Judah Pedro Munselle

On March 4, we welcomed our handsome little boy, Judah Pedro Munselle into our family. We are obviously overjoyed and so in love with him. His name? We knew a while ago that if we had another boy his middle name would be after my father. Pedro is the Spanish name for Peter. Peter just happens to be our favorite person in the New Testament, so that was a lucky coincidence. It also means the Rock in Greek. And for 36 weeks, we called Judah "Rocky", another lucky coincidence. It took us forever to pick a first name. We knew we wanted it to be Biblical. We tossed around a lot of names, but we couldn't agree on any one name. Until we got to Judah and Asher. We chose Judah over Asher because Josiah is a direct descendent of Judah and Jesus is a direct descendent of Josiah, so it was a done deal. Besides, it's an awesome name. Not too common, but one people would recognize.
So far the transition from 2 to 3 has been easy. Our parents have been an awesome help taking the older kids for a few hours so I can hang with just Judah. Besides, I'm still healing so the rest and not picking the kids up is helping (although I miss holding them... the lap just isn't the same). Judah is an amazing sleeper/napper. We learned after having Josiah that holding our baby during his naps was not a good idea because it makes for a much more difficult transition later. So as much as I want to hold him when he's sleeping, I put him in his own crib in his own room. He falls asleep immediately, and if he doesn't, he is great at just staring at the mobile. He only cries if his diaper is dirty. I have to wake him up every 3 hours to feed him. If I didn't, who knows how long he would nap. He already has a 5 hour stretch at night, so that is a huge blessing. Breastfeeding is going great. The easiest one so far! I'm so grateful for that. I love breastfeeding my babies, it's such a special time for me.
Josiah and Layla are doing really well with him. They want to hold him and touch him all the time. Josiah is affectionate to begin with, but most people, understandably, don't like it when his hands are all over their child's face. I, however, don't care that he puts his hands all over Judah, so Josiah is in heaven. If Judah does cry, Layla immediately runs back to his room to give him his paci (even though he doesn't really take one). It's super cute.
My delivery was fairly easy. The Friday before I had Judah my doc informed me that he wasn't growing so she wanted to induce me on Tuesday (37 weeks and 4 days along). So at 7:30am Chris and I arrived at the hospital to get all hooked up. However, I was already in early active labor, so they didn't have to give me pitocin, the doc just broke my water. My mother, sister, and Aunt Judi arrived at the hospital at 9:30. I asked them to be in the room and watch the birth and they all said yes! I was so excited to share that experience with them. I wound up not getting an epidural because my labor progressed pretty quickly, unlike my first 2. By 2:15 I was ready to push, but we had to wait for the doctor to get to the hospital, so I had to hold in the baby for 15 minutes. Now that was painful! Finally I couldn't hold him in any longer so I started to push without the doctor there. One push with the 2 nurses, then I heard Dr. Hsu's voice and saw her run to deliver Judah. One more push and he was out! We all cried. It was awesome. I was so happy to have him in my arms. Mindy, Judi and my mom got to watch him get all cleaned up and took a ton of pictures. Judah had to stay in the nursery for 24 hours and be seen by the NICU doctor because the fluid wasn't draining from his lungs. I was a hot mess during those 24 hours. I missed him like crazy even though I only spent 2 hours with him. Chris kept reassuring me he would be okay, and I knew he would, but I had so many hormones running through me that I was completely irrational. The next day we got him back and he hasn't left my sight since then. I am so in love with my family. I love every aspect of having a newborn and expanding our family. I love watching my sweet husband take care of Judah and then play with the older kids because I really can't yet. I fall more in love with Chris every day, but watching him with my children is something I can't describe. It's the absolute best. Thank you friends and family for all that you are doing for us in helping us get adjusted to life with 3 kids 4 and under. It takes a village!

Really he mostly sleeps, so there are very few pictures with his eyes open.

 2 minutes old

 Like I said, Josiah LOVES being Judah's brother and always wants to hold him and kiss him and touch his face. While it's smothering, it's absolutely precious.

 Josiah used to make this face when he was a baby, and I am obsessed with it. It's usually right before he falls asleep.

 We all know I'm obsessed with my children's feet.

 Sweet little puppy dog.

 He still just smiles in his sleep, and I can't wait for him to smile at me on purpose

 I finally have a child that resembles me!

Okay, not the greatest pictures, but I love that he's sleeping on his hands.

Do you have a song?

I have had 2 boyfriends my whole life. I dated others, but can only call 2 of them boyfriends. I remember when I was a young teenager, maybe even still a pre-teen, I would hear how couples had "their song". I didn't really get it. How can a song be a couple's song? I didn't have a song with my first boyfriend, but with Chris we do. The first time we dated back in 2001 (for those of you who didn't know, we dated for about 3 months before his senior year of high school, but then broke up. It wasn't until May of 2006 that we dated again) we were watching The Exorcist (romantic, right?) and the VHS (yes, you read that right) went blank. So we took it out of the tape player and Train was performing "Drops of Jupiter" on the Tonight Show. It was my first time to hear that song and I fell in love with it. After the song was over we got in the car to return the movie to Blockbuster and we turned on the radio and it was playing again. Coincidence? Probably. Well, when we got to Blockbuster their music video was playing on the television. Another coincidence? I think not! We immediately knew that was our song, and it has been ever since. During the 5 years that I pined away for Chris, whenever I wanted to really picture him and me together, I would play that song and go to my happy place. To some that might be creepy, but I just love how a song can take you right back to what you were doing the first time you heard it. And for me, that was cuddling next to my, at the time, boyfriend, happier beyond words. Not long after we started dating again in 2006 I was headed over to his place and "Drops of Jupiter" came on the radio. I knew that would be "our song" forever. If we would have had a first dance at our wedding, it would have been to that song. I hope that every time I hear it, I am reminded of how much I love him (and some of our first kisses) and am so blessed that God brought us back together after 5 years apart.

Pregnancy

I finally uploaded all my pictures and videos from my phone to my computer. It had been almost 2 years. Oops. I love watching videos of when my babies were babies. I love babies. I love the sleepless nights, I love trying to figure out why they are crying, I love being one of two people who knows them best in the world, I love watching them discover their fingers and toes. I could go on and on. I am so excited to be Rocky's (I promise we are working on a real name) mama. It took us right at 6 months to get pregnant with him so sometimes it feels like I've been pregnant for over a year and I just can't wait until he's here.
That being said, I am one of the worst pregnant women you will ever meet. This pregnancy in particular has been rough. I was really sick for the first 22 weeks and didn't contribute much to helping around the house. I was extremely tired and made Chris let me sleep in on Saturdays. Then I had about 2 weeks of feeling great, so I went walking (running was a hilarious sight to see, so I stuck with the basics). Then I got the flu which I didn't take medicine for because I am one of those people who like for my body to heal itself. That took a good 2 weeks, which then turned into a sinus infection. Finally, as of 2 days ago, I am 100% better. I was sick for a solid 4 weeks. Miserable.
Rocky has decided to grow a whole bunch this week, and, Lord willing, will continue that for the next 9 weeks. My torso, on the other hand, is mad that it's stretching. I'm 5'4'', and my torso makes up about 7'' of that. I'm not kidding. It's tinier than tiny. In fact when I put both of my hands on my belly, they don't fit. Only 1 1/2 do. So I am feeling every bit of the stretching. I make the most absurd noises when I bend down to pick up anything, tie my shoes, sit on the floor, you name it. Most people ask me (if they are within ear shot) if I'm okay. I just tell them Rocky is in the way. I also maintain a horrible diet. I can't help it. I eat all my fruits and veggies, but I tend to over eat with the not so good food. I have a sweet tooth like you can't imagine and it gets the best of me during pregnancy. But, thank the Lord, Chris doesn't care how fat I get, so I keep eating and having him go on chocolate runs for me.
As soon as I deliver Rocky and get the thumbs up from my doctor I am going to do Shawn T's Focus T 25. That's about all the time I have to commit to working out... 25 minutes. I will make a huge effort to go on walks with kids and ride bikes and spend a lot of time outdoors so that I can exercise in other ways than just videos, but I am really excited to start Focus T 25.
I am so thankful I have a husband who has loved every form my body has taken in the last 6 years. I know there are women out there who can't say that. Sometimes I am convinced that he likes me a little meatier (I won't go into detail as to why because my mother reads this :)). I am truly truly blessed by my family.

Some photos for your enjoyment

Here's what we've been up to lately... at least through pictures

 Our entire house caught the flu. It was miserable, but I got to spend quite a bit of time with this little love

 Practicing washing a baby, and in the meantime falling in love with dolls

 Getting new shoes for Christmas

 Getting the rest of the Ninja Turtles collection

 Spending time with "semi cousins"

 Refusing to smile for mommy

 Playing with friends at our new house

And falling in love with comic books, which makes daddy very happy

New Year's past

Flashback to New Year's Eve 2005. I was single and had a MAD crush on Chris Munselle. He had been dating a girl for almost 4 years, but I knew he was meant to marry me, not her. So, I did what all girls with crushes did. I threw a New Year's Eve party (Chris and my brother, Scotty, had been best friends for a long time so Chris was over whenever he was in town) in hopes he would come. Chris's band, Barefoot, had just gotten off tour with Ashlee Simpson so I knew he was home and I knew if I had a "joint" party with my brother, Chris would come. And I was right. However, he brought his girlfriend with him (like all good boyfriends should do). At midnight I just HAD to kiss Chris (because, like I said, I knew we were meant to be together) so I went around to every single guy at my parents house and kissed their cheek just so I could kiss Chris's cheek. I made his girlfriend mad, as I'm sure I would have been mad had some ex-girlfriend of my current boyfriend (confusing? yes) just kissed his cheek, but I didn't care. And you know what? 2 months later Chris and her broke up and 3 months after that Chris and I started dating. I was right all along :)

So long 2013

Hello 2014! I must say, I'm excited about 2014. First off, I don't really like odd ending numbers (I know, I'm weird). Secondly, I will be a mama to 3 awesome children! Obviously I'm most excited about that. I already know Josiah and Layla will be great with Rocky. Side note: we have been calling him Rocky since I was 10 weeks pregnant because when I showed Josiah a picture of the sonogram and told him that was his baby brother or sister he said, "that's not a baby, that's a rock". So my friend, Jen Joy, suggested we call him Rocky, which we have for almost 5 months. Every day, more than twice a day, Josiah asks how Rocky is doing and if he's laughing when Josiah tickles my belly. He kisses my belly, asks to lay on Rocky, rubs it, scratches it, pats it, hugs it. You name it, he does it. He genuinely cares for his little brother whom he does not know but already loves. Layla, too, expresses interest in Rocky by hugging and kissing my belly. I can't wait to see them in action with Rocky. We have not chosen a name yet. We like about 5 or 6 but just can't decide. I still have 10 more weeks, so maybe when it becomes crunch time we will choose.
Another reason 2014 is going to be so awesome is because I will almost be done with my pre-reqs for nursing school. I honestly can't wait to take Anatomy. I know it will be difficult, but there are so many things that I want to learn about the human body. If you didn't know, my desire is to become a labor and delivery nurse, so I must learn about where everything is! If all goes as planned, I should be done with nursing school in May 2017. I know that sounds far off, but it's really not. The reason it took me so long to actually start with my pre reqs for nursing school is because I knew it would take 5 full years until I could practice nursing, and in my mind I thought 35 was too old to start a new career. At 35 I will have been out of college for 13 years. When I was 18 years old I had no idea what I wanted to become when I "grew up" so I just picked something. And that something turned into a non career of bouncing from job to job trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Then, at 30, I knew what I wanted to be, but it seemed too late. Then I thought, why would I continue to have a job that takes me away from my children that I only half like and am definitely not making a difference in other people's lives? Even if I don't get done with nursing school until I am 37, that still puts me in a career that I will absolutely LOVE for 30 years... nothing compared to the 12 measly years I spent doing work that I didn't love. Anyways, there's that.
2014 will be the last full year Josiah isn't in school every day of the week. He currently goes to school 2 days a week while I work and I love being home with him the other days. I can't imagine not being with him all day long other than the weekends. That's going to be a hard adjustment, I can already tell.
Chris and I haven't made any New Years resolutions yet. We did last year and did pretty well with sticking to them, so this year we are going to think about how we want our family's life to make a difference in our community. So, when we have some, I may or may not write about it.
I will do another blog later this week on how great my children are and some adorable pictures of them, but I've already written enough and am impressed if you got this far.  Cheers to 2014!

 Cute flashy Minnie shoes

 Sweet cousin love

 Boy cousins digging away

Superheroes!

Layla's getting older, yet I'm staying young

I cannot believe my BABY turned 2 on Thursday. I honestly do not know where the time has gone. She is one of a kind, I tell you. I figured that since we wanted to have so many children, one of them was bound to be a girl. I also knew that I would have no idea how to raise a girl since I am not your typical girl. I blow dry my hair about 2 times a year, I wear minimal makeup, I don't understand fashion, I prefer sports events over any other type of event, and the list goes on and on. For the first year or so of Layla's life she wasn't into girly things. In fact, she's always wanted to be like her big brother so if I put a doll in front of her she would choose to take Josiah's cars instead. Then around 15 months she REALLY started to like jewelry. The more the better. And the shinier the better. I was a little scared because I thought it was the beginning of her girly-ness. However, as the months passed she continued to want to be like her brother (she takes after her mama). When I looked in their playroom I saw little pink and MANY cars and sports balls. About a month or so ago she started liking Minnie Mouse. Now, this girl won't watch television to save her life, but she will watch about 5 minutes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So immediately I bought her a couple of minnie mouse toys which she seemed to like.
When planning her 2nd birthday I decided on a Minnie Mouse theme. I was going to have a birthday party with all my friends who have little children, but quickly decided Layla wouldn't remember either way, so it was just our families who came. My mom and Aunt Judi did all the decorations and Judi made cute Minnie Mouse cupcakes and Rice Krispie treats. The only thing I did was make pigs n a blanket and that took all of 4 minutes. Let's just say my craftiness skills are below average. The party was super fun. Layla had a really good time and I loved having both our families together for a few hours. Aunt Mindy was even in town for it!! Layla got a lot of Minnie Mouse toys and her and Josiah have already had fun playing with them, and Aunt Mindy got Layla a 2 foot Minnie Mouse stuffed animal which Layla now sleeps with every night (and dances with!).
I'm sure you're wanting to know what Layla is like, right? Well, she's a little fireball! She is very independent. She won't let me put her in her car seat anymore. She insists on "climbing up" herself. If she doesn't like something she will let you know by either throwing a fit or scratching your face. Her vocabulary is huge and she talks all the time! Most of it I still can't understand, but I catch a few key words and we are good. She loves to sleep, and is not a morning person (like her father, unlike Josiah). She finally is getting her K9's in. She's a tattletale. She tells Chris if I spanked her (she reenacts the scene for him, spanking and all) and won't let Josiah get away with anything. She LOVES to dance to any music, but her favorite song it Ha la la (a children's Christian song from the 90s). If she's heard a song more than 3 times she knows most of the words and sings along. She doesn't like going to school. As soon as we pull up she says "I don't want teacher". This is the complete opposite of Josiah, as today he wanted me to leave him at the front steps so he could enter the building by himself (which of course did not happen, but as soon as his classroom was in eyesight he kissed me goodbye and didn't look back). She loves to share! She shares her food, her toys, my phone with anyone who wants it. If Josiah tells me he wants what she's playing with she will give it to him almost immediately without me even asking her to share. She loves her grandmothers! Sometimes she cries when I come to bring her home, which I don't like, but I'm glad she is attached to our mothers like that. She thinks that a bandaid and a kiss from mommy will cure almost anything. And lastly, she is a HUGE mama's girl. She will snuggle with me all day if I would let her. It can be an inconvenience at times, but I love my hugs and kisses from her! Oh, and for her actual birthday dinner we went to Sushi Naki because she LOVES raw salmon. She ate about 6 pieces and then had 2 pieces of a vegetable roll, followed by steamed broccoli. That's gonna be an expensive habit to feed!!

 Yummy raw salmon

 Light up Minnie Mouse shoes (this is the best I could get as she kept moving)

 Layla, unlike her mother, is a dog lover

 Munching on a delicious treat

 I'm 2? Huh?

 It's cool, mom. This yogurt will wipe right off

If you didn't know this, I'm obsessed with my children's feet. Look at those little things!

the hilarity of Josiah

Don't think I have a favorite kid. I will post about Layla after her 2nd birthday in a couple days. Josiah is a true sweetheart. He gets sweeter as the days go by. The other day I was watching him and Layla and Josiah picked her up kissed her cheek and said "you're my favorite girl". He didn't know I was watching, so that makes it all the sweeter. As soon as I pick him up from school he kisses my face, says "hi sweetie, how was your day?". I could go on and on. He is also HILARIOUS! Today I was on the phone with my mother and 5 minutes into the conversation Josiah says "I want to talk to Bebe", so I handed him the phone and he hung up. I said "Josiah, you hung up on Bebe". His response? "That's enough time on the phone!" On the way home from school today Josiah was talking about his friend Scarlett in his class (he is the only boy, but I don't think he minds). He said that she was nice and that they take a nap at the same time and then he covered his face and said she's pretty. I did not ask if she was pretty nor have I ever covered my face when saying someone was pretty, so I think it's pretty sweet that he has his first crush. He also has has this awesome dance move that he does, that I did not teach him. It must be engrained in him to love Elvis because he does Elvis's pelvis move. He also has great comedic timing and laughs at things that are actually funny. I hope he has his daddy's sense of humor because is one of the many things I love about Chris.

 Josiah, the ringbearer, and me

 He loves 10 gallon hats for some reason

His new favorite game. Setting up his pigs and Angry birds using daddy's guitar stand as a launcher. He spends hours playing this.

Saturday treasure hunt

I believe, as all wives should, that my husband is the BEST father in the whole world (with the exception of my father, of course :)). We didn't have any plans on Saturday except to hang out by the pool and spend time together as a family. Josiah has really been into Jake and the Neverland Pirates lately. We watch about one episode a day. Honestly, the show is not all that bad. It's fun and Josiah uses his imagination long after the show is over. Yesterday, Father's Day, we went to Sprouts to get some steaks to grill and the entire car ride Josiah pretended like he was Jake, Chris was Cubbie, I was Izzy, and Layla was Skully. Our car was Bucky and we had many obstacles to overcome on the 15 minute ride, including MANY coconuts to fly over using my pixie dust. It was awesome. And at some points, I think Chris and I were having more fun than Josiah. Who doesn't want to relive their childhood adventures?? Anyways, back to Saturday... Josiah and I were just chilling and Chris was at the kitchen table drawing. He then brings over this awesome map that he drew for Josiah to go on a treasure hunt for his squinkies (yes that is a word. they are rubber and Josiah has about 20 of them from Cars). Josiah thought that it was the coolest thing ever, and I was impressed at his drawings, because a donkey could draw a better stick figure than me. That's it. That's the whole story. I just wanted to give a huge shout to my baby daddy! The map is below. BTW... Josiah loved the first treasure hunt so much that he had his daddy draw another map for another treasure hunt.

My little ring bearer

The first weekend in May my dear friend, Kelly Bosse Burslem, got married in Brenham. Kelly and I met 7 years ago in Lusaka, Zambia where we served with Family Legacy Missions for a month. It was an amazing experience and Kelly and I bonded very fast as we wandered the streets of Lusaka trying to find a doctor for my staph infection. It was hilarious and I am forever grateful to her. Kelly met and fell in love with a wonderful English man and moved to London not too long ago. They got married a month ago in her home town and she asked Josiah to be the ring bearer. He was the cutest ring bearer the world has ever seen. Chris and I were extremely nervous that he was going to cry his way down the aisle, so we packed TONS of prizes and rewards for him. We tried to rehearse, but that was kind of pointless since there were no people to rehearse in front of. Cut to the ceremony and he was flawless. He pumped his chest out like he owned the place. It was awesome. Here's a picture (with the beautiful bride in the background).

Isn't he just the CUTEST thing ever?!?!

Mom fail

Today I tried to be a fun mom and failed. We live in an apartment, so we don't have a backyard and our patio isn't huge. The kids love playing in water and I haven't yet been able to find a water toy for the kids that fits well on the patio. So instead, like a genius, I bought a blow up pool. It rained pretty hard in our neighborhood last night so it was gross out this morning and the mosquitos are starting to creep back into our lives, so I thought it would be fun to put the pool in the living room (Chris helped lead worship this morning and was gone from 7am-3pm so I was alone in this). Josiah and I filled the pool with about 4 inches of water (which took a good 45 pitchers full back and forth from the bathtub) and the kids played in it for over 30 minutes. They had a really good time. They love bath time and going to the pool in our apartment complex, so I knew they would love this. Well, the water got cold, as it does, so I took them out and put them in their room to play while I moved the pool to the patio to drain it. Fast forward 1 hour and the pool is in our bathtub and the living room and carpet in our bedroom is soaked. I didn't get mad once because I could only blame myself for being so dumb as to think it wouldn't be hard to transport 4 inches of water (about 4 feet wide) by myself. However, the good thing out of this hilarious situation is that my kids spent one whole hour in their bedroom (they share a room) without fighting, reading. I really wish there was a camera on me during this because it would have provided people many hours of entertainment. Chris laughed pretty hard at this and is laughing as I type this. He sweetly pointed out that there is no difference between the pool in the living room and the bathtub 10 feet away and that I had my I Love Lucy moment. If you can't laugh at yourself, then what's it all for??

Middle names

I don't know who decided that people should have middle names. It must have been started by a mother who, in her infinite wisdom, decided that if you use their full name, the child knows you mean business. If you don't know, both our children have Spanish middle names, as will all our other children. This is because I want there to be some sort of Hispanic heritage associated with them. Probably once or twice a week I have to use their full name to either get their attention or to let them know they are fixing to be in trouble (I know you're thinking there is no way my children misbehave because they look like angels). Yesterday Layla was doing something to annoy Josiah.. surprise surprise. He clearly had had enough and looks at her and says "Layla Amada Munselle, stop it!". It took everything inside of me to not burst out laughing. Not only have I never heard Josiah say his last name before, but I was proud of him for using his words, not his hands (i.e he didn't push her). You probably don't find this funny, but I do and had to share it.

Life is but a zoo

Life with little ones is so freaking awesome. I love how they are always changing. Just when I think I've got them figured out, they do something that contradicts what I thought. Josiah still has just the sweetest heart and is so kind-natured. He genuinely cares about others, even at the ripe old age of 3. Yesterday when I got home from taking a math test I walked through the doors and he was on the couch watching cartoons while Chris was finishing cooking dinner. Josiah looked at me and said "mama, give me a kiss". I nearly melted. I can't count how many times a day I put my hands over my heart and just melt by things they do. Don't get me wrong, he has his moments (several of them) during the day when he acts his age and I have to get stern with him, or as he says "yell at him", but the good WAY out number the bad.
Layla is my little fireball. Her personality is coming through strong at just 19 months old. She will be as happy as can be and smiling and laughing at something, then out of nowhere she will give you a "go to you know where" look that I just think can't be coming from my sweet little angel. She doesn't let anyone boss her around. She puts up a good fight with her brother (and mother and father) when she doesn't want to do something. And she can hold her own. If Josiah starts to wrestle with her, she wrestles back... usually pulling his hair or scratching him, which gets her in a time out fast, but at least she recognizes she doesn't want to be played with that way. I feel sorry for any boy that has a crush on her.

As you may have noticed, I'm one of the worst moms when it comes to picture taking. Usually when they've done something picture worthy or posing wise, by the time I whip my phone out it's too late and the moment has passed. So I try very hard to take mental pictures and hopefully those will last my whole life. But here are some pictures that I did manage to capture.

 This is how Layla normally eats her food... smeared everywhere and in places that are hard to get out

 She's going to be a heart-breaker!

 Daddy and Layla in front of the monkeys at the zoo

 Layla's first finger painting excursion. She didn't really understand that the paint was for paper...

 ...maybe because her brother was not a good example

 Brother and sister playing together

Success on our Easter egg hunt!

A semi-working mama who is also in school's life...

I'm sure you're DYING to know how my life is going... because that's why you read this, right? To keep tabs on me? Wait... But I'll fill you in nonetheless. The first semester of me being back in school is almost to an end. I have 2 weeks left and then I will have a 3 week break before summer school starts. Somehow I have managed to maintain a 97 average in my Biology class and a 95 in my statistics class. I guess I really am learning something! I am pretty proud of myself. I was never really told that I was smart growing up, so I never put too much effort into getting high grades. But since I actually want to succeed in school this time around I am actually studying and really letting the information sink in and not just retain it for a test. Hopefully this will be a pattern for the rest of my higher education (and something I can pass down to my kids). I do miss being with my babies all the time. I have to break mid day on my non-work days to go to class because you can't take any science classes online. I am very grateful to my mother and mother in law as they watch my babies when I'm at school. This summer, however, I am only taking one class and it's not a science class so I won't have to go campus until the Fall. That I am super excited about. I will definitely need some suggestions on what to do during the summer to keep us from getting in a rut and not enjoying all that Dallas has to offer (preferably free or cheap suggestions). I am an absolute dufus when it comes to crafts, so maybe I can work on my craft skills as the kids work on theirs. You might actually mistake a craft I have made for one of Layla's, that's how sub-par my talent is. Since we are in an apartment complex, we are fortunate enough to have a swimming pool right behind our building, so the plan is to spend a lot of time at the pool and teaching my kids how to swim.
I'm still kicking butt with Jillian Michaels and Billy Blanks and now that the weather is awesome, I'm perfecting my running skills too. And just so you get a laugh, I fell the other day because I was trying to change the song on my phone and wasn't paying attention to the sidewalk and tripped over something. I got a few scrapes from it, but nothing too bad, and the worst part of all was that no one was around to witness it. I know that I love a good laugh at other peoples expense (if they haven't really hurt themselves of course), so I was sad no one could laugh at me or tell their friends about the idiot runner who got laid out on the sidewalk. So there you have it. My life in 500 words or less. Thanks and Gig 'Em.

I did it!!

Okay, so it took me 73 days instead of 60 days to complete Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Get Ripped in 30, but I did it! And I'm so proud of myself! It was incredibly hard and many days I didn't want to do it. I just wanted to sit on the couch and veg, but I didn't. Of the 13 days that I didn't work out I was either working and didn't get home until too late to do it, or at school taking an exam. I never chose television over working out. And it has paid off! I feel absolutely amazing! I'm the fittest I've been since I got pregnant with Josiah and it's the most fun I've had working out since before then. After my 2 DVDs were done, I started working out to Billy Blanks Tae Bo all over again... hello 2000! One of my BFFs, Allison Cunningham, and I did that all the time our Freshmen year of college. It was awesome... and is awesome. It's a killer workout! I have also picked running back up. Since it's not 40 degrees anymore (except for the past 4 days) I decided it's time I get back to enjoying the outdoors while being active. And let me tell you... I thought I would be slow because I hadn't run since early November, but the first mile I ran, was the second fastest mile I had run in years. And then the other day I ran under an 8 minute mile, which hadn't happened since high school! I was/am incredibly proud of myself. This has clearly helped boost my self confidence and I'm no longer embarrassed by how I look, because the excuse "I just had a baby" ended one year ago. I'm excited to continue to find new and exciting workout programs/videos that motivate and encourage me. If I can do it, YOU can do it!

Randoms

 I just thought you should all see how awesome Layla's hair is after she's had it in a ponytail all day. Her crazy eyes say it all!

 This is a much delayed picture of their Halloween costumes. Josiah was Lightning McQueen again and Layla was a spider.

And this is one of the two cutest feet in the world. Josiah knows how much I love his little feet so he took a picture for me to find on my camera. Isn't he so thoughtful?