~~ I'M Orange ~~

This morning was my first morning to be in motion and it was pretty awesome!


Every Sunday I get to wear this bright orange shirt and comfy pants and spend an hour and a half with 15 + first graders every Sunday morning before I go to worship. It's a morning filled with smiles and laughter, and music and movement, Bible Stories and learning.


Such a great way to start my day!



I've wanted to do this for a couple of years now and I finally signed up. I am so glad I did. Not only is it important for my children to see me involved, but now I get to be apart of what they are learning every Sunday morning.



Red and Yellow mixed together give you ORANGE! It's a big color at our church in the children's and student ministry. Red represents the heart of the family and home. Yellow is the
light of Christ. The combination, Orange, is the color worn by the volunteers that are sharing that light and spending the next year making a difference in the lives of children and students at our church on Sunday mornings!

~~ Peel off the pounds ~~

Third day in a row that I worked out with my favorite PT, Lonnie. She did not take it easy on me, at all. I didn't really expect her to. Lots of core work and cardio. Workout was 1:04 and 581 burned.

~~ First Day of School 2010 ~~

BIG day for these 2 little boys!

It was their first day of school! Jesse started 1st grade and Michael started Kindergarten!

Michael was so excited! He spent most of last year walking Jesse to his kindergarten class every morning. Today was finally his day to walk to that same classroom and spend the day getting to know his teacher and his classmates. He's in the dual language program this year and his teacher is Ms. Sanchez. It's going to be a great year for my littlest man!

And this little man started 1st grade. He was excited too. Jesse's continuing the dual language program this year and he is lucky enough to have Mr. Aranda again!

They would have both had me drop them at the curb if I had let them, but no way was that going to happen on the first day of school. I can't believe that they are both in school now. They are getting so big and independent and it makes me so happy that they both really love school. I hope that lasts a long, long time! I still can't believe both my babies are in school now. Where did the time go? It's going to be a GREAT school year!

~~ Circuit ~~

That's what it was, but she could have called it all the C's-cardio, chest, core, crunch because she included all of those. Just over an hour, 1:02, and 489 cals burned. WooHoo!

~~ L squared & A Big Green Ball ~~

Today's workout was legs and lower abs. It was an hour and 16 minutes and 822 cals burned. I hate, hate, hate the stairmill, but man, Lonnie had me on it not once, but twice today and it showed in my cals burned! OH YEA!


I have been promising the boys we would get in some last minute fun stuff before school starts and one of the things on my list was to take them bowling. So, this afternoon we headed on over to.....

We've been there once or twice for birthday parties and it has always been crazy busy with people, but we always had fun. I knew today was going to be different when I pulled into the parking lot and there were maybe 8 cars. It was pretty much like a ghost town-I wasn't even 100% sure it was open, even though it was 11:30. They were open and it was pretty much empty and it was so nice having the place to ourselves. Liz and the girls joined us and I am so glad they did. The girls had never been bowling before and they did AWESOME! It was great to be able to share such a fun first with them. We got our lane, our shoes, and our balls and we were ready to roll.....



First: Jesse





Second: Kami





Third: Michael





Last up: Nani





We took a break around the 6th frame for pizza and drinks, then we finished up. Here are a few more pictures of the kiddos having a ball.....

The mamas smiling, enjoying the last day of summer with our babies-in the a/c!

~~ 2nd Saturday ~~

Workout: Running club

This morning we did negative splits, which means your lap/run time gets progressively faster. Not a lot faster, but the opposite of how you normally run. Normally you start strong and fast and taper off, so today we tried to do the opposite. We ran 4 laps, 1/2 mile each and I was pleased with my times.

1st lap 6:05

2nd lap 5:15
3rd lap 5:20

4th lap 4:52

A total of 2 miles in 21:32. Not too bad for a couple of reasons.

1) I accomplished the goal-each lap got faster (except 3)

2) I've never run more than a mile at once. So YAY-2 miles!

*Just a weird bit of info that I wanted to remember-I have the worst bruises on both my arms, I tried to take pictures, but they didn't turn out so well. I have no idea how I got them-intense arm workouts the last few days maybe? Don't know.

I had two special treats this afternoon.

My mom called and offered to keep the boys if I wanted to go get a pedicure and of course, I just could not pass that up! I need to take a picture of my pretty pink toes. It was a heavenly treat! Thanks MOM!

Then I got to spend a couple of hours hanging out with this pretty lady! It was nice to relax, have a drink, snack on some chips and queso and just talk and talk and talk. Wonderful way to end my day! Thanks LIZ, I really needed that!

~~ Power Pack ~~

Workout today was packed full of cardio, abs, arms and legs! After 1:21 and 730 cals burned, I was ready to shower and relax. We went home and did just that!



For Michael's birthday he wanted to go eat at McDonald's and play on the playscape, so we went for lunch. Grandpa and Deborah met us there and we were able to visit while the kids played.



Next up, naptime! Okay, so nobody actually slept, but we did lay down and rest. The boys don't know it, but I signed them up for Kid's night out at gymnastics. They get to go have fun and Phillip and I get to have a date night-Chinese and a Movie!

~~ Lunges & Teachers ~~

Today also included:

My workout-

Frontal and Horizontal lunges--that's what this mornings workout was called. Like always, it was a good one! Lot of legs. Worked out for 1:22 and burned 744 calories!

Meet the teacher:

Tonight was the right night to meet the teacher and drop off supplies. I got a call yesterday telling me that Michael got into the dual language program like Jesse. I was so thrilled! I've known that Jesse would have Mr. Aranda again, since the beginning of summer when he decided to move up to 1st grade, but I didn't know who Michael would get until I got that phone call. I had seen Ms. Sanchez at the dual language meeting last week, but we didn't get to meet her until tonight.
Phillip had an office day today, so I was able to go to a quick PTA board meeting and set up the icee pops table before he brought the boys up to the school.

I can't wait for school to start next week!

~~ FIVE ~~

My little angel baby turned 5 today!

This morning started with him waking me up-just like he did 5 years ago. He hopped in bed and proudly told me, "It's my birthday!"

I hugged him tightly and insisted that he stop growing so fast! Really, stop it! The past 5 years have flown by so quickly, it amazes me. You know how people always say, "it seems just like yesterday." It is so true, it really does!

We spent the day talking about the day he was born and when he was a baby. We looked at his baby album and he saw pictures of his family seeing him for the first time. When he met his brother and sisters, the first time he met his grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors. He got to see and hear the story of his baptism and lots of firsts, including his 1st birthday party. Ah, the memories. I love looking at the pictures and scrapbooks, but I will admit that I am a little bit of a slacker and there are some finishing touches I need to put on that baby album--5 years later. I felt bad that it wasn't/isn't completed. Of course, he didn't care, but I did. I'm determined to find some time to finish that album!

We celebrated his birthday on Saturday, with cake and Phillip's family, so today we just had small cupcakes today. Memaw and Aunt Sandra stopped by to see him and drop off cards for him. He'll be having a swimming party in September with his brother and all his friends.

Happy Birthday sweet boy! I ~LOVE~ YOU!

~~ Zing, Zang, Zoom ~~

Today was kinda like that, especially the zoom part!

It started as another lazy day-no workout, no leaving the house, no being out in the heat, until gymnastics anyway. The boys have been doing gymnastics now for 2 years and they still love it! And so do I, it is an hour of quiet for me to do a little of this or a little of that. Usually I read or work on my crochet. (pictures of my gymnasts and my crochet might show up in a later post.)

Around 5:15, Michael and I headed up to his school to meet the teacher and drop off supplies, but when we got there we found out we were a day early. There was an hour long orientation for new parents with all kinds of important school info. I *swear* that is NOT what the notice I read said. Anyway, we couldn't stay. We had a circus to get to!

Zing, Zang, Zoom is the theme for the circus this year! We sat in the Zoom section!

It was a fantastic night! It has become one of those yearly family traditions that we all love. I think this was the best performance so far! The boys get a souvenir each-Michael got a white tiger and Jesse got a motorcycle-and I got a picture of them on an elephant. Of course there was also lots of food and drinks.

Me and my littlest man. Jesse was upset and would not take a picture with me. :(

No worries, I got some of him anyway!

~~ Hot, Hot, Hot ~~

It has been SO hot here this week-I have no idea what the high was today, but OH.MY.GOODNESS, I'd be willing to bet it was at least a few degrees above 100! Because of that and the fact that school starts a week from today we stayed inside and relaxed-almost ALL DAY.
An early workout first thing this morning was a must, but after that-NOTHING! It was fabulous to just spend some quality time hanging with the boys, in the A/C!

Today's workout--1:33 PT-*Body Shapers* 756 burned

~~ Shopping ~~

Today's Workout: 1.5 mile/20 min. run on treadmill and 16.8 mile/53:45 min. cycle class

I remembered to wear my watch and band, yea! After 1 hour and 55 mins, it said kcal = 1035 burned!

Today started early and just flew by. It began with me getting all dressed up so that I could go drop off my resume at the elementary school right up the street. They have 2 openings and either would be *perfect* for me! I'm praying that it is God's will for me to fill one of those positions.

It was nice to get up, shower, put on make-up and get dressed to go somewhere. Since I have lost weight, my pants have gotten just a little baggie and that is a good thing! Not such a good thing, having to spend dollars on buying new clothes, because I'm not done losing weight yet! So, I pulled out a few tubs full of clothes that I had been storing, because one day I will be able to wear them again. It was like going shopping without shelling out the big bucks. Yea, new clothes!

The boys and I had lunch with Grandpa, Deb and Memaw. It has been awhile since we have seen them and it was great to visit and catch up.

Michael and I went school clothes shopping for him, instead of taking a nap. He got some new tennis shoes, new underwear, 4 shirts and 3 pairs of shorts. We went to Kohl's, so I didn't have to shell out the big bucks. He is all set and ready to start Kindergarten next week.

Phillip's on vacation, kind of, and he was home this afternoon so the boys stated with him when I headed to the Y for my workout!

~~ Running Club ~~

Yesterday I went here.....

to get these.....

I have wanted to say that I am a runner for a long time-at least a year and a half. It was hard at first, because of my weight. Since I joined the Y in January of 2009 I have been working hard to lose those extra, extra pounds to make running easier. I have made progress, I started walk/running a mile in 14 minutes, 9 seconds and today I ran the entire mile in 10 minutes, 15 seconds. My record, back in May was 9 minutes, 45 seconds. Anyway, I haven't really been running consistently, so I have gotten a little faster, but I'd like to work on longer distance and faster time. So, I joined a beginners running club at the Y! We will meet on Saturday mornings, have homework assignments during the week and after 10 weeks, I will run my first 5K!! I am so excited. I absolutely LOVE the YMCA-the programs and the people!

Here I am smiling.....

after over 2 hours and 610 kcal burned!

~~ Mild? ~~

It has been exactly 2 weeks since Michael mastered riding without training wheels.

You see that boo boo on his chin? He got that boo boo last night.

We had a wonderful, busy day yesterday and we got home around 7:15. The boys begged me to let them ride bikes because, "it has been days since we rode bikes!" It was late, we hadn't had diner, and I was tired, but I gave in. Now I wish I hadn't. I gave them until 7:45. They got their socks. shoes and their helmets and they were off!

Everything was fine. Until the last 5 minutes. They were riding around the circle laughing and having fun. Then all of a sudden Michael is on the ground, crying and screaming. I didn't see him fall and I didn't realize he had hit his chin until I walked over to him. I feel bad I walked over assuming he just needed to shake it off.

Jesse ran in the house and got him a cold wet towel for his boo boo.as I carried him and his bike back to the garage. What a great big brother! He calmed down once we were in the house. It helped that I promised him a Spiderman band aid if he let me clean his boo boo.

Everything was fine. Until he couldn't remember what happened or what he was suppose to be doing. It was weird! I ran his bath water and asked him to get his pj's then get in the tub. I was going to let him bathe while I got his dinner ready. So I came back from the kitchen and he was standing in the hallway. He said, "What am I suppose to do?" So I told him to get his pj's and get in the tub.

Phillip came home and talked to him about his day and his boo boo and then he jumped in the shower. Then Michael asks me, "Do I have to take a bath tonight?" His water was already in the tub and I had told him twice. I started to get a little freaked out.

I got him in the tub and bathed and he asked me several times--What happened? How did I get my boo boo? Did I cry? Did it bleed?

WEIRD! He didn't remember what happened 30 minutes earlier!

The final straw? He was at the table eating dinner and after Phillip got out of the shower and walked in he said, "I didn't know you were here."

I called the after hours nurse and she said to take him to the emergency room. I'm glad she said that because I would not have been able to sleep if I didn't find out if something serious had happened when he fell.

Oh, but let me tell you the ER is no fun with an impatient 4 year old! It took FOREVER.

It was probably 9:30 when we got there.

About 9:50 when our name was called and we went back.

At 10:08 we had seen the doctor and he wanted to have a CAT scan done, just to make sure everything was alright with Michael's little noggin'. At this point I was thinking, right on, less than an hour and we'll be going home soon. Not gonna happen. We waited for an hour. I swear they forgot about us, but the nurse claimed there was someone in front of us having a scan done also. That nurse, by the way, grumpy and not so friendly.

We went back at 11:10 and at 11:30 we were done with the scan and we were told it would be about 10 minutes. You see, the results were sent to the doctor that reads the scan and then he would call the ER doctor to relay the results to us about what they found, if anything.

Finally, finally at 12:10 we found out he had a MILD concusion. I was told he would be fine and we could go home.

We got home at 12:30 and crashed.

That makes trip #2 for Michael, in case you don't remember his 1st trip you can read about it here. He is only 4--OH BOY! Waiting was hard, but he did great and it was good to keep him awake and make sure that he really was okay.

~~ Pizza & Tokens ~~

My boys absolutely love to go to Chuck E. Cheese, still.

We have been going for years-a couple of times back in March 2008, again in April 2008. Aunt Sandra has always gone with us and she joined us again today! We had pizza and rootbeer and lots of fun! They just run around with their tokens and play whatever they want.

I love that they gave me 1 token to get a picture of them!

~~ Michael ~~

I took this picture of Michael last night and played around with it a little, cropping and editing color, brightness, etc.

The original is on the left and the right is the "finished" product. Next to the original, I think the color looks so much better. What do you think?

~~ NoNo's Pool Party ~~

Tonight we celebrated Nolan's 6th birthday!

lighting the candles.....

thinking about what he is going to wish for.....

giving it all he's got!

He's an August baby, born on the 4th, and well, it is HOT in August. So what better way to keep all the kiddos cool, and wear them out, while celebrating than have a pool party?

I can't believe he is already 6, man these kiddos are growing up SO fast! The kids had a blast jump in and out of the water and they were just all over the place, they would not sit still for pictures, but here is one of the birthday boy and his pretty mama!

*It was a great party and that part about wearing the kids out.....it didn't work for mine! It is almost 10 and they are wide awake. Also, ya see that big red balloon in the 2nd picture? Miss Amy gave the boys that balloon to share. When we got home we let it go. I thought that was what they both decided to do with it, but once it was long, long gone-barely a dot-Michael's eyes fill with tears and he says, "I wanted to keep it." His feelings were hurt and it really broke my heart. I promised him I would get him another one and he could keep it forever!