...we made it to FOUR!!!

Guys, this spunky little girl turned four earlier this month...and I can't believe we've made it this far!

Seriously though, I find her asleep in the craziest places mid afternoon.

 

Evelyn is a girl of strong likes, but really not too many dislikes. Her favorite things to do are putting together puzzles and building temples with magnatiles. She loves her Karate class, and recently received her yellow belt, but is also hoping to take dance with a couple of her friends this fall. I don't want to overload her so we will see what happens. She is always moving. Always.

Evelyn's favorite foods are strawberries, peaches, yogurt, apples, and mac n cheese (if you have never tried Annie's organic aged cheddar mac n cheese, you really need to). She also loves anything she can pick from our garden and eat while playing in the back yard. Her favorites have been peas, carrots, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes. I am lucky that she is such a good eater.

At Evelyn's well child visit we found out she was in exactly the 50th percentile for height and weight. Her pediatrician and I both thought that was such a crazy coincidence!

Evelyn asked to have her first ever 'Friends' birthday party. She asked if she could choose everything for her party. We had white tablecloths, yellow plates, pink and blue flamingo cups, swirly straws, polka-dotted napkins, and blue, pink, and purple balloons. She loved it.

Love her!

 

The kids played with bubble blowers, the sprinkler, and the pool. They decorated their own cupcakes (which means they ate a LOT of candy and left the cupcakes).

We have been so lucky for Evelyn to have so many friends in Primary here.

 

These two are cheesers. They are basically best friends and are so excited to go off to preschool together next month.

Every time we have had friends over they've loved the garden. The kids eat while they play.

 

Yay for  cupcakes (and all the candy they put on top)!

 

So much candy!

 

Evelyn didn't realize that friends might bring presents. She kept saying, "is that for me?"

 

Super excited for a big girl bike!

 

She was so happy to have her friends come and play. This girl is one social bug!

Although her strong will makes me want to pull my hair out some days, I am so happy to have her. She has a tender heart when she sees someone hurting and asks me how to make people happy when they are picked on, sad, or lonely. She is bright and is learning to sound out words and do addition this summer (I have decided reading is hard, and spelling rules seem to be broken as often as kept). She loves animals and on more than one occasion I have been tempted to pick up a kitten for her at the shelter. What am I supposed to do when their marquee specifically states that they have kittens?!?

"Why?" is her favorite question, and I keep reminding myself that she is learning about the world. Evelyn has limitless energy and is always on the go. She and her brother run all over the house all morning and when he crashes for the afternoon she goes outside to play some more.

I am so glad she is mine.








 

End of Year Show

OK. This was the cutest end-of-year preschool show ever.

Evelyn talked about it for two weeks non-stop. She sang the songs at home all the time. I learned several new songs that way. I was impressed at the amount of music these tiny kids learned. One hour, friends. That is a lot, but the kids LOVED it!

The musician in me is incredibly proud that Evelyn loves music so much and that her pitch and rhythm are so good at such a young age. Music lovers unite!

My mom, Evelyn's nana, and her grandpa Murdock came to her show. We were so glad to have them there. I am so grateful that Evelyn will grow up with love and support from her grandparents and other extended family.

The teachers at Barneck Preschool are phenomenal. I am so happy that they teach so much using fun and games. Evelyn has learned SO much and is always excited to go to preschool. What a great year full of thriving!

Check out the awesome rhythm in that flag waving (front and center in the tangerine dress)! Seriously though, the kids are adorable.

 

Check out the sweet leaf on the left. Awe. Sweet Evelyn. She was also a popcorn kernel in 'Popcorn Popping'

 

 I love this girl.

 

She makes my heart warm. She thrives with lots of affection and attention, and turns that affection right back at me. She is so genuine and enthusiastic about everything! She loves sitting on my lap and talking or reading. I feel lucky to have a preschooler who still loves to snuggle and be close. I am one lucky mama. 

 

 

Work, work, work...and why I think my children are NUTS!

OK. I always thought life would slow down a little once we were settled in. I have come to the conclusion that my life may not settle down until my kids are out of high school. We don't even have that much going on! I have the gym 5 days a week. Evelyn has preschool 2 mornings a week, and karate one afternoon a week. Other than that we go grocery shopping on Mondays. We'll start play dates again once everyone is over colds for the year. That is not a lot, but I feel like my days are super full.

Maybe part of it is that I've decided to become a gardener. I want to grow food like my dad, and flowers like my mom. I have to start small though because I have more help than I can handle in my two midgets.

I spent yesterday morning at the gym, per the norm. After finishing, I felt really good so I put Rhett down for a nap and went to work. Evelyn and I weeded the garden and all the flower patches around the yard. We weeded the herbs out front and put round up on the weeds growing around the driveway.

I noticed that most of our wood chips all over the yard had disintegrated, and weeds were creeping in. I do NOT have time for that much weeding. Rhett woke up from his nap and I got proactive. Nineteen massive bags of wood chips and mulch later and my yard is looking SO much better. I still need to mow up the weeds I pulled, but it is progress!

Sorry for the picture overload!

 New Much in my Forget Me Nots

 Getting rid of the bare dirt look in the corner

 Fresh wood chips under the play structure

 Yay for more wood chips and fewer weeds!

 Part of our tiny garden. Pole beans, three colors of bell pepper, carrots, and butter crunch lettuce

 First crop of carrots

 Peas and broccoli...no straight lines...I had help planting the seeds

 Tomatoes and onions

 Strawberries!!!

 Parsley, rosemary, mint, and basil

 New wood chips and flowers out front

 No weeds!

 Beautiful huh! We were at Lowes when Evelyn said, "Ooh mom! We need those flowers!"

The kids are doing SO well. Evelyn finishes her first year of preschool next week, Rhett it always busy (usually hunting for electronics), and I am just trying to keep up!

 He loves his sister...

 ...enough to give unwelcome hugs during her nap

 It was time to be up anyways

 My little mess maker

 ...and snuggle bug

 The big cheese

Evelyn was crying when she saw me with the camera. She asked me to take a picture anyways. She kept saying, "See, I can smile!"

 Karate!

 Power stance

 Nervous about breaking the board at parents day

 Nailed it!

 Hiyah!

 Papa, and Uncle Paul...with toes

On the phone with her friend Ella

My babies keep me on my toes...all the time. I heard them in the front room laughing and this is what I found them doing...crazy kids!

Well friends, I'd best be off. Rhett is asleep upstairs. Frozen is playing downstairs while Evelyn snores softly on the couch, and the kitchen floors are begging to be mopped! Thanks for checking in!

Fitness...The Things You Learn And The People You Meet.

Alrighty. Fitness has been on my mind a lot since the beginning of the year. This is my year to be healthy. Most days that means going to the gym. Some days, however, it means staying home and eating popsicles with the kiddos.

For me, both are healthy. I love to workout. I love intense and challenging workouts, but if my afternoon and evening are going to be crazy or stressful it is totally alright with me to miss a morning at the gym. For some people, that doesn't work...for me it is perfect. Most weeks I am at the gym 5-6 days a week for about an hour. There have been a couple weeks where one or both kids weren't feeling well, and rather than going to the gym every night after their bedtime I just took one for the team and only got in 2-3 days. Not a big deal. Healthy.

My results aren't as accelerated as they could be if I was super strict with my exercise or if I put myself on a strict eating plan, but I have no deadlines. I want to be healthy. Everything I am doing is perfectly maintainable...like forever maintainable. I eat well in general, but take most Sundays, holidays, date nights, and family parties off. I don't believe in counting calories, but rather filling my body with whole foods that will fuel muscle growth. Long story short, this isn't a diet to get me somewhere looking like something specific. This is a way of life that I want as my own. It feels good.

I usually do grit classes, spin classes, butts and guts classes, as well as group interval training, and Zumba every week in addition to weights. I am learning so many things and have met some pretty incredible people.

For example, in my Zumba class there are more than 5 people who have lost over 60lbs each doing Zumba. An older woman in my class lost 26lbs and 27 inches in 6 weeks. She is in her 60's and is killing it! The class has developed into this incredible support system for moms! Another woman gave up soda and started 2 classes a week at the gym (Zumba and butts and guts) and 7 months later she is down 50lbs!

Small changes are a big deal!

We were talking about results before butts and guts today and I was getting caught up in everyone's weight loss and was feeling silly that mine wasn't more. Silly me. Weight loss isn't even on my list of goals. The trainer asked me what my results had been like. I told her 2lbs. 2. Not so awesome right? She asked my inches since she has seen a difference in the way I look. -22 since the beginning of December. Not bad. Truthfully that is pretty good! That is down a pants size and a shirt size. I don't have too far to go before I am as fit as I have ever been so of course progress is not going to be super fast anymore.

To add additional challenges, I have PCOS and I don't loose weight easily, but it does happen. It just takes more effort and time than it does for most people since my hormones are synthetic and don't fluctuate naturally, resulting in a slower metabolism. I do, however, exchange fat for muscle pretty easily. Thank you high testosterone?

We all have our challenges. We could use them as excuses, or we could make the most of them and be our very best regardless of the problems we face. I will likely never be a really thin person.70+ percent of women with PCOS end up obese so I feel pretty good to be in a healthy weight range. I WILL, however, be strong. I can develop a muscular build without much difficulty and I enjoy the way that looks on me. I can be happy with that. Super happy in fact.

Over the past two years I have made changes in our family lifestyle to promote my children's health. I didn't do it all at once, but month by month we've gotten closer to the lifestyle that I know will keep us healthy.

I guess what I am saying is that there is no reason to put off getting healthy just because you don't want to overhaul your life right now. Start small. Pick one thing and do it. Go for a walk every evening. Give up sodas on weekdays. Take a weekly fitness class. Eat a handful of fresh veggies before you eat anything else at lunch. Drink a protein shake instead of chocolate milk. Drink skim milk instead of juice. Tell your kids yes next time they ask to go to the park.

If you want to get strong, but don't want to go to a gym, start it at home! Try this if you usually aren't physically active: 10 push-ups x3, and 30 crunches. Tweak numbers so you are genuinely fatigued at the end. Every 3 days add 5 of each. You can do puppy push-ups, girl (knee) pushups, or regular. Once you get good at those, try putting your feet on a ball (basketball, soccer, yoga ball...whatever you have) for extra work. Hate cardio? You can do anything for a minute at a time. Try adding a minute of jumping jacks or burpees before each set of push-ups just to get your body going. Every little bit helps! It will take you 5 minutes, but you will totally see improvement through consistency.

We can totally do this!

Life Truly Can Be One Big Ironic Face-palm.

Ok. I don't get the opportunity to see most of my friends on a regular basis. Heck, I don't get to see most of my local friends much during cold season either. Either my babies are sick or theirs are. That being said. I often have really funny things happen and I don't have people to share them with in person. I am always calling my mom and dad, but then the kids run off with the phone and, there you have it, end of conversation.

I had something happen last week...well a day of somethings that caused one face-palm after another.

I started the morning by going to the gym. I did biceps, triceps, and shoulders followed by cardio (and I actually ran more than 5 minutes! ...boy do I hate running.) We went straight to the grocery store and I had a great conversation with Evelyn about sometimes and always foods.

I had my menu and my shopping list and it was all set to be a healthy week!  Win!

Anyways, on the way home I was thinking about the excuse that healthy food is too expensive and I thought I would de-bunk that myth. I even took this photo of what $55 bought at the grocery store.

Of course I would choose to do that on a week that I didn't buy a 42oz bag of Starbursts.

Anyways I was going to write a bit of a 'how to' on seasonal produce and price-match and things like that. How you can eat well off not a lot if you put in the time to prep your own food.

You will see the irony.

I went to get a rake out of the garage and the garage door started making a HORRIBLE noise. It was shuddering back and forth and screeching. Holy cow! When something that big makes sounds like that, you run! 

I wound up spending an hour trying to get the door to close and it finally happened....with a terrifyingly loud clang!

I went inside and called Kevin. I am kind of a high anxiety person so that  situation had me all sorts of worked up. Kevin promised to take care of it when he got home.

I was distracted and anxious all afternoon!

Evelyn's favorite food lately has been oatmeal sweetened with protein powder with a handful of flaked coconut and raisins. She asked for some and I nearly lit the microwave on fire! Apparently distracted mommies forget to add water to the oats. There was smoke all over and the bottom of her little bowl melted straight through!

Distracted mommies can also forget to close doors resulting in the baby playing in potty water...win...

Kevin got home to the house smelling like smoke and the three of us waiting at the table with a big pot of mac n cheese. So much for my healthy meal plan and efforts to be an example of health. 

I am not going to lie, I don't feel bad about it because mac n cheese every couple of weeks isn't going to kill my kids. I just think it was ironic that it happened on a day when I was out to prove that anyone could make healthy food choices. I guess making mentally healthy food choices is a different story...a story that changes every day :)

Anyways, Kevin came home, ate some mac n cheese with no complaints, and found someone to repair the door. It turns out we need a new one...add that to the furnace we just replaced, and the roof to be replaced this summer and we will have quite a big year for home improvement!

Here is the menu for the week, plus some cute pictures!

Emergency Mac n cheese (Annie's Organic Aged Cheddar...AMAZING!)

Potato soup w/homemade bread

Sausage and chicken gumbo

Whole 30 perfect sausage (ground turkey) recipe w/broccoli and herb rice

Slow cooker turkey breast w/carrots and potatoes

Chicken parmesean w/pasta and cauliflower 

French toast with eggs and strawberries

Sometimes I go into Evelyn's room and find Rhett snuggling baby doll. 

He LOVES babies!

This has become the only way she naps. Sheer exhaustion.

13 months old and actually wielding a spoon successfully!

I Did It Again.

I did it again.

Seriously guys, I will feel like I am adjusting very well to life at home with the kiddos, and then something like yesterday happens. I'd gotten into a good groove (pre and post influenza...there was no grooving during influenza) of cleaning, cooking and playing with the kiddos.

I'd managed to de-stress and stay that way. That is a major thing for me, as those of you who knew me in school will attest.

Earlier this week, Kevin and I went to a furniture liquidation sale and got a new bed and dining room set. They were a steal of a deal for the quality and we were super excited. That got me thinking about the other things on our 'to get' list. I usually avoid thinking about those things because I am a recovering shopper. Thanks to #konmari I rarely feel the need to shop and I like it that way.

Anyways back to the thinking about my list. The things that are left on the list are not small things...in fact, they are the biggest purchases yet. It will probably be a few years before we finish picking those things up. We will need to save and budget and make sure our investments are growing despite spending the extra amounts. So I thought... "Hmmmm....if I could just bring in some money on the side I wouldn't need to wait a couple of years to have a sweet new sectional." I fell for it.

Not that working is bad...at all! You guys know I have been there. I was just so excited that I could keep our savings growing rapidly and STILL have those big things. I looked at my schedule and thought "If I can squeeze all the cleaning/laundry/early meal prep in during morning nap, I can work during afternoon nap." It isn't like that is pushing it or anything. Squeezing 4+ hours of work into 2. "I can do it! Consolidate! I can make the time."

I don't want to sell things so I started searching other jobs online. Suddenly it felt like I HAD to find a job. Like the nice things (dozens of buckets for all our food storage, a new leather sectional, or raised beds for my gardens) HAD to happen right now and not over the next 2-3 years. It felt like I was working to save our livelihood. We have an account dedicated to re-doing our roof and furnace this summer...I could have my wants at the same time as those needs if I worked!

What was I thinking?

I got back into the mindset of buy, buy, buy! Kevin got home and I was all stressed out because I couldn't find anything I liked. The house wasn't clean and I'd had no free time since I'd been on the computer for so long. I was snappy and Kevin wanted to know why.

I told him about my day and what I was thinking and he reminded me that he makes plenty for us. We have a budget for everything we need, a date budget, a family fun budget, and a rigorous savings plan.

I told him that I felt bad that he is at work all day and I am at home. By the time he gets off work I have slept in an extra 30 minutes before the kids wake up, spent an hour + at the gym, and have likely spent 20-30 minutes reading a book or taking a nap. The rest of the day is busy, but most of it doesn't feel like work. I enjoy cleaning my home and get a rush out of seeing the results of my work.

Kevin broke out his usual argument. "I WANT you to have free time. I LOVE it when you can do the things you want! He reminded me that I work just like he does...mine is just more flexible. He reminded me that we have different jobs and that we don't need to compare our hours.

Have I mentioned that I married and angel when it comes to things like this?

I think I will settle down and go back to my happy place where I don't shop for things that I don't need. We have a pretty couch...heck, I usually choose the floor when given the option! I will go back to a peaceful life. Peaceful for me, I am sure your definition will be different. Everyone will have a different idea of peaceful.

I need to can it with the existential crises.

BTW, through a friend, I actually found a job that I might work a few hours a week. No time requirements, but I think I will keep it small to save my sanity if I do take it on.

I have a lot to be grateful for. 

"Father, where shall I work today?"

"Father, where shall I work today?"

And my love flowed warm and free.

Then He pointed out a tiny spot

And said, "Tend that for me."

I answered quickly, "Oh no, not that!

Why, no one would ever see,

No matter how well my work was done.

Not that little place for me."

And the word He spoke, it was not stern;

He answered me tenderly:

"Ah, little one, search that heart of thine; 

Art thou working for them or for me?

Nazareth was a little place, And so was Galilee."

-Meade MacGuire

While I was sick I reached a point where I was too sick to be up, but well enough to read. During that time I came across this poem in President Monson's biography "To the Rescue". It was touching, but I had no one to share it with. I have turned back to that page several times and re-read the words. Each time they have deepened my resolve to lift where I stand, bloom where I am planted, and let God lead me to wherever it is he needs me.

"Father, where shall I work today?"

I cannot offer a meaning for anyone but myself. This is a question I ask in some form each day. God points me to my home and asks me to care for it and my babies. Some days I pray for more opportunities to make a difference outside my family. Sometimes those opportunities come. Regularly, the Lord takes that opportunity to remind me that I still need to work at tending my own little patch.

I used to dream about being important, influential, and impressive. At varying times I dreamed of a variety of 'big' things. In high school I dreamed of dropping that last half a second and qualifying to participate in the olympic trials in swimming. In college I dreamed of being an opera singer. Between degrees I dreamed of being my own version of Mother Teresa. In graduate school I dreamed of being a professor, and even had a great experience teaching at the college level. I dreamed of being seen. I'd always loved attention. Not that I did those things for the sake of attention. I made the choices I felt were good for me, but I always enjoyed the byproduct of being 'interesting'.

"Father, where shall I work today?"

Hug those babies. Don't curse when your pre-schooler has an accident in your lap. Be needed, and not angry. Play patty cake a dozen times and then a dozen more because it is still 15 minutes till nap time.  Sit on the floor and let baby be up in arms and then down, then up and down again. Over and over well past the point your patience ends. Teach skills. Grow confidence. Build character. Be kind and teach kindness. Hug your husband and don't throw the kids at him when he gets home. Build up. Be peaceful. Teach the gospel. 

But if I do those things I won't have time during the day to improve my writing enough to finish that book on Strauss. I'll never be an academic! I won't have time to be more well read. I won't have the time to keep every room in my house clean at the same time. I won't have time to make lots of friends and be social. I miss that.

"Art thou working for them or for me?"

What do you say to that? Do I miss out on some things I really wish I could do? Sure, there are a few things. Is the issue much more of worrying about how the world perceives my value?  I think so. When I remember to set those expectations aside and think more about Gods expectations, life gets a lot less complicated. 

Perhaps I will never be important to the world. Only a few people read my blog posts. I don't know if anyone will even want to read the book on Strauss if I ever finish it. I'll tell you what though, at my house I am essential. 

If Christ and President Monson can do their parts. I can do mine.

New Year, New You?

Well It is New Years day as I write this post. Who knows if I will finish it today. There is laundry to start and 24 hours of 'kid mess' under the table and high chair to clean up (how in the world do they get SO much food on the floor...really? Did I even give them that much?). We have family coming by and I really ought to sweep and mop the floor...even though I just did it before dinner yesterday.

Moving on. New Years is a time of goal setting and usually I am all over that like a crazy rabid squirrel. I'd set my goals and check them off my list one by one as I doggedly worked to make myself over in a myriad of ways. This year feels a little different. Wanna know my new years resolution?

This year I will be healthy.

That's it. I know that is a pretty common one, but here is a slightly different (yet significant) take on it. I will be healthy. Mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically healthy.

The physical one is familiar. I've done that before. I found a great gym that has an all included membership that covers the weight area, cardio area, cardio theater, group classes, child care, and even tanning if that is your thing. I am super excited. Getting my workouts in is tough with the kids, but now I can drop them in the super fun nursery and have ME time without them being bored without me, or without pushing them off on Kevin as soon as dinner is over. I met with a personal trainer this morning and I think this is going to be a lot of fun. I love feeling strong, and full of energy, and that is really all I want out of this. Win!

I have discovered recently that wheat, and corn, and I are not terribly compatible. I've only had wheat 4 days out of the past 6 weeks and I am WAY less fatigued. I'm not swearing off completely since I want to have some sort of tolerance to those ingredients, but I think only eating them on special occasions, church activities, and maybe date night should be adequate to maintain a tolerance so they don't actually make me ill. Yay for healthy!

I will be healthy mentally and emotionally. I will cut myself some slack. I won't berate myself for not being the kind of mom/wife/person that I want to be. I will fix things and move on. If the kids have a high maintenance week I'll take a few days off from the gym. Being healthy all around is all about balance and I am sure there will be weeks when my physical training will need to take a back seat to other things. You know what? That is just fine!

I will be healthy spiritually. This one is big. I want to make sure I take my life to the Lord each day...not just my problems, but everything. The funny stuff too. What person wants a friend who only talks to them when upset or needy? Ugh. That has SO been me when talking with the Big Guy. I can do better.

I am learning a lot about balance and I love who I am becoming as I figure it out. Here is to a new year and building on all I have been learning. Battle cry? BALANCE!