It's been over a year...but I did it!

My first time back on a bike since I found out I was pregnant with AJ.

I truly can not believe it's been a month since I've posted. What.the.heck?

This month has gone by in a whirlwind. I've accomplished a lot in my career, spent a bunch of time with the kids, watched a lot of dirtbike races, and spent a lot of time in doors (July in AZ stinks for weather).

I seriously can't believe July is over after tomorrow. The kids only have 2 more weeks until school starts. Yes, I know, many kids are either back in school already...or we all reminisce about how we didn't go back to school until after Labor Day. But my kids' district starts somewhere in the middle. SAM will be in 8th grade, Cita in 3rd, and Monkey will be going to elementary for the first time, although I'm not sure if it will be as a Kindergartener or 1st grader. She technically finished a Kindergarten program at a private school, and the district said that they will place her in a 1st grade class for the first 3 weeks of school to see how they think she will do in that grade. If she appears to be on par with the other students, they will keep her in 1st, otherwise they will just put her in a Kindergarten class. The only reason this is even an issue is because her 5th birthday fell after the cut-off date, so she couldn't attend public school Kindergarten last year, so she just completed it at the preschool where I had her enrolled. So, we'll see how that goes.

Baby Pants is in a phase let me tell ya. She has taken to calling people 'stupid' and SCREAMING at the top of her lungs if she doesn't get her way. Oh the butt whoopings that child is going to get over the next few months until she gets her little attitude in check. Yeesh.

Cita is still in California with her dad for the summer, but she'll be coming home on the 8th. I've missed that little stinker! In a bad-but-sort-of-good turn of events, her dad had ruptured his achilles tendon a couple of months ago, and had to be on disability from work. So, he actually got to be off the whole time Morgan was visiting him. So, she got to spend lots of quality time with her dad, and I'm sure she really enjoyed that.

SAM has been coming to work with me a few days a week. It's been a really great bonding experience. We talk a lot on the way to and from work..I get insight on what's going on with her friends, what she's looking forward to this year, what things she's interested in, etc. She gets to bond with me and see what I do at work (the bosses don't mind because she's very well behaved and I am still very productive when she's here). I've gotten to see what a WONDERFUL artist she is...which she does not get from me by the way. We go to lunch together, and it's really nice.

AJ has been growing by leaps and bounds. He's 5 1/2 months now...and rolling over both ways, and inchworm crawling. He is eating rice cereal and making all kinds of fun 'talking' sounds. He's such a sweet little guy, always smiling and playing...only getting fussy when it's time to eat. He is sitting up somewhat on his own now, if he gets too excited he falls over though.

I've been trying to lose this baby weight. It is not going well. I'm not really gaining, but I'm not losing either. I've been working out about 3 days a week on average. And I've made improvements in my diet. But the office is a hard place to be...there are always goodies, snacks, candy, soda, etc. I've gotten a bit more disciplined for not grabbing everything I see, but not 100% eating right. I eat better at home because Aaron is very fit, and we don't keep any sodas, candy, chips, etc at home. But I'm only there for dinner and weekends. Most of my eating happens at work, and snacking and going out to lunch is not helping. I'm having a contest with a co-worker to see if we can get to our goal weights by October 2nd, because that is when he is going back home for a visit. But he's not married, and has no children, so he says he's working out 2x a day. Gee, I wonder who's going to win? Whoever said breastfeeding helps you lose the baby weight is LYING. It was an undercover La Leche League member to get more moms to breastfeed. hehe. Just kidding. It's been a rewarding experience for sure...just did not contribute to my weight loss at all. Oh well, I'll keep you posted on that.

Now, if you've made it this far, please enjoy a video of my cute little AJ playing with a toy. hehe

How Do You Eat an Elephant?

One bite at a time, right? So, we've all heard that phrase in relation to dealing with things that seem too large to accomplish - whether it's a project at work, our to-do list at home, or things that we want to do for our personal growth.

So, it's supposed to be encouraging that you only bite off what you can chew at the time, complete that portion, and then move on to the next thing.

But I find that the problem is that my elephant keeps growing...while I'm eating him. So, I just finish a leg or whatever, and then I'll be darned if that elephant doesn't grow another leg!

Kinda feels like the elephant can't be eaten in its entirety. So, what do you do in that situation, where you know you'll be eating elephant for the rest of your life?

Spiritual Insight from my 2 year old

So, you know what's cuter than a 2 year old screaming "Don't Cut The Cheese!!" :)

A 2 year old coming up to you, sitting in your lap, looking straight in your eyes and saying "Jesus loves you Mommy...and Jesus loves me too."

I often question my ability to lay a strong foundation for my children regarding our relationship with Christ - but I think she's got the most important principle down. As long as she can remember Jesus loves her, no matter what she goes through in life, I know she'll be alright. :)

Don't Cut It!

So, yesterday morning, Baby Pants asked me if she could have some cheese.

I went to the refrigerator to get her some sliced cheese, but Aaron bought provolone this time around, so when Audra saw that, she said "No not THAT cheese...THAT one" - and pointed to the block of cheddar.

So, I say "Ok, let me slice some for you" and took it over to the counter.

Immediately she breaks down and starts screaming "NOOOOO...don't cut it!! Don't cut it!!!!"

I say, "Sweetie, I have to cut it, you can't eat the whole block of cheese."

And then she says....

"DON'T CUT THE CHEESE!!! DON'T CUT THE CHEESE!!"

And then...I lost it. She was truly upset because she didn't want me to cut the cheese, but I couldn't stop laughing because it's hilarious when a little 2 year old, in their 2 year old voice, screams at you to not cut the cheese.

Wordless Monday

AJ & Daddy

Friday Fill-Ins 06/11/2010

So this week was pretty busy. Aaron was working out of town in Tucson for the week - he came home on Tuesday night, but headed back out early Wednesday AM. Today(Friday) I have a 6:55am flight to San Diego for a client meeting. This is my first travel day since AJ was born. But it is a turn around trip, and I'll be home around my usual time in the evening. SAM went to a Teen Camp this week at a junior high near my office. She said it was OK, but I'm not sure if she'll go back in the coming weeks. It's hard because she would like to just go to my grandparents' during the week, but she has responsibilities at home, and she helps me out tremendously. For the first week of her summer break, she did go to my grandparents' and it felt like chaos at home. I mean, just having the extra hand in the morning while I'm trying to get everyone ready is such a relief. So, when she's not here, I can definitely feel the extra stress. So, this week I tried to give her something fun to do with the camp, but then she could still be at home in the mornings/evenings. I'm not sure what she'll do next week - the weekly camps are pretty expensive. Then there is a church youth group mission thing to go build a house for a week - but that costs $400! It's for food and lodging and stuff, but sheesh that's expensive! She's old enough to stay home, but I know it's boring for her, and even though she doesn't want to admit it, she would be a little scared. I was too when I was her age and started staying home alone for the first time. Anyway, I'm sure we'll figure something out. The other kids are doing great - Cita is at her dad's in California for the summer, Monkey is doing the summer program at her preschool, and Baby Pants and AJ go to their in-home daycare. I've just been working, and teaching my sign language classes on the weekends. And also enjoying the fact that we took the summer off from all sports teams - so no practices and no 3 games every Saturday. Phew! But it will all start back up again in the fall. Oh joy.

Now for the fill-ins! Have a great weekend everyone!

1. Salon styled hair feels great.

2. The solution is the problem.

3. The sound of the ocean outside my window is what I wish I heard when I fall asleep.

4. How about letting each person who plays the lottery win at least once?.

5. Doing the Bible Study called 'Balance at the Speed of Life - For Women' is something I highly recommend!

6. Imagine fulfilling your life's purpose - what would it be?.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting home to my babies, tomorrow my plans include a welcome home party for my BFFs husband who just came back from Afghanistan and Sunday, I want to go to church and chill out at home!