Spontaneous Trip to SoCal

Hello friends! There's nothing like a spontaneous trip to southern California to bust those winter duldrums and get a little sunshine on our noses. Dave had a trip to LA for work and we all decided to come along. We got a great deal on airline tickets to Long Beach. Wahoo!

We were only there for four days. Naturally we spent two of those days in Disneyland. Naturally. We can confirm that Disneyland is, in fact, still the happiest place on earth, as evidenced below...
















One of the days we were there it was rainy, but that didn't bother us much. Sol loved to ride anything that resembled a train. Ruby loved riding on or in animals, like the Carousel or Dumbo's Flight, etc. Our top 3 rides were Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, and Winnie the Pooh.

We hadn't planned on taking our kids while they were this young but opportunity knocked, and we answered! We did a couple things that made the Disney craziness easier on our little tikes, probably common sense things. But the thing that made the biggest difference was making sleep a priority. We went home part way through the day and all took naps and we tried to keep our normal sleep schedule as best as possible. It really helped!

Sol was at the perfect age. It was all magical to him and he could have closed down the park every night. Ruby struggled a bit, especially with waiting in line.

Sol is at such a fun age. He says funny things all the time. Here a few funny observations he made during our trip:

- As we're landing in California he starts to cry. "I thought we were going to California!"
"We are Sol, we're here"
"But where is the beach! Where is Disneyland! Where are the sheep and cows?!"
Sol thought we'd actually be landing in Disneyland. And he has learned about California
from the movies Cars and Curious George 2. Reality can be harsh.

- "I was really brave about that, huh mom. I was really brave." - After riding Pinochio. I forgot how freaky that ride is. Oops!

- "We have to stay at another home in the jungle." Our hotel had a courtyard with palm trees and Sol thought it looked like the jungle.

That's all I can remember for now. In addition to Disneyland we also went to the beach a two times and went to an Aquarium. Good times! I'll blog about those soon.

Grandma Whipple

Two and a half weeks ago we lost my Grandma Whipple. It happened fairly unexpectedly (although she was 84) which left us all shocked, and happened the day we were getting home from a quick family trip to Southern California. So the last few weeks have been a whirl-wind. And I've wanted to write about my dear Grandma since it happened, and I could have found the time, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. Her death has taken me a while to process. But I think I'm there...

My Grandma was so full of love for others and so full of courage. She truly loved her family and friends. And she was courageous. She Never said an unkind word about others. Like never. She was quiet, she wasn't one to draw attention to herself, but she was the first to love and accept those who were different and those who were outcast. I want to be like that.

She was a book keeper for several places as an adult. She was smart and wasn't afraid to learn new things, in fact she sought learning. At 84 she was a facebooker. :) I want to be like that.

She loved her family and loved to cook for them. That's something I could stand to work on. Not the loving part, just the cooking part. Her name was Norma Lou. I love that her name was Norma Lou.

She loved the Gospel and wanted her family to be eternal. She wasn't raised in a very religious home but she wanted that for her family. Through her diligence she has affected generations with a equal love for the Gospel. I want to be like that.

She was pretty and elegant. She loved nice things. She knew how to work and did all the days of her life. I want to be like that. She is a wonderful example for me. I didn't realize till I was sitting at the funeral that all my life she's been quietly teaching me by example how to be an elect woman of God. I'm so very lucky to have had that.

My Grandma loved Sol and Ruby. We spent a few days with them here and there over the past few years and both she and my Grandpa have shown so much love for my children. The last time I saw her was this fall. We went to their home to help them pick apples. Sol of course talked their ears off, but they didn't seem bothered or tired by it at all. Instead they just smiled and loved him for it. My Grandma tended to miss Ruby. My Grandma had become very small the last few years and quite weak and my miss Ruby is a solid little girl. But Grandma would wrap her arms around Ruby's waist and carry her to and fro to keep her out of trouble and happy. I will cherish that memory of our last visit. Golden fall sunshine, the smell of apples, and love love love.

I love you much my dear Grandma.

Stuck in Nebraska

If weight loss is a journey then I'm somewhere in Nebraska.

How much detail should I got into here? I have issue with the muffin top around my waist line; specifically 20 pounds I gained with my last pregnancy that have essentially not budged for the last 18 months. Of course I want these 20 pound gone. And I realize its just 20 pounds, not 50, not 100, not 200. But its the same darn 20 pounds I've been trying to drop. Well, diligently trying since September. I'm frustrated tonight because based on the way my clothes fit today I'm pretty sure I haven't lost weight since this fall. My clothes have basically fit the same since the fall. However...I'm in far better shape. And my clothes look better on me.... i think.... no one will give me a straight answer.

My "journey" started with my blood sugar getting really bad this summer after I stopped nursing. (I've had hypoglycemia since I was 12) In September I went to the doc, he said I have to exercise 5 days a week, and eat mostly lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. So I consider September the time when I really became diligent about feeling better so that I could be a good mom and wife and a happy person. Well the exercise and diet change DID help me feel a lot better. Blood sugar funk was mostly gone. However....wouldn't you think those kind of lifestyle changes would result in some weight loss?

I don't think so.

Road block #1: This is the biggest one. As soon as I lose any weight I semi-subconciously think I am now able to eat a little "worse" and thus I put it right back on. Then I stop eating a little worse and go back to eating good, mostly. And thus lose a little and I have been on this same damn cycle for a year. No joke. Any ideas how to stop this?! (note: food is a reward)

NOTE: I stopped weighing myself. I couldn't handle the drama caused by the above problem. And my bff swears by it. And she's hot. So I haven't weighed myself since the beginning of December. But I can tell pretty well how I'm doing by the way my clothes fit.

Good nugget #1: You have to keep at it. Just keep on keeping on. Exercise and good eating is going to be a part of my life till I die. Keep going.

Road block #3: Why are a large majority of accessible, common, or delicious foods no good? WHY? I love good food. Not crap. Good food. But a lot of it is no good. Real dinners? No good. Fish, rice, veggies-anyone that loses real weight only eats this. I like eating that but I get so tired of it. Anyone have a better way of looking at it?

Good nugget #2: Exercise with someone else. It helps soooo much to be accountable to someone. I go running with my sweet neighbor at 7am. Its cold and I know she'll be out there waiting for me and if I ditch her I'm a big jerk. I also go to the gym with my colorful friend who keeps me laughing though our whole work out. It goes fast and I get to laugh, a lot.

Road block #4: Sometimes the gym feels like a refuge but lately it has felt like a jungle. It is hot and humid in there. Its kind of stinky. And there are lots of biffs and cupcakes walking around. Boobs and biceps. Blah.

Good nugget #3: A run/walk outside on a warm winter day feels good. Trust me. Bundle up, turn on your iPod and free your mind. It feels awesome.

Road block #5: I already feel like I spend a majority of my day making and cleaning up meals for my kiddlets. I have to feed them, and I have to feed them what they'll eat. I have to make meals that are easy and that we're used to. And we're real gosh darnit! We don't pig out, we don't have lots a treats around, but we occasionally do. I like to cook with new recipes. I avoid cheese fest or fried mess but its not all fish and veggies. So I think this little bit of normal is whats keeping me from budging on my bulge. Is there a way to be "real" and lose the spare tire?

Good nugget #5: V8 is an acquired taste and once its acquired its good and filling and good for you!

What the?!?!: I kind of like my fat. Okay not really but...there is something very comforting about it. I hate the way it makes my clothes fit, the way it feel squished and large sometimes, but for some really weird reason, I kind of like it. I know, what the?!

Hopefully my good nuggets can help some of you on the same blasted journey. But I need help with my road blocks. Especially #1. Anyone have advice? Please! I'm all ears! I want to lose this 20 lbs with a life style change, not a crash diet. But maybe a crash diet would help build my confidence... see I'm out of ideas. I can't just not eat. I have hypoglycemia so I have to snack and eat smaller meals. I need help.

Grandpa's Tie

I took these pics a few Sunday's ago. Sol is wearing my Grandpa Hurst's tie that my Grandma gave Sol after Grandpa passed away this summer. This is my Grandpa. I miss him a lot but I'm so glad we have a little piece of him and one that sol can relate to.

And we have this cute little munchkin to keep us on our toes.

Vertigo=mandatory time off

As Dave and I were finishing up painting our dining room Amherst Gray on Saturday I started to feel a little dizzy. I ignored the issue and pushed on. I still had lots I wanted to do and not a lot of time in the rest of the day. Dizzyness got worse until I had to sit, then lay down. Sunday morning I woke up so dizzy I couldn't walk. In fact a trip downstairs caused me to dri-heave a bit. I was flat on my back the rest of the day and most today. I'm doing a lot better. But I'm really not able to take care of my kids. Doctors orders are to lay down and get as much rest as possible. I thought it would be difficult but its actually been kind of nice. Forced down time. I can't tell you how many times in the last year alone I've wanted to just sneak off to my room and shut the door. I got to do that yesterday AND today! A little more rest tomorrow and then I should be better. I'll enjoy it while I can. Better sign off...the screen is starting to swirl...

Ski Sol

Dave loves to ski. I knew from the time we were dating that the slopes would be his mistress. The one mistress I would allow. So little Sol has been programed from birth to love the mountains, the snow, and skis. Dave took him up skiing Thursday. This was Sol's 4th time skiing. We took him once when he was 1. And twice last year when he was 2. Previous ski sessions have been fun but not much in the way of Sol skiing. He's just been too small. However, this year he is a skiing fool! He went two times up the rope tow and twice up the main lift. Dave didn't have to hold him up or catch him. He fell a few times but really did it own his own.



Sol got his own pass! Just like dad. He was so thrilled that he had his very own ski pass with HIS picture on it. See!
And he's free till he's 6. Bonus for us!

Way to go buddy. You are a super skier Sol!!!

Christmas Morning 2011

I didn't take a ton of pics Christmas morning or day. I caught a stomach flu Christmas eve that left me feeling pregnant all day Christmas. (I actually appreciated the reminder... so NOT ready to be pregnant again!) But these are a few of my faves that capture the essence of the morning. Magic.

In this video Sol had opened all his presents and while he was pretty happy with everything he still hadn't seen his Cars2 Geotrax. THE gift. The one he's fixated on since September. Santa had hidden it! Tricky Santa!



This is a video of Ruby saying Merry Christmas. I love her sleepy, happy look.



Merry Christmas All!