Healthy!

I think it's time for a fitness update. I have a few things to report. Nothing super crazy, but I feel like I am making progress to a healthier me. Let me start by saying I have not lost any weight. This is frustrating, but I'm trying really hard to remember it's just a number that matters less than how I am feeling and looking. 

Now is a good time for an update because tomorrow is the last day of the 6 week bootcamp challenge I've been doing. I am lame and missed a few of my personal training sessions at the beginning of bootcamp, so I didn't get my "starting" measurements done until halfway through. That means that the progress I'm seeing is just in the last 3 weeks. I'm pretty sure I made progress in the first 3 weeks too, but I'll never know how much. However, in the last 3 weeks I lost 1.7 pounds of fat, gained 1.4 pounds of lean muscle, and lost 1% body fat. I am feeling pretty proud of that.

Sorry if this grosses you out.

When bootcamp is over the awesome gym RIGHT by my house is closing. Such a bummer!  I am going to be doing a few classes and a few days of working out at home each week. I'm so glad I have to option to work out at home! I'll do a cardio sculpt class on Mondays, Zumba Wednesday and Saturday, plus a couple days of elliptical and hand weights at home. I may even throw some Jillian Michaels videos in there for variety and weight training. I learned a lot of new ways to use my hand weights at bootcamp so I'm feeling pretty confident I can keep up a good fitness level without the strict format of bootcamp.

As far as nutrition goes, I'm still using My Fitness Pal and keeping track of what I eat. I still eat things I love. I still eat out. I try not to eat out as often. I try not to eat as much of what I love (since I love chocolate), but I don't believe in cutting those things out completely. Life's not worth living if you can't eat good food. :) I am pretty excited about my new diet addition . . . green smoothies!

I have wanted to try them for awhile, but my ten year old cheap Oster blender wasn't up to the task of making a decent smoothie. I looked up reviews and asked friends about the Ninja Professional blender since it seemed like the best lower budget blender for making smoothies (obviously the most highly recommended blenders were the Blendtec and the Vitamix, but they run $300-500). I found it at Best Buy, which was perfect because we had a gift card we could use to lower the cost even more.

I bought smoothie ingredients during my Sam's Club trip on Saturday then picked up the blender that night while I was out with some girls in my neighborhood. Sunday morning I made my first smoothie. I had asked on Facebook for recipes and looked on Pinterest. I started with the most simple recipe. Unfortunately it didn't taste very good because it didn't have any dairy in it.

Day 1 Smoothie: 1 c. water, 1 banana, 1 c. frozen blueberries, 1-2 c. spinach
Verdict: Blech.
I didn't blend it long enough so I ended up chewing it. It also didn't have dairy to help cover the spinach taste. I won't make this one again.

Day 2 Smoothie: 1 c. vanilla yogurt, 1 banana, 2 c. frozen pineapple mango blend, some skim milk, some apple juice, 2 c. spinach
Verdict: SO yummy!
This one was a hit! We will be making it often. Everyone loved it except Weston who just can't get over that all of these smoothies have spinach in them. Davin is the biggest fan. He drank a cup of it with his breakfast then another cup of it with his lunch. I also thought this one was the prettiest. The kids were calling it a slurpee.  I was very happy they were willing to drink it!

Day 3 Smoothie: 1 c. strawberry yogurt, 1 c. skim milk, 1 c. apple juice, 2 c. frozen strawberries, 1/2 banana, 2 c. spinach
Verdict: Ok. Kind of bland.
This one turned a weird brownish color and the boys couldn't help making gross comments about it. It tasted ok. Not terrible but not as flavorful as Day 2. It needed more flavor than just strawberry I think.

Day 4 Smoothie: 1 c. vanilla yogurt, 1 1/2 c. cranberry pomegranate juice, 2 bananas, 1 1/2 c. frozen blueberries, 2 c. frozen strawberries, 2 c. spinach
Verdict: Delicious
This one was a prettier color. A little more purple. It had better flavor than Day 3 and had a nice thick consistency. You couldn't taste the spinach in it at all. Downside to this one is that it has a little more sugar in it than the others. I will make it again though.

Day 5 Smoothie: 2 scoops chocolate Slim Fast powder, 2 c. skim milk, 1 c. frozen blueberries, 1 c. frozen strawberries, 1 banana, 2 c. spinach
Verdict: Ok.
This was only ok. I will need to tweak it a bit. I think it would be better with just one scoop of Slim Fast. Also this one needed some ice, but I didn't have any. Still not bad and Davin liked it. He drank the leftovers at lunch.

So far green smoothies have been great. They are right up my alley for a healthy breakfast since my preferred breakfast was a Slim Fast shake, but this is even better since it has so many more nutrients in it and uses mostly whole foods. I would like to experiment with adding fiber (oats) and protein (flax, chia seeds, or possibly protein powder) to make them more filling. I am hoping that we will find a recipe that Weston likes too since my kids never eat enough veggies. If I can sneak in some spinach with breakfast that's awesome! Davin is my best veggie eater so it's not surprising he's the biggest fan of the green smoothies. Talia will also drink it at breakfast most days.

I definitely recommend the Ninja too! Our smoothies have been nice and smooth and it's really easy and fast. The Ninja is even pretty quiet for a 1000 watt appliance. It is not super expensive either. It's $100 at Best Buy and Amazon, but I've seen promotions on it in the past. I've seen it go as low as 79.99. Or you could get a great deal on it at Kohl's with a coupon and Kohl's cash.

I am excited for the next phase of my journey. I am feeling good about myself and the progress I'm making and I hope to drag the rest of my family along with me. And hey! It's March and I'm still keeping up with my New Year's goals! Amazing. Check in with me again in June and we will see how I'm doing. :)

President's Day

Ian actually had President's Day off this year! Woohoo! It's been awhile since he's had a paid holiday that he has actually not had to work. It was a fun day having him home to hang out with. We did a little cleaning and stuff around the house, then decided to take the kids out for ice cream with their Baskin Robbins gift cards that they got from Grandma B and Grandpa Bob in their Valentine's Day cards. Talia and Davin both chose rainbow sherbert, but neither of them actually finished their ice cream. Weston got cookie dough and I got peanut butter and chocolate. Beckett happily munched on all of our sugar cones and refused to eat any bites of the scoop of gold medal ribbon ice cream I got for him. Silly baby. 

After ice cream we detoured to Target because Davin had his heart set on buying a little Lego set he saw at the check out last time we were there. I didn't kid myself about browsing through Target with all four kids in tow, so we got the Lego set and a couple mini rolls of cute wrapping paper from the dollar spot then headed home.

That night we got a babysitter. Ian and I grabbed dinner at Zupa's and some cakebites at Sweet Tooth Fairy then went and got massages at Massage Envy. We had a gift card for 90 minute massages that we were excited to have time to use! It was a good massage and very timely since I had a really sore muscle in my shoulder that made it hurt to turn my head to the left. I had the guy work on it for awhile and it felt a lot better afterwards. Woohoo for two date nights in one long weekend! I love getting to head out with just Ian. He's a good date. ;)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Every once in awhile I capture a precious moment on film (well not really since this is a camera phone picture). I am always surprised when I manage to do this. I was so glad that this photo turned out and that I have photographic evidence of my children being sweet and loving to each other. This was taken after morning family prayer. We were all in various stages of eating breakfast and working on homework when Ian was ready to head out the door, so we had family prayer at the kitchen table. After prayer we usually do loves, so the kids all got up and gave Daddy loves and then were giving each other loves.

It must have been a miraculous morning because Talia was a willing participant in this group hug. It is also miraculous that all four of the kids are dressed! This picture makes my heart swell up big. I look at it often because most moments in our home are not this sweet and loving. I wish they all were, but this is real life here folks and most of the time at least one of these kids is frowning or crying. In the meantime, I'm printing this in black and white and putting it in the frame on the piano so I can refer to it as much as I want to remind myself that we all really love each other and that all of the hard, exhausting, disciplining days are so worth it for moments like this.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was super fun this year. I had gotten the kids each a few fun little gifts plus a box of candy hearts. Ian got me some roses and got Talia her own rose too.  She was so excited that she had her own flower. And, of course, she had to smell it all the time. I had fun making cute valentine cards for the kids and for Ian and writing love notes to my sweethearts. 

Valentine's morning I cooked eggs, hash browns, and sausage for breakfast. Unfortunately my kids aren't big breakfast eaters and they didn't eat nearly as much as I made for them, even though I made what they usually eat of this meal when we have it for dinner. Oh well.  They loved all their Valentine gifts. They each got a Melissa and Doug sticker book and a new shirt. The boys also got packs of Rainbow Loom rubber bands. Beckett got a dinosaur book instead of a sticker book, which he really likes. It was a nice morning.

I went to the gym after the boys left for school. Then I took Talia and Beckett to the dino museum for a little fun. It wasn't too crowded so we played at the zen sand turners for awhile. We had to get home in time to get Davin off the bus. Dav had a super fun party at school and came home with lots of fun cards and treats. He also had this wearable valentine shoved in his backpack. I made him put it on for me. :)

After lunch I gave the kids heart cakes for a treat. Talia and Beckett both napped that afternoon. As soon as Weston got off the bus we loaded up in the van and headed over to our neighbor's house. She had offered to watch people's kids on Valentine's Day. It was SO nice of her. She had around 20 kids at her house that night. She fed them pizza and did a Valentine's Day craft. Then the kids just played and watched movies.

I had made an early reservation for Ian and I at Faustina, so I picked Ian up from work and we headed downtown. We were a little late for our reservation, but we were still the first ones in the restaurant. It was all decorated with balloons and rose petals and I got a long stemmed rose when we got there. They were doing a special Prix Fixe menu for the night which meant we tried some new things. For appetizers Ian had the beef short rib and butternut squash ravioli and I had sauteed shrimp on a grilled baguette. So good. We both had the pear and spinach salad with fried goat cheese. For our main course Ian had horseradish crusted beef tenderloin and I had pan seared arctic Char. They were both yummy. Mine came with this delicious sweet potato au gratin too. Mmm. For dessert Ian had chocolate lava cake and I had poached pear with pistachio gelato and maple caramel sauce. It was a fun new flavor. We had such a nice, enjoyable quiet dinner. I'm really glad I made plans for us to go out for a nice evening.

After dinner we headed over to the Conference Center for the BYU Young Ambassadors show called Heartsongs. It was in the little theater, so not the main stage in the huge conference theater but in the adjacent smaller theater. We were there early and they didn't even open the doors for about half an hour after we got there, but it was a really nice night so we just waited outside and had fun talking and being together. The show was fun. Cheesy, but fun. They did a few numbers I really liked. My favorites were "Agony" from Into the Woods and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" from Cinderella. They also did a fun version of "That's How You Know" from Enchanted.

Sadly we didn't take a picture together. Ian just got this silly one of me while we were waiting for the doors to open for the show.

We had a really great date. I'm so glad we were able to get out. I owe my neighbor big time for the free babysitting that night. :) It was a very fun day celebrating the love in my life. Happy Valentine's Day!

Late Night

A few weeks ago we didn't have much going on over the weekend so I told the boys they could each invite a friend over for a "late night." Weston has been to a few of these "late night" get togethers with his friends. It usually involves pizza and popcorn and staying up a little bit later than normal to watch a movie.  Since there weren't any newly released kid movies out that weekend the boys picked an oldie, "The Pirates Band of Misfits." 

We ended up having three of Davin's friends over and only one of Weston's. They were supposed to each only invite one friend, but Davin wanted his friends who are twins, so I told him that was fine. However, they didn't get back to me until the last minute and in the meantime Davin had invited Matthew. So all three came. It was fun. They had a great time and felt grown up. Ian picked up Pizza Hut and we ate dinner at the table then I put Talia and Beckett to bed around 7:30 while Ian started the movie for the big kids.

Weston and his friend, Gage.

We had some cookies about halfway through. Ten minutes later I looked over and Matthew was completely asleep. His dad walked over and picked him up and took him home to sleep. :) It was pretty cute. Everyone else stayed until 9:30 when the movie was over. It was pretty low key.  I would be willing to do it again sometime.

Ella, Cole, Davin, and Matthew.

Meanwhile . . .

While the boys were livin' it up at the Pinewood Derby I was letting the little ones get some energy out at the dino museum. We hadn't been there in awhile so it was all new and fun and exciting again. I love going in the evenings too because it is always empty. We pretty much had the run of the place. I even let them play in BOTH kinds of sand. 

Beckett mostly wanders while Tal does wet sand, but this time he liked sitting on my knee and splashing with his dinosaur in the water. We also had success in dry sand! I let Beckett go in and Talia was brave and played in it too.  I was so proud that they were both playing nicely and not scared of the sand! We might have to make it to a beach this summer!

Pinewood Derby 2014

Weston was so excited that he turned 8 in time to be in scouts for the Pinewood Derby! We had to hurry and get a car together. Before the baptism weekend Weston sat down with Ian and figured out what he wanted his car to look like. Ian emailed the main body cut to Grandpa Bob and he cut it with his saw and then brought it with him when he came for the weekend. While grandpas were here Weston worked on sanding his car and painting it. He put the finishing paint touches on it the day before the derby. Ian helped him put on the wheels with his drill the night of the derby. 

Ian took the boys to the Pinewood Derby while I took the little ones to the dino museum. I just figured we would all have more fun that way, but in the end I was disappointed I wasn't at the Pinewood derby since Weston's car did awesome! He won every heat he raced in and ended up winning the overall fastest time! Woohoo! Not bad for his first car! Ian took the boys out to for a celebratory shake at JCW's after the event. Weston was SO excited and got a cool trophy he could put his car, Shadow Striker, on to display.

Playing with Grandparents

Sunday we all went to church. Weston went up and was recognized as the newest member of our ward. He was kind of shy about it, but looked super handsome in his new suit. After church we all got comfy then started putting together food for the Superbowl. It was fun to watch it all together. The Seahawks played the Broncos. We were all rooting for the Seahawks and they spanked the Broncos so that was extra fun. We tried to get the kids to watch a movie in the basement but they weren't going for it and all ended up climbing on us upstairs. Oh well. 

Monday morning we went over to Jim and Denny's hotel for a swim. They kids were SO excited to swim! It was perfect. There was no one else swimming at that time and the pool was nice and warm. Even Beckett enjoyed swirling around with me. We all ended up in the hot tub eventually. It was a very fun morning. After swimming we went home to get dressed and ready for the day.

Mom, Denny, and I headed out to do a little shopping. While we were gone the boys worked on Weston's pinewood derby car. First we went to Rod Works and I got some fun decor for the piano and Mom got cute wrapping paper. Next we drove up to Fabric Center in Sandy. Denny got tons of this special chenille yarn she likes. We got lunch at In N Out then met up with Ian, Dad, Jim and the kids at the movie theater to see Frozen. We all loved the movie and even Tal and Beckett were pretty good about sitting still and watching it.

By the time we got home it was time for grandparents to pack up and get ready to head to the airport. Their flights were scheduled to leave just 20 minutes apart, so they carpooled to the airport in Mom and Dad's rental car. It ended up being kind of a bummer because Jim and Denny's flight got delayed by a few hours and they had to wait in the airport instead of hanging out with us while they waited.

Anyway, we had such a fun weekend with everyone and we are so grateful that Mom and Dad and Jim and Denny were able to come be with us for Weston's baptism. We are so blessed to have such loving, fun, and supportive parents/grandparents!

Weston's Baptism Day

Jim and Denny flew in Friday night and stopped in to say hi before heading over to their hotel to get some sleep. They met us over at the stake center Saturday morning.

Saturday morning Weston was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He chose to follow Jesus Christ's example to be baptized. I am so proud of him. It was a very special day. He had to be at the stake center bright and early at 8am. He looked so handsome in his new suit, which was a birthday present from Grandma B and Grandpa Bob. I got there a little bit later with the rest of the kiddos and my mom. It was so fun to see Weston and Ian in white. We took a few pictures and then settled in for the program.

Since it was a stake baptism I didn't have to put any of it together. The talks and music were very nice. I especially loved the special musical number. It was a group of primary aged girls and a dad singing Love is Spoken Here. Made me cry of course. Beckett was being pretty fussy and squirmy, so I stood with him in the back while we waited for it to be our ward's turn to use the font room. There was one other boy from our ward getting baptized, McKay Ritchie.

When we got into the font room I got a front row "reserved for Mom" seat. Beckett and Talia were pressed up against the font glass and I was sure Beckett's binki was going to pop out into the water while he babbled excitedly. McKay was baptized first and then it was Weston's turn. He was calm and seemed ready. Ian did a great job. As soon as Weston came up out of the water Talia blurted out "Are you ok?" Then followed that up with "It be my turn now Mom?" :) It was kind of funny and cute.

It felt so weird to watch my own child be baptized. I don't feel like I'm ready for him to be this old and start making real decisions! But I guess we are just moving onto the next phase of parenthood. I know Weston will do his very best to choose the right and follow Jesus Christ's example. He already has such a strong testimony and works hard to obey the commandments. We started reading the Book of Mormon together last January with the goal to finish before his baptism. We got sidetracked during the summer and never really got back in the habit. I figured we would have to re-focus our efforts and keep going in the new year, but right before New Year's Weston told me one morning that every night he had kept reading the Book of Mormon on his own and had finished it. He wanted to surprise me. I could hardly speak I was so touched and proud of his dedication. Just a couple of weeks ago he told me one day that he wanted to invite his friend from school, Chance, to go to church with him. He did invite him but Chance told Weston his mom wouldn't let him go. It was a good missionary experience for Weston and he felt really good about inviting him even though he said no. I know Weston has such a strong spirit so it was exciting to see him taking this first step back towards his Heavenly Father. He has so much potential to do good and I look forward to watching him learn and grow in the gospel.

After the baptism Weston was confirmed a member of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. Ian also gave him a sweet blessing. I was so grateful to Justin Matagi for grabbing Beckett from me when he started throwing a fit just as Weston's confirmation was starting. It was so wonderful to see our family and friends there to support us and Weston at his baptism. All of the grandparents were there, Mel and Brad, the Miller family, the Wilson's, the Matagi's, and my Aunt Amy and cousin Becca.

When the whole thing was over we went back to our house for an "I Like to Look for Rainbows" themed brunch. It turned out really cute and tasted great. We had souffle, fruit, muffins, and "8" donuts with water and milk. We had cute rainbow lollypops for the kids to take home with them. I loved the fun printables I found on Pinterest too. We had a really nice time visiting at the house. Not everyone was able to come over after the baptism so we had lots of leftover food, but that's ok.

Weston got to open a few more presents including his big kid scriptures from Ian and I, a cool money tin from Auntie Mel and Uncle Brad, books, scripture markers, and a few other fun things from Grandma Denny and Papa, and even a couple Star Wars sandwich cutters from the Miller's. Weston had a wonderful day.

That afternoon Mom, Mel and I went and did a little birthday shopping for Mel for maternity clothes. It was fun to shop together and Mel got lots of cute things to wear during her pregnancy. Have I mentioned that Mel and Jules are both expecting? So are Emilee and Aly! It's going to be the summer of the babies. Anyway, I managed to find a sweater and a fun "leather" jacket on clearance during our time at Target, so that was fun too. While we were gone Weston worked on his Pinewood Derby car with his grandpas.

Saturday evening the Bayles' came over to congratulate Weston and stay for dinner. It was fun to see them again and it was perfect because all of the lasagna got eaten. I didn't have any more room for leftovers in the fridge. :) They stayed and visited and the kids played until almost bed time. What a wonderful day! Just as the Bayles' were heading out Ian, Brad, Dad, and Jim all packed up and headed off to a late BYU basketball game. The Cougars won! Yay!

Us girls (Denny, Mom, Mel, and me) crashed on the couches and watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Then we stayed up entirely too late talking. I was so tired, but still didn't get to bed until about midnight when the boys got home. It was a long, exciting, special day.

Grandma B & Grandpa Bob

We were all pretty excited for all of the grandparents to come to town for Weston's baptism last weekend. Grandma B and Grandpa Bob got here Friday afternoon. We hung out and played all afternoon. Grandma was prepared with cool sand to play with and a few fun things from the Grandma B bag (which Davin asked for the second they walked in the door). 

Grandma did played mini mini with the little ones and let Beckett go crazy on her ipad so she could sneak snuggles. Talia read a book to Grandpa and tried to play dress up with him. It was a fun day. When Ian got home we went to Jimmy Johns for dinner and then split up to run some errands.

When the kids were in bed it was go time. Mom and Dad helped me put together the food and decorate the house for the brunch we had after Weston's baptism. Mom did an awesome job making my window a rainbow (thank you Pinterest for the idea). Dad did all the hard parts of putting together souffle and prepping fruit. By the time we went to bed the house looked ready for a party and Mom was all set to snuggle in for the night in the cold basement. :)