The Cherry Blossoms that we barely saw.....

Last Friday, March 24, 2012, we packed a picnic lunch and headed to downtown DC to see the cherry blossoms. It was an amazing day! The last dew days had been no less than 75 degrees, no humidity and Friday got up to 83 degrees! We were so excited to go down and have a picnic under the canopy of beautiful pink blossoms. Traffic was minimal coming into the city and we were very excited....until we got into the city....Everyone on the entire east coast and all the people visiting for Spring Break had the same idea. We were stuck in traffic for almost an hour and a half. We saw cherry blossoms, but just from the car. The kids started to get hungry and bored. We had promised a game of soccer and to top off the evening with ice cream.

We eventually made it to the Capitol. It is a part of DC that I love. So, we spread out a blanket and had our picnic under the shadows of the Capitol....and we still had a great time!

Happy Savannah

Sassy Savannah

Mad Savannah

Silly Savannah

This was our view at dinner....the sun was making it look like gold!

Ok! This boy can stop growing up anytime! His braces make him look so old!

And this one looks so old too with braces!

I love this little girl!

Xander being silly!

Grandpa Johnnie came and we just relaxed and ate our picnic.....

Our neighbor, Andrew came with us. He is like our adopted son/brother. It was so fun to have him with us!

I love this picture of Xander and Savannah!

This picture of Garrett is so Garrett. His smile, his stance. Gosh! I love this boy!

One of my favorite pictures of the evening! The tulips were the perfect background!

This is my favorite picture of my dad!

The pansies were so beautiful and they made the perfect backdrop for these pictures of these two beautiful girls!

Eleanor and Andrew are best friends. They are like brother and sister and love to be goofy together. Everyone should have a best friend like Andrew!

Garrett's eyes....love them!

Savannah's favorite color is yellow. She insisted on a picture with a yellow flower. She is so funny! Love this little girl!

Oh, and a picture of me!

Another favorite of Grandpa Johnnie and Savannah

We tried to go to the Museum of Native Americans, but it was closed, so we climbed on the rocks outside.

When it was time to go, I looked up and saw the Capitol again. So beautiful!

We are so lucky to be able to go and see the sights and enjoy the beauty of our nation's capitol.

A picture with my kids.....

I love these kids.....

I was a great adventure, even though we only saw the cherry blossoms from the car. And in the end, we went out to ice cream....just down the road from our house.

Savannah Marie

This little one is growing up so fast. I am amazed everyday at what she says and what she does. She is my stubborn one, without the drama. It's just pure stubborn....not budging no matter what you do. She is also my little singer. She sings all day long. Songs she hears in preschool, songs she hears in primary, songs she makes up. I love to listen to her sing her little songs to her baby dolls and animals.

She is also my little dreamer. Her imagination is amazing. Yesterday I came into the room and she was talking out the window, carrying on a full conversation. After a few minutes she realized I was there and I asked her who she was talking to. " I'm talking to Pooh Bear, mommy," she replied. "We are planning a picnic in the Hundred Acre Woods."

Love that little girl.

Her eyes remind me of my sister, Becca. Those big chocolate eyes. People comment on how beautiful her eyes are all the time.

Yellow is her favorite color. It fits her personality. She almost always wears something yellow or has a yellow bow. Sometimes that is hard, since we have A LOT of pink in the house from her older sister, but she still manages to figure some kind of yellow to wear!

She is our little clown, making funny faces and laughing hysterically at her own jokes and making other laugh.

And she is just getting interested in art. It took her awhile. But now that she has decided she likes it, she is going full force. She loves color, lots of it. She uses a lot of yellow. Her drawings are happy and she sings while she colors. Now even the walls have been christened with her flair....grrrrr. But walls scrub down and someday I will miss those little drawings on the walls.

But I love it. I love that she is her own child. She marches to her own drum and she does it well. And even though she is growing up so fast, I am cherishing every minute of her when she comes in and snuggles in bed with me and snuggles on the couch with me to read stories, when she tells me that she is still "so little" and it is too hard to pick up her toys, the way she insists on holding my hand and her sweet little kisses and hugs every night before bedtime.

I love you, Savannah Marie!!!

Grateful and Happy!

Day two of 70 degree weather. It makes you want to get things done and conquer the world. When I went to work out this morning at the gym, I felt the sun on my face and was grateful and happy.

Grateful for the fact that I can work out. For so long, I couldn't even get out of bed. All those years of aching joints and headaches and "bad days" are diminishing. Yes, I still have them, but I am getting better every day. I am grateful for a body that is responding to my strict lifestyle and I am grateful that I am alive.

And happy because the sun is shining and the birds are singing and the trees are bursting with buds and it all just makes me so happy! How can you not feel happy when you see daffodils everywhere in full bloom!?!? The wind blowing in my hair and the warm sun on my shoulders.

I am truly blessed and I want everyone to know how grateful and happy I am today!

Ready for some warmer weather!

So, I don't have a lot of great snow pictures this year.....mostly because we didn't get any snow. Oh, there were a few times that it came down and the children (and I) went crazy, but it never stuck and it happened so rarely that we didn't even get a snow day!

So, now that spring is just a few weeks away, I am ready for this kind of weather and to go to the beach! I am feeling the need of the sand between my toes and the salty air on my skin....

Eleanor

Just a few pictures of one of my favorite girls......

I hate pictures of myself.....as you can see by this one, I don't like the way I look.

I avoid the camera.

These pictures were painful to see.

I was at a pont in my life that my weight was critical. I was having some health problems and wasn't happy with the way my clothes fit. Jason had signed up with a personal trainer last June and was working out every day. He lost 40 pounds and looks and feels great.

For so many years, I have struggled with my weight and my health. I have been overweight since I was twelve. That is a long time to be fat. I have tried every diet known to man, including some that were health risks. I have lost and gained weight so many times that even my scale doesn't know which way is up or down.

Whenever I was pregnant, for some reason, I would lose weight....a lot. Each pregnancy I averaged a forty pound weight loss. And still I would have ten pound babies. So I would lose even more right after their birth. But nursing killed me and I would gain it all back and then some. My health was a roller coaster after giving birth and I would be back up to my previous weight or even more heavy in less that six months. It was a nightmare!!!

So, in the fall, I decided no more. I joined the gym in January and have been working out almost every day. I have been very careful about how much I eat and what I eat. I have cut carbohydrates and sugar almost completely out of my diet. It has not been easy. My health has been acting up and my energy levels are up and down. It has not been fun, but I am determined to lose the weight this time forever.

Due to my past health problems, this is the only way I will ever become truly healthy again. I know what needs to be done now and I am determined to do it right this time!!

I made a commitment to work out no matter what. I used to have every excuse in the book as to why I didn't have time. Now I MAKE time to work out. I MAKE time for myself to cook healthier foods and walk past all the crap I used to buy. We are eating so much better!

All those things that you hear about eating small meals, exercise and watching your carbs, drinking lots of water and cutting out the sugar all work. I knew it all my life, but I am now living it. It is so simple, but it has taken me years to finally have the courage to love myself enough to do something about my weight.

Clothes that haven't fit me in years are loose on me now. I had saved an entire bin of outfits of clothes I love but could no longer fit into. Well, I am pleased to say, the bin is almost empty because I am WEARING the clothes now!

(Lucky for me, I am a classic dresser and so most of it doesn't go out of style!)

Anyway, I have a long way to go. Weight does not come off of me very easily due to my health issues, but I am motivated and I know I can do it!

So, here is the "new" me about 30 pounds lighter........

Tomorrow, March 1st starts a Fitness Challenge at the gym. Jason and I have signed up for it. The winner walks away with $5,000. I would have plenty of money for a new wardrobe if I won. So, I am up to the challenge! I may not win, but I will make progress and every little bit helps! So say tuned and see what the new me looks like in eight weeks!!!!