Power

Every night we read a children's devotion book with Jadon. Tonights devotion was about the holy spirit giving us power to obey and be a witness. At the end of each devotion, it asks a simple question based on the devotion. So the question tonight was "What power does the holy spirit give us?" Jadon's answer: "electricity" ;)

Listening ears

Jadon may not be a very good listener at home, but we must be doing something right because he seems to be a great listener everywhere else.

Last week at swimming, it was halfway through the spring session, and at that point they do parent teacher conferences. So his swim teacher told me what I figured i'd be hearing- he's still tentative about sticking his face in the water, and he panics a little when he's floating on his back and the teacher lets go of him. But, she emphasized several times that he is a really good listener, and always tries to do everything. :)

Today at soccer, I stayed home with Avery as I had a large list of things that I needed to do, but when Derek and Jadon got home, I got some great news. Jadon's soccer class this term is a bit unruly. There are a couple of boys in the class that are just out of control, and completely disrupt the class. Drives me crazy as the parents really dont do much. Its not fair to the kids that are behaving, its not fair to the coach who has to deal with the little farts, and its not fair to the parents of the well-behaved kids either, since we ARE paying for the class that is constantly being interrupted by them!
So anyways, Derek told me that at the end of class today, the teacher said to the whole class Thank you to Jadon, who listened very well today and followed directions, everyone give Jadon a round of applause... something like that, i cant remember the exact words Derek told me. :)

So, even though he sometimes is a monster with me and Derek, i'm glad to know that he is still being respectful to his coaches and teachers! That makes me proud! Its important to me that he respect his superiors, and since he does so well at that, it gives me hope that one day, my sweet little guy will emerge from this monster costume that he sometimes wears at home! ;)

The last couple days have been beeeeeautiful! We are LOVING this weather! The kids have been outside digging in the dirt almost nonstop... making a complete mess of our backyard in the process. Dirt EVERYwhere. Rocks all over the place. Jadon put dirt in the dryer vent. Avery put dirt in the heat pump. Wait, what? Did I just say heat pump? Yes!!!! We got our heatpump installed yesterday, so this summer will be the first summer that we are not going to be miserable when the heat comes! Yay!!!

Anyways, i'll leave you with a couple pictures.

Avery first thing in the morning with her bedhead.
The last 2 were just taken about 15 minutes ago. The kids are outside enjoying the sunshine and some watermelon. And yes, Jadon has no pants on once again. That kid just hates to wear pants.

Headstrong

My daughter is wearing me out. She is CONSTANTLY on the move, screams about EVERYTHING, and is extremely headstrong (as the pediatrician put it.)

I was just telling Derek about a lady at swimming who's daughter is in Jadons class... she has a son who is around Avery's age. Her son sits quietly, never making a peep, rarely moves from his seat, and I have to envy the girl a little. Jadon was super good like that too when he was a toddler... content to just sit and take in the world around him.

Avery.... very much the opposite. Cant stand sitting still, can't stand being in her carseat since she is strapped down and cant move, and fights being put in her carseat like no other! Has to explore everything and most of the time she explores with her mouth, including food that has been dropped on the floor. (I found her eating a cheeto that was under the bleachers at swimming on tuesday. She was also going for a piece of candy that had been stepped on and squished into the ground, but luckily i caught her before she got to that one.)

Diaper changes have been an extreme challenge lately, she screams and fights them, and many of the times lately, she's ended up with poop in places other than on her bottom (socks, pants, shirt, my hands....) And when I try to distract her with a toy, she takes the toy and chucks it and continues to scream and fight even harder. We just change her diaper on the floor on a changing pad... just easier for us that way.... so, it usually comes down to my leg being placed across her chest and arms to hold her down, and I mentioned already how she hates being strapped down, so this leg on her chest thing does not go over well with her. (I actually read to do that in a book... afterall, she HAS to have her diaper changed, its not optional until she starts potty training.)

And she screams. Oh man does she scream! We've all heard those little girls that scream in such a loud, high pitch that it literally feels like your eardrums are being pierced.... Avery has a scream like that. And she's not afraid to use her scream.... for anything.... for everything.

Its a good thing she is so stinkin' cute, and loves to cuddle with me... because otherwise i'd probably ask if I could trade her in! ;)

Progress!

I'm convinced that seeing progress is the most motivating thing in weight loss/exersize.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned how I wanted to lose 5-10 more pounds in the next month or so.... and I figured 5 was the most realistic goal. Sometime around that same time, I had finally graduated down to an old belt that I used to wear in my skinnier days. I was on the last hole on it, but still! I was excited about it!

Since then, i've lost 4 more pounds! Of course, 2 of those pounds are from when I was sick, so I guess I cant take the credit for those 2 pounds. However, with my consistent 5 days a week of doing pilates/yoga, i'm starting to feel differences. I'm close to going down another hole on my belt... i'm right in between holes. I also tried on a pair of my "goal" capri's last night... a pair that I wore in Hawaii. And they fit great now!

To date, i've lost 32 pounds so far! I'd like to lose about 8 more, and then i'll be satisfied. Its taken me WELL over a year to lose this weight. So I encourage anyone else who is trying to lose weight to keep with it! Its not going to come off quickly if you're doing it the right way with diet and exersize, but it WILL come off!

Really, i've just made small changes. I'm the kind of person who will not stick with something if i'm not happy doing it. So, if I were to go on an intense diet/exersize routine, i'd probably fail within a week. I prefer baby steps. Here are a few baby steps that i've taken.

- healthier eating choices. bye bye potato chips, doritos, cheetos, etc. we've started buying veggie straws from Costco which are a healthier alternative to potato chips. More fresh fruits and veggies, or even dried fruits.
- we avoid eating out. I always tend to overeat when we eat out. By avoiding eating out, we are not only saving money, but my waistline as well! ;) The last time we had fastfood was on Jadon's birthday (march 13th), when he picked Arby's for his restaurant of choice.
- portion control. This has been key for me. I love food, and its sooooooo easy for me to overeat! Food just tastes soooooo GOOD to me! I try to tell myself at meals that when i'm feeling satisfied, but tempted to go for seconds, that the food is not going to grow legs and run away, it will be there tomorrow to eat as leftovers. Or, if there will be no leftovers, I tell myself that there will be another day when I can eat this yummy dish again, its not the last time i'll ever eat it!
- get moving. I dont have much problem with this area lately, since the kids keep me quite busy and rarely do I sit down during the day, except for meals. We've always parked far out in parking lots so we have to walk farther to get to the buildings, we take the stairs when possible as opposed to elevators, we go for evening walks when the weather permits. I try to avoid being lazy... for instance, when there's something I need upstairs, even if its just something little, I try to go get it, instead of being lazy and waiting until I have to go up there for something else.
- exersize... this has been a hard one for me, always has been. I've never been much of an exersize person, hate going to the gym, i'm clumsy and uncoordinated, and I hate hate hate feeling sweaty, unless I am able to take a nice shower afterwards. On top of that, something always seems to hurt.... joints, for example. So doing things like jogging and aerobics usually lead to my knees, or ankles or something hurting. I've found that water aerobics is extremely gentle on the joints, and it keeps me from feeling sweaty since i'm already all wet. I havent done water aerobics for some time now, especially since i've been at the pool 4 days a week as it is, and in the pool already on 2 of those days. I need to start it again, as its a super easy 300 calories burned in an hour!
I started doing yoga to try to help my stress levels. But then a few weeks ago, I fell down on my knee really hard on the cement, got a horrible painful bruise on my knee, and was unable to do yoga since many of the moves require kneeling on a knee. I decided to try pilates again during that time, as I dont need my knees as much for pilates. I used to do pilates before Derek and I got married, but I am actually enjoying it now! I've got 3 different DVD's, so I alternate between them, and the yoga, so I dont get tired of the same video over and over.
- and the most recent step i've taken to a healthier me is- something i never thought i'd be able to do..... dun duh duh dun............. cut out soda! WHAT?!?! Most of you know how much i love soda! There's just something about a carbonated beverage that quenches my taste buds! I only drink a can a day anyways.
When I was sick, i didnt drink a soda for several days. It was then that I decided that i'd try to go all week long without a soda, then allow myself to have a can on saturday and sunday. To my shock, I made it!! I almost gave in several times, but i held strong! In doing this, i've increased my water intake, which has made me feel alot better internally, and by cutting out soda for 5 days a week, i've cut out 850 calories a week! This is my 2nd week of doing this, and i surprisingly have not thought about soda much. Have not really had much craving. I think the reason this works for me, is knowing that i get that reward on the weekends.

Hopefully next time I blog about weight loss, i'll be 8 pounds skinnier! :)

Discipline

Jadon was the sweetest little baby. He was even an irresistably sweet toddler. But he is a monster of a preschooler!

Monday morning after swimming, he turned into a monster. I didn't know who the child was! It was horrible! He's been acting out like this for several weeks now, and we are at a loss. What do you do when timeouts dont work? He's never really been affected by timeouts, but now its getting ridiculous. Sorry Supernanny, regardless of what you think, timeouts DO NOT work for all kids! Unfortunately, my child is one of those kids.

So, I tried to research all other options of discipline before trying something else, its funny to read all these "experts" thoughts on discipline. One expert says to do this, the other expert says dont do it. One says to do such and such, the other expert says not to do such and such because it will damage his self esteem. I should have known thats what i'd find. When we had trouble with Jadon sleeping, I got several different books, did lots of research online, and again, all the experts have different opinions. Funny thing is, they all think that they are the right ones. Well, in the end, none of the books or experts worked for Jadon's sleeping. Time was all that worked, and he eventually figured it out. Now he sleeps very well!

So, I think with disciplining him, it will be alot of trial and error, and eventually we will find what works for us and for him. Also, once again, time will come into play. I know he's just going through a phase right now, and that this will eventually end. I just have to find some extra patience lying around in the meantime!

It was beautiful for a day last week, hovering right under 70 degrees! So of course, we spent lots of time outside!

Jadon did some "trimming" of my bushes with my kitchen tongs. He loves pretending he's the "lawn mower man" (the guy that does the landscape maintentance for our neighbor every monday.)

Avery enjoyed doing...well, pretty much anything. This kid LOVES the outdoors!

Jadon had made a "book" earlier in the day, and he brought it outside to "read" to me.

Of course, Avery loves to do everything her big brother does, so she brought a book outside too.

This made big brother very upset. Afterall, it WAS HIS idea! So it led to an all out hissy fit, and he ended up in his room screaming at the top of his lungs and lost his opportunity to go play at the park that evening after dinner... so it was quite unfortunate that such a lovely day turned sour so quickly.

Since we've had such a busy schedule lately, I often forget to slow down and enjoy the kids. In doing so, I've also been forgetting to let Jadon do more big boy things around the house... like get things for himself that he couldnt before, or help me out with things in the kitchen. He is growing up, and I forget that he can do things like this for himself now. So, the other day I thought it would be a good idea to let him try using my Swiffer Sweeper Vac (LOVE this product by the way!) on the entryway floor. Well, he was obviously proud, and he did a good job and had alot of fun doing it, so he has been asking us after every meal if he can vacuum. For the most part, he gets the bulk of the crumbs on the floor, so I can live with the remaining few left on the floor. Besides, this really does help me out!! And i'm glad to give him the opportunity to feel like a big boy and a big helper.

Jadon came home from preschool on thursday with a wrapped mother's day gift for me, and strict orders not to open it until mothers day. Well, the other day he told me "you cant touch the glass, but you can touch the wood."
This morning, first thing, he said "its mothers day, and you can open your present now!" Well, it turned out to be a picture frame with a picture of him in it. It was the cutest thing i've ever seen! Best mothers day gift a mom could get from her kids is the ones that they make! Then he said "I love you mommy." To which I almost started balling, but held it together. ;)

Happy Mothers Day Alicia

Hey Babe, Happy Mothers Day!!! Surpise, SHMILY! :)

I want to take this tell you what a wonderful wife, and mother to my children you are. God has blessed me so many ways, but one of the best blessings I have EVER been given, is the blessing of being married to you. You are simply put amazing. You have so much love to give and you never seem to run out. You are always there whenever the kids or I need you, even when the kids are running around screaming, bickering, getting into things, all the while you try to prepare dinner and clean at the same time.

You go through things daily that I can't even begin to imagine having to do with the kids, and yet you always have something good to say about the day, you keep our house clean and tidy, you always have dinner ready when I get home, and the kids are taken care of, you are like Super Woman, only better. I don't know how you do it, but you have a strength that few people I know can muster, I certainly can't!

In addition to 24/7/365 super mom, you are also a entrepreneur with your Tutu business. I am so proud of the work you have put into that, and I think you make a wonderful product. You dedicate a lot of time to your tutu's, and I think you will continue to be successful.

I love your support of me. Sometimes I work late, nights, weekends, etc., and while I know you don't necessarily like it, you still don't hold it against me, instead you are there for me. You are filling in with the kids when I can't be there to give you a break. You love me and support me in-spite of the fact that what I do for a living, calls for working some extra hours or off hours. :)

One of the things that I love most about you, is that you are God fearing. You love God, and I can see Him blessing all that you do, and being with you, carrying you through the tough times, especially those times when I'm at work and can't help with a bad day with the kids. I know that God has planned from the beginning for you and I to be together and I know we will be forever.

Alicia, you are the love of my life, you make me the happiest man on earth every day, over and over again. I am so thankful for all that you do for me, even if I don't always say or show it. I wish you a great Mother's day.

I love you!

Forever yours,

Derek

Frustrations

Jadon has really really REALLY been pushing our every buttons lately. He has been very easily angered and frustrated in the last month or so, and the way he expresses his frustration is by screaming or hitting. Its not a tantrum, this is obvious frustration.
It seems as though everything sets him off.... something as silly as me changing Avery's poopy diaper, and then going to the kitchen to wash my hands, will set him off and before I know what is happening, he's exploding into a fit of rage, yelling at the top of his lungs... not words typically, just noise.

Its to the point where I am mentally and emotionally drained, and I think Derek probably is too. Something has to change, for both mine and Derek's sake, and for the kids' sake.

I know that 4 is a difficult age. And I know that nothing we do will "cure" this... I know he'll just grow out of it eventually. But in the meantime, we can hopefully do something to minimize these "episodes."

We ordered him a responsibility chart, and we are going to have a little chat with him. I talked to him a little today, asking him what he was feeling, and he said he was frustrated. And I asked what he was frustrated about, and he said Avery. So I dug a little deeper, and asked what it was about Avery that frustrated him. And basically I got that he is frustrated that she doesnt get in trouble for things that he gets in trouble for. This is something we suspected bothered him to begin with, and it is completely understandable for him to feel that way. We've explained to him before that Avery is still too young to understand the consequences that bad behavior result in, but when she gets a little bigger, she will have the same consequences that he has and will get in trouble for the same things he does. Its hard for him to understand that she doesnt understand yet. Obviously there's not much we can do about this situation.

One thing we have found that diffuses his freakouts faster, is when we remain calm and understanding.

I hope that time and a few little changes will help us to better deal with this drama that he's presenting.... Lord knows theres plenty of other drama with ADULTS that we have to deal with, we dont need such drama from Jadon too!

Boring

I'm pretty sure I have the most boring blog EVER. I have nothing important or deep to talk about... the best I can come up with is detailed stories of our illnesses! Sorry! If anyone actually reads it, then thank you! ;)

I cancelled Avery from soccer. Why? Well, because we have to get a heat pump so that we can survive the summer in the house. If we dont have a/c, then the house has gotten up to 84 degrees before, and that was on the bottom floor, so imagine the top floor where our beds are! In the last few years, we've had a window unit in our office that has kept the house at a reasonable temperature, however freezing in the office. Now that we no longer have an "office" (remember, Avery moved to the office), we have no where to keep the window a/c unit. Therefore, we are investing in a heatpump! So, in an effort to save some money for that, I cancelled Avery's soccer. It was really chaotic anyways, and she's so young. She'll be fine if we start her out when she's older like we did with Jadon. Besides, she is really excelling in swimming!

And speaking of swimming, Avery started a new session of swimming. But, instead of being in Waterbabies, she is now in Waterkids, which is for ages 18-36 months. I'm so glad she's moved up now! We had our first class on tuesday, and its more fast paced than Waterbabies, and the parents really get into it alot more, and she gets to learn some more things, rather than just continuing with the same things she's already learned. She did really well on her first day! She seems to really love swimming, and I mean this seriously. She seems to love going underwater and swimming, which is so strange to me!

Jadon started his level 2 swimming lessons on monday. Hasn't gone so well. He still isnt fond of dunking his head under water, and so now he has been only doing half dunks, which isnt going to cut it in level 2. In order to get to level 2, he had to do 10 FULL dunks (head completely under water), and he did such a great job, I was so proud of him! But now he has a new teacher, (who he keeps saying he's nervous about.) She doesnt push him quite as much as the last teacher. In other words, she doesnt correct his dunks when he only does them up to his eyes, instead she tells him good job, or whatever. This is great! Encouragement is ALWAYS important, especially with Jadon, however, if he's not being corrected, he will totally take advantage of that. So, i'm frustrated, and not sure exactly what to tell him. I told him that even though he is in level 2 now, he still has to do his dunks all the way.

Anyways, time to put the kids to bed!

Back to the grind

On saturday, I was wondering how in the world I was going to have enough energy to care for the family and continue with our daily schedules. I was still thinking that on Sunday as well. This cold has really wiped us out! I kept thinking that it was just me, and since i've had a week off from exersizing.... but, Jadon's been taking naps, which is rare, so I feel like this cold has taken its toll on he and I and Avery. Derek has managed to stay clear of this cold so far... knock on wood!!

Anyways, monday came and went, and I survived. I was going to take a nap in the afternoon when the kids were, but got tied down with working on other things, and the nap just didnt happen. Today, tuesday, much of the same, except that instead of nap, I attempted some yoga. Its difficult to do when you cant breathe well through your nose, since alot of yoga is focused on nose breathing! So I struggled with not only the breathing, but the poses as well, which was really frustrating considering I was doing so well until a week ago when the cold settled into our family. I just feel like this cold has left me feeling really weak. So now I feel like i'm starting at the bottom again. How is it that just a week off can "hurt" you so much??

On the other hand, I stopped drinking my daily can of soda when I had that stomach thing going on, and i'd like to continue with that! So, i'm going to try to make it through each week without a soda, then reward myself with a little on the weekends. This way, i'm not completely depraiving myself, which i've tried before and never works! Wish me luck!!

In conclusion, i'd like to thank my wonderful husband for holding down the fort while I was ill thursday night-sunday! He did such a great job caring for 3 sickies, and keeping the kitchen clean and the house picked up!
Thank you sweetie!! I love you! :)