Not so fat Wednesday, er Friday

Well, here I go, I've finally started my pp workout, of course it only took me 11 weeks, oops. :) I have a 10 min pp workout that I'm following, not too long, so it's easy to stick to, and after we move, Mat and I hope to start working out together. :)

Here's a few pics to show what I used to look like. Oh, Nicole, I have a pic of us at my 16th birthday party, years before we were even married. :)

2006, our wedding, pre kids


2009, 2 yrs after the girls were born (I know I was sucking it in, too :o)


2010, 6 weeks pp, 3 kids later :)


So this week has been pretty stressful and had a health issue, too and found out that I lost 3 lbs because of it. :/ I weigh 122 lbs. I am hoping to regain my flat belly and loose my mommy pooch. I just want to tone and strengthen my body and also eat healthier. :)

I combined three cards into one!!! :D

This was an exciting year for us, we added another addition to our family, Gavin!! :D

He arrived October 1st and by November I realized I hadn't gotten his birth announcements done!! I started looking around and made the family/friend list and found out how expensive it was, yikes!! I realized I also needed to do Christmas cards on top of birth announcements and my family/friends list is in the 70's. So the $$ for almost 150 cards is way more than we can afford, so I decided to combine them. :)

I also haven't gotten my thank you's sent out, so I'm looking to get the folded greeting cards, to get that done, too. I'm, in a sense, killing 3 birds with 1 stone, as they say, lol.

I'm looking at using the layout of this card.



I have always wanted to put together a calendar. Shutterfly has an awesome selection and might just do one for ourselves. :) Mat really likes the calendar posters.

Well, since I'm combining the birth announcement with our christmas card, I'll show you the one I was going to order, isn't it adorable? :)



A big thanks to Shutterfly for allowing me to blog about their 2010 holiday collection and giving me 50 free cards!! :D
Both pictures were taken from their website, so go check them out for yourself.

Hevea review

After trying 3 different pacifier's and having Gavin not like any of them, I started looking online. I stumbled upon Hevea Baby pacifiers and was interested in them, because they're all natural and I was also drawn to the color. ;)

I 'liked' their page on facebook and saw that they were looking for bloggers to review their pacifier. I was excited to get chosen and couldn't wait for it to show up in the mail and see if Gavin would like it.

When I recieved the Crown Orthodontic Pacifier, I opened it immedietely and my first thought was, 'wow, this is really soft'!!! :D





I really liked the look and feel of the pacifier. I was happy that when Gavin used it, it didn't leave any marks on his face. I really liked everything about it, except I didn't like the strong rubber smell. That might be why Gavin wasn't into it, but I'm sure the smell can't be helped, since it goes with being all natural. :)

Gavin isn't too into pacifiers right now, but I will deffinetely be keeping it around just incase he decides to!! :)



A big thanks to Hevea for allowing me to review their pacifier! All opinions are my own and a few from Gavin. Both pictures were taken from their website here.

I've been converted!!

Yep, it's official, I've switched over to cloth diapers!!! :O

We lost sooooo much money in diapers. Especially considering the girls just recently potty trained at 3 years 2 months!!! That is another story that you will get the pleasure of reading.

I have done a lot of research and made the decision when I was a couple months prego. Switching to cloth would save us a lot of money, it's healthier, especially considering the girls and I have a sensitivity to anything not natural fibers, it's easy to fit into my almost daily laundry and they're totally cute!! :)

I tried him in flats and a snappi, but they're a bit bulky on him, so I will probably use them when he's a lil bit older and after I hopefully get some wool soakers and longies knitted. :)





Right now he's wearing BumGenius Elements, they're a 100% cotton inner and water proof outer. It's just as easy to use as disposables, the only difference is that they get put in the wetbag, instead of the garbage, and get washed every or every other day, by themselves. Then I dry them, in the dryer in winter and outside during the summer, fold them and they're ready to use. :)

I've just started and got the 5 BG elements used and am planning on buying some more and really want to try the Rump-a-rooz, too. :) I will get some action shots put up after I get some taken.

1st time fishing

We bought the girls fishing poles with their birthday money and took them to River Front Park. They had a blast and the only person to get hooked was Natalie. The fish were very hungry, so it was fairly easy for the girls to catch the fish.


Mat's showing Kiley her fish. He showed them the different parts of the fish and the girls 'pet' the fish, lol. :)


Natalie reeling in her line. :)

Mat spent the whole time casting and unhooking fish, lol, but the girls had a blast!! :)

After the girls got tired fishing, we decided to take a walk doen the path. This was my view, since I'm a slow prego lady, but it's precious!!! :)

Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman

Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman, I absolutely love this book, I read it in less than 1 day!! I’ve always been drawn to Amish stories, I’ve never read any books by Beth Wiseman, but after Plain Pursuit, I’d love to read others that she’s written.
I loved how Beth took a tragedy and turned it around for the characters and they all learned to forgive each other and accept them back into their lives. She also stayed really close to what Amish life is really like and kept it real in her story. The romance intermingled was sweet and lovely. I was drawn into the story and just couldn’t put it down until I had finished it.
I can’t wait to read more books by Beth Wiseman and will be passing this one around to anyone who loves reading about the Amish as much as I do.

*I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program, http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ and provided with this book. The opinions in this post are entirely my own and completely honest.*

24 weeks preggo and it's a BOY!!!! :D

Wow, hard to believe I'm almost in my 3rd trimester!!! Hard to believe that I only had 9 weeks left when I was prego with the girls. It's going to be different to actually go the full 40 weeks.
My appt went well, so far I've gained 11 lbs, blood pressure is great, yay, baby boy's heart rate is good.
Lil boy is active, at times, but makes me think he'll be a mellow baby, which would be nice. ;)
I've been having stomach issues this time and am doing everything I'm supposed to, but it's not helping. :( I've been snacking a lot and making myself smoothies, which gives me the nutrition I need, but is easy on my stomach. :) I've also been drinking a lot of 'murphy' tea, pink lemonade and water. :)



So far we've gotten the nursery accent wall painted, glider put up, borrowed the crib from Jenny and got it put up, too. I found a dresser/changing table at a yard sale for $10, it needs to be painted, runners and knobs, but hey, the price was right. Right now, my dad's making a removable base for it, it's too short and not tall enough for diaper changes. I've also been garage saleing this year and have found some clothes, so far.

giveaway's I'm hoping to win ;)

Potty Tots 7/4
My Belle Boutique 7/10
All Free Clear & How to Have Your Second Child 7/10
Infantino Giveaway 7/29

20 weeks preggo!!!

Here was me at 12 weeks :)

and now 20 weeks :D


I can't believe I'm halfway through this pregnancy already!!! At my dr's appt we were comparing my pregnancy with the girls and realized that I was halfway through the pregnancy at 17 weeks!!! We were a little shocked and hope that this is my halfway point in this pregnancy. :)

I'm measuring right where I'm supposed to be, depending on our scale or dr's scale, I've gained 6-9 lbs. My blood pressure was 108/60, woo hoo!!!! Thank God, my blood pressure was already elevated with the girls at this time. Baby's heart rate is 138. :)

My cravings have changed, I'm loving fruit, any kind and can't wait for peaches to come out!!! ;) My new favorite drink is an Orange Carrot Sobe and soon to be slushies, homemade, once it warms up. :) Oh, and my biggest craving shocker.....hot wings!!!! I never liked anything hot like that, but now I have to have it atleast once a week!!! :o lol

I finally started feeling baby moving, off and on throughtout the day, what a relief!!! It's quite the change, considering I felt the girls move at 12 weeks and they never stopped, lol!! This baby is a lot more laid back and I think loves to sleep. :D

We get to find out if the girls are getting a lil brother or sister is 5 days!!!! I can't wait, it's been killer to have to wait. I'm excited to start decorating the nursery and getting it set up. :D

'spa at home' giveaway

Ok, so you don't get a real spa in your home, but from what I've heard it's just as good, just a whole lot more affordable!!! :D
check it out
With being as sick as I have been, some home pampering would be the greatest ever!!!

9 weeks

Teddy Graham is now the size of a grape, has grown about an inch since last week. Tiny muscles are beginning to form and he's gearing up to move his arms and legs.

So far I've been on Zofran for a week now and feel so much better, yay!!! :)
And I'm stoked that I have 3 weeks left of the nausea and exhaustion. :)

Cravings: well, I have a couple and unfortulately they have to be picked up, so I don't get them very often!! :(
Mocha Frappe from City Brew
Olive Garden Salad, mmmmm
Chicken Teriyaki Subway Sandwich
Raspberry Lemonade

The only wardrobe change I've had is that my pants don't fit so well, so I've been bumming around is sweats, a lot!!! lol :) Which is wierd, considering I've lost 4 lbs so far. I'm sure I'll make up for that once my appetite comes back. :)

Mat has said a couple times now that he can't wait for me to start showing, me either. :) Actually I can't wait to start feeling the baby move and I hope it's sooner with a second pregnancy!! :D

giveaways I entered

Partridge Jewelry Tree-Jan 27
Ella’s Kitchen baby foods (Giveaway)-Jan 18

The Language of Love & Respect review

“A Revolutionary Solution to the #1 Marriage Problem”

This is the first book I've read by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs. My mom says he's a great writer and liked his first book. It was really easy to understand what he was trying to reveal about how to have a “successful, happy marriage”. I liked how he tied in Bible verses and also shared stories of other couples, which I love reading! :)

Since Mat is gone, I can't apply much of the book, but I am hoping I will be prepared for when he gets home. I never realized it, but it's so true how a wife needs love and the husband needs respect. I have to admit, I crave to be loved and wanted every day and if it's a huge need for me, so much more for Mat. I want to start this new year by respecting, not jump to conclusions and not question his choices for our life.

This is another book that I will come back to many more times. I also hope that Mat will want to read it, too. This is a great book for all married couples to read and apply in their marriage.


*I am a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program, http://brb.thomasnelson.com/. The opinions in this post are entirely my own and completely honest*

2010

2010 should be a very trying, but hopefully fun filled year.

The first major change happens Monday when Mat starts his first day, for 3 months, of his training at the police academy. He will also find out sometime this summer when/if he will be doing his BOLC III, which will be in Missouri for 5 months. We will be going with him, so we might also be moving this year.

This year will also bring our 4th anniversary, my 27th birthday, the girls 3rd birthday, and a possible move.

So here's to 2010, I hope for a safe and happy year!!!!