Wordless Wednesday

Flashback Friday

Ethan 18months old. February 2004

Abram 18 months old. April 2007

Seriously, I can't imagine life without these two little boys...or their daddy!

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me Monday!

I most certainly did not yell at Abram yesterday and today because I don't yell at my kids anymore, remember.

I did not walk by treadmill 10x this last week and tell it, "I will run on you later" because I run every day, EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!

I didn't resolve to take vitamins and drink more water and then NOT do that, no way, not me. I drank a full 8 glasses of water and took my vitamins daily this last week. Yep, sure did.

I didn't wait to start our weekly laundry until 5pm last night, nope I got it all done by noon on Sunday. Why would anyone wait to do it right before they had to? Sheesh, NOT ME!

I most certainly did not complain to my hubby that I hate Minnesota in January and ask him, "Why the hell do we live here anyway?" Nope, NOT me, I LOVE Minnesota year round even in the minus degrees, windy, snowy and just plain crappy winters.

Ethan did not say to me as we passed the Coffee Hut this afternoon, "Mom, aren't you going to stop and get a coffee?" When I said "No, why would I do that?" He did not reply..."Because you ALWAYS do when we drive by and you have to opportunity to." And I definitely didn't say, "No, I am not getting one right now because I already got one today." NOT me, because I stopped that habit at the New Year.

Happy 14th Birthday Miranda

I still can't believe that I have a 14 year old niece.
I feel like I am not getting older, yet everyone around me is! It's just crazy!
I hope you have a wonderful birthday and a great year ahead of you.
Last night Miranda asked me to take her out for her birthday.
ME?! Well of course I said, whatever she wanted!
She requested: 5 Guys Burgers&Fries, Cold Stone Creamery, Barnes&Noble and Gulliver's Travels at the theater...then a little Starbucks for the ride home...just her and I!
How lucky was I? Thanks Miranda for asking me to take you out! The day has finally come where I am cooler than your mom ;)

all pictures were taken summer of 2010 :)

Organized sports/activites

Starting at about age 10, I joined my first organized sport, soccer. I played for many years, well into my high school years. Steven also played soccer. We both loved it! Ethan however...does not like soccer....at all! He doesn't like the running, the rosy cheeks and the chaos of soccer that our community provides. Wanting to do something, he's tried many things. Hockey...was a joke. He was COLD, couldn't skate, was very frustrated and all the equipment weighed more than he did. Wrestling was gross. He was too hot and sweaty, too many kids to the ONE coach they had and was too late in the evening for his liking. So he tried Tae Kwon Do...and LOVES it. He has done very well and has advanced with confidence. He is currently a purple belt.

Ethan also loves swimming. I was a swimmer in high school and

lettered in it, so of course his love for swimming fills me with JOY!

Abram just joined his first organized sport, gymnastics. He is doing amazingly well and loves it. A year ago I honestly never thought Abram would join any event that involved other people, but with a lot of prayer, patience and encouragement he is thriving.

Abram has expressed interest in T-ball this summer. Steven "says" he is not a baseball fan, which cracks me up since he enjoys going to ball games and has played on the church softball league for 2 years now. If Abram enjoys it, I will sit at every ball game, in the heat to watch him play. Steven of course would LOVE for one of his boys to play soccer...so we'll see if that's something Abram wants to try.

I LOVE sports and am so proud and excited for my boys to be apart of such events and activities. Of course we would never MAKE them do anything that didn't want to do themselves. I just want them to stay active and enjoy what they do. Now...music on the other hand is required in our home. Both boys will do piano to start with (Ethan is on his second year, Abram will start in a few years) and then they can choose as they get old enough to do other instruments.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for my boys!

see...

In keeping up with my resolutions I thought this adorable cup would help...

~I am trying really hard to keep with my resolutions, but I did stop at the "Coffee Hut" a few times this week.

~There is NO pop in our home.

~I didn't yell at my kids at all this week. When I felt frustrated and noticed a slight increase in my voice I put myself in check and lowered it.

~I have not ran :(

~I did start my cardio class this week, really enjoyed it and look forward to continuing with it.

~I just took my vitamins this evening for the first time this year, better late then never.

~I've opted for water more times than not this week, woohoo!

the boys resolutions...

This morning I told my boys about my resolutions and asked them about theirs.

Ethan: to eat more fruits and veggies <---I love this and think it's great he came up with this on his own.

Abram: to help save the world. With a little explanation on his part I discovered he would like to recycle more, pick up more trash, use less energy and make our world a better place.

Seriously, this kid is in a league of his own. He surprises me daily with his knowledge of things, his imagination, his vocabulary, his expression and expressiveness.

On the way to school this morning, both boys told me how proud they were of me for not yelling this morning and Abram thinks that is my best resolution yet!

Resolutions...?

I usually make some sort of resolution(s) each year. Last year I made 2. I was 50% successful.
This year I have made more. I usually don't write them down, I just keep a running tally in my head of what I'd like to resolve. This year, maybe writing them down will bring me more than a 50% success rate.
In no particular order:
~To keep pop/soda/diet Pepsi OUT of my home.
I resisted the urge to buy diet Pepsi at the grocery store last night!

~Run a 5k <---this one has failed me 2 years in a row...I *really* want to do this in 2011.

Nothing to report yet...

~Lessen my "Coffee Hut" habit. My brother figured out how much I spend a month on it and lets say I could quit my job if I cut this out completely :) That's not going to happen though, one: because I love my job and two: I love my caramel skinny mocha's. Steven bought us a coffee maker so I'm going to try and cut my cost by making them at home.
Stopped at McD's yesterday and the "Coffee Hut" this morning...this one is going to take a lot of effort from me.

~Drink more water and take my vitamins...DAILY
Nope, haven't done either yet...I suck.

~Be consistent with my work out classes. I have been consistent since September going 2/3 days a week taking anywhere from 1-3 classes a month. This is really important to me. It helps me sleep better, it's a stress reliever and makes me feel better about myself.
I start tomorrow evening.

~LESS yelling at my kiddos. Mornings are my weakness. I feel that if I don't raise my voice, they don't move fast enough for me...I'm going to try really hard to work on this.
I am happy to report this morning I was able to express to my boys that I felt the urge to yell and Ethan calmly said to me, "Mom, please don't yell." I want my boys to head off to school with a cheerful heart, not one that wants to cry due to their mothers morning yelling.

~Using less chemicals in my home.
I started using Norwex products and plan to buy and use more. They are amazing products and require virtually NO chemicals!

I will try to update monthly on my progress...
So what are YOURS? Do you make any?

Happy New YeaR

May your 2011 be full of kisses and lots of love!