4 week update

Today it's been 4 weeks since I began my challenge of losing weight and getting active.  I've truly enjoyed working out and I've even signed up for a 10K in October with a friend!! 

In 4 weeks I've lost 7.7 pounds!!! 

My plan is to do an 8 and 12 week update, followed by the official update when it's all said and done.  Wish me luck!!

Summer activities and updates

We've been very busy, but no more excuses, it is time to provide updates and post pictures!

July 4th weekend:  We had a much needed relaxing 4th of July weekend!  We stayed around the house, enjoying the hot weather and spending time with the kiddos.

July 9th weekend: We gathered up the kids Saturday morning and headed to Monroe for a surprise birthday party for Aaron's brother.  A lof of family and Pat's friends made it out for the bbq/party.  Addison's cousin Abby was there and she had a blast playing with her all day, or should I say bossing her around all day :-). 

The following week Addi went camping on the coast with Aaron's parents.  I thought she might get homesick, but I was absolutely wrong!  She loved fishing, swimming, hiking and doing crafts.  3 of her girl cousins went too - no rest for Bob and Gwen!!

We met up with Addi that weekend (the 15th) in Sequim for the annual Priesto Golf Scramble.  This tournament and bbq is in memory of Aaron's uncle Jim who passed away a few years ago.  Aaron and I golfed on Saturday - I actually played well - and then had a good time visiting with family at the bbq.  Aaron's cousin Tina and her girls watched the kids while we golfed.  AJ loved being held all day and night by doting family members :-).

We finally had another relaxing weekend at home this last weekend!  Here's a few updates on the kiddos:

AJ:  He is crawling like crazy!  He even stands  up next to the furniture and walks along it.  He's been brave enough to use one hand while standing and even let go a few times, but he's pretty wobbly when that happens, so it doesn't last long.  He shakes his head "no" and says mama and dada.  He's quite the climber as well - he climbs up stairs and onto the fireplace.

Addi:  She is gearing up to start preschool next month!  She's so excited!  Her vocabulary amazes me everyday.  She uses words that we didn't even know she knew.  But then again, sometimes I think she's 3 going on 13 with her sassy little attitude!  She's holding on to her independence, but is still mommy's baby at heart.

Enjoy the pictures...

Making good decisions...

I loved being pregnant and I love being a mom.  As much as I love my children, the damage they did to my body needs to be fixed :-).  After I had Addison and shed most of my pregnancy weight quickly, I became very involved with the everyday joys of being a parent - not at all involved with taking care of myself (BAD DECISION), and let that extra 15 pounds stay on for over a year.  I kicked it into gear and got down to my pre-pregnancy weight, but then the talks of baby #2 began.  I was going to be pregnant in a few months anyway, so why not enjoy a few chesseburgers right now, right??  BAD DECISION!  I ended up gaining quite a few pounds before even getting pregnant with the little man.  Again, I dropped most of my pregnancy weight fairly quickly, but still held on to that last 15.  But now the problem was that I had even more to lose because I made too many BAD DECISIONS before getting pregnant the second time.  I managed to get down to my pre-AJ weight, and that leads me to the GOOD DECISION making time!

2 weeks ago from yesterday I decided to make GOOD DECISIONS regarding my weight-loss and fitness.  I didn't want to make excuses anymore - and believe me, there were lots...

• I have two kids, so there's no time to work out
• I work full time and have two kids, so there's no time to work out
• I will start next Monday
• I'm too tired

The list went on and on.  I finally just told myself that I was tired of making excuses and I needed to make a change.  So two weeks ago from yesterday, I made the decision to lose 20 pounds by October 29 - AJ's first birthday!  That weight will actually put me back at my pre-Addi weight.  On top of eating healthy and small portions throughout the day, below are a few more rules I made for myself during these 4 months:

• No fried foods (that means no buffalo wings or fries and I was pretty sad about that one)
• 3 diet pops a week (I found that I was replacing water with pop and it just wasn't healthy)
• Workout 6 days/week for at least 20 minutes each workout

To hold myself accountable, I'm sharing this with all of you!  I've got a great support system behind me - thanks Aaron for making me get up and run, and thanks Brandi for all the encouragement!  I intended to send Brandi weekly progress reports, but it's turned into daily :-).  I'm finishing up week two and feel great - the workouts have been fun and I'm working hard at making good food choices.  Check out my weight-loss status at the top of the blog to keep up to date on my progress!

Wish me luck on my journey to make GOOD DECISIONS!!

The army crawler has arrived!

My little man surprised me after I returned from my girl's trip to Palm Springs - he is a crawler now!  He's mastering the army crawl and finding his way all over the house.  It's so funny watching him.  He'll spot something clear across the room and then he's off!  Addi is pretty excited for him too.  She will run up to me yelling "He's crawling mom, he's crawling!!"