Trying This Again

So I posted a few months ago about losing weight, getting in shape and exercising. So far I have not had much success. I am able to get about 45 min -1 hour of workouts in but I definitely need to work on my nutrition. It is so easy as a busy mom of four kids to not pay close enough attention to what I eat. Many days I find that I have skipped meals and only grabbed a bite here or there. I am also really bad at snacking all day long and eating the same kid friendly foods that I probably should not be feeding my kids in the first place. So here is my new plan. First continue working out which is the easiest part for me. Second, focus on what I am eating and not eating. I found a book that I used years ago to help with nutrition it is a Daily Success Plan put out by Icon Health and Fitness and it gives daily menus and snacks. It is great and outlines everything I should eat for the day plus it lists the calories next to it. It is set up for an 8 week program. I have started it before but never got very far into the program, I don't know why since it is so clearly laid out what to eat everyday. Third, I'm hoping to blog about my accomplishments or shortcomings. I have tried to do this myself and quickly get discouraged and lose motivation. I think what I need is the support and motivation of friends and family. The more I tell people what I am trying to accomplish, the more I feel accountable. It's too easy to lie to myself about what I am actually doing. So hear I am putting myself out there in hope of finally getting to the end of my weight battle.

A Natural!

So with the latest snow that came, it brought with it a great opportunity for Kyler to so skiing for the first time. He was super excited to go with his dad. He woke up early on Sat and followed everything his dad did to get ready, right down to what kind of clothes to wear, what to eat for breakfast, and what to pack for lunch. They then headed up to Brighton Ski Resort where kids ski free. He picked up on skiing pretty quickly. He only had to do the beginner hill for about an hour and he was ready to do the whole mountain the rest of the day. I was so excited to hear how he did and when I saw the videos Nick took, I couldn't believe how awesome he did his first time skiing. Nick told me that Kyler would keep saying, "Just me and my dad skiing!" He had so much fun and want's to go again soon! I am so proud of Kyler and love watching him grow up and learn new things. Good thing Nick loves to ski, that is something I have never done or plan on doing.

Our Sweet Girl

What would a post be without adding a few pictures of our sweet girl McKayla. She is now 7 1/2 mths and is quickly gaining all control of the family. Everything still goes straight into her mouth, she sits up on her own, rolls from both sides and tries to get things out of her reach. McKayla loves to eat, especially whatever the rest of us are eating, her baby food is just not exciting anymore. She makes everyone smile!

Kyler Turned 8! (awhile ago)

What a terrible mom I am! Kyler had his birthday back on December 23rd, and here I am finally posting about it. It was a big day for him turning 8 years old! We celebrated a few days earlier by having a friends birthday party. He loves watching Brain Surge, so he asked for a Brain Surge party. I was trying to come up with some ways to play the game as the activity, but then it dawned on me -- just replay a recorded show and pause for the kids to answer. It worked out great until it was time for the final round where the contestant is supposed to memorize a path on a light up floor, we just kind of pretended. When the kids got the wrong answers, we sprayed silly string on them for the "ooze". For the cake, it was requested by the birthday boy, a brain cake. It was a lot of fun to make, just not as tasty for the kids to eat. Next time I make one (haha) I will know what to use instead to make it taste great.







Turning 8 also brings some big occasions for a little boy. First being that he was able to get baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, something he was looking forward to for such a long time (had it marked on the calendar for a year). He had a special day with family and friends with him. He actually got baptized twice because his foot came up out of the water, not to worry the next time it stayed down. Nick and I are so proud of him and love him so much!






Another great thing is scouts. As soon as he got his scout book, he dove right in looking for things he could do. I hope he stays as excited about it all the way to getting his eagle.

New Year, New Me

Okay, so how many of us start the new year resolutions with wanting to lose weight and get healthy? I know it is very common and it is something that I start often and don't finish. I have been wanting to get back into to shape after I had McKayla in June. I was so excited to finally start exercising after the 6 weeks postpartum and had a goal to reach. Then as you know I broke my foot two months after she was born, that put a damper on things. Being in a boot for two months, not able to walk very good let alone doing any cardio was a bummer. Again I was excited to get exercising, I just didn't plan for my foot needing more time to build the strength back and get full movement again. Then with the busyness of the holidays and good food, lead to no exercise and eating those sweets. So here I am, finally able to get in shape and it so happens to be at the new year. I have my goals and I really think I can get it done this time. I have always had trouble with staying motivated, it is hard to work out and then see no results. But I'm hoping this time I can figure out why I truly want to lose weight and keep in mind that I am worth it. I'm not sure about posting it on my blog for all to see, but that will just keep me on track and keep me motivated since I will be tracking my progress. I came across a neat website http://www.myfitnesspal.com that tracks calories and fitness. I am real excited to get started and see what I can accomplish!

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!!! Our house sure has been crazy trying to get everything ready for the big day, but it is always worth it to see the joy and excitement on the kids faces when they wake up Christmas morning. We have tried extra hard to focus on the spirit of Christmas and celebrating the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and keeping our Christmas simple. It is sad to see how commercialized this special day has become. May we all remember Christ, his humble birth, and his divine example and let him into our hearts this Christmas season.

In our efforts to get our Christmas card done, here are some of the snapshots leading to our final product. We were trying to capture the boys enjoying the gift of their cute little sister.

Kids with Santa

What Christmas wouldn't be complete without pictures with Santa? We were lucky to have Santa come to our ward Christmas party. He did some magic tricks, read a story, told the kids how to be good, and then told the grownups how to be good.


Kyler


Nathaniel


Logan


McKayla