Measure Me Monday

This week I lost 3.0 pounds which makes the total 10.8 so far. I am now 1/4 of the way to my goal! :o)

On Thursday (or Friday) I went to JC Penney to find something "summery" for me to wear as far as shorts or capris. It always upsets me to buy a certain size, but I picked out one size smaller than I was wearing before, just to see if it would fit. And guess what...it did! So not only have I lost 10.8, I am down one size. Yay!

This is only getting slightly easier. I do not feel compelled to turn into Sonic or McDonald's anymore, but I do think about getting McD's breakfast from time to time. I did have it (McD's breakfast) once this week, and I wish I could say something like, "It's just not as good as it was when I was eating it more often." But it was so yummy to me! ;o)

And I am really starting to realize how much I love walking at nighttime. When the kids are all asleep, I head out on my own, and I just love it!

Thanks for your encouragement throughout my journey!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

What an absolutely GORGEOUS day to be outside. This morning I left at 10:00 to meet my mom, dad, and sister to head to the St. Louis Cardinals game. I was a bit leery earlier in the week about going since I am a big baby when it comes to being in the heat. But wow, it was so pretty, only a Cardinals victory could have made the day better - that or if they scored 6! ;o)

I jokingly said to them how fun it was to be with my "original" family. Just the four of us. I can't remember the last time we did something together like that. It was fun to talk and laugh and remember how the car rides to St. Louis used to be.

Now don't get me wrong...I wouldn't trade my "new" family for anything! But on days like this, it was just a nice treat to hang out with the ones who are so dear to me. The ones who I spent the first 21 years of my life with.

It was a great day.

And thank you, Josh, for your willingness to take care of all three kids on your own. You have no idea how much it means to me when you let me recharge like that. You are the best.

My Evening Walk

Thank you, Josh, for setting up your iPod for me to use tonight during my walk. You tried to pick out the songs you knew I would like, and you even showed me how you wear it when you use it. This was all quite helpful and so sweet of you considering I am not an iPod kind of girl!

But as I set out to begin my walk, I just couldn't use it.

I looked up ahead, and I saw a few lightening bugs. The sun had already set, but there was still enough light for me to see quite clearly. In the still of the evening, I just couldn't help but enjoy being on my own and absorbing all of the little details. As I looked up at the sky, I could see the crescent moon, and I thought the sky looked so beautiful. As I passed each house, I could see that the lights where on, and I wondered what each family was doing. I found myself praying for each family on my second time around the neighborhood, and I also thanked God for such a nice area in which to live.

I kept a fast pace, but my mind was slowly taking it all in. I can't remember the last time I went for a walk on my own. I enjoyed seeing a rabbit quickly cross my path. I loved hearing the crickets, because I miss that familiar sound of summer when it's gone. The warmth of the night brought to mind the days of my youth when I would play a late-night softball game.

It was just a really nice walk.

So, I'm sorry, Josh, that I didn't use your iPod. I thought it would make my walk more enjoyable.

But the joy came quite naturally.

Measure Me Monday

Thank you for all of your title ideas! They were all so cute. Each time I'd read one, I'd think to myself, "Why didn't I come up with that?!" Mindy's was my favorite, so I'll be using hers! :o)

This week I've lost 2.6 pounds. It wasn't as big of a loss as last week, and actually, I was just shooting for 3. But I had one day of weakness on Thursday, and a weekend full of family gatherings (and eating) so overall, this week turned out pretty good. I hope next week I can tell you I've lost 3!

To My Dad

You were my first love, always there for me
You taught me how to walk and how to dream
God gave me your eyes
But it was you who taught me how to see
Now I can stand on my own
But I know that you'll never let go

I'll always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you love me made me
Who I am in this world
I'm a woman now, not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

You are my hero and that will never change
You still can dry my tears with just a smile
The one I've leaned on
From my first steps to walking down the aisle
Now there's another man in my life
But I know by the look in your eyes

I'll always be your baby
No matter how the years fly by
The way you love me made me
Who I am in this world
I'm a woman now, not a little girl
Wherever this life takes me
I'll always be your baby

Your faith, your love
And all that you believe
Have come to be the strongest part of me
And I will always be your baby

Always Be Your Baby by Natalie Grant

(This would make a nice song for father's day, but I'm pretty sure there's no way I could make it through.)

Listen to the song by clicking here.

A Few Brief Road Trips and Events

I mentioned that I would write about some of the things I did last week, and who am I to let anyone down, so here goes! :o)

Last Thursday, I traveled with my sister and dad to Springfield to look at houses for my now-grown-up sister. It's still weird to me that she is an adult (thought, technically, I guess she's been an adult since 21). In May, she graduated from MSU, and this fall she will be teaching business at Williard High School. We had a great day, and I was able to leave Caleb, Sarah, and Gabriel at home with Josh. Those of you familiar with nursing know that being away for 9 hours is unheard of...I did take a manual pump with me just in case I started to feel...umm...like I needed to pump! But I was able to make it the entire day. It was a really nice mini-vacation so to speak. I love my children very much and always miss them. But sometimes mommies need to recharge!

** This just in: the seller accepted my sister's offer on the house she really wanted!

Then on Friday, Josh, the kids, and I went up to the St. Louis Zoo. I just love that place, and the kids always have a great time! My favorite is riding the train, and the Sea Lion show is fun, too.





























Saturday I woke up at 4:00 am to get ready for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in St. Louis. My mom and sister spent the night at my house the night before, and we all loaded up in the car an headed out by 5:15 am. Gabriel went with us!

We met my Aunt Cathy just in time to watch her participate in the Survivor Processional. This is always an emotional experience, but I had many more tears this year as I watched her walk by. I hope to participate every year since it's a cause near and dear to my heart. My grandma also is a breast cancer survivor.











































So there's the scoop. It was a busy but fun few days!

Our Morning Visitor

Josh was out earlier this morning mowing the yard in hopes of beating the heat (even though it was 85 degrees by 7:00 am, I guess it was better than waiting until 4:00)! Our neighborhood runner (as I call him) was out making his morning rounds, and he must have picked up a box turtle on the road as he jogged by our house. He gave it to Josh, probably because he knows we have kids who would be thrilled to see it.

And they were.

Josh brought the little guy inside, and I grabbed a towel so we could place him on the floor. I found this to be a great way to keep the kids still and quiet (I need a box turtle at my disposal at any given moment). "Shh...we have to be quiet and we have to walk softly so that the turtle will know he's safe and he'll come out of his shell!" I said to them with sincerity.

So they waited.















They would giggle from time to time, but really, this was the most patient, quiet, and still I've seen my kids for that length of time. The turtle would slowly poke his little head out of his shell, and then go back inside. He did this several times, and the kids thought it was so cool. They wondered when he would finally come out for good.

Then he finally did.
















We let the turtle crawl around in the small area by the front door for a while, and then we explained to Caleb and Sarah that he needed to go back home, and we should take him back outside. Without disagreement, they gladly took him out to our front yard.















While we were outside, Caleb decided to draw a picture of our visitor.




















We enjoyed our morning with a visit from the turtle. I'm hoping he'll come back when I need the kids to be quiet again.

Singing in the Rain

Next time I buy a house, I will wait until the hardest rain to drive by and see what the yard looks like. But then again, what fun would that be for the kids if we didn't have an occasional lake for them to play in? :o)

The Competition - Week 2 Weigh In

Our first weigh-in last Monday gave us our starting numbers. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with how much I'd like to lose, but I know I didn't become 40 pounds overweight in one day, so obviously I need to take this one day at a time and try to retrain myself about food choices. I'm hoping my addictions will cease to enter my mind, and while I've been doing so good, those thoughts of soda and McDonald's have not left me. I'm not saying I'll go the rest of my life without any junk, soda, or a trip through McD's, but right now I'm trying to get away from it in hopes that my body will quit wanting it. Will it ever?

So I hopped on my handy dandy Weight Watchers scale this morning for the official number. I have lost 5.2 pounds! I contribute my success to cutting out soda and McDonald's completely, drinking lots of water, working out on my elliptical and walking around the block, and making better food choices. On several occasions, I chose fruit over cake/brownie/cookie which is amazing for me. Really, it is! I'm trying to eat veggies, but the only one I like is broccoli, so I'm seeing lots of it. :o) I love Special K, and it has become my best friend.

There's my update on my weight loss journey. I will be posting my progress every Monday.

And by the way...I really love alliteration, so someone needs to help me find a title for each of my Monday posts in regard to this! M_____ Mondays - what could it be?

To You

Dear Loyal Readers,

I'm sorry I've neglected you. I promise to compose an entry with lots of details about the last few days (which have been so busy). Such an entry will include:

• Trip to Springfield with my dad and sis KID FREE to look at homes for her.
• Trip to the STL Zoo with Josh and the kids.
• The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

So stay tuned.

Love, Chrissy