My Birthday Present...

So this is what Jason got me for my birthday this year...
Anybody know what this is? You may have some idea if you have ever watched "The Biggest Loser" show because all the contestants us these. It's called "BodyMedia FIT" and it's basically an easy way to track how many calories you burn throughout the day, how much physcial activity you are doing, how many steps you take and even how efficiently you sleep at night. You wear the armband all day and all night, input the foods you eat and it will tell you your calorie balance (the basic idea of calories in vs. calories out.)

I have to admit I wasn't too sure about it when I first opened it up. I had seen and researched it online but finally decided it was too expensive and "gadgety" for my taste. Jason however, is really big into gadgets (he wears like 3 different watches when he goes to the gym) so he decided to take a gamble and surprise me with one for my birthday. After one day of using it, I became hooked. Actually hooked may be a bit of an understatement. I have become completely obsessed with this little gadget. I think it is SOOOO cool and I love to challenge myself each day to meet my daily goals of putting good foods in and exercising/moving enough to balance it out. It's also neat because I've been able to see what nutrients I do well at getting enough of and what I need to work on to eat better.

So far, in the 10 days that I have had it, I have lost 3 pounds which is a nice added bonus too!! It definitely makes me more conscious of what I am eating throughtout the day and how I can get even more "activity minutes" in each day. It certainly isn't a cheap little gadget, but I am certainly in love with it now!!

Today's the Day...

Today I am officially the big 3-0!! Amazingly, I feel really good about it. Don't get me wrong, I loved my 20's (so much better than my awkward teen years!) And I accomplished a lot during the last decade of my life (served a mission, graduated from college, got married, had two beautiful children and even ran two marathons!) Trying to top all of that will be a challenge, but I'm also really excited about the prospect of doing even bigger and greater things. I feel much more confident and comfortable in my own skin now than I did at 20 and I can't wait to see what the next decade has in store. Bring it on 30...I'm totally ready for ya!!!

Jesus wants me for a...

SUNBEAM!!!

Abby joined the ranks of Primary this year, complete with her own new set of scriptures (she had been asking for her own scriptures for quite some time. We were going to wait until she was a bit older, but finally decided that if she really wanted them, why not?)

Our baby is definitely growing up! (sniffle, sniffle)

Five Years Ago Today...

I went into what should have been a normal 16-week ultrasound for our very first little bundle of joy. I came out that day with my life forever altered when they couldn't find a heartbeat. I still remember clearly the pain and heartache of that time...I felt so sad and hopeless. Jason and I not only lost our little baby boy, but we also mourned the loss of all the dreams, hopes and aspirations that come when you find out that you're expecting.

I still think about that little baby. Sometimes when I see a little boy who was born around June of 2005, I wonder what might have been. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have had our oldest, our first-born child be a boy. Sometimes I even wonder if the little boy who entered our lives and hearts almost exactly three years after our first little boy was to have been born is not one and the same. But mostly today I just feel very lucky...lucky to have two beautiful children to hug, kiss and love on as much as I want. Each day that I have to spend with them is a gift. And no matter how boring, challenging, and exhausting motherhood can be at times, I am forever grateful to be called their mom.

My feelings today echo a country song that I like (I'm not usually too crazy about country music, but I do like a little here and there.) The song is "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. It talks about how sometimes we would like to give up all the heartache, sadness, and disappointments in life, but if we did, we would also have to give up all the blessings, miracles, and joy that sometimes come from these disappointments.

Five years ago, I would have given just about anything to have held that little baby in my arms rather than bury him in the ground on that cold January day. Five years later though, I can honestly say that I wouldn't change a thing because I couldn't imagine my life without these two little wonderful people...

"I could have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance."

The Biggest Loser

Anybody who knows me well, knows I am a pretty big fan of this show. I follow it pretty much every season and love to see the dramatic transformations that can take place through proper nutrition and exercise (so I know that the exercise part is taken to the extreme, and that they literally put their lives on hold in order to exercise all day, every day, but it is still pretty amazing!)

I keep thinking it would be a great idea for them to take average Joe/Jane and train them (with Bob & Jillian of course) to become ripped, toned, and perhaps even a world-class athlete. The reason I think this would be a good idea is because I totally want to be on the show and trained by Bob and Jillian but I also don't want to have to gain 100 pounds in order to do so!!

So since my idea will probably never take off, I have joined my gym's "Transformation Challenge" this year. It starts this week and lasts for 10 weeks. Yesterday I had all of my measurements taken (weight, body fat percentage, lean muscle mass, body measurements, etc.) and in 10 weeks I will have it all taken again to see how much I have improved. I will be working with trainers along the way for tips and classes on proper exercise and nutrition for my body type. The winner gets a pretty hefty cash prize and the 2nd and 3rd place finishers get some free personal training sessions. I really have no hope of winning (last year's winner lost like 60 pounds!!) but I thought this would be a great way to motivate me to start 2010 in a healthy way. I have a few pounds I would like to lose, but mostly I want to firm up those jiggly areas!!

So in 10 weeks, hopefully I'll see some improvement. I've also created a new fitness goal for 2010. Last year I ran over 1200 miles, but I wanted to diversify a bit more so my new goal is to reach 2010 miles on the cardio machines (treadmill/eliptical/stationary bike/rowing machine/stairmill) and by biking and running outside. It's a pretty lofty goal (average of 40 miles every week of the year) but it's good to have a challenge.

Happy 2010 everyone!! I have a feeling it's going to be a great year...

Christmas Morn' 2009

For the third year in a row, we celebrated Christmas morning in our own home and it was sooo fun. While we miss spending time with family around the holidays, we do really enjoy being able to enjoy all that Christmas is from the comforts of our home (and holiday air travel is really the pits...we don't miss that AT ALL!!!)

We told Abby several times that she needed to knock on our door before she went downstairs in the morning but she was way too excited to do that. I woke up around 7:30 a.m. to the sound of toys being played with and enjoyed downstairs. I was a little bummed that we didn't see her reaction to her gifts from Santa, but nothing could dull the thrill of Christmas morning for us (and especially one very excited little three-year-old!!!)

Landon got his first little car and loved wheeling it all around the house (once he was able to snag it away from big sis that is!)

Abby's big gift from Santa was this adorable little fabric playhouse. This was the best deal out of our holiday shopping...it retails for $100 and we found it at Toys R Us on Black Friday for $15. SCORE!! I was really impressed with how big and sturdy it was, especially for being so cheap. And it came with that cute little oven too. Abby was in heaven!!!

Abby loved opening up all her presents and most of Landon's as well!! Landon was too preoccupied with each gift that he really didn't care who opened it. I'm sure that will change next year!

After we opened up all the gifts under the tree, we told the kids that there was one more big present in the family room for them to play with. They both came running when they spotted their brand-new train table. They have both adored this thing and it has provided hours and hours of entertainment (for both the kids as well as mom and dad.)

After presents, Jason made a yummy breakfast of hash browns, eggs, sausage and english muffins then we played/slept/chilled the day away. It was a wonderful Christmas thanks to the enthusiasm of two very special little people. I commented to Jason that Christmas by ourselves would have been a bit dull, but add children to the mix and well, it was a whole lot of fun!!!

So that ends our posts of happenings for 2009. Now on to the New Year...

Christmas Eve Outtakes

I usually weed through the thousands of terrible pictures we take and only post those that are somewhat presentable for this blog. This Christmas Eve however, we took some classic pictures that just need to be included in their own little "blooper" post. Hope you enjoy!!!

An example of the "sibling-love" we often seen displayed around here...a simple hug around the neck, turns into a choke hold which results in lots of squirming and whining from all sides!

"Mary" being a bit seductive to the camera person...

Our "runaway" Joseph in action (he would keep his little costume on for approximately 2.2 seconds before either running around like a madman or tearing it off his head. It was amazing that we even got one halfway decent photo!!)

Like "Mary" in a previous post, Landon became a bit provocative too, showing off his 6-pack abs to the audience. (As you can tell, our dog Maya was quite impressed!!)

This is a cute picture of Abby. You can see the excitement as she opened her brand new princess pajamas. Landon on the other hand...

So there you have it! Thank goodness for digital cameras that let me delete about 90% of the pictures that I take on a regular basis! Hold onto your seats ladies and gentlemen, Christmas morning pictures to follow shortly...

Christmas Eve

We began "the most magical night of the year" in traditional fashion...with pizza and a drive around town to look at lights. I have to admit that Hagerstown cannot compare to the majesty of lighted neighborhoods in my hometown (Grand Junction) but we tried our best to find the most noteworthy homes and did see a few nice ones.

Next up was reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 and watching the movie to get us in the true Christmas spirit...

Then we did our best to act out the story, complete with Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and a hairy (and somewhat possessed-looking) angel...

Then the kids got to open up their Christmas Eve present...new pajamas. They weren't too cooperative when trying to get a picture of them together, but a little cookie-bribing made things go a bit smoother...

We finished off our evening with a little "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" before wisking the kids off to bed so mom and dad...er, I mean "Santa" could spend many hours setting up the house for Christmas morning.

It was a magical evening for us all. Next up...Christmas Eve blooper pics!!!