Great Grandma's House

I adore my grandparents.  They are my dad's parents and have always, from day one, been involved in my life.  They retired to the coast when I was in elementary school, and visiting them is one of my all time favorite things to do.  

This last visit was Carly May's first and she & grandma drank each other in.

Oh how I love those two!

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Stay Close

"Stay close to anything 

that makes you glad to be alive."

-Hafiz

Roxanne's Birthday

My sweet sister celebrated her birthday back in March and I can't tell you how grateful I am that she was born.  She's the best gift my parents ever gave me and I'm so happy we get to share life together!

I love you Roxanne!!!

Next Year...

Our family is off to eastern Washington where Josh accepted a 4th grade teaching position.  We are thrilled to be in Washington state, within driving distance of family, and so grateful for the next chapter of our lives to begin.

Our Van!

{Car shopping with little sister}

When Josh was home for a visit after Carly was born, we went car shopping. Specifically, we went van shopping.  I loved my Honda Pilot.  It was a great car, and we made it work with four kids, but it definitely wasn't ideal.  One of the twins had to climb in the back and usually got wet in the process (winter in the pacific northwest is soggy!)

So we found this amazing little lot in Portland (PDX Minivans) and test drove the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna.  Both had leather seats & a sun roof, which we wanted, plus low miles and a reasonable price, and honestly it came down to how much room there was in the middle seat when the middle seat was in between the captain's chairs. (Plus I hated the wood interior of the Sienna.) 

{The view from the back seat}

In some kind of magic, we got the car purchased and licensed, plus our Pilot sold all before Josh left for Alaska again.

I love the heated seats, the blue tooth for playing the music on my phone and the back up camera.  Plus I love the automatic doors

But mostly I love all the room our boys have now.

{The boys, all squished in our Honda Pilot}

{The boys, all spread out in the Odyssey}

Since Josh left the last time, we've started spring baseball, and the boys are all playing, so I have two teams I'm keeping track of and am practically living at the ball field.  The car makes all that driving so lovely.  I get to listen to my favorite music, have control of all the heat & AC (which extends all the way to the back, unlike the Pilot) and block the sun from Carly's eyes with the built in sun shades on each side window.

{The car wash!}

I may have loved the Pilot, but the Odyssey is definitely growing on me. 

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5 Year SAHM-iversary!!!

Earlier in the spring, when I had just been released to walk and get a bit of exercise post c-section, I enjoyed taking afternoon strolls with the boys.  As winter receded from the northwest, and spring began to show it's signs, I found myself, on these walks, overcome with gratitude for the ability to be a stay-at-home mom.  To use the afternoon as I saw fit, to walk under blue skies in the middle of the day and to enjoy all the beauty on God's green earth.  It just felt so good.

It seemed fitting that around the time I was overcome with gratitude, I hit my five year anniversary of stay-at-home motherhood, and I honestly can't believe it's been five years.  I still remember with horrible accuracy how it felt to leave my kids and go to work.  I still remember crying both ways (there and back) and wishing so much that God would make a way for me to stay home.

Little did I know what He had in store.  As Josh wraps up our time in rural Alaska, I know that it was not a smooth road (there were some bumps-- anxiety, depression & the miscarriages...), but I also that that was how God made it possible for me to never have to leave the twins again. Or Wyatt ever.  And so it was worth every heartache or struggle.

As we wait to hear what the future holds (and where!) for our family, I am grateful that Josh sees my value in the home and has no desire for me work outside our family.  What a blessing that is to me.

Mrs. Cortez

My sweet little cousin Alix (soon to be Mrs. Cortez) is all grown up (which somehow seems impossible!) and is now engaged (even more impossible!) so my sister and I threw her a bridal shower.  

{I got this drink dispenser for only $24 at Target!}

Since she and her fiance live far away, he tagged along for the drive down and hung out at the shower.  It was great to get to know him (we've never met!) and to see how perfect they are for each other.  

My sister outdid herself with the decorating & the delicious food.  It was a great time!

{The bride with my sister Roxanne}

{The bride's sister with my mom}

{Eye tattoos: Savanna & Roxanne}
The one on my sister's ankle is my eye!

{Mr. & Mrs.}

{Party Girl}

{Aunt Roxanne loves Carly May}

Family of Six

{First photo of me with all FOUR of my children. Craziness!}

Our first picture as a family of six.  

When I look at these pictures I think of my mom, who also had four children, and I think of Josh and I, at prom our junior year.  It's crazy where 16 years has taken us and the beautiful family we've grown.

I'm so happy I didn't give up on my dream of #4.  I know that the miscarriages felt horrible at the time, and I settled into a deep depression after each one, but looking back, I don't feel any sadness.  Things happened exactly as they were supposed to, and Carly was worth the wait.

***

If I Can Do It, You Can Do It

I will be honest, my motivation for working out the last few weeks has been Josh's final homecoming next weekend.  I just keep imagining his face when he sees me.  And that's all I need to keep going, even on the hard days.

A few people have asked what I'm doing to lose weight, so I thought I'd share a little about what my days look like and how I'm shedding pounds & inches.

I start my day with Shakeology, which is a vitamin and mineral drink, full of awesome nutrients.  I drink mine with almond milk, bananas, strawberries & peanut butter. (Sometimes I also throw spinach in there!) I use my in-laws Vitamix and throw some ice in there, and it's like starting my day with a chocolate milk shake.  I love it.

I drink the Shakeology shake instead of breakfast or a morning snack.  It keeps me full until lunch.  Shakeology is expensive, $4 a day if you average it out.  But by not buying coffee, creamer, or any breakfast food for myself, I feel that the cost is absorbed into my grocery budget.  Plus, losing this weight has been priceless to me.  So I say it's worth every penny.

In addition to drinking Shakeology, I eat healthy. That's it.  No secret.  I usually have a huge lunch meat sandwich for lunch, and a healthy dinner, like tacos or chicken & rice.

I think a lot of my success can also be attributed to giving up soda & coffee (which was making me have anxiety anyway) and giving up candy.  I dropped the soda & coffee slowly over the course of two weeks, first dropping my morning cup of joe, and later dropping my afternoon soda.  After getting those two eliminated, I gave up candy.

Giving up the candy was honestly harder than the coffee and soda combined.  

I still miss it.

But I don't miss the sixteen pounds I've lost!

Current stats:

Starting Weight: 200lbs.

Current Weight: 184lbs.

16lbs Lost!!!

I am down 6 and a half inches around my waist, and over 3 inches in my hips.

In addition to changing my eating habits and adding Shakeology I've been working out.  I started with Piyo, which came with my Shakeology, but the time commitment was too great for a mom with four kids and no husband currently.  So I switched a Leslie Sansone walking workout video that's only 15 minutes.  I work out every morning, Monday-Friday and try to get in a long walk on the weekends. 

My goal in starting this 60 Day Workout Challenge with my friend Kelly was to start something I could maintain in the long term.  This short workout is something I can keep up with and will continue long after our Challenge is over.  The Shakeology and healthy eating is also doable long term. 

***

In addition to working out & eating right, I've been doing things to make my body more beautiful in preparation for Josh's homecoming.

For instance, I've been using a dry body brush to get my skin soft & smooth.  It took a while for me to get used to using it as it's kind of rough, but the back of my arms feel amazing!

I've also been using self tanner to get some nice color.  I love the Jergens Natural Glow for slow tan over time on my legs (just be careful of ankles & knees!) and I love the Neutrogena Build-A-Tan for a quick one-time tan on my whole body.

I've also been whitening my teeth (for only $20 at Rite Aid!) and my kids love when I wear the blue strips and talk funny for a half hour each morning.

I've also been using this John Frieda "Go Blonder" spray after the shower & before I blow dry.  It gives me a sun-kissed color that I love.

For Mother's Day that amazing husband of mine ordered the FitBit Alta I've been dreaming of since starting this workout challenge.  It should get here Monday and I can't wait to see if it helps me get in more exercise.  I'm also anxious to track my sleep and see if there's anything I can do to improve there.

I have a little less than a month left before the challenge ends.  I'd love to drop nine more pounds and be at 175lbs. From there I'm sure I'll set another goal, as I'd really love to get around 160lbs and maintain from there.

I feel like if I can do this, if I can lose weight and get healthier while solo parenting these four kids, anyone can do it.  You just start.  Take a deep breath, know you can do this and make small changes until slowly they add up to big change.

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