Happy Birthday Willie!

All I have to say is WOW time goes by so fast!!  I just wanted to take some time today to show a little love to my youngest baby :)

Dear Will~

Happy 2nd birthday my sweet baby boy.  I just love looking at your big blue eyes and big dimples :)  I cannot believe it has been 2 years since we met you!  I remember how excited I was when I realized at work that I needed to get to the hospital because you were coming.  Since you are my second baby boy I was just so excited.  I wasn't scared and I knew in general what to expect.  I was just really looking forward to every little thing and I remember it much more clearly than the first time.  You are the last baby I will have and I look so forward to growing with you every step of the way.

There is so much that has happened over the last 4 months!  You graduated to a big boy bed and you do really well going to sleep.  However, you do love to jar Daddy and I out of our sleep by banging on your bedroom door as hard as possible bright and early every morning!!  Amazingly you don't seem to wake up Tyce too much by doing that but every once in a while you get him to reach the door knob and let you free.  I wasn't sure if it was going to be a good idea having you boys share the same room, but for the most part I think it has been great and brought you closer to each other.

You have been "talking" up a storm lately.  Most of your words are probably only understood by me, Daddy, and Tyce but that's ok.  The words that you say the most clearly are - Barney, Merlin, Elmo, Momma, Dada, Tyce, apple, blue, yellow, poop, book, shoes, hug, thank you, and night-night.  You like to repeat people and just today you finally said your name "Willie" and "two" your new age!

You have decided that you like watching TV in the last few months.  Your favorite shows are Barney, Mickey Mouse, and Dinosaur train.  Although it is a nice break for Mommy and Daddy, you are a little obsessed :)

I have been really impressed with your eating habits.  You are willing to try lots of new things.  You don't really like to chew on veggies but if I blend them up in a soup or smoothie you will devour it.  So maybe it is just a texture thing.

You are much more mischievous than Tyce ever was.  You will stare me down to try and get your way.  I can see those wheels turning in your head constantly and you have everyone fooled that you are so innocent.  I love it when your legs start running away as fast you can when you think you can hide what you have in your hands.

I finally brought myself to cut your hair a little bit so it was out of your eyes and shorter in the back.  I don't need you getting teased for having a mullet.  But Daddy and I both agree that your hair is you in a nutshell, wild and crazy with a little bit of cuteness, so it may be a while before you get a new doo.  Hopefully you won't hate us for it later :)

Love you Willie!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

P.S.  You really don't need to buy into that whole terrible twos thing...ok?

What a Difference a Year can make!

That's me on the left - yep - in the pink tutu - Color run 2013

So, it has been a year since I started my weight loss journey on the Metabolism Miracle.  I call this my "permanent weight loss story" since it has not been interrupted by having babies and such and it has actually worked for the long haul.

I posted pictures from the same run I was involved in (The Color Run) about a year apart.  I decided to post my "after/in-progress" picture first (above).  The before pictures are below.  That is me on the left in the first one before the run.  The second picture I am second from the left after the run, splashed in color, and pretty swollen from the heat and pressure on my body from all of the extra weight.  This is one picture that made me want to change myself and fast.

One year has really made a world of difference for me.  I have learned so many different things about myself and how my body works in this year.  I have gone a little off course this summer with crazy schedules and the local snow cone stand :) but I am re-committing to what I know works.  I am starting on a "step 1 detox" for probably a full 8 weeks.  I am excited because I know how good I will feel after that first week.  If you want to start along with me, pick up a copy of The Metabolism Miracle and head on over to www.miracle-ville.com!  And most importantly...believe in yourself!  It may take me another year or even 2 to look like my goal-self, but it's about the journey and feeling good!



last year before the run - me on the left - pre MM

last year after the run - me 2nd from left

A Little Dose of Happiness ~ What we have been up to lately!

So once again I have let a little time pass in my updates.  What can I say.... I have been enjoying life.... here is what we have been up to lately.

Having fun at the Curious George exhibit at Crown Center.

Watching trains bring us our food at Fritz's - always a hit!

Wearing out the kids at the bounce house

A little cousin and Grandma time at Deanna Rose Farmstead

All sorts of fresh veggies and peppers generously given to us by friends and neighbors this summer!  Hopefully next year we can start a small little garden of raised beds for ourselves...

Tyce starting Pre-school this year!

One of the last days that we were actually able to go to the water park now that it is actually hot around here!

Organization Ideas - Single Serve Snacks for the Kids

So, I am not the biggest fan of processed foods anymore, but all parents know that sometimes we need some emergency supplies on hand that can be kept at room temp, are easy to grab, with no prep. (I am completely jealous of the people who have time to prep all sorts of portable healthy snacks but that is not always my M.O.)

My kids like cheerios and they tend to make a huge mess trying to get them out themselves for a snack.  So I decided to take a box and portion into single serving sizes in little snack bags.  It makes it easy for the kids to grab without making a mess and it is automatic portion control.  Also, all of the little bags fit perfectly back in the original box for storage.

Worked like a charm.......the kids found them while Mommy and Daddy were getting ready for work.....I knew there had to be a reason they were being so quiet!!  It's the simple things :)

My Oldest Baby is 44 months!

The 44 months thing is kind of an inside joke with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law about continually referring to your birthday in months since that is what you do until kids start to turn about 2.  I explained in this post why I have started writing letters to my kiddos every couple of months.  Here is the first letter to Tyce.

Dear Tyce,

Today you are 3 years and 8 months old!  I cannot believe that in 4 short months you will be turning 4!  You are getting so big.  In fact, a few days ago I looked at you and could not believe how tall you seem to be.  I think you took a growth spurt.

You have been a very big helper lately.  You want to help clean, help your brother with anything we ask you, and help get food for Merlin.  We just started giving you "smiley faces" on your new rewards chart and so far you have gotten big points for getting ready to go to bed, sharing, and picking up your toys!  Good job buddy!

You are quite the little talker.  It is actually hard to get you to stop talking sometimes and just listen!  We are always working on those listening skills.  You have definitely hit the "why" stage and you want to know exactly how everything works.  If we tell you that we do not know you respond with "no you tell me".

You have loved playing in the water this summer and it is hard to get you out of the pool/water once you have started.  You are swimming with floaties on and are getting much better at kicking and floating.

3 of your favorite things these past couple of months have been

1.  eating snow cones and popsicles
2.  playing soccer
3.  "exercise" class (gymnastics and tumbling) at school

We are really enjoying watching you grow up and imitating everything around you!  Can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

A Little Dose of Happiness ~ Special Smile Moments this week!

My hubby's most recent triathlon.  Both boys enjoyed getting to run up to him during it!

I love Will's super curly hair after he takes a bath.  This is why I just can't bring myself to cut it...
 

A fun mail surprise...I had e-mailed Bob's Red Mill asking if they ever offer discounts or coupons since I buy a lot of their products like almond flour and coconut flour.  Just for asking they sent me these in the mail....awesome!

Eating our homemade popsicles and playing soccer in the back yard

 

Tyce's first experience at VBS this year.  This was their final performance of Go Tell It On the Mountain. 

I hope you find something to smile about this week!

~~~

Helping your Kids to Eat their Veggies ~ Fruit and Veggie Popsicles

So I was nice in my title and said "helping" kids eat their veggies, but let's be honest, we have to trick those kids sometimes....hehe.  My oldest son is actually pretty good about eating vegetables.  He likes them as much as you could expect any kid to like them.  His favorites are broccoli and raw carrots.  But if I were try to make him eat a salad he would not even try at this point.

The other day when I picked him up from daycare he asked me if we could go to the store and buy some popsicles (they have been having them at daycare lately since it has been so hot).  I wasn't really hip on the idea of buying a big bag of popsicles with all of the processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  Not to mention that I would probably want to eat them too.  So I thought maybe I could make some homemade ones with fresh squeezed (no sugar added) fruit juice.  Then it came to me...a lot of times when we make fresh juice or smoothies we add in veggies and you can't even taste them because the fruit is so sweet.......it adds a lot of vitamins and minerals.  So the fruit and veggie popsicle idea was born.  My husband tells me this is not a new idea but it was new to me and I am very excited about them and controlling the ingredients for my kids.

The first one I made was GREEN.  Tyce loves "green flavored" things (yes green flavored - gotta love kids).  It was made from 3 apples and a generous hand full of spinach.  I juiced both the apples and spinach in my juicer.  It made a nice green color.  Any color apple will work (I used Fuji, granny smith may be too tart).

The next one I wanted to make was ORANGE.  This is Tyce's second favorite color flavoring.  At least orange is also a flavor and not just a color....hehe.  This one was made from 4 large carrots, 2 oranges, 1 lemon, and just a sliver of ginger root.  All of the ingredients I juiced in my juicer.  It was more than enough for my 4 popsicle molds. (I didn't have any oranges left for my picture - poor planning I know).

Next, after all of the blueberry picking we did I just had to make a blueberry version.  It turned out to be my PURPLE popsicle.  It was made from about 1 1/2 cups of blueberries, a generous handful of kale, orange juice and lemon juice.  I juiced some oranges and lemons together in my juicer.  Then in my food processor I added the whole blueberries, kale, and then the orange/lemon juice until I got the desired consistency for my popsicle.

And last but certainly not least was my RED popsicle (kinda pink really).  This was made from almost a whole carton of strawberries, a generous handful of spinach, the same lemon/orange juice mixture from the purple popsicle, and broccoli.  I juiced the broccoli stem (you get a lot of juice from that). I added the strawberries and spinach to the food processor whole and then added enough lemon/orange juice and all of the broccoli juice to get the desired consistency.

So after freezing all night here is the finished product!!  They turned out very yummy and the kids don't know the difference.  Yay!

The green and orange were more classic popsicle consistencies since they were made of only juice.  The purple and red with the fruit purees were more like a whole fruit bar (almost like a frozen smoothie on a stick).

Enjoy!  Let me know in the comments if you have other ideas/recipes for more!


~~~

A Little Dose of Happiness ~ Special Smile Moments This Week

Finally back to my normal-ish schedule of weekly smile moments!!  A little snapshot into my life of what brings me joy!


My boys holding hands - melts my heart to see how much they really do love each other.

Shawnee Mission Theatre In The Park showing of Peter Pan.  It was free for employees of my work and their families!  Tyce loves "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" so it was fun to see him watch the actual Peter Pan story. 

What Tyce looked like when Chris picked him up the other day - his teacher says it is his favorite dress up costume!

My yummy meal from last week's date night at Bonefish Grill!

My amazing gas price after using my Fuel Saver rewards from Hy-Vee just for buying my normal groceries (and no, I am not being sponsored or paid by Hy-Vee....haha)

Our blueberry picking extravaganza - read about it here.

My new necklace (charm locket) from an Origami Owl party one of my friends had!  Love it!

Tyce's foot suntan from his sandals that I find hilarious!

Hope everyone enjoys their own weeks to come!

My Baby Boy is 20 months!

Silly little Willie has the cutest smile!

 

 

So, I saw this idea on another blog I follow and I thought it was a great idea.  She writes a letter to each of her kids every month as they grow up describing what they have done, how they have changed, etc.  It is very sweet and a great way to document different milestones (so I can look back whenever I decide to get my scrapbooks done).  So this is my first one but I plan on keeping it going at least every few months.

 

 

Dear Will,

 

 

You are 20 months today!  I cannot believe how time flies.  It feels like yesterday I was holding you in my arms for the first time.  Your smile makes me melt which is why I love that photo of you.  Maybe I am partial because you look so much like me, but you are a cute little stinker.

 

 

In the last few months you have been doing some really fun things.  You graduated to the Little Angels class at your school (that's what we call your daycare).  You want to be just like your big brother and do everything he does.  There is nothing that can stop you.  He even taught you to say "gooooooaaaaaalllllll (goal)" when you are playing with the soccer ball.  You have also started saying "hello" using anything as a phone - it sounds more like hell-aaa right now but we get the idea. 

 

 

You really like to hold hands with people.  You even reach out to hold hands with Tyce now.  You come and grab mine and Daddy's hands when you want to show us something you want that you can't say or sign.  Your favorite activity is sharing your food with our dog Merlin (I think it might be his favorite activity too).  Cheese sticks seem to be your snack of choice to share (maybe soon we can learn to share something cheaper....hehe).  You are also eating with a spoon very well these days.  You still manage to get food in those long flowing locks of hair of yours but we don't mind because you love the baths you get afterwards.

 

 

You have started to go to bed willingly after I sing you the lullaby from Peter Pan. We are hoping this is a good sign and we can convert your bed into the toddler bed soon.  We love you so much and are enjoying watching you become a little person!

 

 

Love,

Mommy (and Daddy)

 

~~~