Lots of Things to update about

Wow!  I have been so busy and while there have been plenty of things to write about, I just flat out haven't had the time!  Since this day has been designated a "catch-up and clean-up" day, I'm allotting some time to sit down and do this.  So for the sake of time, I'm gonna just jump right on in.

First, I have been in the process of organizing the kitchen.  I put dollar store baskets in the fridge and freezer to make sense of the complete chaos that was going on in there and it has been a blessing!  I found a different size basket when I went to the store to outfit my freezer and I am going to get more of that kind and switch them out.  I will try and do a post of pics to show all the stuff I've been doing, just in case it sparks piggy back ideas for anyone needing them. ;)  I also rearranged our pantry and it is much more user friendly!  The cabinets are slowly being uncluttered as well and its a beautiful thing.

Second, about three plus months ago, something clicked in me and I decided I was tired of being tired and physically weak.  Before kids, I was very self motivated about exercising, but since my pregnancies were so dramatic, that wasn't an option for me.  So for the last decade plus a bit, I've been in a complete different set of circumstances with my body.  With no pregnancies or breastfeeding on the horizon, it was just time for me to get my rear in gear.  Because I deal with plenty of joint issues throughout my body, I know better than to just go full speed ahead right away.  I finally cleaned out the garage enough around the area where the elliptical was serving as a catchall and started using it 6 days a week starting out at 5 minutes and working my way up to 25/30 mins each day over the course of about 4 weeks.  After each session, I started doing a pilates stretching routine which has been tremendously helpful keeping my muscles from getting too big, too fast and causing problems with my joints.  Its also good for joint decompression.  Win-win!

My initial goal in starting to build up my strength was not focusing on losing any weight.  As a matter of fact, I didn't change anything about how I was eating for about 2 months.  I just wanted to build muscle mass and strengthen my joints so that I would have better endurance and be more agile.  In doing that, though, I started losing inches.  I knew that would be a by-product of what I was doing, but I also didn't want to lose weight or inches too quickly.  I want the saggy-baggy, extra skin hanging around from pregnancies past to go back down, too and I've got to give my body time to accomplish that. ;)  So far, so good on that front.

Around a month ago, I felt like I needed to give my body a boost and wanted to start a clean eating and high protein regimen.  Plenty of the recipes I use are considered Paleo or Primal.  While I don't believe in the whole cave man philosophy, I do find the data about how the body digests or the trouble it has with digesting certain foods and the absorption of vitamins and minerals and balancing blood sugar levels so there are no highs and lows resulting in crashes, very compelling.  So far, without having done something along the lines of a Whole 30 stint, I have become aware that my body doesn't do well with regular potatoes in pretty much any form and wheat.  I was not happy about the wheat because I loves me some fiber and I have an unhealthy love obsession with bread. :/  I found that coconut flour is super duper high in fiber and doesn't have the gluten and blood sugar issues that wheat seems to have, so I honestly haven't really felt a loss.  As a result of eating this way, I have tons more energy and I feel so much better! An added bonus has been loss of poundage and more inches.  Again, win-win.  Yay!

Another fun side thing has been the accumulation of new work out gear.  It is very nice to have clothing that is made to sweat in and actually fits me!  I also recently got new running shoes since my last pair was nearly a decade old and part of the sole finally just fell off and a watch that has a timer and a heart rate monitor as well as some other nice features.  I am soooo amazed at how much lighter the new shoes are compared to my old ones!  Same brand + different technology = huge difference! They are for the purpose of training to run a 5k.  In all the years past when I was running, I never, EVER wanted to run any sort of race.  Traditionally, I have abhorred running.  I did it because I had to.  I much prefer fitness classes, machines and dancing.  I don't get the runner's high, I have a knee that is problematic with high impact activity and its just never been fun for me.  Recently, a friend proposed the idea of training for a 5k together and it was more of a let's-see-if-we-can-do-this sort of a thing.  I pondered it and was intrigued with the idea of whether I could do it or not.  It was yet another way I could tweak something.  (I have found as I get older that I have a knack for tweaking things - it can be in totally unrelated areas of interest, too. ;)  So, after I felt that I had built up sufficient strength in my legs and back, I started jogging.  I've been doing that for the past few weeks focusing mainly on my breathing and posture.  I got an 8-week training schedule from a site about running a 5k and have put myself on that schedule.  I hope to map out a good route soon so that I can start focusing more on distance as well as time.  I would like a pedometer at some point, but for now I'm good.  I'll just drive it and then run it. ;)  It looks like June or July will be 5k time and there are several to choose from in this area, so I'm actually looking forward to it.

Since this is already long, I'm gonna have to continue on in another post for tomorrow.

Brea is using the potty!

Brea has been having what I call growth and/or teething poo.  It has made her bottom super irritated and we've had to do just cloth diapers for a couple of days trying to get it under control.  It was only helping slightly, so today, I decided to let her run around bare bummin' it.  After a bit, I decided to what she would do about sitting on the potty.  She was more than willing and went there immediately.  The first two times there was plenty of grunting, but no substance.  Made me ponder her experience seeing the rest of us use the potty.....haha!  The third time, Success!  She had gone several times and most of them I just ask her and she heads in there and gets on by herself and she's done by the time I even get in there.  I'm pretty excited! :)

Braden is 9!

Happy birthday to our smart, kind, clever, inventive, fun, funny, silly, brave, energetic, thoughtful, wonderful boy-o!  We are pretty sure that life somehow got fast-forwarded while we weren't looking and you just jumped to being 9. :)  We love you so much and are so blessed that God gave you to us so we can walk beside you in this life.  What anadventure we have had so far and what an adventure is still to come!  We release showers of blessing and wisdom and love over you in abundance!  Oh, happy day!

Braden wanted a NASA birthday.  Again, no invite-everyone-and-go-way-over-the-top party for this year.  That's next year's craziness. ;)  I did decorate and do it up boy-style.  We don't want anything too girly in this house for boy birthdays.  Just ask the boys if you don't believe me. :)  Braden helped me hang some stuff and he was very specific in the planning part of it all.  I really like it when the kids are that involved with their party planning.  I'm looking forward to when they get even more involved.  Let's just say that there should be no excuse for any of them not being able to pull off surprise parties and all the fullness thereof when they are older! ;)

Don't you love it when you can use a 40% AND 50% off coupon at michael's at the same time?!  Me, too!  I got a few things there including these cake wires:

In my perusal of the cake decorating aisle, I came across and find that I am in want of this baby in the not-so-far-off future:


I also got a few things at Hobby Lobby (totally busted out the 40% off coupon there, too. :)  I'm loving the paper lanterns and pinwheel thingymabobs lately.  I printed off the space shuttles and the garland and viola! just enough deco for a 9-year-old boy. :)

 First, we had his birthday breakfast.  He chose to have pancakes with only peanut butter chips in his.

 We all really liked how the cake turned out looking....the actual cake part, though, was NOT impressive.  This was actually the second failed attempt.  I was trying to make the raspberry lemon cake from Taste of Home, but it doesn't do well in anything other than several shallow round or square pans.  Eh, it would work in sheet cake form, too.  I tried to cook it in my pampered chef batter bowl first so that I could have the dome shape, but it never got done in the middle and the outside got burned.  So, when I was at Michael's, even though I had decided not to get a special pan, I went ahead and got the ball pan and tried it again in that.  It still didn't get done in the middle!  Ugh!  More like a gelatin than cake which makes for a very unpleasant experience.  Bummer.  The planets were pretty good though.  I just made them from rice crispy treats and marshmallow fondant and then used gel food coloring mixed with almond extract to paint them.  A special thanks to Kristen H. for helping me cover the planets in the fondant!  It would have taken me fo'evah otherwise.  I picked up some better Duff paint brushes while I was at it. (I'm starting to see a trend here... ;)  Next time, I'll just turn a plain yellow cake into lemon yumminess or maybe a lemon pound cake...mmmmmm.  Braden is a lemon fanatic, too. :)

The silliness is strong with this one!

Everyone was excited about getting their own planet to eat. :)

Braden said the best part was when I took him by himself to the store and said that he could choose what he wanted up to $10.  (He also got an Academy gift card later.)  Let me tell you, this kid bargain shopped!  He found that green dart gun in the pics on the clearance shelf for $4.48, got a few extra bullets for it on the clearance shelf for $1.98 and then went and got three hot wheels cars for $.97 a piece.  He was excited about his haul AND about not spending the whole $10!  These are exciting times, folks!  It will be a beautiful day when I get him all in to couponing. ;)  (He does already have a grasp on the Hobby Lobby coupon...it has begun:)

Brea's First Haircut and some more pics

 Had to get those bangs under control :)

 Nostril flaring at its finest!

 Zekey's current lego masterpiece

 Up close and personal

 Caught ya!

A bigger picture....

Braden...another growth spurt

He holds a captive audience

Braden's Baptism and Waterpark Family Fun!

Last Sunday, Braden came out of his class after church and asked if he could get baptized the following Sunday.  We spoke with him to find out why he wanted to do this and what he thought it meant and clarify some things with him.  We all came out of it with the satisfaction that this was His timing for Braden to start his very own relationship-adventure with his Heavenly Father.  These are exciting times!

For a long while now, I've had the perspective that I didn't want my kids to follow some set pattern of some point in time there is this momentous occasion that you make a decision to have Jesus come into your heart and then you follow that with "Believer's Baptism" and then off we go, la-ti-da-ti-dah.  That version of doing things reminds me very much of how much importance our society places on the ceremony and all that is involved in the fiasco of getting married and the honey moon time afterwards, but very little importance or effort is placed on the importance of beginning with a fantastic foundation before the ceremony takes place or the longevity of the process of marriage after all the euphoria of the beginning has dissipated into the reality of what covenant relationship really entails.

Now, don't get me wrong, I believe the decision is important and the baptism is too.  It is necessary to recognize in yourself your complete and utter lack of ability to get rid of sin and live in a true and absolute freedom in the way it was created and meant to be.  When we can acknowledge that we NEED the Savior, the only One who has the power and authority to transform us into new creations, the only One who is able to stand in our place, so that we are judged as pure and holy and righteous before our Sovereign and Holy Creator and God so that we can be reestablished/restored into our rightful places as heirs of our Amazing Daddy God!  That's enormous!...Then, to follow with being baptized to declare in an external/tangible way of the triunal (this will be an actual word someday;) transformation (mind, body and spirit) that has begun inside us is essential!   But its only the beginning.  Its the starting point of the greatest adventure anyone can ever enter into.  The sheer magnitude of how much interest in and enjoyment of us, the HOLY (set apart) and MOST HIGH GOD, the Creator of all that we see and are still unable to see, the One who's very words holds the universe and all therein together at the deeper than molecular level, how much pure, untainted, un-perverted, freely-given, all-encompassing LOVE He has for us.....the magnitude of it all is overwhelming and continually so!  Do you know that He delights in us?  Delights! - adores, approves, is satisfied with, praises, is pleased, honors, appreciates, has glee in, is gratified....the list is extensive!  You know, I believe we can make Him giggle or belly laugh!  I love the picture that paints. :)

I find it very interesting that we make this huge deal out of the birth of Christ for Christmas and then His death at Easter and while those two things are key and paramount, again...they were only the beginning and compared to what those keys unlocked...WOW!  The door that the birth of our Savior unlocked was His ministry here on earth and His death on the cross and resurrection in order to open, through a reciprocal relationship with Holy Spirit, an ever extending inheritance of freedom from the curse of the fall, restoration into a restriction free relationship with our Abba Father and the complete ability to live and walk in the authority and annointing to bring the fullness of His Kingdom and all that entails as it is in heaven into our environment and atmosphere and sustain it right here and right now.

Do we have eyes to see or ears to hear or hearts to listen?  I want THAT for my kids, for Sam and I, for our family and for our Christ family.  I don't want a someday-when-I-die-things-will-align-the-way-they-are-supposed-to Christian philosophy.  That somehow only by us dying will things finally be the way God meant them to be.  That would mean that Christ's death wasn't sufficient to restore and renew.  He continually said that we should repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  He was telling us that we need to get the sin out, so that we have nothing blocking us/holding us back from using the full, complete, absolute power and authority that has already been gifted to us by our Father to use in our lives here on earth today!  That was before He was crucified...the key of the crucification unlocked the oppression of the death of living under the law and through the blood of Jesus opened up a whole new way of living in constant connection with Holy Spirit Who interprets for us, guides us, comforts us...this list is extensive, too. :)  Its just a whole kaleidoscope of amazingness!

Just sayin. ;)

I do have pics of Braden getting baptized at the water park.  I love that our church does it this way, too.  Another fun highlight was that Memaw and Pepaw came to be with us for this special time, too.  :)  Here we go:

 Braden waiting for his turn

 Miss Pam and Michelle, two wonderful ladies with hearts for kid's ministry doing the "dunking" ;) honors

 The adventure has begun!

 Beautiful Memaw!

 Zeker Weekers

 Ler was having a great time!  She even went down the big slides with Sam and I. :)

 Brea had fun, too...she would continually lose her balance and go under and we would set her upright again and she would continue on her merry way.  No fear.

 Pepaw found a baby to hold. :)

 Sweet Liam had his first water park adventure

That's a proud mama!

Ailey and Brea's Birthday Party

We had a birthday party for the girls yesterday and had such a nice time.  I, of course, went a little nutty with all the preparations and I still have to learn about how to find a balance there, but I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather had slightly nutty prep time and very calm party time as opposed to the opposite. :)  Our fabulous home group family came as well as some of our fantastic homeschool co-op friends and it was a relaxing time of fellowship.  AAaaaah.  The girls got some fun gifts and the boys wanted to get their hands on their stuff as well.  So, all is normal. ;)  The only sad thing is that Brea started having a fever not too long after the party ended and is still fighting something off. :(  It should break soon and then lil' miss will be up to playing with her toys. :)

I, along with a few others took some pics to commemorate the occasion:

 Had to put some fruit skewers in there to offset all the icing.

Rainbow jello!  Yummy!

 Thank you, Kristen H. for letting me borrow your cupcake cake pan!

Made one cupcake cake for each of my girlies.

 MMMMmmmm....more sugar for the take home bags!

 I was going to do the different color koolaid in the bottles of water, but after thinking about how much sugar was already involved, I decided to leave well enough alone. ;p

R. on the hunt...

 We had an egg hunt.  They were filled with playdoh.  Playdoh and dirt and grass don't mix well.  Guess I better rethink that strategy. :)

 A. and K. helping round up the eggs.

I tried to light the candles, but the wind was uncooperative, so we just had to pretend.  We did sing happy birthday, though!

 L. and A. helping to assist in egg collection...

 Really wants a piece....

 Colors!

Money shot.

Miss Ali and her youngest (for now) O.

Miss Rosie.

Jim in smile mode!  I had to get on to him about letting me take his pic to get this shot. :)

Face full of cake.  Its what its all about.

Love these folks!

I think I caught Patrick in the middle of a yawn...but I could be mistaken.

Lovely ladies, Kristen and Lucy with little L.

This was taken after I handed my camera off, so I can't say who took some of these, but I can say Sean, Laury and Ali were all involved....

Rachel, Jason and David and some of their crews.  Between our three families, we have 11 children. :)

Really can't say what was going on here...

Little L.  Sweetness!

Cupcake.  A picture.

Hey sweet P.!

The Ler.

I think Zekey would live in a tree if he could.

R. in solemn mode.

Braden in normal camera ham mode.

T2.  He waited patiently for his cupcake.

This is true Braden.

New hair doodads!

Um, yeah.

Ohhh, weee.  Love that baby.

Um, yeah....again.

Didn't really want that on her head.

Hi, I'm a princess.

Baby doll collaboration.

She is so cute with stuffed animals.

This is a bow holder and Ailey wanted to wear it.  I would let her except for the lack of coverage and all. ;p

Happy Birthday Girls!