The Week: Amazing is the only word I can use to describe it. I feel so good when I think about the week. The kids were phenomenally well-behaved, and everyone got their smiley faces! Gabriel doesn't have a single frowny face for the month of March. HOORAY! I got to spend some much needed alone time with Jon (for some reason the kids very happily went to their beds in the evening), and I got some cleaning done. It was just a great week!
The Weight: I stayed the same this week - holding steady at 61.4 pounds down!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Once Upon A Time...
...in the far away kingdom of Upstate NY, there lived a beautiful princess named Courtney. She was married to a handsome prince named Jonny, and together they had a beautiful baby boy. They named him Gabriel Francis....
The above is how Jon and I start "The Story of Gabriel" (or Elliott...or Janna). We get out the kids' baby books and we go through them. They love hearing about themselves as babies, and the pictures are priceless.
So anyway...5 years ago in the lovely kingdom of Upstate NY, the princess and her prince had a baby boy. He was beautiful. See?
Gabriel the day after he came home from the hospital.
Every year he grew bigger...
The Boy on his first birthday.
Playing at Chuck E. Cheese on his second birthday.
Gorging himself on cake and ice cream on his third birthday.
The Boy's love of cake and ice cream grows with each year! Here he's eating the special 4th birthday cake Mommy made him.
Where has the last year gone? What happened to the little boy who loved to play trains and take naps? Is it possible that this kid will get on the school bus in September?
I have seriously been asking myself those questions (and many others) all day. Today my baby turned 5. And while I am not at all saddened by this, I am shocked. Gabe changes a little bit each day. I notice the changes but think nothing of them. But as I was wrapping his birthday loot last night, I realized how much he has changed in the last year...how much he has changed in the last 3 months. Last year The Boy was all about trains. He couldn't get enough of them. I knew it was a "phase", but I didn't think it would actually come to an end. At Christmas, he still wanted trains but he also wanted dinosaurs. Something new...and (for us) a little different. It's March now...and he has totally changed again. He still likes trains, but he now prefers real ones (no more Thomas and Friends). He still likes dinosaurs - only now he wants to draw them and read about them and make them eat other animals (no more playing with the Little People variety, and no more making them "be friends"). Star Wars stuff has taken over the spaces that were once filled with smiley-faced trains. Ferocious, red-eyed dinos have taken over the shelves that used to be covered with happy-looking stuffed animals. The Mega Blocks have been replaced with Legos and Lincoln Logs. The board books have been given to Janna and actual encyclopedias of prehistoric creatures have taken their place. The list of changes could go on and on...
I know that all kids change. I know he's growing up. But it just doesn't seem possible that it's happening this fast. I watched - and listened - to him today at school, and it just kind of hit me. He's 5! It feels so surreal...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Weekly Weigh-In!!
The Week: Was amazing. We had a blast in Florida! Our flights were very smooth, and the kids were so well behaved. They were great the whole week! I think Gabe and Elliott each had to go to time out once - for trying to run away/kicking sand at the beach. Aside from that, there was no yelling, no fighting...it was awesome!
The Weight: Even though I ate like a pig (I mean it, too - we ate three big meals each day, and snacks and drinks and desserts were in constant supply), I lost weight! I'm down 1.2 pounds from last week, bringing the total to 61.4 pounds!
Monday, March 2, 2009
I Had To Ask...
Debby's latest post was a list of questions to ask your kid. So I asked. Elliott is pretty much the only one who answered...and she's pretty funny!
1. What is something mom always says to you? Eat your dinner. Listen to Mommy. Find something to do. (Gabriel started chiming in, too...and the list seriously could go on for days.)
2. What makes mom happy? Behaving. (They're right.)
3. What makes mom sad? Not listening. (Duh.)
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickles.
5. What was your mom like as a child? She liked Barbies and tickles on her baby tummy. (Elliott likes to call my tummy a "baby tummy" now - she's been looking at pictures of me when I was pregnant, and she thinks that there is another one in there.)
6. How old is your mom? Ummm, I don't know. 4. No 8. No. 31! (Gabe had the right answer!!)
7. How tall is your mom? I don't know. Some sort of...
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Make dinner. (Um, no. No it's not.)
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? I dunno. Do stuff.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? I don't know. Cuz she's Miss Courtney.
11. What is your mom really good at? Behaving. Baccuum. (You're darned right, Elliott. Mommy's really good at vacuuming.)
12. What is your mom not very good at? Playing games. (I apparently suck because I refuse to sit on the floor for hours every day playing games. Wah.)
13. What does your mom do for her job? Do stuff. Do her 'puter. Play on her desk and play games. (How sad is that? All I do is play on the computer!)
14. What is your mom's favorite food? Salad. (Not really.)
15. What makes you proud of your mom? Playing games and helping me color. (All the kid wants to do is play games and color.)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Dora.
17. What do you and your mom do together? Kiss, and huggies, and sing songs. (She knew it wouldn't be true if she said "play games"!)
18. How are you and your mom the same? Curly hair.
19. How are you and your mom different? Mommy's big, and I'm (Elliott) small.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? Give me kiss and huggies.
21. What chore does mommy not like to do? Give us snacks or give us nice dinners. (I don't give snacks because they don't eat the nice dinners I make. Their definition of nice dinner is chips, pb&m, chocolate covered raisins, pudding, and yogurt.)
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Florida. (Right now it is, but usually it's to bed.)
23. How do you know mommy loves daddy? Cuz you sleep in the same bed.
Just listening to her little voice answer these questions was fun. She's such a cutie!!
1. What is something mom always says to you? Eat your dinner. Listen to Mommy. Find something to do. (Gabriel started chiming in, too...and the list seriously could go on for days.)
2. What makes mom happy? Behaving. (They're right.)
3. What makes mom sad? Not listening. (Duh.)
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickles.
5. What was your mom like as a child? She liked Barbies and tickles on her baby tummy. (Elliott likes to call my tummy a "baby tummy" now - she's been looking at pictures of me when I was pregnant, and she thinks that there is another one in there.)
6. How old is your mom? Ummm, I don't know. 4. No 8. No. 31! (Gabe had the right answer!!)
7. How tall is your mom? I don't know. Some sort of...
8. What is her favorite thing to do? Make dinner. (Um, no. No it's not.)
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? I dunno. Do stuff.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? I don't know. Cuz she's Miss Courtney.
11. What is your mom really good at? Behaving. Baccuum. (You're darned right, Elliott. Mommy's really good at vacuuming.)
12. What is your mom not very good at? Playing games. (I apparently suck because I refuse to sit on the floor for hours every day playing games. Wah.)
13. What does your mom do for her job? Do stuff. Do her 'puter. Play on her desk and play games. (How sad is that? All I do is play on the computer!)
14. What is your mom's favorite food? Salad. (Not really.)
15. What makes you proud of your mom? Playing games and helping me color. (All the kid wants to do is play games and color.)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Dora.
17. What do you and your mom do together? Kiss, and huggies, and sing songs. (She knew it wouldn't be true if she said "play games"!)
18. How are you and your mom the same? Curly hair.
19. How are you and your mom different? Mommy's big, and I'm (Elliott) small.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? Give me kiss and huggies.
21. What chore does mommy not like to do? Give us snacks or give us nice dinners. (I don't give snacks because they don't eat the nice dinners I make. Their definition of nice dinner is chips, pb&m, chocolate covered raisins, pudding, and yogurt.)
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Florida. (Right now it is, but usually it's to bed.)
23. How do you know mommy loves daddy? Cuz you sleep in the same bed.
Just listening to her little voice answer these questions was fun. She's such a cutie!!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Weekly Weigh-In!!
The Week: Was very long. Jon was in Kentucky for most of it, and I was stuck here. Alone. With three kids. Who weren't about to behave. Or listen. Or eat. It was nothing short of hell. But I lived. And so did they! I don't think I have ever been as happy to see my husband as I was on Friday night when he walked through the door (at 10:45).
The weekend? Much better!! In fact, it's been amazing! I got a ton of stuff done, and I got to see friends. We went to Erika's house for dinner, and the kids played so well together! I was thrilled that that they were so nice, and I'm even more thrilled that they keep asking to go back! Today I went shopping with Erin. We went to the outlets, and she helped me pick out some cute stuff. I'm all set for Florida now!! After I got home from our outing, I went to Target and finished birthday shopping for The Boy. I'm so proud of myself - I said I wasn't buying toys...and I DIDN'T! And he is totally going to love his stuff!
I'm actually extremely content and relaxed right now. I'm going to have a bowl of ice cream and a beer in a minute...just so I can be even more relaxed.
The Weight: For the first time in over 6 months, I actually gained weight this week - .6 pounds. Which is totally fine with me because I'm still over 60 pounds lighter (60.2). I thought I was going to be upset with myself if I gained, but instead I feel even better than I usually do. I didn't do anything "wrong" this week...so I'm not feeling guilty. Why? 1) I have my period - I am all kinds of bloated (not really the way I want to spend the first day of my vacation, but I'll live). 2) My constitution is all messed up - I've been eating too much cheese. TMI? Maybe. But hey - it's my blog. 3) I've started working out harder. I'm building more muscle, and obviously that's going to affect the way I'm losing weight. 4) I'm making every single one of my daily points count. I'm hungry, and I'm not about to starve myself.
The number one reason why I'm not in the slightest bit upset with myself for gaining? I bought new shorts...and they're a size 16! I haven't purchased a size 16 since I was a junior in college! I bought some new shirts, too - and I didn't have to get them from the "Women's Section"! YAY!
The weekend? Much better!! In fact, it's been amazing! I got a ton of stuff done, and I got to see friends. We went to Erika's house for dinner, and the kids played so well together! I was thrilled that that they were so nice, and I'm even more thrilled that they keep asking to go back! Today I went shopping with Erin. We went to the outlets, and she helped me pick out some cute stuff. I'm all set for Florida now!! After I got home from our outing, I went to Target and finished birthday shopping for The Boy. I'm so proud of myself - I said I wasn't buying toys...and I DIDN'T! And he is totally going to love his stuff!
I'm actually extremely content and relaxed right now. I'm going to have a bowl of ice cream and a beer in a minute...just so I can be even more relaxed.
The Weight: For the first time in over 6 months, I actually gained weight this week - .6 pounds. Which is totally fine with me because I'm still over 60 pounds lighter (60.2). I thought I was going to be upset with myself if I gained, but instead I feel even better than I usually do. I didn't do anything "wrong" this week...so I'm not feeling guilty. Why? 1) I have my period - I am all kinds of bloated (not really the way I want to spend the first day of my vacation, but I'll live). 2) My constitution is all messed up - I've been eating too much cheese. TMI? Maybe. But hey - it's my blog. 3) I've started working out harder. I'm building more muscle, and obviously that's going to affect the way I'm losing weight. 4) I'm making every single one of my daily points count. I'm hungry, and I'm not about to starve myself.
The number one reason why I'm not in the slightest bit upset with myself for gaining? I bought new shorts...and they're a size 16! I haven't purchased a size 16 since I was a junior in college! I bought some new shirts, too - and I didn't have to get them from the "Women's Section"! YAY!
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