Easter, Swimming, and Weight loss!

How come every time I blog now, I feel that I have to start off with an apology? Could be because I have not blogged in forever! So, I once again am sorry for my lack of updates. I know we had Easter and I usually atleast put pictures up, but of course as you can see, that did not happen. We had a great Easter and just spent the day at my parents (which we do every Sunday anyway). We went to church on Sunday morning, then did the Easter hunt at grammy's after. I got video of the kids doing their Easter hunt, but I don't feel like putting it up. So, even though they are a little late, here are the kids Easter pics (including one of Grayson) as well as a slideshow. I think this is the last year I will be able to dress the girls alike. It will make me sad, but Latoya is growing up and will be out of children's place clothing very soon! So, here are the pics:

Next on the agenda is swimming! I know I just blogged about how much snow we still had, the snow has gone down, but not enough to go swimming! My sister and her hubby have been staying with my mom since they moved back from N.C. They are waiting for their house to be built, which they just signed off on yesterday! Congratulations guys! I know they are super excited, and the house will be beautiful! Anyway, they wanted to get away and just be their little family for a little while and they rented a hotel room. The hotel had a very nice pool! They invited me and the kids to go down and go swimming with them. We went down at about 7 pm. the first night and the kids loved it! Jordan is still a little scared, but once he warmed up and got in his ring, he did better. The girls took a little longer to get used to it. They used their arm floaties as well as their baby floats. Latoya, of course, was fine and was jumping in within minutes of getting there. We stayed for about an hour and went back home. My kids have always been good sleepers, but even they crashed! We then went back on Saturday after the gym. We got there right after lunch (we stopped and ate), I think it was around 12:30 pm. We stayed until 4:30 pm. They were in the pool for 4 HOURS! Grayson didn't last that long. They only stayed for an hour, and then went shopping. They left us with the hotel room key so we could get changed after. We had alot of fun, me included. Needless to say, the girls missed their nap, so, as soon as we got to the van, they were out by the time we left the parking lot!

Here is a slideshow as well as a video of Latoya jumping in:

Here are some random pictures as well:

We went to the mall a little while ago and they had these strollers there that you would rent. He was just playing in one, but he loved it so much, that Auntie had to let him get one! He was in heaven, but it did make it hard to get him out of it in the end:

This is our new stroller. I LOVE it. It was hard to find one that the girls could still fit into for walks and fairs, and malls! We used it for the first time at the mall, and they loved it! We used it again a couple of days ago to walk and pick up Toya from school. It was so much easier to push and the girls enjoy it. It comes with a attached rain cover too. They retail at LL Bean for $350. I was able to find this one on Craigslist for $150. The lady had only used it for one month before winter came and now her older child refuses to sit in it, so she sold it!

Next, we have Lightning Mcqueen from Cars! At our local mall, we had a bunch of race cars on display. These are just local drivers, so no big time people here, but one of the cars was painted to match lighting Mcqueen. The kids were excited to see it, except Kaylee who you can see was not impressed and didn't even want to stand by it. I thought it was pretty cool though!

Last but not least is my weight loss. I wish I would have great number to report, but sadly I do not. I have not had a great couple of weeks, so, this is one reason I have not been blogging. It gets very discouraging when you are working out 6 days a week and still get stuck in a rut. I guess I am going to have to have to throw in a diet now. I was hoping to just do the exercise for a while longer because I really have a hard time sticking to diets. We'll see what happens. Anyway, this is week 11, so I should be down 22 lbs, but I am only down 20.6 lbs. I am happy to finally hit the 20 lb. mark! I am also happy that I have yet to gain at all in any week! Even though the weight loss has not been exactly where I want it to be, I know I have lost quit a few in. I bought a skirt about a month ago that ran small. I was able to wear it last Sunday for church and it was actually a little loose. I also tried on 2 things in the next size down and I was able to get them on and zipped without having to lay down! They are still a little tight for my comfort, but I was definitely encouraged. So, anyway, I guess I am happy with where I am but a little dissapointed that the scale is not showing more. Anyway, this concludes my post for this week! I hope you all have a great week! I am going to try to catch up on some blogs today, I have missed reading all of them.

In the Paper!

The twins were in the paper yesterday! The journalist took a ton of pictures, but theirs was the only picture in the actual paper. He had a ton of pictures online though, but only the write up of the girls. No big deal, just kinda cool! :) Read below for a much bigger update if you haven't already. Have a great week!

WOW, It's Been a whole month!

Ok, I am very sorry for the delay! I didn't realize till today that it has bene a month since I updated. Honestly there is no good excuse, I have just been busy. I tell you, I don't even know which way I am going anymore. I have a routine and I stick to it. Here is a run down of my week:

Monday ~
8:15 bring the kids to school (they go to school on Mondays now to make up snow days)
9:00 - 11:00 Gym
12:00 - lunch
12:30-3:30 Speech and Occupational Therapy for Jordan and the twins.
5:00 Supper
7:00 Baths
8:00 Bedtime
8:00 - 10:00 Clean house and get ready for the next day
10:00 my bedtime (I used to stay up till hubby got home from work, but I can't do it anymore)

Tuesday ~
8:15 bring the kids to school
9:00 - 11:00 Gym
12:00 - lunch
12:30-2:30 naps (sometimes for me too)
3:00 Pick the kids up from school
5:00 Supper
7:00 Baths
8:00 Bedtime
8:00 - 10:00 Clean house and get ready for the next day
10:00 my bedtime

Wednesday ~
8:15 bring the kids to school
9:00 - 11:00 Gym
12:00 - lunch
12:30-2:30 naps
3:00 Pick the kids up from school
5:00 Supper
7:00-8:30 Church
8:30 Bedtime
8:30 - 10:00 Clean house and get ready for the next day
10:00 my bedtime

Thursday ~
8:15 bring the kids to school
9:00 - 11:00 Gym
12:00 - lunch
12:30-2:30 Jordan's speech
3:00 Pick the kids up from school
5:00 Supper
7:00 Baths
8:00 Bedtime
8:00 - 10:00 Clean house and get ready for the next day
10:00 my bedtime

Friday ~
8:15 bring the kids to school
9:00 - 11:00 Gym
11:00 - 1:00 Grocery Shopping
3:00 Pick the kids up from school
5:00 Supper
7:00 Baths
8:00 Bedtime
8:00 - 10:00 Clean house and get ready for the next day
10:00 my bedtime

Saturday ~
9:00 - 11:00 Gym
12:00 lunch
1:00 - 3:30 Clean the church
5:00 Supper
7:00 Baths
8:00 Bedtime
8:00 - 10:00 Clean house and get ready for the next day
10:00 my bedtime

Sunday ~
10:00 - 12:15 Church
12:15 - 1:30 Clean the Church
2:00 Lunch at my parents
3:00 - 4:30 Naps
5:30 Supper
6:00 Drop the kids off at church for their program
7:00 - 8:15 Church
8:30 - Bedtime
8:30-10:00 Clean house and get ready for the next day
10:00 My bedtime (then we start all over again)

So, now you know how busy I really am. I am up past my bedtime to do this post too! I really do hope to keep uo with the blog still and I guess I will have to schedule my time to update things. To update the past month, we have had 3 ear infections, and a few colds, but other than that there has not been a whole lot to update. We have had a TON of snow! This is the snowiest winter I have ever experienced for as long as I can remember. Here are soem pictures of our snowbanks in our yard. This was about 3 weeks ago and we have since gotten a few more snowstorms, but we have also had some melting, so the snowbanks are not quit so high, but very close:

Walkway to our house (very narrow)

Looking at our house from the driveway

Jordan next to one of the snowbanks in our driveway

Our pile in front of the barn

Today my younger sister and I took the kids to a Easter party at a local Armory. They had a blast and for the most part it was free, except the food. They had lots of booths with games and then a section for the kids to do a Easter egg hunt. The girls may be in the paper since a man from our local paper was there and asked permission to take some pictures then got their names. He couldn't say for sure cause he took soo many pictures that you never know who is going to end up in there. If I do see them in there, then I will be sure to put a link up so you all can see it. Each child was supposed to only collect 5 eggs. Needless to say, the twins did not get that concept and filled their buckets. They were VERY good when I told them they had to put a ton of them back and only keep 5. They never complained or cried. Kaylee was a little hesitant when I kept handing her eggs to put back, but she did it. Toya and Jordan got their faces painted as bunnies. The girls wanted nothing to do with it at all, so I didn't force them to have it done. Here are some pictures and a slideshow of the kids at the Easter party:

With the Easter bunnies (Kaylee, Kelsey, Jordan, Toya) With the big inflatable police officer (he was huge and was kneeling in this pic)
Jordan the bunny
Toya the bunny

Well, that is all I have for now. Jordan's back is completely healed and you would never know it had been burned so bad. We were told six weeks of healing time, and he was completely healed in 1 1/2 weeks! The Drs. were amazed! I also forgot to mention that during this past month, Jordan was one of the ones that got a ear infection. His took two medications before it finally cleared up. During this time, he started to experience some hearing loss as well as "beeping" in his ears. We were quit concerned and I brought him in to the Drs. They referred us to a specialist to have his hearing tested. His appt. is on Mar. 25th. I will keep everyone updated as to what we find out. I have said from the time he was 2, that he didn't hear right, but we have had him tested before and his test came back normal. Now, he is telling us he can't hear, so, I am hoping to find something out. Now that his ear infection has cleared up, he seems to be hearing better, but not "good". Anyway, I am really going now. My weight loss is still going good, and I am now down 16.2 lbs. in 7 weeks! YEAH!!! Slowly but surely! I hope you all have a great week!

Birthday Party, Sickies, and Burns!

So, as you can tell by the title this has been a BUSY week! We'll start with last Friday. Friday was a usual day (atleast I think it was). Latoya cheered for one of the basketball games and I was able to get a video, but it's hard to see her. Here it is though, plus some pics!

The rest of the weekend was pretty good (atleast I think it was) :)

Monday brought the girls birthday party at Jokers. There were quit a few people and the girls really enjoyed themselves. It was really hard to visit with everyone since we all had kids of different ages. In that sense it was a little annoying, but all the kids enjoyed themselves and that is what counts. Here is a slideshow of the party, and a picture of the girls on their Dora atv's from us. I have never seen so many Dora things in my life! You will also notice that the cake was a little messed up. Seems Kaylee wanted one of the toys on top! :)

On Tuesday Kaylee was not feeling well at all. She has a rough night after the party which we attributed to being exhausted from the party. Just to be on the safe side, I brought her to the Drs. Turns out she has bronchitis as well as a ear drum that was about to burst! The ear thing really threw me off since she had only mentioned it once and that was in passing. We had brought her in for her cough. Anyway, she is on antibiotics and is doing alot better. Boy do I wish the week had ended there! No sooner had we left the Drs. office and Kelsey started coughing. I can't win! I just went home and figured we would wait and see what happened. Wishful thinking.

On Thursday, Kelsey started running a fever. It hovered around 102. I still declined from making an appt. This was also Valentines day. We really didn't do anything for it, but the girls had a really cute outfit they wore and Kelsey insisted on telling everyone "Happy Valentines Day" over and over again. Here is a picture of them in their outfits. There is also a cute pic of Kaylee with cups on her feet as shoes:



On Friday after we (my sisters and I) went to the gym, we did our usual grocery shopping. While we were checking out, I received a call from my mom (she's the secretary at the kids school). She said Jordan had been burned while at school. At first I was thinking a rug burn. She said he had been burned by soup. It still didn't really sink in, then she explained. Jordan and another classmate were going upstairs with their soup. The girl behind him tripped and her soup spilled on Jordan's back. My mom was in the office and heard the screaming and new it wasn't good. Seh went running and found them on the stairs. While I was talking to her, I could hear Jordan screaming in pain. They gave him tylenol, then wrapped a cold towel around him and my mom met me at his Drs. office down town. By the time I saw him, he was calmed down and not in too much pain. We got right in and were told that he has 1st, 2nd, and in one spot almost 3rd degree burns. We were given instructions and sent home. He has been doing remarkably well with it, but I am keeping him well medicated and it is in a pretty good spot for a burn. While we were in the Drs., we must have had 3-4 Drs. come in just to see how someone gets burned by soup on the back! :) There were so many things that just fell into place during this. Why, I don't know.
***First thing, my kids NEVER order hot lunch from school, but I was running out of time that day and decided to let them get the soup and sandwich.
***Secondly, the ladies that were doing the lunch do not normally do it.
***Third, when the elementary kids order lunch, it is normally brought to their rooms, they don't go get it.
*** Lastly, the soup bowls normally have covers on them.

Anyway, here are some pics of his back (don't worry, they didn't come out too good so they aren't too gross), as well as his stock of things to care for it. Like I'm not busy enough!





I also forgot to mention that Friday morning Jordan had woke up with croup. So, all 3 of the younger ones are now on the nebulizer. We went to watch Latoya cheer at her last game even after all this. I hadn't downloaded all the party pics off my camera yet, so I was not able to get any pics.

This morning I ended up bringing Kelsey in since she has continued to run a fever, has had a rapid heartbeat, and complains of leg pain. I had given her motrin this morning at 8 am, and when we got to her Drs. appt. at 11:15, her temp was still
103.1. They said it is just the flu and to try to keep her fever down so when I got home, I gave her tylenol as well and her fever finally broke during her nap. We'll see if we can keep it away, if not then she needs to go on Monday for blood work. This evening we went to my mom's for supper and a birthday cake for my sister. So, Happy Birthday Auntie Sarah!! I didn't get to get pics of the "party", but I got some pics of Grayson. He was watching Jordna playing with his cars, so when Jordan was done, I gave them to him and he really loved playing with them. Here are the pics:




I guess that ends this post. Please pray for Jordan to heal quickly as well as the girls. Toya continues to be my healthy one! :) Atleast I have one! Have a great week.

Oh, by the way. I am down 8.6 lbs. total for 3 weeks. So, that is 3 lbs lost for this week!

3 Yr. Checkup & 3 Yr. Pictures!

Well, this has completed another week. The girls are officially 3! We had a family birthday party on Saturday and the girls really enjoyed it. It was just me and the kids, and my mom and sisters, Grampa, and uncle John. The girls picked out Diego cupcakes (there wasn't any Dora), and Dora ice cream. They weren't sure what to think of everyone singing to them, but joined in and sang to me. They still remember when it was my birthday. :) They received Dora dolls from auntie Sarah and uncle John, and Dora backpacks from auntie Jess. They also received Dora pj's from Grammy and Grampa. Do you sense a theme here? They had a great time. Here is a slideshow from the party:

This week has been absolutely hectic. Besides going to the gym every morning, we had appts. EVERY afternoon. Monday and Thursdays are ot and speech. Tuesday was a dentist appt. for Toya. Wed. was pictures and the girls physicals. Tomorrow will be grocery shopping. I am ready for a break!

As you read, we had the girls 3 yr. pictures taken. We went to Sears. We went to the gym from 9 am to 10:30 am (our normal time). We had an aoot. for 11 am and got there just in time. We were the only appt. scheduled for that day so the lady had lots of time. She took 76 pictures of the girls and Grayson (he was having his 6 mo. pics done). She was very nice and patient, but not very attentive to detail. Alot of Graysons were ruined by drool and the girls had quit a few that I was not very impressed with. Like I said, she did take 76 pictures so we did find plenty to order. We were there till 12:30 and we went to go get some lunch while the pictures were downloaded. We were gone for about a half hour and when we came back we were informed that she was still downloading them. We weren't too happy since we were told they would be done by the time we got back. The girls dr. appt. was scheduled for 2 pm., so we ended up leaving sears without even ordering any pictures. We went back today to do the ordering. The ones we chose, really did come out super cute! Here are a couple, then the rest are in the slide below.

This leads us to the girls Dr. appt. We were very happy that they did not need any shots this time. They were weighed and measured. Kelsey was 32.4 lbs. and 36 1/2 in. and Kaylee was 32.2 lbs. and 36 3/4 in. I can't beleive that they stay the same weight and height all the time. I thought for sure there would be a gap in weight since they always choose different things to eat. There is very rarely that they like all of the same thing. They do not eat alike at all. We talked about how they were doing and we think they are pretty much on track. She didn't notice them being behind at all. They were given books and prizes form the toy chest and we were sent on our way. I am also happy to say that thsi was the first time the girls have been there in over a month and this was a healthy appt.! I am hoping that this means that they are growing out of the "sick" stage. I don't have time for the dr.s office anymore!

Well, that is about it for tonight. Toya has a game that she is cheering in tomorrow, so there should be some pics of that next week. The girls are also having their real birthday party on Monday. We are doing it at Jokers. We only invited a few of the girls friends and some family, so it won't be very big. They'll have alot of fun though and i'll have pics of that as well. I will end with the fact that I nly lost 1.6 lbs. this week. I was kinda dissapointed, but atleast I can pinpoint a reason why. That still puts me down 5.6 lbs. in 2 weeks!

I hope everyone has a great week!

New Haircuts, First Haircuts, and Third Birthday!

Well, I have been busy as usual. I now have a routine for the gym. I go every morning with my sister Sarah at 9:00 am. This schedule works really good for both of us and I thoroughly enjoy it. I guess the lack of updates is due to not much news. Things have been quit calm around here for the most part. I will update with the past two weeks, but again, it's not much. I had to include the above picture of Kaylee. They have gotten used to the breathing machine and I got Kaylee going then went back a few minutes later, and this is what I saw! Hilarious! Read to the end for pics of someones first haircut! :)

Last Saturday me, my two sisters, Toya, and Jordan all went shopping at the outlets in new hampshire. We had a blast, but it made for a long day. We got to the outlets when they opened at 10 am and didn't leave till they closed at 8 pm. We spent so much money it was rediculous ( I had tax return money). I am happy to say that my kids should be all set on clothes for next year! My mom kept the twins, and they did their own shopping a little closer to home. Here is a picture of my loot and the girls in one of their new outfits:

Kelsey

Kaylee

Kaylee (L) & Kelsey (R)

Last night, my hubby, me and the kids all went to walmart to get haircuts. It was a fmaily affair and I was the only one who didn't get one. This was the twins first haircut and I was a little nervous to say the least. I was not impressed when I said to cut it right above the shoulders and this is what I got:

I must say that they look cute and they did really well. I guess they won't be needing another one anytime soon! They look sooooo grown up. We got them done for their birthday which is tomorrow. They will be 3! Wow, I am so in shock that they are 3! Where does the time go? They came form here:

To here:

Well, that is all for now. I got my scale last Thursday and upon weighing in this Thursday, I have lost 4 lbs. in a week! I am super excited and will keep doing what I'm doing! I figure 2 lbs. a week and I can lose 100 lbs. in a year! I'd be happy with that!

Well, good night and happy birthday to my sweet, loveable, beautiful little girls! Sorry there are no pics of the older two, my camera battery died at the hair place. I will get pics of them up soon though! What do you think of the girls haircuts??