Big Girl Shoes

I took Hannah to Stride Rite to get some beginner walker shoes. I can't believe our baby girl is ready for walking shoes! Just doesn't seem real. (She's still not walking unassisted yet, but she's getting close.)


The best part about getting new shoes is playing with the box and the plastic bag...

And just for fun, I'm including a picture I took after Quarter got Hannah ready that morning. She looks super cute, but those jeans are 3-6 months. (At first he couldn't tell they were too little, but after seeing the picture and getting a good laugh, he now agrees with me...lol).

30 Day Shred: Two Weeks Down

Hip Hip Hooray! I made it through another week. And what a week it was...

I am happy to say I made it through another week of this intense workout. I feel that it's even more of an accomplishment, because I was having such a trying week. If it wasn't for my accountability partners, I'm sure I would have just given up. I felt mentally, physically and emotional exhausted. It didn't feel like my days were very productive, but at least I managed to get my workout it. I also made one tiny change to my diet. I restricted myself to having a sweet treat only once a day. I know this may not seem huge to you, but believe me, it was a big step for me. I'm gradually weaning myself off dessert. The plan is to give up sweets on September 1st. An even bigger feat than cutting back on dessert--I moved up to Level 2!

Okay, let's back up a little. The last time I went beyond Level 1 on this video was over a year ago. I had worked my way up to Level 3 when I found out I was pregnant with Hannah. I was afraid the workout was too intense, so I went back to walking on the treadmill. Then I stopped working out all together. :( And now here I am trying to work my way back up. For those of you not familiar with the workout, let me tell you how level 2 starts: WALK. OUT. PUSH. UPS. I had to add the emphasis. For level 1, I had to do the modified push up. My goal was to work my way up to a real push up by the end of the 30 days. So imagine my surprise when we started right out the gate with a walk-out push up. Apparently, I blocked level 2 and 3 out of my mind, because I honestly didn't remember how hard this level was. I had asked Quarter to join me, he smartly declined, and I'm glad he wasn't in here to see me struggling and gasping for air.

During level 1, I would feel good when I got to the halfway point, because I knew I could finish. Um, during level 2, I don't feel good until it's completely over. Seriously. It's soooo hard! Lol...I hope I've made my point.

But I'm happy that I haven't let any distractions get me off course. It doesn't take much, when the thought of doing a workout makes you want to cry. :)

I have to thank my blogging buddies and my wonderful husband for encouraging me to stay on track. I seriously couldn't do it without you guys. So here's to another week down!

My goals for this week:
Give up dessert (sniff, sniff...)
Make it through level 2 without feeling like I'm going to get sick or pass out

Head over here to see if Hope fared any better than I did...

52 Fridays: SOOC

Last Friday's theme was Straight Out Of Camera. Since I don't currently edit pictures, this was not a problem for me. ;)

Here are some fun pictures of Hannah and Poppa. Hannah is very familiar with the camera and when she sees me with it, she always heads my way...

The Adventures of Hannah

Our Hannah is a curious little girl. She enjoys exploring and I enjoy watching her discover new things. One morning she spent some time exploring her changing table. I thought it was hilarious. I watched and took pictures...

30 Day Shred: One Week Down

Yay Me! I made it through the first week. I'm still not to the point where I'm looking forward to the workout. Quarter keeps asking me if working out has increased my energy. I don't really feel like I have more energy yet. I've been doing my workouts in the mornings and it has been a great way to start the day. Normally, it takes a few hours for me to get the wheels churning, but after my workout, I'm ready to go. Which is good, because Hannah is ready to go from the moment she wakes up. I also enjoy having 20 minutes that are just for me. I don't feel guilty about taking the time to workout. It's a good way to clear my mind and take some deep breaths, and that really benefits the whole family. So here's a breakdown of my first week on the 30 Day Shred challenge:

Day One: Not too bad. Felt good to get back at it. But by the time I went to bed, my muscles were starting to get sore.

Day Two: EVERYTHING hurts. Hannah wants to stand on my lap and jump and I simply can not take her 18+ pounds putting pressure on my quadriceps. She doesn't understand why mommy keeps sitting her down. The workout was super hard. How can a do lunges when I can barely walk?

Day Three: EVERYTHING still hurts. Once again, I'm limping around the house. I struggle through the workout, but I finish. Thank God.

Day Four: I'm feeling much better. The workout is not as hard when every muscle in my body doesn't hurt.

Day Five: I'm so busy thinking about everything I have to do, I zone out and I forget to think about how hard this workout is. Before I realize it, it's over. Yes!

Day Six: I wasn't able to workout until after I put Hannah down for the night. It's considerably harder for me this late in the day. I have zero energy and I really just want to take a shower and go to bed. Thank God this workout is only 20 minutes.

Day Seven: Back to my a.m. workout time. My muscles don't hurt as much. I'm actually able to breathe and finish all my reps. 

My goals for this next week are:

• work up to level 2
• make at least one change to my current diet

To find out how the first week was for Kenysa, head over here. 

52 Fridays: Water

It was only recently that I promoted Hannah to the big tub. I had her in the baby tub for as long as possible, because she's just so busy. It wasn't until she figured out how to climb out that I decided it was time to let her take a bath like a big girl. She loves the freedom. She is of course still really busy. She likes to crawl around the tub and explore every corner. I still don't give her very much water. Maybe when she spends more time on her bottom and less up walking and crawling around, I'll think about it.

30 Day Shred: Day 1

I've been talking about how I want to get back into shape. Well Hope has challenged me to put up or shut up. She didn't say it like that at all. She actually just invited me to join her in blogging about my progress. So not only am I accountable to her, and two other ladies, now I'm accountable to you. So here goes...

(Oh by the way, 30 Day Shred is a Jillian Michaels' workout DVD. It's an excellent workout. She kicks your butt right into gear. I'm looking forward to getting back on the wagon.)

Day One: Hannah woke us up early squealing at the top of her lungs. Why? Because this is the day the Lord has made and she will rejoice and be glad in it...of course.  As I'm feeding her with my eyes close, and dreaming about getting back in the bed, I remember I have to workout today. It takes a cup of coffee and a donut stick, to help me open my eyes wide. After I get Hannah down for her morning nap, I hurry to get my workout in while I'm still motivated.

I started with Level 1, doing the modified version of all the exercises and using three pound weights. From experience I know I have to start slow. By the time I reached the half-way point, I felt good. Once the workout was over, I felt great. I congratulated myself on taking the first step to getting back on track.

My goals are simple:

• feel healthier and stronger
• feel more confident and comfortable in my clothes 
• have more energy to help me chase around this busy one year old living in my house 
• get back to the place where I'm exercising regularly 

And now I'm really going to put myself out there and post a "before" picture. 

You can join us or just follow our progress. Head over here to read about Hope's first day.

Parents' Weekend Out

Last weekend Quarter and I took a trip to Eureka Springs. It was our first time getting away alone, since Hannah was born. It was my first time going a whole day without seeing my baby girl. Quarter was understanding and wiling to make it a family trip if I wasn't emotionally ready to spend the night away from Hannah. I knew it would be hard, but I know it's important to investment time in our relationship. Plus it would benefit everyone if I got a vacation. I picked a weekend 3 weeks out, so I had plenty time to plan and pray. When the day came, I felt nervous, but ready. I knew we would have a good time and Hannah would be just fine. She would be hanging with Mimi & Granddad and having a blast.

It was so much fun to get away. We rented a little cottage and just hung out for the weekend. We both were able to rest and recharge. Of course, we thought of Hannah often, but we knew she was okay. I was so at peace, and maybe a bit exhausted, that I slept soundly. When I would wake up and think about checking on Hannah, I would simply say a prayer for her and go back to sleep. It was a strange feeling to wake up to an actual alarm clock and not Hannah, but I got used to it.

I was excited when it was time to go pick Hannah up. We missed her so much. I'm grateful that we had the time away and I'm grateful that Mimi & Granddad took such good care of our sweet girl.

New Pics!

Hannah loves to climb, and she'll use anything as a step stool

ready for breakfast

enjoying some ice water after running an errand on a hot day

climbing the stairs at Mimi and Granddad's

multitasking

Helping unpack her suitcase

enjoying a ride on Poppa's shoulders

out for a morning stroll

ms. hollywood (use i'm holding her hands so she won't take them off before i get the pic)

it takes talent to push a horse and pull a bag

just being a cutie ;)

52 Fridays: Rainbow

I'm late I know, but I couldn't come up with anything for this week's theme. Some of these are tough...so I simply took a picture of Hannah playing with her Leap Frog Peak-A-Shoe Talking Octopus. The toy is colorful and Hannah is wearing a bright yellow shirt. (The theme is rainbow) Of course I think she always looks cute, but I really enjoyed watching her figure out how to get the balls into the toy's opening. She hasn't figured out how to peek under the shoes to retrieve the balls. She prefers instead to just turn the whole thing over to get her balls back. Hey, whatever works...

Looking back at the pictures, the whole room is like a rainbow, because there are toys everywhere. Hannah was blessed with lots of toys for her birthday and she enjoys playing with them all.

52 Fridays: Earth

One of Hannah's favorite activities is looking out the window. Of course she likes to bang on it or kiss her reflection, but sometimes she just looks. It's so sweet. Last night Quarter and I were watching TV and there was a bird on the patio. He mentioned how the bird was hanging out and I said I wish birds would come visit when Hannah is looking out, but then I'm thinking she might scare them away. Well this morning, the Lord answered my prayers. Hannah and I were in the guest room and I looked out the window and saw a gaggle of geese. (Yep, I had to look up the term for a group of geese.) I was so excited to share that with her. They were walking down the sidewalk, so they were far enough away that we didn't scare them off. She just watched them walk and eat. It was really peaceful.