Happy V-day

So really I think that Valentines is just a Halmark holiday. If you love someone you should let them know everyday not just emphasize it on one day. Who needs chocolates that my butt will thank me for later or stuffed animals at my age?  My husband thinks differently. He called me up at work and told me that I needed to kill 15 minutes before arriving at some spa place. He does these special little treats for me all the time. While out running errands, he will stop by and schedule an eyebrow waxing or nails or something fun like that that I actually need. So I go to this place and get pampered and when I get home i'm already dreading that I have to clean up the kitchen before I start dinner just like any other day.....Well to my surprise my sink is EMPTY! Counters are CLEAR. So unheard of. BEST PRESENT EVER!! Since they all surprised me with all these wonderful gifts, I surprised them with a special treat.....

This "valentines box" is all cake

My broken heart

                                                        My lil Bekah w/ cake & cakeballs

Jeffrey & Riley enjoying their gift

Jakey stole a couple when I wasnt looking

               My 4 babies (plus Moose peeking in the window)


Oh and I did get a box of chocolates by the end of the night.....

Victory is empty without struggle

Today I read an email from a friend. Actually it was more of a devotion but it has changed my perspective a little. I don't usually get caught up on material things. I've struggled my whole life. Don't get me wrong, we have never gone without & I had a great childhood. We've never lived in the same place for more than 6 months when I was a kid. Life was pretty unstable but my mom did the best she could as a single parent of 3 kids. And to me that is something to admire. So anyways back to the email. It was all about chapters in our lives. One chapter might be better than the next you just have to read thru it and make it to the next page.....In my life I do know what my ending is going to be. And I know that it's going to be a happy one. Not everyone can say that. Not everyone has what I have. This is not material things I'm speaking of, of course. But I just got so focused on the fact that I have to give up MY big house and MY big closet, everything that is MINE. I can't talk to Jeff about it because he feels as if he has failed me in some way because he knows that I don't want the life I had for my kids. I want stability. Who wouldn't? We decided that with the economy the way it has been that if he was laid off again we should start downsizing and cutting back where necessary.
So this all being said, I've decided to refocus and be more positive. Jeff is very excited about this house. How can I destroy that for him and point on the negative. I am blessed to have found a house, I have a job to where I can pay for it, my children have food, none of my kids are sick, and I am happily married. So even though this is a rough chapter for me I can't wait to see what God is writing for me next.

If at first you don't succeed....

Try, try, try AGAIN! Right? I was looking at this chicks website and was still determined to make those cakeballs!  There are so many other things that she makes and it would be fun to experiment with for my kids birthdays besides the traditional cake. So I tossed the directions that I had printed last time and started over and did it my own way. This was my ending result.......

I've never tasted them before so I have nothing to compare them to. Watching Jacob sneak up and grab one let me know that they must have been good. If the kids like em then thats all that matters :)

Go play on the freeway!

OK so I've heard people say "Go play on a freeway" but I've never thought much about it.

Bootcamp day 12- Well needless to say after day 11 I needed to take a break. Really I could have used a few days but I sucked it up and went. It was Cardio day. Still hate running but thats where the weightloss is. I arrived at the park and I could already tell that this one was gonna be different. The plan was to run all the way to the top of College Dr. where it meets the desert. Then come halfway down and run up to Lance Burtons home. We sprinted up and down his driveway a few times. I could only imagine what he was thinking if he was watching from his window.
After, it was decided that we would run all the way to the underpass of the 95 & College.
Very exciting.....
Well not really. We ran up the side of the underpass, down the side, up backwards, & down backwards. Pretty scary because it was pretty steep. Now I can say i've played on the side of a freeway.

It will be the death of me....

OK so i'm hanging in there with bootcamp. When I'm there some days seem rough but by the time 7pm rolls around I just think "YES!! I made it!"
Bootcamp Day 9- It was all upperbody. Although its challenging its always been my favorite. I'm sore the next day so I must be pushing myself. Between 100 leg lifts & tons of pushups uphill I'll meet my goal in no time.

Bootcamp Day 10- We headed over to do Towers. Yup again! We ran up 20 steps did 2 burpees ran some more until we were to the top of the water tower. If we made it before the last person we ran to the end to run up with them. Then we got straps that have loops on both ends. Partnered up and while your partner ran 20 you gave resistance, then sprinted 20 paces then reverse. Tough going up hill! Next we lined up in 3's and sprinted. Now this I can handle. Short distance running...piece of cake. All that long crap...NO THANK YOU! Last we walked uphill backwards. Killer on my thighs but at least we have a nice view of the entire city while we are out there.

Bootcamp Day 11- HATE HATE HATE it! I thought that I was going to keel over and die! Maybe it wouldnt have been so tough if it wasn't cardio the day before but it being lower body tonight I wanted run back to my truck and go home. We started off with the warm up run. Not the ordinary kind either. Split up and teams and grabbed the rope attached to a big ass 80 lb tire. We dragged that sucker around Mission Hills. There was no stopping because you would be pulled by the person in front of you or run over by the one behind you. I just prayed that the guy behind me was as big a slacker as I was. Next she had all the logs and concrete filled pipes laying out just waiting for us. The pipes were said to have weighed 30 lbs. Ha! Yea right. Jacob is 35lbs and those things were way heavier than him. 30 lbs my ass...
Well the challenge with these were to hold them the entire time. Lunges across the field, squats across the field, iron chair holding them and saying chants, (which were pretty funny but I was in too much pain to laugh), some kind of step things onto the bench....up down up down....im pretty sure i didnt manage 100 per leg there. We ended the night on the sidewalk doing some kind of leg lifts. When it was all done and over with I cant say how long I sat in my truck but I was contemplating on if anyone would notice me sleeping there. When I got home I felt like a zombie and actually thought I was going to throw up.
When I walked in the door my super awesome husband had already fed the kids, was taking Jacob upstairs to bed, on his way back to put Bekah down and had my dinner in the microwave! I think he's a keeper :)

Baptism

On January 23, I was honored to watch my little boy Riley take the next step of faith. After giving his heart to Jesus at the age of 5 he wondered whats next? I decided that it was also time for me to be baptized as well. I've put it off for 16 years! Who am I to go against one of God's commandments? So Riley and I got to do this together at Green Valley Christian Center. I'll admit it. Watching Pastor Brian baptize my boy made me teary eye. It was the most amazing undescribable feeling. As a parent that is the most important thing we can do for our children. Lead them in the right direction so they can have a relationship with God. Its not going to matter what career they have or how big their house is. Its all very petty if they are lost.

"It's not what you do but Who you know." --Pastor Vic


Click the link below if you would like to see Riley. He is 18 minutes and 9 seconds into it.
http://vimeo.com/19141963

It hurts so good...

This has basically become the motto for bootcamp. Although it does hurt while working out its one of those good kinda sore feelings. The one that you know is working. Although still no weight loss I do feel better. I feel like things are toning up. I would hope so after 8 bootcamp sessions.   I have been sick this past week but have dragged my but out there. I would rather sweat this cold out than be a sissy and lay in bed. I can't remember off the top of my head what was done on day 6. Maybe it was so bad I just blocked that day out :)
Oh wait its coming back to me....it was lower body. Besides the obvious running that we do which I still hate, we took things to the picnic tables. We stepped up onto the bench 100 times on the right leg then 100 on the left. Those were killer!  I'm drawing a blank on what else we did. Maybe the memory is just too painful :)
Day 7 was back to upper body. How I hate those stupid logs. I even got a splinter as a reminder on how bad it was. First we partnered up and held the log above our heads. Last one standing was the winner. Of course it was our amazing instructor. She has to be the tiniest girl in camp but the most hardcore.  If you havent checked out her website its something to definately look at. Anyways, she threw in some Chasers (more running) and then it was back to the logs. A million sit ups with them.  OK well maybe not a million but while i'm laying there staring at the stars and praying to God for 7pm to get here it feels like a million.  In between all the log exercises we did Chasers. I managed 20 bench presses with the log but needed a spotter the whole time so I wouldnt smash my face. I look forward to when I can do those without a spotter.
Day 8 I was pretty nervous for this one. All I heard the night before was Towers and Mountain.  When I pulled up I was getting a little more anxious. There was only 3 other people there. All guys and all able to run faster than me. Great I was gonna be the slacker. The one always at the end. I was contemplating on whether or not to pretend I was a passer by and just keep driving. Well the way they were staring I'm pretty sure they recognized me. Dang it! I got out. The instructor for tonight said we were taking a little field trip.  So we loaded up. Thank God Kelly pulled up as we were leaving! We went to the top of Greenway where there is some kind of path behind all the houses and a trail up the mountain. Tonight was a lot of uphill running, backwards running, lunges up the trail, squats up the trail, and some partner pushes. It was pretty intense. My legs are sore. Can't wait for Mondays class. I know i'm excited for them, hate them when i'm there and happy when I can cross one more day off the calendar. It means i'm one day closer to a "no mommy belly"