Wisconsin Wedding

Last weekend we packed up and headed North to go celebrate a wedding. Mitch's cousin Krista got married at a beautiful resort in the Dells. We shared a suite with Grandma Tootie and Grandpa Dave and were extra excited that Rylee and Bradyn joined in on the fun. We arrived around 3pm, which worked out great because the girls were able to go swim for a bit before the wedding. We fed them a lite dinner at 5 and then headed over for the ceremony. We got there just in time, because it was so short if we would have stopped for a restroom break we would have missed it. Krista was a beautiful bride and Leah was so excited to see "the Princess."

After the outdoor ceremony we headed inside and enjoyed the cocktail hour...the girls enjoyed the music and got the party started right! We couldn't get them off the dance floor. This was the first time that I had met Mitch's Aunt Sheree, Uncle Guy, Uncle Steve and Aunt Connie so it was especially nice to have the family all together for a change. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jim where there and we hadn't seen them since leaving New Jersey so that was a special treat too!

We had a wonderful meal, and of course the girls were super excited to cut the cake. It was fun to see that they did the same wedding cake idea that we did. Each table had their own cake and if you didn't like the flavor on your table it was up to you to search out an alternative. We had Lemon and Chocolate Cherry...and the Lemon did not disappoint. I think the girls liked it too!

Our little dancing queens kept the dance floor bustling until after 10, but then we decided it was time to call it a night. We dragged them back to the room...dirty feet and all, tucked them in and put them to bed. Grandpa Dave stayed in the room with the kids, so Mitch, Tootie and I were able to go back and cut a few more rugs, so to speak. It was great fun!

The next morning we were up early and the kids were ready to head to the pool. Of course we had to indulge in Grandpa's special breakfast first...powdered sugar donuts and chocolate milk. Kiersten hasn't stopped talking about chocolate milk since. She says "chocca milk"...of course I've let her indulge once or twice, but only after she eats her vegetables :)

My Journey

You know the expression, "A journey of a 1000 miles begins with a few steps."...Well my journey of a lot of pounds began with a lot of steps. When Mitch and I lived in New Jersey we complained non-stop about how bad our physical health had gotten. We had no time to go to the gym...heck, we couldn't afford to go to the gym. That all changed when we got to Decatur. ADM has lots of wonderful benefits, and my favorite by far is the wellness center. They have a fantastic gym that employees AND their spouses get to use free of charge. Not only is there a gym but they have classes, AHHHHH!!!! (That's the sound of angels singing their chorus). I LOVE, absolutely LOVE the classes. I got hooked on Zumba and then branched out of my comfort zone and started the Les Mills classes BodyAttack and BodyStep (which I secretly can't get enough of).

Mitch also got me hooked on the program myfitnesspal.com...actually we both access it as an APP on our phones but you can do it online too. It's amazing. I have logged in 107 days straight. So in 107 days I went from the 1st picture to the 2nd picture. Need me to be more specific? OKAY: The first picture was taken on May 8th in Minnesota at our nieces confirmation. I started my new program on May 9th...Leah's birthday. The 2nd picture was taken on August 19th (this past weekend) when we attended a family wedding in Wisconsin.

To date I am down 16.5 lbs. I am so close to reaching my goal of 20 lbs!!! I wanted to do it in 4 months (5 lbs a month) but that is about 2 weeks away. I'm okay with the fact that it probably won't happen. Mostly I am just thrilled to be hitting the gym again. Mitch is so great! He goes at 5:30 in the morning before work, and then I get to go when he gets home. It works for us, but I feel like that leaves him cooking dinner a few nights more than I do (he's a better cook anyway). I've been diligent. I work out everyday except Sunday and run on the treadmill at home at least twice a week. Lately Leah is wanting in on the action. She runs laps around the couch while I run on the treadmill (sometimes she cheats and takes a breather ON the couch). But give the girl some credit, I am usually on there for a good 30-40 minutes.

What I love more than anyting is the fact that I am setting a good example of a healthy lifestyle for my girls. In an age where childhood obesity is all over the news, I want them to know what to do and how to take care of their bodies. Leah actually asks me occasionally if it is time for me to go exercise. It's normal to her and she talks about how she needs to exercise. We talk about how iportant it is to eat vegetables and drink milk (not juice) and I think she gets it. My girl is crazy smart and I couldn't be prouder. We went to Red Robin in Madison, WI on our way home from the wedding last weekend. She ordered Mac-n-cheese and broccoli, Kiersten had grilled cheese and broccoli and both my girls eat the broccoli first thing...YES!!! I guess more than anything I just want my girls to be health smart and that HAS to start at home. That has to start with Daddy and I setting a good example and I feel like finally we are doing that. Way to go SUPER Dad for sticking to the program too! Mitch is running 4-5 mile stretches at a time, and has lost 10 lbs too! I'm super proud of my amazing husband who is working towards his goal of entering his first triatholon. YAY, Mitch!

Another First

I'm sorry but this has got to be the cutest picture of a baby in pigtails ever...and she has GOT to be the cutest baby girl...I'm sure of it, and I'm not biased or anything. Be still my beating heart, because these kids just send me over the top, Just so darn cute!

On Thursday, August 18th I went for it and put the Bugs hair in pig-tails for the first time. I told her I was giving her "piggy's" and so she kept saying "piggy's" and oinking like a pig...It was almost too much. I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that she is no longer my "Baby", but thankfully she still lets me hold her just a little bit longer at the end of everyday. She is almost 18 months old and so bright. She is trying to sing her ABC's, she sang Happy Birthday yesterday even though we aren't celebrating any birthdays. And she is speaking clearer all the time. You ask her questions and she answers. My favorite response is "Right There" Mitch asked her where something was the other night and clear as day she pointed to it and said "Right There" We were shocked. She is saying LeeLee now, which is what we usually call Leah and can name all the other familiar faces in her day to day life. She's really good at picking out books and her favorite is without a doubt "We're going on a bear hunt." She smiles so big when you get to the part "IT'S A BEAR." Her favorite show is Bubble Guppies, she calls it Bubble Uppies and there is no love lost when it comes to Elmo, she adores him. In the past 2 weeks she has really gotten the hang of using forks and spoons and today I was brave enough to give her her own yogurt for breakfast and she did great. My baby is growing up too quickly. I'm learning that is a common denominator in motherhood. It makes me so grateful for the time that I am getting to spend with them while they are little...it goes so fast. There will be time for me to make my mark, have a career, etc etc...once they are grown and that time will be here all too soon. So for now we will have pigtails and Elmo and cuddles on the couch and that's all a mom can ask for.

"Is this heaven?" ~ "No, it's Iowa."

I love the movie "Field of Dreams" and no, this isn't Iowa but the state border is a few short hours away.

To say that the weather has been great here the past week would be an understatement...the weather has been AH.MAZE.ING! High 70's to low 80's with a slight breeze and the windows have been open every single day. We have been spending immeasureable amounts of time out in our backyard and can you blame us. With weather like this, IN ILLINOIS, you have to take advantage. Next week could be back up in the 90's and it won't be too long before the winter chill is in the air.

Leah has been becoming quite the little slugger. She is really working on keeping her eye on the ball and following through with her swing. Mitch asked me the other night, what age do they start T-Ball? Seeing that she will be 4 in May, she may be ready to start next summer. REALLY? But I swear she is still my little baby?!?!? Kiersten was having lots of fun helping daddy play the outfield. Although she did need reminding once in a while to stay OUT of the batter's box.

"Pupcakes"

And so the tradition continues. Back about 2 years ago, Mitch started a Saturday morning tradition with Leah...Saturday morning pancakes! Of course it really starts with Curious George makes Pancakes for our Friday night bedtime story, but I digress. This weekend Daddy decided that it was time for Bug to get in on the action. Until now she usually hasn't had the patience to wait long enough for pancake breakfast. So typically she would sit at the table eating fruit and drinking milk, waiting for her pancakes to be done. This time she got in on the action. Of course we had to make the pancakes pink. Because we are still obsessed with all things pink since seeing Pinkalicious. Bug kept saying "Pupcakes, happy." I can't figure out if she was saying pancakes or cupcakes but it was cute. It made my heart happy and it was a good day...the pancakes weren't too shabby either.

Tumbling Tots

When we moved to Decatur I started entertaining the idea of getting Leah signed up for dance or gymnastics as an outlet for all her energy. We were fortunate enough to find the Dance program at Richland Community College. It's super affordable and they offer tons of classes. It came recommended from my Aunt Denise, my cousin Sarah does dance (competitive) in Bloomington and her instructor recommended we look into it and I'm glad we did.

They start at the age of 2 with the class "I'm 2, I'm Terrific", followed by "tumbling tots" for kids 3-5, they also have Creative Movements I, II and Pre-Ballet for Leah's age. Now that we have completed tumbling, I think we will move along to the next class.

Leah loved it! She did somersaults, cartwheels, back-bends and more. I think it also began to prepare Leah for what it means to be involved in a structured extra-curricular. There were times it was hard for her to listen to Ms. Jan, but she's learning. I love my little tumbler and am excited to watch her progress in the next class.