Things I Love Lately

Top Ten Things that I love lately:

1) Parades. Ahh, I love parades. I could go to one every week.

2) Short Hair. I chopped it a few months back and I realized that I miss short hair. It's my "mommy cut" I guess. Maybe next time I'll go shorter? We'll see....one step at a time :)

3) Playing with Tristen! He is hilariously fun these days!

4) Looking at flowers and observing the beautiful array of color and stages of blooming they are all in.

5) A dozen roses.

6) Sweatshirts. Especially sweatshirts on little boys.

7) Gazebos. Maybe someday I'll have one in my yard....

8) Sadie's puppy dog eyes get me everytime!

9) Watching this boy's personality come out....and hearing him say "Pop pop" for the first time today. Hearing new sounds each week is such a highlight!

10) Somedays I like to just watch Tristen observe and explore objects. Seeing him explore and experience things for the first time just warms my heart.

Ahhh....I love these things :)

Lose It!

Remember WAY back in April'ish when I talked of us eating healthier/exercising more, etc.? Well, it's paying off but not without the help of a great website called Lose It. Maybe you've heard of this site but I never had. It not only keeps count of your calories but it's also a place where you can log your exercise, keeping you way accountable.

Some things it has taught me:
1) Looking at labels on containers isn't a silly thing to do. You can find out quickly how you've gained weight just by looking at the calories and saturated fat that each item contains. I'm definitely that person that picks up everything now and looks at the label!

2) Aerobic exercise is really key. I tend to focus more on strength training and while that's important as well, aerobic exercise is what really slims us down!

3) Because you have to document everything (if using Lose It correctly :) , it makes you think before you put something into your mouth and helps not to overindulge. Well, unless you don't document it which defeats the purpose :)

4) Small pleasures (like chocolate!) are okay......in moderation. I need a small sugar fix a day and when documenting, I truly make it a "small" sugar fix. Oh, and angel food cake is my best friend...I think it's only like 70 calories or something for a whole slice? Perfect.

5) While Lose It and other calorie counting sites can be a great tool, they can also become an obsession. We're learning the balance and I know I've swung to both ends of the pendulum through this experience (just coming off of 2-3 weeks without documenting a thing :)

6) Picking out healthy food is becoming more natural....although I still have a long way to go!

7) It's better to take losing weight in stride and not stress too much about it. Just a few changes here and there make a difference without having unnecessary stress!

So, there you have it. Our "progress" in losing weight and living healthier. But, don't take my word for it....try it for yourself!

*Note of caution: I've had a few concerns here and there when I tell people that I try to count calories even though I'm still nursing. While LoseIt gives me a certain amount of calories that I should intake, I found out the recommended amount that a nursing mother should consume and I use the two as a rough estimate. So, I'm very very careful to make sure I'm still getting enough (1400 calories in a day just isn't going to cut it for the two of us!) but it helps me not OVEREAT either :)

Anniversary Picnic

Quiet picnic in the park=Priceless.

I love the simple things in life.

5 Years

This seems like it was yesterday.

But in all actuality, THIS was yesterday.
1 Child
1 Dog
5 Apartments/Houses
4 Jobs later and here we are :)

Did we envision our life to be like this 5 years ago? Ha....ummm, no. Would we want it any other way? Absolutely not. God is good and I feel so blessed :)

Happy Anniversary to my dear husband!

Where did the time go?

What happened to my 6 week old child??

Now he's an almost 7 month old....where did the time go?

Our One Family Vacation Pic

It's hard to get the three of us in the same picture at the same time anymore BUT, here was our attempt on our vacation to Wisconsin this summer :)

Anywho, this is a fun week for us! Friday is our 5 year anniversary and Tristen's 7 month mark. Wow.....time really flies when you're having fun :)

Eating a Piece of Humble Pie

So, I feel a little sheepish and humbled. These last few months I've wanted to escape the internet world and live in my own private little world. Away from worries, away from conflict, away from any kind of frustration I have with people. Although I still think facebook and blogging can often lead to unfair judgments against people and unkind remarks that people would never say to your face but think they have every right to do so in written form, I've bit the bullet and figured out that I can still do this thing called "blogging and facebook" and just guard myself against feelings of frustration with people and hurt over my words taken out of context. It's just going to happen. It's life. People will hurt us and not even know it and we will hurt others and not know it.

So, where does humble pie come into all this? Well, first, I'm humbled by going back and forth about the internet and being fickle. I hate being fickle. But, I'm staring it in the face and making a definitive decision. We (meaning Aaron, Tristen, and I) are still on a journey and I would like to share my journey with whomever reads this silly little thing called a blog. There, it's final. No more fickleness.

Second, I was way humbled by a documentary I recently watched. I love history and decided I wanted to keep my brain sharp SO, I've been trying to learn about historical events and remember facts. I would love to figure out more of my family tree in the future and visit some of the places my ancestors lived. Anywho.....so I watched this documentary about America and I was so excited to live vicariously through the movie. As the first few moments started with images of great moments in history, I wished I could have lived in "the good ole days" of America.

*Insert humbling moment* As I watched, it got more and more depressing by the minute. People on the Westward movement who ate each other when food ran out, the settlers who killed others for land, the greed that led slave owners to look at slaves as pieces of meat instead of human beings, and on and on and on it went. One night I announced to Aaron, "I don't want to live on this earth anymore. It's so corrupt."

I guess I never really realized how corrupt the world has always been. And it will always be until the Lord returns. It makes me yearn for heaven and all the goodness and glory that will be there....for eternity. I seriously cannot wait.

SO, I'm humbled because the internet doesn't look so bad after all that. It can be a means of hurting others but it can also be a means of uplifting and sharing the good news that Jesus is our light in a dark and depressing world. And instead of abandoning it all, I have a renewed hope that it can be my voice to a world that so desperately needs a Savior.

The Question

To keep blogging/facebook in my life or not......that is the question.

Hmmm.....can't quite decide these days. I've been a little quiet with the whole "online" world lately and it's been wonderful. But, do I really want to abandon it all? Or just have a break for an extended period of time? Or for good?

Haven't quite decided so for now I'm just laying low and until I feel strongly one way or another, I will just stay this way. And in the meantime, I'll be enjoying my summer and loving on my army crawling, teeth growing, giggling little boy :)