Asa's First Talk in Primary

A Night at the Circus

A couple weeks ago, Berkeley and I took Asa and Hazel to the circus. My mom came with us also and it was a lot of fun! Asa's favorite part was when the lion master was in the cage with the lions and had them do tricks. Hazel's favorite part was the dog lady who had about 10 dogs and they all did tricks too. At intermission, we were able to go down onto the circus floor and see all the attractions. There was pony rides, a camel ride, an elephant ride, a man with snakes, face painting and a jump house. Asa wanted to do the face painting and the jump house while Berkeley and Hazel rode the elephant. I don't know if either of them will remember this, but it was a new and different activity to do together and I really enjoyed it.

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.