Pumpkin Patch

Kendra was my buddy on Megan's fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch.

Megan and her friend Charlee.

The whole class with Mrs. Langille.  All the Kindergartens went on the fieldtrip at the same time so to tell them apart, each class had a different colored tie-dyed shirt.

We went back the next day for a birthday party and got to ride the train and pet the animals and have more fun!

Halloween Shirts I Made

I let the girls pick their fabric and applique design for their shirts this year.  Kendra got a pumpkin, Mikayla has a witch's hat with a rhinestone studded ribbon slide around the brim and Megan has a girl ghost with googly eyes.  They turned out pretty cute and were so fun to make!

Pizza Bites

We LOVE pizza bites!  I either make my own dough or buy it for a dollar pre-made from Safeway and cut it into small squares.  Lay mozzarella cheese and pepperoni in the middle of the square and wrap the dough in a ball to enclose the cheese.  Lay all balls in a greased pie pan and sprinkle remaining cheese and Italian seasonings on top and bake at 400 for about 10 min.  Then we pull apart the pieces and dip in marinara sauce.  Everytime I make it the girls ask if we can have it every night!  Soo yummy!

Pumpkin Carving!

 The kids were so excited to carve pumpkins this year!  They each got to pick out their own pumpkin and drew sketches of what design they wanted.  Then, the reality sank in that they had to scoop their own guts out of their pumpkins!

 This is how Megan looked most of the time!

 Mikayla actually had no problem digging right in.

 Trina and baby Grey.  Trina's husband works the walnut harvest 7 days/week all season long.  So, we had Trina and their 5 kids over to help her out with the carving and the messiness.

 Yep, naturally, we had to finish cleaning out the pumpkins and do the carving too.  It turned out to be quite the mommy project to clean and cut so many pumpkins!

 I think this is them looking scared?

 Kendra wanted a girl pumpkin with eyelashes, and Mom delivered.

 Things were great, until the pumpkins started trying to eat the children...

Pirate Cole and his creation.  We had a great day and it's a big bummer that we've had such a warm summer/fall that the pumpkins totally rotted, collapsed, and mushed in on themselves within 5 days of being carved!

Couples Halloween Party!

We had so much fun dressing up and going to our monthly dinner group.  This time the theme was a costume party and we ate great food and even won the costume contest!  I had the longest, thickest fake eyelashes on and they were so fun!  I think I'll find a costume every year that allows me to wear fake eyelashes!
Also at the party was a nun, greek goddess and Hercules, Carmen Sandiego, Where's Waldo, farmer bob and his wife, Star Trek girl, Superman, and several others I can't remember!  I need to take more pictures next year too. :)

Yucky Night

I took the girls with me to Chico so they could play at Magaw and Papa's house while I got my hair cut and ran a butt load of errands.  We had Family Home Evening and enjoyed a little dessert and got the girls to bed.  Megan really wanted to sleep with me and I'm so glad I let her. 

At 2:45am I heard the gurgling and burping sounds next to me and ordered her out of bed quickly!  She made it to the hardwood floor entryway and spewed dinner everywhere.  I asked her to stay there while I got a rag and a bucket, but she kept following me into the kitchen throwing up repeatedly in front of the stairs, by the nook, and in front of the fridge.  It was a war zone.  I had to tiptoe around the mess to get back to her and rushed her to the bathroom.  This continued at least every half hour until about 7:30 this morning.  She had completely emptied the contents of her stomach and was now devoid of bile and saliva.  I heard the noises from her throat and rushed her to the bathroom again where she began puking up blood.  Bright, red blood.  There was about a tablespoon in the toilet and I quickly called Trent knowing I could handle throw-up on my own, but blood was a different story. 

Finally, a few hours later she was able to keep some Gatorade down and the blood subsided so we didn't end up going into the ER, but it wsa pretty scary.  Somehow, the child chose to not nap all day long, even snuggled up on the couch with me watching Disney Jr. shows.  By lunchtime, she was hungry and asking for food.  She got 2 Saltine crackers and by the afternoon she's 100% back to normal.  I have no idea how the flu went that rapidly and viciously through her body, but she's sleeping soundly now.  We'll see what tonight has in store...

This is how I found her after getting home from teaching my class.  The babysitter said she brushed her teeth and then he helped Kendra brush hers.  When he came back to get Megan, this is where she was, on the living room floor!  Poor girl!

Major Mom Fail

Both girls were playing soccer at the same time today.  I stood between both fields trying to keep an eye on both games and make sure they could each hear me cheering for them.  Trent was coaching Megan's team and just as I turn to cheer for Megan who was ahead of the pack taking the ball down the field toward her goal, I hear shouts of "Good job Mikayla!" coming from behind me.  Yes, I had missed her one and only goal of the season.  I clapped and pumped my fist in the air and yelled out her name trying to play it off, but she knew.  I had missed the 8 seconds of glory that it took for her to dribble the ball down the field and into the net.

We got a recap of the epic moment after the game and I could tell my poor girl was broken up inside that neither of her parents saw her score.  Never mind that we have been to every game and cheered loudly and congratulated her assists.  Missing this one hurt and it's one of those moments you wish you could get back...

Nightmares...

Sometimes my kids wake up with nightmares and sometimes, they are actually legimitately scary and sad.  Last night, Kendra's was neither of those.

I awoke to the sounds of her terrified screaming and crying and ran into her bedroom to find out what was going on.  "Kendra!  Are you ok?  Did you have a bad dream?" I asked.

"Yes," she said through her sobs, "we were in the car driving and I asked you for candy and you said, 'No!" More pitiful tears ensued.  It kinda sucks to be the reason for your child's distressing nightmares.  If only she didn't have such a mean mom...

Body Pump Weight

January 2012                                                               April 2012
1-Warmup= 7 kg.       15.5 lbs.                          1= 9 kg.        20 lbs.
2-Squats= 12 kg.        26.5  lbs.                         2= 17 kg.       37.5 lbs.
3-Chest= 10 kg.          22 lbs.                             3= 12 kg.       26.5 lbs.
4-Back= 10 kg.           22 lbs.                             4= 15 kg.       33 lbs
5-Triceps= 7 kg.         15.5 lbs                           5= 10 kg.       22 lbs.
6-Biceps= 7 kg.          15.5 lbs                           6= 10 kg.       22 lbs.
7-Lunges= 10 kg.       22  lbs.                            7= 12 kg.       26.5 lbs.
8-Shoulders= 5 kg.     12 lbs.                             8= 10 kg        22 lbs.
9- Abs= No weight                                             30 pushups on toes
10-Cooldown                                                      Max bench press= 95 lbs.
20 pushups on toes
Max bench press= 85lbs.

August 2012
1= 10 kg.     22lbs.
2= 20 kg.     44 lbs.
3= 12 kg.     26.5 lbs.
4= 15 kg.     33lbs.
5= 10 kg.     22 lbs.
6= 10 kg.     22 lbs.
7= 12 kg.     26.5 lbs.
8= 10 kg.     22 lbs.
35 pushups on toes
Max bench press= 105 lbs.

I know the weight may seem light, but just think each class packs in over 800 reps of various exercises, and each exercise/song is about 5 minutes long!  Yep, A LOT of squats!  lol

I have been keeping track of my lifts all year to see the progress I have made and I am glad that I did!
I am quite pleased with the strength gains I have made through teaching BodyPump 3x a week for 9 months now.  I am fitter, stronger, have more muscle endurance, and a lower body fat percentage (though the number on the scale is slightly more than before).  I even got definition in the upper abs this summer which was a total win. 

I've been pretty bummed out now that I'm pregnant and have had to drop the weight slightly in each category.  It's amazing how quickly I am now out of breath and how quickly my heart rate jumps up while teaching now too.  I feel I lost my fitness level almost over night!  But even though my squats are suffering with a mere 15 kg. now, I know it's temporary and look forward to regaining the strength I had. 

I'll never be skinny, but I love being fit and STRONG.  I love the challenge I get from each class I teach and I love pushing myself to be better, lift more, sweat more, do all my pushups on my toes, and go to my max.  Like I tell my class: If it doesn't CHALLENGE you, it doesn't CHANGE you!  So I move forward with this challenge, accepting the necessary extra sports bra to reign it all in, the extra effort required to teach and breathe, the changing body and weight gain, and the challenge that this year will bring to me physically, knowing a big change for our family is coming!