A Baby Shower

This last month I have been working on this baby shower for Marie's sweet baby girl. It was very therapeutic for me to be working on this while Marie was getting ready/having her baby. It was so hard to be away! I just wanted to jump in my car and drive to Utah. I literally had to hold myself back from heading in that direction. It is so hard to be away from family!

This cake!!! Crystal made this cake for the shower! It was fabulous and oh so pretty. She is seriously talented and it was such a treat to have this addition to the shower.

The Hero and the Crown

Could this book cover photo be any smaller? Sorry if you have to squint to read it. I just finished this book this last week and I really enjoyed it. It won the 1984 Newbery Award. I love the fact that the "Hero" was a girl. I thought it would be a fun read for a young women. She is determined to serve her country, to prove herself. She works hard to learn and improve herself. She is brave. She is courageous. She is a warrior.

All these fantasy books that I have been reading have given me a sense of why people love these types of books. I think that these types of books that are written well show us a world that is full of magic, dragons, immortality, etc. but the characters, the things that they are dealing with, the trials they have to go through, all apply to life. We get lost in the fun of the story, the fantasy aspect of it, but what we really love is the real life lessons that are taught through these stories.

Rem Nicole

So, this is the reason that we went to Utah this last week. Isn't she just perfect?? She is so beautiful and such a good baby. For a mama who is just a bit baby hungry, I adored holding this sweet little girl. I think that we all just couldn't get enough of her sweet little cry, her beautiful baby smell, and her little, snuggly, sleepy self.

A Visit With Friends.

When we were in Utah this last week we went and visited some friends. We both lived in the townhomes together and met when Isabelle and Finley were just 6 months old. It was so fun to see them settled into there new home in Utah!

This is a pirate ship that Amy made for Finley's Pirate 4th Birthday Party that they celebrated the week before. Can you say creative?? Um, yea, I miss having that girl around!

These two, so fun to see them together. We went out to lunch and then to the aquaramine where the kids had a blast. Amy and I were able to catch up. It was so good to see them and spend an afternoon together.

Reporting Week 6

I had a good week. Not much of interest to report. I saved 2 hours of my exercising for Saturday morning. I knew it would be a big day, so I got up at 5:30 am and went walking for a couple hours. That was an accomplishment for me. After a couple weeks of not getting my hours of exercise in I knew I just had to get it all in this week.

Just a couple more weeks and I'll be done!

Peanut Butter

Have I told you how much this guy loves peanut butter?? Well, he does.

He just sat with this jar and scraped and ate, and scraped and ate, and scraped and ate, you get the picture.

I'm so glad that none of us are allergic! Peanut butter is a staple in our house. This all natural organic kind that is made by Costco is our favorite.

I mean he really loves peanut butter!!

Oh, and his sister really likes it too.

Reporting Week 5

Do I have too?? That is what I keep asking myself. I really don't want to write this post. So, did anyone notice I'm a bit late reporting for week 5! Well, I am if anyone is following along, and I have to report that I had a few issues this last week with my plan.

The Ugly Truth

• I ate dairy.
• I didn't count my water.
• I only exercised an hour and a half. (Gulp! Hardly anything, I know!)
• I ate too many calories on Saturday.
• I didn't count my breads.

The Good

• I was on vacation in Utah so I have something that resembles an excuse, if your into that thing.
• I didn't intentionally do most of these things, just failed to plan, it is so hard for me on vacation.
• I didn't eat that much dairy, I just know that it was in some things I ate. I ordered things without dairy and asked for no cheese at most restaraunts we ate at.
• I did count my calories all the days of our trip except for Saturday. We went out to a Mexican restaraunt and I ate a big meal then had some Soy Ice Cream when we got home. I so wanted to stop at Charlies and order a Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae, yum, (seriously, I was so close to doing it), but I was good and I settled on the Soy Ice Cream. I know I went over my calories for that day.

So, what do I have to say for myself. Overall, I did stick to counting my calories throughout most of the trip. I usually go a little crazy with food when I'm on vacation so I'm excited for staying within my calories. When I got home I jumped on the scales and I hadn't gained anything from my trip. That in and of itself is a HUGE accomplishment for me. Even though I feel good to a certain degree, I wished I had stayed on track. I should have been writing everything down and getting enough sleep so I could get up early to exercise. Next time we are on vacation my goal will be exercise and water. If I could add those two things I would do so much better.

Interesting sidenote: I have not seen any difference in how I feel with going off the dairy. It makes me wonder why I'm doing it. I was hoping I would feel different, but I guess I'm not allergic to it. I didn't feel any different with the little bit of dairy I ate on my trip to Utah. I really enjoy all the soy/rice/coconut substitutes I've been eating. I think in the future I will eat the soy/rice/coconut substitutes at home and not worry about dairy when we eat somewhere else.

The first few days of this week are going well. It is so much easier to stay on track at home. I'm off to exercise right now.