Thinner Thursday Update

Yesterday I weighed in at:

                                                                           208.0

I startet at 223.4. I was able to get in 2 walks with the kids this week too, so that was a small goal that I met. I'm hoping for 2-3 this week. Today I am taking the twins to Busch Gardens with Alicia and Abram, so that counts as one, right?!

Another big goal that I met this week involved clothes. I was able to wear two pairs of pants that I haven't worn in months! I am at the point where me & Rob notice the weight loss, but not too many other people. I've received one or two compliments which is encouraging. I'm hoping over the next two months there will be a noticable difference. I would like to be under 200 by the end of April, so I'm going to work hard!

I was a little worried about Spring Break's schedule impacting my eating, but so far so good! We are venturing out to eat with the kids a little more, so I'm extra careful during the day if I know we are eating out. I check the calories before hand so I know what to order because if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!! I didn't keep any of the kid's birthday cake in the house because that would have been a train wreck. I do, however, have some of the candy and treats left, but I am giving those away to whoever will take them!

Wife Wednesday

Life has slowed down for us a lot in the last week or so. We've been able to have a date night and spend valuable time with friends. Not much exciting stuff going on, so I thought I'd share some fun facts about being Rob's wife.

1. He opens the car door for me every where we go. He has done that since we met in college, and I'm pretty sure he'll always do it.
2. On of our marriage rules is to not have a tv in the bedroom because it kills the romance. When we moved in with his parents a few weeks ago, our room came with its own tv and full cable. We've barely used it when we're both in the room, and it will go out the second one of us says so.
3. Every Sunday for about 8 years, Rob has left me a note on Sunday mornings simply to encourage me or tell me why he loves me.
4. He makes me mixed tapes like we are boyfriend/girlfriend in the 7th grade. Well, they are mixed cds if you will, but they are always my favorite gift to receive during the year. I end up with at least 4 or 5 each year.
5. He plays with my hair or rubs my back every night while I fall asleep. He claims he does this for hours, but it feels like 5 minutes.
6. He wakes up with the twins every morning to get the dressed & feed them so I can get ready for work or sleep a little extra. That's love.
7. He freaks out if he walks into the bathroom and I'm going to the bathroom. I am fully aware that I am not allowed in the bathroom if he is going. He thinks it kills the romance. I think when you gotta go, you gotta go.
8. He wears only a pair of superhero underwear to bed (he owns at least 6 pairs), but I wear socks, pants, a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt plus add a heavy brown throw blanket on top of our sheet, quilt, & comforter. If I ever die it will be because I froze to death at bedtime.
9. We say weird things to each other such as, "I like your face" and "Love you poops."
10. We aren't allowed to use absolutes when communicating. For example, I can't say "you never" because that's probably not true. He can't say "you always" because even though I might have just done it, I probably don't always do it. It keeps us healthy.

In conclusion, I am the luckiest. That's all.

Twin Tuesday: Birthday Edition

Hayden and Reese turned one last Friday, and we had their party on Saturday. A friend hooked us up with the clubhouse in Running Man, my dear friend Stacy made most of the treats, our friend Devin made two beautiful cakes plus their smash cakes, our friend Angie made some candy bouquets, Nicole & Stacy let me borrow serving platters since all of mine are packed up, Danielle handled the punch, and Courtney & Lindsey helped me set up before hand. I am so THANKFUL for all of the people in our lives that made this day so great for us and the kids. Check it out:

This was their actual birthday!

 

So serious- he's not sure why all these people are here, but he looks good!

Ta-da! Hello everyone and thank you for coming!

It's like they are waiting to be asked to dance in 6th grade. I promise they had fun.

Once he got Elmo, he was good to go.

Tastes so good!

Testing sissy's cake to make sure it's not better.

She is done!

Honestly- Devin made us perfect cakes!

Tab sent me these templates & I taped them on water bottles after removing the original label.

Manic Monday

man·ic   adjective pertaining to or affected by mania

mania  noun excessive excitement or enthusiasm

Much like robshep.com’s Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is just a snapshot of the random excitement that is inside my head.

• What a great weekend! On Friday, the twins turned one, and their party was Saturday! More to come about the party on tomorrow's blog.
• On Saturday evening, Courtney and I went to get pedicures at our favorite little place on 17~ Elite Nails. It was amazing to sit for almost two hours doing nothing but talk to Courtney and read my book.
• Since I was in Grafton, I decided to drive by our old house. It's technically still ours because it still hasn't closed. It was suppose to close on March 23, but the buyer's bank jacked something up. We gave them temporary possession so they could start painting and stuff. They tell us it might close today.
• When I pulled in the guest parking lot at our old house, the blinds were open and the lights were on- great stalking conditions. Our house (well, theirs) was full of different stuff, plus they had painted the bedroom and kitchen. I felt like pulling a homeless guy on Adventures in Babysitting, bang on the door and yell, "Get out of my house!" In turn, they would open the door and yell, "You just moved!"

 

Adventures in Babysitting is one of my all time favorite movies. 

• After our pedicures, Courtney and I went back to her house to catch up on some DVR together. It gets even better! On Sunday, Courtney, Lindsey, Danielle, and I went to Cheddars for Courtney's birthday lunch. They are three of my favorite women in the world; I'm not sure when the last time just the 4 of us hung out. I loved it.
• I love Monday mornings, but want to know one thing I don't like about Monday mornings? Getting on Facebook! From about 6 am until 10 am a lot of people are just posting about how they hate Mondays and they wish it were Friday already. Keep it in perspective people- you have a job to go to & you clearly have time to get on Facebook to tell us again that you don't like Mondays. I get it, I really do, but find something happy and hold on to that.
• Apparently the lotto was a big deal last week. Our friend Clayton King re-tweeted somebody and it made me laugh. "The GA lottery is at 540 Mill so u should DEF buy a ticket! Think of how many other bad financial decisions u could make w/ all that money." We don't play, but our friend Jamey always says that you have a 100% better chance of winning if you play. Just wish people put as much hope in God each day as they did in the lotto last week.
• There is a business in the shopping center near our house called- wait for it- "Respectapole". That's right- respectapole. It's a place for dance fitness. The website says to bring sexy pumps/heels. They even had a groupon recently. Fantastic.

There was a kid's after school/summer camp bus out front this weekend. Haha!

•  Check out Rob's blog from yesterday. Even though it says Knox wrote it, Rob really wrote it. It's funny!
• Also, Rob made it to the finals for some March Movie Madness thing his blogger friend does. Rob is representing Indiana Jones, and he is up against the guy from Princess Bride. I really don't like Princess Bride. Anyway, at noon you can vote here for Rob to win it all. Please do!
• Spring Break is here which has a whole different meaning for us over the last two years. We used to go on great trips together, but since we had the kiddos, it's a different ball game. Not a bad ball game, just different. Rob can't take off work the week before Easter, so I'm on my own with Reese & Hayden.
• Highlights we have planned- one year photos with Barb Spencer, a trip to Busch Gardens with Alicia and Abram, a visit to Virginia Beach to see my parents, some play time with Nicole & Connor, and our church (Next Level) opens its doors to the public!
• If you have a great church, stay there, but if you don't have a church- check us out! nextlevelchurch.net has some information about when & where. We'd love to have you (if you don't have a church!). We meet at 6 pm on Sundays, so you can sleep in, dress casually, and have the whole weekend to yourself!

How was your weekend? Are you on spring break? What are you doing?

Happy Birthday Hayden & Reese!

At 9:41 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. exactly one year ago, our lives were forever changed. After years of infertily, one miscarriage, and failed fertility treatments, our lives were doubly blessed with twins. While absolutely true, I often find statements about God's timing & perfect plan to be poorly timed when people are hurting. However, these two precious gifts were perfectly timed for us. I can't imagine life without them. Maybe one day they'll read these quick letters~

Hayden,

You bring us such joy. Your laughter is infectious, and your happiness is contagious. You have such a sensitive heart, and I pray that never changes. You have loved your sister since day one, and I hope you always treasure and protect her. I love watching you dance and hearing you say uh-oh! You have always been such a sweet boy. One of my favorite things every day is when daddy says, "I'm gonna get Hayden", and you take off crawling and laughing as if your life depends on it. You are so much fun. Happy birthday, little boy!

Reese,

You are my little fighter. Who knew you would be so spunky after being born at 3 pounds 11 ounces? You were a fighter in the NICU, and you are a determined little girl now. At one year, you know what you want and how to get it. Ha! It made us so happy to watch you learn peek-a-boo and how to play catch. It is so sweet to see how badly you want to keep up with your big brother and how you look around the room when you do something fantastic to make sure people are looking. One of my favorite things about you is how you have a different laugh for every occassion- even a pity laugh when I'm not that funny. Happy birthday, to our "surprise" little girl!

We love you both, and we thank God every day for each of you. You have blessed us more than you'll ever know!