hmm...can't upload anymore pics!?!?!
apparently blogger only allows you 1 GB of photo memory FREE through picasa. and yes, i've MAXED OUT. i've been uploading my photos without resizing them. i didn't know there was a limit. gonna have to figure something out quick!!! anyone else run into this? any ideas??? i really don't want to pay...yes i'm that cheap:)
voting day.
tuesday, august 24, 2010.
nothing like waiting 'til the last minute.
the boys did this...
...while i did this.
luckily, the center for arizona policy puts together this handy dandy survey so you can see how the candidates feel on some pretty delicate issues, ones that are important to me. i found it very helpful!!!
then i loaded the boys into the car and we headed to the voting site. it was a lot of work getting two kids into their car seats, only to drive two minutes, get the kids back out of the car, and drop off the ballot that could have been MAILED, if only i wasn't such a PROCRASTINATOR. what was cool was a volunteer gave me and the boys each a sticker!!! we were all so PROUD to wear them. as i went to put the boys in the car again, a MICRO BURST started whipping through. signs went flying everywhere, dust and leaves were whirling, and the wind whisked our huge heavy double stroller down the parking lot. levi thought it was awesome!!! it was pretty exciting:) then we headed to the LIBRARY to read books, do puzzles and beat the heat for a while.
***GOD BLESS AMERICA***
after a 10 year hiatus, i'm exercising again...and i feel great!
monday, august 23, 2010.
i STARTED exercising on monday, august 9, 2010. i hopped on the scale every morning and saw no results, but i didn't mind because i was noticing some firming of my problem areas when i looked in the mirror. after just one week my pants were a little less "snug". i was hoping to loose weight without having to change my eating habits, but alas, after one week of no weight lost i decided i had to look into eating healthier or at least monitoring what i eat better. so, i typed in "EXERCISING BUT NOT LOOSING WEIGHT" into google and a few helpful articles came up. one was from http://www.self.com/. it had all kinds of logs and charts, and calculators you can fill in. i found my IDEAL WEIGHT and filled in info that will help chart my progress. i also started the "FOOD DIARY" and am tracking what i eat. i've NEVER been a calorie counter, but now that i have to enter that info, as well as fat, carbs, fiber, and protein, it's crazy to see how not so healthy some of the food i love really is. one bad thing i do, that the chart has pointed out, is eat more than ONE PORTION SIZE. for example, i love, love, love cattle drive's chicken chili and i always eat the whole can in one sitting. that is actually two portions, so i'm always eating double what i should. i do the same with soups, pasta, etc. i now have to TRAIN MYSELF to eat the recommended portion size and supplement my hunger with a salad, fruit, or veggie. i must say i've been logging my food for a week now and it has been so incredibly helpful to see it visually!!! another problem i'm experiencing, on the exercise end, is SHIN SPLINTS. it's been 10 YEARS since i actually EXERCISED and now my shins can't handle my new enthusiasm for walking/running. when i was at my most fit i was attending ASU and lived nearby, so i would climb A mountain and run down it 1 to 3 times a week! i would also run on campus in the evenings. i felt great and, in my opinion, looked my best at that time. even once i got married and no longer exercised i never had a "problem" with my weight. it wasn't until i was pregnant with abraham, that my body went to "H E double hokey sticks". it's been 2+ years since i had him. i have no excuses. i hit MY BREAKING POINT while on vacation in illinois. i blogged in one of my posts while there that my diet would start when we got back. hahaha. i weighed more there then i ever had (not prego) and am now determined to get my body back!!! one good thing that came from my having an allergic reaction to numerous mosquito bites while in illinois was that i met pam, cissna parks nurse practioner. she asked if there was anything else i was having problems with. i told her i am always sick and low energy. she recommended i start taking VITAMIN C and B 100 twice a day. i only take them once a day, but my goodness i've noticed a huge difference. this is the longest i've gone without being sick (knock on wood) and i truly have MORE ENERGY!!! hopefully my new energy reserve and my OCD will keep me compelled to stay on track. my only fear is that i tend to be a quitter! i have some sort of metal block that keeps me from finishing what i set out to accomplish. only time will tell with this one. i'm hoping that putting it "out there" will help hold me ACCOUNTABLE:)
i STARTED exercising on monday, august 9, 2010. i hopped on the scale every morning and saw no results, but i didn't mind because i was noticing some firming of my problem areas when i looked in the mirror. after just one week my pants were a little less "snug". i was hoping to loose weight without having to change my eating habits, but alas, after one week of no weight lost i decided i had to look into eating healthier or at least monitoring what i eat better. so, i typed in "EXERCISING BUT NOT LOOSING WEIGHT" into google and a few helpful articles came up. one was from http://www.self.com/. it had all kinds of logs and charts, and calculators you can fill in. i found my IDEAL WEIGHT and filled in info that will help chart my progress. i also started the "FOOD DIARY" and am tracking what i eat. i've NEVER been a calorie counter, but now that i have to enter that info, as well as fat, carbs, fiber, and protein, it's crazy to see how not so healthy some of the food i love really is. one bad thing i do, that the chart has pointed out, is eat more than ONE PORTION SIZE. for example, i love, love, love cattle drive's chicken chili and i always eat the whole can in one sitting. that is actually two portions, so i'm always eating double what i should. i do the same with soups, pasta, etc. i now have to TRAIN MYSELF to eat the recommended portion size and supplement my hunger with a salad, fruit, or veggie. i must say i've been logging my food for a week now and it has been so incredibly helpful to see it visually!!! another problem i'm experiencing, on the exercise end, is SHIN SPLINTS. it's been 10 YEARS since i actually EXERCISED and now my shins can't handle my new enthusiasm for walking/running. when i was at my most fit i was attending ASU and lived nearby, so i would climb A mountain and run down it 1 to 3 times a week! i would also run on campus in the evenings. i felt great and, in my opinion, looked my best at that time. even once i got married and no longer exercised i never had a "problem" with my weight. it wasn't until i was pregnant with abraham, that my body went to "H E double hokey sticks". it's been 2+ years since i had him. i have no excuses. i hit MY BREAKING POINT while on vacation in illinois. i blogged in one of my posts while there that my diet would start when we got back. hahaha. i weighed more there then i ever had (not prego) and am now determined to get my body back!!! one good thing that came from my having an allergic reaction to numerous mosquito bites while in illinois was that i met pam, cissna parks nurse practioner. she asked if there was anything else i was having problems with. i told her i am always sick and low energy. she recommended i start taking VITAMIN C and B 100 twice a day. i only take them once a day, but my goodness i've noticed a huge difference. this is the longest i've gone without being sick (knock on wood) and i truly have MORE ENERGY!!! hopefully my new energy reserve and my OCD will keep me compelled to stay on track. my only fear is that i tend to be a quitter! i have some sort of metal block that keeps me from finishing what i set out to accomplish. only time will tell with this one. i'm hoping that putting it "out there" will help hold me ACCOUNTABLE:)
water works at arizona falls.
sunday, august 22, 2010.
we stopped off on a little sightseeing tour on the way home from espen's birthday party.
papa explaining how all this is stuff is recycled.
papa and his boys.
levi's middle name "lucas" means "bringer of light."
papa in some eroded earth.
"WHOA look at all the water." the boys were stoked!
i like the lighting in this one.
abraham pointing stuff out to me. there are gears and things you can see through the water falling.
awe...papa set the camera timer to take this family photo. the boys and i were too busy looking at the falls to notice him setting it up and when he came RUNNING over to tell us, he totally SLIPPED in the pooled up muddy water by us. he was in his flip flops and JAMMED the "index" TOE of his left foot on the step the boys are on!!! he fell flat on his bum. it's one of those things that shouldn't be "funny", but you just keep laughing about it after it happens. like right now i can't help but laugh as i type this. just replaying in my head how quickly it all happened.
papa checking on his toe. he thought he broke it!!!
SUNSET. beautiful.
papa and sons.
...
the three waterfalls.
no flash.
flash. water droplets splashing all over.
abraham took a couple spills in the slippery pools of water that collect from all the splashing. he and levi were jumping in the puddles.
papa and abey have wet bums:)
the cool shape of the roof...
is mimicked in the signage.
me and my honey at sunset. i love his SPONTANEITY!
we enjoyed our fun little water works detour on the way home.
espen's 4th birthday party.
sunday, august 22, 2010.
it's party time.
it's party time.
lity blowing up a balloon all by himself!
ESPEN the birthday boy with his birthday balloons.
uncle joshua playing with espen.
espen wanted a CHRISTMAS themed birthday party, hence the red and green balloons:)
after grandma batt showed abraham several times that the bear wont bite, he bravely touched it's teeth all by himself.
levi riding the dolphin. we went SWIMMING first, but i left my camera upstairs on accident. (i'll have to get some pics from maaa...) after the swim we came back to eat ITALIAN COLD CUTS!!! so stinkin' delish!
ok, how cute is this cake!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, ESPEN!
pops and abeyham.
the boys licking frosting!
...
mmm mmm...WACKY CAKE.
super addicting CAKE BALLS! yeah i had like 10!
the boys enjoying their treats.
prezzie time!
levi trying on espen's birthday hat.
opening our gift. a HOT WHEELS folding race track.
christine getting embarraced about the gifts she got espen. he had opened sooooo many gifts that by the time he got to his flash cards, foam blocks, and storage containers, he was a little "unimpressed." it was pretty funny, but they were the perfect prezzies for the new-be preschooler, if you ask me!
the TERRORdactyl from the twinsies. huge hit:)
trying to get the terrordactyl to spit out it's "food!!!"
the cutest present ever!
we had a HOOT at espen's birthday party!!!
long overdue din din at the SOCHA's and homemade gift wrap.
saturday, august 21, 2010.
the boys made gift wrap this morning. we are finally going to get to give denver and mavrick there presents tonight. espen's birthday party is tomorrow, so we made his gift bag too.
the boys hard at work.
levi making arms for his traced hands and abraham used every single sticker on his sheet.
*i was a surprised that levi did not want to have his left hand traced. he said he didn't like how is was bent!?! hmm...?
the finished product. which i, of course, consider a masterpiece.
these two pink guys are levi's "piglets." there was a blue one also, on the left, but abraham scribbled over him:(
now onto espen's spiderman/CHRISTMAS themed gift bag. i turn trader joe's bags inside out whenever we need a large gift bag. then the boys go to town with markers and stickers.
levi SNIFFING the BERRY scented marker. yum!
this evening we finally headed to the SOCHA'S. joshua and i had wanted to bring them dinner after mavrick was born, oh so long ago now, but we got super sick and then left for illinois.
the boys checking out denver's beta fish, SQUIRT!
denver's awesome art table.
awe. joshy and baby mav.
just like at the children's museum, mavrick totally cried when i tried to hold him tonight.
abraham happily playing with denver's train set.
DENVER, the cutie pie, being silly:)
i love denver playing in the background.
choo choo. trains galore.
lity playing with denver.
all kids looking down, concentrating on some serious play.
...
a real "cranky the crane."
denver trying to put a visor on levi's head:)
levi attempting to take a ride on a remote control truck. alas, he figured out he is too heavy.
abraham learning how magnets can REPEL each other. he tried for 5 minutes to get the train to connect to cranky's magnet. he knew it was possible because he had done it several times prior. he was NOT GIVING UP! i eventually showed him that he had to turn it around.
denver digging in for more goodies. i think he has more trains then we do. i didn't think that was possible;)
proud papa roger and his little dude:)
it's always so fun getting together with wendi and roger and their beautiful family. the boys get along so well. we love you guys!!!
