dirt)!"
WHEW! Glad I got clarification!!!
Later he decided he wants to be an architect. :)

He was pretending to use a screwdriver on Kendall's butt.
Me: Nathan, she doesn't need her butt fixed!
Nathan: Yes she does...she has a butt crack!
Cass and I died laughing.

"Dad, those guys rub their balls on their face!"
Cass and I look at each other and chuckle like middle schoolers:)
Nathan takes his basketball and rubs his face with it. (he was watching an NBA basketball game.)
Again, glad we got clarification!!

"Mom, cool is for boys and beautiful is for girls. Mom, you're beautiful!"

2011-02-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

Cass turned 30 on Tuesday and lets just say...I ate cake. I won't go into how much cake I actually ate. I will say that this week I will be pulling double duty at the gym. Only about 2 weeks left of the competition and I can't let my team down. So time to get back on track!
I also just registered for the Corvallis Half Marathon. I'm more excited than nervous! I'm going to work really hard so I can do REALLY good. I know lots of people doing it and that gives me motivation.
The family has been sick. Sore throats and head colds. I'm tired but hanging in there.

I also wanted to put out there that I know a great couple who is going to Haiti in March. They are asking for donations of either $ or medicine to take down to the orphanage they are going to visit. Tylenol, Benedryl, Neosporin, etc. The cash will be used to stock the orphanage with beans and rice and buy new mattresses for the kids. LETS HELP THEM!!!
You can see her blog at http://www.25since.blogspot.com/

PRESSURE!

2011-02-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling the pressure now that the weight loss competition is over is three weeks. I have committed to my team to lose 5 lbs. Seeing how I only managed 2 lbs the first four weeks...I have my work cut out for me.
I am going to force myself to workout six days a week. I have also quit drinking my diet/caffeine free Pepsi.
I've always been confused about diet pop. You always hear people talk about cutting out pop to lose weight but I never seemed to know if that was regular sodas or diet sodas too. WELL, I was watching one of those doctor shows on t.v. Can't remember if it was Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, or The Doctors...but I think they created a segment just for me!
Apparently diet soda tricks your body into thinking it is getting sugar, when in fact, it is getting aspartame...anyway, when your body thinks it is getting sugar, it starts producing insulin, and whatever else it does to break down the sugars. This is a bad thing:( So cutting out pop, diet pop, will help you to lose weight. Not to mention, I'll be cutting out the extra sodium that is in my diet Pepsi. Yesterday was my first day and it was SOOOOOO HARD! Cass of course had a nice pepsi on ice with his dinner and I did have a sip. But going from having two or three a day to having a sip off of Cass' was success in my eyes!
This was also my dinner last night:
Greek Yogurt
Banana with a little Peanut Butter
one hard boiled egg.
This was after an intense 1.5hr workout.
I decided to go try and run 3 miles before my Iron Fit class. Not the best day to do that!! Iron Fit was probably one of the toughest yet!
Todays workout agenda....go run at least 4 miles or more.

NINE MONTHS!

2011-02-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

Can't believe its been nine months since Kendall came into our lives!!! We can't imagine life without her!!
Her stats:
Height: 29.25 94%
Weight: 19lbs 12 oz 67%
Head: 33% :)

This little girl LOVES her big brother.
Claps
Waves
Dances
Crawls
Stands without help
Walks when holding onto fingers
Great eater and eating all kinds of "big people" food
Has 6 teeth
Prefers to play with Nathans toys
Kisses and hugs her baby doll
Throws fits...literally throws herself backwards
Still hates car rides
Wakes up on avg 2x a night...still
Nicknames: Scotter, Kenny, Looloo

Happy Ninth Month little booger!!

Game Day, Game Plan

2011-02-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

No plans for Super Bowl and that's totally fine with me. I'm actually going to plan out the next four weeks of my weight loss challenge...
This week is the last week of my Iron Fit. I'm bummed because I've really learned to love it. Such a challenge and I am totally getting stronger. So I'm going to have to be really good about doing those type of workouts on my own.
I'm going to run two or three times a week. 4 miles has become pretty easy for me so I'm going to slowly try and run more and more each time. I'm going to keep doing spinning twice a week too.
As far as food...I need to do meal plans. I'm really bad about planning ahead. I usually think about dinner at lunch time and hate dragging two kids to the store. Would LOVE some healthy recipes and meal ideas.
I'm down 2 lbs but notice bigger changes in my body composition. Hopefully the weight loss will start to increase now. Anyone want to join my gym and be my gym buddy???

Miss K is growing up FAST!

2011-02-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Kendall has been standing without help for a couple weeks now. But yesterday she took one little step towards Nathan to grab his hair!! She had no idea she even did it but I definately took notice:)

This morning, she did it again!!! Again, she had no idea but Cass and I did!!

Where has the time gone??? All of a sudden she is going from baby to woddler:(

Cass turns 30 in two weeks!

Disneyland trip in less than 4 months...thanks to the help of tax returns!

I lost 2lbs. I was hoping for more but everyone keeps telling me to "remember you are builiding lots of muscle." So I guess I'll keep telling myself that too and be happy with the 2 lbs. Four weeks left of the weight loss challenge so it's time to kick it into overdrive. No more small cheat days...I CAN DO IT! Goal: 5lbs in 4 weeks.

Nathan starts Lil' Kickers (indoor soccer for kids) on Tuesday. He is super excited!!!

Half Way!

2011-01-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

This week we have our mid point weigh in at the gym. I'm actually a little nervous. Each time I weigh myself it's totally different...sometimes I'm down...and sometimes I'm even up:( I don't really know where I'm at to be honest. All I know is that I'm hoping that the second half of the competition, it will start to show. Over the weekend I binged on beer bread. I know that now I have an uphill battle this week but I'm up for it. I worked out pretty hard last night and today starts my intense week of Iron Fit and Spin classes.

Feeling Good!

2011-01-27T11:33:00.000-08:00

So I'm not sure the exact number of weight lost...it changes depending on the time of day that I weigh myself :) I'm not letting it discourage me though. I am definately noticing a difference in my body composition and feeling so much stronger. I'm pushing myself and doing things I haven't done in years (like running 5 miles). It feels good and I know that even if I don't reach my goal as quickly as I would like, I am on my way and will get there!!

A New Week!!

2011-01-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

I had a little pitty party for myself this weekend. When I'm in a slump I have a hard time getting motivated to do anything...but eat. So I'm going to have to work a little harder this week to make up for it. It wasn't terrible, but now the way someone in a weight loss challenge should be eating :)
Tomorrow I'm meeting with my team for our team workout, followed by the last half hour of my Iron Fit class. Looking forward to it!

Struggling

2011-01-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

Lately I feel like the only thing I have control over is my workouts. Other aspects of my life have me feeling totally defeated. Thats how I'm feeling right now at this very moment.

Changed it up...just a tad!

2011-01-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

I love a schedule, routine, a plan. I'm not a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of girls. So having a plan and work out schedule is really important for me to keep it up. I think I've found my rythm.
I have to start my work out weeks on Sundays (I was doing Mon-Fri). Fridays were my own workout, do my own cardio. However, after two days Iron Fit Classes and two days of Spin/Core, I was a slug on Friday. Now my workout schedule is this:

Sunday: My own cardio
Monday: Iron Fit
Tuesday: Spin/Core
Wednesday: Iron Fit
Thursday: Spin/Core

It works great. I was able to go in on Sunday evening and have a nice 3 mile run. Yesterday I missed spin in the morning so I went in and did my own thing again. I busted out a great 4.07 miles on the treadmill. It felt great. I haven't run that far in over a year and a half. I also ran the last 1.25 miles at a steady pace of 6.5...with the help of some Sugarland :) Music really helps me. I try and run to the beat of the music.
My diet is different too. I talked to one of the trainers at the gym and she told me I probably needed to consume more calories. With intense workouts and breastfeeding, my body would want to go into starvation mode if I wasn't getting enough calories and therefore hang on to all my fat. So I am putting aside the Weight Watchers for now and seeing if counting calories helps the pounds shed faster. Seems logical.

In other news, 2011 has a lot going on...here are some highlights! (in order!)
-Cass turns 30!
-Nathan is signing up for Lil Kickers!
-Kendall turns 1!
-WE ARE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!
-I turn 30!
-Nathan turns 4!
-Nathan starts his first year of Preschool

Over One Week In

2011-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

So It is now Day 10! So far so good, I think. I have been weighing myself almost everyday or every other day. I have to stop doing that. My weight changes depending on the time of day I weigh in it seems like. The other day I was up 2lbs (don't tell my teammates!). I weighed in the very next day and those 2lbs were gone. I am just not going to weigh myself. It stresses me out and we all know stress is not good for weight loss. So I'm not weighing myself for the next...few days:)

Iron Fit is kickin' my a$$! I have NO upper body strength and one of the things we have been working on are called Knee to Elbow.

This is a pic of my sis, Tiffani. I'm not a Crossfit genious but I think she's doing Knee to Elbows in this picture. Basically you hang from a bar (which is not an easy task for this big mama!) and then there is a technique (swing) to pull your knees up to your elbows. Needless to say, I can baaaarrrrreeellllyy do one of them and when I do it, I don't know that I'm doing it right. I feel it so much on the underside of my arms behind my pits. SO SORE! I'm hoping that by then end of the six week class, I'll be able to do a couple of these the right way!
We jump rope too. Sounds fun and easy but IT IS A WORKOUT! Lots of pushups, situps, 400M runs (which I love), we use the kettlebell, wall balls, ball slams, lots of different kinds of things. Check out Crossfit.com to learn about it.
If you want to try these workouts at home, my sister who is a Crossfit Trainer and works at a Crossfit gym in Redmond has a Facebook page called Hot Mama: Daily Workouts.
I'm still spinning too. LOVE IT SO MUCH! One of the best cardio workouts! I am going to have buns of steel ;)
I'm still tweeking my diet. I'll fill you in more on that after my next weigh in!

I should be Wonder Woman by now...

2011-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

...but sadly, I'm NOT!
Here is why I think I should be in the best shape of my life:

-I push and pull at least a couple loads of laundry a day
-I sweep at least twice a day which requires a squat to get it into the dust pan
-Constantly squating to pick up toys off the floor
-Pack around 17lbs worth of baby all day/every day
-Lift 17 lbs and 40 lbs of children into and out of the car/ high chair/ kitchen chair/ bath tub/ bed/ crib multiple times a day.
-Walk continuously throughout the house monitoring my kids' whereabouts, putting things away, etc. I am also on my feet to do the day to day cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, take the garbage out, search for my cell phone, back and forth to kitchen for coffee and food, you get the idea.
-Push myself up and down off the floor when I play with my kids or throw an adult tantrum.
-Wrestle and throw balls with the child #1
-Bounce back and forth, front and back to soothe child #2 when needed and for some naps
-Stretch and reach, squat, lean, bend while getting dishes and loading and unloading the dishwasher.

Come to think of it, as I write this...this is also my job description. However, WHY AM I NOT WONDER WOMAN? I MUST burn tons of calories doing all these things, right?!
Just a thought.

It's just another Manic Sunday!

2011-01-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

I woke up with a headache and clearly on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Just ask Cass. He tried to make a joke but it wasn't funny and not the appropriate timing. I hadn't even had my coffee yet.
I'm feeling a little better. I'm looking forward to a Birthday party for my nephew this afternoon and then a nice run at the gym this evening...followed by a short session in the tanning bed!

My baby girl is 8 months old!

2011-01-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast time flies! 4 short months and we will be celebrating this pretty girls first year of life! She is amazing. Loves to play, dance, clap, crawl, climb, communicate by grunting and yelling back and forth, doing whatever Nathan is doing, eat, and notice that sleep is not on this list ;) We are working on it and its getting much better!

Day 4 and 5! I'm feeling it now!

2011-01-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

Day 4:
Spinning for 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes of core workout.
I can't even tell you enough how much I am loving Spin class. On Saturdays they have an 1.5 hr spin class but I can't go because of Cass' schedule. They have daycare there but Kendall is a total freak when I'm not around! My MIL came to watch her the other night and she cried the entire time I was gone. I feel terrible for whoever has to watch her! I know she is fine she is just going through that separation anxiety...but the person watching her must want to pull there own hair out! So for the time being and to spare everyone else their sanity, I will just try and leave her with Cass. Let's just hope this phase passes quickly!

Day 5: Yesterday
Tough day to get motivated for the gym. I wasn't taking any classes. I was on my own. That's fine, but yesterday my body was tired from the previous 4 days and we were enjoying a p.j. day at home. I was working on lots of laundry and just trying to keep up with the normal everyday housework (a workout in itself!). However, I pulled myself together and went. I could only muster a measley 30 min on the eliptical. At least I went, huh?!
I probably won't make it today, day 6. I'm going out to visit with my dad and give my bod a break. I seriously can't hold my arms above my head I am that sore!
I have a full day tomorrow with a Birthday party for my cute little nephew Noah and of course good football on t.v. But I can't start making excuses. I will go tomorrow evening. My goal tomorrow: run 3 miles.
I am also signing up for the Corvallis Half Marathon with my mom and a couple friends. Once you sign up there is no turning back...so it's time to start training!

My eating is still a work in progress. I feel like I am doing ok but I tend to eat the same foods over and over. The second I cave for something different or a little less healthy, I snowball in a bad direction. I'm doing just ok and I want to get to great. Any recipe ideas, snack ideas, etc would be awesome!!!

Day 3: Love me some Spinning!

2011-01-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

This is the bike we use in the spinning class I took last night. I'm hooked! I used to spin a lot before my wedding and loved it! It felt SO good last night to sweat and hurt and sweat some more!
I have figured out my strengths and weeknesses:
strenghths: cardio...put me on a treadmill or a bike and watch me go
legs! I love squatting and lunging. Anything that makes my legs burn.
Weeknesses: MANY, but most obvious is upper body strength and the belly:(
I tend to carry most of my weight in my belly fat. It's easy for me to lose it in my legs and butt, however I have a muffin top BIG TIME! Which I find this weird since I do a lot of cardio...I guess this is where the diet comes in, huh?!
So here is day three and I have to admitt that today has been a little tougher when it comes to food. I had a sweet tooth craving earlier...and I curbed it:( I ate a little ice cream thing...but no worries. My plan is to not eat such a big dinner.
I also think I need a lot more water. So I am going to focus a lot on that in the next few weeks too.
Tonights workout plan is my Iron Fit class. I'm so sore from the last two days that I'm curious to see if I can even move! Could be comical :)
Dinner plan is Rice (flavored with taco seasoning) and lots of veggies!!!

OUCH! Day 2

2011-01-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sore from class last night!!!
I'm also taking before pictures tonight and if I like what I see in a couple months...I will actually post before and after pictures. It will be gross. But I think it's fun to see progress and who am I kidding...most of my friends and family have had children and know what post baby bodies look like.
I'm planning on tanning a little too:) I used to say that "tan fat looks better than white fat." Come to find out...that is what most people say and think too. So I can't take credit for that motto!!! I haven't been tanning in a very long time because a couple summers ago I suddenly became afraid of skin cancer. Honestly, it was a fear that happened over night. But I think I will tan a couple times and then get a spray tan!

Todays meal plans...
Breakfast: Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal...3 pts
lots of coffee
Snack: Weight Watchers yogurt...YUM 1pt
Lunch: Smart Ones frozen meal. These are SO good. Somewhere between 5 and 8 pts.
Snack: Bagel thin or something like that! about 3 pts
a protein bar before the gym 5pts
Dinner: Something involving chicken. I also have some progresso soups.
I save most of my points for dinner because we eat as a family and I love to scarf a big meal after I workout.
I am going spinning tonight at 5:30. Tomorrow I will have sore triceps from last night and a sore ass from today! AWESOME!

Wedding day pics to keep me motivated ;)

DAY ONE...

2011-01-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

I woke up today rarin' to go. I've been eating like crazy lately and as much as I thought I would enjoy all the yummy crap...I found myself feeling gross and not enjoying it at all. All that to say, I am SO ready for this weight loss challenge!
So the challenge is a team thing at my gym. My team consist of myself, Candy, Heidi, Lisette, and Rebecca. Each person pays to participate and the winning team splits the loot at the end. My team is really competitive so I think we will give everyone a run for their money...literally:)
Today we weighed in. I've been pretty consistent about weighing myself so today was no surprise. And although my weight was not a shock, I'm not happy about it. I have never even told my husband how much I weigh. The number just does not come out of my mouth. But if I'm going to blog about this adventure to keep myself accountable, motivated and hopefully inspire anyone that happens to read this...then I need to get real about EVERYTHING.
I am 5 ft 7ish...almost 5ft 8! I WEIGH 166.2 lbs. According to the mirror and the Body Mass Index chart...I am officially considered overweight. A healthy BMI is up to 25 and mine is 26.1.
My goal weight is 150 give or take two pounds. That is really close to my wedding date weight. I think it's realistic. It will be hard work getting there and staying there. But I have the rest of my life to work on it, right?!
My eating plan:
a Weight Watchers type diet. I can't say I'm on WW because I don't pay to go weigh in and I don't have all the resources. I do, however, have an idea of how many points I should consume each day and a calculator to figure out how many points each food is. I am breastfeeding (Thank God) and get lots of extra points for that!!! So I don't feel like I'm starving at all. During volleyball season, I did the ww diet and dropped a quick 11 pounds and that was without working out. So I hope that by combining the two, I will drop weight even quicker.
My workout plan!!!! (I love to workout and sweat so I'm excited to get addicted to it again!)
I am taking a class at my gym called Iron Fit. It's a Crossfit style class. Google Crossfit and take a look...its pretty intense. I will do this Mon and Wed evenings.
Tonight was our first class and I'm pretty sure my face is still beet red. I'm already really sore too. We did a variety of stuff tonight but our workout of the day was:
3 rounds of:
400 Meter run
21 Kettle bell swings
12 pullups (jumping pull ups for those of us that can't do a real pull up)
It took me just over 13 minutes to do this...and it was NOT easy.
On Tues and Thurs I am going to do about an hour of cardio. I am going to do a spinning class but I also like to run on the treadmill so I'll do whatever floats my boat those days.
My goal is no less than 4 workouts a week but would like to shoot for at least five days.

I am happy with my day number 1. I think it was a success. I even saved two points for a skinny cow ice cream sandwich...so that's where I'm headed now...and to watch the Bachelor but shhhhh don't tell my husband.

Resolutions???

2011-01-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

The word "resolution" to me implies a little bit of the word "failure!" This may not be true for everyone but it is for me. Anytime I have made a New Years Resolution, I forget it, don't follow through or make excuses why I just can't do it. Therefore, I'm a failure at making and following through!!! I'll be the first to admit it!
SO...I am making PLANS for the year 2011! See, plans can be modified, changed or whatever else and it doesn't necessarily mean "failure." Here are a few of my PLANS for 2011:
-Jan 3rd is day 1 of the group weight loss challenge at the gym...I plan to do this 120% and WIN!!!
-I will maintain my weightloss forever and ever!
-I've started a Boobie Jar! YES, I want to have plastic surgery and that is something else I am not afraid to admit!
-Committ even MORE time playing with my kids and less time watching tv. We have drastically cut down on tv time for Nathan now that Kendall is a little older.
-Continue to work on being a better wife and housewife.
-this has many layers to it! Maybe a whole different post in itself ;)
-Continue to make the house a home! I want to do little projects to make the house more put together...things for the walls, organization, finish spare room, etc...
-Keep trying to save an "emergency fund." Suze Orman SAYS I need to start looking at our overall wealth and future wealth...we need to start planning and putting away!

Most of these plans are ongoing not just for 2011 but for many years to come.
Wish me luck with my weigh in on Monday...I've really not held back from the "good" foods lately but I am SOOOOOO ready to kick it into high gear on Monday. (what better motivation that having team mates, a winning cash prize, and putting that cash prize into my boobie jar:)) That crosses off the first two items on my list of PLANS!!!!!!
Welcome 2011 and Happy New Year to all my friend and family!

PREPARE FOR PICTURES!!!!

2010-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

First up...Christmas at Grandmas!

This was Maggie's attempt at opening a present! (she is laying on it:))

Nhi Thuy and Uncle Tom Tom!

Then we have Christmas Eve and Nana and Papa's!

Samm, Kyle and Ashton working on their gingerbread house!

Cutest little Noah Bear!!

Gary, Heather, Joe and Papa during the gingerbread house competition.

Alyssa...pretty sure their house was the winner!

Nana with Alyssa!

Nathan and Cass working hard!

Funniest little boys...Nathan, Ashton and Anthony in Beau's cage:)

CHRISTMAS MORING AT HOME!!!

Pretty sure she liked Nate's stuff more than her own!!!

Grandpa Bob and the kiddos!

Reading with Grandma

All Smiles!

Christmas can be exhausting:)
To some up this years Christmas....LOVE!!! One of the best yet!

Updates!

2010-12-29T10:22:00.000-08:00

Kendall:
-This girl does not stop! All since Thanksgiving:
   -Started crawling
   -Immediatly started pulling herself up on anything and everything
   -Climbs over and on us all the time
   -Figured out how to clap
   -I swear she waved at my mom:)
   -Eats great...mostly baby food but we have started giving her little bites of our food.
   -Spent 10 days on antibiotics for a stinkin' ear infection
   -Cut her top teeth...now has four in total!
   -Still only sleeping about 4 hours at a time at night.
   -Her nicknames are Kenny, Roo, LooLoo

Nathan:
-Loves to argue but also can be SOOOO sweet.
-Decided he now pees standing up!
-Spent 2 nights in a row at grandmas...I think he wants to live there.
-Is 3.5 but wearing 4T and 5T clothes...shoes is size 8 or 9 depending on the shoe.
-Loves to sing and dance.
-Says his favorite days of the week are Tuesday and Saturday.
-Loves to snuggle.

Cass:
-Turns 30 in two months :)
-Still working graveyards and doing good with the weird sleep schedule
-Just won his fantasy Survivor game at work...nothing like making an easy 30.00!
-Has started a truck fund...to save money to buy a new truck next year.
-Really wants to switch from Comcast to Direct TV to go with our new 42" flatscreen:)
-Provides for his family like a total CHAMPION!

ME:
-Still working on weight loss. Joining a weight loss competition at the gym. Winner get $$$!!!
-Tried kicking out the Lexapro...didn't work!
-Lives in sweatpants...will buy a new wardrobe with my weight loss comp. winnings!!
-Is really trying to get creative with the house. Unfortunately some of my ideas are time consuming so I'm trying to find the time. Ex. painitng, shopping to find exactly what I'm looking for, etc.

That's us in a nutshell as of lately!

Lately...

2010-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

Such a cute place...StoryBook Land!

This was taken a while back but LOVE it...my grandma, mom, bob and Nathan!

Pumpkin carving in October!

Fun with cousin Noah!!!

Looking back- November 2008

2010-11-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

From April 2008 until April 2009 we lived in Coos Bay. It was so hard being away from our families but the year went so fast and now we miss the friends that we made while we were there. We had some GREAT times there as a small little family and Coos Bay will always be a special time in our lives. This is a look back to November 2008...

I got to hang with this cute little man every day!!!

We battled bed time and nap time while in Coos Bay...I'm pretty sure this was a day he decided not to nap!

Fuzzy picture :(

BFF Jackson...Believe it or not, Nathan will still mention Jackson. Miss that face!

We traveled home for Thanksgiving. The girls LOVE cousin Nathan and he LOVES them.

The day after Thanksgiving Nathan met Santa for the first time. A little nervous!

Six Months Later...

2010-11-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Kendall's 6 mth stats:

Height: 27 3/4= 97th percentile
Weight: 17.3= 73rd percentile
Can you say BIG GIRL!!! Love her chubby little butt cheeks!
What else do we want to know about her???!!!
-she is totally mobile. Not crawling but scooting and rolling EVERYWHERE!
-loves to sing (seriously she makes this little whining sound when she's happy and it sounds like she is singing!)
-Knows where mommy is at all times and is not alway happy when she leaves the room :)
-has two bottom teeth
-is trying to ween from her night feedings and is not real good with this change!
-prefers squash and sweet potatoes. No thank you to fruit.
-Wears 9 month clothing comfortably
-Wants a Cabbage Patch doll for Christmas!
-Still hates car rides
-Loves her brother but doesn't always think he is very funny
-Her tongue hangs out 80% of the time! So cute!

Other Beaver things:
-Nathan got the flu mist...such a great way to do the flu shot!
-Holiday coffee creamer is out but I don't drink as much this year. I'm trying to shrink my waste line!
-Speaking of waste line, I'm down 10 lbs in the last 2 months. I'm starting Fit Camp at my gym in a couple weeks too!
-SO STINKIN' excited for the holidays!!! This means I get to see my brother, Nhi (his gf) and my sis!!!
-Not to mention BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!
-Nathan is the cutest, funniest and smartest little boy I know. He keeps me laughing ALL day long!
-We are slowly getting our house totally put together. My project this week is putting up pictures on my wall. I ordered a bunch of photos from Snapfish and bought some frames...just have to put them all together and figure out how to arrange them on the wall. I'm waiting for Black Friday to see if other art work goes on sale for some other walls in my house.
-Painting K's room purple. Almost done...funny thing is that in a year or so we will probably switch her to the bigger room and have to repaint both rooms. uughh
-Had a spotless house yesterday only to wake up to a messy one...how does that happen?! Seriously!
-On days that Cass sleeps (b/c of his graveyard schedule) I don't usually shower until 3 pm and it drives me crazy. We have 2 bathrooms so I really have no good excuse :(

Holy Smokes!

2010-11-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

These first two pictures blow me away! I can't believe how much they look alike. The first pic is Kendall and the second is Nathan. WOW!

Same with these next two...quality isn't so good (cell pics).

It's FALL!!!

2010-10-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that I'm the luckiest mom in the whole world! Just look at these two beautiful babes!!! I'm in heaven having two kids. They love each other and I think that is pretty obvious by the pictures!

My Take on Sleep Training

2010-09-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

I think that when you have a baby...sleep training is inevitible (sp?). Coming up with what works best for your baby, you and the rest of your family is the tricky part. If you google "sleep training," you get a bazillion links with a bazillion people telling you why their way is the only way, etc, etc.
After my venting post yesterday, I got lots of emails, text messages, facebook messages, and so on, on what worked for people, methods they used, etc.
For the record, I love to hear it because sleep is something that I get so little of but is such a huge part of life right now. So even though it may or may not work for me, I always enjoy hearing peoples stories.
However, let me tell you that I have read, researched, bought, just about every sleep training method out there in hopes of finding the perfect one for us. I've even tried different approaches...with no luck. What I've determined is that no matter what anyone tells me, there is not one way that will work with every single family or baby. My children seem to be the exception to every rule out there!!! My mom as my witness!!!
Nathan was a terrible sleeper...I spent butt loads of money on books and things to help...I took everyones advice and nothing seemed to work. Eventually his sleep just evolved over time and we broke one habit after another, one by one and now he does great.
SO with Kendall, my husband and I vowed not to start with bad habits. So we have worked really hard at doing everything right...
-a consistent bedtime routine (which we also did with Nathan)
-putting her in her own bed to sleep (also did with Nathan...when he got older, he comes and climbs in bed occasionally.)
-dark room, white noise machine
-trying super hard not to associate sleep with eating...sometimes it just happens...not much I can do.

In the first month, she showed signs of being a much better sleeper than Nate. She could pull a three or four hour shift pretty consistently. I'm not sure if it was a growth spurt, gas, or what, but at some point she reverted back to waking up every hour. After a few nights, she slowly got back to two hours...and that's where we've been ever since. We haven't changed any of our good habits and have really maintained avoiding bad ones.
We've let her cry it out...she doesn't cry for very long, can put herself to sleep, but still doesn't sleep for any longer. I've tried making Cass get up with her...we do a "dream feed" in hopes of pushing her an extra hour or so...NADA!

I'm not done trying...I haven't given up hope. I'm just still trying to find what works for us.

Why don't I stick to strictly one method? Well, to spare judgment and offending people...there are just some things I don't agree with or know that I wouldn't be able to be consistent about with different approaches. TO EACH THEIR OWN! I have absolutely nothing against anyone who swears by a certain method, etc...it might just not be for me. And I'm being honest with you and myself when I say that there are certain things I just can't be consistent with. So maybe it's my own fault that certain things don't work...but I'm ok with that.

For now, I struggle. I keep trying different things. I'm trying to look on the bright side of things...TRYING! I know that eventually, Kendall will also sleep more than two hours at a time. This too shall pass...this won't last forever. I tell myself this over and over.

On a more serious note...

2010-09-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't like to complain or be a downer on my blog or my facebook...however, I feel like this is the best place for me to turn right now to get out what I want to get out. Maybe I'm feeling sorry for myself, maybe I need a higher dose of Lexapro, or maybe I'm reaching my breaking point...whatever the case may be, I have to get this some things off my chest before I explode!
I blame a lot of my emotions on complete and total lack of sleep. Kendall will be 5 months old in a couple weeks and has yet to sleep more than 3 hours straight. I've tried everything...I've read everything. I've concluded that my children have minds of their own when it comes to sleeping. However sleep training is not on my brain at the moment.
I mostly get 2 hour increments...and that's if Nathan doesn't wake up sometime in the middle to ask "is it morning yet?" Or hear my husband come in and climb into bed. I'm sleep deprived. However, my body seems to have adjusted...I somehow manage to get through each day. The human (female) body is amazing. My mind however seems to be suffering.
When I wake up (between 6am and 7:30am) with my kids, I try to be the best mom, housewife I can be. I clean up the mess that was left from the night before, play with the kids, make and drink coffee and try to catch up on the news in between Nathan's show and the wii. I nurse Kendall, and after a short time get her down for a nap. I then do a little more cleaning up, laundry or whatever needs to get done. Nathan also begs for more attention! I pump to prepare for later in the day when i have to go to work (volleyball practice). I make lunch for Nathan and myself, clean up after Nathan, get snacks for Nathan, pretty much cater to his needs since he is only 3! When Kendall wakes up, that makes 2 kids to cater too. Double duty.
Then it's time to head to practice and deal with teenage, freshmen, girls. I used to have to take my kids with me so it was triple the stress. I love volleyball and love coaching...but dramatic girls with attitude make me really grumpy. Sometimes they make it really hard for me to do my job which is make them better players/individuals. I just hope I'm making some sort of impact on them...whether it's about volleyball or life in general.
Then I jet home. I need to get something ready for dinner, nurse Kendall, and get ready for bath and bed time. Once the kids are in bed (8pm) I watch a show. Eat. And then head straight to bed because I know that only three hours later, I'll have to wake up again. Kendall starts the nights pretty well and Cass gives her a dream feed of 2oz around 10...but she still wants to wake up every 2 hours. So If I go to bed in the 9pm hour, I'll be up in the 12am hour and so forth...draining...mentally, emotionally, physically.
I do this everyday and on weekends, it's filled with volleyball tournements or other going ons.
Tonight Cass goes to a graveyard shift so for the next four nights, I'm totally on my own. He will need to sleep during the day. When he wakes up, I head to volleyball, home in time to help with baths, then Cass will leave for work and I'm on my own again.
I love being a mom. I love waking up to my kids and their beautiful faces. They seem to be at their happiest in the mornings as well. As the day goes on, the coffee wears off, I become more tired....and sometimes bitter and angry.
WHEN IS IT MY TURN??? When do I get taken care of? I'm so busy taking care of everyone else in my life that I haven't exercised in weeks. WHEN IS IT MY TURN? To sleep in or sleep more than a few hours at a time without feeling guilty or ashamed. WHEN IS IT MY TURN?
I have roof over my head, food on the table, heat, cable, a car to drive, and a beautiful family...so should I really complain? Should I stop being so selfish?
I feel "weak" just in even writing this blog...so it may not stay posted for very long...

2010-09-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

The kids had their Well Baby check ups yesterday. Nathan had his 3 year old appt and Kendall had her 4mth old appt and shots.

Stats: (so I've apparently misplaced the paper they gave me...but I'm almost positive these are the stats)Nathan: 45 inches tall = 88th percentile
33lbs= 60th percentile
Nathan makes us laugh all day long. He says the most hilarious things.
He loves to talk about poop. For me, that's not so hilarious...he totally gets it from his dad!
Loves to exercise with us and run laps around the block. I need to get him into some active things this winter since we'll be stuck inside a lot. I'm thinking Lil' Kickers or swim lessons.
Loves his cousins Kelsie and Maggie. All his stories involve them...he even tells me that he has dreams with them in it. Wish they lived closer.
Is such a good big brother. He ALWAYS tells Kendall that he loves her, kisses her, hugs her, tells her "sweet dreams" in his precious soft voice, and "good morning Kenny B" every morning.
He tells us that he loves us at least a dozen times a day. It NEVER GETS OLD!

Kendall: 25 3/4 inches= 90th percentile
15.2 lbs= 66th percentile
She's my big girl!!! Still doesn't sleep through the night but I got a couple of three hour stretches out of her and it feels great. She is also in her crib in her own room now. Maybe that will help her sleep longer. She started rolling from back to tummy a couple weeks ago and I'm pretty sure she'll scoot or crawl really soon. She puts her but up and her knees down...all she has to do is figure out her upper body!
We still swaddle her at night. We've proven to ourselves over and over that it still helps her sleep better.
She is eating rice cereal. She does pretty well with it. I'm going to introduce her to some veggies in the next couple weeks.
She coos, smiles, and giggles all the time. Is already very aware of when I'm in the room or not. Her nickname is Kenny B (well, Nathan and I call her that!) or Kendall Roo.

In other news:
I'm totally looking forward to Fall! I love it! Some things are tainted however...last Fall I was pregnant in my 1st trimester...so some smells will forever bring back that morning sickness memory! But it can't ruin my love for this season! Pumpkin patching, peppermint mocha coffee creamer, Fall colors, rainy days cozied up inside, football, HOLIDAYS, Christmas movies and music (which Nathan has already asked for! He loves this time of year as much as I do!), yummy comfort food, and I could go on and on!
I also LOVE having our own home! DUH! It is so nice to come home after a long day or time out and about. We have worked really hard to make our home comfortable and cozy and I would say we are doing a good job! We still have projects but that's alright and I really need some home decor for the walls. We are in the process of painting Kendall's room and organization is an ongoing process. I'm hoping that once vb season is over, I'll start really going to town on all of that!
Cass starts his graveyard shift on Sunday. I think there will be an adjustment period but also think it is going to work out for us! He'll be here most weekdays to be with the kids while I'm at volleyball and he's home until just about the time kids go to bed. He has worked so hard to make life for us more comfortable and we are so proud of him!!!

Have you seen this boy???

2010-09-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

He had a 3rd Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday little man...how fast time flies when we are having fun!!!

Beautiful Babes

2010-09-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

In case you wanted to know...

2010-08-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Nathan:
turns 3 on the 25th.
loves ice water
loves the smell of cinnamon
full of energy from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to sleep
likes to do Hot Mama workouts with his mama :)
loves his baby sister and loves to give her lots of kisses
tells us that we will be best friends forever and ever and ever and ever
has a ton of anxiety in big crowds and is terrified of anything in a costume

Kendall:
3 months old as of the 7th
a great pooper
still wakes up every three hours
super smiley
was a little over 11 lbs at her two month appt
likes to sit up and look take in everything around her
HATES to ride in the car
is beautiful...big blue eyes and great little lips and she might even have a touch of red hair

Traci:
is getting back into exercising and running and LOVING it
starts volleyball season a week from Monday
SO grateful that she can stay at home with her babes (Thanks Cass!)
working on being more productive throughout the day
has better eating habits
planning Nathan's 3rd bday party and realizes she is a terrible party planner
misses her brother and sister and wishes they lived closer

Cass:
GOT A HUGE OPPORTUNITY AT WORK!!!
He will be training in CT (CAT Scan)!!! This will be great for the long term!
He has to train for 6 weeks in day shift and then will switch to graveyard. That stinks but hopefully only short term. However, this means a nice little pay raise! It will help us get ahead financially and his new schedule will be great for my volleyball season.
Has become quite the handyman around the house.

There you have it!

Us!

2010-07-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

My Kids are my World!!

2010-07-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks Cass

2010-07-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

Cass tilled up the old front yard (dead and full of weeds), planted new grass, laid out bricks for landscaping, planted Rhodies (which aren't doing too well so we are going to get different shrubbery), planted a tree and pulls weeds. The flowers along the house are courtesy of my mom and Bob. WE LOVE IT!

My Sweet Baby K!

2010-07-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

What's been happening...

2010-06-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

-slowly but surely I'm getting more sleep
-Miss K is getting so big and giving big smiles! 8 weeks on Friday.
-volleyball open gyms have started. I'm getting so excited for the August when the "real" stuff starts.
-Nathan is potty trained. That's right...poop and pee in the big boy potty.
-Cass MIGHT switch to a graveyard shift. That will be a big adjustment for us all.
-4th of July celebration in Redmond at my sisters. My brother is coming and bringing his girlfriend Nhi who we have not met yet. She's in for a real treat:)
-My goal is to lose AT LEAST 25 pounds. My diet is on track but need to really make my exercise a priority.
-Nathan has a marble jar to track good and bad behavior. 5 marble = reward. So far its working. He even gave Cass a marble for Cass' good behavior!
-I rely on coffee more now than ever before.
-Nathan really wants to go to preschool in the Fall but I haven't registered him yet because I'm in denial that he is going to be 3 years old in August.
-Will sit outside in the sun as much as possible this week to get some color before being in the presence of beautiful people this weekend.
-Will end this post because I have a lot of cleaning to get done before Friday.

KIDS!

2010-06-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

4am

2010-06-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago, Kendall was showing signs of colic. Her uncomfortable time was usually between 7pm and 10pm. Somehow this time has shifted and now comes consistently at 4am. Poor girl gets really gassy and uncomfortable. It usually only lasts about an hour.

She also has really bad baby acne. I think it is caused by the heat when we snuggle her at night. See, she hates to sleep by herself. Cass and I are working hard to break this habit. Last night she slept in her crib for two 2.5 hour stretches!!! Woohoo, progress. At 2:30am, however, it wasn't so easy and of course I was too tired to be consistent and she slept with me. We'll get there...we are determined to make good habits. To help her, I bought a white noise machine that was recommended by a friend. I can't wait for it to get here.

Nathan and I are addicted to the Wii. He likes to sword fight and I like to do the three point contest (in which I am the record holder!). We play it far too much during the day but what else can we do when the weather stinks. Nathan is also an amazing bowler! His record is 145!!! He can bowl three strikes in a row. TURKEY!!
Nathan loves when Kendall smiles at him, which she is doing more and more of!! It is one of the highlights of our day.
I am trying to be more productive around the house. Kendall wants to be held ALL THE TIME so it is hard. Cass has today off so I want to get through some cleaning projects I have on mt to-do list.

As tough as the days can be, I feel SO blessed to have two beautiful kids and an amazing husband!!! Life is good, no doubt about it!

1 Month old...and I got out!

2010-06-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Tiffani, our friend Sarah, and my little family decided to head up to Enchanted Forest on Saturday. I can't even tell you how nice it was to be around other adults AND get out of the house for some fun! The kids had a blast.
Yesterday, Tiff and I had a little time out to go see our other friend Jeni in a play, The Producers. It was so much fun and so nice to get out without the kidlets :)

I can't believe that Kendall is ONE MONTH OLD!!! Time is going pretty quickly. I hate to say it but I'm glad the first several weeks do go quickly. I'm not a fan of the newborn stage...don't get me wrong, I love my newborn...I just don't like the things that go along with them. Like lack of sleep, getting up every two or three hours, breastfeeding (which is easier the 2nd time around and getting better as time goes on), timing EVERY thing I do, breastfeeding in public (at Hansel and Gretel at Enchanted Forest), etc. If you're a mom, you know what I'm talking about. Thank God for Lexapro to help me through it!!!!
I will say that I'm pleasantly surprised at how much easier and relaxed I am with the 2nd child. I'm also doing good on my own when Cass is at work. Only one major melt down...Nathan naked in the bath (with NO water) throwing a half hour tantrum, refusing to get out, kicking and screaming if I physically removed him, Kendall hungry and crying, and me about to totally lose it. Made a panic phone call to my mom and Bob and then things calmed down!!! Live and learn, right?!
Nathan is being such a great big brother. He doesn't pay a ton of attention to her but when he does, he is so sweet! He likes to kiss her and tell her "sweet dreams." He shakes her hand and says "nice to meet ya."
We are starting to look into preschools for him for the Fall. I can't believe he is going to be 3 and starting school...time flies!

Kendall is high maintenance!! Loves to be held. We are REALLY trying to establish good sleep habits from the get go but she has a mind of her own and a temperment to go with it! I guess we will be looking into some good sleep training methods in the next several months!!!
She is smiling!! They are still few and far between but the melt your heart when she does!
The last several nights, I nurse her, she is awake for a while and then sleeps for three hours. So I've been starting my night with three or four hours of sleep. Makes such a difference in the morning! It's also nice that Cass gets home from work just shortly after midnight. I pass her off to him and get a few hours of sleep to myself. THANKS HONEY!

We are doing really great as a family of four. We feel so lucky to have such beautiful, high maintenance babies!!! I look forward to what is to come in our future...the holidays, Birthdays, family vacations, etc.
I'll post more pics of my cute kids soon!

SMILES!

2010-06-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Similarities

2010-05-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Nathan around 2 weeks old...
Kendall two weeks old...

My Girl!

2010-05-25T18:05:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the world Kendall Beaver!

2010-05-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Kendall Lee Beaver
Born Friday May 7, 2010 at 5:56am
9 lbs 7 oz
21 inches
Thursday morning I had a dr. appointment. I was only 3cm dilated but 80% effaced. We scheduled an induction for Monday the 10th but my doc was sure I wouldn't make it through the weekend.
Later that day I was having some Braxton Hicks contractions. Nothing real consistent. I somewhat dismissed them. Later that night I went to bed like normal expecting to wake up like normal....hahahah!!!
Cass gets home from work around 12:30am and usually goes to bed between 1 and 2am. At 3am, I woke up to use the bathroom and had a contraction. I got back in bed and 7 minutes later, another one. So I laid there and sure enough, I had contractions that came anywhere between 5 and 9 minutes apart. They were random but strong so I woke Cass up at 3:45am to time them. They were lasting for one minute. In the meantime, Nathan woke up. I brought him in my bed since I could make it through the contractions without too much trouble, hoping he would just go right back to sleep. He must have sensed something going on because he wouldn't go to sleep.
We called my mom to head over because we felt at this point we should get ready to head to the hospital (in Salem, a half hour away).
When my mom got there, I struggled to get out of bed...not because of the pain but because I didn't want to leave Nathan. He was holding me so tight. I get emotional just thinking about it.
When I did get up to leave, I questioned whether we were going to soon...my contractions were still randomly coming between 5 and 9 minutes. But we went anyway.
Half way up the freeway they started to come at every 2 and three minutes. This is where it really starts to suck.
We make it to the hospital, and I get wheeled to the maternity floor...they are casually taking their time to check me in...in the meantime, I'm gagging in a barf bag. I finally get wheeled into my room (and I don't like my nurse...she tried cracking jokes and seemed to be taking her time). Let me back up...we get to the hospital at 5am, in the wheel chair at 5:06am, in my room and in the bed around 5:20am.
The nurse checks me....I'm at 8.5 cm! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
All of a sudden there are several nurses in my room. One is doing the admitting, asking questions. One is doing the IV, and others are wheeling things in.
Where the hell is my epidural? Oh, the guy that gives them is headed to a c-section.
She was going to give me a pain killer to take the edge off the contractions but as soon as she started to, I felt like I needed to push.
At this point, a doctor comes in, breaks my water and tells me to push.
HOLY COW!
TWO pushes later I had a huge baby laying on my stomach.
I can't describe the feeling of giving birth without any drugs or an epidural...honestly not as bad as I thought it would be...but not a cake walk:)
So Kendall's birth story is only three hours long and two pushes later!!!!!
I know Nathan loves his little sister but doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to her. He is still adjusting but overall doing really good!!!
I feel like the luckiest mamma alive to have two BEAUTIFUL babies and a husband that adores them and takes care of us!

Pics of the house...please excuse our messes!

2010-05-05T17:54:00.001-07:00

This is coming in from the front door... To the right, what will be our office.

Looking into the kitchen

From the kitchen looking into the family room...aka: kids room! We are going to do some different things in there eventually...like add a loveseat sofa and a new tv stand.

Nathan is so proud of his blue bedroom.

If only you could see before pictures. I will be getting pictures of the whole painting/flooring etc. process soon so you can see how much work and effort we (Cass and our family and friends) really put into making this our home.

Sadness

2010-05-03T09:35:00.001-07:00

There are always things that people don't tell you when you get pregnant. With my first pregnancy, no one ever REALLY told me how hard parenthood was...especially those first few months. I felt like people really glamourized motherhood and having your first child. Don't get me wrong, it eventually turns out that way, but having a baby is life changing in a way that I don't think people really understand until they have one of their own.

So now I'm less than a week from my due date with baby #2. This is something we have always wanted...two kids, a home, a stable job. Our dreams are all finally coming true yet I'm dealing with an incredible sadness at the same time. AGAIN NO ONE WARNED ME OF THE FEELINGS THAT I MIGHT EXPERIENCE!!! For two and a half years it has been just me and Nathan (and Cass but I'm talking about me being a stay at home mom). We are best buds. Life has become comfortable and easy. He is such a good kid, I can take him anywhere. He needs me but I find myself needing him just as much. The snuggles, hugs and kisses, the quality one on one time, the inside jokes, the laughs, I feel like I already have it all.

So the sadness comes from feeling like I'm going to lose all that. All of a sudden life changes and it will never be the same. I'm sad for Nathan that his life will also be flipped around. I cry almost every night praying that I don't go into labor that night because I don't think I can leave him in the middle of the night...no explanations, no good byes. Would he wake up and be sad or scared because mommy's not there? I know he loves grandma and he would be fine...but night time is our time. It always has been. Even at 4am when he wakes up...it's ME that he needs/wants. Some one described the feeling as if I'm grieving and that's exactly how I feel. I'm a mess.

It's not all sadness...Cass and I are SO excited to meet our little baby Kendall. We want to see what she looks like...will she look anything like Nathan did? We are starting to get anxious, waiting to see if today is the day I go into labor. We have our plans all set.

So even though I know that it will all be ok, I was caught off guard at these intense emotions of sadness. What a mix of emotions of happy/excited/anxiety/sadness. I have learned that MANY people have felt these same ways...however, I'm such an emotional freak that it wouldn't have surprised me if it was just me!!!

On a happy positive note...my due date is Friday and I think she'll probably be here sooner!

Things going on here:

2010-04-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

-Thinking Nathan might be somewhat done with naps. On days that he doesn't nap, he goes to bed earlier and better and sleeps all night. When he has a nap, they only last about an hour or so and then it takes an hour for him to fall a sleep at night, and then he wakes up sometime between 2 and 4am. I know he's only 2.5 but right now I'm all about choosing my battles, especially with another baby on the way.

-Speaking of baby...I'm 1.5cm dilated and 50% effaced. I know this doesn't always mean much...but I have always felt like she will come before her due date...so I'm thinking she's coming early.

-I'm waiting, as we speak, for the phone call that our loan docs are ready to sign so we can finally close on our house. Supposed to get keys by Friday.

-Nathan is all about the Wii these days. To be honest, if I could choose between t.v. and video games for my kids...hands down I would choose t.v. I just don't like video games. However, I feel differently about the Wii. The only things he plays is tennis, bowling, golf and boxing. I'm still not sure how I feel about boxing but if only you could see him do it. The reason I'm ok with the Wii is because he gets alot of physical activity that he might not otherwise get...especially on rainy days inside. I think we are going to get him one for his birthday.

-Cass just had his review for his one year mark at Salem Hospital...can't believe it's already been a year...and of course his review was excellent!!

-

Nathan has something he'd like to say...

2010-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

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translation:
"it says you go to the store. I wrote and get a drink. When you go to the park and you slide down the slide like this!"
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Translation:
"it says you go to the park and slide"

Is it possible...

2010-04-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

...to get to certain point in your life, look at where you are and think "how the hell did I get here?" Of course I say this in a good way. Here's a little of what I mean:

36 weeks pregnant!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Am I seriously one week away from being full term...the time has gone SOOOO FAST!

I also have a 2.5 year old...where has the time gone???

We are buying a house...closing next week!! Six months ago we thought that being home owners was years away...and here we are. A week away from owning our first home. I still can't believe this!!

Easter

2010-04-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

So this first picture is just a funny picture...Nathan figured out how to use the camera and took a self portrait. Makes me laugh so hard every time I see it! The real purpose of this post...EASTER! We had such a fun day and spent time with both sides of the family. Nathan woke up and the Easter bunny had left a cute little basket and hid about 40 eggs! He was so cute and a GREAT egg hunter.

TADA!! Posing for the camera with a cheek full of candy for breakfast:)

Looking everywhere for his eggs...

I'm pretty sure he found an egg but stopped to eat the candy inside before moving on.

He knew just how and where to look! How cute is this little "bum in the air" picture!!!

SO HAPPY!!!

He got really cool twistable, slick, crayons.

I always forget my camera when we go to Cass' family celebrations. Which is always so frustrating because Nathan has so much fun. He got to do another egg hunt in his Nanna and Papa's barn. He loved to run through the hay and kick it out of his way. He was one of the lucky ones too...two of the hidden eggs have $5 inside and he found one of them!!!! We ate a scrumptious ham sandwich lunch/dinner and the kids got to play and adults got to chit chat.

OUR HOUSE!

2010-04-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

In just a few short weeks, the house above will be our first "home." We are so excited. The home is a foreclosure that needs some cosmetic work on the inside so we got a great deal!! 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a living room, family room, formal dining if we choose to use it that way:) I can't tell you how excited we are to get in there and start putting our own personal touch to it!!!

Needless to say, our TO DO list is growing and I have to have certain things done before we move in AND have a baby!

-Paint the whole inside of house...some rooms have a little wallpaper that needs taken down...lots of priming.
-Rip up kitchen/family room floor and lay pergo flooring...has to be done before new appliances can be put in.
-New carpet...thanks to Home Depot!

The other stuff can be done once we are moved in.
SO if you have some free time around the 17th and following...feel free to volunteer your time with us!!! Our family already knows that we will be having a work party on the weekend and they are so ready and willing to come help. We are SO lucky to have their help and support!!!

Life is good!!!

Nathan's Birth Story

2010-03-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

As delivery day approaches for baby K (in 6 weeks), I realize I don't think I've documented Nathan's birth story. If I have, or you have already heard it, please feel free to skip this post:) I however, want to post it so that once I have two kiddies, I don't confuse or forget anything.

On Saturday morning, August 25, 2007, I woke up around 7am with very light cramping. I noticed it came and went quickly about every ten minutes. However, it didn't cross my mind that I could possibly be in early labor. My first thought was "oh no, what if something is wrong?" This went on all morning. Just before noon, my mom called and asked if we wanted to go eat lunch. We met them at Izzy's. On the way there, the cramping (contractions) became more painful. I still didn't think much. Even trying to get my food at Izzy's was tough. I remember having to stop walking and just stand there when they would come on. And sitting at the table and having conversation was hard. I didn't say anything, I just toughed it out. Needless to say, I didn't eat much. We visited with my mom and Bob for a bit and then headed home. Before we got home I noticed that these were DEFINITELY contractions and they were coming quicker and quicker. So we timed them. Sure enough, every five minutes, lasting a minute. So I called the on call doc. Our options: labor at home a while longer or head in to see if I was truly in labor. So I decided to take a warm bath at home...which did nothing for me. Finally, I couldn't take it. Cass drove me to the hospital. On the way there I called my mom and told her to call my sis and have her drive over from Redmond. This was it.
We got to the hospital around 2 or 3pm. Got admitted, checked and sure enough, we were going to have a baby!!! My plan: epidural:)
After what seemed like forever, the anestesiologist (SP??) came in around 5 or so. The second he walked in the door, I sat up and my water broke. He gave me the epidural and instantly I could relax.
We literally hung out for the next several hours. I sent texts to people letting them know I was going to have my little guy! I remember Tiffani finally getting there when it was almost time to start pushing. I think I pushed for a half hour or 45 minutes and Nathan was born at 11:40pm!!

I had no idea how my life would change that night!
Now I'm about to embark on yet another adventure and have another child. We are so happy and excited. I have anxieties because I know how hard it can be in those first few weeks/months. How do I manage two? Will she sleep better than Nathan did? Will breastfeeding be easier this time around? Will Nathan's behavior change? Will I have post pardum again? Will I be able to lose the weight quicker this time?

I'm trying not to dwell on the "what if's, how to's, etc" until the time comes. Until then, I'm going to enjoy every minute I have with just Nathan. He will always be my favorite little man and I already grieve that our one on one time will change. I already miss it. So I need to really focus on him while I have just him. Then when our little girl gets here, I will cherish every minute that we have with her too.

SERIOUSLY??!!

2010-03-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm 33 weeks! Only 7 more to go!! WOOHOO!!!

TMI

2010-03-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am now wearing my nursing bras. Not because I think they are cute or trying to get ready for the day that I actually have to use the snaps but because by boobs no longer fit into any of my other "normal" bras. The nursing bras just happen to be the best alternative option.

Nathan has gone pee pee in the potty two nights in a row after his bath. He enjoys it! I reward him with a cupcake (he only eats the frosting off the top). However there is only one cupcake left and i think I will switch to some other sort of treat...like a SUGAR FREE popsicle.

We are LOVING this weather. Nathan and I go for walks every day and yesterday we broke out the sidewalk chalk.

We are less than a month away from our closing date for our first home!! SO EXCITED!! We have some big projects we want to get done before we move in and before I have the baby...I'll post before and after pics so you can see how awesome we are:) Actually how awesome our friends and family are...without their help, we would not be able to get it done before my due date. THEY are the awesome ones!!!

I'm feeling pretty good...still trying to get to the gym four days a week for that LONG half hour on the elliptical. It kicks my butt.
Took a tour of the hospital I'm going to deliver in.

HOW COULD I FORGET TO MENTION...
My mom, sis, and sister in law threw me the best baby shower last weekend!! Lots of friends and family piled in my moms house to celebrate this little baby girl. As you saw on the previous post, we are going to name her Kendal!!
Nathan named her. Seriously. One night in December Cass and I went through the alphabet and came up with a couple names for most letters of the alphabet. We came to 'K' and had like four or five names. Kendal was one of them. We had never mentioned Kendal before and we moved on to the next letter pretty quickly. When we were all done we asked Nathan what is baby sisters name should be. He said Baby Kendal. It didn't matter how many times we asked or threw out different names, he always said her name was Kendal. This went on for months and Kendal really grew on us. We can totally see us having a Nathan and Kendal running around the house.

Thank you to all my friends and family that came to the shower! I'm always amazed and overwhelmed at how generous people are.

Oh, and I'm going to coach volleyball again this year. So if there are any volunteers out there who might want to hang out with Kendal or Nathan for two hours once or twice a week...let me know:)
I'm also signing up for a 10K Pumpkin Run in Corvallis in October. PLEASE SIGN UP AND HELP MOTIVATE ME!

That's enough...long and boring. Sorry.

2010-03-14T21:28:00.001-07:00

Kendal Lee Beaver

A quick update!

2010-03-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

Big news for The Beaver Family...we are currently under contract and in the process of buying a house!!! I wanted to wait for the inspection before I made any sort of announcement just in case it didn't go well. But it went great! Now on the the appraisal and the rest of this whole process!!! It's been a long time coming! We've had our eyes on this house before it was even on the market. I'm so glad we didn't give in to something we weren't 100% about or give up completely.

This house is a bank owned home. There are lots of home improvement projects we want to tackle but mostly want carpet, paint, and wood laminent flooring in before we move in...keep in mind, we don't close til mid April...get these three main things done, all before a May 7 due date or earlier if she decides! I am a little stressed about the timing of it all but I know it will all work out great!

Pregnancy news:

NOT MUCH

I'm just about 32 weeks...weight gain right on track

glucose a little high but not gestational diabetes high...trying to watch what I eat a little more closely

iron deficient but the iron supplement has helped and I feel like a new woman!!!

All in all, things are good!

Things I want to do in the next few weeks...

2010-02-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

Buy a house
Wash my craigslist infant carseat
Think about packing my hospital bag for delivery day:)
Get a haircut...so needed...it's been SEVEN months...gross.
Try and get together with friends more often before my social life becomes non-existent.
Save money but spend money all at the same time.
Take one more mini family vacation somewhere
Get a spray tan!!! (This will probably be done before the rest:))
Cut back on my sugar intake (thank you Glucose test) but eat lots of Hasty Freeze cheeseburgers and french fries before I go on a diet in May!
I'm sure there are more things, but this is just to name a few that are on my mind!

SO PROUD!

2010-02-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

So I know that all kids develop VERY differently and hit different milestones at different times...but sometimes when Nathan does or says something, I get all warm and fuzzy from how proud I am of him.

Nathan (2.5 yrs old):

-can count to 20
-recognizes his numbers 1-10
-can say his alphabet
-talks in complete grown up sentences...and it's suprises me daily what comes out of his mouth.
He will stand up on the stairs and put on a show and sing all the songs he know and wait for us clap for him. He is a total performer just like his cousin Kelsie.
-Knows his shapes. He loves octagons for some reason...
-Has the cutest imagination. For all those ECE majors, he is REALLY good at imaginative play.
-Loves to sing and dance.
-He's smart and sassy. I give him two choices and he is already telling me what HE wants his choices to be:)
-No interest in the potty training though:(
-Going to sleep all by himself and sleeping like a big boy. Most nights all night long...
-Is so excited to be a big brother...p.s. baby girl has a name. I'm revealing it at my baby shower so I'll post it after that...if you're interested!

2010-02-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

Cass' Birthday is the day after Valentines day. So we decided to take a short, overnight road trip for those two days. Our first stop was the Lincoln City outlet mall where we found AWESOME deals on the kids' clothes. Then we headed to Tillamook for the night. Our plan was to wake up and go have breakfast at the cheese factory and then watch the factory workers to their thing! Nathan and Cass waiting for our breakfast! Nathan spilled that little cup of water TWICE! We basically ate breakfast with a river of water underneath us!

The Birtday boy himself!

We got to swim at the hotel. Nathan loved this! I actually enjoyed it too because I could actually hold him and play around and not feel like I was carrying a million pounds!

And yes, this is my 28 week pregnant belly.

A background change

2010-02-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

So I'll be giving birth to a baby GIRL in just over two months. It feels like culture shock. I'm so used to everything being all BOY! So I changed my background to pink to get in the spirit of girly things....

Explanations:)

2010-02-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I tend to feel somewhat sorry for myself lately. I have been feeling so tired ALL the time lately and I have to keep taking care of business because the job of a stay at home mom is 24/7, RIGHT?!! Well, after having my blood drawn today, turns out I'm iron deficient and that explains the excessive want/need to sleep!!! CURE: take an iron supplement...no big deal but I'm sure glad to know that I will be feeling more energetic in the next couple weeks!!!

S#@* my son says!

2010-02-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

During a conversation with me and Cass, I asked Nathan:
ME: "Who do you think is funny? Daddy?"
NATHAN: "Ya, daddy. He farts funny!"

a few minutes later...

Nathan takes a drink of water and starts coughing.

ME: "You choking on your water? Are you ok?"
NATHAN: "Ya, I need lunch. I need lunch to make me feel better!" (Keep in mind it's not even 10am)

again, a few minutes later...

ME: "Nathan, what should mamma wear to the gym?"
NATHAN: "Just your underwears!"

About this same time LAST year!

2010-02-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

We made Valentines for Kelsie and Maggie!
Nathan still was still making his cute "cheese face"
Nathan's mom and dad thought they were REALLY cool!
I caught Nathan reading his dad's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition...I think there is a separate post on this in my blog archives:)
Nathan was also REALLY cool...How much cuter does it get????

My past is my motivation

2010-02-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry some of these pictures are sideways!

I look back through pictures before I ever got pregnant. Where did my body go??? I always worked out hard and I wish I could get my old body back. I crave SO much right now for a vigorous workout...spinning, running, anything to make me really sweat and feel good. These are a few of the pictures I will use to motivate myself after Baby #2 comes. No more excuses.

Swollen kidney situation

2010-02-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

So since December, I have had a slight issue with my right kidney. It is still swollen and might be slightly more swollen than the last ultrasound I had. My urologist is great and is keeping a good eye on me:) I do have some contamination in my urine (TMI) that could be bacteria...from what? Who knows? Anyway, I might have to have a catheterized urine sample taken...AWKWARD! And every month for the next three months until the baby is born, I will have more ultrasounds to make sure it doesn't become real serious.
Other than that, I am just being pregnant, chasing around a 2.5 year old and feeling slightly sorry for myself!! I don't remember being this tired with my first pregnancy, then again I didn't have another child. By the time 5 o'clock rolls around, I am totally done. It's all I can do to muster the energy to finish out bath and bed time. I realize I'm only 27 weeks and have three more months to go so I just need to buck up and quit whining about it!!
My appointments are two weeks from here on out...crazy how fast time is going.

We are trying to buy a house before baby is born. We should know more about a house we are interested in this week...keeping our fingers crossed!!

Nathan's Camera smile:)

2010-02-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's always the same and SO dang cute!

Snow

2010-01-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

A while back it snowed...here are a few pics of us enjoying it!! Nathan and daddy's snowman!

Consider this a family picture! I am always behind the camera so I decided that if all of us were going to be in one picture, I had to self portrait myself with them in the background:)

Nathan caught snowflakes on his tongue!

And is the cutest little man I've ever laid eyes on!!!

Just a couple cute pics

2010-01-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

Good News to Report

2010-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Nathan is feeling much better and back to his sweet, funny, silly, obedient self!!! We are so happy to have our little boy back:)

As for the doctor today...more good news!

Blood pressure...perfect!
Weight gain...perfect!!!
Baby's heart rate...perfect!!
Measuring 24 cm at 24 weeks...perfect!!

Let's just say a good doctor's appointment is a great way to start the day.
I see the urologist next week and keeping my fingers crossed for more good news!!!

A little life update

2010-01-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

We have had a rough week...to say the least. It has been physically and emotionally exhausting.
I'm going to make a long story short...
Last week, Nathan feels feverish. My thermometer is boxed up because we are moving...so I treat him with Tylenol and a lot of love!
Friday, he's just not himself so I take him to the pediatrician. He says Nathan is fine. Good ears, throat and chest.
Friday night...1030pm...Nathan wakes up angry, frustrated, and I don't see my sweet little boy anywhere in his eyes. He is demanding and inconsolable. By God's grace, Cass had come home from work early that night so I wasn't alone. We looked at each other and wondered what had happened to our son in just a few short hours. It was scary, sad, and confusing. We took him kicking and screaming to the E.R. WASTE OF TIME. We got a parenting lecture..."sometimes kids have tantrums. They go through phases." Seriously doctor, we aren't stupid. We know our child and something is wrong. Every two hours that night we woke up to an angry child. We all got very little sleep and Cass and I walked on egg shells the whole next morning waiting for another crazy episode.
We cried. I cried ALOT. I almost felt like I was mourning for a child I had lost. Where did he go? What happened? What was happening?
Saturday, less than 24 hours from his first pediatrician visit. I took him to Urgent care because of a rash that was on his face, legs, stomach, neck, and worse on his back.
Thankfully, the Urgent Care doctor listened to me. Nathan was diagnosed with Roseola. A high fever followed by a rash. However the doc could only assume that was the cause of Nathans behavior the night before but couldn't be sure.
Nathan's behavior was strange for several days. Throwing more tantrums than normal (which normal is almost never...our child is perfect:)) He just seemed unhappy. My only glimmer of hope was that each day seemed to have more "good times" than bad and I was finally seeing my Nathan in his eyes again.
After lots of tears and praying and research, we woke up today and had a great day. My happy, loving, playful little boy was back!
Could it have been the roseola virus and lack of sleep that caused this weird behavior. And on top of that we moved back in with my mom and out of "Nay Nay's house." I don't know...I think so.
Now that we have settled in here and we are getting back to our old daily routine, I think things will go back to normal. This last week really made me realize how blessed I am that I have such a beautiful child. I still loved him SOOOO crazy much while he wasn't feeling good but realize how lucky I am to have such a happy and loving child when he IS feeling good.

A little pregnancy update:
It's a girl! No names picked out...it's way too hard with girl names.
I have a clogged ureter. (the thing that takes my pee from my kidney to my bladder) I have a urology appointment in a week or so to see what it is and see what they can do for me. Probably not much considering I'm pregnant.
I have an appointment on Friday. Let's hope my blood pressure from this last week is down by then!
On Friday I will be 24 weeks. I only 3.5 months left! This has gone crazy fast!!!

2009-12-16T20:11:00.001-08:00

It's a GIRL!!!

Traditions!

2009-12-14T09:32:00.000-08:00

I read a cute blog the other day and it posed the question:

Does Santa leave the presents wrapped or unwrapped at your house???

This was fun for me to think about! When I was a child, Santa left our presents unwrapped! It was a big display!!! It was awesome!!! He also left a few presents wrapped but it was the big display that got all the attention. However, Santa always left Cass' presents wrapped. So our tradition with our kids will be that Santa will leave both wrapped AND unwrapped presents. However, I don't want it to be all about the presents. So I want to make sure that we have other traditions...cookie baking, going to see Christmas lights, spending time with both sides of the family, cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Now that I'm older it is SO fun to think back about traditions when I was younger and spending time with the family, playing games, etc, are always my favorite!!!

Tiffani, Tommy and I would always sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve. We always had the hardest time falling a sleep because we were SO excited. We would play ABC category games (pretty sure we invented it!) and listen for ANY sign that Santa was in the neighborhood! We would lay awake until wee hours of the morning and wake up before the sun...seriously, 5am. My parents loved that I'm sure!! We would go slowly down the stairs and I remember the anxiety and excitement.
When we got older, it was the weeks leading up to Christmas that were exciting. Christmas shows on tv, decorating the tree, shopping, yummy treats in the house!!! We would sit around and play games and laugh and play.
Now that we are all grown and in different places, we still make sure we get together. This year Tommy and Tiff can't be here at the same time. We still play games, watch movies, and just hang out and enjoy each other.
For me, my love for this time of year came from a VERY young age, probably even before I had the ability to 'remember.' That is why I am trying to create fun memories and traditions for Nathan NOW. I want him to always have Christmas spirit!! For him, it might be about Santa and toys but I know later on he will understand that Christmas is much more than that.

What are you memories as a kid? What traditions did you have that you want to carry on with your family?

ONE MORE WEEK

2009-12-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

...and we find out baby #2's gender...boy or girl??

We have been pretty busy lately. As soon as I upload pictures, I'll post them!

Gearing up for the HOLIDAYS!!!

2009-11-16T18:11:00.001-08:00

First, a quick look back at fun times, Christmas '08!

So I've made the executive decision and I'm decorating for Christmas THIS WEEKEND!!! That's right...I decided that since Thanksgiving is on the 26th, leaving us with slightly less than a month to enjoy Christmas decorations, I'm decorating BEFORE Turkey Day. My husband thinks I'm crazy, I think I'm just festive!!!

I'm also going to wrap up my Christmas shopping next week. I could be done now if I let myself but I can't stop thinking "gosh, this could be on sale next Friday!" So I'm forcing myself to wait and see how much money I can save ;)

Nathan know who Santa is. He talks about him quite a bit and loves when I sing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town!" We will go see him at the mall in a couple weeks and see how the face to face meeting goes...I think Nathan will like him better in books and movies than he will up close and personal. And for the first time EVER, I think I'm going to go to the parade in Corvallis the day after Thanksgiving. I've never been but have always thought it would be a fun time. So what better year than this one to go?! Anyone else going???

PREGNANCY UPDATE:

I had another appointment today. Baby sounds good, uterus is where it should be, etc, etc.
AND...I have only gained 3 pounds!!!! WOOHOO! Seriously, with Nathan, every time I went to the doctor is was at least 8 pounds. I'm working really hard this time to NOT let this happen. In fact here is what my cardio routine looks like at the gym:

20 min on Elliptical doing the Hill routine keeping my pace right around 6.0.
25-30 min on Treadmill. 3 min walk, 7 min jog, 3 min walk, 7 min jog, 5-10 min walk on incline.

I like to think this is helping. That and the fact that my body does not have any desire to eat a lot of sweets. Especially chocolate. I'm a little sad because those have always been my favorite things but happy that I don't have to worry about controlling those cravings.

OH YA...we find out what we are having on DECEMBER 16th at 9am...stay tuned for that!!!!

14 weeks and counting

2009-11-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

I am now just over 14 weeks...which also means I have officially started my 2nd trimester and over 1/3 of the way there!
In 5 weeks we will find out if we will be having a boy or a girl...any guesses?
I'm feeling TONS better...still have yucky moments but feel great for the most part.
45 minutes of cardio at least 5 days a week to avoid gaining over 35 pounds.
Next appointment, the 16th!
Heart rate of baby...161.
Just some random info!

On a side note, I have re-found my love of crayons and coloring books. I have yet to find a new Christmas coloring book though and it's driving me insane!!! Anyone know where I can get one??? I've tried Wal-Mart, Target and the Dollar Store...going to KMart today.

Halloween pics

2009-11-03T09:06:00.001-08:00

You might have to click the pics to make them bigger...I don't know how to enlarge them by myself...they are cell phone pictures.Nathan describes these pictures "Look, all my friends on there!"
"Nay Nay wearing dog."
"I eating ice cream...yumm, I eat it all gone!"
"NAMMA! Tick or teeting...I want to see Nampa Bob on there!" (sorry, no pics of Grandpa Bob!)

Stuff!

2009-10-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

My Freshmen Volleyball team's season has come to an end! Last night was our last game. At the begining of the season I wasn't sure how their win/loss record would turn out but they did great!! They had 4 wins and only 2 losses in league! I was very proud of them. The Varsity team goes to State playoffs next week so I'll give updates on that later. I'm glad that my life will be slowing down. This time of year is my favorite so it will be nice to have this time at home.

I am going to be looking for another part time job. I've got my feelers out there so hopefully something will work out. I'm only looking to work close to home so I won't have to include a couple hours drive time to my work day.

Sunday is November 1st!!! I can officially be excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Is it to early to decorate the house :)

Pregnancy this far...not bad. I had several (about 5) weeks of all day nauseausness. That is gone!!! So I'm feeling really good. I'm already showing. I feel like I look like I was with Nathan at 17 weeks and I'm only 13!! It's crazy. I'm also doing about 45 minutes of cardio about 5 days a week to try and control the weight gain. Those who know me well know that I gained A LOT of weight with Nathan and I refuse to let that happen again.

Cass had surgery to laser out two kidney stones. His recovery is uncomfortable and sometimes quite painful. He did great though and will feel better in the next few days. We hope he doesn't have to go through this again any time soon.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY.....

2009-10-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

...
...
...
BABY!!!
That's right, the Beaver family is adding one more!!! I'm currently almost 12 weeks along and we couldn't be more thrilled!
I had my first appointment today and got to hear that sweet little heartbeat. Makes it so REAL!! I'm also so excited to FINALLY let the cat out of the bag too:)

In other news:

Nathan and I have both been vaccinated for the H1N1. Some girls on the volleyball team came down with it last week and that was kind of scary. Pregnant women are high risk group for this virus...bad and dangerous for us to get it! So I called my doctor and had to take Tamiflu...it made me feel so yucky so I'm glad to be vaccinated!

Speaking of Volleyball, my team is making me so proud! They started out really raw but have come together as a team and we are 3 wins and only 1 loss in league!!! We only have two games left and I'm hoping we can finish strong. My morning sickness made most of the season kind of rough on me...early morning/all day tournaments, long bus rides, etc. I'm starting to feel so much better and want to give the last two weeks 100%!

Cass is still battling his kidney stone. He had to go the ER about a month and a half ago and they tinkered with the idea of surgery to remove it. Well, they decided he could probably pass it on its own but after several weeks and no stone...he is scheduled for surgery on the 28th. It doesn't sound like it will be a very pleasant experience.

IT'S OCTOBER!!!! I love it! We have been to two different pumpkin patches...Nathan has painted FOUR pumpkins and Cass has carved one. I wait for Fall every year as soon as it's gone so I'm glad it's finally here!

2009-10-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

I really do have updates and lots to say...I have just been crazy busy with Volleyball, motherhood, and being a good wife, that I haven't found a good time to sit down and write about it all. Stay tuned. I promise a good update in the next few days!

Stupid girl

2009-09-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

We were coming home from Corvallis the other day and the girl driving in front of us was texting while she was driving. She literally had her head down for at least six miles (we exited). She was all over the place too...she would veer toward the right white line, then the middle line, slow way down, etc. Cass even tailgated her and she didn't even notice. So he honked. She glanced in her rear view and went right back to texting. I was FURIOUS!!!! What if she crossed that middle line and hit and killed someone head on? What if she crashed into the ditch and killed herself? So I did it...I called 911 and reported a driver posing a threat to others (wreckless driving)!! The 911 dispatcher was glad I called.

Watch out for a red Honda Accord driven by a stupid girl...she puts your and your families lives at risk!