Fishing with Grandpa!

40 lbs GONE!

Shortly after Christmas, I made the decision that 2011 was going to be the year that I got healthy, and started making some better choices regarding my health. For some reason, I have always had a difficult time losing baby weight. Breastfeeding seemed to constantly work against me: instead of the calories being used, I starved and had to eat, eat, eat to keep my milk supply.

Addison started to cut back from 6+ feedings a day, to 3 nursings a day around her first birthday. I decided to use this transition as a starting point for me to start working on weight loss and muscle building. I made "January 1st" D-Day, and started there...I began using the old Weight watchers points system, which worked wonderfully before. But, I quickly realized that I wanted a system that was more precise and exact that just rounding things up to a 1 point or 2 points. A good friend suggested using the website www.myfitnesspal.com, as well as getting a good weighing scale and food scale. Using these tools, I found the weight starting to melt off. I was rarely hungry, and my milk supply hasn't suffered at all!

When I started, I had no clue that I would actually go anywhere with the loss. I started piecing together pictures, and found that I had a pretty good "Before and After" collage going! Here are some pics, beginning the picture that started it all. I saw this and nearly cried:

New Years Day (Addison's Birthday) Size 14, but really should have been wearing a 16 because the pants were so tight! LOL Weighed in at 178lbs, which was WAY higher than on the day I gave birth to Addison. It wasn't the pregnancy that caused me to gain, but the starvation I experienced during nursing


Older pic: Addison was about 3 or 4 months old, but I was smaller than the day she turned one.
Starting to see a difference: This was at the 25lb lost mark!
27.8 lbs lost: weighing 150lbs
145ish...really starting to tell in my face :)

A recent pic: 40 lbs lost exactly. The jogging pants that swallow me used to be so tight that I didn't need to use the drawstring. Very excited :) 138lbs and holding..Size 6 pants
So-what now? I am not at my goal yet, but I know that slow and steady is better than it melting off and coming back on quickly. My ultimate goal was set at 135 (which is 3.5 lbs away), but I am going to try to lose an additional 10lbs over the summer which would put me at 125 lbs (or a 58lb loss total) I've also gone from a 14/16, to a size 6. I feel I will ultimately be a size 4 again.

I am even more proud to say that I have made it this far the HARD way! Good ol' fashioned diet and exercise. I have made a total change in our eating habits (the whole family, not just me) I still eat the things I love, but few/far between and watch the portion size. Fruit, vegetable, Larabars, lean meats, and fiber rich foods are some things that have really helped!
I have begun running/walking/jogging again, and splurged on a treadmill this spring. Hand weights and zumba have also helped when I need to slip in an easy workout and i'm running low on time :)

Thanks for reading!!!

Kindergarten Graduate!!!

Taylor graduated from kindergarten this month! We were so proud to see her get the Accelerated Reading award for her class (she read and obtained more AR points than any other student in her class!)

Here are a few pics:

Blogging Failure

Soooo....my last post was November....of last year. Where have we been? What have we been doing?!

Well, for starters, this school year is kicking my butt. We have just had so many ordeals (from behavior problems, to parents, to losing several teachers...) I'm definitely ready for summer, and ready to start fresh next fall.

Updates to start back up SOON! PROMISE :)

How To Train Your Dragon...s...

If you have boys around the age of 3 or 4, then you know all about the movie "How to Train Your Dragon". It is a favorite around here with our boy. He can tell you all about the different dragons, and facts specific to each of them LOL

I came across these pj's at walmart. Taylor saw them, and of course, pouted that she didn't get a pair. So...Chase was nice and shared with her!

Bragging on My Super Kindergartener

Taylor is about 3 months into her Kindergarten year. Recently, they did a Star Reading/Accelerated reading assessment to see what their reading levels were. This is the paper I was given about it at Parent-Teacher conferences this Thursday

Click me!!! Make me bigger...




If you can't read it, it had a highlighted area that said "You child's reading level is that of an average THIRD grader in the 6th month of the school year (out of 9 months...) Basically, she is on a nearly 4th grade reading level. In Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Itty Bitty Walking Around :) 10 months

Where Have I Been?!?!?!?!

Yes-life has gotten pretty crazy lately between work, kids, parties, kindergarten, and vacations. I promise to be better at updating!!!

More pics and stories are on the way!

Goopy Girl's (AKA Addison's) 8 Month Check-up Stats

First of all, we rarely speak the word "Addison" at home. She is referred to as "Goopy", "Goopy Girl", or "The Goop". Funny how nicknames stick LOL

Sooooo, ADDISON had a checkup for her rotavirus vax this week (which she didn't get, bc of a crazy high fever...from teething...ugh) She is still feverish, with NO other symptoms except gnawing her fingers to pieces. :(

Anyway, weight and height were checked. She is a whopping 15.14 oz, which put her in the....drumroll please...10th percentile for weight! LOL She is by far my tiniest baby. However, she is 80th percent for height! She is going to love these stats at a teen LOL

Everything else is great. She is babbling away, and loves to squeal! LOL She is cruising the couch like a pro, and even stops to stand unassisted. She is still working on the balance part, and the "one foot in front of the other" stuff.

Will have some pics this weekend...yay for Labor Day long weekends :)

Teeth Update!

Addison now has all 4 front teeth (2 top, 2 bottom) completely in. She is cutting 2 teeth up top, which are barely under the gum, so they should be showing up pretty soon! Good thing I stocked up on the Hylands teething tablets!

First Day of Kindergarten! And...First Homework LOL

Just to Say I Blogged in August

The beginning of the school year is usually pretty hectic around here, so when you add in the fact that 2 of us are now heading off to school early each morning, expect craziness! LOL

We officially started the week of August 9th, but last week was our first full week. I have about 100 seventh graders, and from what I can tell, they are going to be a pretty good group.

Taylor has met her Kindergarten teacher, and we have done our testing to see where she ranks in her class. They don't tell you this info, but one teacher did let us know she was great :) Taylor will officially start going to class next week, after all students have been tested.

Chase and Addison will still be staying at home with Erica (YAY!) I'm anxious to see how they do without Taylor here though. I'm sure they will be fine, but it still makes me sad to know the Chase will be missing his Taylor Baylor.

Chase is also starting to do a little bit of pre-K work. Since he is 3, he is two years away from kindergarten, although I MAY try to get him in the pre-K program at Taylor's elementary school. We are working on counting with him, as well as memorizing ALL the letters.

Addison is now 7 1/2 months! She has 3 teeth that are completely in, and the 4th is barely poking though her top gums! Man, where has the time gone?! She is also cruising furniture like a pro, which makes me believe she will be an early walker as well. If she walks earlier than Chase, I will die...LOL (He walked at 8.5 months)

So-life around here is good. Crazy, but good! As much as I love my summer's off, it is very nice to get back into a set routine.