Today.

I keep saying there are things I want to do,

but then I never get to them. 

Today I'm doing them.

Sewing Christmas stockings.

Lunch date with the hubs.

Studying for the NCLEX.

Prepping for Christmas Eve dinner.

Indexing.

Watching a Christmas movie (Elf, perhaps?)

And today is going to be a great day.

In case you were wondering...

This is what Paul would look like with my hair.

Life with this man is the best.

It's a generation thing.

Paul's parents have been serving a mission in Ukraine for the past year.  His Dad's health began to worsen and they felt they should be reassigned to an area where they would have access to better healthcare. It was quite the whirlwind, but within about one week of their decision they found themselves back in the USA.

While it's scary and unfortunate that Ron's health hasn't been top notch, there is always a silver lining.

In this instance, we were blessed with about 36 hours of the Bralliers! When you're not expecting to see someone for another year, 36 hours with them is a pretty sweet deal.

While they were here we dined at Zupa's, played Ticket to Ride, had a family dinner, ran some errands, put up some Christmas decorations, talked, hugged, loved and much more.

 The moment I found out they were going to be in Utah for a short while, I was adamant that a 4 generation picture was taken. I adore these types of photos. How cool is it to see one's genealogy fold out in front of you? I think it's considerably more interesting than just looking at names on a piece of paper.

Thank you, Grandma Jean, for having Kathryn so she could have Paul so I could have Vince.

Exercise & Weight: Update #2

I've lost three pounds! Unfortunately, it was the same pound three times and I'm still at the same weight as my first update. My weight has been like a yo-yo. Why? Paul's parents were in town, loads of Christmas cookies/fudge, I had my birthday (which equals lots of free food) and illness. Yes, excuses excuses. But at least I haven't gained weight, right?

Ugh, I'd rather not post. Reflecting back on the past few weeks makes me feel discouraged. I suppose it's important to be accountable and really pinpoint the reasons I'm not losing weight. Another factor I failed to mention is not using MFP regularly. I do so much better when I count my calories. Otherwise I just keep popping those cookies in my mouth!

I do think it's important that I could feel a difference in my body when I compared the first three weeks to the second three weeks of this journey. When I was calorie counting and getting legit work outs I felt firmer, stronger and less bloated. As my exercise waned (I was still doing it 5x a week, just shorter videos or lower intensity) and my junk food intake increased I felt gross. My stomached pooched out more and I was tired. All of that junk made me want to take naps and be lazy.

So just a couple weeks left. Obviously I'm not going to lose 7 pounds in the next 14 days. That would be unhealthy (but awesome...). But another 2 pounds is realistic. Maybe not really because of Christmas... but I need to stick to my guns! I need to get back to portion control. Oh, and I need to give away all of those delicious seven layer cookies and chocolate fudge I just made.

I also need to give myself some credit. Looking back on the past few weeks stinks, but over the past few months I have lost 20 pounds! 20 of those nasty things pictured below are OFF my body. A few bad weeks stinks, but I need to keep pushing forward. I am strong. I can do this. By January 1 I will have 2 more of those bay boys off my body.

Each and every day I am trying to cherish my body the way it is. I remember feeling fat in high school because I was surrounded by skinny cross country runners. I look back at pictures and cannot believe how thin and fit I was. I am constantly trying to stop comparing myself to others. I'm not losing weight so I can be rail thin, I am losing weight so I can feel healthy and fit. I want to play with my son on the floor without feeling rolls of fat spilling over my pants. I want to be comfortable in my body. So while there will always be women who are skinner than me... I'm going to be happy in my healthy body and not take it for granted.

The day(s) we ate for free.

I love good deals. My absolute favorite is free.

Well, turning 23 was good to me because I got my wish.

Birthdays are worth their weight in gold for free stuff.

See:

1. Del Taco: 2 free chicken tacos for signing up and a premium strawberry shake for being born

2. Red Robin: Free burger and bottomless fries. Whoa.

3. Pita Pit: Free Pita! I always get a chicken gyro.

4. Which which-- my first time. Very impressed.

5. Denny's: Free Grand Slam

6. Jason's Deli: 5 bucks off my purchase = 2 bucks for a huge sandwich, chips and frozen yogurt

There are always a zillion birthday offers, but we stuck to the purely free ones, none of that BOGO business on my birthday! Okay fine, except for this place:

Now you're probably disgusted by the insane amount of food here. Please note that we did NOT eat it all on the same day. That would have hurt way too much.

Other than eating a ton of food, my birthday was pretty relaxed. Since it was on a Sunday we didn't go out. I think this was actually the first birthday where I didn't get dressed up. It was kind of nice to lounge in sweats all day. We did presents and worked on a puzzle. Woo hoo for 23.

Vince was an awesome helper when it can to opening presents. He had such a ball with the wrapping paper. Talk about a baby's dream.

You never know what you're going to get in this household. We always reuse old boxes to make wrapping easier. Life's a mystery!

Look at him! Who needs gifts when you already have the cutest baby? I'm excited for Christmas so Vince can open up some more gifts.

p.s. 23 feels old. Like, I'm not barely over 20. I'm creepin' up on 25! ick.

7 months

This month has had its ups and downs. Vince's nap schedule is changing. He bounces back between two and three naps. He's really not ready for just two but he loves to fight that third one...

He has been doing raspberries a ton this month and he loves to kick his legs whenever they're dangling. He isn't crawling but he his rolling all over the place to get to things. I think he prefers solids to nursing, which obviously is not good. He'll only nurse if he can grab onto my hair and play with it the entire time. It's more of a time to play than a time to eat in his mind.

He got his flu shot which means he was weighed -- 17 pounds! We're proud of him for chunking up. Slowly but surely he's growing. He's also developing preferences for people and certain toys. He'll cry if you take someone/thing away from him. It's kinda cute.

One of my favorite things from this month was hearing him say "dada" He's only done it a few times but it make me so happy! I'm itching to hear him say mama!

 

We get mixed answers about who Vince resembles. Most say that he has my eyes and everything else is more similar to Paul. Either way, he's a total cutie.

 He got really sad when we told him he couldn't eat any pie on Thanksgiving.

He's been a champ during this cold weather. He never complains when he has to bundle up.

At 7 months he already knows how to pose for pictures. Model?

I love loving this little boy.

Don't ya just wanna kiss those lips?

Exercise & Weight: Update #1

Remember my post about exercising five times a week with a goal to lose a pound a week during the holidays? Well in that post, I said I would provide three updates. Since I'm doing this for ten weeks I figured I would post about every three-or-so weeks.

So here we go. Have I kept up my end of the bargain by exercising five times a week? The answer is yes! The first week was the most difficult because I was still doing clinical. Since then, I have actually been getting some type of exercise EVERY day (except Sundays).

Has this made a difference in my weight? Yes and no. The first week I didn't track my calories or anything-- exercise was the sole goal. I figured if I tried too many things at once I would quit. Well, it didn't work. Didn't lose an ounce that first week.

I knew I needed to change something, so I added in My Fitness Pal. I had used it throughout the Summer but I couldn't keep it up during school. In an attempt to get some real weight loss, I picked the habit back up. I became more aware of what I was eating, which helped me to plan out meals and only take healthy portions. Despite my effort... No weight loss. Ugh.

Week three: I knew I couldn't give up. It was during this past (3rd) week that I began to feel stronger as a result of the daily exercise. I could also feel myself getting more and more tired each day. Seriously though, I pass out the moment my head hits the pillow. It was during the second half of this week that I saw new, glorious numbers on the scale! Can I just tell you how good it feels after three weeks of extreme effort to start getting results?

So at the end of this first segment I have lost two pounds. Not the three I was looking for... but I'm hoping my body gets the idea and cooperates for the rest of this adventure.

Seven more weeks and seven more pounds to go. Can I do it? We'll find out...

[P.S. Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Uh oh.]

Playing Catch Up.

Wow. It's been a while. Here's an update with lots of picutres!

 Nov 6... yes, it was election day, but it also marked 6 months of Vince's life! 

 He spends most of his time on his tummy. I am impressed with how content he is to play on the floor with his books and toys.

A very happy little boy.

Vince really enjoys his solid foods. Sometimes things get a bit sticky...

 He sits up pretty well, but tumbles over if he gets too excited or upset.

Buddy also loves to crawl ALL over us.

 He gets around like an inch worm. He scrunches up and then shoots himself forward.

If he can get his hands on something, he grabs on and refuses to let go.

 Hahaha. Love this goofy smile.

(Thanks Grandma for making him such a cute hat!)

I'm amazed by the things Vince notices. Here he is playing with the sunlight!

Everything. And I mean everything. Goes into this little boy's mouth.

When we eat dinner I have to shove my plate onto Paul's side of the table so Vince can't reach it.

Paul grew out his beard for fun. Vince would laugh so hard when Paul would give him kisses cause it tickled him. Adorable.

Kaitlin had her baby, Rylie! She is so teeny tiny. Vince went to meet his new girlfriend. When they get married he can say, "I've known you since you were born!"

 Big sitter boy looking dapper for church.

Snow storm in November!

I love how beautiful the snow covered trees and mountains look.

Paul and I were excited to put Vince in his snowsuit and take him outside. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it.

This is Korin. She is an amazing woman. For the past few months she has been my preceptor at UVRMC for my Capstone clinicals. I cannot explain how patient and kind she was as I stumbled along and tried to learn how to be a "real" nurse. This picture is from my last day! It was so bitter sweet to know that may have been my very last time taking care of patients in a hospital. But I can't deny that I am full of excitement for my future as a homemaker.

 

Paul surprised me at work and brought Vince so they could see me in the hospital setting.

Just a few more weeks until I am officially graduated. It seems surreal that I am going to be done with school. Ohhhhh man, I can't wait!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Kait and Garen came over on Saturday to carve pumpkins with us. Theirs were a lot more intense than ours. Afterward, we went to our ward's Trunk or Treat. We went late and all of the pizza and donuts were gone. Talk about a crying shame! Regarless, Vince was the cutest little bee you've ever seen. We're going to dress him up again tonight for a party at the Asay's!

 Vince: Bee, Libby: Flower patch, Paul: Honey

 How could you not love that face?!

Paul's had a mustache with those huge clown glasses.

Mine had star eyes.

And the little Vince pumpkin had a baby boy hat on it.

My mom had us stop trick-or-treating when we turned 12.

After that I never much cared for Halloween.

I've enjoyed Halloween more this year than usual.

Perhaps having kids of my own will rekindle my love of this holiday.