My BIGGEST LOSER :)

One of our favorite and probably only reality TV shows is The Biggest Loser - it changes peoples lives for the better and yes there is a prize for winning, but these people need serious help. Not just weight issues, but dealing with traumatic situations and are now coping with food. I find myself tearing up over most episodes and on a rare occasion have seen Jeff tear up. hehe - don't tell him I wrote that. :)

At the end of May 2010, The Biggest Loser was coming to our little town of Laveen to do a taping of the first episode for this Fall 2010. They wanted people to come and work out with one of the trainers (Bob or Jillian) and just be part of the experience. My friend Sharree was going and dragging Erin along, but I was not really up for an intense workout being preggo and all. So I volunteered Jeff to go. :) Saturday morning, Jeff met up with 4 women and joined the background for the Biggest Loser and Red team. A few highlights from the experience: I wish I could have gone and Jeff had nothing but excellent things to say about these 4 women he attended with - although he did mention he'd seen enough of the women's "pocket" to last a life time..........you know that special place you store your keys, chapstick, credit cards, etc when you don't have a purse and are in workout clothes.... :)

 Sharree, Erin, Jami

 Erin, Sione, Jami, Erin

 Mrs. Vincent, Sione, Ali Vincent (winner!)

 Sione signing Michelle's shirt

 My hot husband and Sione

 Alison Sweeney - host

 Alison & Ali

 BOB!!!!! :)

 Sharree rocking the squats - getting compliments and props from Bob for not moving the entire time even though they had to start over several times. Sharree held strong - she's amazing!

 Sharree and Bob Harper

 The contestants had to run a mile and everyone there got to run with them. Sharree was the pace for Jeff and he was able to keep up with her.

 Way to go guys!! Sharree, Erin, Michelle, Jami, Jeff

girls night

Boys went camping. check.

Little boy has been packed for 3 weeks.

Girls do nails, eat ice cream and watch princess movie. check, check, check.

Boys come home because little boy ate: 

2 bags of chips

QT soda

granola bar

(and that was just on the 2 hour ride)

ate dinner: beans, chili and something else that sounded awful together.

Then s'mores - 5!!!

Told Dad: "Can I go to bed? I should have been in bed a long time ago."

Dad goes to bed, hears waterfall.......again. and again.

Little boy still sleeping, but puking in his sleep. (just threw up a little myself)

Dad cleans up the boy as best he could, put him in the car, cleaned up the rest as best he could. 

Tossed it in the car and came home......not a check.

Oh well - a story we lived to tell and can laugh about now.

Blurry, but still cute

Just practicing for the paparazzi - thanks ammo

'Unhappily Ever After'

yum!

Mother's Day 2011

No meetings for Jeff, a good breakfast I didn't make.

Homemade cards from my kids

A Sunday I didn't have to teach in Primary and was going to attend Relief Society.

And while I know there are some who dread Mother's Day because you are without children, sometimes those of us dread it because of the messes we get to clean up regardless of it being Mother's Day. Still not the same, but we all have our reasons for loving or disliking Mother's Day.

I love Mother's Day - I do now, see 2 paragraphs down. I love to listen to the primary kids sing - I choke up every time they perform. Don't really need to be recognized in church with a gift, but I appreciate it nonetheless because not every mom or wife or woman is appreciated at home and the Bishopric appreciates the women of our ward. I love the excitement of the primary children as they create a gift in primary for their moms. 

I love my mom - she's amazing. I love the leaders I've had over the years. Those Young Women's leaders who helped me even if I didn't want help or appreciate the effort they went through to make me loved in a ward that I didn't have very many friends. Sure I knew girls, but they were older and younger - not in my grade. It was hard for me, but they loved and nurtured me regardless of my attitude. :) And still today I look forward to going home and talking with them. I don't remember any lesson they ever taught, but I remember that they love me and wanted the best for me. Honestly I still don't feel old enough to be in callings like Presidencies of church organizations but I appreciate and love my RS leaders, Primary and YW who serve in our ward.

Actually my first 'Mother's day' after I was married, was not a pleasant one. Not even sure if Jeff knows this - he will after he reads it. We had been married 1 1/2 years and I was pregnant with our first to be due in July of 2003. I was emotional already, then Sunday Jeff woke up with a stiff back and I went to church by myself. I didn't think he was really hurt, just figured he wanted to go home and not be at church. We weren't exactly spiritual giants at the time and we were serving a young married ward in the primary which consisted of ONLY nursery age kids. But I got to go to Relief Society that day and I didn't really know anyone (yes we'd been in the ward since being married, but I don't like meeting knew people and the ward to me, felt as if everyone was already friends.) So I sat on the back row by myself and tried to not cry the entire time - mad at my husband, mad I was emotional and just sad. Then during the closing song, a girl came to sit by me. I looked up to see Stephanie sit down, put her arm around me and share her hymn book with me.

My first thought was "oh great, not exactly the person I wanted to have sit by me" 

Not because I didn't like Stephanie, I did - she was a cute girl. But she was also the 'other girl'. The girl that Jeff was interested in at the same time as me and he chose me. And now we're in the same married student ward. awesome. I thought for sure she was thinking 'thank goodness he chose you and not me', but I know she wasn't. She's just a genuinely good person - I appreciate her kindness on a day that I didn't feel so kind.

ANYWAY fast forward 9 years to 2011:

This is what my husband looks like after going camping and driving home in the middle of the night because our older son puked all over the tent, sleeping bag and everything else - handsome guy huh!? :)

 My sweet little Abbey

 My gorgeous flowers straight from the back yard! Which sadly were thrown out later that day because both Jeff and I are allergic to them indoors. haha - just funny really.

 My gorgeous Lea and 'sharp as a tack' Lucas

arrrrrgghhhhh.

Windows Live Writer and me - NOT.FRIENDS.

On a happier note - this little munchkin turns 3 tomorrow!!!
yes this is a different picture - refer to the first statement.

Pre-K Graduation

 My little grad was soooooooooooooo excited!! He could hardly wait to graduate from preschool. It was as if the day would never come. :) Of course it was also Lea's last day of school too, so we hurried around to get last minute teacher gifts for our fabulous teachers, then hurried to Luke's graduation. Thought we were late - nope early!! whew. I was able to help with finishing touches and enjoy the party.

 the pre-party

procession march - so cute, I'll admit I got a little choked up. He's so grown up.

 WAHOO!! :)

 Lucas & Miss Janna

 

This is where we find out that Lucas is the class clown. :) Loves to make people laugh and smile.

 Case in point: A self portrait with 5 eyes and a tomato body. nice. :)

 

proud mama

 proud sister - will love to see what this picture looks like in 12 years when he's graduating from high school.

The last hurrah - love you Miss Janna!

And the performances:

blogger is so.slow. uploading the video - next time

my fav is the fish song (only part of it in video cuz I wanted pictures too)

 

silly kid

 

Let's go swimming......

thank you.

Thank you Mom. 

Thank you for watching all my softball games.

Basketball games

Soccer games.

tournaments in the middle of the summer heat

traveling to games

shuttling to practices

piano recitals

Thank you for watching all of my siblings (there are 7 kids in my family) events: 

grid kids

little league

all star tournaments

minors, majors

soccer

track/field

softball 

traveling to games where we weren't playing, just so we could support the team

football after football after endless hours watching football usually in freezing cold temps

high school and college

being a taxi for us and even friends

And Thank you for managing all of us little ones that weren't playing and didn't want to sit still to watch the game.
 Pushing us and helping us to succeed to be the best we could at whatever we did.

and you continue to support us even though we're too old to play and it's now time to watch the grandkids

I'm exhausted and we're just getting started.

THANK YOU!!!

a refresher course

 So just when I thought we were going to have a great summer of swimming and playing.......it happened. We went swimming for the first time this year - aside from jumping in Lake Pleasant with lifejackets on - and the kids were sooooooooo excited!! Went to the Beckers new place with a pool, Lucas had said on the way there: "I'm going to do a cannon ball"
 

As  Jeff and I were walking out the back door after telling the kids we were going to swim, we hear the other kids saying 'swim Luke, swim!!" I may have pushed Jeff out the door as we saw him (after doing the cannon ball), struggling to get to the step. Jeff tossed his hat and shoes and jumped in to save him. After that, he would barely get back in (being the first time back in the pool and it being colder than he expected, added to the shock of the cannon ball).

The week before, they had just had swim/water safety lesson in preschool. I guess the next week, he was telling his preschool teacher (who happens to be very good friends with Miss Erin, a previous swim instructor), he cried as he told her what happened.
 

A couple Sundays ago, Miss Erin, approached me and wanted to know what happened - we had not been swimming since and were going to start swim lessons at the public pool in June. Lucas and Lea had done swim lessons with Miss Erin (Aqua Babes), but last year they did swim lessons at another pool and were swimming laps, jumping off the board and swimming to the edge - tirelessly by the end of summer. She wanted to have him come over to help him so he wouldn't be afraid of the water. She was great and he did great too - even after riding his bike to her house, then home after swimming constantly for a half hour.

 Use your 'big arms'

 

He gets nervous being on his back, but 'back floats keep us safe!'

getting ready to swim the length of the pool

The video is sideways - holding a baby, trying to supervise a toddler and take a video through the gate......not as easy as you might think. :)
Thank you Miss Erin!!

And as much I would love to have a pool, I'm not sure my heart could handle it......that same day Lucas did his cannonball, Abbey ended up in the pool after they were getting out, Jeff had to get in to save her. ugh.

I survived a 2nd grade field trip

Oh the drama among girls and the noise……the noise – so loud! If I wasn’t a chaperone, I would have curled up in a ball and gone to sleep. We went with the 2nd graders to see a play called ‘The Borrowers’. AZ Childs Play had come to the school to perform one night a play called “Imagineers” or something like that. It was really good. ‘The Borrowers’ seemed a little over their heads, well mine too at first, but it was very good and the props were very creative to tell the story of the people under the stairs. Also survived the bumpiest bus-ride home – again I would have been asleep in minutes had I not been there to help. :)

 (Jalyn, Laura, Lea)

 Lea & Charity

Bless this woman for all the hard work she put in every day to teach these kids and still be sane by the end of the day. Much love Mrs. Zwick!