Picture Challenge - Day 15

A picture of something you want to do before you die.

I would love to drive a race car and see how fast I can go! 

Picture Challenge - Day 14

A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

I was going to post a picture of Eric but then I thought to myself, "I lived 24 years without Eric."  But there's no way I can imagine not having his child.  Thank you, Lord, for Gavin.  :)

Picture Challenge - Day 13

A picture of your favorite band or artist. 

I discovered this band before they became Shane & Shane.  I knew them as Shane Barnard featuring Shane Everett.  They sing amazing songs of God's grace and they harmonize with such ease!  Check them out!

http://www.shaneandshane.com/

Picture Challenge - Day 12

A picture of something you love.

Sushi!  I actually had the privilege of having this last night.

However, in this picture, take out the fish eggs.  Bleh!

Picture Challenge - Day 11

A picture of something you hate.

I hate looking at or even catching a glimpse of other people's feet!  I can look at my own and even my son's.  Taking a gander at my husband's is pushing it!

Bathtime

Bathtime is probably one of Gavin's ALL-TIME FAVORITE times of the day!  However, he doesn't like the "cleaning" aspect of Bathtime but I do fit it in there.  Most of the time he's doing this:

Picture Challenge - Day 10

A picture of the person you do the most fun* things with.

*substituting for an inappropriate word.

My husband!  This was taken on a tubing excursion during our cruise 2007.

Picture Challenge - Day 09

A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Mother's Day

Even though this year was my second Mother's Day, it felt like my first.  Gavin and Dada let me sleep in a bit Sunday morning.  Then Gavin came barging in (as loud as he possibly could).  I noticed that not only was he all dressed and ready to go to church but he also had his hair parted on the side and slicked down.  He was the cutest little boy I had ever seen!  :)  He handed me a card that said, "For My Wife on Mother's Day" or something along those lines.  Then Dada handed me a potted plant of pink Hydrangeas.  They were absolutely beautiful!  Once I got up, I noticed there was some kind of product in Gavin's hair.  I asked Dada, "Did you put gel in Gavin's hair?"  Dada's response, "No....it's applesauce."

After church and lunch, the three of us headed home.  We put on "Bolt" like we always do, then Gavin laid on the couch with me.  Then Dada laid on the ground in which Gavin got down and laid next to him on a blanket.  We all fell asleep rather quickly and ended up taking an unexpected hour nap. 

Then we visited my mom and gave her a Mother's Day project to do present.  We took pictures which I'm hoping she'll send soon (hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge) then we headed over to my mother-in-law's house for dinner.    

Lately, Gavin has been taking self-portraits with our camera.  Here are his best shots:

Picture Challenge - Day 08

A picture that makes you laugh

A photoshoot when Eric was employed at More 2 Life.

Picture Challenge - Day 07

A picture of your most treasured item

My marriage

Good Communicator?

As a married couple and as parents, we want to establish effective communication within our family.  The video you are about to see will show you how much work we need to do.  However, Gavin obviously picks up on how we talk to him and each other....and he mimics it to a T!  :)

Picture Challenge - Day 06

A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

Picture Challenge - Day 05

A picture of your favorite memory.

The birth of our son, Gavin.

Picture Challenge - Day 04

A picture of your night.

Dinner - check.  Beverage - check.  Unrelated dinner item like a flashlight - check

Cranky toddler - double check.

Live-In Chef

Most of you probably think I'm a spoiled brat by having my husband cook almost every meal for our family.  And frankly, I don't care what you think!  If you had his cooking, you'd prefer it that way as well.  This past weekend, Eric definitely outdid himself.  He made a Corn Crab Chowder soup that was absolutely delicious!  Thankfully, we had tons leftover for a few encore dinners.

I'm not quite sure what sparked Eric to start making homemade soups but he's been killin' it (that's a good thing) every time!  His boss, Terri, made a homemade Italian Wedding Soup during Christmas time and that was to die for.  After that, canned soup just wouldn't cut it.  Eric started to buy the ingredients to make a chicken broth that took over 8 hours to cook.  Then he made a Chicken Soup (not a chicken noodle soup) and that lasted us at least a week or two.  And now, he has conquered the Corn Crab Chowder!

So, y'all can make fun of me as much as you want for not wanting to cook.  I'm not the one missing out on such deliciousness as my husband's food!  Have I told you about the Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes?!

Picture Challenge - Day 03

A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Picture Challenge - Day 02

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

That would be my Mom because she birthed me!  This picture just goes to show that we need more updated pictures of just the two of us.  :)  This was taken August 2008. 

31 Day Picture Challenge - Day 01

So my friend told me about this new challenge on Facebook that's going around.  I thought I would try it for my blog just for daily fun.  So here we go.....

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts.

1.  I will be 30 years old this October.
2.  I despise cooking.
3.  I'm not into fashion.
4.  I would rather lift weights than do cardio.
5.  I always drink coffee at work but I rarely do at home.
6.  I enjoy watching tv in subtitles.
7.  My middle name is Lynn....yes, Brooke Lynn
8.  I could eat Cheerios for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and dessert.
9.  I check out craigslist every day....more so than my email.
10. My weaknesses are chocolate milk, chips and ice cream.

This picture was taken on our honeymoon.  We were visiting the Biltmore Estates Winery.

P90X Update

So, I have 9 more workouts and 2 days of rest left with my P90X journey!  I'll be honest, during these past 90 days, I haven't given it my all.  However, the portion I did give was definitely achieved with my Fitness Friend's encouragement and motivation.  I told her that I probably wouldn't have gone 2 weeks without her.  Communicating with Brandi every day for the past 3 months has been somewhat unbelievable (considering I barely talk to my close friends or immediate family on a weekly basis!)  She has definitely been an inspiration to me especially because of the life that she lives.  We had a chance to meet up and talk face-to-face a few weeks ago and my prayers will remain with her always.  Just remember Brandi, God is on your side! :)

My P90X results will not be exactly what I expected but I definitely have noticed some tone in my arms.  I love to lift and definitely pushed myself harder during those workouts.  Everything else is still in the works.  Like I said, I haven't given it my all.  Sadly, my "before" pictures were erased on my computer so I will not be posting those or the "after" pictures on here.  My "before" shots were probably just meant to be lost.  :)

The next step?  Don't you worry, this workout freak already has something set up!  Soon, I'll have two series in my possession.  The first one is called 10-Minute Trainer (with Tony Horton as well).  That one will last 4 weeks.  Then the second one is called Insanity which is 60 days long.  I'm a little leary about that one because it looks like Plyo times 10!  I guess I'm always up for a challenge though.  Let me know if you want to do any of these workouts with me!  I will start 10-Minute Trainer on Monday, May 23rd.    

Switching Again?!

Hey everyone!  Lately, an idea has been brewing in my mind about my blog.  I'm not going to stop blogging, however, the idea of "vlogging" has definitely sparked my interest.  Vlogging is basically a video blog.  I've been following a youtube vlog of a woman my age who has a two-year old boy and she's expecting another baby boy.  Her little boy is so smart and so adorable.  She gives weekly pregnancy updates which totally reminds me of what I used to do with my weekly pregnancy belly pictures.  She captured my attention so I've been following her for about 2 months now.  I'm not quite sure how I would go about vlogging but I'm definitely interested in learning how.  That way you could just listen to my updates and not just sit and read (even though I may include a regular blog entry here and there.)  Just a thought....haven't fully executed the idea just yet.

The past couple weeks, we've noticed how Gavin is totally like a parrot!  He repeats almost everything we say AND do.  We also realized that he's now counting to 20; he knows his animals and with an occasional whine, he still uses his manners and says "Please".  We started swimming again in the still chilly waters of Mema's pool.  If you didn't notice in the videos, he got a haircut last Saturday.  Mema and I have come to a conclusion that we need to cut his hair in the privacy of our own home so we can hold him down and not be embarrassed or judged by his screaming (which is an understatement).  It was definitely a challenge though! 

Thought for the day:  I was reading another blogger's entry and she included one of Charles Stanley's quotes.  "Forgiveness means they no longer owe me anything."

Videos Galore

Since last Tuesday, I've been taking video clips here and there of my little boy.  Let me know if you can see any differences in all the videos....I love hunts!  :)  This entry may take you days to view all the videos but take your time.  This isn't going anywhere....

Tuesday Night - Papa came to visit

Wednesday Night - Played at the Mall

Sunday Morning - Easter Egg Hunt at Home

Sunday Afternoon - Easter Egg Hunt at Mema's

Sunday Afternoon - Basket Hunt at Grammy's

Anyone Else Exhausted?

I don't know about you but these past few nights, all of us have been sleeping like a bear in hibernation!  This whole weekend was so exhausting that once we hit the bed every night, we didn't rise until the sun did. 

Friday night, we visited all the furniture stores ONE LAST time.  And we found one!  However, the nice sales guy told us about the sale for Saturday and suggested that we wait.  So we did.

Saturday morning, Eric left for Weston to perform there.  My friend, Leah, came over and we went out to breakfast.  Gavin was very well-behaved enjoying my his breakfast.  Then after our nice visit, Gavin and I went to the furniture store to make our purchase with a discount!  He started getting fussy and OF COURSE he went poopy mid-way through the paperwork.  I didn't make a big deal of it and was hoping that no one else could smell my son's stench.  After I crossed my T's and dotted my I's (funny because I don't have a T or an I in my name), we were off to run some more errands.  We went to the grocery store and boy oh boy was that an adventure.  See, Gavin loves pushing the cart himself.  However, he doesn't look where he's going and since it was a Saturday and the aisles were crowded with people, we had to make multiple stops.  This did not make Gavin happy whatsoever.  In fact, he was that child that screamed bloody murder in the store.  I was that mom that turned red because I couldn't control my kid.  No worries, there was no spanking involved.  I simply picked him up and talked calmly to him.  Tried to sit him down in the cart and once he realized that it was a ride, he was a completely different child.  PHEW!

Once we got home, I realized, "Hmm....I have to carry all those grocery bags, my purse AND my child inside that house!"  Challenge accepted!  Yes, I know Gavin can walk but if you know my son, there are times when he does not want to use his own legs to get from point A to point B....and he'll let you know it.  So I got my purse, I picked up my son, pop opened the trunk and starting collecting the bags.  I wish someone would've taken a picture because I probably looked pretty awesome!  Once I got to the door with all my hands and arms filled, I didn't have my keys ready to open the door.  Dang it!  So I had to put down the bags and dig through my purse, all while still holding Gavin.  Forget P90X, this is a mom's workout if I've ever seen one!

Thankfully, Gavin took a nice nap while I started dinner.  I made my usual Poppyseed Chicken Casserole.  Eric returned home around 6:00, we ate, we played, they went to sleep while I did my Core Synergistics DVD.  HOLLA!!!  I have only 20 more days of P90X and it's crunch time!

Sunday was quite busy as well.  We went to church and heard another amazing sermon about Moses and Pharaoh.  I am always enamored how our pastor makes the Old Testament come alive!  LOVE IT!  After church, we went to pick up our couch.  Once we set that in place, we went to the beach to go paddleboarding.  If you've never done it, you should try.  It's quite the balance exercise!  After the beach and finding little critters in the water, we went home.  My MIL brought over some awesome ribs and sides for us too!  We are truly spoiled.  :)

Aren't you exhausted by just reading this entry?!      

Family Time

First with Mama:

Then with Dada:

To Cut or Not to Cut

Whirlwind of a Weekend

Friday night, we went over to my s-i-l's house for dinner.  Gavin and Dylan were able to play together while Heather and I chatted and Eric was glued to the tv.  Good times but it called for a late night for Gavin as well.  Thankfully, he went to sleep pretty easily. 

Saturday morning, I brought Gavin with me to meet up with my Fitness Friend, Brandi!  I think I'll start calling her my Fitness Friend because that's how we met and that's what's keeping us in touch!  :)  We played for a little bit on the playground.  But once we had a little scare of Gavin about to fall off, we went for a long, long walk.  I actually don't even know how long we were walking.  I love having friends that can relate to your own circumstances, show sympathy and speak with words of encouragement.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time walking and talking with Brandi, even though we are in "competition".

After my refreshing visit, we cleaned house!  Gavin went with Papa for a little bit while we went furniture shopping yet again!  We were thinking about going to IKEA but we ended up going to local furniture stores.  We think we found what we want but we're going to do the smart thing and really take into consideration all that goes into buying furniture.  Saturday night, Gavin went to sleep pretty easily again - which I totally forgot to mention -

Since Gavin was a baby, we used a noisemaker.  We downloaded a copy of noises onto our ipod and plugged it into an ipod station to play all night long.  We used the noise of a vacuum/hair dryer.  All last week, he did without!  We tried to be more mindful of our noises outside his room but he did great!  I kinda hit me that he's growing up and soon he'll be in a toddler bed and using the potty and dressing himself and tying his shoes and graduating college and getting married and having his own kids.....am I way ahead of myself?! 

Sunday was a little busy for me since I felt like a single mother.  Eric had performances all day in Tampa.  So I took Gavin to church which he was very well-behaved during worship!  Yes, that's surprising to me.  After church, we went home and ate lunch.  He made a HUGE mess because I wasn't watching him; I was doing dishes and getting the laundry prepared (not actually doing it though).  So I made him take a bath which thankfully, he has no objections to bathtime right now.  Then we rested, which translate into we laid on the couch while Gavin was watching Monsters Inc. and I was dozing in and out of sleep.  I had to fully wake up when he started jumping on me and kept saying, "Fast forward please."  Those darn commercials!  I think we have truly spoiled our child with a DVR.

Then we went to my mom's for dinner.  There we visited with Grandma, Aunt Judy, Cousin Linda and Pete, Renee and Baby Baylor.  Oh my gosh I have a cute nephew!  He's such a bundle of adorableness!  Of course, Gavin allowed me only a limited time of holding my nephew.  Then Sunday night, I tried to catch up with my workouts.  Four more weeks, Brandi!

Have a great week and sorry this is such a long update.

       This video was from last Sunday (April 3rd) when we watched Wrestlemania 27!  Sorry for my loud burst of laughter in the beginning....my son just makes me laugh.

Quirks

Over the years, you start to notice that you do things a little different than most people.  They're called quirks.  Here are a few of mine:

1.  I enjoy reading a magazine from back to front.
2.  I brush my teeth for no less than 2 minutes.
3.  I've been told that I chew like a cow, and I do. :(
4.  I cannot touch or look at other peoples' feet. 
5.  I balance my check book every day.
6.  I write in All Caps like my dad and my brother (I guess that's OUR quirk).
7.  I tidy up by making stacks.
8.  I love going to the beach but I hate getting in the water.
9.  I always have a roll of toilet paper on my desk.
10.  I can't eat with my glasses on.

It's So Hard To Say Good-Bye

Yes, we sold our couch!  We said our good-byes Saturday morning and it was gone by Saturday afternoon.  After multiple vacuum sessions, we now have an open room a blank canvas to work with!  Anyone want to go to IKEA with us?

Papa Would Be So Proud

Future Prom Date

One night last week, Eric and I were talking about our homecoming/prom experiences in high school.  I told him that if I could, I would do it all over.  For some odd reason, I now have a desire to get all dolled up with a fancy dress, hairstyled hair, professional makeup, jewelry and high heels.  I thought about throwing a fancy party for my 30th birthday but I have a feeling it's going to cost too much to rent some place out and cater food for my friends and family.  Wouldn't it be cute to see Gavin in a tuxedo?!  Anyhow, back to my conversation with my husband.

We then thought about Eric teaching at a high school and being able to attend prom again!  He said we could volunteer as chaperones and that would be our do-over prom.  I thought that was the best idea ever!  All the more to see Eric complete his schooling, riiiiiight?!  In the meantime, I'll wait patiently to attend a fancy event where I can get all dressed up.  :) 

Old Friends

This past Saturday afternoon, I had the privilege of having lunch with some old friends.  They're actually sisters, Katie and Rebecca, and their mom joined us as well.  We went to Sweet Sage and ate some really delicious food.  Like always, I cleaned my plate up!  We had wonderful conversations and got caught up on recent events.  It was a nice, relaxing time with good friends. 

Me with Rebecca and Katie



Exhaustion

It's weird because as exhausted as I am, I actually feel wonderful!  Maybe it's because I've been working out in the mornings.  Maybe it's because Gavin has been so well-behaved this past weekend.  Maybe it's because Gavin has been sleeping so well lately.  Maybe it's because Eric and I have figured out how to have "us" time without a babysitter. 

Either way, things are going well.  Friday night, we took Gavin to the beach after work.  There were so many schools of sting ray swimming close to shore!  I forgot my camera but it was pretty amazing.  Gavin was definitely entertaining some old folks during their sunset dinner.  It takes him awhile to get used to the sand and water but after that, he's difficult to control! 

Speaking of difficult to control, Saturday night we had dinner with our pastor, Joe, his wife, Christine and their two kids. His son, Tyler, is about 9 months older than Gavin. These two were so adorable together! Gavin calls him "Ty-ty". We all ate at Five Guys and as soon as the boys were done eating, they were jumping up and down and copying everything the other one was doing. Then we packed it up (which Gavin was not happy about; he kept crying, "Tyyyy-Tyyyy") and headed a couple blocks over to Yogurt Mountain for some frozen yogurt. Their youngest, Lauren, just turned one and she was going to experience her first ice cream. It's amazing because when Tyler turned one, they had invited us then to witness his first ice cream experience. So we definitely felt honored with their second child as well. Lauren wasn't feeling well and she even looked tired so we're not sure if she enjoyed it or not. But the boys....oh the boys! Here are some pictures Christine took.

At the end of our visit, these two boys gave each other the biggest, sweetest hug!  What a great time....not so much for adult conversation though.  :)

Sunday was probably my most favorite day of this past weekend.  This may sound mean but it was because I was by myself and I got SO much done!  Eric had rehearsal in Brandon.  Gavin was with my dad.  And I had a garage to tackle.  I spent about 2-3 hours cleaning out our garage.  I arranged furniture, grouped tools together, lifted up a heavy Christmas tree, threw out a ton of trash (no exaggeration!), and even had time to clean out the back porch.  I also squeezed in an hour work out (even though 2-3 hours was probably enough).  I picked up Gavin, started laundry, gave him a bath, snuggled for a little bit then he was out like a light.  Eric came home and we did our "us" time of playing Rummy 10,000 and watching Chopped All-Stars.  We were both so exhausted that I think we forgot to say Goodnight to each other. 

Oh Happy Refreshed Monday!!!  Treat me good.....

Understanding a Toddler

We've been looking up articles online about whining toddlers.  Yes, our 22-month year old has already begun the Terrible Two's!  We realize that he cannot communicate exactly what he wants/needs so he gets frustrated just as much as we do.  For the most part, we get on his level and calmly ask him what he wants.  He usually points and then motions his "come here" hand and says, "I take.  I take."  But if we grab the wrong item, he throws a huge hissy fit.  Some books tell you to just walk away when he gets really cranky.  Well, what happens when he is running after you screaming his head off?!  Most of the time, he just wants to be held.  Other times, he will say as many food items as he can remember (bread, banana, cracker, milk, etc) to indicate that he's hungry.  Some times, he wants what we have.  But we're doing our best to understand our little toddler boy.   

This week, bedtime has not been as consistent like we have been before.  Most of it is because we've had some visitors.  We had some friends over for dinner Tuesday night and Gavin didn't go to bed till 9:00.  Last night, Dylan was over and Gavin didn't go to bed till 8:15.  Tonight, we're meeting up with Gavin's friend, Ben, at the park so I know for a fact he's not going to bed early tonight.  We roll with the punches and hope that the next week (or even day) we'll do better.

  

One Thing At A Time

For the past week, I feel like I've been juggling with one hand while running around in circles. 

The Bad Things:
Almost a month ago, I had a party with some girlfriends.  It was like a Tupperware/Mary Kay kinda party.  My girlfriends and I made orders and we still have yet to receive our products.  I literally spent all week last week calling our consultant; texting her as well as emailing her and I never got a response.  Should I even mention that she was over an hour late to the party?!  I felt defeated last Friday especially since she took our money.  I called corporate and they told me what I would need to do and that it would take up to 2 weeks investigation.  This was bad news for me on top of already feeling defeated.

I didn't lose any weight this week.  I also didn't push myself hard enough this weekend either.  It doesn't help when your husband decides to make cupcakes with homemade icing and bacon bits on top!  Sounds nasty but it was oh so delicious. 

We haven't sold our couch yet.  There was a couple that came by yesterday afternoon.  They said "Yes" and that they would just need to call some friends with trucks to load it up!  Well, when they got home, they did the smart thing (unlike us) and measured where it would go.  It was too big.  They called us and said they would have to decline. 

The Good Things:
I spoke with my party consultant's business partner today and she's going to figure out where our stuff is.  She also said that she would drive over to the consultant's house, get our stuff and ship it herself (overnight it on Wednesday).  She was so apologetic and so sweet and said, "Listen Brooke, now that you have my number, please call me directly if you have any other concerns."  A huge weight was lifted there.

This week for P90X is mostly all cardio work.  I'm also hoping to pick it up at least two times a day....if Gavin allows me to workout in the morning.

We have another possible buyer coming this Sunday to look at our couch.  They actually called when the first people said they would take it.  We told them, "If this falls through, then we'll definitely give you a call."  And since it fell through, we obviously gave them a call. :)

The last good AWESOME thing that happened is my sister-in-law cleaned out her closet!!!  That means I have new-to-me clothes!  I can't tell you how excited I was to go through her pile(s).  I was SO bummed because we don't wear the same size shoe and she had a bunch to go through and also some of her pants were a little short.  But I got a lot of tops! :)

Ok....here are some pictures of my family.

Still wanting nothing to do with Cousin Baylor.  :( 

NOT a Neat Freak

I'm one to say that I'm proud for not being a neat freak.  I prefer to call myself a hide-the-mess kinda woman.  Depending on your level of closeness with me, you will either see my house a complete diaster area or somewhat tidy.....never spotlessly clean. 

When I got home after work yesterday, Eric's first words to me were, "Don't be mad but the place is a mess."  And what a mess it was!  All I have to say is that I'm glad Eric is not a stay-at-home daddy. :)  Soon after observing the damage, Eric had to go to rehearsal and Gavin managed to create another mess at the dinner table.  Thankfully he went to sleep pretty easily but unfortunately I was not in the cleaning hide-the-mess mood.  So I relaxed and watched tv.

Then I started thinking about all the neat freaks I do know.  I had to giggle because 1. they don't have children yet or children that can walk.  2. I'm thankful for not having to be THAT perfect.  Yes, I enjoy a clean house every now and then but being full-time employed, having a creative toddler boy, having a husband that constantly cooks and owning a shedding cat makes it difficult to keep up with the chores.  So I would choose an untidy house any day of the week than trade them in for a clean house. :)

    

P90X Update

Today is Day 45 and I already completed my workout about an hour ago.  This week I've been trying to workout in the mornings so Eric and I have time to spend together in the evenings.  Lately we've been playing an ongoing game of Rummy 10,000.  Whoever gets to 10,000 points first, wins.  So far I'm in the lead with 1,880 and Eric trailing with 1,500 something.  Yeah....we got a long way to go. :)

But my workouts are going great!  I feel stronger, thinner and healthier.  I know I've reached one of my goals already and that was to keep up with "the kids" on the dvds.  Even on the Ab Ripper X dvd, I'm able to keep up with them (except for the oblique v-ups).  Thankfully, I still have my trusty accountability partner pushing me every step of the way.  For instance, I didn't workout last night and then I got a text from Brandi around 9:30 p.m. asking, "How'd your day go?"  Instantly I said to Eric, "I HAVE to workout!"  And I did....at 10:00 p.m.!  Brandi and I have already made a date to go bathing suit shopping after our competition.  We're half way there!

These next two days may be rough for Eric so keep him in your prayers.  Our nanny will be in training today and tomorrow so that means Eric will take care of Gavin for a full 8 hours....by himself.  Then after I get home, he will have rehearsals from 6 to 11 p.m.  I just hope Gavin will cooperate like a good little boy should. :) 

No Nap Weekend

When I know my son didn't nap that day, I fear for the evening that lies ahead.  However, this weekend Gavin did amazingly well without having a nap!  Saturday was go-go-go.  We woke up, ate breakfast then headed over to Dylan's football game.  Gavin was such a good boy sitting on the sidelines while Dylan scored touchdowns and pulled flags off his opponents.  Gavin got upset a couple times when Dylan came in for a waterbreak and then had to leave to play again.  After the game, we went home and ate lunch.  He was so playful that I didn't want to interrupt it for a nap.  So I skipped it.

Then around 2:00 p.m. we walked across the street to the Seminole Pow Wow Festival.  We met up with Heather, Dylan and their friends.  It was absolutely beautiful out and we all soaked up some sun.  Gavin had so much fun eating snow cones and funnel cake and dancing with the boys!  We stayed for about two hours because Eric and I had a dinner date with a couple from our church.  Heather kept Gavin for us as we went to dinner.  We got home around 8:20 and then we all went back to the festival to watch the fireworks.  Gavin actually fell asleep during the loud booms.  I guess that's what a no-nap day will do to ya. 

Sunday, we woke up, got ready for church and hit the road.  I got to hear another amazing message by Pastor Joe.  Have I told you how much I LOVE the Old Testament PJoe style?!  Love, love, love it!  After church we went home (ok, Gavin got maybe a 15-minute nap on the car ride).  All afternoon, we played, watched Finding Nemo (a couple times), played with our neighbor's dog, watched the fish tank and did a butt-load of laundry. 

Such a fun day!  Then it was 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.....bedtime.  I thought this was going to be a difficult task; putting Gavin to sleep while there was still light outside.  Thankfully, no-nap day wore him out to the point of no return.  He was asleep within minutes!  And he stayed that way for 12 hours straight.  Pretty darn good for the first night of Daylight Savings Time! 

I know I skipped Friday night so here it is....

Friday Night after Joto's Pizza!

Plane!

Youtube Videos

As most of you know, I post a lot of my videos from youtube to this blog.  Most of them (if not all of them) are of Gavin.  I LOVE capturing those moving moments that a still camera shot cannot give you. 

But I have one video on my account that is not of Gavin.  In fact, no one we personally know is in this video...except my husband's voice.  The amazing thing is that it has over 4,200 hits; 10 comments and 14 thumbs up....and 2 thumbs down.  I don't know why I'm so amazed at this.  I think it's because it's only a 10 second video and it was viewed SO many times!  Check it out and turn up your volume....

Lost

Normally, this word "lost" contains some negative vibes.  I'm lost, I need directions.  I lost my wallet which has my check card.  I lost my keys to my car.  I'm a lost soul.  I've lost my mind! 

But today, I'm putting a positive twist on the word "lost".  I've lost pounds AND inches!  Thanks to P90X and my friend, Brandi, for keeping me accountable, I'm actually starting to see results.  I've lost an inch off my chest, an inch and a half off my waist, an inch off my hips, a half an inch off my thighs and a half an inch off my arms.  Not to mention that I lost a couple pounds as well.  I feel great and Eric can even notice a difference.  I think Brandi and I are neck in neck as far as our measurements go.  It's been wonderful texting her everyday to see how she's doing and reporting on how I'm doing.  Now we have less than two months to go.....I'm so excited to reach the end.

P.S.  I HATE PUSH-UPS!!!

The view of our walk Saturday night....

March, Really?!

Don't know about you, but can you believe we're in March already?  That means in two weeks, we switch the clocks ahead.  That means it is going to get hotter in Florida....I can feel it already.  That means we may have to mow our yard again.  That means Eric will start working again.  That means in two months, our little boy will be 2 years old.  WHAT?! 

I am constantly looking at Gavin's baby pictures.  He was so tiny, then chubby and now almost a little man.  Part of me wants him to grow up faster.  For instance, I would like to start potty training him; I would like him to sleep in a toddler bed; I would like him to speak in sentences.  Then there's the other part of me that wants him to stay little forever.  For instance, I miss his baby fat cuteness; I miss rocking him to sleep; I miss him staying put in one area.  But he's growing at his own pace and he amazes me every day.

So far, March has brought us nothing but sickness.  Eric and I both had a 24 hour stomach bug of some sort.  I'll put it delicately:  we had to take turns using the bathroom.  Yes, we have a second bathroom but 1. it was too far away 2. we still have yet to clean it from our plumbing issues.  Which by the way, praise the Lord we got our plumbing fixed before this sickness hit us!  My sickness was so bad that I actually lost 4 pounds enduring it.  Gavin is alright.  He had his vomit explosion Sunday afternoon.  Now, he's not sleeping very well and we're up at all hours of the night.  So pray for us as we're healing and trying to rest as much as we can.  No pictures or videos to post this time but hopefully we get some out to you soon.

Take care and stay healthy!