That's my girl!

This little drama queen walked into the laundry room door tonight (no worries, the door is fine ;-). She then proceeded to make herself an ice pack and go and lay in bed to hold it on her forehead. I went in to tuck her in and she looked at me and oh so seriously said, "I think I have a condition.." Through my laughter I informed her that yes, she does have a condition and it's called clumsiness but that the word I think she was actually looking for was concussion. Her words to me then were, "See, I told you I had a condition!" I can't help but love her!

I have a dream

I came across this paper today that Brent wrote at school and I thought my heart might burst. It was an English assignment on MLK day where they were to write their version of his famous speech. Here is what Brent had to say:

I Have a Dream

That war will be gone! World peace is vital to our survival! Why must we drown in the bloodshed of our own brethren? And why must we always fight with guns and nuclear weapons? Why can we not resolve our problems by gathering our leaders and all helping to form one peaceful solution? I have a dream that we will not be separated like we are now! And I have a dream that the women and children will not have to weep and see their families fighting a battle on their own lawn! We must have peace or else our stories will cease to exist. Now you all know what must be done.

I really was quite blown away when I read this because this isn't something we discuss in depth. I mean, sure, I realize he's growing up and knows what is going on in the world but that's about the extent of it. I want him to enjoy his childhood and I don't think this is something he should have to even think about. It is heartbreaking to me that a child can see this so clearly and yet grown men are blind. I truly cannot imagine what the future holds for my little man but I know that I am blessed to be part of his journey.

(Oh, and did I mention his wording?? Is he 11 or 60? I really don't know where he comes up with this stuff!)

Monster Jam 2011

Last year we went to Monster Jam for Eric's birthday. It was our first time and we had so much fun that when Eric mentioned going again this year, we were all for it. At the last minute, he ended up with 2 extra tickets so we took Nolan and Jacob with us. My favorite truck this time around was MadUSA (the truck is pink and driven by a woman!) I think our 2nd trip was another success and the kids were definitely excited. Wonder if we'll spend Eric's 30th there too?!?! Happy Birthday bro, love ya!

They were quite excited about Grave Digger! lol

This was the last car that came out..it caught on fire and then ended up like this..pretty cool!

Painting with a Twist

My good friend Dana invited me, Ashley and Ivy to join her and some other friends for a girls night this past Friday. She booked a private room at a new place in Arlington called "Painting with a Twist" and we all had a blast!! Walking in and seeing the Peacock Fleur de Lis that we were going to be painting was a little intimidating but it ended up being much simpler than we thought. Basically they set up your canvas and paint plate and there is an instructor at the front that guides you on what to do. Did I also mention that you are encouraged to bring your favorite drink and if you start to feel any pressure, you are to relax and sip? ;-) Needless to say, Dana made it perfect by having dinner catered in and even more entertaining friends there to enjoy the night.

(I love that Dana is also a part of this pic..lol)

Um, Ash, where did your pupils go???

PERFECT oppurtunity to paint a tiger paw on Ivy's face ;-)

These are the moments that life makes

This has to be one of my favorite conversations ever:

Me: "Did you decide what you are going to get Ryleigh for her birthday?"
Brent: "The Barbie Video Doll", (with a little chuckle): "Bubba, that cost $50 dollars", "It does? Oh SHEESH", "That's really sweet of you though to have listened to her and want to get that" "I'm still gonna get it for her", "Are you sure? That's a lot of money", "Yeah, of course! Anything for my little sister"

I'm not sure if this pulled at my heart strings because I am lucky enough to have the most amazing bond with my brother or just because these are my babies. Either way, doesn't matter, it still made for a perfect moment.

Utopia

I still can't quite believe that I am in this place. It is so happy and perfect and where my heart has felt it was all along, it just took my body and mind a little longer to catch up ;-). When I started boxing this past May, I never thought that I would lose 30 lbs. in 4 months, continue to lose more inches in the 8 weeks of "no weight loss" that followed (which included Thanksgiving!) and then lose 2 more pounds during the month of December, even though I only made it to the gym a handful of times! I truly thought it would take me much longer to get to my goal and never did I think I would surpass it. To start this new year WITHOUT a weight loss resolution is still beyond the grasp of my mind. It was the best birthday present I could have ever dreamed for myself. Before I arrived to this place, I envied the people that could eat through the holidays, or any day for that matter, and not worry about it. They could live life without it being run by the number on the scale. So much of what I enjoy revolves around food or grabbing a drink with a friend and now I can do that without having to "eat good" for 3 weeks beforehand. Being here is so different than I could have ever imagined, I'm not transformed just on the outside..so much more has changed on the inside. There is something in me that just KNOWS that I will never struggle with my weight again and that knowledge alone brings me such inner peace. I love finally being able to shop for all of the clothes that I have said, "If I were skinny, I would SO wear that!" I know it will continue to take some time to adjust to people telling me that I'm skinny or referring to me as skinny because I still see me without my clothes on and for so long skinny was someone else, not me. By no means am I a size 0, but I am in a single digit jean and that alone, for me, is something I thought I would never see again. Those days were a memory related to high school and prior to having kids and I couldn't fathom that what I had allowed myself to become could ever be the same size. I have said over the years that I would feel skinny when I could take a picture and like the way I looked and guess what? I'm actually there! There are still some areas to tone up and of course, I will continue to box but NOT because I am overweight. Something in me always thought I would love boxing and I should have listened a long time ago. I fell in love with it the first week and have never felt like I had to go “workout” since. I look forward to going to the gym and am actually going to admit that I’m quite proud of what I can do there. There is something about the sound of my gloves on the bags and getting into that ring that gets my adrenaline pumping and puts a smile on my face. If I were 10 years younger, who knows, I could have been a middle-weight champ ;-). I vow this year to learn to say "Thank You" when people pay me a compliment instead of shooing their comment away and self-deprecating myself. I've worked REALLY hard for this and I want to teach myself that it's ok to be proud. We strive to instill so much confidence into our children, spouses, family & friends but yet we never would imagine mentioning our accomplishments. Where along the way do we lose that? Didn't our Moms teach it to us? When do we decide that we are no longer important and that it's selfish to do anything for ourselves? The guilt of not being enough for everyone will be something I constantly battle with but I'm trying. Not just for me, but for my daughter and for her daughter and her daughter's daughter. I don't want them growing up slaves to an idea that they should be at the bottom of their list. If we are truly supposed to lead by example, then this is me, taking the first step.


(The first pic was a couple of weeks after I started and then now)