Frogging

We went hunting for frogs again at the Searls house. We went over to see Kari again before she went home to CO and they treated us to another great dinner and evening. Dinner was green chile pork tacos. OH MY GOSH. Best ever. Could have had 10 of them. Dessert was this apple pie casserole thing. Both made by Kari, both to die for. Yummy, yummy night! The kids tortured the frogs again and Mr. Jim set off some big fireworks. It was a wonderful time and we are so thankful for their friendship and companionship. They have been a big part of our lives since we moved here 5 years ago.

Professional frog catchers.
Touching a frog, trying to grab it, then dropping it.Watching fireworks. Hiding in the garage from the fireworks. He ran out between fireworks to tell Jim, "No more!"Sleepy girl ready for night-night.

One Week

I have been working out for 1 week now. I went 4 times in a week, or was it 5, and as of yesterday I have lost one pound. Could have been a fluke or we could be on our way down. The trainer I met with when I signed up for the gym said weight is not a good assessment of how you are doing because you could drink more or less water one day and your weight would reflect it. So, I am going to go by how my pants fit, like my friend Ling does. A new week has started and I plan to go to the gym again tonight.

While we are talking about weeks.....Jamie is 49 weeks old now. 49 is really close to 52! How in the world did my baby get so old so fast? It brings tears to my eyes and though I am excited about the new stage ahead of us I am so sad my baby girl is growing up.

Pete is awake. Gotta go! Boy that was a short break for mama today.....

Another First

Last Saturday we went to the beach (lake). It was Jamie's first time and she loved it. She loved the sand and she loved the water. We met some friends down there and celebrated Katie's 13th birthday with cake, presents an fun in the sand and water. I made a trial butterfly cake. I plan to make it again for Jamie's 1st birthday party. It came out ok but I know how to make it better next time, and there will be a lot more pink. Here is the cake before it hit the road to the beach.Ready to eat cake.
Sugar Ball hanging out with mama.
This is about as much as Pete went in the water. Good thing I had the camera ready...Burying sissy in the sand.
Hi Mama.
P. says Pete looks like Big Foot walking in the sand in this picture. Ha, he does doesn't he? :)

Gym

Well, I did it. I signed up for a gym. It was really hard to decide between the two gyms and I still don't feel great about my decision but it was the cheaper one and included the pool. So, I am excited to get in shape and go to the pool. Here are my weight loss, get in shape goals. I want to lose 13 pounds. It used to be 10 lbs but apparently I have gained 3 pounds since I made that goal. To do this I plan to work out 4-5 times a week and eat less and healthier. That's how it works right. Eat better and work out. It's worked for me in the past so hopefully it will again.

There are a lot of reasons I want to lose weight.
1. My clothes don't fit. All of my shorts and pants are too tight in the tummy and it's embarrassing and uncomfortable.
2. I am in a wedding in Sept and want to fit into my size 10 dress.
3. I hold my weight in my cheeks (and tummy) and it sucks. I want to be happier about the way I look in pictures since I take so many and am in so many.
4. I told P. and myself I wasn't going to get pregnant again until I got down to 150 pounds. We still haven't made the decision to have another child yet but I want to keep the option open just in case we do. :)

So, we have been to the gym 4 times in the last week since we signed up. The first day we went to the pool. Jamie loves the water. Pete could take or leave it. The other three times I have worked out, once Katie came with me to give it a try. It was kind of funny watching this really small, really skinny 13 year old work out on the elliptical. On our way home she asked if there was a Krispy Kreme around because she needed to eat 12 donuts to make up for the calories she lost. I am glad there wasn't one on the way home or I would have made up for the calories I lost too. Today I am taking the day off and will go back hopefully Thurs and Fri.

P. is supportive and encourages me to go when I am dragging my feet. We will see how it goes. I will keep you updated.

Here are pictures of our day at the pool.

How Cute?

Is there anything cuter in the whole world? I highly doubt it!

Pictures

I had professional pictures of Jamie taken at Target last week. I think they came out pretty well considering she only smiled like 3 times. Not smiling is very unlike Jamie. She just wanted to explore the fun room filled with props and squeaky distractions. But, when she did smile they got it on film. I can't wait to pick up the pictures on the 22nd. Here are some pics of us waiting for our turn behind the camera.

Sissy is Here

Katie arrived Wed. It's going to be a fun summer. Pete LOVES his big sissy. When Pete wakes up and I go get him he asks if daddy is home. Now I go get him from his bed and he says, "Big Iddy?" Yup, big sissy is here. Here are some pictures from the day she arrived. We went to Arby's, Katie's favorite. We played outside in a sprinkler and popped water balloons over Abby. Katie is a huge help. She loves the kids and is like an extra set of hands that I so desperately need. We all have a good time together and like last summer, we will all be sad to see her go.
A boy and his dog.

Our Park

Back to our favorite park. We cooked hamburgers and played in the creek. This time Jamie didn't eat as many rocks. We are going to have Jamie's 1st birthday party here. I rented a picnic area and wrote out invitations today. I can't believe my baby girl is going to be 1 in less than a month. Where in the world does the time go?

4th of July

We didn't do anything on the 4th of July. I flew home from CO and we went to bed before we heard the fireworks start around town. Jamie's first 4th of July was the same as any other day. But....on the 5th of July we went to our friend's house for a bbq, smores, slip n' sliding, frog hunting and fireworks. It was a great night for all. Thanks to our wonderful friends for having us over lately. Good times and good memories with good friends are hard to beat. Here are some pictures.

Frog

Our little frog the day she was born.Our little frog last night. (I took a picture of our video monitor while she was sleeping.)

The Family

I don't have pictures of my trip to CO yet because I left my camera home in case Jamie decided to stand up on her own while I was gone. Well, she didn't, she is closer but she didn't. I should have taken my camera with me but that's ok. I used Erin's camera while I was out there and hope to receive a CD of all our pics in the mail soon. Until then, here are some pics taken before I left and while I was gone.

Sugar, that's what we call her, eats anything. And everything. And lots of it. Loves noodles and broccoli. Loves spaghetti meat sauce.
Dad helping Pete fix his train.
The new use for the boppy pillow since I stopped nursing. Yes, I am done nursing. I weaned her fast and am paying for it. She took it much better than I did. Jamie loves her bottle and it does a great job of knocking her out for a nap or bedtime. For the first time in 3 years I am not pregnant or nursing. Phew.
The kids played outside on the porch every day while I was gone. Looks like fun.



I missed the kids, and P., like crazy. But daddy did a great job. I wasn't worried. I was worried about Jamie but she did just fine without me. It was a great, fun, refreshing and rejuvenating trip. Updates on CO and Jamie's first 4th of July to come.