Holiday Cheer

It's been awhile. I wanted to try and write a blog daily in November because it was National Blogging Month, but that didn't go so well. Well, our house is festive and ready for Christmas. Layla has been ready for weeks and is really making it so fun this year. I can honestly say she understands the traditions of the holiday and Santa. I've really been talking to her a lot about Christmas being Jesus' Birthday. I want to start some traditions with her this year helping her focus on the "true"meaning of Christmas. She's getting so big and grown-up. Today is exactly a month away from her 3rd b-day....CRAZY! People look at her and think she's 4 or turning 4. Tim came by today and hasn't seen her in over a month and couldn't believe how big she's gotten. He was like..."her face is changing too!" It's funny to hear a grown man fawn over a toddler like that! More blogs to come as the holiday craziness begins!

CRAP

There goes my goal for November... It's not that I haven't had anything to write about, its just taking the time to do it. So a couple of posts ago I wrote about my weight struggles and finally getting my weight down to a semi-comfortable number. I do have 9 more lbs to go until my ultimate goal. It's going to be the hardest 9 lbs of them all too! I have a feeling when I get there, I'll want to go even further. It just feels so great to have my weight down and fit into clothes a lot easier. Why would I ever want to go back to that lazy heavy body?? Running is so amazing too! My time has come down a ton an I feel great! So anyway, I'm going to post a recent pic of myself at the state xc meet. This is the first picture where I can really tell the difference in weight. I'm very proud of myself and I just pray I don't let myself get lazy EVER again!

Busy at our house Tonight!

Tonight we will be babysitting a 7 month old and 3 year old. Their mom, Shelley, is in the hospital awaiting gall bladder surgery. They have an older sister who is 5, but she is at another house. I'm excited to get to help, but nervous about making the girls comfortable and hopefully giving them a good nights rest. Carly slept on a couch last night and Krissa likes to sleep in her car seat, but I'm hoping they can get a good rest at our place tonight. I'm also concerned about bottles. I SOOO have no clue about heating them, measuring, yada, yada. My darling daughter hated bottles and was nursed until she was 13 months old.
Dan was looking forward to deer hunting tonight, but I asked if he would go another time and hang out to help me. He can wear the girls out before bath and bed and hopefully they won't keep each other up talking all night. I know he's ok helping, but he was also really looking forward to hunting too. I feel bad, but I need him. Anyway, I'll post tomorrow and let you know how our exciting evening went. Wish us luck!

National Blog Month

I'm going to try and post every day this month because it is officially National Blog Month!!! We have had quite the crazy weekend. Dan's team did not qualify for state (7th out of 20 teams) They were so stinkin close too! I think all of the boys were bummed, but Tyler did make it out individually. Many of them are returning next year, so hopefully they can make that trip to state.
Halloween finally arrived and Layla had a blast! I definitely got my money's worth out of her costume this year. She wore it to the church party, school party, farm park witches walk, and Halloween night. And of course she insisted on putting it on this morning for "dress up." My parents brought chili over and we had a nice evening. Layla thought she was hot stuff ringing and knocking on doors to get candy.
Today we got to watch Jack for the McAllisters while Hope is in the hospital having her baby. I'm so excited to hear some news. I'm hoping tonight we may get an announcement while we are all at the Ladies Tea. Overall Layla does a very good job with "Jackie" ( what she calls him), but she threw such a monster fit before nap that I'm wondering if I need to really work more with her sharing and playing with other kids. I'd love to make an excuse and say it was because she was tired and yada, yada, yada, but the past couple of days she's been really testing her limits and I think we're going to have to be even more strict with her. Oh the joys of parenting!!! Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some Baby McAllister news. :)

The Windy City

I'm sitting here looking out my big front window watching the leaves blow around like crazy. Today and tomorrow we are supposed to get wind gusts up to maybe 30-50 mph. Of course today was the day I needed to run and I was dreading it. I headed out on a fairly new route and going out the loop it wasn't bad. I felt light my legs were strong I was feeling good. Then....I turned around to head home....holy crap!!! The reason I felt so good was because the flippin wind was pushing my large ass...of course I felt light! So, on the way home I looked like a freak trying to lift each leg and run and winds blowing me all over the road. I ran 3 miles and it felt like 12!!! I'm so glad to get my run in today so I won't have to blow all over Pekin tomorrow! Next month is National Blog Month and I'm going to try and blog every day. I CAN DO IT!!! By the way, I'm still dropping weight and I feel really good about myself. Last week I broke the 170 mark and it feels great! My ultimate goal is 155 and I can't wait to get there and maybe even beyond that! Dan is so complimentary and he makes me feel so pretty and thin. Other people have also noticed and it's so exciting! I'm posting a before and after pic to see if I can tell the difference.
This was me in June of 2009 at my heaviest EVER. I was 211 pounds. RIDICULOUS!!! I am now 167 and I'm currently needing to find a good pic of me to share. It will be my next mission!

30th B-day in Florida

I just returned from an awesome trip with my girlfriends for my b-day. We have always talked about going on an all girls trip for years, but this year was the time we actually talked about it and committed. It was amazing! We left on Thursday the 14th and returned on my birthday the 17th. I got about 12 hours of sleep for the 3 nights we were there, but it was so worth it. The weather was beautiful and w
e just had so much fun laughing and hitting the beach day and night. It was so nice being with a group of girls who are very "go with the flow" and we all really got along well. Here's a few pics from the trip.

Can't Sleep

I should be in bed right now, but I chose to go grocery shopping at 9 and drink a huge diet coke to keep me awake. I need to run in the morning at 6 before Dan heads to work but dang that time is going to come quick. Kristen called earlier and said that she's feeling weird.....so I'm really hoping we get a call tonight. I'm on Ben duty until the baby is born....gosh I love that kid. Ben and Layla have such a great time together and they're very good.
I'm stressing about "weighing in" tomorrow. I gained 1/2 pound last week and I know that's not a huge amount, but gaining in general freaks me out! I really wanted to be in the 160's before Florida, but that's not looking very realistic. It's exciting thinking about the trip, especially when I have some cute clothes that fit and I don't feel like a huge cow! Ok, so I'm going to try and get some rest in case Kristen calls.

Fall is Here!!

I love Fall. The weather gets cooler, the candle scents are wonderful, fall decorations come out, outside smells like burnt leaves, and I could honestly keep on rambling. Of course it wouldn't be my blog if I didn't make a big deal how busy we've been. Our weeks have looked like this. Monday and Tuesday's are planned for sub days. I've been getting a little busier, but it's still nice committing to only the days I want to work. Wednesday's are swim lessons, tap, tumbling, and church that night. Thursday's are usually our lazy day and Friday's Layla has school from 9-10:30 and then the day is ours. Saturday's are dedicated to Dan's cross country meets and we end the crazy week on Sunday with family day. I love Sunday's! We have church and then usually lunch or dinner with the extended families.
Jeff and Kristen's diaper party is this weekend and I'm very excited! I'm wondering if baby W will make her appearance before then. Kristen has been dilated for a few weeks now, but she must be comfy where she's at. Tonight we are going on our traditional pedicure before baby appointment. I'm going to end this post with the XC team pic at East Peoria Invite. They ran awesome and got a 3rd place trophy out of 19 teams. It was a great day!

Weight Battles

Well here I am again trying to lose weight and of course getting discouraged. I lost 5 lbs my first week, 3 lbs the second week, and a big fat nothing the third week. Yes, I know that I'm probably losing inches and gaining muscle....yada, yada, yada. But it would be nice if the scale could help boost up my self esteem just a little. It's 93 degrees a storm is coming and I still need to get my freakin 3 mile jog in today....lovely! On a brighter note.....at least I didn't gain this week!

4 months later....

Well, at least I actually remembered to check this thing after a few months of neglect. Where do I even start? It has been a great summer filled with so much fun. Summer is coming to an end and everyone is returning to school, which is always depressing. We will spend out last week with Nanny, Kristen, and Ben before they return. I'm hoping the weather holds off for us so we can head to Tremont Pool a few times. Today we have Ben and Braden and they are speaking another language right now something about Pokemon and yada, yada, yada. They crack me up! I will try and be a little bit better at this blog.

SNC

Yesterday Dan and I ventured out on a little overnight trip. I bought him tickets to the Straight No Chaser show at Indiana University. We first found out about this group through YouTube when one of their songs became a huge hit. The concert was AWESOME! We laughed so hard and loved all the music. It was great to get away on a short trip, but we were ready to come home to our daughter today. We were gone exactly 24 hours, but it seemed like much longer. SNC will be on Late Nite TV this Friday and I can't wait to DVR it. They are great!

Fingers Crossed

I got hired to teach this online Math tutoring program for 6th graders at CPS. It all sounded great and I jumped on board. Well.....it began on Monday and the turnout of students is very low! It isn't mandatory for all students, so the chances of me having even half of my roster is slim to none. However, I was hoping to at least have a few show up each day. Today is my second day and I'm staring at my class list screen hoping that a green dot will pop up. We'll See.....

I Suck..

So, I started this blog thing out doing pretty well and then I just got lazy. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, it's just taking the time to do it. Let me catch you up on all our exciting happenings. Our family finally got over all the illnesses and we tried to enjoy the last days of winter. The whole time I was praying and praying for spring to make a quick appearance. Dan is training very hard for his races and is doing great. We have a very busy month ahead with a race every weekend and LOTS of traveling. I'm looking forward to this and dreading the time away at the same time. Layla just doesn't sleep well other places and WILL NOT nap when we're away from home. I'm hoping she can adapt to this and not have to rough of a time.
I'm still continuing to struggle with my weight. In June 09 I began a very strict diet. I lost 35 pounds in 3 months and felt so great with myself. I had began running again and signed up for a couple of races. I ran a 5K in 25:36 and was so proud. Winter was approaching and I had some great plans to stick with the running and dieting. Well, as the title says.....I SUCK! I gained back 15 pounds and have been eating like crap. I have to get my shit together fast or I'm going to be right back where I started a year ago.
Today is Easter so it wouldn't be right if I didn't include a pic of my darling 2 year old before church.

Seriously??

Today was supposed to be the second try for Layla's 2 year pics, but I spent my whole night at the toilet with sickness from both ends. Ok, I've posted earlier how I was done with sickness because we've had so much just this month. The only thing that sucks with me being sick is the fact that I have to stay away from my baby. Dan is wonderful and he kept her very busy today so I could rest and get better. That hubby of mine is amazing! I sent them to Gampa's for dinner with the fam so I could pull myself together and disinfect anything in sight. I figure Dan will probably get it next, but I really want to keep it away from Layla. I know she's already had it, but I'm sure she could get it again. So off I go to disinfect some more.

Does 2010 = Sickness?

Please no, no, no!!! We are only a few weeks into the new year and my very healthy daughter has had Rotovirus and the stomach flu. This girl hardly ever gets sick, so I hope this isn't a preview of what our year is going to be like. I'm going to think positively and believe that she's just getting things out of her system early. Of course, my psycho self is disinfecting everything because I always blame myself when she gets sick. I just want to protect her from everything. Yes, I know that's impossible, but I like to pretend I can. Well I think we are on the mend for now. She hasn't thrown up since 2 p.m. on Monday, so I hope we're in the clear. We will be getting pics done this weekend from Shannon, and I'm SOOO excited to see how they turn out. I really hope Layla is in a good mood and excited to play around for her.

Been a few days...

So I've been wanting to blog for the past few days, but we've had some crazy things going on. I'll start with Saturday where we celebrated my friends 30th birthday. It wasn't actually Kristen's b-day yet, we just celebrated early. This is a pic from our fun night!
We started at Kelleher's for dinner and then had a party bus for a few hours. The best part of the bus was that we had "free" alcohol on it (thanks to Jeff), but everyone wanted to go stop at bars. Now why would I go in a bar and buy a drink when I can drink for free?? A couple of us ended up just chillin on the bus while the others went into the bars. We ended our night at the Piano Bar. I was so disappointed in it. We had gone a few times in the past and it was so fun!!! But, this night it was one of the same guys we've had before and he basically did the same show we've seen in the past and nothing new! They also raised their prices from $10 to $13. I'm still debating on calling and complaining or writing a letter. Regardless, it was still a fun night!

The next morning we woke up to celebrate my beautiful daughters 2nd birthday. She's been talking about her b-day party for some time now (with our sticker countdown chart) and she just couldn't wait for it to begin. I was really regretting drinking and staying out late, but I wasn't going to let my stupidity ruin our day. It was nothing a few Tylenol and LOTS of water couldn't cure! Here's my Layla turing 2!


Her birthday theme was ponies, because the girl can't get enough of them. We had the party at church, which was wonderful. We had plenty of room for adults to chat and kids to run around and play. We played a few games. Pin the sticker on the pony, stick horse races, and a pinata. I was worried Layla would be freaked out with the pinate because she had been carrying that thing around all weekend loving and kissing on it. I wasn't sure what she would do when we started whacking at it. She was fine and loved hitting the crap out of that thing! We served dinner too, which was sloppy joes, chips, veggies, punch, and cake/cupcakes. I knew I wanted to say a prayer before the dinner, but I didn't think I could get through it without getting all emotional so I asked Dan if he would mind. Poor guy couldn't even get through the first few sentences without choking up. We are so grateful for her and can't thank God enough for such a wonderful blessing.
The one thing I was really concerned about was Dan's dad and family coming. I knew they would be fine, but Betty would be a mess. She did pretty good, but hid in the kitchen most of the time "helping." Overall, the party was so much fun and Layla had a blast!

Why do I watch these shows??

I am officially obsessed with the most ridiculous reality TV. I get so annoyed when I watch it, but I can't stop. I'm currently watching Jersey Shore and it is....lets see what's a good word DUMB!!!! We have boobs, muscles, fake tans, drinking, smoking, man whores, and much much more!! Why do I waste my time to watch such crap? It's a question I'm not sure I'll ever be able to answer. The shows that are currently taping on my DVR weekly are....Jersey Shore, Real World, Project Runway, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, The Secret Life of an American Teenager, Teen Mom, Brothers and Sister, Super Nanny, The Bachelor.....blah blah blah. I have a TV problem and I need to have an intervention. The problem is once I get done with a show, a new more ridiculous show comes on and I'm hooked. Ok, I'm going to turn off this smuck and try and get some housework done before Layla awakes.

Sick Baby

Layla has been sick since Tuesday and the doc finally confirmed that she has Rotovirus. Such an icky illness that can last for 8 to 10 days. From talking to other moms it sounds like Layla has a very mild case, which is what the nurse explained to me over the phone. I've heard some real horror stories and I'm thankful Layla has tolerated this pretty well. Just when I thought she was on the mend, she woke up this morning with a horrible snotty nose and has been sneezing and blowing snot all day. I hate when she's sick. I feel so helpless and I constantly worry about whether Dan and I are doing all we can and making the right choices for her. Anway, her 2nd birthday is in a week and I'm hoping we are feeling good by then. I want her to enjoy the day she's been talking about for over a month now.
On a funnier note. My friend and I went for a run today at the highschool. It's so nice to be able to run in the building where it's warm. We were doing our normal route when we decided to take a different hallway to add some more mileage. As we are heading down she notices the principal walking our way and she yells "Hey Mr. Davis!" He automatically starts shushing her and freaking out. She had forgotten that they were doing Freshmen placement testing this morning in that hallway. Needless to say we felt like idiots.....but got a nice run in!

Is it Spring yet???

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind winter. It starts getting to me when I can see spring in the distance. We are expected to get more snow in the next few days which will keep Layla and I inside. Let the cabin fever begin! She started running a temp. yesterday after nap. I hate it when she's sick. Ever since her febrile seizure in March, I get so paranoid every time she runs a temp. She's been doing great and has kept her fever down. So I hope this was just a small bug she has worked out of her system.
Speaking of Layla. I'm going to brag on her for a bit. She is the sweetest, funniest, most intelligent almost 2 year old I know. I just sat and laughed at her today as she tried telling me a very serious story about jumping and dancing. Her facial expressions and tone of voice are hilarious! I can't tell you how lucky I feel to be able to stay home with her and not work. I can't imagine missing all of her milestones. She will turn 2 in a few weeks and I can't believe it. Dan and I are so blessed!!!

Since my little darling is napping now, I better go get some work done.

The blog-aholic should have one too...

I LOVE to read other peoples blogs. Maybe that makes me a nosy person, but I don't care. I figure if it's out there to read, then why not read it! I will be teaching an Animal Blogging course this summer to 2nd and 3rd grade gifted students, so I figured I better start understanding behind the scenes a little more so I can sound at least half-way intelligent to these Little Einsteins. I probably won't let anyone know that I have a blog, it will just be those people out there that run into it from time to time. However, I know that I will thoroughly enjoy writing about all the blessings in my life. I'm going to end my first post with my New Year's Resolutions. I like to make a few so that I'm not disappointed at the end of the year when I've abandoned most of them.

1. Read the entire bible in 1 year
2. Continue running and signing up for races (maybe completing my 2nd marathon in Oct.)
3. Be the best mother and wife I can be.

I hope everyone's new year is starting out well. My goal is to post as often as possible and when I have anything worthwhile to talk about.