And when we got back to Pams. . .

We hung out and played with the kids for a while, and I took even MORE pictures! :)

More from NAWLINS!

the fleur de lis on the stadium floor




52 is Patrick Willis. :)

Our Trip to Nawlins!

Sunday September 28 we took a trip to New Orleans to see the Saints play the 49ers in the Superdome! SOOO much fun! My friend Pam watched the girls for us - she is in New Orleans at the Baptist Seminary.


driving to New Orleans! SOOOO excited!



We're in Louisiana now!


swampy! I saw 2 alligators in the swamp on the way back!


Me & Pam. I miss her! (the sun was in our eyes!)




SUPERDOME!!!


awww!!

He Loves Me! :)

A week or two ago the hubby was playing Boggle with the girls. Kinda funny when you consider the limited number of words they know how to spell - hee hee!

So later that evening as I was getting ready for bed, I go into my bedroom and see that he has left me a "surprise".



Isn't that the sweetest thing EVER! :)

Who Am I?

Isn't it funny how this question makes you think . . . .

I used to think I knew myself very very well, and then I changed. Seems like I have spent a good portion of my life changing who I think I am, what I want for myself, and who I want to be.

So I thought I would make a list of things I like.

1. quiet afternoons
2. sunshine
3. reading a good book
4. snuggling with my man
5. running
6. working out with friends
7. hanging out drinking a beer & chatting about life
8. a hug from a sweet little girl
9. the smell of a clean baby
10. bubble baths
11. the beach
12. wine
13. tv & movies
14. trips
15. playing board games with my family
16. walking at the park
17. swimming
18. eating out.
19. visiting family after being away for a while
20. a clean kitchen floor
21. baking from scratch
22. spending one-on-one time with my girls
23. looking at my husband and seeing how much he loves me (still!)
24. when my van is clean (rare!)
25. the laundry basket being completely EMPTY!
26. jeans that make my butt look good
27. a really good bra
28. cupcakes
29. politics
30. coffee in a nice mug

And things I DON'T like:

1. hearing the kids fight
2. arguing with my husband
3. a messy house
4. a messy van
5. being broke
6. going to Walmart.
7. taking all 3 kids out in public and having them act like fools.
8. gaining weight
9.When life conspires to keep me cooped up in my house for days at a time.
10. gray/cloudy days
11. being sick/ having a sick kid
12. acne.
13. the way my stomach looks after 3 kidlets stretched it all out.
14. having the responsibility of dealing with my dad's estate
15. being a nail biter
16. when the kids make a humongous mess
17. dirty footprints on my clean floor
18. being hungry and not finding anything that looks appetizing
19. running out of things to read
20. judgemental people.

Okay I couldn't come up with the same number of things I don't like! LOL! I am sure there are more . . . . but whatever! :)

*sigh* I should really be cleaning up the house. Sara had a friend spend the night last night and it is pretty messy around here!

Update on my Diet.

Yeah dieting is NO fun. . . but since my last post 2 lbs seem to have disappeared and I am fitting better and better into size 6s so I guess all of the exercise and deprivation are doing the trick! :) I did cave and buy some ice cream for myself this week. It's that time of the month and I was having a pretty bad craving.

Sara came home from school early yesterday with a fever so she stayed home today. Can't go to the Y so while Jimmy was here with the girlies I went for a run around the neighborhood. OUCH! Running on pavement is SO different than running on a treadmill in the airconditioning!

I would REALLY like to go to spin tomorrow but I don't guess I can do it. May have to get up early and do some more running around here with that sick girlie. :(

As for Sara she is fine. Running low-grade fever, between 99.6 and 100.6, so high enough that she has to stay home from school and rest, but not so high that she is miserable by any means. If she is still running fever tomorrow it is off to the pediatrician's office we go. Fun fun!

Aiden's Growing!

Here are some pictures of my buddy Aiden at 8 weeks old. :)




look at those sweet eyelashes and chubby cheeks! *sigh*








He was in the middle of talking to me.


*someday I will find my thumb. . . .*

This Dieting Thing Stinks! :(

I have been trying to watch my weight all summer. . . blah. So I started back in June weighing 133 or so. And worked out a LOT. Sat through tons of spin classes, spent lots of time on the elliptical, on the treadmills, even did a lot of weights with my buddy Jennie. . . I have been going to the gym 4-5 times a week.

And what do I weigh now after 3 solid months of working out? 133.6. Yep, that's right, I have lost NOTHING!

When I came home from Virginia this summer I was up to 137 so I did lose a little in the month of August. But let me tell you how bad it is - I have been craving ice cream in a bad way, but instead i am freezing individual cups of APPLESAUCE and telling myself it is just as good. . . .

Yep, denying myself the food I really want and spending HOURS every day working out to weigh the SAME. That's not frustrating.

Girlies and Gymnastics

Sara and Julie started gymnastics on August 18, 2008. . . I am only just one getting around to posting pictures of them.


Would have been a great picture if Julie were looking. :(


This one would have been great if Sara was looking. Boo! It is so hard getting a good picture of 3 kids!


Julie's ready to go!


waiting her turn


Julie on uneven bars


flip flop Sara


tumbling Julie


keep your balance


Ava hanging on my leg as usual! :oP


Ava on the stairs. That girl does NOT sit still!

Gustav

Gustav missed us, fortunately, and headed west instead of east. . . We did get some of the eastern bands and some tornado scares though, and I took some pictures of the weather outside of my house.




My thoughts and prayers are with those in areas harder hit than ours for their safety and the safety of their homes.

Something Cute To Share!

Ava started *school* (okay it is just Mother's Morning Out and she goes when I am working) on August 17th. She has Mrs Paula and Mrs Beth, and I couldn't be more pleased with the teachers she got this year. Her sisters started school Aug 8, so Ava watched them go to school for a while before it was her turn. The weekend before she started school I pulled out her "lunch box" and put her name label on it and we started packing it. She fell asleep holding her lunchbox that Sunday. The poor child was SO excited about school starting that she didn't want to let her lunchbox go!


What a sweet angel she is! :)