Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve night, we read the boys the story of the birth of Jesus. When we asked them what Christmas was all about, their answers were "Love", "Giving", and "Jesus' Birthday". :) Guess they are learning something after all.

Bright and early, at 6:30am, my sweet hubby woke me up. He told me that the coffee was ready and I needed to open a present before the boys got up.

I'm still half asleep in this picture, but totally surprised! I never would have imagined that he would get me a new Camcorder. I am so excited to have a camcorder again! Ours broke about 2-3 years ago, and I've been missing being able to take videos of the boys. I'm so excited to have one again! Isn't my sweet hubby amazing?!

Shortly after I had figured out how to use my new video camera (thank you for thinking to charge the battery for me Daddy!), Levi got up. He was so excited about the New Football Uniform that Santa brought him. Look at that face! He was ready to open his presents and said "can I go wake up Seth?". Well, he tried, but couldn't get him to wake up. So I went in there to wake him. It didn't take long, and he was bounding out of bed, and running to the Christmas tree.

Here comes the sleepy head.....

couldn't wait to get his new Football Uniform on too.

They wore their uniforms all morning, and all day.

Daddy, taking video, and wearing his new boots. He got me some new boots too! :) We all got new boots for Christmas this year.

After we all opened presents; they played with their new toys, while I made breakfast. It was such a wonderful, relaxing morning. We've just been chillin' and playin' all day. It's been so nice to spend so much time together today, just having fun.

I hope you have all had a Wonderful Christmas also.

Christmas Eve at Nanny's

We went to visit my Nanny for Christmas Eve. (This is my Mother's Mother.)
Mom and Dad were there, and so was my brother and his wife. We all had Christmas dinner together, and NOTHING beats my Nanny's cookin'! YUM-EE!

After we ate, we were waiting for my Niece to get there so we could open presents. While waiting, my sweet hubby decided to take himself a cat-nap! LOL! :)

My brother, and my Niece. Hard to believe she is 13 years old. Yikes! Where does the time go?

My Daddy liked his new Stetson hat. :)

Is this a face of total excitement, or what?! LOL! He was so thrilled to get new Lace-Up boots.

My Mommy, happy it's Christmas.

Here is our cowboy, showing off his new boots.

My sweet Nanny. :)

Daddy and Seth, trying to figure out how Seth's new Camera works. It is an awesome little camera, and take some really good photos and video.

Stephen, checking out his new Hat.

I was so excited! I got The Biggest Loser Families Cookbook, and two Biggest Loser workout videos! YEA!!!!! :)

My Mother surprised me with this beautiful Red Sweater. My favorite color is Red, and this is cut so cute and flattering. I LOVE IT! :) I loved ALL of the gifts I received. I was especially thrilled to see the excitement and joy on the faces of my family, when they opened their gifts from us. I just love giving gifts!

My Mom and Levi. He is so silly.

My Nanny, and both of my boys. This picture, to me, is Priceless! :) I'm going to print out of copy of this one, and mail it to her.

Last but not least; my Nanny, Me, and my Mom. We were looking at my Nanny's old photo albums, and at that moment I realized that we all look alike! There were some photos of my Nanny when she was really young, that looked just like my mom! Spittin' Image!

Then there were some photos of my mom as a young girl, that could have been me when I was a kid. It was amazing how much the three of us seem to look alike.

My Nanny also made us all some kitchen towels, and pot holders. And my mother has a Bath and Body Works 'Lotion Grab-bag'! LOVE IT! These women always have the best gift ideas.

My cousin Taran, and her husband Ryan, came by to visit for a little bit also. It was so good to see them again. They brought us a bunch of clothes that their son had outgrown, which were the perfect size for Levi. He was in hog-heaven, when he started going through that bag of clothes. {He must get his love of clothes from his mother. :) hee-hee} They are so sweet to share these with us. It is such an amazing blessing! We also made plans to go to the Rodeo with them next month. I can't wait! It will be so much fun to see them, and spend time with them again.

blogging slacker...

Sorry I've been such a slacker when it has come to blogging lately. I've just been swamped with work the last few weeks (Yea!!!!), and then the boys were sick...it's just been a whirlwind.
I hadn't even worked out in over a week! Yikes! You know i was super busy if I couldnt' find time to work out. That is something that I usually "make" time for, but I just couldn't. I did get back on the workout wagon yesterday, after I cleaned our house from top to bottom, after church. It is so much more relaxing to have a clean and tidy house. Ahhh....
Finally, I think we are ready for Christmas. Levi is out of school for the next two weeks. We have all of our presents bought and wrapped. And I even bought our groceries for Christmas dinner. All we have left to do is make Christmas cookies for Santa. :) We are going to do that this afternoon, or tomorrow.
I got some mail last week, informing me that it is almost time to renew my Appraisal Trainee License. I have to complete 14 hours of continuing ed (which will cost me $220 for the class). Then I must submitt my renewal fee of $110, along with my continuing ed completion certificate, and my appraisal log. Wow. What a time of year to be getting all of this in the mail....

If I don't talk to you all again this week; Merry Christmas! :) Enjoy the time with your family, and take the time to remember the true reason we celebrate this season.

Yearly Christmas Photo...

Yesterday was the day. We finally found a moment, right before leaving for church, to try and take a family photo. I've been saying we needed to do this, since November, so we could get our christmas cards made and sent out. Well, needless to say, that didn't happen this year. I had good intentions, but something always came up and we weren't ever able to get this done.

Here are some of our blooper photos...

Stephen took these of the boys:
us saying: Look at the camera Levi....Seth, stop "cheesing"....

Better,....seth could you, oh never mind, this will work. LOL!

Then Levi decided he wanted to take a photo of mom and dad together:

Me: Levi, look at the camera, get Daddy in the photo too.....

Lower Levi, get Mommy in the picture too....oh wait, to low, don't cut Daddy's head off...

why do we try to do this ourselves? LOL!

Seth wants in the picture with Mommy and Daddy....

Ok, let me set up the timer, and get both boys in the picture with us....Ta Da! That will have to do. :)

Craft time....

Since the boys were finally feeling a little better today (but couldn't go to school because of ICE on the roads, and Levi has to be "fever free" for a full 24 hours first), we worked on some Christmas Crafts.

I bought the stuff for Levi to make Candy Cane Reindeer for his Class Christmas Party. I figured this way he could do a craft and 'make' everyone in the class something (without breaking my wallet), and give all of his classmates something for Christmas. I'm so proud of him for doing such a great job on them. He even let his little brother help. :)

Feeling much better, and so proud of his hard work on his reindeer! :)

Sick...

Took the boys to the doctor today.
Levi has Pneumonia, and Seth has Strep Throat....hence the reason you haven't heard from me in awhile....
Keep us in your prayers.

Biggest Loser Talk.....

For my latest Biggest Loser talk, go to my fitness website: Fit4Life (click on the title).
I've devoted this other website for my fitness talk/goals/motivation/etc....
Then this website can be mostly just about my family and kiddos. Those of you who just want to stay updated on what we are up to, don't have to wade through all of my fitness/biggest loser posts anymore. Yea! LOL!
However, those of you who are as addicted to fitness as I am, are more than welcome to come on over to my other blog and talk fitness with me.

Getting ready for Christmas...

We absolutely LOVE the Christmas season. The boys couldn't wait to put the tree up, and have been begging everyday. So last night we decided to go ahead and get everything out and decorate. (We've also been listening to Christmas music all week! LOL!)

The boys loved decorating the tree for us this year.

Isn't this adorable?! :) Love this picture!

Levi is so crazy! I don't know if he was singing or if he was going to kiss the ornaments! LOL!

Mom, watching the boys, and thinking I have a lot of work ahead of me (separating out the decorations, so they are actually all around the tree, and not all on one branch! LOL!)

Basketball begins...

Basketball sign ups are today, and practice starts on Monday. Let the busyness begin! LOL!

Nothin' much....

Nothin' much to report around here. Just been working, working out, and of course all of the daily mommy and wife/housekeeper chores that never end.

My handsome hubby has been working a lot, and there was some major stuff going on last week that was keeping him at work really late. Can't go into details on all of that....just keep him in your prayers. It was a tough week...

Thanksgiving is next week! Can you believe that? It doesn't seem like it should be time for the holidays to start again. Levi is excited though....because he only has 1 1/2 days of school next week, and he gets to eat Pumpkin Pie! LOL! He is most excited about the pie. It is his favorite!

The boys are so ready for Christmas. They are already begging to put up the Christmas tree. Levi has been listening to Christmas Music already, and both boys have already made their Christmas wish lists. They can't wait for the holidays to start!
Oh, and Levi is going to be in a school Christmas program this year. It is his first, ever! He is so excited. I asked him what he is going to be, and he said he is a Christmas Tree! :) How cute! I'm supposed to go buy him some green pants and a green shirt...guess I better get on that. I'm such a procrastinator. It's a horrible habit that I really need to break.....maybe tomorrow...(LOL!!!)

Last year at this time I had two great friends that I was meeting at the track, early in the mornings, and we were all working out together and running. Boy do I miss those days. It was so much fun to have workout buddies, and it made the time go by so much faster. Of course one of those girls moved, and the other got an offer to workout at a local private training facility, in exchange for doing their book-keeping. So I'm back on my own....here at home. It is so much harder to workout alone. But I'm determined to NOT gain weight over the holidays. If I can just keep from gaining anything between Thanksgiving and New Years, I'll be happy. Normally I gain about 5 lbs or so. No fun! So this year, I'm determined to at least maintain where I am...no gaining.

Voting, Shopping, and Visiting....

Did you remember to VOTE today??? I did the early voting thing. I was glad to get it done and out of the way, so I wouldn't have to worry about trying to get there today and fighting the crowds.

Over the weekend we went shopping and bought a new Electric Fireplace. That little thing puts out a lot of heat, and is oh so pretty! We really missed having a fireplace, so this is the next best thing. It looks really pretty at night, with the flames flickering...so relaxing.


We also found some great sales going on, so we decided to buy Stephen some new slacks for work..........while we were shopping he said he wanted to get me and the boys a few new things for winter also. Yippy!!!! (The boys were in major need of some new winter clothes).

While shopping, I found this...just look at this price tag.....


Here are the shoes.....


can you believe this?! I was so thrilled! I scooped these up, tried them on, and they fit PERFECT!!!! It was definitely my lucky day...God knew what I needed and provided. My Nike's were my running around shoes, and they were falling apart. Parts of the sole was coming off of them, and I kept gluing it back on. I didn't want to switch to my running shoes, because I save them just for running so they don't wear out as quickly. So these were perfect for use as new run around shoes. Yea!!! Thank you Lord (and Stephen, for buying them for me!)



I also got a new pair of Jeans. I live in jeans! Stephen found them for me. They were worn looking, and had a super cute belt on them. He picked them up and said I should try them. So I did...the hanger said a size 3, and they were a different brand than I normally wear, so I didn't know if they would actually fit or not....but after I tried them on, and showed them to Stephen and he said they looked great and were a definite keeper, I was taking them off and noticed that the tag said size 1! I was like "what?!?!" I double checked the inside tag of the jeans and sure enough it said a 1. So then I double checked the price tag on the jeans and it said size 1...I was standing there with my mouth hanging open, in total shock! I couldn't believe it! So I quickly dressed and went running out to show Stephen. He said that must be why they looked so good, and actually fit! LOL! He's always giving me a hard time about my pants being to big and saggy, etc. Woo-Hoo!!!! This was the PERFECT DAY!!!!!



We also found some great sales for the boys. They definitely needed some new winter clothes. So we got them both quite a few some new long sleeve shirts and Seth a couple more pairs of pants. Here they are showing off some of their new shirts.




Then to top this wonderful weekend off, my Daddy called me yesterday. He was going to be over in this area, and said he would stop by to visit, if we were going to be home. Seth was so thrilled! He asked me about every 15 minutes, when Papa was going to be here...he couldn't wait to pick up Levi and tell him who was coming to see us. So after we got Levi from school, they played outside, while waiting on papa to get here. They were so excited to see him, and show him all their new tricks/skills on their bicycles, etc. Dad and I were able to visit for awhile, and it was SO Nice! {Thank you for coming by Daddy, we all enjoyed the visit. We Love You!}

Six Insignificant Details

Teresa at http://mynewplacetoblog.blogspot.com/ tagged me. I'm supposed to list six insignificant details about myself. Let's see if I can come up with anything...
(You are then supposed to tag 6 other people, but all of my blogger buddies have been tagged...so that's out! LOL!)

1) I HATE scary movies. Can't stand to watch them. They give me the creeps, and then I can't sleep. My husband loves them, and especially loves to hide around the corner after we have watched one, and jump out and scare me to death. {sarcastic voice: He thinks it is hysterical...I don't find it humorous!}

2) I'm very passionate about health, fitness, and exercise. I can talk about it ALL day! I love it. I think I am so passionate about it, because I know what can be achieved through diet and exercise, first hand. Plus, we only get one body in this lifetime, so we have to take care of it.

3) I will try just about any new food at least once. I've ate some weird stuff in my lifetime...but hey, you don't know if you like it, if you don't try it. {just don't tell me what is in it, before I try it, or in mid-bite for that matter! LOL}

4) I've wore glasses since I was 9 years old. I got contacts when I turned 13, and have wore contacts ever since...someday I hope to be able to afford to have Lasik surgery to correct my vision. I'm blind as a bat! Can't see a thing without my glasses or contacts, unless it is right in front of my nose.

5) I have big feet. I may have a small bone structure, and be petite in size/height, but I wear a size 9 or 8 1/2 shoe (depending on the type of shoe, and the brand). I used to wear an 8 or 8 1/2, but after having babies, I now need a 1/2 size larger.

6) I LOVE to read! Give me a good book, and I'm happy for at least a day or two! LOL! I read while walking on the treadmill (combination of my two FAVORITES! Woo-Hoo!); in the bathtub; in bed; when my husband is driving us somewhere; when we are camping; basically anytime that I have nothing else I HAVE to do, I am reading. Either a good book, or my Oxygen Women's Fitness Magazine, or pretty much anything I can get my hands on.

There you have it. 6 totally useless facts about Moi. :) Now aren't you glad you wasted so much time reading this?! LOL!

Biggest Loser.....

I recorded BL last night, and then watched it today. I turned it on, and jumped on my elliptical, knowing a good motivation/workout was coming. Little did I know what a great workout I would actually get...It was a great way to vent my frustrations, and I had a lot of frustrations! LOL! (I actually did 78 minutes on the elliptical, and was dripping with sweat when it was finally over.)

I knew I didn't like Heba, but now I CAN'T STAND Vicki now either. She was so snooty..all "it's not worth it" (talking about the challenge and the prize) "that's lame" (then at the weigh in)"I had no worries either way, I knew I wasn't going home no matter what". What?!?! Why do people have to be like that and have that 'I'm better than you' attitude. Oh that makes me furious! I was ready to reach through the TV and slap that smirk right off of her face. When they start "playing the game" I get so frustrated! How is it that she was somehow the "biggest loser" on their team and got immunity, so no one could vote to send her home? and then her husband who usually puts up big numbers, only dropped like 3 lbs?! That is just crazy..you know he must have downed gallons of water before the weigh in, to throw it off...and then just watch, next week his numbers will be super huge. It makes me so mad when they start "playing a game" and trying to throw weigh ins by guzzling water before they get on the scale, etc. ARGH! Isn't their health, and losing weight, more important than "the game"? If they were "playing the game" it would have been smarter for Heba to vote and send Brady home...there is no way, 'if by some chance' it came down to the three of them, that they wouldn't vote her off...or try to get rid of her in some way. It would serve all three of them right if they were all sent home. I feel so sorry for Bob for having to be their trainer...I could tell he was furious about the weigh in...especially since it was so obvious that they were throwing it.

I honestly kind of liked Brady and Vicki at the beginning, because I thought they were there to get healthy, so they could help their daughter and keep her from becoming morbidly obese. She is very young and is already overweight...this will be a lifelong battle for her...and I thought that was their focus for being there. But last nights show clearly showed that they are just money hungry. They don't care about their daughter or their health, they just want to win ALL of the money. Vicki actually had the audacity to say that one of them wants to win the $250,000 and the other to win the $100,000 'at home' winner. Well, one of them would have to actually go home for that to happen though now wouldn't they?!?

Honestly I think some people are there for the right reasons...to get healthy! and the money is just an added reward for their hard work. I really like Amy P. Maybe it's because her and Phil are from the south, and I can relate to them....but I felt they have been there for the right reasons. I also really like Colleen, and believe she is there for the right reasons and this WILL change her life forever, for the better. If I could pick one person to win, I think I would choose her. She has worked twice as hard as everyone else (while her dad was there and was injured, and then after he left, so that she could stay there)...she is a very strong young woman and I admire her, especially for overcoming her fear of heights during the ropes course.

Anyway, I just had to vent.....why can't the show just be about them getting healthy, learning to love exercise and healthy eating, and getting their lives under control? why does the "game play" have to come into this? If I wanted to watch "survivor" I would...frankly I hate that show, and the "game" is the main reason I don't watch it...I can't stand watching people lie to each other, to benefit themselves. That is just WRONG!

Sometimes I wonder if they pick these horrible people, just to throw a wrench in the show....why can't they just choose truly deserving people who want to learn how to eat healthier, exercise effectively, lose weight, and live a longer healthier life?

Oh, and Amy P. looked GREAT! She went from a size 20 to a 8 (so far)! She looked so happy, and healthy, and I was so proud of her accomplishments. I hope she comes back and wins the "at home" competition. :)

Ok, I vented, and I feel much better now. Thank you for letting me rant and rave.

Dentist Appts.

Seth and I had our dentist appointments today. I had mine first and he was able to watch. Then they tried to come get him for his appointment, before I was finished, but he refused to go over to the chair without me. So they finished me up, and then he felt a little more secure, and let me take him to his chair. He laid back and did what the lady asked, however, he never said a word to her, other than "huh-uh" LOL! Simple grunts of "no" were able all she could get out of him...until she let him choose which flavor of polish he wanted, then he did tell her and when she let him pick out which toothbrush he wanted. He did surprisingly well. I was so afraid that we were going to have to reschedule his appt...he was very nervous and scared about going. But after it was all over, he was excited and happy. :)

Other than that, nothing much to report. It has been an extremely sssslow two weeks. I have done only one appraisal in the past two weeks. I actually did get two requests (one last Wednesday and one on Monday). Both are currently sitting on my desk, while I'm waiting for call-backs, so I can set up the appointments. Hopefully I can do both of them before the week is over...that would be wonderful! Anyway, since my work has been so slow, Stephen has been working as much overtime as he can. Thankfully the economy doesn't effect his line of work, so we are both extremely thankful for that.

Oh, and my FAVORITE show comes on tonight...Woo-Hoo!!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!!! :) (Bet ya'll could never guess what it is!?! LOL!)

Biggest Loser.....

I know you girls out there watched Biggest Loser last night. Am I the only one who absolutely can NOT STAND Heba?! She is so getting on my nerves. I was hoping she wouldn't lose enough weight, so they could send her home. She is so rude and controlling. She always has to be the one in control or throws herself a hissy fit...."boo-hoo my hubby went home, and I'm stuck here without him...boo-hoo" My response: Guess what lady! There are a bunch of women out there whose husbands are overseas fighting for our country for months on end, and your feeling sorry for yourself because you are at fat camp without your new husband?! Waa! PAH-LEEEEZZZ!
Can you tell that she irritates me?! LOL!!!!

Anyway, I was full of mixed emotions while watching last night. I was on my elliptical for over an hour, watching it. And I was constantly finding myself fighting back the tears. Why? I don't know, but it chokes me up to see them struggling and trying to overcome the emotional issues they are dealing with and learning that they CAN do more than they ever thought possible...I love that lightbulb moment! My heart was breaking when Amy P and her hubby got split up on separate teams, and she was so mad and crying while trying to be the stronger woman, all because of that devil woman Heba. Do they purposely pick at least one couple for us all to despise? or does her dominating personality just really tick me off? I don't know, but I got a great workout while watching it. I was so mad at Heba, that I was kicking butt on my elliptical! LOL! To bad it doesn't come on multiple nights per week...I'd be in the best shape of my entire life! LOL!

Then after I was sick to my stomach from working out so hard, and was feeling that "I'm gonna throw up feeling", I came into the living room and crashed on the couch next to my hubby to watch the end of the show. I'm sitting there fighting back tears, during the elimination, and what is my sweet handsome strong hubby doing? He is saying "Waaa! Get on with it with already!" LOL! Boy, are men and women different or what?! :)

Fall Break: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday

Saturday we went to the Zoo. We all enjoyed this a lot.
Here is Seth, looking at the snakes.


Stephen and his sister, watching the boys ride a little train.


The boys on the little train ride.


Stephen and his Mom, watching the boys play on a playground there in the Zoo.


Seth, looking at a butterfly, in the butterfly garden.




There was also a rock climbing area. Levi tried it first. He got about half way up, but then got scared and came back down.




So then Seth had to give it a try. He made it about as far as his brother.




So then Stephen said I had to show them how it was done. I've never rock climbed before, but this could get really addicting. Talk about FUN!


I made it to the top, and rang the bell! Woo-Hoo!!!! The boys were cheering me on the entire time. Guess I should have went first, then maybe they would have went the whole way up.



Levi, being a crazy cowboy.



Seth, riding the elephant! LOL!


The boys playing in another park area...making music.




Riding a baby rhino. LOL! They had as much fun sitting on this stuff, as they did looking at the real thing.


Levi, Mommy, Seth, and Papaw looking at the monkeys.




By this time, we were all getting tired, so we went on a little train ride tour to finish out our trip to the zoo. This was really fun. We went into an animal exhibit (deer), and were able to see some of the animals we didn't make it around to, like the zebra and giraffe.

After the zoo, we went over to the Science Museum. It was A LOT of FUN! There was so much to see and do. The boys really enjoyed this. Unfortunately it was so much fun, that we forgot to take pictures! LOL!

After we finished at the museum, we were all exhausted! We went to dinner, and then went back to the motel and soaked in the hot tub and swam in the pool. We all slept really well that night!



Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast, then went straight to the train station.
Daddy and the boys, on the way to the train.

Waiting for the train to arrive....

All aboard!


We finally made it home, and crashed on the couch to watch the football game. We were exhausted.....

Monday we picked the dog up from the animal clinic, and then spent the day catching up on laundry, and grocery shopping etc.

Today, it is back to the routine of school and work.....