Fit as a fiddle... an update!

Here I am, 21 days into my 30 Flippin' Days of Fitness (click on my sidebar to see all about Steph's challenge). And while I have certainly not been entirely consistent, I'm happy to report that only 8 or 9 of those days have been a FAIL.

The updated chart (click to enlarge)


I know, I know, that doesn't sound great, but really I didn't expect to find myself exercising as much as I have. It's been quite enjoyable, actually-- I LOVE the days where I get in a good half-hour of working out. So refreshing! It's been good for me, because I've learned that if I simply make working out a priority, even if it's only for 15 minutes, I can usually fit it into my day somehow.

However, the sad thing is that I haven't really lost any weight yet. Boooo. You know, it would be SO EASY to lose weight and be thinner if I didn't love food quite so much. :)

I may not be melting away the pounds (yet), but I did get my hair done about a week ago. Isn't it amazing how great a new haircut can make you feel? Hello, bangs!! I missed my bangs and I'm glad they're back.


Also, thanks to my sweet Jessica watching all three of my girls and my lovely mother-in-law gifting me with a certificate for my shower before Rosalie was born, I was able to go get a pedicure this morning!


Pink sparkly toes with rhinestones make any girl smile!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone. xoxo

Mi Familia

Since I've decided that blogging is something I shall do only when I have the time and inclination (and that I won't feel guilty or pressured about it) I've also decided that it's perfectly ok to blog about something long after is has passed. And that's what I'm going to do right now. :)

My side of the family came to visit us the first weekend in May. It was a whirlwind visit that went by much too quickly, but it was lovely. Isn't that the nature of visits from loved ones?? They always go by too fast, but they're always wonderful, and you're always glad you got to spend even a little time together, because it's always better than nothing!!

One of my favorite things about having my family here in our house is getting up in the morning. I come out to the kitchen to see my sisters curled up on sleeping bags on the living-room floor, my brother sprawled across the couch. Coffee is made, and one by one everyone wakes up and we come together at the kitchen table or the bar as we eat muffins and cereal in our pj's. Dad reads the paper as he eats his homemade bread with cream cheese and jelly (he's had that for breakfast as long as I can remember) and then Emma and Annabelle usually steal their aunties and uncle away to their room to play and just generally be silly. Eventually we all shower and get dressed... but there's no rush.

My mom, sisters, Emma, and I stole away on Saturday afternoon for some "girlie time" in which we grocery shopped at Trader Joe's and Vons (dancing was involved) and enjoyed a nice chat while we sat in the sun and drank Starbucks. (Jerusha has some fun pictures of said afternoon on her blog) That night my mom cooked for us. What a treat! We miss her cooking almost as much as we miss her! hehe.

On Sunday, we all went to church together, and Miss Rosalie was baptized! Would you believe, I have NO pictures of her in her baptism outfit?! None. I know, horrible, right? It was so crazy getting ready to go in the morning I didn't have any time to snap one, and I forgot to bring my camera to church. Then, she had a major blowout on the way home and managed to cover herself and her dress in poo. It just wasn't meant to be! But, regardless of what a disappointment that was, her baptism was wonderful. I won't go into it all here, but I will say that having our baby baptized and what that means is a very special and amazing thing.

After church we had the rest of our family over as well as our pastor and his family. Oh, it was so fun. I hadn't played the hostess since before Rosalie was born, and I missed it! I just love when our house is filled with family and friends who are eating and talking and laughing and enjoying themselves. After the others left, the rest of the day flew by as we simply hung out and enjoyed each other.

One of the most delightful things about their visit was that the rest of my family got to meet Rosalie. I can't express how weird and different it was this time around that they weren't all there waiting outside the hospital room to meet our baby, and how strange it was to have to wait until she was a month and a half to see her in their arms. BUT-- once they were here, and loving on her just like they'd been waiting to do, it didn't matter. I couldn't help but think, as I looked at my little one in my mom's arms, "NOW all is right". :)

Enough blabbing from me... I'll share the pictures I have now. I didn't take a lot since we were so busy and I wasn't overly pleased with the ones I did take, but here they are nonetheless. The pictures may not be perfect, but the people sure are lovely.

Jerusha and Annabellesie-boo (who looks rather tired, methinks)

Grandpa with his girls





My "little" brother Josiah-- he's almost taller than me now! Eep!

Grandma and Annabelle quite intent on working their princess puzzle

Jeremy is "putting up" with Josiah here. hehe.

Reunited with my Lyddie-Lou again.

Auntie Jerusha meets Rosalie!

Dear Dad and me. And some crazy girl.

Uncle Josiah meets Rosalie!

And here's my Rooshie-Roo

Grandma loves her babies... and once she finally got her hands on this one, she hardly let go!


I love you, dear ones!!

Almost 10 weeks old!

Rosalie turned 2 months old on May 15th. This Sunday, it will have been a whole ten weeks since she entered our lives and changed our little world forever. And I have to say, the fact that she is already TWO MONTHS OLD is one that astounds me and leaves me a little befuddled. Two months old?? How?? When?? This can't be!! I swear, she really was just born yesterday. The time since her birth has flown by all too quickly. Why, just the other day I was practically in tears because I hated the thought of her being 6 months old. Rational? Maybe not. But I have a feeling this summer will fly by, and then it's September, and poof! she's six months old. I'm just not ready, I tell you!

These pictures were taken a mere month ago...


... wow, she's changed so much even since then!

So what is our Rosalie-roo up to at two months old? Well, our teensy tiny little 6-pounder has come a long way. She's fattened up wonderfully, and I delight in each roll and dimple on her perfectly chubby baby body.

I don't actually know her weight right now, but I do know that she's still the the perfect size for cradling in my arms as I rock her to sleep, or for cuddling on my shoulder as I pat her back. She's definitely grown, but there is still so much that seems so tiny about her-- and I LOVE it. I'm thrilled to report that she will definitely be our brown-eyed girl... our first one! I was hoping we'd have a brown-eyed child this time, as much as I adore that Emma and Annabelle have such beautiful blue eyes. Someone has to match me! :)


The past few days have been a little bit "off" for her-- she's been a bit fussy and wanting to eat a lot, which I can only assume means a growth spurt. And then, to make up for it, last night she went to bed at 10:30 and slept until 7:45 this morning. AMAZING. It was the first time in quite a while that I woke up feeling completely rested and refreshed, actually ready to get out of bed, praise the Lord. Moms with new babies, take heart!! You really WILL be getting your sleep back before you know it. I don't know if Rosalie will continue this pattern or not (i'm not going to count on it, just in case), but I do feel it is appropriate to insert a happy dance here. Whee!!

She is also down to eating maybe 5 or 6 times a day instead of 9 or 10, and this too is amazing... I actually have time to do other things now! Another whee!

So, as you can see, things are coming along nicely over here in baby-land. I just wish sometimes that I could slow time down a teensy bit, and keep Rosalie a baby forever (of course, I also wish that I could snap my fingers and my house would be permanently clean... but I digress). There are so many, many things that I love about this age, and so many, many things I want to remember forever about her babyhood and the way she is right now.

The way she loves to blow spit bubbles.

How she fits so perfectly into her swing and enjoys it so much that it lulls her to sleep almost every time.

Her funny little half-smile that she gives when you're talking to her.

The way she sleeps with her little fist up against her mouth.

The way her lips get all smooshy and squishy and adorable when she sleeps.

The funny little noises she makes when she gets the hiccups. The way she curls her toes under when she's eating. The way her tiny baby sneezes end in a little talking noise. The way she loves to have her feet played with as she lays on the floor. How she'll stop nursing to look up at me and coo. How she always has such a surprised and alert look on her face when I pick her up first thing in the morning. And then how she smiles so big when I lay her on her changing table to change her diaper right away. The way she LOVES to be talked to by mommy and daddy or her big sisters, and how she responds with her own precious baby language of coos and goos. The way she grunts and then toots in her sleep (seriously, it's hilarious).
And oh, there are probably about a million other things I could add to that list.

But, as much as I am sad to see her growing and changing so quickly, it also makes me incredibly excited. I can't wait for each new stage that we will get to experience with our little girl, and I'm so grateful to God for each day that passes with this third darling daughter of ours.



p.s. really though, can't she just stay a baby forever and ever?? No?? Sigh.

Summer is officially here

And it is HOT. Thankfully, our pastor and his family (very good friends of ours) invited us over yesterday and we were able to enjoy their nice cool pool. It was our first time swimming this summer... and Rosalie's first time ever!!

Our little bathing beauty (with her handsome daddy)

She loved the water!


Smiley Annabelle (who was actually quite the scaredy-cat when it came to the water) with our friend Tegan


Miss Corrie (our pastor's daughter) and Miss Emma, up to some pool-time shenanigans

Thank goodness for good friends with pools in their backyards. One has to beat the heat somehow! Today, we're staying home in our nice air-conditioned house.

Welcome, summer. I don't know if I'm quite ready for you and your ridiculously hot temperatures, but we'll enjoy you as much we can anyway!

p.s. I have like a million and one blogs to write. How did I get so behind??

Fit as a fiddle and feeling so good

Ok, so I'm NOT fit as a fiddle... yet. But if you'll look at my sidebar, you'll notice that I've joined in on Steph's "30 Flippin' Days of Fitness". At first, I wasn't going to... because I feared I would FAIL. Miserably. The days fly by so quickly lately that I couldn't help but wonder where in the world I was going to find the time to work out EVERY day.

However, I decided that was a lame excuse, since so many other equally busy people manage it somehow. And really, joining in would be the perfect motivator to actually start making exercise a prioirty again and get my un-fit self back in shape finally!!

First things first... a girl's got have a cute chart to keep her motivated and inspired:


As you can see, I've gotten off to a rather rocky start...


... but I really am trying. And it feels good to try, good to work out and know that I'm doing something healthy for myself. Before I got pregnant with Rosalie last summer I had been slacking, and had already put on a few extra pounds. So when I got pregnant and began to pack on the weight (I gained more with this pregnancy than either of my other ones), I knew I would have my work cut out for me once the baby was born. I envisioned the pounds falling off as I nursed a baby, ate healthy, and worked out every day. Well, the nursing part did help a little, AT FIRST. At some point the initial weight loss plateaued, and since I WASN'T working out and eating healthy... well, here I am, 9 weeks post-pregnancy with a closet full of clothes that STILL don't fit me, a major muffin-top that I despise, and a booty and thighs that somehow seem 10 times bigger than they've ever been, judging from my pre-pregnancy pants. Boo.

Since I'm only one week into the 30 days, and some of those days were a failure, of course I haven't seen a difference yet. But I'm optimistic, and I am purposing to not only work out as much as I can, but begin a healthier diet as well. I don't really do "diets", but I do enjoy healthy food, as long as I can have my splurge every once in a while. A girl's got to have her dessert!

I've set my goals on the Wii Fit, and will use that to help me keep track. Ultimately, I'd like to lose 20 pounds, but I've started by setting my goal at 15 pounds in 2 months. That means I need to lose about 3.5 pounds a week... I tried not to cry this morning when I found I had GAINED two! What the heck... oh yes, it's probably that date night Jeremy and I had where we ate at Tahoe Joe's and then had Coldstone as well. It was wonderful, I'm not going to lie. No more of that for a while, though. I've got a booty to get back in shape!! And I'm so glad that I get to do it with so many of you. Don't be afraid to yell at me if you see me trying to buy dark-chocolate-covered JoeJoes or ordering a vanilla bean frappucino from Starbucks.

mmmmmm, JoeJoes...

The truth, it hurts.

Yesterday evening after Jeremy got home from work, we were all enjoying a cuddly family moment on the couch. I looked down at Emma, who was sitting close beside me. We had spent the morning at the park, so her little nose and cheeks were covered with a fresh sprinkling of cute lil' freckles.

"You sure have a lot of freckles, my dear", I told her.

She looks sweetly up at me, and gently touches my cheek with her fingers.

"And you sure do have a lot of pimples, Mommy."

Thank you for that, darling daughter. There is nothing like the (sometimes brutal) honesty of a five-year old.

(also, let the record show that my husband laughed uproariously at this, instead of telling me how incredibly and breathtakingly beautiful I am. Traitor.)

:)

Especially for Morgan...

... since I ordered this adorable hat from her lovely Etsy shop. However, I think the rest of you may also possibly enjoy the extreme cuteness seen here.







I'M DYING. FROM THE SHEER ADORABLENESS OF MY CHILD.

:)

More posts to come soon, I promise! With pictures of people other than Rosalie! (I'm trying to get caught up)