SLO in Arkansas: February 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

Life on the Homefront

....is grand:) Life is good y'all!!! There are so many things I am thankful for lately. Making the decision to take a break from work was definitely hard, but has been SO worth it! Since I have been off it has been all about finding balance and peace and identifying areas that are out of whack and making positive changes. The month of February has flown by, but as it draws to a close I can say that I feel I have made tons of progress in the right direction:)

Health: I did pretty good losing the baby weight at first, and then the crazy train happened when we decided to move and stressful eating took over, so that department has not been going the best. I have taken some very active steps in this area that are already paying off, thank goodness!! I have got about 15 pounds I would love to lose, and here is my plan of attack. I have started working out 3 times per week at least. I went back to my old love....Tae Bo. I will tell you what, nothing works your butt off like that Billy Blanks. I am alternating between the 8 minute and 30 minute workouts, depending on how much time and energy I have that day:) I have done them 3 times a week every single week this month, and can feel my energy level growing, my strength returning and a little less wiggly around the middle:) I switched to diet Dr. Pepper only (no regular cokes), and am working on getting rid of carbonated drinks totally. I am drinking tons more water daily, taking my vitamins, trying to get to bed about an hour sooner, and not eating as much junk food. I have started meal planning weekly, cooking (now that I am home at dinner time!) and counting some calories. Oh yes, the most effective but hardest part of this whole healthy lifestyle change.....NOT eating after dinner!!! Pretty sure I snack myself into oblivion every night on the couch watching TV, which can't be good. I started all of this about 9 days ago and have lost 4.2 pounds, so something must be working. Hold me accountable people...I really need to keep this up!!

Kids: Tyson and Jace are delightful:) Most days! Jace will be 6 months old on Friday. Tyson is cruising at 2 1/2. I feel like we are falling into some semblance of a good routine lately. I know it will change soon, but for now things are working. I have figured out how to get their afternoon naps coordinated (finally) which some days gives me a good 2 hours of glorious QUIET!! Of course a lot of times Jace's morning nap will screw the whole thing up and some days I get about 5 minutes of down time, if that. We just roll with it though, and I feel awesome on the days...like today....when they both go down at the same time:) Jace is cutting teeth so he has been a little cranky, not eating well, and a lot of drool. Hopefully they will break through soon and give us all a little relief. Tyson is still talking up a storm and is hilarious. That kid makes me laugh all the time with his little phrases and comments throughout the day. He is such a happy boy and you can't help but smile when you are around him. Although he is having a bit of a "not listening" phase too. We are working that out of him though:) I am really enjoying the boys, and have figured out how to get most things done with them by myself now. I can do Walmart, get the house clean, etc. It takes some planning, but we get it done.

Work: I am still working at church on Mondays and am really enjoying it. It gives me a little something to use my brain on but is not overwhelming at all. I have no plans to go back to my other job yet. I still have the whole month of March off at the least, and we will just take it a day at a time from there:) Silas is doing well at work, and things are still perking along at the pallet company. I am very thankful for his job and hours and that he is a hard worker to provide for us.

House/Projects: We feel pretty settled here at the new house now. I still have some pictures to hang (who doesn't!) but the big stuff is done. Really I just have some fabulous spring cleaning projects I plan to tackle over the next several months which should hopefully knock out anything left I am needing to get done. What's on my list?? Let's see...
1) Clean out/organize the garage. There are still quite a few random boxes to unpack, but there is no room left in the house, so they will be staying in the garage. I would love to get everything in there organized, but it has been so stinkin cold that you can't spend much time out there. This will definitely be a spring/warmer weather project.
2) Organize all the closets in the house. They are a disaster, which is VERY unlike me. I was focused on getting things unpacked at the time and not on making them pretty. Now I need pretty!
3) Finish hanging the random pictures on the walls
4) FINISH THE MASTER BATHROOM! The biggest thing of them all by far. We have learned that we really aren't project people! But we are pushing ahead and going to get this sucker finished, hopefully in the next few weeks. I need my bathroom back:)
5) Turn in my taxes. Yuck.
6) Replace some baseboards in the living room.
I am also planning to tackle potty training Tyson:) Good times ahead for sure!

Life in general: Is good! We are having fun watching some shows on TV, loving the Olympics, and spending time together as a family. Church has been awesome and we are really enjoying getting to know other families lately. I am still attending Ladies Bible Class which has been great. I have Girls Night Out once a month with my church friends, Silas and some buddies have started a Guys Night Out too, and are having fun. We try to plan lots of play dates with friends during the week too which I love. Silas and I are going to work harder at getting away and having more dates. The kids do fine with babysitters and we really need to make this more of a priority. I am still dreaming of spring and the few days we have had in the 50's have inspired me!! I am happy, calm, rested, energized, determined and mostly just thankful for this season in my life.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Jace

Look at my little sweet guy:) I can't believe he will be 6 months old next week! Wow. He is showing more and more personality every day and is so much fun. He laughs like crazy when you tickle him which is adorable. He is also very interested in his brother and finds Tyson very entertaining. I love this stage, and watching their relationship grow. Tyson adores "baby Jace" and has had lots of fun "playing" with him:)

Jace is definitely a mama's boy! He is my little sweetie pie. And oh my goodness, he has even started sucking his thumb like I used to as a kid!!! I find it adorable. While I don't want him to be a thumb sucker forever, it is awfully cute right now:) Tyson is still addicted to his paci, so it will be nice to have a kid who doesn't like them as much....and definitely much easier to keep up with! If I could only regain all the lost hours of my life we have spent searching for a lost paci!!

He is really doing well getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth. He kicks his legs really hard too when he is on his stomach. I am sure crawling will be in our very near future:) The kid can move a lot though, even for not being able to crawl.

Little man in the snow. He kept falling over and I couldn't get a good picture so Silas propped him up with a shovel! This was taken a few weeks ago, but I am just now getting around to posting it.

Things are still perking along with us. I am not missing work ONE bit. I think that surprises me quite a bit, as I really thought I would be itching to get back into it after a few weeks. I am finding lots of other fun things to do to fill my time and being able to have time to focus on my home and family has been wonderful. I have got a few Spring cleaning chores planned here for the next few weeks, and of course the big one is still finishing up our bathroom. Getting my taxes finished is my big chore for February. That will be a big relief once it is done and I can forget about it all til next year! Life is going well for us and I am so thankful that we have all managed to stay strong and healthy throughout the winter months. The sun is out today and it energizes me like crazy, even though we have stayed inside! Spring isn't too far away. So what is on your Spring cleaning list this year???

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Valentine's Day and Parent Commitment

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Our day was jam packed today, and has been great so far. We started off with Parent Commitment Day at our church this morning. It had been pushed back due to the snow a few weeks ago. They do a little ceremony in front of the church of all the babies born in the past year. The parents give a commitment to raise the babies to love the Lord, and the church commits to love us and help in this journey. Boy were there lots of babies born this year! It was fun because we got to share this special day with lots of our close friends who also added to their families this year. There was a little reception before the worship and we had a photographer take our family picture. Hope that turns out well!

Then they got a picture of all the babies together.......what a feat!!! The little ones hung out in their carseats, while the almost one year olds sat down front. It was a zoo trying to get them all to sit still:) Jace of course was in the back row trying to arch his back and jump out of his seat! They had to keep stopping and put him back in before he fell out:) Of course my children are always the active ones in the bunch. Look at all of these precious little ones:)

Last but not least....Tyson and his Valentine Chloe:) These two have been friends since we moved to Jonesboro and are so sweet together. They were holding hands in this picture, but I was too close to get it all in. Tyson walked with Chloe to Bible class after the reception. I love how sweet they are!!! After church we enjoyed lunch out with some friends and are now resting at home. What a blessed day to spend with family and friends. I have enjoyed loving on my sweet guys today:)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Vancouver 2010

I love the Olympics!!! They are so much fun to watch, and we have been enjoying watching as much as possible. I think my favorite things to see are the short track speed skating, the snowboard cross, the figure skating, downhill skiing and the snowboarding half pipe. But let me say, some of these sports are super scary to watch....they seem so dangerous and I get myself into a nervous wreck just watching! Especially the luge after that guy died on opening day. Anyway, I love the sports aspect, but I also really enjoy the back stories about the athletes and things they have been through. It makes the victories so much more meaningful when you know a little more about the people competing.

Let's see, what is going on in the rest of our lives?? Still digging in and surviving the winter:) We are making progress on our bathroom remodel. It has been pretty slow going, but still going nonetheless! I am still very much enjoying my time off from work. It will be hard to get back into that routine when I go back! I have started trying to take care of myself better and am getting into a better eating and exercise routine. I have definitely fallen into some bad habits and trying to break them isn't easy:) Hopefully I will have a good report on my progress to post in the next few weeks. Everything else is good. I can't believe my kids are 2 and a half and almost 6 months old!! I will do some individual posts on each of them soon with what they are doing. Things are definitely ever changing around our house! I have also started to explore the world of "cuponing." It is crazy what all is out there and how elaborate it all can be! I am still really new at all of it, but I think it will be fun to try out. It never hurts to save some money here and there:) Tomorrow is Valentine's Day as well as Parent Commitment Day at our church. It should be a great day!! I will have some pictures to post soon:)

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Ain't No Cure for the Winter Time Blues

Oh man I really really really dislike the winter. Winter time is so hard for me, and I am so blah lately. It is like it just sucks the life right out of me. I definitely struggle with seasonal blahs every winter....I need sunshine to function!! I am such an outdoor person, and I go crazy having to be inside all day every day. Everything is cold and dead and gray and yucky. Well, I take that back, the snow is beautiful and I really do enjoy it, but it's only here for a few days for the whole winter:) I love November and December with the festiveness of the holidays, and I can tolerate the beginning of January with New Year's and Silas' birthday, but then the gloominess sets in. The fun is over and it's cold and dark and just dreary. I feel so listless and restless and unmotivated. And I am tired of being in the house all the time. Maybe this wasn't the best time ever to take a break from working!! Now I don't have a reason to leave the house at all some days, which makes me a little crazy:) Luckily we have been scheduling as many play dates with friends as possible which has really helped in the interaction department. I am so ready for Spring! I want to spend my days outside. I love Spring, Summer and Fall:) I have eaten all the chili I want to eat, I have enjoyed sitting by cozy fires and drinking hot chocolate, and now I am ready to get back to regular life. My little boy needs to run around a space bigger than our living room! So for now I am just looking out the window at all the snow on the ground and dreaming of sun drenched days, the first tiny sprigs of green grass, colorful flowers, the smell after a summer thunderstorm, the sound of water lapping against the side of our boat, Jimmy Buffet and Bob Marley songs, freshly mowed lawns, cold sweet tea and suntan lotion. Ahhh, now that is life right there guys. Just a few more months.......:)

Monday, February 08, 2010

Little Boys

Little boys do not belong inside the house for extended periods of time. Winter is hard!!! We are definitely an outdoor family, and it is tough to keep us cooped up in the house for months. I am anxiously awaiting the first days of spring and sunshine and green grass. For now I have to dream about it, because we are currently covered up in another beautiful blanket of snow:)

Here are a few pictures of the little guys playing inside.

Tyson is so excited about his new camo rain boots! He pulls them on and stomps around the house.

He was yelling "cheese!!!" in this picture. At least now he is standing still for 5 seconds so I can take one of him:) Hopefully his new boots will be put to good use the rest of this winter and into the rainy season this spring. Little boys gotta have something to jump in the puddles in:)

Friday, February 05, 2010

Just Random

I have been all deep and introspective the past few weeks. Not sure why. Maybe it is because I actually have the time to think for more than 5 seconds now that my life isn't so chaotic!!! I just realized recently that I am in my 30's. Pretty silly considering I turned 30 back in August!! But I was busy having a baby the next week and then moving and dealing with life, so apparently it has just hit me that I am officially in the 30's. I feel better now that Silas has joined me:) We went to the Melting Pot in Memphis to celebrate our transition into a new decade together. We ate our little hearts out. It was the first time we have been out together alone since Jace was born....it was wonderful, and way overdue. I guess the there have been lots of thoughts swirling around in my little head. It felt strange to be out alone, just the two of us. I have gotten so used to being someone's mom, being in charge of a little person, and the diaper bag, etc, etc. It felt pretty scandalous to actually leave the state just to go out to dinner!!! I also realized I am very much in the stay-at-home mom phase of life. You know, the standard sweats or jeans uniform and t-shirt (whatever doesn't show spit up, snot, etc). I am not a dressy person whatsoever in general, but it was tough to actually get a little spruced up to go out. I didn't really even have many options!!! So I have been thinking about a bit of a 30's makeover. It sounds dramatic doesn't it...but lets face it. If you know me, that means buying a new pair of jeans and maybe a shirt that isn't a pull-over jacket!!! It is about time to get my hair cut too. I had it cut before Jace was born, so I am about due for my once a year haircut:) Yeah, we really need to work on the hair-do too:) I guess I am just feeling a little out of sorts. I know as moms we tend to put ourselves last in the taking care of others department, and unfortunately it shows. I am feeling much more energized after just a week or so off from work, and am ready to try to regain a little control over some of the crazy parts of my life that I have let go. Hopefully I can make some positive changes on the inside and out that make me feel better overall. I am excited to be 30, and am looking forward to whatever this new decade has in store:)

Thursday, February 04, 2010

More SnOw DaYs

Here are a few more fun pictures from our snow days. This was Saturday once it had quit snowing but we had all of it still on the ground. The dads took the older boys out to sled down the hill on our street, while the moms and little ones stayed warm inside:)

There was a lot of ice on the trees too, but luckily nothing like last January! We never lost power this time, and nothing came crashing down either. I was super thankful we had the three large trees removed that were hanging over our house as soon as we moved in!!

Just one example of the inside mess. We had 8 adults and 9 kids in the house and it was a zoo! I loved it:) The kids just pulled out all of the toys and had a blast playing with each other. Little Jace was the youngest kiddo, and needed lots of protection to not get stepped on since his playing involved laying on the floor! He is down here at the bottom of the picture playing on his activity mat:) We ate snacks, drank hot chocolate and chatted the afternoon away while the kids played. It was so much fun!

SLO in Arkansas