Spring has Sprung

The weather has been beautiful for the last few days, so I figured that spring must really be here. I decided yesterday to get all my winter/snowman decorations put away. It's not even April and I have them all put away! Then I got out my containers of spring decorations and had a wonderful time putting everything out. I had to decorate a little differently than I usually do as I know that Hailey will soon be making her way around to get into things. I still need to go buy a few things to add some finishing touches. When it's all done I think it will look pretty good. I think it will look especially nice with the Christmas lights still hanging up on our house. Rich said he was going to turn the lights on to see what the neighbors would say- now I think that will look fabulous!

Weight Loss Update

Well, this was not a good week. In fact, instead of losing any weight, I gained a pound. So, I have made some new rules for myself.

1. Hailey's nap time is not snack time.
2. I will no longer be buying snacks "for Rich."
3. Do not visit Ange's myspace, because then I will want chocolate.
4. Hailey's nap time is not snack time.
5. When I was little my Grammy had a plaque hanging in her kitchen that said "Too little to save, too much to dump. That's what makes a housewife plump." Now I know what that means. And that is why I will no longer be allowed to do the dishes after dinner.
6. Going out for dinner does not require getting a sundae for dessert.
7. Hailey's nap time is not snack time.
8. When going to the mall to walk for exercise, do not go to Arby's to get a Jamocha shake. Drinking a shake with 498 calories defeats the purpose of going to the mall to walk.

I think my new rules will help and next week will be a much better week.

20 pounds to go!

Grand Canyon 2003

Brooke at the Grand Canyon in April 2003

Congratulations, Brooke!

Brooke has been nominated by one of her teachers to attend the 2007 National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) in Washington, D.C. this summer. Marguerite Regan, the Director of Curriculum at the Congressional Youth Leadership Council sent a congratulatory letter. In the letter it stated that Brooke's teacher nominated her because he feels that she has demonstrated "outstanding leadership potential and academic achievement." The letter also stated that the NYLC is the "premier leadership program in the country designed for the nation's best and brightest high school scholars." Brooke will be able to spend 10 days in Washington D.C. where she will have the "opportunity to witness our nation's democracy in action and to interact with many of today's leaders from Congress, the executive branch, the national news media and the diplomatic corps." If you are curious to read any other information about this program you can go here.

Congratulations Brooke! We are so proud of you!

Book Lover

Hailey tries to determine her "taste" in books.

Sunday Seven #2

Seven things I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. I am thankful that I live in the USA. I am free to go where I want to go and do what I want to do. I can say what I want to say and be who I want to be. I am free because people have given their time and their lives to fight for my freedom.
2. I am thankful for my home, the nice neighborhood that it is in and the terrific neighbors who surround it.
3. I am thankful for my family. My entire family. I love them all!
4. I am thankful for my hubby. He is my best friend and we have a lot of laughs together. He lets me know that he appreciates me and he makes me feel special. He makes sure that I know how much he loves me.
5. I am thankful that I have not had a full nights sleep for the last 5 1/2 months because it means that there is a precious little treasure sleeping (or not sleeping) in the bedroom next to mine. (Actually I have not had a full nights sleep for over a year due to nausea, a huge belly, and of course the many trips to the bathroom. But it is all worth it. All of it.)
6. I am thankful that someone used half of my bottle of conditioner yesterday, that I could not find my brush and that there was not a drop of hot water left for my shower. This means that there is a teenager in the house and I love having her here.
7. I am thankful for the way I was raised. I am glad that I have parents who brought me up in a Christian home. They took me to church, they read the Bible to me, and they prayed with me. They taught me right from wrong, they told me "no", and they even spanked me. When I think back on my childhood, my memories are happy. All of them. My parents made sure that I knew I was loved. Unconditionally.
8. Yes- I know it is only supposed to be seven! Lastly, I am thankful that this list could go on and on because I have been blessed with so much.

Grammar

I no know that grammar has never been my strong point. I always did much better in math class then than English class. So when I found this quiz I decided two to take it to see how I would do. I thought it was ridiculously easy. You can take the quiz here if you'd like to see how you do. If I scored 100% I'm sure you can too!

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

Weight Loss Update

This week went pretty well. My feet could not find their way to the treadmill, but I did eat pretty healthy all week and I lost 2 more pounds- yeah! I have set up some mini goals for myself on the journey to my pre-pregnancy weight. Each time I reach a goal I get a reward. This week I reached one of my mini goals. Now, I would like to reward myself with some yummy chocolate chip cookies or a gallon or 2 of ice cream, but that would defeat the purpose. So, instead my reward for this mini goal is a nice, long, uninterrupted bubble bath. This means that Rich will not be coming in to say things like, "Where are the burp clothes?" or "I can't find the pacifiers" and certainly not "Hailey needs her diaper changed."

19 pounds to go!

Who, Me?

Now, I think I look pretty innocent. But, for some reason my mom disagrees about my innocence. Like earlier this week- my mom was playing with that squeaky baby again. So, I found my favorite squeaky squirrel toy and brought it to her so I could join in the fun. But, of course, my mom said, "No Dottie- you can't play when Hailey is on the floor. You get too excited. I'll play with you later." So, I went and found a nice cozy bed to lay on while I waited for my turn to play. A little while later I heard my mom say, "Dottie Doo, have you been in the garbage again?" I have no idea why she always assumes it is me who is getting into the garbage. I always get blamed for everything around here.

Girl's Best Friend

Hailey thinks Dottie is just great! Hailey loves to watch Dottie and gets very excited when she gets to sit next to Dottie. Hailey reaches out to Dottie and "pets" her. Dottie is still a little unsure of Hailey, but allows the "petting" for a few minutes before she runs off to find herself some trouble to get into.

Sunday Seven #1

Each Sunday I am going to try to participate in the Sunday Seven which is a weekly meme for giving thanks and/or for noting important events in our lives. Each week I will try to pick a different theme and write seven things about that theme. If you ever have any suggestions for a theme, let me know.

Seven great things that have happened since last Sunday (in no particular order):

1. We were able to spend some time with both sides of our family (which does not happen often enough).
2. Rich's dad had a successful quadruple bypass and is doing well in his recovery. Thank you to everyone for your prayers.
3. It was in the 60's on Tuesday and since I have decided that winter is officially over, this was a great thing. Of course, we did get about 6 inches of snow this weekend- but this list is about great things, so I will not discuss that.
4. I didn't go to Target! This is great because I always spend too much money there!
5. Rich got his paycheck. This happens every week, which is most definitely a great thing.
6. We all have our health, and if not for that- nothing else would matter.

First Tastes

For the last few weeks Hailey has become very interested in what we have been eating. She has been watching very closely during mealtimes and has been trying to grab everything within reach. She seemed to really want to start eating. But, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that you don't start giving food until around 6 months and I tend to obsess with doing what "they" tell you to do. So at Hailey's last doctor's appointment I had discussed this with her doctor. The doctor assured me that Hailey was certainly ready for some baby cereal. Just to be sure I waited a few weeks, called the doctors office and talked to one of the nurses. She reassured me that it was indeed okay to start Hailey on some baby cereal at 5 months, 1 week.

We decided to go ahead and let her try her first taste of baby cereal. So, I got everything ready for her first meal with us at the table. I prepared the cereal, got the camera and camcorder ready and buckled Hailey into her booster seat (which is so much more convenient than a highchair). Does anyone know what I forgot to do?

With the camcorder rolling, I put a little cereal onto the spoon and into Hailey's mouth. All of the cereal came right back out of her mouth, ran down her chin and landed on her shirt. At this point I realized she was not wearing a bib! How many of you knew what I forgotten? Anyways, I rushed off to find a bib and we finished her first meal of "real food". As you can see from the picture below, most of her food ended up on her face, hands, booster seat, and the once forgotten bib. In fact I don't know if any of the food ended up in her tummy. Hailey seemed to really enjoy her food and especially enjoyed playing with her bowl and spoon. For now, I guess that is all that matters.

Weight Loss

While I was pregnant with Hailey I gained a LOT of weight. My doctor warned me, of course, about the 10 pound baby I was bound to have. My doctor also warned me that the weight would be hard to lose. I was sure that since I would be nursing Hailey that he was wrong. Breastfeeding is supposed to help those pounds just melt right off. So, I decided that the world was a grand buffet and that I would eat to my tummy's content.

55 pounds later I had a 6lb 10oz baby. Obviously the doctor was wrong about a 10 pound baby! Within a month of her birth I had lost 25 pounds, without even trying. So, I figured the doctor was wrong about how hard it would be to lose the weight too.

Then all of a sudden the weight stopped coming off. Thanksgiving and Christmas did not make it any easier to lose and I pretty much stopped trying. I had only one pair of pants that fit me and was determined not to buy any more in that bigger size. This was supposed to motivate me to lose the weight. I was getting pretty tired of wearing those same pants everyday and washing them so often. If I'm being totally honest though, most days I didn't even make it out of my sweats.

For my New Years resolution, on January 2nd I started exercising everyday and eating healthy. Since then I have only lost another 9 pounds and it has been very slow going! Last week I finally was able to buy myself a new pair of pants in the next size down. How exciting!

Anyways- I have decided to add a weight loss ticker to my blog. It's at the bottom of the page and it shows how much weight I have lost and how much I still need to lose. It also shows what my BMI was, is, and will be when I reach my goal. Each Friday I will write a little about how my week has been with my diet and I will update the ticker to show what my new weight loss is. I am hoping that this will help me to stay accountable in reaching my goal weight by May 19th (coincidentally, Matt and Ellie's wedding date). Of course, any encouragement would be much appreciated!

Aunt Winnie

We were visiting my parents last week and Aunt Winnie came over for dinner on Sunday. Hailey absolutely loved Aunt Winnie. Aunt Winnie had Hailey laughing and laughing! Just seeing her would bring a squeal of delight from Hailey! When Aunt Winnie was getting ready to leave she handed Hailey back to me. Hailey started to cry and put her arms out to go back to Aunt Winnie! Aunt Winnie certainly has a special way with babies! (by the way, I forgot to get a picture of them together on Sunday- so this picture is actually from Ellie's bridal shower, the day before).

Blogging

I have decided to do a bit of writing on my blog. I'm going to try to write about my thoughts and what is going on with us every few days or so. I'm not sure if anyone cares to check my blog that frequently, so I'll try it for a little while and see how it goes. Let me know if you like it or not!

Ellie's Shower

We had a Victorian style Bridal shower Tea Party at the Rose Garden for Ellie (fiancee to my brother, Matt)

Some of the guests at the shower
Some more guests
Some more guests, including the guest of honor at the back of the table
Toni giving Ellie some advice on how her wedding day is her special day
Ellie opening her "lovelies"
Ellie opening presents
More presents

Some beautiful bows for the beautiful Bride-to-be

Ellie posing for a picture

To see more pictures from the shower, visit Beka and Bill's blog

and Angela's blog

Brooke

Brooke and some friends at a recent marching band competition
Brooke posing with some friends

Brooke going 4-wheeling

5 Months

Hailey is 5 Months Old
Hmmmmm.... This dress is interesting
All smiles

Practicing rolling from back to front

Looking at Hailey's photo album

Memories from 2002

Brooke in Disney World during August 2002

Brooke with her Minnie Mouse ears

Camping trip during August 2002

Brooke on Christmas morning 2002

Brad and Brooke riding up the chairlift to visit the Ski Jumps in Lake Placid

Babies Don't Keep

When I was a baby, my Grammy shared this poem with my Mom. Now my Mom has shared it with me. I say this poem to myself everyday- especially when I get a little behind in my housework.

Cleaning and cooking can wait 'til tomorrow,
For babies grow up as we've learned to our sorrow.
So, quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,
For I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

Rich tries out the Dance, Dance Revolution game on the PlayStation.

Brooke shows him how it's supposed to be done.

Rich rolls up his pants and tries again!

Brooke and Hailey hanging out in Brooke's room