Hazel and the Monster Ice Pack

Confusing!

During this time of year, we talk a lot about Heavenly Father, Jesus and, of course, Santa Clause. With all this talk, you can understand how things might get confusing for a 3 year old. Here Asa is telling a story (through candid camera) about a bad guy he made up named Arna.

First Snowfall

We had our first real snowfall on November 9th and 10th. We got about 13 inches! The kids were both sick with colds, but that did not stop them from begging to go outside to play. We didn't even have snow gloves for Hazel yet, so we double socked her hands and put plastic bags over the socks. Haha, looked a little silly but it worked for the day! Berkeley took this little video of our snow adventure and I think it is just about the cutest thing ever. I love hearing Asa talk about the snowman and I love hearing Hazel say "BYE" at the end. It's just so cute to see my kids having so much fun.

Sweating Has Changed My Life

When Berkeley left for his deployment for Greece I was mom to a 6 month old baby and a barely 3 year old. I was about 25 pounds overweight. I felt terrible. I was tired all the time. I had zero amounts of energy. I was low in self-confidence. And I was sick and tired of feeling that way. I knew that with Berkeley gone, I would have absolutely no time for myself whatsoever. I knew that I needed something that was just for me, so I chose exercise. I set a weight loss goal and the thought of Berkeley coming home to a fit and healthy wife gave me a super boost of motivation. It was the hardest thing in the world to exercise every day because I WAS SO TIRED working as a single mom, but in the 3 months he was gone, I lost about 18 pounds. I busted my butt. It was wonderful to feel good about myself again and every time I put on a pair of 5 year old jeans I wanted to cry with excitement. The best part about the deployment was that I was able to FINALLY develope a habit of exercize. It has now been 10 months and I have consistently worked out 6 days a week for no less than one hour. This is not meant to be a brag post, but more of an accomplishment post. Before Berkeley left for Greece, I had never run more than 2 miles in my life. In September I ran my first half marathon. That's 13 miles! AND all of my miles were under 10 minutes with some even under 9  and some right at 8. I've lost 23 pounds all together and I feel better than probably ever. I am addicted to fitness and to size 4-5 jeans. I am addicted to the confidence I feel around people. I know Berkeley has always found me attractive at any size, but now I feel attractive and his compliments sink in and don't just bounce off of me anymore. I know my body will change with time and babies and whatever else life throws at me, but I am so happy to finally be intrinsicly motivated to do what I can to stay healthy and fit. Now, I know you all want to see the gross, oh so gross before pictures. Your wish is my command.

Oh my gosh, my butt in that last picture makes me want to laugh out loud and cry at the same time. And now...

 

 

 

 

Ok, seriously, the hard work is SOOOOOOO worth it. If you are feeling down and wishing you could get motivated and exercise, I will be the first person to tell you to DO IT!! After 2-3 months of consistency, you'll never want to stop. Even if you have to wake up super early or find the motivation to do it after the kids are in bed or even if you exercise in 10 minute increments throughout the day, just do it! There are so many more benefits to exercise than just being thin. All of those negative thoughts and feelings I had just under a year ago have come around 180 degrees. Happiness is the ultimate reward.

Halloween 2012

I love Halloween. Let me re-phrase. I love Halloween now that I have kids. Hazel is still young enough that she can be my little doll and allow me to choose her costume and dress her to my wishes. On the other hand, Asa is nearly 4 and has developed a will all his own. He chose to be a pirate (Jake from the show Jake and the Neverland Pirates) and the rest of us followed suit. This year we were a pirate family. Asa thought pumpkin carving was the greatest, so I carved 4 pumpkins while Asa looked on content to not touch anything with guts. I'll be happy to wait a year before I touch another pumpkin. It was pretty much the best Halloween ever since it was super warm outside and we didn't even need coats. I walked the neighborhood in a short sleeve shirt was was perfectly comfortable. Hazel caught on to the whole idea (and appeal) of trick or treating after about 3 houses. She started running to the next door and had her little hand held out in anticipation of recieving candy. Asa suprised me because after about 10 houses, he said, "OK, I've got enough candy. I'm ready to go home now. Also, I need a drink." Haha, so we went home. It was short and sweet and fun.

 

This Week in Videos and Pictures!

A cute boy can even make a juice box look cute!

Back to school face.

This girl LOVES my glasses.

Cooking breakfast for us. This kitchen has been the best investment Berkeley and I have made as parents.

Sleeping with two swords and a book. What more could a boy need?

Pre-School! Glorious Pre-School!

I am so happy that Asa has started pre-school! He needs time away from me to interact with other kids and be stimulated in new ways. He is attending a pre-school here in Farmington that was recommended to us by a friend and so far he is having a great time. Not to mention, the two and a half hours he is at pre-school overlaps with Hazel's nap, so I get a good hour and half to myself to get things done. Amazing what you can accomplish in so little time when you can focus only on the task at hand. Here is a picture of my handsome Asa on his first day on pre-school.

"Asa's 1st day of Pre-school. When I grow up, I want to be a DINOSAUR!!"

SLC Half Marathon

This morning I ran my first half marathon! I have been really into running for the last 7 months or so, but I never thought I would be able to push my body into running more than 5 miles. About 5 weeks ago, my good friend Lisa (Bradley) Drollinger told me she and her sisters were running the half marathon and she invited me to join. I decided to print off the training schedule and stick to it and then decide. Well, after a few long runs, I registered and decided to go for it. I'm so glad I did. It has been so much fun to train and then actually be able to run 13.2 miles! The race was great. The first 4 miles were entirely uphill and that was rough but thankfully the next 6 mile stretch was steady downhill. The last few miles were flat and I found the last mile to be fairly difficult which surprised me because I thought at that point adrenaline would just carry me to the finish. Yeah, not the case for me. The only time I walked was for about 15 seconds during the last mile of the race. It was a gorgeous run down Emigration Canyon and the weather was amazing. It had been raining hard all morning and we were afraid we might get rained on or that the race would be cancelled due to lightning. Luckily, by the time we got to the start line, the rain had subsided and it was just overcast and cool the rest of the race. I had a great experience and I'm so glad I did it.

Before the race began.

The kids waiting for Lisa and I at the finish.

The finish line finally in sight!

Almost done!

I was able to keep all my miles under 10 minutes so my finish time ended up being 2 hours 9 min. I am happy with that time, especially since it was my first half marathon.

Me and the Bradley sisters! Lisa, Jenny and Natalie.

I love this picture because I had only been across the finish line for 2 minutes and my kids were already wrapped around my legs! I sure love them.

My 3 year old + Soccer = Tear Inducing Laughter

Here is a clip from Asa's first ever soccer game. As you will see, he was completely uninterested in playing soccer in any way, shape or form. He was also crazy tired as it had been a full day with no nap. I just sat there and died laughing for the entire 30 minutes they "played". Hopefully over time, and with a well-rested boy, we might see our little dude kick the ball...or maybe run with the group...or maybe stand near the group. Hmmm...we'll see. Until then, enjoy your laugh for the day!!!

Oh Mom!

My mom has a smart phone. It has tiny, itty bitty keys. Texting is hard on those itty bitty keys. Instead she does voice command texting which can can turn out equally hazardous. Here is the latest text message I received from my mom. She was trying to work out the details of a lunch we were planning together for a day at the cabin. Well...just read...and crack up at this hilarity!

"Annie, we have been assigned to lunch for Sunday at the park. If what is the pick up a package of cheese and a large package Sorry. If we each get a large package of lunch meat and a loaf of bread is a package I buy a new set of photos of some kind I hate you. I'm going to my kindlem. Better yet just call me."

Yeah...I did just call her and the lunch we planned turned out great. Also, she doesn't hate me.

Sweet Play Time

This summer has been awesome and will continue to be awesome for two more weeks! Since Berkeley got back from Greece, he has not been working and has been going back to school. That's one great thing about the military. The education benefits make it possible for Berkeley to go to school full time not have to work. During the summer, he has only taken two classes, so the kids and I have been in Heaven having him around most of the time. He took his final on Friday, so now he doesn't even have school for the next weeks. It is amazing to wake up and say, "What fun things should we do today?!" I know the glory of this little phase is going to end fast when the next semester gets here, but I am going to soak it up while I can. Berkeley and I always say that life would be near perfect if no one ever had to work and could just spend time together as families.
As for me, I had my 28th birthday and it was awesome! I went on a mommy/son date with Asa in the morning. I took him mini-golfing for the first time. He pretty much bagged the club and did a lot of throwing/kicking/placing the golf ball into the hole. When he wasn't making holes in 100, he was doing a lot of climbing around/on/over the course decor. It was great. After that, my mom came over and babysat our kids while Berk and I spent 3 glorious hours playing like kids at Cherry Hill. We must have gone down the water slides 50 times. We cruised on tubes on the lazy river and played in the pool. It was super relaxing and so much fun. In other news, I have been training for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. It's in three weeks and I'm super excited about it. It's funny to think that just a year ago I totally loathed running, especially distance running, and now I am out running no less that 4 miles and on Saturday I ran 9 miles. I am running 4 days a week and I just love it. I love tuning out everything except for the awesome music I have compiled on my playlist. I will be training up to 11 miles, so hopefully the extra two miles of the half marathon won't do me in! Pictures to come.
The kids are awesome and so much fun. Asa is now 3.5 years old and he is highly imaginative. He has moved out of the dinosaur obsession and is now all about superheroes. It is always sad to see the end of a phase. The dinosaur phase was a HUGE part of our lives for so long, so now it is sad for me to see his "dino bucket" go untouched most of the time. He is growing up so fast. He loves helping me in the garden and is always asking to go "check on the veggies". He is best friends with his cousin, Summer, who is also 3. They play so hard all day. He is very loving and always gives hugs and snuggles and kisses. He is a cautious little guy and is hyper careful. He doesn't much like swimming or being in the bike trailer or doing anything that's fast or can cause injury. That pretty much rules out a lot of little boy activities! Berkeley and I are hoping he will outgrow some of his fears and be willing to enjoy many more activities. Hazel, on the other hand, throws all caution to the wind and is completely fearless! She LOVES water and anything fast and anything potentially dangerous. I honestly pat myself on the back every night for keeping Hazel alive for another day! She is beginning to say quite a few words and signs some as well. She loves to spin in circles, dance and stomp her feet. She is always dirty and usually gets two baths a day unless I keep her inside! She likes watching Signing Time and Baby Einstein shows. She loves to eat and will try (and like) most everything we give to her. She still only has 4 teeth (at 15 months old!) and is slowly getting a 5th. She has 1 tooth on top, three on bottom and one more is coming in on top. She makes this hilarious "cheese face" where she gives a silly huge smile and breathes loudly through her nose. We love our two little ones.
I will sum up this post (and the summer so far) with some pictures taken the last couple months.

Wonderful Summer Time!

To me, these pictures encapsulate the feeling of summer. Half naked baby on a warm day chowing down on watermelon with no concern about the juice dripping all over her. LOVE it. Pure joy.