Goal Update

Time for a goal update! I wrote a post a little over a month ago about some goals I have set for myself. Here is a run down on where I am with each goal.

Goal #1: Complete P90X
Ok, so Gabe and I started P90X at the beginning of December which means we should at least be on week 8 or so. We are barely on week 5. It was hard to keep up with the exercise every day over the holiday, especially when we were out of town. That put us back some. Then when we got rolling again, Caleb got sick and I was up a lot at night so I wasn't about to forfeit sleep and get up at 5 am to exercise. Sleep trumped P90X! So here we are trying to get through week 5. Through it all we have kept up with consistent exercise even if it is not everyday. So that is good. I have noticed that my body has changed since we started P90X. My clothes fit differently and the scale is showing that I have lost about 5-6 pounds. YIPPEE! I have never been one to focus on my weight and I have never been on a diet. But seeing some proof of all the hard work is very rewarding. So Gabe and I will keep at it until we reach week 12.

Goal #2: Train for a Half Marathon
I have a date and goal set for the half marathon. Saturday, October 23rd I will run in the Chosen: Marathon for Adoption in New Braunfels. I haven't started training yet, but plan to start at the beginning of March. I also have a running partner which is very important. It has been crucial to have Gabe encourage me and keep me accountable with P90X. I know that without a running partner I would most likely give up and quit. So thank you Clarie - looking forward to training with you!

Goal #3: Cook more and like it!
I have not been doing so well with this goal. I often revert back to my hum drum recipes and meal ideas because it is easy and does not require much more brain power or time. However, I have branched out a few times to try some PW recipes and as I type this I am waiting on the dough to rise for the Cowboy Calzones that I am making tonight. My sister, also a PW wanna be, was supposed to visit this weekend. We had planned to cook all weekend. Plans changed and I am left with the recipes, the ingredients, and a whole lot of time to experiment in the kitchen. I can't say I enjoy it yet, but it is growing on me!

Goal #4: To become more organized
HA! So not there yet. Enough said.

Goal #5: To be less stressed
Working on it! As soon as I wake up, before my feet hit the floor, before I even open my eyes or sit up, I spend time talking to God. When my day starts focused on Him, the little things don't get to me as often. I still battle the build up of stress my day often brings, but I feel I am handling it better than usual. I have not been taking my Thursday night off. Hard to do when that is the first night that we are all home together as a family since Sunday. Maybe Fridays should be my night off instead. Every other week. Maybe? I don't know.

More Goals.....

Goal #6: Memorize Scripture
This is an area I have always struggled with. My heart desires to tuck God's words securely in my heart.... but I stink at memorizing. I am impressed with Gabe's ability to memorize scripture as well as Isaac's. If my 6 year old son can do it, so can I. So I am going to use the topical memory system that Gabe has used and give it a go. 2 Corinthians 5:17 will be my memory verse for this week.

Goal #7: Be more intentional
As with most families, we are always BUSY! Gabe and I have always struggled to find balance. I don't think we have accomplished that yet, but we are better balanced now than we used to be. I desire to be more intentional with how we spend our time as a family, to be more intentional with parenting, and to be more intentional as a loving spouse. Instead of letting life go by in a blur, I want to focus my attention on the most precious treasures God has blessed me with. My husband and children.

So there you have it. I am going to dig down deep and keep my goals in mind as I go through each day. More updates to come in a month or so.

So how are you doing? Set any goals? Working towards them or accomplishing them?

Isaac's Birthday Party

We celebrated Isaac's birthday this past Saturday with his LEGO party. We did things a little different this year. Usually we invite his friends (who usually come with parents and sometimes siblings) and family. This year we only invited his friends and made it a "drop off- pick up party" That means that Gabe and I were the only ones wrangling a group of 5 and 6 year old boys! (and our 3 year old daughter and our 4 month old son) We survived and lived to tell about it! Actually it was probably the least stressful birthday party to date! I always feel torn and a bit overwhelmed trying to entertain the kids and the adults at the birthday parties. Also, our house isn't getting any bigger and each year the friend invite list does get bigger. (our rule for birthday parties is that they can invite one friend for each year of age - so Isaac invited 6 friends this year) Anyway, for space and sanity reasons we decided to go a different route and it worked out beautifully.

Isaac sitting at the front door waiting for his friends to arrive. He was just a wee bit excited!

Had to show you this picture. Gabe made this poster and the boys got a kick out of it. We told them that if they play with legos too much then this is what happens. The boys thought that was funny.

We started the party with some good ol' outside play time. Nothing special. Just played. The boys played soccer, swung on the swings, climbed and slid down the slide, chased, tagged, and gave wagon rides. You name it, we did it. Gabe and I even got in on a few games of tag. I felt like a kid again!!

Rainey and Isaac

A few of the boys hanging out in the playhouse

Wagon Rides - they were "discussing" who got to pull the wagon

Getting a game of soccer going

The Birthday Boy

Then we came in and had a lego guessing game. I filled this container full of legos and let each child guess how many he/she thought was in the container. There were 95 legos and funny enough Julia got the closest but didn't win because she went over. Her guess was 100!! Cale won with the guess of 40.

Making their guesses

Next we had a Lego racer kit for each child to put together. I was hoping each of the boys were as experienced with Legos as Isaac is and they were. Only a few needed our help. You should have seen their eyes widen when I told them they could take the Lego racers home!! Once all the racers were built we raced them on a ramp that Gabe built. Little boy heaven I must say. They all got a kick out of that. When we were finished racing we had an award ceremony complete with miniature trophies.

I got cookie sheets and labeled as "Building trays". Worked great to keep all the tiny lego pieces together and not mixed up with the other kits.

Isaac in deep concentration

Racing the racers - I do believe this was their favorite part! They high fived the winners and cheered. Great fun

Each child was presented with a Lego Racing Champion trophy - stuffed with candy of course.

Now it was time for cake and gifts. I am sure all the Mom's loved me that day. The boys had their fair share of sugar!! One little boy almost ate an entire bowl of M&Ms before I could stop him!!The cake(s) were shaped like Lego bricks. Besides the dirt mound cake I did for Isaac's Bug party a few years ago, this is probably the next easiest. Here are a few pictures of the making of the cakes.

Caleb was overseeing the cake making process

(Excuse my haggard appearance)
I have made every cake for my kids' birthdays so far. It is something I enjoy doing for them and hope they will have as a special memory when they grow up.

Isaac with his Lego cake(s)

Lighting the Candles

Make a wish, Isaac!

Gift time! I let each boy grab the gift he brought for Isaac and they took turns giving him the gift and watching him open it. It was well controlled chaos. We saved our gift for last, which was a hot wheels dinosaur trick track. The reaction from all of them when Isaac opened it was hilarious. Collective celebration all around. One boy told Isaac "congratulations" and another said "that is the most awesome, great toy I would ever want" It was a hit to say the least!


We ended the party with a pinata and more outside play time. The pinata only lasted through three boys before it broke open. I was hoping everyone would get a turn at it, but I don't think they cared too much when the candy and goodies started flowing. Poor Julia tried her best but only ended up with 2 pieces of candy. She was upset about this and came to tell me so. But as soon as the words were out of her mouth, one little boy turned right around and said, "here you can have some of my candy" then preceded to fill her bag up. How sweet and selfless was that?! I made a point to tell that boy's Mom about it the next day at church. Proud Momma moment.

While we waited for the kids to be picked up they played outside. On their sugar high no less! It had gotten really windy by this time and they all pretended it was a tornado. It was fun watching them create this elaborate story and act it out.

The next day at church we heard from most of the boys' parents that their kids said it was the best party they had ever been too. Ahhhhh........ that means a lot to me. My goal this year was to simplify (aka: easy on the pocket book), have less stress,and make it a fun and enjoyable party for our son. I do believe my goals were accomplished!

I overheard Isaac telling his friends, "This is the most fun time I have ever had" Really, that is all I needed to hear. If he is happy, then I am happy!

One more picture.....

This is one of the goodie bag treats. Cute huh?!

All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go

A friend of mine let me borrow this onesie for awhile. Isn't it adorable?! If I was talented enough I would make a few of these to give away as gifts, but I'm not. Maybe just maybe I will give it a try anyway :)

Kicking his feet up without a care in the world!

Banished

This dog nearly lost his life the other day. Oliver is over two years old, been house trained for most of that time, hasn't done his "business" in the house since he was a puppy. I discovered a little (ahem - HUGE) lapse in his judgment on Monday. Apparently he decided to pee in my bedroom, all over the bags of birthday party supplies. Did I mentioned he came close to loosing his life?! (not really all you animal lovers - I do exaggerate) But he was banished from our house for the rest of the day and had to sleep in the kennel. I was so mad at him (and still am). What in the world would possess him to do that? Argh! And don't feel sorry for him moping around on the porch swing even though he looks pathetically sorry. He is still on my naughty list ;)

UPDATE: I have since found two more pee spots on my carpet. What is going on with this dog?

Poor Baby

Caleb has his first sickness and boy does he have a doozie. He started getting sick last Thursday and I thought it was just a cold. Lots of sniffles, coughs, fevers, fussiness. Our usually great sleeper kept me up at night quite a lot over the weekend. So off to the doctor we went yesterday only to find out that Caleb does not have a normal little cold. He has bronchiolitis, possibly caused by RSV and an ear infection. We had to do a breathing treatment in the doctor's office,which he tolerated quite well and even fell asleep. We will continue the breathing treatments 3 times a day until the end of the week when we go back to check his breathing. Poor baby!

Birthday Fun

So we had a fabulous day yesterday for Isaac's birthday. After a delicious breakfast of birthday muffins (double chocolate chunk - Isaac's pick), scrambled eggs, and bacon.... we headed to Inflatable Wonderland. If you haven't been there, it is basically a big room with lots of blown up bouncy houses and slides. Lots of fun for the kiddos! And fun for this Momma to watch.








When the workers at Inflatable Wonderland found out that is was Isaac's birthday, they decided to give him a hurricane cup for free - something I would NEVER buy for him. I am not one to spend $5 on a cute little cup with a twisty straw. But free I can live with. The great thing about it was that he can get free refills anytime he brings it back, which equates to free drinks at Inflatable Wonderland from now on. Thanks IF!!


Isaac and Julia jumped, climbed, and bounced all day long. It always exhausts me just to watch them. After a short rest at home, we headed to the River Walk with Gabe. Isaac chose to have his birthday dinner at Rain Forest Cafe for the second year in a row. Fun atmosphere, but over priced food that is mediocre at best.

The lighting was very dim so the pictures are either blurry or have blacked out backgrounds. Sorry.



I was a little worried that the noises, animals, and lights would bother Caleb. He seemed to care less to be honest and handled it all wonderfully even though he is sick right now and not feeling his best. Last year, Julia was completely freaked out by the thunder, lightning, and animals. She was less scared this time but still a little unsure. She kept telling herself that it was all pretend.


We wrapped up dinner with the famous (and pricey) volcano cake - Isaac's favorite!! The waitress had Isaac stand up and beat his chest like a gorilla while they sang happy birthday to him. He handled it well, but I was afraid he might have a panic attack. He does not do well with focused attention especially in a setting like that. He did it though and when the song was over he dove for Gabe's lap and hid his face. He was a brave little boy, I would have been embarrassed as well.



After some yummy cake, we let Isaac open some gifts from far away family... Grammy, Aunt Karen, and Ma. He has been eyeing the gift from Grammy for a month now and just knew it had to be legos - he was right and was very excited! My sister, Karen, gave him some fun stories on CD to listen to, something he loves to do right now. And Ma gave him some clothes. Knowing how most 6 year old boys react to getting clothes I was pleasantly surprised when he reacted with a huge smile and said "Cool".



Thunderstorms rolled into San Antonio last night and we had the "privilege" of walking beside the river in the rain as we cowered from the lightning and thunder. Fun Times!! This is a picture of Julia and I as we prepared to go out into the rain.


We got home late last night and were all exhausted from our busy day, but it was well worth it. I am very happy to celebrate all of Isaac's 6 years and look forward to many more.