Welcome to the Zoo

Trust

2012-02-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

Every morning and evening when we walk into the school to drop the kids off or pick them up, P holds my hand and walks blindly around. She'll look all different directions including backward while I hold her hand and lead us to wherever we're going. It struck me the other day as we were walking into the school. I thought, "Wow. How amazing is it that she loves and trusts me enough to let me take her hand and lead her and she doesn't worry or fret or even look ahead because she trusts me enough to lead her to our destination safely."

The fact that someone loves and trusts me that much (times 4!) amazes me. Simply amazes me. It's both incredibly heart warming and terrifying at the same time.

Bedroom Makeover

2012-01-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

The husband and I have been hard at work of the past few days. We spent 2 days completely tearing out our bathroom and replacing everything. Lighting, mirror, sink, faucet, medicine cabinet, flooring, and paint! It took 2 days but it looks amazing. I'll post pictures later in another post. We also switched rooms with the girls to give them more room so in switching rooms, I wanted a room make over. I'm ecstatic! It is so beautiful that I never want to leave! The paint is "Tiffany Blue" as in the Tiffany Co boxes. Love! We painted, took down all beds, reassembled the beds, and switched rooms in one day. Like I said, we've been busy!

Princess Tea Party

2012-01-17T18:04:00.001-05:00

We love

tea parties

yes we do.

We love

tea parties.

How

about

you?

Wardrobe Make Over

2012-01-14T10:52:00.006-05:00

Before I go on, I should probably tell you that this post is going to make me look completely conceited because it has tons of pictures of me, me, me. I'm not conceited, I swear. I'm just super beyond excited to finally get new clothes that fit me great and don't look like I'm drowning in them! Since dropping 7 dress sizes, there really wasn't much of choice but to get new clothes. I donated all of my old ones and have been shopping here and there. My goal was to start dressing nicer and less like that of a 16 year old. I am 25 after all!

These two ^ I picked out.

These two ^ were Christmas gifts from my awesome husband. Does he have good taste or what?

And these two ^ were birthday gifts from my awesome BFF Kerri.

I feel all fashionista-ish at times. Ha! I feel amazing though. I'm so glad that we took this journey to be fit. It feels amazing to be able to run without keeling over!

Cars 2 Birthday Party

2012-01-12T18:39:00.002-05:00

Bubba had a great birthday! We took the kids out to Chuck E Cheese for dinner on his birthday and we all had a blast. His party was Sunday and it was a packed house as usual. I have to tell you about his birthday present though. We usually get the kids one present only and it's whatever they ask for (within reason). With Sissy she wanted her ears pierced, with S she wanted a camera, and with Bubba he wanted this giant fire truck we seen in the store one day. They had tons of these things. So 4 days before his birthday I go to buy one and guess what? No fire truck at all. So I go to the next store and none! I had a mini crisis here. It was all this kid had talked about. I ended up driving all over town going to 8 different stores and couldn't find one even remotely close and barely even any fire trucks at all! I came home and put out an APB on FB and had tons of my friends searching for one. We ended up finding one online at Kmart and available for pick up the next day so I snatched that baby up! Needless to say, we had one happy little boy and it was so worth all the frantic searching!

Kneading the red into that homemade marshmallow fondant and making this cake took forever, in case you were wondering. So glad I don't have anymore cakes to make until S' birthday in August!

Yep, totally worth it!

Like Mother, Like Son!

2012-01-04T10:57:00.002-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy 4th Birthday to Our Son!

2012-01-03T07:20:00.001-05:00

Bubba, today you are four years old! I cannot believe it because it honestly feels like you just turned 3! You've turned into such a little character and are so funny! You love to tell jokes and make people laugh. And you also love to make up silly stories!

You are in your first year of preschool and love it. You also have your first "girlfriend", a girl named Jordyn and she is a twin. You are absolutely smitten with her and it's so funny!

You are roughly 38 pounds and wear size 4t and wear size 9 shoes.

You love to eat and would never stop if we didn't put a limit on it!
You love Cars 2 and firefighters and firetrucks at the moment. And all hot wheels.
You are a dramatic kid, too! I think you get that from me but I'll never tell!
You are such a Daddy's boy that sometimes you'll come to me out of the blue and start crying because you want your daddy home to play with you when he has to work. It's so adorable and heartbreaking at the same time! But, you are still a mama's boy too.

I can't believe that you are already 4 years old! It has flown by so fast! We love you, Baby Handsome!

Big News!

2012-01-01T15:48:00.001-05:00

Our big girl has been potty trained for a couple of weeks now! We are officially done with diapers! It's bittersweet for sure. I don't know what to do with myself! Our "baby" is growing up!

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T22:26:00.001-05:00

The plan was to dress all fancy and play games at home with our little family. But I've spent 3 days taking care of a sick husband of course I woke up feeling like total poo today. I actually even napped for 2 hours which I can never nap! After some medication and a shower and sweating to death while my fever broke, I'm feeling a lot better than earlier today! We've played Kinect, Wii, and watched movies while eating some pizza and cuddled on the couch. It's now 10 pm and I'm starting to get heavy eyed so I'm not sure that we'll make it to see the ball drop. My mind keeps wandering to this night last year. It's the night that my father in law got very sick and it led to his death. That's the main reason why 2011 was such a hard year on us. It's hard to believe that he's been gone almost a year already!

We got a new car, said goodbye to my father in law, said goodbye to cloth diapers as our last "baby" potty trained, sent my first born off to Kindergarten and cried ALL DAY, spent a lot of time with my BFF Kerri, welcomed a new baby niece into our life when my BFF was blessed with a baby girl unexpectedly through the miracle of adoption, had an awesome staycation, lost 30 pounds and reached my goal weight, reconciled with my mom somewhat, had a lot of ups and downs with my sister, delved more into photography, and had many blessed moments.

I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us. Happy New Year!

Christmas Recap

2011-12-29T11:10:00.002-05:00

Oh Haiiiiii! Long time no blog! I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. We had a pretty good one despite some family drama (what's Christmas without someone causing some kind of chaos. Is that normal in other families? Or just mine?) The kids were spoiled, as usual, and they caught Santa putting presents under the tree in the wee hours on Christmas morning. This was their second year catching him! It is so neat! Our friends Dad goes around on Christmas Eve dressed as Santa and wakes the kids up saying "Ho, ho, ho!" as he's pretending to put gifts under the tree. It is so magical for the kids and I believe we'll have believers for years to come. So the run down:

I tortured my kids by making them sit still long enough for some pictures by the tree.

Christmas Eve: We lounged around, baked some cookies, made Jesus a birthday cake, read The Christmas Story and The Night Before Christmas and tucked anxious little people into bed. Once they were asleep, we carefully tucked the presents under the tree and crossed fingers that the little children would stay asleep until Santa showed up around 6:30 the next morning. And they did!

Christmas morning: Santa came, kids went crazy, we went to my husbands grandmas then came back home and cooked dinner for our family and had even more celebration.

We ended up having 6 Christmases in 3 days and it was exhausting, but we're very blessed! How was your Christmas?

Where's my Christmas spirit?

2011-12-19T09:23:00.001-05:00

Christmas is always my favorite time of the year. I absolutely love it. It feels so magical and you see more people than ever doing amazing things like helping people in need. The kids eyes light up like magic. Baking, gift giving, family time. It's just amazing. I adore every aspect of it.

But this year, I just am not into Christmas. And I absolutely hate it! I have tried and tried so hard to be in spirit and it's not working. Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait for Christmas morning to see my children's faces light up. They're going to be over the moon! But the rest? I'm just not in the spirit. I can't even enjoy Christmas music. It makes me sad! I think the biggest reason is that this year is a lot different. It's our first Christmas without my father in law. That makes it very difficult. He wasn't big on holidays or anything but he was always there with us. We're reminded every day that he's not here. We were Christmas shopping the other day and naming off who we had left to get gifts for and J told me that he almost said that we needed to get something for his dad. We both were immediately sad (and now I am crying). It takes your breath away when you have to realize all over again that he's gone. Moments like that are hard. I cannot believe it's been almost a year. All of these firsts without him are tough.

Another reason is that my side of the family is all torn apart thanks to my sister. She is so bad off right now that we have not spoken more than two words in the past year. It breaks my heart because we used to be best friends but the person that she is now is not who my sister is. It's so sad that I can stand in the same room with her for 2 hours and not even say a word to her. And my mom is drinking again. Every day. I only talk to her and see her once a month. My relationship with my family is not the same and I'm working on accepting that.

I think back on last Christmas and now and it's just completely different.

And it's not like I'm moping around sad and depressed. I'm not at all! I'm just not in the Christmas spirit. The kids are so excited and that makes me happy. We are getting ready to start our baking to hand out to family and friends and they're so excited to help us bake. They're counting down the days until Santa comes. And Santa sure spoiled them this year! Christmas Eve were staying with our tradition and making Santa cookies and Jesus his birthday cake. They always love making Jesus a birthday cake. A friend of ours, her dad goes around the neighborhood dressed as Santa in the wee hours in the morning and comes in the house. Last year the kids flipped so I'm hoping he comes again this year! One of my favorite things this year is that the kids "ohhh" and "ahhh" so excitedly when we're driving around at night and they see Christmas lights. Christmas is so magical to them!

I can't even believe that Christmas is less than 6 days away. This year has went so fast it's unreal.

Birthday Party!

2011-12-10T13:54:00.001-05:00

I made her cake 2 days before and she was super excited about it! She had a wonderful party with all of her family and we all just had a blast. The day of her birthday, J and I took her out shopping all day while the other 3 were at school then once we picked the kids up, we all went out to dinner. I was an emotional mess that day. I am having a hard time grasping the reality that the "baby" is now two. We have a two year old! *tear*

Happy 2nd Birthday to our "baby"

2011-12-05T21:27:00.002-05:00

P, tomorrow you are 2 years old. We cannot believe it! 2 years have flown by and especially this past year. It seems as though you just turned one. I'm having a very hard time coping with reality here. I can't believe our "baby" is growing into a little girl. It makes me tear up whenever I think about it! Your birth is on the top 5 best moments of my life!

At 2 years old you:
are 24 pounds.
are sleeping in a toddler bed.
are not potty trained but have used the potty.
wear size 5 shoes.
wear 24 month and 2t clothing.
are getting your 2 year old molars.
are saying about 9 words.

Your favorite:
toys are baby doll items.
food is baked beans.
show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

We're so very blessed to witness you growing and learning. Although you didn't grow under my heart, you have certainly grown in it! We love you so very much miss Gracie-Pooh! Happy 2nd birthday my baby love!

I feel special!

2011-11-21T13:03:00.000-05:00

It all started with Breaking Dawn. Kerri surprised me by taking me out to lunch at Olive Garden, taking me shopping for clothes (on her dime!) and then to see Breaking Dawn. It was such an awesome day. She said that I do so much for them that it was the least she could do. She helped me pick out some "grown up" clothes. It's my mission to get all of the teenage looking clothes out of my closet. We found so many great things. Our best find of the day was this Vera Wang dress for $5.80. Yes, marked down from $55. Insanity! I could not pass that one up for sure.

Now I need somewhere nice to wear it to. I'm a stay at home mom so it's not like I attend many dinner parties or anything. Maybe Joe and I will make it to a fancy dinner sometime in the near future! It makes me feel all womanly and classy. I love it!

Breaking Dawn? Amazing. Enough said.

So after a fantastic day, Kerri drove me home. We pulled up to the house and all the lights were off. We figured (well I did) that the men were being goofy. That's just our husbands. I fully expected to walk in and get scared but as I walked in the lights flashed on and our husbands and the kids jumped out yelling "Surprise" and this is what I saw.

My birthday isn't even until the 29th so they definitely caught me off guard and surprised me! Which is exactly why they did it so early so I wouldn't expect it. Joe and the kids made the cake. I've already spent all of my gift cards buying songs too. It was truly an amazing day and I feel extremely blessed. I've been having a hard time lately so it truly was a wonderful day and had amazing timing.

I stopped having birthdays when I turned 21. Forever 21!

5 months and 30 pounds, a transformation

2011-11-18T21:47:00.000-05:00

*Warning* Picture overload!

When people see the transformation that my and Joe's bodies have undergone, the first thing they ask is "What is your secret? How did you do it?" Joe and I have battled with weight since my first pregnancy. He gained as my belly grew and from then on it was a battle. At first it was just 10 pounds then it just kept going up. In high school I weighed 103 until I got a job working at McDonalds and gained 10 pounds. When I got pregnant with my first I weighed 113. I am only 5 ft 1 so it was a decent weight for me. Joe weighed 170. Over the course of the past few years, my weight fluctuated. I had 2 pregnancies and at 9 months pregnant with my second child, I weighed 157 pounds. Joe didn't weigh himself much. We knew he and I had both gained over the past year. We had a pretty stressful 18 months or so dealing with family issues. Custody issues, family issues, sick parents, both of our dads dying. It was just a stressful year to say the least. Several people asked me if I was pregnant in the span of a few weeks. I felt so disgusting. To have several people ask you if you're pregnant and not be pregnant? Not a good feeling. FYI if you think a woman is pregnant, don't ask her if she is. It's rude.And I saw a video of me at Easter that made me see just exactly why people were asking that. I was appalled. So I got to thinking to myself that I needed to do something to lose weight. I told Joe that it was time to lose the weight. And also, because we want another baby in the near future, we decided being fit and healthy would only help things. So, we decided it was time and the transformation began.

At the end of April, 2011, we stepped on the scale for our initial weights and imagine my shock to see 154 on the scale. I weighed almost as much as I did at 9 months pregnant. I know 154 pounds doesn't sound like much and on a taller person, I would have to agree. But at 5 ft 1, it was not a good look. At all. The fat had no where to go but out! Joe weighed in at 227 pounds. If you're counting, that's 41 pounds heavier than what I weighed my first pregnancy and for Joe, that was 57 pounds heavier than before my first pregnancy. Basically, it wasn't good!

We started by doing a food overhaul. We no longer eat red meats. We eat only turkey (ground turkey, turkey lunch meat, turkey bacon etc) and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and tuna. It sounds boring but there are hundreds of different ways to prepare chicken and to give it flavor! We also dropped pop and sugar anywhere possible. Any place that we could go fat free and/or sugar free, we did it. The one thing that I have not given up in this whole process is my coffee in the morning. I switched to fat free cream and cut my sugar in half but that's the one thing I've kept. We switched all of our condiments out for the lighter versions. Examples: mayo made with olive oil, light ranch. light italian, etc. We switched all of our dairy to 2% (we used to be full fat/whole milk people all the way) - cheese, milk, etc. We also make sure to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. We also eat a lot of those Lean Gourmet, Smart Ones, Michellina's, and Healthy Choice frozen meals in the frozen foods sections. They have amazing selections and most are pretty delicious! All of our breads, waffles, flour etc is whole grain.

If you don't have fatty foods, cookies, cake and candy in your house, you can't eat it. You have to do a food overhaul. Get rid of the junk and bring in healthy stuff. That way if you must snack, you have healthy snacks. You just have to go into this knowing that you CAN do this.

And you have to exercise. There is not a magic, easy, or quick way to lose weight. As much as we wish that there were, there just isn't. If you want to lose the weight, and keep the weight off, you have to make a lifestyle change. You have to eat healthy and stay active. When we started at the end of April, I started running using the app/website C25k (or couch to 5k). I was not a runner and HATE running. But c25k is designed to have you running a 5k at the end of the 9 week program. It starts you off slowly and gradually increases each week. For example the 1st week you'll walk 3 minutes, run 90 seconds and it will alternate for 30minutes. I HIGHLY recommend this. The first week, running 2 minutes killed me. I am proud to say that I finished the whole 9 week program and at the end of it, I was running 2 miles in 20 minutes! It's not 3 miles but it is pretty awesome. ME! The person who can't run! It's amazing! After the 9 week mark, I started doing Zumba for 45 minutes to an hour a day. I work out 3-4 times a week. It's important to workout for at least 3 days a week at least 30 minutes a day. I sometimes go to zumba class or I sometimes bring up my playlist on youtube and make it full screen and do it in my living room. I also have zumba for my xbox kinect. When there is a will, there is a way! My husband runs 4-5 miles 3 times a week. He's a runner and loves to run.

Here is the link to my zumba playlist. Click "play all" and make the screen full screen and get your groove on! This is more than an hour workout and FUN! And it burns amazing calories!

And of course, we use myfitnesspal.com to track every calorie and nutrient that goes into our body. MFP has been such a blessing!

I am a mom to four young children ages 5,3,3, and 2 years old. I also babysit a 10 month old. My life is busy and hectic. There is always cleaning, laundry, errands to do, kids to play with etc. But when I lay the babies down for nap, I do zumba. Or in the evening when my husband gets home from work I"ll sometimes run to class for an hour. You just HAVE to carve out time for yourself. If I can do this, YOU can do this. I promise! My husband runs a restaurant and goes to college full time obtaining his bachelors degree. If we can do this, YOU can do this! You just have to count your calories, exercise, and stay on track. If you do the work and put in the time, you can lose the weight. I dropped about a pound a week. Remember to not get discouraged. It took time to put on the weight and it will take time to get it off. But it will happen!

In 5 months I have lost 30 pounds and 18 inches of fat off of my body. I went from a size 10 to a size 3/4 From 154 pounds to currently 124 pounds. My husband went from 227 pounds to 193 pounds.

This last picture was one year apart. November 2010 on the left, and November 2011 on the right. See what a difference 30 or 40 pounds can make?

We are healthier and more energetic. We feel good about our food choices and most of all, we are setting a great example for our children. "Working out" is a regular part of their vocabulary and they love to try to work out with us. I no longer worry about my husbands heart (he has a history of family heart problems so it was a concern with his weight) or health. I feel more confident in my health as well.

I would gladly help you get started on your weight loss journey. If we can do this, then I promise you that you can. Please feel free to email me at zookeeperjessi@gmail.com

"Trying means attempting without effort. 'Doing' produces results."

Father and Son

2011-11-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

Some of you may remember this post from almost a year ago. Bubba is a daddy's boy through and through. The other day, he sobbed hysterically for over an hour because he missed his daddy while he was at work. It was so sad! "Shaving" together is one of their favorite things to do. I wish I could bottle my kids up and keep them this little for just a while longer. They're too adorable! I took these pictures the other day. Look how much of the baby look Bubba has lost compared to last year.

I'm still here!

2011-11-07T10:22:00.000-05:00

I wanted to thank you all for the sweet comments and emails! I plan to return them soon. I have just been so busy. My friend Jessica gave me tons of ideas of things to blog on to keep the blog alive so hopefully I can kick it up and find time to not be so boring!

I've been so excited to shop for smaller clothes. I went and got 3 outfits yesterday. My clothes have been either way too big so I look like I'm swimming in them, or my style is that of a 16 year old. I am still young, yes, but I am a mother and I want to look like a stylish young mother. Not like I'm 16! So I've been looking forward to buying some grown up clothes. I actually bought heels too! I haven't worn heals in 6 years!

(these are cell phone pics in my dirty mirror that was clean a few days ago. I swear!)

There are a few more but they're taking too long to upload. I'm so excited!

Also, I've been learning to knit and crochet. I feel so crafty!

I Fail!

2011-10-31T10:31:00.000-04:00

At blogging. It's so hard to blog these days because there is just so much going on. And a lot I want to talk about but can't. Or won't. I've kept so much to myself lately. I know a lot of my readers used to read because I did giveaways and I no longer do. It got too be too much. And I know most of my readers loved reading my blog because I shared our life and struggles and it was really raw. I don't do that anymore because there are crazies out there. The result: my blog is boring. And I am losing my passion for blogging. Lose-lose situation here. I've been considering not blogging at all. Does anyone read anymore? I used to be so good with checking my stats and hits and yet I haven't even logged in to see if anyone is reading in months! I am boring. I fail!

At least I still share adorable pictures.

Fall Family Photos 2011

2011-10-25T08:23:00.000-04:00

I love them! My husband lost his wedding ring during the shoot. He's lost so much weight that it just flies off and he was throwing leaves with the kids and it flew off. I hope we can find it somehow. We may need to rent a metal detector.

Reached my goal: 30 pounds lost!

2011-10-20T13:35:00.000-04:00

Saying 30 pounds lost sounds funny. I wish that I somehow magically lost 30 pounds but it doesn't work that way! October 15th, I hit my goal weight of 124 pounds! in 5.5 months I lost 30 pounds, 7 dress sizes, and 18 inches of fat off of my body. I went from having an Obese BMI to being in the normal range. It's crazy to me. Absolutely crazy! Who knew that eating healthy and working out actually worked? I'm going to rewrite my "How we lost the weight" post with more pics but wanted to share this comparison picture.

Left is Easter 2011 and right is a couple weeks ago. Crossing the finish line feels amazing! My focus now is to maintain and tone up.

Cincinnati Walks for Kids: Lincoln's Legacy

2011-10-16T17:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we joined our friends and walked 3 miles with JoEllen and Jason in Lincoln's honor. It was a beautiful day and it was so great to help raise money for the heart institute and walk in Lincoln's honor. I'm still in awe at how many lives have been changed by Lincoln. What an amazing little soul he was!

Lincoln's family <3.

What I've Been Up To

2011-10-11T10:09:00.001-04:00

I am still hesitant to say "I'm a Photographer" because mostly, saying it seems scary as if someone will jump out of the bushes and yell, "You are not a real photographer!" But, this thing is growing into something pretty awesome. I've learned so much and have captured so much beauty that it's just becoming such a passion. I hope that I can continue to grow and learn so that soon I can feel comfortable with saying, "I am a photographer."

Here's some of what I've been doing lately. I've been very busy but I am absolutely loving it!

Right now I'm wading through over 2000 photos but just had to share a few of my favorites. I'm especially partial to this adorable baby with her daddy's fire fighter helmet. She was born 12 weeks early at 2 lbs 2 oz and her aunt and uncle are parenting her and have custody. She is truly a blessing and a miracle!

New clothing sizes!

2011-10-07T13:39:00.001-04:00

Remember this post? Well, those pants were falling down. All of my clothes were ridiculously baggy on me and I needed new clothes ASAP. So I went shopping and got 2 new outfits.

Size 3?!?!? Yep, size 3!! I know my face is ridiculous but I was so happy that I couldn't contain myself. That is 7 dress sizes dropped in 5 months. And no, my body is not perfect at all. I still have belly flab (hidden under the waistline of my pants) I still have love handles (also hidden under my wasitline) and stretch marks like no other. And I don't care! I am just happy to be healthy! I have 2 pounds to go and that will put me at 30 pounds lost and then I am just going to maintain there.

I never want to go back to there again!

The BC Fair 2011 Part 2

2011-10-05T09:56:00.001-04:00

We usually go twice during the week because it's ridiculously hard on our bank account! So we went Tuesday night and Thursday night. Well Saturday morning, a friend gave us 5 free passes. She saved us $40! So we went for 2 hours Saturday just so the kids could ride rides the whole time. They had a blast but it was so cold that we couldn't feel our fingers or toes so we can home around 5 and made chilli and got cozy. The fair is always one of favorite things of fall. Can't wait for next year, P will be big enough to run with the rest of them!

Sissy cried on the ferris wheel but Bubba loved it!

Having 4 kids doesn't mean we're poor

2011-09-29T14:42:00.000-04:00

We were heading to the fair on Tuesday when we had to stop at the gas station to get gas. I sat in the car with the kids while Joe pumped the gas. I saw a man come up to him and start talking to him. The man talked very loudly and I could tell that they knew each other. The man kept looking through the tinted windows of our van and then I heard him ask, "How many kids do you have in there?" My husband told him four. He said "Wow, are they all yours?" And my husband told him yes. They are, afterall, in the grand scheme of it. Then he said something that had me shaking my head in disbelief. He said, "Isn't that hard on you? Like, financially? Do you get help from the state?"

Um, what?

Take a minute to process that.

Who actually asks something like that first of all? My husband simply replied, "No." I was thinking something along the lines of Did that really just happen? Who the %&#@! asks something like that?

We have 4 young kids. And we are not rich. And we are not poor. I have been poor before. I know what it's like to go hungry for days. To not have a place to sleep or warm clothes to wear. That is the reality I grew up with. We are not rich but we do live relatively comfortable. Because we budget. Because we spend our money wisely. Because we cut costs wherever possibly, live within our means, and know how to budget for our family and income. Just because we have four kids does not mean that we get help from the state. And that is not to say that getting help is bad. At all. I fully believe in hard working families getting help when it is needed. This isn't about that. It's about judgemental people. Who are you to judge someone?

I am not sure if this guy was just being curious or what, but his question was very inappropriate. I have thought about it since then and am just still baffled.

I can add that to stupid comments from crazy people in regards to our family size. And here I thought the people who actually pointed at us in the grocery store and laughed and walked away saying, "They're insane!" was the top encounter.

The BC Fair 2011

2011-09-28T19:23:00.000-04:00

Our "Little State Fair" is awesome. We look forward to it every year. And as the kids get older, it's just so much more fun! P got to ride her first ride last night and had loved it. We watched the demolition derby and ate fair food and just had a blast!

Daddy switched out and wore P in the wrap for a while (later we let her loose and she did really well!) and she was just loving on him. It seriously melted me to goo. A huge pile of goo.

And this last one is an iPhone picture but had to share!

Accent Vlog. I'm a dork!

2011-09-25T15:01:00.000-04:00

Ignore my dorkness.

Here is the list of words you have to say:
aunt, route, wash, oil, theatre, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, New Orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, Alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas, caught
The questions are:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on someone's house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it rolls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a large group of people?
What do you call a spider that has an oval shaped body with extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when it rains while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you change the tv channel with?

Weekly Weigh in Week 22

2011-09-23T17:11:00.001-04:00

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 128.4
Current weight: 127.6
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -0.8
Total weight lost: -26.4

3 more pounds until I can officially say I've lost 30. That will put me at 124 pounds (is this really me I'm talking about? Doesn't seem real!) and then I'm going to focus on maintaining! I did my measurements yesterday and have officially lost 16 inches of fat off of my body!

I definitely need new clothes. Even the 5/6 pants I bought in my "new" size are starting to be too loose. It's a great problem to have except I need to find extra funds between Halloween costume shopping and Christmas shopping etc to buy some clothes! Anyone need a kidney? Joking, joking. I really am regretting getting rid of all my skinny clothes last year because I knew I'd never be skinny again. Who knew?!

Things I Keep Forgetting to blog about + pics

2011-09-18T16:50:00.000-04:00

Life is taking over. Blogging is harder to do. Blogging in detail, anyway.

I bought these four little notebook/diary things and labeled them for each child. Each time the kids do something that I want to remember, I jot things down in their designated notebook. Like, "P, today you grabbed my keys and tried to unlock the door over and over again. It was so cute!" Or like last night when the hubs and I came in the door around 11:30 pm, Bubba woke up and ran out of his room crying and wrapped his arms around me whimpering "Mommy, I missed you." I love it!

Speaking of P, she's actually attempting to talk now. Like babbling and some words which as of a few weeks ago, she wasn't doing. Some of new words are backpack, school, sissy, bubba, bye bye and poop. Of course she says some things similar to S, but we're very happy that she is at least attempting to talk now! She starts speech therapy in December when she turns 2. Oh, and she also started pooping on the potty this week! She's 21 months old now. Very exciting happenings around here!

Sissy learned to read. In her 2nd week of Kindergarten. We were doing her homework (5 sheets of homework plus read a book per week - crazy sauce!) and she read me the book all by herself. I nearly cried. Very proud mom moment here! I wrote the teacher a letter the next day thanking her profusely for her amazing work and dedication and when I picked the kids up from school she nearly cried thanking me. She said that she hardly gets anything like that anymore. So glad I wrote that letter! We're very appreciative and so proud of Sissy! Here's the video and excuse my man voice. My voice sounds really bad here for some reason!

Fall has pretty much hit and the weather is glorious. We're gearing up for the county fair. One week and counting!

P and I have been getting a lot of one on one time with the kids all being in school. I forgot what quiet really was. It's been enjoyable and I love spending so much time with P! But I do miss my babies when they're gone!

Remember when S failed her vision testing? We took her to Childrens to see the eye dr and she has perfectly healthy eyes. We were so relieved to hear that!

And just because I love this picture of sissy. Until next time!

Weekly Weigh In Week 21

2011-09-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 129.4
Current weight: 128.4
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.0
Total weight lost: -25.6

Today I reached my original goal weight of 128 pounds. I can't believe I made it here! Even better is that as of a couple weeks ago, I am no longer "obese" when I check my BMI. I am normal!!! I know BMI is just a range, but it feels amazing to not see obese there! I've decided I want to go to 124 pounds. That would put me at 30 pounds lost and I only have 4 more pounds to go. I can do it! Hopefully if I kick my butt into gear extra hard, I can do it before the holidays hit so that I can focus on just maintaining my weight from then on. Here's another comparison picture because actually seeing the progress is my biggest motivation! For more before and after pictures, visit other posts labled "healthy" or click on any weekly weigh in post!

Struggling

2011-09-15T12:42:00.001-04:00

Since Monday, I've been struggling to truly be happy about anything. I have this actual heaviness and heartache in my heart. My worst fear in this whole word is losing one of my babies. To see, and know, that my friends are going through that- living that nightmare, it's absolutely heartbreaking. I cannot even imagine the pain because to just think about it sends me to tears. I am just hurting because my friends are hurting. And I know that it is a billion light years away from the pain that they must be feeling.

It is unimaginable.

JoEllen and Jason came by last night and sat and talked with us for well over an hour while the kids played. It was so nice to sit down and talk with them and to give them a big hug. All of our thoughts and prayers have been focused on them since Monday. They are all we can think about. To actually be able to hug them felt so great. I wish that a hug could take away the pain and sadness. Lincoln was so incredibly blessed to have them as parents. Their faith and love during all of this truly inspires us. They are living every parents worse nightmare and through it all they are still loving and trusting in God and his comfort. Not to say that they aren't in pain or aren't hurting or sad - they are. Of course they are. But they are also still strong in their faith. It's amazing. I have to tell you that I am incredibly proud to be their friends.

JoEllen blogged in great detail about the events of Monday. I cannot read it without crying. I know she appreciates all the love, prayers, and support being sent her way. I ask that you continue to pray for them.

Lincoln is so loved. Even by people he never even met. He was truly a miracle and to see how many people he touched, it's astounding!

God’s Lent Child.

“I’ll lend you for a little while
A child of mine” God said –
For you to love the while he lives
and mourn for when he’s dead.
It may be six or seven years
or forty two or three
but will you, till I call him back,
take care of him for me?

He’ll bring his charms to gladden you
and, should his stay be brief,
you’ll have his nicest memories
as solace for his grief.
I cannot promise he will stay,
since all from earth return
but, there are lessons taught below,
I want this child to learn.

I’ve looked the whole world over,
in my search for teachers true,
and from the things that crowd life’s lane
I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love,
nor think the labour vain,
nor hate me when I come to take
this lent child back again?

I fancied that I heard them say,
“Dear Lord Thy Will Be Done”
for all the joys thy child will bring
the risk of grief will run.
We’ll shelter him with tenderness,
we’ll love him while we may,
and for the happiness we’ve known
forever grateful stay.
But, should thy Angels call for him
much sooner than we planned,
we’ll brave the grief that comes
and try to understand.

God chose them to be Lincoln's parents for a reason.

Devastated.

2011-09-13T13:23:00.001-04:00

Lincoln passed away last night at 8:01 pm peacefully and lovingly in his mommy and daddy's arms.

As I type that, the tears are flowing.

JoEllen told me yesterday morning that Lincoln was going to be passing soon and I sobbed and prayed the entire day. I did nothing but sit by my phone and cry. Kerri and I had the opportunity to go see him Sunday morning and I am so glad we did. He was so precious laying there sleeping with his adorable, soft, fuzzy head of hair. We talked with JoEllen about everything and how his future was uncertain. Though, we left there with a little bit more hope that he was going to pull through this. His passing is just devastating. My heart hurts so incredibly much for our friends. I cannot get them out of my head. The pain is unimaginable. I ask that you pray for peace and comfort for them as they face this incredibly tough time in their lives.

Lincoln fought long and hard as he waited for a new heart. He is one of the bravest, strongest, babies I have ever met and has touched so many people in his 3 months here on earth. He was truly a miracle.

I snapped this shot of Lincoln Sunday morning. He was so beautiful. Again, please pray for my friends. You can read her post about his passing here. Please let her know you're thinking of her and praying for her.

ETA: The Nobles are asking that instead of flowers etc, they would love for people to donate to the Greater Cincinnati Heart Institute in Lincolns Honor. You can donate here. Thank you.

Lincoln

2011-09-10T15:29:00.000-04:00

You can read previous posts about Lincoln Here and Here.

Since those posts, Lincoln has been in the hospital. He's had a few ups and downs but has been doing okay. He was put on ECMO because his heart just couldn't support his body anymore and was doing well on the ECMO. Well being on the ECMO caused a brain bleed that they've been monitoring. It has gotten worse and worse and today they learned that it's so bad that Lincoln has to come off of the ECMO, which is essentially keeping him alive. They're trying to decide if they should attempt to drain the bleed on his brain before it causes damage. No word on that yet. They say that Lincoln will only survive a few days without ECMO and he cannot go back on it.

This is devastating. Talking with his mommy has me sobbing. This is awful. No parent should ever have to face this. The possibility that you may lose your child. It's devastating. There are no words.

There is a slight chance that Lincoln could hold out and get relisted for a new heart after a few days if the bleed is able to be drained and he remains stable. It's a slim chance because his heart is so bad. But miracles DO happen. This is where we need you to pray. Pray that Lincoln remains stable somehow and that the bleed resolves or is able to be drained and that he can get a new heart before his health starts to decline off of the ECMO. He needs a miracle. His parents need a miracle.

Please, please, please pray for my friends and their baby. Please. Here is the link to her blog.

Weekly Weigh In Week 20 - Hello 120's!!!!

2011-09-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 131.4
Current weight: 129.4
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -2.0
Total weight lost: -24.6

I cannot believe that I am in the 120's! I never thought that I'd see this day again! I am beyond excited and so proud of myself. When I started, 25 pounds seemed like it would never happen. Yet here I am, 4 months later and 25 pounds lighter. I am healthier and happier. I worked my butt off to get here, literally. Some people have told me that I'm lucky. No, I'm not lucky! I did the work to get here. I made the lifestyle change! Luck has nothing to do with it. It is dedication and will power! I am so proud of myself! (And I hope that doesn't make me sound cocky - because I'm totally not, just very proud that I did the work 100% to get here.)

People are always asking me what I did to lose the weight so I wanted to share this with you. It's a blog I wrote on myfitnesspal.com. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, especially my husband. It has helped so much. And if you need support, please feel free to contact me! Add me on myfitnesspal.com my email is zookeeperjessi@gmail.com or my screen name is zookeeperjess.

How I lost the weight
Posted on 09/06/2011 by zookeeperjess

I get asked this all of the time and I've messaged several people explaining what we did, but I figure this is easier so that everyone can come back to here and read it when they need to.

My husband and I were very active in high school. He wrestled and played football, and I played softball. My weight always fluctuated from 103-110. I'm only 5 ft 1 inch so I'm a small person. When I had my first baby at 19, I gained 39 pounds and dropped all but 10 pounds. Then when she was 7 months old, we were pregnant with our second baby and again, I tacked on another 10 pounds afterwards. Of course my husband gained weight right alond with me.

We tried a few times to lose weight but after a couple weeks we would just quit.

February 2010, a huge personal issue happened and long story short - my husband and I were granted custody of my nieces after an 8 month long drama/stress fest in and out of court with my sister. Over the past 18 months, the stress of everything really got to me. I am not a big eater but they say that stress makes your body store fat and I fully believe it because I gained close to 30 pounds over the past 18 months. We had a lot of life changes. We went from having a 3 and 2 year old one night to having a 3 year old, 2 year old, 18 month old, and 2 month old. Just like that. On top of dealing with my sister and court and everything - it just took a huge toll on me both mentally and physically. In October, we were finally granted full legal custody of my nieces and I was able to breathe a little easier.

In April 2011 - I saw a video of me at Easter and was appaled. I looked huge. I hated it. I stepped on the scale the next day to find the number 154 blaring at me. I was 157 the day before I delivered my second baby. I almost weighed as much as I did at 9 months pregnant. That then was the kick I needed to lose the weight. I told my husband that it was time we got into shape and he agreed and the next day we started our life style change.

We started by doing a food overhaul. We no longer eat red meats. We eat only turkey (ground turkey, turkey lunch meat, turkey bacon etc) and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and tuna. It sounds boring but there are hundreds of different ways to prepare chicken and to give it flavor! We also dropped pop and sugar anywhere possible. Any place that we could go fat free and/or sugar free, we did it. The one thing that I have not given up in this whole process is my coffee in the morning. I switched to fat free cream and cut my sugar in half but that's the one thing I've kept. We switched all of our condiments out for the lighter versions. Examples: mayo made with olive oil, light ranch. light italian, etc. We switched all of our dairy to 2% (we used to be full fat/whole milk people all the way) - cheese, milk, etc. We also make sure to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. We also eat a lot of those Lean Gourmet, Smart Ones, Michellina's, and Healthy Choice frozen meals in the frozen foods sections. They have amazing selections and most are pretty delicious! All of our breads, waffles, flour etc is whole grain.

If you don't have fatty foods, cookies, cake and candy in your house, you can't eat it. You have to do a food overhaul. Get rid of the junk and bring in healthy stuff. That way if you must snack, you have healthy snacks. You just have to go into this knowing that you CAN do this.

And you have to exercise. There is not a magic, easy, or quick way to lose weight. As much as we wish that there were, there just isn't. If you want to lose the weight, you have to make a lifestyle change. You have to eat healthy and stay active. When we started at the end of April, I started running using the app/website C25k (or couch to 5k). I was not a runner and HATE running. But c25k is designed to have you running a 5k at the end of the 9 week program. It starts you off slowly and gradually increases each week. For example the 1st week you'll walk 3 minutes, run 90 seconds and it will alternate for 30minutes. I HIGHLY recommend this. The first week, running 2 minutes killed me. I am proud to say that I finished the whole 9 week program and at the end of it, I was running 2 miles in 20 minutes! It's not 3 miles but it is pretty awesome. ME! The person who can't run! It's amazing! After the 9 week mark, I started doing Zumba for 45 minutes to an hour a day. I work out 3-4 times a week. It's important to workout for at least 3 days a week at least 30 minutes a day. I sometimes go to zumba class or I sometimes bring up my playlist on youtube and make it full screen and do it in my living room. I also have zumba for my xbox kinect. When there is a will, there is a way! My husband runs 4-5 miles 3 times a week. He's a runner and loves to run.

Here is the link to my zumba playlist. Click "play all" and make the screen full screen and get your groove on! This is more than an hour workout and FUN! And it burns amazing calories!

And of course, we use myfitnesspal.com to track every calorie and nutrient that goes into our body. MFP has been such a blessing!

Like I said before, I am a mom to four young children ages 5,3,3, and 21 months old. I also babysit a 7 month old. My life is busy and hectic. There is always cleaning, laundry, errands to do, kids to play with etc. But when I lay the babies down for nap, I do zumba. Or in the evening when my husband gets home from work I"ll sometimes run to class for an hour. You just HAVE to carve out time for yourself. If I can do this, YOU can do this. I promise! My husband runs a restaurant and goes to college full time obtaining his bachelors degree. If we can do this, YOU can do this!

In 4 months I have lost 25 pounds and nearly 5 inches off of my waist. I went from a size 10 to a size 5/6. From 154 to currently 129 pounds.

My husband went from 227 to 187 pounds! We feel amazing and so much healthier! Even better, we are setting an example for our kids. They love to try to workout with us and they know that exercise is a normal thing in our house. I love it! The past 4 months have been so worth it!

Sissies birthday gift....

2011-09-07T17:32:00.002-04:00

She's been asking for forever and we always said when she was 5 we'd consider it. Can't believe that the time has already come! We talked to her about it for 3 months prior, preparing her for the pain. She insisted she didn't care and wanted to go through with it, so she did!

She cried for about 60 seconds and then saw them in the mirror and all was awesome in the world. She adores having her ears pierced!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Girls Party - My Little Diva's!

2011-09-05T21:26:00.000-04:00

We had a zebra and hot pink themed party.The girls had a blast and the party lasted over 6 hours! I was super happy with how the cake and cookies turned out. I love when I get this little idea in my head and then bring it to life!

PS - my camera was passed around as I was running around like a crazy fool. My little helpers did great, though!

Happy 5th Birthday!

2011-09-03T08:19:00.000-04:00

Today my baby, the angel who made me a mother, turns 5 years old. I can't believe it. Honestly can't. It seems as though it were yesterday that she was born. And she was such a beautiful, perfect baby. She truly lit up my life! It's so hard to believe that she's already 5 and in Kindergarten.

Time? Yea you. Please slow down!

We love you so much! I look at you and I see myself in you and it just blows my mind. You are so incredibly smart and beautiful. I know that you are going to make a difference in this world. Mommy and Daddy love you! Happy Birthday!

Weekly Weigh In Week 19!

2011-09-02T10:01:00.002-04:00

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 134.0
Current weight: 131.4
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -2.6
Total weight lost: -22.6

Can you say wooooohooooo!? I cannot believe that I am so close to seeing 120's on the scale again. I never, ever thought that this would happen. I never thought I could do this. But I did!

Here I am saying goodbye to my favorite size 10's from Old Navy. I love, love, loved these but I would be lying if I said that I'm going to miss them. I am going to keep them for when I'm done losing and just focusing on maintaining (for comparison sake) but the rest of my size 10's are being given away. I have no want or need for them ever again!

Most days I don't feel like I've lost much at all. But then I look at the pictures and the size difference in my clothes and I can actually see the difference. More importantly, I feel healthier. I am doing this. I have done this, and I can keep doing this. And I'm here to tell you that if I can do this, you can to! You really can!

My babies 1st day of Preschool!

2011-08-31T17:52:00.001-04:00

I can't believe the time has come. I now have 3 of my babies in school. This is insane. The twins (ha!) have been asking if it was time to go to school for forever now. Like every second of every single day. So yesterday when I walked into their room in the morning and asked if they were ready to go to school, Bubba looked at me and said, "We get to go to school today?!" And I said yep, it's time to get dressed then you get to go!" And the most adorable, funniest thing happened! He started jumping up and down screaming "Yay!!!! We get to go to "chool! I so essited!!!" And ran over and hugged my leg jumping up and down. So stinkin' cute, I swear!

Joe and I took them to school and stayed with them until class got underway. Bubba was not nervous at all. He actually asked if we were going to leave and J said yea and then I asked if he would miss me and he said no! I guess it's a good thing that he's independent, right? S was real nervous and kept coming over to me hugging my leg saying "Mommy" so I was really nervous she'd cry for me. If she had cried, I would be a mess. It was really hard for me to leave her. (Side note here- as I walked away I knew Bubba was fine so all I could think about was S and if she'd be okay and a few tears started welling up (me, not her!) and then it hit me that this is one of those moments. One of those moments when I realize that I am a mommy to her. One of those little milestones that I'm really not supposed to be a part of yet here I am, being her mommy. Worrying about her. Afraid to leave her. Watching her grow and explore and knowing she was doing it without me. Without both of her moms. It was bittersweet.) But as I turned and walked out of the classroom door, I peaked back inside and they were both playing and smiling and I knew that they would be okay.

And they were. They both had a great day and cannot wait to back tomorrow. They loved it! The teacher said Bubba did get weepy around nap time but I know it was because he was insanely tired and wouldn't nap during nap time. S also did not nap at naptime (they have naptime but those who refuse to nap have to have quiet time). Let me tell you, quiet time just does not cut it. S came home and had a 40 minute crying and screaming fit and then proceeded to pass out laying on Daddy and completely crashed. After 30 minutes of sleeping on him, he laid her down on the couch and I picked her up and kissed her face all over and she didn't even wake up. She was worn out! Hopefully they take naps tomorrow!

Okay, after the novel here comes the flood of pictures!

It's insane how big they're getting. Joe and I were completely lost with just P. And so was she. She was a mess and was crying anytime I put her down allllll day. We're all going through so major changes 'round these parts!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2011-08-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

S, today you turn 3 years old. I can't believe it! 3 years ago today I held your mommies hand as you entered the world. It was one of the proudest moments of my life! So much has changed since then. You have grown so much and have learned so much, too. You're losing your baby look and are turning into a little girl more and more every day. Your beautiful blue eyes and long ringlets of curly hair are just too much to take!

You sometimes talk so much that Daddy and I just stare at each other and think "Wow!" Because this time last year we just hoped and prayed that you would talk soon. We're just so proud at how far you've come! Tomorrow you start preschool and it's going to be so hard for me to let you go. You are so excited, though, and I think you will really love it.

You are wearing size 3t clothes and are a petite little thing. You are 27 pounds. Wear size 7 shoes. Your favorite color in the whole world is "welwow" and your plates, cups, forks etc must all be yellow. You love playing with baby dolls non stop. And you're getting really good at doing puzzles.

Tonight, we're continuing our birthday tradition and taking you out to dinner. Afterward, you get to go pick out a toy with the gift card your Mamaw G got you. You're going to have a wonderful birthday! You are so excited for your birthday party this weekend!

We love you so much and are so proud of you! Happy Birthday, big girl!

Weekly Weigh In Week 18 . Twenty pounds lost!

2011-08-27T09:12:00.004-04:00

Yea, last week I didn't post because I was mad and also because I had other posts I wanted to post instead. So here's the skinny:

I had a bad Friday 2 weeks ago. I ate 2 bad meals on Friday. I weighed three pounds more the next day and it took me the entire week to work off those 3 pounds. And on Weigh in last week, I was still .7 pounds over my previous weight the week before. I was angry. I really beat myself up for letting 2 bad meals ruin 2 weeks like that! Never again, never again! So, I'm finally back to losing the weight, even though it took 2 weeks to lose a pound thanks to that bad day. Just one bad day! Grrr!

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 135.4
Current weight: 134.0
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.4
Total weight lost: -20

All in all, I'm super happy to finally have reached my 20 pounds lost mark. I am just six pounds away from my original goal weight of 128! I'm so excited!

The old me...

And the new me!

Well, she's a Kindergartner

2011-08-26T12:59:00.001-04:00

I left her at 9:05 am and started crying around 9:07 am and it's now 12:26 pm and I am still having moments of emotional outbursts. This is just crazy. I cried more than an hour after I dropped her off and the tears just won't stop. By far one of the emotional days of my life. She did wonderful and kissed me goodbye and said see ya like I knew she would. And I did get teary eyed as I was walking away but did not cry until I got to my car. I felt the tears coming and looked over to one of the dads who had just dropped his kindergartner off as well, and he was bawling! And that was it, I was a goner.

No one tells you how hard it is to let them grow up. So for those of you who have not made it this far yet, let me tell you. It is flippin hard.

Dutch braid!

Silly Daddy!

*Sigh* How I'm going to endure this first day of Kindergarten thing through three more kids is beyond me. Too much to think about!

T'was the Night Before Kindergarten....

2011-08-25T20:57:00.000-04:00

And all through the house,
not a creature was stirring....
well except for the cat, Frisky, and maybe a mouse.
Her book bag sat by the door, with care.
In hopes that soon, 7 am would be there.

The princess was nestled all snug in her bed,
While visions of ABC's and 123's danced in her head;
And Mama in her pj's and Daddy counting sheep,
Had just settled down for a (very) short night's sleep.

Tonight is my little girls last night as a preschooler. Tomorrow morning I take her to school at 8:45 am and she is officially a kindergartner.

*Cue the hysterical sobs*

PS
How do you like my awesome poetry skills?

PSS Pray that I can make it to my car until I start to cry tomorrow. K? Thanks.

6 Reasons to Have 6 Kids

2011-08-24T14:26:00.000-04:00

My friend Andrea posted this and I had to share. I don't have 6 kids, obviously, but I love this!

Six Reasons to Have Six Kids

By Julie Cole on August 23, 2011

Julie Cole is the co-founding VP of Mabel’s Labels, the leading provider of labels for the stuff kids lose!

Like her on Facebook - Mabel's Labels or follow on Twitter @juliecole and @mabelhood

When people hear that I have six kids, the reaction is usually entertaining. Sure, there are some days when I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into, worry about the world they’ll inherit, and/or consider the environmental footprint of a family like mine. But most of the time I just celebrate how awesome it is to have six kids. Here are a few reasons why!

1) It’s Cheaper

A couple of years ago when the recession hit, I was interviewed and wrote articles about whether the economic recession would affect my decision to have another child. The short answer was “No.” I don't let little things like common sense, birth control, and economic disaster stop me from having babies.

I believe that for the most part, children are as expensive as you make them. Sure there is that initial cash outlay with the first child, but if you go on to have several children you are really just getting more bang outta your buck. When I look at our battered bassinet, stained stroller, filthy crib and tired changing table, I feel like we got a good value for our dollar. And talk about a good hand-me-down situation, in the clothing department. My last couple of babies don’t know what new clothes feel like.

I can see that they might get expensive as they start heading off to college, but we’ve got some sensible educational savings plans going and besides, my kids will not be served up a post-secondary education on a platter. Summer jobs and student loans exist for a reason, and I have no problem seeing mine work to earn their educations.

Being able to “afford” children is relative. I can’t afford a flashy car, but I can afford six kids. There are people with flashy cars who can’t afford another child. Whatever turns your crank.

2) You Have Nice Kids

People often comment that kids from big families seem “nice.” Sure, it’s a generalization, but I’ve got a few theories on this one. One of the reasons they're nice is because it is difficult to spoil them. Certainly there are children from small families who are not spoiled, but spoiling children in large families is nearly impossible. I simply can’t (and won’t) buy identical high-end expensive toys and gadgets for my kids. Most things they have, they share. I also can’t wait on them hand and foot. If I fetched each kid a snack every time they were hungry, I’d be fetching snacks all day long. My 6-year-old has been getting her own breakfast for as long as I remember. Older kids might help out the younger ones with a bowl of cereal or glass of juice. The fact is, they are fairly independent and helpful - and they have to be if they want to have snacks.

So it would appear that kids who are independent, not materialistic and know how to share seem to be perceived as “nice” by the general population.

3) You’re Not Sleeping Anyway

Let’s face it, when you have small kids, you’re already lacking sleep, a social life or even time to sit down to eat. You’ve been mistaken for a zombie at work, and you never go anywhere without a diaper bag. An overnight trip requires a mini-van packed with porta-cots, strollers and twelve changes of clothes for when your baby spits up. You’re already thick into the parenting lifestyle and a couple of extra kids are not going to make that exponentially harder. If you’ve gone from one kid to two, you’ve done the hard part. Sure, things can be pretty hairy at times, but for every time a point goes on the “hassle” side, the “this is awesome” side gets 100 points. Those are the kinds of stats I can live with.

4) You Have A Built-In Entertainment System

I don’t hear the words “I’m bored” very often. Mostly because it’s like begging for a chore, or perhaps because my kiddos know my response would be “only boring people are bored.” The reality is, my kids have built-in playmates. Sure they bicker but often they disappear into the basement or outside for hours. No mama entertainment required. I like doing activities with my kids, but the idea of playing Barbie or My Little Pet Shop is enough to make me want to poke my eyes out. My mama friends of singletons report that playing with Barbie well and truly loses its shine once you hit 35. As for my babies - they just happily pass their days being constantly entertained by the fun and antics that surround them.

5) It Makes Them Social

It just so happens that my eldest child has autism. If you have a child with deficits in communication, social skills and imaginative play, you can see the value of having three little sisters by the age of five. Those girls have talked to him, engaged him and dragged him into imaginative play as if it were their jobs. He couldn’t escape socialization - eating with them, bathing, and sharing a room. Did I have a big family because of his autism? Nope, but the very best thing I’ve done for this kid is load him up with siblings. My son runs with the pack and my expectations of him are raised because he needs to pull his weight in this family, just like everyone else.

6) Guess Who is Not Going Into a Retirement Home!

That’s right. Those six people can take turns passing me around. I might even fake a bit of incontinence as payback for the twelve years of diaper changing. And they should consider themselves lucky - they won’t have three human beings in diapers at once, like some of us have.

BONUS REASON: I think these faces speak for themselves

School Jitters

2011-08-23T11:57:00.000-04:00

Sissy goes to Kindergarten on Friday. That is less than three days away. And I am already a nervous wreck. And, no, not because I am worried she won't do well, but but because I am worried that I won't do well. This is my tiny 6 pound 13 ounce baby that I'm sending away into the arms of strangers.

She is growing up.

I know what you people are thinking. Probably yelling at your screens "C'mon it's not like she's getting married she's five for goodness sake!" But this is a huge change. This is the start of her truly going from a toddler to a little girl. Making friends and learning something new. Being away from me for 35 hours a week.

Oh em gee. 35 hours a week. She's rarely ever been away from me more than a couple hours a week!

Honestly, I'm not as crazy as I sound. Parts of me want to keep her in this house and baby her forever and parts of me know that I have to let her go and grow up. I do want to keep her home forever but I won't and I am excited for her to learn and grow. I really am. It's just the letting go and admitting that she is growing up is what is the hard part. She will do fine and dandy. I know it. She already went to Kindergarten Camp last Tuesday and did fantastic and when I picked her up she was so excited to go back. She will do fantastic. Now me? I can almost guarantee I am going to be crying Friday. I cry thinking about it. I'm going to try to put my big girl panties on and not sob hysterically until I make it to my car but I can't make any promises.

Pray for me ya'll.

(After I picked her up from Kindergarten Camp)

Monkey Bread

2011-08-22T10:09:00.000-04:00

So if you're like me and live under a rock and have never heard of monkey bread let me introduce you to it. And you're welcome. Your thighs may not thank me, but your mouth will!

Warm, gooey, sweet, sticky heaven.

Sad Dreams

2011-08-20T09:43:00.000-04:00

I had a dream the other night. It started off so happy. I just remember feeling on top of the world kinda happy. For some reason something happened. J and I got into an argument or something and I was suddenly sad. I decided I wanted to go walk to my father in laws house and go talk to him. So I walked to his house and when I got there, my sister in law was leaving and it suddenly hit me that he wasn't here anymore. Somehow, in my dream, I had forgotten that he had passed away. And the realization in my dream brought me to tears and as soon as I woke up, it felt as though we had just lost him all over again.

It was terrible.

Most of the time it feels like we can just drive over and see him. J told me the other day as he was working on the car that he almost picked up the phone to call him and ask him a question about a part. Talk about heartbreaking. We love and miss him every single day.

18 months already!

2011-08-19T08:00:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that it's been 18 months ago today that the girls came to live with us. Those first few weeks were such a blur. It was an adjustment going from two kids ages three and under to having four kids ages three and under. Especially because it was just a sudden "Hey, you have two extra kids!" type deal. The circumstances bringing the girls here were crazy and beyond sad but we are so very thankful to God for bringing them here to us. They have grown and changed so much. It's unbelievable. I just can't believe it!

There is no handbook written for our situation. Sometimes, I just really wish there were such a thing! But we deal with it as it comes. We were laying in bed with P the other morning and we were kissing her and she was just giggling and she ran off into the living room and I told Joe how crazy it was that technically speaking, she isn't "ours". Of course she is our baby (we've had her since she was 2 months old) but sometimes it's easy to forget that I didn't birth her. She has two moms. And like I said, there is no handbook for this type of thing so it just is what it is! We love these girls so very much and they are a perfect addition to our family. I can't believe it's been 18 months because it has flown by. I cannot explain to you how fast this has gone. I feel like I blinked and bam a whole stinkin' year and a half has gone by! But, at the same time, it feels like they have always been here with us. Crazy how that happens!

Nature Center

2011-08-18T10:36:00.000-04:00

We love this place! These pictures were taken in the "Playscape" area of the Nature Center that just opened on Tuesday. The concept is a safe place to play but being about as natural as you can get. It was tons of fun and the kids had a blast!

A day in Xenia

2011-08-17T14:54:00.000-04:00

Monday I picked up my granny and we drove to Xenia to spend the day with my Aunt Annie. Only the most beautiful best aunt eva! The kids had a blast. She even bought them little toys and cotton candy and made us some delicious food. We had such a great time and cannot wait to go back up next month!

P was so sticky and dirty by the time we left that I stripped her down to her diaper and strapped her in the car!

My grandma gave me this

2011-08-16T16:38:00.000-04:00

She said that every time she uses it, she thinks of me and wants me to have it.

One word: love.

Enjoy!

2011-08-15T12:33:00.000-04:00

Had another photo shoot with miss Oliva this weekend. She is too adorable for words!

Love her!

2011-08-14T16:02:00.000-04:00

It's her favorite thing to do these days. That grin is just too much!

Weekly Weigh In Week 16

2011-08-12T14:24:00.000-04:00

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 136
Current weight: 134.8
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.2
Total weight lost: -19.2

So close to 20. So close.

Rocking my size 5/6 jeans. Size 5/6!!!. We went clothes shopping last week and I was totally shocked that I'm a 5/6 now when four months ago I was a size 10!

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 189.4
Current weight: 187.2
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -2.2
Total weight lost: -39.8

He's been pushing out 4-5 mile runs this week. He's awesome!

Getting ready and really starting to freak out!

2011-08-11T14:34:00.000-04:00

It's getting so close. It's almost time for me to send my very first baby off to Kindergarten and following behind her, Bubba and S will be going to preschool! Really, I don't know how I'm going to cope with this! I'm already so anxious just thinking about it. Good thing Joe is going to be there to hold my hand when I send them off to school!

We've been spending time reviewing going over things to get them ready for school. Sissy is working on writing her letters and writing her name and S and Bubba have been working on recognizing their letters and shapes. We have a lot of neat flash cards and workbooks for those but sometimes I just draw lines and let Sissy practice writing. Here's some pictures from our learning time this morning. They worked for over 2 hours. I couldn't pull them away! But I guess that's a good thing, right? Oh, and we have some fun apps on our iPhone's too that make learning really fun! And yes, they're half naked. It's how we roll.

Of course we've done all of our school shopping already. The kids picked out their backpacks and lunch boxes and they're so excited!

Bubba's , S', and Sissies

And of course, school supplies. Their lists were crazy and we spent a pretty penny just on supplies alone. Bubba and S' bags weigh at least 10 pounds a piece. I had to triple bag them for reals!

And our favorite, clothes! Who doesn't like shopping for clothes?

These are Sissies. Of course she still has tons of pants and shoes aside from this that still fit her from her previous wardrobe.

These are S'. Of course she has tons of pants and shoes not pictured too.

And Bubba's. He has new shoes and lots of 3t pants not pictured also.

I can't believe I'm about to send my babies off to school. Ahh! I'm scared! But they are excited. These things are always so much harder on me than them!

Things that make me smile

2011-08-09T21:23:00.000-04:00

I'm having a hard time finding time to blog. Like for real blog. We're just busy! I started zumba classes again too so that takes a little chunk out of me evenings but it's so worth it! I wanted to jot down some things for my memory. There are these little things that I don't want to forget and I know I will so I'm jotting them down.

Sissy is about to start kindergarten and it's like she suddenly went from a 4 year old to a 5 year old this past month. She says the funniest little things like earlier today she said, "Man this book has like a thousand animals!" Or "Wow that's just so beautiful! It's so colorful!" She talks like crazy anyway but she's just saying all these big kid things now.

Bubba has been going through this phase for a while now where he's just obsessed with the police. He calls them "beeps" and honestly, I get upset when someone corrects him because it's just too dang adorable to hear him say it! For instance, any time we go somewhere, no matter where we are he points out the police first and gets so excited. Future policeman on our hands?

S is saying all kinds of things. Her vocabulary compared to this time last year is a hundred times better. She can even say words like "zumba" and her favorite color "wellow". She says "Otay" for okay, and again, I find this beyond adorable. One of my favorite things about her is that when she is upset, she will tell you. She'll pout and cross her arms and I'll say "S, are you mad?" She'll look up at me with those big blue eyes and say "uh huh" in the cutest little words. It's adorable.

P is at the stage where she's putting everyone's shoes on and walking all over the house. I must make it a point to snap some pictures of her doing this. It's just too cute. Also, she enjoys running away from me and laughing about it. Especially while bare bottomed. And she has an adorable pouty face.

Seeing the kids with my grandma makes me smile, too.

Until next time!

New pants size! So stinkin' excited!

2011-08-07T21:30:00.000-04:00

We haven't tried on new clothing sizes since we started losing weight. I only bought a couple long flowy skirts to tie me over until I wanted to buy new clothes. Yesterday we went shopping and tried on new clothes. Before starting our weight loss journey, I was a size 10. These pants?

Size 5/6!!!!!!!

I tried on a pair of pants before this at old Navy and they were 6'as and fit good with room too. These are Aeropostale and have a little bit of room too. Even though I still plan to lose another 5-10 pounds, I bought these. I am so excited! And to make it even better, I stepped on the scale this morning and weighed 135. One more pound to go until I reach my 20 pounds lost mark!

And Joe has lost 38 pounds. He looks amazing. Just amazing!

Smaller pant sizes and smaller shirt sizes. We're not afraid of body shots anymore! *grin*

Weekly Weigh In Week 15

2011-08-05T12:10:00.000-04:00

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 138
Current weight: 136
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -2.0
Total weight lost: -18.0

I can't believe I've lost 18 pounds! I am so so excited! I cannot wait to reach that 20 pound mark! I'm hoping to pull it off this week but I usually don't pull a 2 pound weight loss like I did this week. I'm gonna try it again though!

The left is May 30th and the right is this week. My face is definitely slimming.

Joe is pretty much focusing on maintaining his weight now. He lost 38 pounds and I'm so proud of him!

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 192.2
Current weight: 189.4
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -0.0
Total weight lost: -37.6

A Day in the Life

2011-08-03T09:17:00.000-04:00

These are always so fun to read and I've been wanting to do one for quite a while.

6:40 am - my alarm clock (aka Bubba) wakes us up.

6:45 - the big girls are up and climb into bed. Joe gets P out of her crib and we snuggle for a good 10 minutes.

7:15 - send Joe off to work. He messed up shaving and his face is now bald. He looks so different! It's funny. I joke that my husband will be mad if he catches him here.

8:00 - make the kids pancakes and make a pot of coffee. I made them some whole wheat cinnamon pancakes a few days ago that were not the best so I vowed to make them yummy pancakes today. Mission accomplished. Let the dogs out to potty.

8:30 am - start a load of laundry. Unload the dishwasher, load the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher. Change P's diaper. Feed all the animals.

8:40 am - usual cleaning regime. Dust, wipe down tables and counters, vacuum.

9:00 am - wipe down sticky kids and get them dressed for the day. Tame their crazy bed heads.

9:20 - I get dressed for the day.

9:30 am - finally sit down with a cup of coffee while the kids play for a bit.

10:00 am - switch out laundry, start another load. Put dinner on in the crockpot. Taco soup. YUM.

10:00-11:00 - read stories with the kids and play for a bit.

11:00 - Joe (our friend) drops off miss Olivia. I start gathering lunch.

11:30 - change Olivia's and P's diaper. Serve lunch.

12:00 - wipe down the kids, send them to go potty and tuck them into bed. Feed Olivia her bottle and then put her down for nap.

12:05- nap time for kids is relax time for me? Another load of laundry out and another started. Drink more coffee and watch some tv for a bit while folding laundry.

12:10- let the dogs out to go potty.

12:30- unload and load the dishwasher again.

12:40 - I should really eat lunch. I eat some raisin bran cereal.

1:00 - get laundry out of the dryer and switch over the washer and start another load. (see a pattern here? and it had only been 2 1/2 days since I last did all of the laundry)

1:05 - fold more laundry. Watch some tv.

1:30 - Olivia is awake. We play and cuddle for a few minutes. Diaper change.

1:45 - the kids are all awake. Change P's diaper. I put on some fresh beat band to tie them over until I get all of the laundry put away.

2:00-2:40 - putting laundry away. Ughhhh.

3:00 - snack time for the kids. S and P chose raisins and Bubba and Sissy chose granola bars. Olivia doesn't have a choice but she doesn't protest.

3:30 more playtime with the kids. The girls play castles sweetly and gently, Bubba plays trucks. Crashing his firetruck and police car together. Boys and girls are so different. I have Olivia cracking up telling her that her feet are stinky. She's too cute.

3:30-4:30 - story time. The kids take turns "reading" me stories and then I read them some too.

4:30 - Olivia's bottle time. Change her and P again. Olivia goes back down for her second nap.

4:30-4:45 ish - help the kids pick up their rooms and the toys strung around the living room.

5:00 sit down for a cup of coffee. I believe I need coffee to survive.

5:30 - fold the last load of laundry. Whites and socks. And put them away. I'm done with laundry until Thursday when I get to do it all again. Wait, my bedding needs washed like yesterday. Start the washer and load them in. At least no folding is required, I guess.

5:40 Mimi arrives to pick up Romeo (yes I babysit and dogsit!) and Kerri arrives to pick up Olivia. Joe also arrives home from work.

6:00-6:20 serve dinner outside on the back deck. I scarf down my bowl and kiss my lovlies goodbye and head out the door to zumba.

6:45 I arrive to zumba 15 minutes early. Geez, how did that happen? I sit on the floor stretching and playing on my phone.

7:00-8:00 sweat my tushie off workin' it to zumba. Head home. Have to stop at the store first to get milk to tie us over until I can make it to the store to do actual grocery shopping.

8:30 - arrive home. Get the kids ready for bed. PJ's, brush teeth, go potty. Joe takes a break from school work to read them a story. I tuck them into bed and wait for them to pass out.

(disclaimer: this picture is actually from a few days ago but since I didn't take a picture yesterday, I just had to share how cute they are)

9:00 - kids are finally asleep so I put my swimsuit on and head out to the pool and do 60 laps. Come back in and edit Joe's paper for him. He turns it in - the days work is done.

9:20-10:30 we lounge on the couch watching tv. Friends and shark week. We're both pooped today so we head to bed and I pass out around 10:45.

5 am - big storm wakes the kids up. They fly into the room flailing arms screaming like an axed murderer is chasing after them. They take over my bed so I curl into the fetal position at the bottom and dose on and off. The kids are chattering about the storm the whole time. I got up to turn the air on because it was so blasted hot.

6:30 am - we're up for the day.

School starts in 3 weeks so things will be a little bit different. I may do another one after we get into the swing of things. Whew, that was tiring!

Hunting Critters

2011-07-31T08:51:00.000-04:00

I got my ducks all in a row and we went out back in the field to hunt critters.

We were only able to find grasshoppers but we had a blast!

Peanut butter & Chocolate Ice Cream Cake Recipe

2011-07-30T15:07:00.004-04:00

I know this totally goes against the "theme" of my blog lately since we've been losing weight and getting healthy BUT we also believe moderation is key. We will have a piece of cake at a birthday party on occasion. It's not the end of the world! We actually have one free day a week that we eat one meal that we don't calorie count or freak out about. It helps keep things in perspective and keeps us on track! For Joe's birthday we used it as our free day. I made him this awesome ice cream cake. I actually made two but it went so fast!

What you need:

12 ice cream sandwiches (you know, like these)
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup powder sugar
chocolate chips
1 cup of peanut butter
1 tub of cool whip
wax paper

Okay so first, you need to make your whip cream. Do this by mixing the whipping cream and powder sugar together until it forms stiff peaks. You may need to keep adding powder sugar until you get the whipping cream to thicken enough to spread it and not be all liquidy. You really can't go wrong here.

Next, you need to make the peanut butter mix. Mix the peanut butter and cool whip together. You can add more peanut butter for more peanut buttery taste. There's really no place you can go wrong here either!

So take your pan (cake pan, loaf pan etc - I used an 8x8 brownie pan) and line it with wax paper. You'll want it hanging over the sides so that when you go to serve the cake, you can lift it out of the pan and place on a serving dish. Take the ice cream sandwiches and layer them on the bottom. Cut them to fit into the pan if you need to. Then you layer the whip cream on top, some chocolate chips, then the peanut butter mixture and repeat until all ingredients are gone. Then? You cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. 2 hours up until 3-4 days is best. I froze mine over night and they were perfect.

This is super easy and you could do soooooo many variations. It was a huge hit!

Weekly Weigh in Week 14

2011-07-29T12:41:00.002-04:00

If you're a man reading my blog, I apologize in advance but I'm about to talk about womanly stuff just a wee bit. This week is AF week and I despise AF week because I'm always bloated and carry around this water weight no matter how much I work out. Every month, without fail, AF week super sucks in the weight loss department. Not due to my lack of trying for sure! I burned over 3000 calories this week and exercised 5/7 days and kept up my water intake and great food choices. The result? Same weight as last week. I usually at least stay .5 lbs under during AF week. GRR. It's okay because next week my goal is to lose 2 lbs.

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 138
Current weight: 138.
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -0.0
Total weight lost: -16.0

Still, I took some pictures and am super happy with the way I am shaping up now! I'm so glad I took before pictures. It keeps me motivated!

Left: 10-11 weeks ago, right: last week

Left: week 1 at 153 lbs, right: today at 138 lbs

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 192.2
Current weight: 189.4
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.8
Total weight lost: -37.6

Another comparison. The left is January 2010 (just a month before the girls came to live with us) And the right is last week. Amazing!

Blended family

2011-07-27T17:42:00.004-04:00

The kids were looking at their hospital/baby pictures on the wall the other day and S kept saying "me, me!" And I told her that I didn't have her hospital picture on the wall (my sister never bought them) but that I had baby pictures of her. Sissy looked at her and said, "You're picture isn't there S, because you lived with your mommy and daddy. And me and Bubba lived with our mommy and daddy. But now you live here." S answered her usual "huh huh!" (meaning yes). I love how simply Sissy views it. S and P lived with their mommy, and now they live here. Just simplicity from an almost 5 year old.

August 19th will be 18 months that the girls have been here. August 8th will be 10 months that we've had legal custody. It's incredible to me that so much time has passed. Just incredible. It's hard for us to even begin to grasp. One phone call and life just fast forwarded in a flash it seems. The kids all know who my sister is, the girls, well at least S, knows her as their mommy and yet know me as mommy too. My kids think that S and P are their siblings, and I don't see any reason to correct them. At all. They are their siblings for all intensive purposes. They're cousins, they're sisters and brothers. We're a blended family. It's just how it is. And although it's not "the norm" - we wouldn't have it any other way. I could not ever imagine our lives without the girls now. Hard to even consider!

Coroners and state qualifications

2011-07-27T17:11:00.000-04:00

I realize this is a really random subject but it's me and I'm random! I love documentaries. Netflix is my bff because it's documentary heaven. I recently watched the Phoenix Lights documentary (amazing - yea, I'm one of those people) and today I watched a documentary called "Post Mortem" where they discussed how flawed most coroner systems are here in America. In some places the only qualification to be corner is.....wait for it.... a high school diploma. These are the people who are determining cause of death for loved ones. Completely shocked me. Of course I immediately jumped online to check our coroner qualifications for Ohio.

313.02 Qualifications for coroner - continuing education.

(A) No person shall be eligible to the office of coroner except a physician who has been licensed to practice as a physician in this state for a period of at least two years immediately preceding election or appointment as a coroner, and who is in good standing in the person’s profession, or is a person who was serving as coroner on October 12, 1945.
(B)(1) Beginning in calendar year 2000 and in each fourth year thereafter, each newly elected coroner, after the general election but prior to commencing the term of office to which elected, shall attend and successfully complete sixteen hours of continuing education at programs sponsored by the Ohio state coroners association. Within ninety days after appointment to the office of coroner under section 305.02 of the Revised Code, the newly appointed coroner shall attend and successfully complete sixteen hours of continuing education at programs sponsored by the association. Hours of continuing education completed under the requirement described in division (B)(1) of this section shall not be counted toward fulfilling the continuing education requirement described in division (B)(2) of this section.
As used in division (B)(1) of this section, “newly elected coroner” means a person who did not hold the office of coroner on the date the person was elected coroner.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, beginning in calendar year 2001, each coroner, during the coroner’s four-year term, shall attend and successfully complete thirty-two hours of continuing education at programs sponsored by the Ohio state coroners association. Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, each coroner shall attend and successfully complete twenty-four of these thirty-two hours at statewide meetings, and eight of these thirty-two hours at regional meetings, sponsored by the association. The association may approve attendance at continuing education programs it does not sponsor but, if attendance is approved, successful completion of hours at these programs shall be counted toward fulfilling only the twenty-four-hour requirement described in division (B)(2) of this section.
(3) Upon successful completion of a continuing education program required by division (B)(1) or (2) of this section, the person who successfully completes the program shall receive from the association or the sponsoring organization a certificate indicating that the person successfully completed the program.
Effective Date: 02-13-2001

Thankfully, Ohio seems to be pretty level headed in that aspect. Although I don't see why all coroners don't have to be qualified forensic pathologists.

Wikipedia's Definition of things:

Coroners and medical examiner in the US

In the United States, a coroner is typically an elected public official in a particular geographic jurisdiction who investigates and certifies deaths. The vast majority of coroners lack a Doctor of Medicine degree and the amount of medical training that they have received is highly variable, depending on their profession (e.g. law enforcement, judges, funeral directors, emergency medical technicians, nurses).

In contrast, a medical examiner is typically a physician who holds the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Ideally, a medical examiner has completed both a pathology residency and a fellowship in forensic pathology. In some jurisdictions, a medical examiner must be both a doctor and a lawyer, with additional training in forensic pathology.

The documentary presented several cases where unqualified corners have botched several investigations simply because they have zero clue what they're talking about. I can't believe that you don't have to be accredited to be a coroner in some places! They also said the US is lacking over half of the forensic pathologists needed to cover the cases. A career to consider maybe. That kind of stuff fascinates me although I don't think I could ever do that. What about your state/county? What are the qualifications to be coroner?

Surprise!

2011-07-24T09:05:00.001-04:00

Friday was Joe's 25th birthday. He had to work a 12 hour shift that day (because he's nice and let his employees go to the Rascal Flatt's Concert in the city) so we decided we'd call Saturday his fake birthday and use that day to celebrate since he was off. Our amazing friends Kerri and Joe came over at the crack of dawn to watch the kids so that I could take him to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 3d and out to lunch at our favorite place. Why so early? Well little did the hubs know that our family and friends were here waiting for us to get back with a little ole surprise birthday party for him at 2! He was completely shocked! My mother in law wanted to do something big so we put our little heads together and got contacted everyone we could think of and pulled this together. I was so afraid that someone would give it away but everyone did fantastic and we pulled it off! I don't have many pictures because we were too busy living it up, but I do have a few and it was a blast. I'm so happy he had a wonderful day especially since it was his first birthday without his dad. A huge thank you to our family and friends who helped make this a wonderful day!

The peanut butter chocolate ice cream cake that I made. I actually made two and they didn't last long. One word: heaven.

Mimi snuggled Olivia to sleep. She's like me, if there is a baby it's in her arms!

Our niece Kiera driving P around.

She took these into the yard and let them go and as they flew up into the sky she just stood there staring at them like what in the world just happened? It was so funny!

Our niece Kaylee!

S fell asleep curled up next to uncle Ryan. It was a long fun filled day!

Weekly Weigh In Week 13

2011-07-22T13:23:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow marks 3 months ago that we started our journey to fitness and health. 3 months is a long time and although it's taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get here, it has actually flown by. We're shocked that it's flown by so fast!

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 139.4
Current weight: 138.0
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.4
Total weight lost: -16.0

My progress. -20 lbs is soooo close!

About to head to zumba class. Love me some zumba!

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 192.2
Current weight: 191.2
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: 1.0
Total weight lost: -35.8

Look at his weight loss!

On the left is Joe at his heaviest 4 years ago and on the right is Joe now a good 40 lbs lighter. He looks amazing and I couldn't be more proud!

Splash Pad!

2011-07-21T17:14:00.000-04:00

iPhone style! We went to the splash pad with Mimi and Mya yesterday. It has been so hot. Reaching heat indexes of 110. We were supposed to go to the zoo because it was $1 admission but quickly ditched that idea and headed for some wet fun!

Sissy under the palm tree. I love that picture!

And all worn out after a day of fun!

Almost 5

2011-07-18T10:12:00.000-04:00

I can't believe my baby turns 5 in about 6 weeks. It's insane to us how she went from this tiny little baby to a little girl. We took these pictures yesterday morning and when I saw them I was in complete shock at how big she looks and is now. This is not a toddler in these pictures with me. This is a little girl! She is so beautiful and so incredibly smart. It blows our minds. I know that she's going to be somebody amazing one day. No matter if she decides she wants to be a waitress, or stay at home with her kids, or be a doctor or lawyer - it won't matter. She will be amazing. She's beautiful from the inside out!

Instagram'd

2011-07-17T22:16:00.000-04:00

Some of my favorite instagram photos from this week! If you have instagram, add me. I'm zookeeperjess!

Weekly Weigh In Week 12

2011-07-16T21:07:00.002-04:00

This week was super weird. Joe and I both worked out 4 days out of the week as normal and our weight stayed the same. The only thing I can attribute it to is maybe muscle gain because I am so sore this week! I hope so. This is our first "bad" week although we didn't gain either. I'm glad we didn't!

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 139.4
Current weight: 139.4
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: 0.0
Total weight lost: -14.6

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 192.2
Current weight: 192.2
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: 0.0
Total weight lost: -34.8

Again super weird. What are the chances that we'd both not gain or lose not even an ounce?? Weird. I've been getting up with the sun and running 2 miles. I broke a 10 minute mile yesterday and couldn't believe it. I'm not even a runner. Couch to 5k really is a miracle worker! Here's to hoping we lose some this week!

Our Anniversary

2011-07-15T15:07:00.004-04:00

Today, Joe and I are celebrating 12 years together! Back in good ole' 1999, I told this boy that he was cute, then we kissed on the beach and the rest his history. I have been with and known this man for half of my life. He has held my hand through some pretty tough times. He has driven me crazy at times (keeping it real here!) but he is also the only person who keeps me sane. He supports me no matter what I do or don't do and he loves me as though I'm the most perfect person in the world, even though I am far, far from it. We still tangle up with each other when we sleep at night, we still say I love you several times a day, and we still make each other laugh. Several years ago, I told everyone that I was going to marry this man and have his babies and here we are married with a house full of kids. We are so very blessed! He is such an amazing husband and father. And although I loved him with all of my heart before we had children, seeing him with our kids makes me fall in love with him all over again every single day.

Happy Anniversary, babe! I'm looking forward to spending many, many more years on this journey called Life with you!

This is us about 10 years ago. We were 14 here!

And us today! Love him!

Goodbye Staycation!

2011-07-13T13:48:00.002-04:00

Man 10 days went by incredibly fast. I think there was only 1 day that we didn't do anything but relax at home. We got to see so many of our family and friends though. It was a blast! Friday we took the kids to chuck e cheese, Saturday we went to the local splash pad/park with my good friend Justine and her family and Sunday we ended staycation by relaxing at home. After dinner we took the kids for ice cream and to the park. Now it's back to schedules, homework, schoolwork, and work! It's not been easy going back to the every day but I'm sucking it up! P had a major developmental week and just grew up literally right before our eyes. She learned to walk up and down stairs, drink out of a straw, and slide all by herself this week. My baby is disappearing into an independent toddler!

It was fun while it lasted and so amazing to have the awesome family time!

Woe is me

2011-07-12T20:52:00.000-04:00

It started with the storms around 11 last night. Instantly we had 3 crying kids. Thankfully P sleeps through storms and doesn't care but there is no calming the other 3 when it comes to storms unless they're with us so into our bed they came. We're talking two adults and 3 toddlers in a queen sized bed. Tight quarters! Eventually I moved to the bottom of the bed but it was so uncomfortable. We all tossed and turned all night and then Joe left for work around 4 am. Bubba was wide awake by 7 and I was dragging before my feet even hit the floor.

Thankfully the kids were being extra cute today so that helped but I was having a whole "woe is me, my mommy doesn't love me" type of day. Parents suck. Mommy issues suck. My mom is a whole other issue in itself but July 24th will be the 1 year anniversary of my dad's death. Not that he was the greatest dad either because he just wasn't much of a dad at all. See why I was having a blah day? So after being all blah inside myself (I would never let the kids see me upset like that), I decided to just relax and let go. I didn't clean anything. I didn't even dress the kids. What did we do? Here's some instagram pictures of our day.

I built the kids a fort and loaded them with popcorn and put on a movie.

When nap time came around, I propped up my feet with some coffee and watched tv for a bit before hopping on the treadmill.

We wore sunglasses inside

And read lots of books

And even played hopscotch with books.

Joe got home around 6 and we made hot ham and cheese sandwiches (on whole wheat, lean ham, and 2% cheese slices yum!) and and made chili popcorn. At this moment I'm watching Greys Anatomy and feeling much better. It's amazing what taking a day off from everything but just being you and being with your family can do!

Staycation Days 5 & 6

2011-07-12T09:14:00.001-04:00

Cousin Derek enjoying his s'more

Cousins playing

Our nephew Noah. I don't think he's been on the blog since his birthday debut almost 2 years ago!

My bff's little girl Courtney. She's pretty much our niece, too!

And my bff's little boy Eli who is also pretty much our nephew. We're blessed with amazing friends!

Staycation Day 4

2011-07-09T20:57:00.000-04:00

The days are starting to blend in with each other! This is the last day that I really remember what we did haha!

Monday the 4th, we had a little Independence Day party. I made some festive treats and we had a few friends over and had a blast!

All decked out in our red, white, and blue!

Berry flavored oreos dipped in almond bark. They were a hit! (I didn't eat them because I'm a good girl!)

Everyone loved the strawberries. Super easy to make!

My first colored layer cake turned out pretty decent. No complaints from the kids who devoured it!

He's refusing to shave while on vacation. I'm glad he has to shave tomorrow since he goes back to work Monday!

There are so many more pictures but I'll stop there. We had a great time!

Weekly Weigh In Week 11 - Hello 130's!!

2011-07-08T08:55:00.000-04:00

Oh how I've missed you 130's! So nice to see you again!

This week we're on "staycation" so I was a little worried about how we'd do but I stuck to running and I stuck to my good food!

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 140.6
Current weight: 139.4
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.2
Total weight lost: -14.6

The left is me after weigh in on week 1 - 153 pounds. The right is yesterday at 139 pounds. I've lost 3 1/2 inches off my waist! I can tell the difference there for sure!

And new bathing suit to celebrate feeling good! (I know my mirrors are super dirty. Who has time to clean mirrors?)

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 193.6
Current weight: 192.2

Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.4

Total weight lost: -34.8

I wish I had some before and after pictures of Joe because there is a dramatic difference! Here is a picture of him on Monday. He looks so good!

Remember to link up with Brandy if you want to join in and get healthy too!

Staycation Day 3

2011-07-06T10:40:00.000-04:00

We spent the morning and early afternoon in the pool with my brother in law, sister in law and niece. Then we headed to our nephew Logan's birthday party. Later that night we went to see some fireworks with Kerri and Joe.

My niece Kaylee fell asleep in the pool.

The birthday boy, our nephew Logan.

Our niece Hailee.

Our niece Laila! We have a huge family, if you haven't noticed ;).

Looking over the river waiting for the fireworks to start

Olivia waiting for the fireworks. She's getting so big!

The good ole' Ohio river.

Private Blog

2011-07-05T16:16:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone. I've been thinking about this for a while and decided to do it. I need a place where I can really talk about what's going on with our lives and not have crazies stalking me. I want a safe, personal more private place. Therefore I created a private blog. You can only read it by invitation only. If you want to be considered, I need your email addresses to invite you. You can email me at zookeeperjessi@gmail.com. This is not replacing this blog. Everything will remain the same here and of course I'll be posting here as usual. This is just to voice my private thoughts. Again, email me if you want to be considered. I honestly appreciate every one of you!

Staycation Day 2

2011-07-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

We took the kids to their first drive in movie to see Cars 2. They did okay. A lot of moving around but we had lots of snacks to help keep them occupied. Surprisingly, P did the best. I think only because she thought the entire bucket of popcorn was hers (and it was huge!). Anytime someone reached into the bucket, she would scream. We were cracking up!

Oh man, it's still hilarious!

Staycation Day 1

2011-07-03T18:30:00.000-04:00

We took the kids to their first Reds game. Sissy made it on the big screen, but I missed the picture! She had her 15 seconds of fame!

P stayed with Kerri and Joe while we went. She had a blast. She hadn't left me in over 5 months and that was for 2 hours to go to my father in laws funeral (and she stayed with Kerri then too) so I was nervous with how'd she do and it was hard for me to leave her! She made it easy on me though and didn't cry or make a peep. Kerri said she did wonderful!

The kids did okay at the Reds game. I think if we were closer to the action they would have loved it better but we had pretty great seats. We even almost caught a fly ball but the guys behind us caught it.

We've been so busy since Friday but a good busy! We've been staying up late and sleeping in late too. It's been good. But I'm tired! I'll be back with day 2 soon!

Weekly Weigh In Week 10

2011-07-01T07:50:00.004-04:00

It's crazy that it's been 10 weeks. What's crazier is that this isn't boring yet. We're having fun and look forward to every Friday when we can step on the scale and see the numbers go down yet again!

Starting Weight: 154
Last weeks weight: 141.8
Current weight: 140.6
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.2
Total weight lost: -13.4

(Gotta repaint the toes today!)

Next week I'll be back in the 130's!!!! I'm so excited to workout this week and step on the scale Friday.

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 197.0
Current weight: 193.6

Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -3.4

Total weight lost: -33.4

A few people have asked how we're losing the weight. Now I'm not an expert by any means but I've been at this 2 months and I know what works. I'm here to tell you that there is no easy or fast way to do it. You have to put in the hard work and be determined. I won't lie and say it's been easy. No way! But the good news? If I can do it, anyone can. I know you hear that all the time but it's the truth. I'm a mom to four toddlers. My life is busy. Very busy. My husband is finishing his bachelors degree and works 50-60 hours a week. He's a super busy man. But we find time to work out. If we can do it, you can too!

The first place to start is your food. Joe calls it a diet but I call it a lifestyle change. We were pretty healthy eaters to begin with but still needed to make some changes. What we did is cut out all meat but chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts), turkey, and tuna. There are so many things you can do with chicken. It's may sound boring but there are hundreds of different ways to prepare chicken. We switched out our red meats for turkey meat. Turkey burgers, ground turkey in place of ground beef, turkey sausage, turkey bacon - you get the idea. Whole grains, I can't stress getting enough whole grains. We switched everything about 2 years ago in that aspect. Whole grain noodles, whole grain breads etc. We can't even tell the difference anymore. Of course eating a lot of fruits and veggies is a given. We switched to all non fat or low fat versions of our favorite foods. Like, mayo with olive oil for half the fat, light italian dressings etc. We also changed all our dairy to 2% . And lastly, you need to cut the sugar. No pop etc. Thankfully I kicked that habit years ago so it wasn't a hard one for me but for the husband, he had a rough go of it. The best way to ensure you lose weight along with a lifestyle change for food is to drink your water! I had a really rough time with this in the beginning because I hate water but now I've adapted to it. I drink 8-9 glasses a day. And on Fridays, we have 1 meal that we don't worry about. If we want to have some pizza, then we do. We still stay under our calories but we have 1 meal that is carefree.

We also count every calorie that goes in our mouth. We track fat and sodium and protein. We use an app called Sparkspeople for that. That way we know where we are on calories and nutrition at all times so we can stay at our goal line.

As far as workout routine, you need to work out at least 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes a day. I try to go for 5 but lately have only been fitting 4 a week in. As of right now, we are only running. Couch25k was the best $3 that I have spent in a long long time. I have 2 weeks left (6 work outs) and I'm done with the 9 week program. In 7 weeks it has taught me to run 2 miles without dying. If you haven't tried it, I highly, highly recommend you do. I am not a runner and in the beginning couldn't run more than 2 minutes without having to stop. And now I'm running 30 minutes. 2 miles. It's amazing!

The biggest factor is saying that you will lose the weight and not that you will try. If you do the work, you will lose weight. Like I said, there is no easy or fast fix. Just remember to be realistic. Do this at the pace that you can. What matters is that you are doing it, you are changing your life for the better. You can do this! It also helps to have someone to do it with. If you don't, you can link up with us on Fridays on Brandy's blog You Don't Know. We love having new people join!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask. And thank you for supporting me in my weight loss journey!

Addictions

2011-06-28T21:09:00.003-04:00

Soooooo....I have some new addictions. I discovered Pinterest a few weeks ago and was hooked instantly. Although I don't understand how to work the website at all and the app on my iPhone won't let me make captions for pins I repost but it's still awesomesauce. If you haven't checked it out, do it. Also, follow my boards and I'll follow you. Mmmk?

My newest obsession is Instagram. Uh-ma-zing! I heard about it but didn't know what it was and today I decided to search for the app. Upon discovering that it was free, I downloaded it and thus my obsession began. You can follow me on there too. Follow me, I follow you. Do it! My name is (you guessed it..) zookeeperjess. Here's some of my shots from today.

(That's what happens when I let my hair air dry. And yea, it gets much bigger. Oh, hi fro! Ps, I look like Zoolander, no? Bwahahaha)
Anyway, you get the point. You take ordinary iphone pictures and turn them into masterpieces. Simple and easy. And you share them with people and they share theirs with you. It's awesomeness. So, now you may go and find new obsessions. Go ahead and blame me if you want, too. Do you have a favorite iPhone app? If so please share the goods!

Is it Friday yet?

2011-06-27T19:09:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here importing some of my old (like stone age) cd's into my itunes library. All this old music has me walking down memory lane. It's insane to me how much time has passed in the blink of an eye. I feel so old and sad that so much time has gone by so fast.

It has rained the past few days putting a damper on everything. The plus side is that the laundry is all done. The downside is stir crazy kids. It seems like this week is going by forrrreeeeeeeevvvvvvverrrr slow because Friday kicks off Joe's 2 week vacation from school and work.

I can't believe this is true! We really will not know what to do with having him all to ourselves like this for such an extended period of time. We have a few fun things planned during our staycation though. Friday we're kicking off vacation with a Reds night game complete with Fireworks. The kids are going to be so excited!

I just finished a book that I bought 3 days ago on sale for $6. It's called "Generation Dead" by Daniel Waters and it was so good I had to force myself to put it down and do things like pay attention to my children and feed them and interact with people. But, it was good. So good that as soon as I finished it a couple hours ago, I hopped on Amazon and ordered the second book in the series. Books = love.

Life is going good. Life is pretty great, actually. I'm trying to slow it down just a little but no matter how much that I try to will time to just slow down, it doesn't seem to care about my wishes. My kids are growing up right before my eyes. It makes me feel incredibly blessed to be able to witness this, to be able to call the mine and at the same time, it makes me sad in other certain aspects. It's bittersweet.

Sissy had her hair cut this morning. She hadn't had it cut in almost 2 years and it looks so much better. She likes her new side swept bangs.

S tripped a few days ago and split her eyebrow open. Nothing major but I wanted it checked out just in case. No stitches or glue just a yucky little gash. She's fine and spongebob cures all booboos.

This morning it was chilly so I put on some pants that I hadn't worn in about 2 months and was very pleasantly surprised to find that they were pretty big on me. I think next time that I'm having a bad day, I'll do just that again and lighten up my mood. I ran another 2 miles today. I've been pushing myself hard at the end and it feels really, really good. Next week, I will see the 130's again. Amazing.

I'm not sure how much I'll be around during our vacation but you can be assured that I'll be back with pictures eventually. I'll be back Friday for weigh in too.

Weekly Weigh In Week 9

2011-06-24T14:52:00.000-04:00

Starting weight: 154.0
Last weeks weight: 142.6
Current weight: 141.8
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -0.8 (rounded is a pound and c'mon it's .2 from a pound so it's a pound!)
Total weight lost: -12.2

I know I would have lost more if I hadn't have been all bloated. Ugh! Whatever though, I still lost. Sometimes, being a woman really stinks! In other news, I'm up to running 2 miles now. Crazy sauce right there. Also, we're going to attempt a 5k real soon. If I live to tell you about it, I will.

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 197.6
Current weight: 197.0
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -0.6
Total weight lost: -30

Thirty pounds!

No recipe this week because I'm tired and don't have time. Boo!

1!

2011-06-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

As usual, we've been busy. Here's a little something to make you smile, cuz I need a smile today!

I snapped this shot of my nephew Landon at his birthday party Saturday. Happiest, cutest baby, ever. My brother even let me steal him for a few hours after the party so we went shopping and had take out. He's so smooshy. Just love him!

What if.........

2011-06-22T16:05:00.000-04:00

You woke up today..........

With only what you thanked God for yesterday?

What would you have?

*I can't take credit for this deep food for thought. I found it on pinterest a couple days ago and knew it had to be shared*

Running through my head

2011-06-21T13:53:00.002-04:00

S had speech testing done a few weeks ago to see if she would make it into preschool based on her speech delay and receive speech therapy through the school. She had some trouble during the eye exam part that had me concerned but passed the hearing tests fine. Yesterday we had a meeting to discuss the results and all parties agreed that she would benefit from preschool and speech therapy. So, S and Bubba will be attending preschool this fall. I am already anxious about how I am going to handle such a big change in my life. I think they'll do fine but me? Probably not so much. I will have 3 kids in school this year. 3. Sissy will be in Kindergarten away from me for 35 hours a week. 35 hours. My kids are with me every single day. Preschool was only 2 hours a morning four days a week this past year so it wasn't so bad. But 7 hours a day 5 days a week is a HUGE change. But I guess I gotta put on my big girl panties and let my kids be kids. It's hard, but I know I'll survive this. S and Bubba will be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays 7 hour days so it won't be too bad. But still, it's going to take some adjusting on my part.

Anyway.

So yesterday I got the results of the concerning eye exam that S was having trouble with and it wasn't good. My peanut failed her eye exam! I'm so bummed that I never even noticed she was having issues seeing. The results were Right eye: 20/50 Left Eye: 20/40. So I came straight home from the meeting and scheduled her an eye appointment through Cincinnati Childrens Hospital (the best!). Only thing is that their earliest appointment was 2 months from now. So I'm taking her to a local clinic here soon and keeping the second appointment so we'll have a 2nd and 3rd opinion on her eye sight. I feel guilty that I didn't have a single clue about her eye sight. Except yesterday, after the results, I realized that she is always trying to stand right up on the tv when it's on and I felt even more guilty because I realize she probably does it because she can't see very well.

We got our pool ready to go. We didn't even bother last year because we had four little ones (3,2,22 months and 5 months old then, wow!) and things were just hectic to begin with. But this year, we're ready. Except now that the pool is ready, it's rained all week.

My sister wrote me a message and told me that I had forgotten about her. Forgetting about her is impossible. I think about her constantly. Not a day goes by that I don't.

We had dinner with my grandma last night. She said, "I'm making you some homemade tater wedges!" And she did. So when I got home, I ran 2 miles to work off those "tater wedges". We had a fantastic time. She gave me 2 baby cactus' from my great grandma's big cactus. A little piece of my family history and of a woman I never had the chance to meet. It's neat. She told me that someone once said to her when she took in all 5 of us grandkids (after raising her 4 kids plus 2 people not even related to her) "Annie, you can't save the whole world. You can't save everyone." And she said, "No, but I can sure make my little corner of the world a little safer." And it hit home.

We're coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my dad's death. I can't believe it's been a year. Grandma is still so depressed. It breaks my heart.

My mom hasn't talked to me in 5 months, save the 2 letters she wrote me, that weren't very nice. I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't hurt. It hurts. I just....it hurts.

Mimi's mom had another cancerous mass removed last week. They're pretty sure she will have to have chemo again. Pray for her, please? She has had more than a year long battle beating this awful cancer. I hate that she has to go through this yet again.

Bubba's lip is healing up. It still looks pretty gross, but it is closing up.

I'm feeling so sentimental lately. I can't believe how blessed we are. Love, happiness, a roof over our heads, food on our table. Blessed.

JoEllen said that they closed Lincoln's chest up and that they're starting to remove some tubes and he is now receiving breast milk. In short, he's doing pretty awesome. Thank you for praying for them!

My husband goes on vacation in 10 days. He'll be off of school and work for 2 weeks. We're all so excited that it seems like it's taking forever to get here. We haven't had him to ourselves like this in such a long long time. I know when these 2 weeks are up, we're going to hate it.

The kids and I bought Joe an iPhone 4 for Fathers Day. He never buys himself anything nice and he deserves it. He's a happy man.

Laundry is calling my name.

Heart Baby

2011-06-19T10:32:00.001-04:00

Lincoln, my friends newborn son, had his first open heart surgery yesterday. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, as I know there are those of you who are praying for him. I know that the thoughts and prayers are so appreciated by the family. We had a hectic day yesterday. But, his surgery went well and he is stable! Yesterdays surgery was one of the most serious and complex of his 3 surgeries and JoEllen said that it was expected to be about a 5 hour surgery. Their family has constantly been on our mind!

*ETA* I just spoke to JoEllen and she said that Lincoln did wonderful through the night. She said that he has received some blood and is on dialysis but that it's not uncommon with heart surgeries. He is doing great. Such a strong little man!

The Nobles are wonderful people. JoEllen and I went to school together but did not become friends until a year after high school. These are good, honest, decent people and they're going through such a difficult time right now. I can't imagine their stress and worry and then having to worry about the financial aspects on top of it. An account has been set up in their name to help with expenses. I don't normally ask people for money but this is important. You don't have to donate, but please just consider. Even if all that you can offer are good thoughts and prayers, or to just share the link, it will be greatly appreciated! Here is the link to the donation page.

Please go visit JoEllen's blog and let her know that you're thinking of their family. She doesn't have much time to update, understandably, but I will try to check in and let you know if I hear any updates. Lincoln has an army of people praying for him but you know that you can never have enough good thoughts and prayers coming your way!

My 3 year old put a toy castle through his lip.

2011-06-17T10:46:00.001-04:00

If you're 3 years old and want to eat ice cream, popsicles, jello, and pudding for a while, then you're in the right place for a how-to lesson.

Step 1: Run into house.
Step 2: Trip over tiny dog.
Step 3: Land on this pointy toy castle with your mouth:

That results in this hole in your mouth:

Step 5: bleed profusely all over everything and come screaming to your mama.
Step 6: Nearly give your mother a heart attack.
Step 7: Have mama take you to the ER to get checked out.
Step 8: Have DR order your mama to feed you enough sugar to put you into a sugar induced state of unconsciousness.

Step 9: Eat this for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. And repeat.

Step 10: Revel in your success.

So yea, my son fell on a pointy toy castle and put a huge hole in his mouth. It's pretty deep. The Dr couldn't see the end of it but she said she's pretty sure it missed his sinuses. She didn't want to stitch it because she said it would cause a lot of scar tissue under the skin on his face and make a dimple like appearance on his face. So he's on a liquid diet for a while and we have to keep cleaning it with water to help avoid infection. If it doesn't stop oozing by tomorrow morning, we have to take him to Childrens and go from there. So we're just hoping it stops oozing and starts to heal up on it's own.

He scared me to death! Really, only my children. He's doing okay today just very swollen. He's playing and acting normal. The toy missed his teeth and no eyes were taken out so I'm very thankful for that but bleeding profusely and holes in places they shouldn't be are not good on Mamas!

Weekly Weigh In Week 8

2011-06-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

8 whole weeks. We're determined peoples!

Starting weight: 154.0
Last weeks weight: 144.0
Current weight: 142.6
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.4
Total weight lost: 11.4

I'm so close to reaching the 15 pound mark that I can taste it. Hopefully in 2 weeks time but we'll see. I'm loving that I can do this at a realistic pace and not feel bad about it. It's actually helped tremendously to be realistic about it. It took time to put this weight on so it'll take some time to get it off! And we're making pretty good time, if I do say so myself.

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 201.0
Current weight: 197.6
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -3.4
Total weight lost: 29.4

He is officially the lowest he's ever weighed since high school. He looks amazing!

Recipe time!

Chili Popcorn
This is soooo yummy and an easy and light snack!

Ingredients

100 Calorie popcorn
1/2 tablespoon of margarine, melted. (we use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
1 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
a dash of garlic powder

Directions

Mix margarine and hot pop corn.
Mix seasonings in a separate bowl thoroughly.
Sprinkle over popcorn and mix well.

Nutrition Facts
145 calories
5 grams of fat

We recently discovered this one and it is delicious!

Running through my head

2011-06-15T09:36:00.002-04:00

As I type this, I am sitting on my back deck sipping hazelnut coffee while watching the kids run around the yard. Power wheels, swing set, sand box - happy kids. It's a gorgeous 65 degrees with a nice breeze. It's 9 o clock in the morning.

My husband bought me a new laptop 2 days ago to replace our dinosaur of a computer. I can't express how thankful I am. It actually runs at normal speed and doesn't crash every 3 minutes.

Thank you for the prayers for my friend JoEllen and their precious baby boy Lincoln. She updated her blog about what's going on with him. I haven't heard an update other than yesterday evening where she said he was stable, praise the Lord! Please stop by her blog and let them know you're thinking of them. I haven't gotten to meet Lincoln in person yet, but I've photographed him in the belly. He has a very strong mama who fought so hard to bring him into this world, and I know that he is a fighter, too. Their family has not left my mind since the news.

Saturday we received news that I had hoped, even prayed would not happen. Today, I am waiting with bated breath for the announcement that will confirm it. I probably have never prayed so hard for something to not be true. Things like that I will probably never understand. I know I'm not supposed to but I would really like to know God's purpose in this.

Yesterday we took the kids hiking at the nature center. It's starting to become my home away from home and I love it!

Fathers Day is Sunday. It's our first Father's Day that our dads are in Heaven. My mind keeps coming back to this.

We bought a 6 man tent after the kids asked me in their irresistibly adorable voices, "Mommy, can we go camping? Pweeease? Pweeease?" So, this weekend the older 3 and Daddy are testing out a test run overnight in the back yard while P and I rest comfortably in the house. We shall see how it goes.

We're getting the pool set up this week. We didn't set it up last year because things were just too hectic. We're excited.

Our van is going into the shop today. We've been sharing one vehicle for so long that I've actually forgotten how long it's been. Purely because in our family, we fix everything ourselves. We've yet to have to call a mechanic or repair guy for anything because we're hands on kinda people. We're also busy people lately and it makes for no time to even try to fix things - so the car is going into the shop for the first time, ever. It'll be great to have 2 cars again, though.

We've been spending so much time outside and out and about that my house has been a wreck. I spent all day yesterday doing every load of laundry and putting it away. It was 12 loads. Yes, I said 12 loads. The cleanest part of my house has surprisingly been the kitchen which is usually the messiest. We've been eating nearly every meal outside. I love it.

My husband is taking a 2 week vacation starting July 1st. We're anxiously awaiting. We're having another stay-cation. Reds game, aquarium, chuck e cheeses, camping, friends, zoo. We can't wait!

It's taken me 40 minutes to write this post. 3 toddlers have had to be let inside to go to the restroom, I had to help my husband fix the baby swing on the swing set, and 1 power wheel got stuck in the ditch.

Friends in need

2011-06-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

Checking in very briefly here to ask for thoughts and prayers for a good friend, JoEllen and her family. JoEllen gave birth to a long awaited, beautiful baby boy at home on Saturday. Last night, he started having trouble breathing. They took him to Cincinnati Children's where tests determined that he has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and will need multiple open heart surgeries. This is devastating to them and my heart goes out to them. I'm asking for your thoughts and prayers for them. I will keep you updated as I know more. This is the link to her blog , though she has not had time to update since his birth. Thank you so much!

Because...

2011-06-11T13:49:00.000-04:00

Photographing our newest pet....

Is more fun than laundry...

And definitely cuter!

Weekly Weigh In Week 7 . 10 pound mark!

2011-06-10T08:29:00.006-04:00

I did it! I reached my 10 pounds lost mark! I don't think I've ever lost any more than 10 pounds unless it was post-partum which doesn't count because it just fell off with no work. I've worked so hard the past 7 weeks. I know 10 pounds in 7 weeks (just a little over a month and a half) may not seem like a big deal and I'm sure I could lose faster if I had a gym on hand or a personal trainer or even more time for exercise than 30-45 minutes a day during nap time but I am a mom to four toddlers and I make it work at the pace that I can. So I'm very proud of this! 10 gone, 15 more to go!

Starting weight: 154.0
Last weeks weight: 145.8
Current weight: 144.0
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -1.8
Total weight lost: 10.0

Again, I'm not super tan. I'm white as white can be.

It is so nice being able to buy medium shirts again (size 8-10) versus the large shirts (11-13). My size 10 pants are falling off and I really need some 9's and maybe even 8's but I am going to keep losing so I have bought long flowy skirts to hold me off while I'm in between sizes and dropping weight.

Joe's Stats:

Starting weight: 227.0
Last weeks weight: 203.0
Current weight: 201.0
Weight +GAIN/-LOSS this week: -2.0
Total weight lost: 26.0

He's been running like crazy but I think now that he's so close to his goal weight, it's coming off a little slower. He has 11-12 pounds to go before he's at his weight and he's at the lowest he's been since high school!

I'm excited for next week. It feels so good to see the numbers going down!

I decided to start sharing some of our favorite recipes with each weigh in that we eat that are low in fat. This is one of our absolutel favorites. SO GOOD!

Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/4 cup water
8 oz package of low fat cream cheese (You can use fat free but the low fat really benefits to the deliciousness)

1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

Directions:
1. Place chicken in crock pot.
2. Mix together italian dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours.
4. Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl.
5. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot
6. Pour cream cheese and soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom.
7. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred chicken.
8. Cook on low until heated through.

You can serve this with rice or whole grain noodles. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: Servings per recipe: 6
Serving size: 1 serving
Calories: 368
Total Fat: 10.3 g
Saturated Fat: 5.4 g