"Living He loved me, Dying He saved me, Buried He carried my sins far away!
Rising he justified freely forever. One day he's coming Oh Glorious Day!
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Archive for March 2013
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Insta {Good Friday}!
Friday, March 29, 2013
we've been obsessed with homemade pico de galo lately!
Joseph and his coat of many colors!
Gray had a field trip to the library on his last day of school before Spring Break while Sadler and I went to music class Tuesday
Wednesday morning: What would we do without Costco Samples?
Little reading buddy!
Wednesday afternoon was still pretty chilly, but the sun was out so we played outside anyway!
Thursday: I'm pretty pumped up I ran a mile for the first time since gym class (10 years!?) I thought it was impossible, but i did it!! Now I gotta work on that time :)
This is the most adorable thing ever, we went to give the boys kisses goodnight and found Grayden had snuck into Sadler's room and climbed in his toddler bed to snuggle together. SO sweet!
Have a great Easter weekend, remembering our Lord's death on the cross, and celebrating his resurrection.
It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
"How Deep the Father's Love for Us"~ Selah
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weekend wrap up
Monday, March 25, 2013
Friday night we took the boys out for pizza, picked up a few groceries and rented a couple movies. Robb had just gotten home from a long day of traveling home from Kentucky so it was a nice, laid back night.
Saturday morning we laid low. After lunch I headed to a hot yoga class with my friend Heather. I was really excited but nervous to try something new! It was a blazing 95 degrees inside but we had so much fun!
At night we went to the Klein's house for pizza with the Nyhof and Meiste fams. It was fun to catch up and he boys loved playing with their friends and all their cool toys!
Sunday we went to church, and after sunday school we rushed home to start lunch. Then we quick went down the road to take a few pictures of the boys for their birthday party invites before it snowed again or something crazy! We ate lunch when we got back and put the boys to bed, the slept the rest of the afternoon!
(I bet you can guess the theme of their party, so excited!)
At night our church had little talent/variety show that Grayden sang in with his classmates. He did a great job! My favorite part was watching him stand upfront and sing along to the praise song, "Glorious Day' that the praise team and congregation was singing before the kids started! It was adorable!
Our little cutie (bottom row, far right)
They sang "Behold, Behold", "Jesus Loves the Little Children, and "If You're Happy and You Know It"
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5 year blogiversary
Sunday, March 24, 2013
I wrote my first ever blog post 5 years ago today!
I can hardly believe that. When I look back through some of my old posts, I can hardly stand to read them, I barely recognize the girl who wrote those words, so full of hurt and sadness. I almost want to delete them, but they were real and raw emotions, they remind me where I was, how far I've come and how He 'turned my mourning into dancing' {Psalm 30:11}
Looking back over the past 5 years of blogging I'm reminded of a song we sing in church called "Never Once" by Matt Redman. The words are so true, it's evident as you read through the past 900 posts that God is faithful, and He is always with us!
"Scars and struggles on the way but with joy our hearts can say, Yes, our hearts can say, Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did You leave us on our own. You are faithful, God, You are faithful"
Thank you for your love, support, and prayers over the past 5 years. Reading through all of your comments still make smile. I'm not sure how you all stuck with me during those dark times but I'm thankful for your friendship and words of encouragement.
Here's to another 5 years!
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'insta friday' on saturday
Saturday, March 23, 2013
We had a busy, but fun week!
I took the boys to play group Monday morning, they always love it there, but this time was extra special with aunt lisa (she does daycare) and aunt mindy joining us with their kiddos!
Sadler takes his teeth brushing very seriously, always makes this face!
Grayden got to take daddy to his preschool Monday night for a daddy open house, they had a great time making crafts and playing together.
My little shopper was all tuckered out tuesday morning at our weekly Target stop before music class.
Tuesday afternoon Robb left for Kentucky to spend the week at a Truck show, we missed him lots!
I finally figured out a way to keep Sadler in his room at night, double hung gates on the arched doorway (he would either climb over top or crawl underneath just one!) and a safety knob on the doorknob on the other door!
So pleased with myself!
Wednesday morning Biggby Coffee had 99 cent drinks so we took advantage of those...
before heading to the aquatic center for a mommy and me workout
sadler joined me doing wall sits!
and then we played in the water for awhile, the boys were SO good. They loved it!
Thursday I had my last MOPS meeting of the year, and at night I had another family food revolution class.
This week we talked about snacks vs. treats and the role sugar plays in our diet (suppresses immune system, causes hyperactivity, anxiety, food allergies, can play a role in asthma, and much more). Basically read=Sadler; no more sugar!
One thing I want to remember is that snacks are meant to carry us from one meal to the next and how to make them count by having a healthy snack, not a sugary treat.
The boys spent the night with my mom, they loved taking a bath in my parents' big tub and Gray thought it was so fun to sleep in the same room with Sadler for the night. Thanks Mom for having them!
I had to text Robb a picture of all the snow he was missing out on.
I'm so ready for Spring!
Sharing a muffin with my buddy Friday morning while Gray was in school.
Robb came back Friday evening, so glad to have him back home!
Have a great weekend!
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weekend wrap up
Monday, March 18, 2013
I spend Friday night and most of the day scrapbooking at church. But before I left I tried out a fun idea I saw Pinterest with the boys, bath tub paint!
You mix 1 cup of clear baby shampoo or body wash with 4 tbs of corn starch, then pour that into a few smaller containers and add a couple drops of food coloring. The boys had a blast and I loved that it cleaned up so well!
Text I sent to Robb, too funny!
I made some good progress on Sadler's baby book, and also worked on a few pages on my digital scrapbook.
The boys had lots of fun hanging out with daddy all weekend. They love having him all to themselves!
Saturday morning we made monster smoothies, I added flaxseed for the the first time.
Do you use flaxseed? I'd love more ideas on what to put it in other than smoothies if you have any for me.
When the boys woke up from their naps in the afternoon, I packed up my scrapbook stuff and headed home.
We had family date night that evening.
We did a little shopping at Gap Outlet, Kohl's and Dunhams and then grabbed dinner at Logan's.
Sadler was so entertained by the basketball game on the tv above our table, I think he's gonna be our athlete!
After dinner we stopped for a few groceries, I let Gray help me pick out a few avocados.
He felt so special!
Sunday morning we went to church and Sunday School. We came home and made dinner, we made spinach and pesto tortellini, a family fave, and I also tried roasted cabbage for the first time. We really liked it.
The boys were sleeping already by the time it was ready to eat, but I offered it to them today for lunch and they both gobbled it right up!
WIN-WIN!
Roasted Cabbage recipe click here
Spinach Pesto Tortellini Recipe click here
I didn't even know cabbage was a big Irish thing, such a coincidence we had it on St. Patty's day!
At 4:00 we had a sunday school leaders meeting at church and we went to Revolution after that. We had dinner by my parents and wrapped up our weekend on the couch watching tv.
Hope you all had a great weekend as well!
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Insta Friday
Friday, March 15, 2013
Monday night, watched the Bachelor Finale with my sissies
Tuesday, my friend, and fellow hairstylist, Emily and I did a highlight swap!
Wednesday, play date fun with Hudson and Natalie
Sadler was all tuckered out from playing!
Thursday night I went to the first of four classes by Jill Tanis on feeding our kids healthy, nourishing meals.
I'm probably going to recap some of the things I've taken away from the class here because I'll most likely lose my notes :)
~We talked about our attitudes and beliefs we bring into our eating experience and how to change them into being more positive.
~We learned how to change our mindsets and eliminate negative language about meals/food. How to model healthy choices for our kids, how important it is to teaches them you're serious by being consistent and offering the same things over and over to train their taste buds.
~One of the things I'm most excited to do is to start involving the boys in the grocery shopping, prep work and menu planning. I know Gray for sure would love a little input on what fruits and vegetables to buy and take home to eat. I've also noticed how exited he is to eat the things he's helped me prepare, so I'm definitely going to try to include them even more.
It was a great first class, I'm looking forward to learning more recipes, tips, and tools to make meal time less stressful.
Friday, Gray and I shared a mango for lunch, such a pretty fruit, I had to snap a picture!
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
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My weight loss journey
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
This post is long overdue, sorry to those of you who have been waiting for a post on my recent weight loss, thank you for your patience.
One of the reasons I put it off for so long is because I am not an expert, this is what worked for me, it may not have been the best way or the right way, and it may not be what's right for you, so keep that in mind while reading! This is the first time I have ever lost weight on purpose, so it was all new to me.
So here's the story.
Since my transplant I put on over 30 pounds, 10 of those were necessary because I was too thin from being so sick and I did not look or feel healthy. I remember at my lowest weight I felt like a little girl, no curves whats-so-ever.
(summer 2008, chicken legs,)
I think the combination of my new medications (steroids) and being a stay at home mom packed on the pounds. When I stay home all day I'm not as active as I was when I was out of the house, working and I also ate a lot, partially because the food was right there all day, and partially because I couldn't stand to waste food, so whatever the kids didn't finish at meal time, I would eat it for them.
(spring 2012, at my heaviest)
Now, I know being 20 pounds overweight isn't a lot. In fact, because I'm tall (5'9") not many people noticed my weight gain (or so they say!) and I was still under the 'healthy weight' category according to the Standard BMI Calculator. But, I didn't feel good about myself, I hated the 'too tight jeans' feeling, I had a killer muffin top and really lacked energy. I wanted to get back to my normal weight, before getting sick.
At the end of March, my friend Angie started her own Zumba class, so to be supportive I went to one of her classes and was hooked! I felt so good after working out and Zumba was the most fun I'd ever had working out. So I figured while I was going to Zumba 1-3 times a week I might as well make it worth something and diet while I'm at it. I also did workout videos at home, did some treadmill workouts, took walks with the boys, rode bike and just overall tried to be more active throughout the day. I tried to get my heart rate up, in some way, everyday.
I used the myfitnesspal app on my iphone to track my calories. It was super hard at first to trade in my Oreos (not kidding) for carrots but after awhile I really started to actually enjoy eating healthy, burning calories and watching the number on the scale go lower and lower.
By the end of Summer I met and ever surpassed my goal weight.
(Summer 2012, same jeans I have on in the above picture)
I lost a total of 22 pounds and I'm now working to maintain that weight, and it's a constant battle to stay toned and not turn to flab, even if the scale stays the same.
I don't workout near as much as I did while I was trying to lose weight and I don't track every calorie anymore. I can enjoy a donut every once and awhile, I even had my first Oreo (and then many more) the other day after 10 months without, but I still try to make healthy choices the majority of the time.
I also want to say how helpful it was for me to have a weight loss buddy! My sister, Lisa, started her journey to weight loss around the same time I did (she's lost over 60 pounds and still kicking butt!!) and I found it so helpful to be able to support each other and keep each other accountable while we sat around the cottage all summer watching everyone eat Klondike bars while we munched on carrots!
So if you can team up with a friend or your spouse, I'd highly recommend it!
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Weekend Wrap up
Monday, March 11, 2013
Friday night Robb and I went to consistory retreat at church. This is Robb's second year serving as a deacon in our church, this year the wives were invited to come to the retreat.
I was happy to come along and learn how to better support him.
We got finished up for the night around 9:30 and then headed to Logan's Roadhouse with the Flokstra's for appetizers. We had a great time!
Saturday morning we headed back to church for the second half of the retreat. It got done at noon and we went to pick the boys up from Lisa's house where they spent the night. They had such a fun time at their sleepover with Aunt Lisa!
We relaxed in the afternoon, it was nice to be home after being gone most of the week.
At night we went out with Scott and Stacey. We always have a great time!
Sunday we went to church and sunday school, we had a speaker who works with an orphanage in Haiti during Sunday School so Mindy took Sadler back to my parents house while we listened to him and Gray had class.
We picked Sadler up afterwards but Gray then wanted to stay, so we did a little swap for the afternoon.
On the way to the Revolution service we picked him back up. We spent the rest of the evening together watching The Bible. Anyone else been watching? I think it's really neat to watch the Bible stories come to life.
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