July

Hello, loved ones! I took a break from my blogging, but I am back! 

And I've got some great adventures with the kids to share. And as promised, an update on how my 21 Day Fix worked out. But that will wait until the end. :)

First, I'll just start by saying I think I have super cute kids. See for yourself: 

Connor has a new love for his sunglasses. He insisted on wearing them to his friend Lily's house at one point, and I figured there was no harm in it at all. And Evelynn allowed me to do her hair with a bow a few times in the past weeks, and it was a huge moment for me. YAY!

 I also got some new glasses. My daughter broke mine and I was pretty saddened. I don't usually wear them anyways since I only use them for driving, and contacts and I just don't get along after I horrible (and I should add, PAINFUL) exposed nerve in my eye experience in high school. I hadn't gotten new glasses since high school either, because I hate picking them out. So, I had to come to terms with the fact that I had to get new glasses if I wanted to drive again, ever. 

 I decided I didn't really care much about the style since I hardly wear them, and made Caleb choose between two pairs. I told my sister that I think I must be embracing my inner nerd, because I laugh every time I see them on me. But like I said, I hardly wear them anyways. 

My kids were given a wagon from a friend. They think it is SO cool. We have been taking it to the pool so that I don't have to carry kids and pool toys, and it's been working great! Well, except for the fact that it seems to have lost the rod that keeps the handle in place when pulling more than 30 lbs. And both my kids together do equal more than 30. So I'm in the process of finding a solution for that little problem. Doesn't stop the kids from enjoying climbing in it though! 

Here is a cute video of Evelynn's latest jumping skills. We get a kick out of it. Ha!

At some point in the last week few weeks Evelynn got stuck in a drawer. I did the mean-est mommy thing that a mommy can do, and I TOOK A PICTURE OF IT! I'm sure this particular picture speaks volumes about her opinion of it. NOT COOL, MOM! Not cool! 

Two weekend's go I signed my family up for helping to clean our church building. I was a little nervous with how the kids would handle it, but they did pretty well. Connor had a melt down at first because, you see, it wasn't a Sunday, and we just don't go to church when it's not Sunday. It was a HUGE PROBLEM. He was very upset that it's wasn't "right". But after Caleb got him a car to hold, he was much better, and he and Evelynn helped do some cleaning. Such big helpers! 

That same Saturday, Evelynn and I went shopping. We had several things to get done, so we just made a girl's day of it. I really thought she would enjoy herself, but apparently she just wanted her Dad. She spent the entire four hours we were gone asking where he was and chattering about him. 

While we were out I bought Connor his very first backpack! He starts preschool in one week. Ugh, I can't believe I just said that out loud. Only one more week?!?! 

We found him the cutest little dinosaur one, but he wouldn't have anything to do with it at first. In fact, he freaked out when I showed him. I ended up having to put it on Evelynn and show him it wasn't scary, it was just new. About 10 minutes after that he brought it to me wanting to wear it. After that, we just couldn't keep it off of him! 

Doesn't he look so big with it???

Evelynn is getting big as well! She has a new obsession with baby dolls.

She found one at her friend's house and she gave it loves and hugs and kisses and brought it to me, looking so pleased with herself. 

She has her own baby at home, and she has been carrying it everywhere the past couple weeks. EVERYWHERE. 

Last Tuesday, a week ago, after my Zumba workout, my friend and I decided to take the kids to a local splash pad. I had never been there before and wasn't sure how Connor would like it (he doesn't like the feeling of things spraying on his skin), but he thought it was a blast! He had such a grin on his face!

Evelynn slept for the first little while but then I woke her up. We had horrendous heat all last week, up to 113, and the humidity was oppressive. We were just miserable and had to do something to escape it and let the kids have fun! I woke Evelynn when her poor cheeks were all red and she was drenched in sweat. She didnt seem so mad at me though, because then she didn't miss out on all the fun! 

 Early the next morning we took Connor to his very first Dentist appointment. He does not like people touching his face or brushing his teeth, so it's a battle every night to get it done. I stick to my guns though, and I'm happy to report that it's paid off! He had zero cavities! 

He was quite overwhelmed with the unfamiliar place and I got bit on the shoulder from him, and he head-banged into the cement infront of an extremely concerned assistant. He did much better with Daddy holding him, and they gave him a balloon and a token for a toy of his choice after he was all done! Evelynn was pleased to get a balloon as well. He had no interest in a picture, though. :( Do you notice that he's wearing his backpack? He really wanted to wear it and luckily the dentist's office is just around the corner. 

 A little while later we had a fun playdate scheduled at a bigger, more popular local splash pad. We had never been there before, but the kids had a ton of fun! They got to eat snacks, escape the horrible heat, and play with friends! Connor really wanted to make sure that his sister played, too. It was pretty cute. He took her shoes off of her, and tried to get her to go through the water with him. 

 This last weekend I decided Evelynn needed some new headbands. I am selling my very first headbands which I am SO excited about, so I wanted to brush up on my skills and have some fun before focusing on reproducing the desired headbands. I made a couple that are appropriate for camping (which we will be doing on our trip to Idaho) and a few other new styles and color combos that I wanted to try out. I'm loving all the latest additions to her collection!

 On Saturday our Church Ward had a pool party. It was so much fun! It was at the Carson Westwood Aquatic Center in Mesa, which we didn't even know existed until then. We think we will definitely be taking the kids back again sometime though, because they had SO MUCH FUN in the kids pool. 

Ok, NOW, as promised... the results of my 21 Day Fix.

I had a personal goal of 10 lbs, 10 inches. 

I didnt hit both goals, but I think there was a definite improvement. 

I lost 5 lbs, and 10.5 inches, and dropped a pants size.

I really liked the nutritional element to the 21 Day Fix and I learned a lot about healthy eating habits.

The workouts were great the first half of the time, but then they really started to strain my knees. I'm thinking that if I do the program a second time, I will probably try to switch out the workouts occasionally for lower-impact ones, to keep my joints from feeling so strained. 

But, overall, the program seems to work great for people that don't have all the time in the world to workout (they are 30 minutes a day) and for people that struggle with the nutritional side of weight loss.  

Feel free to ask me questions! I'm no expert, but I did give it a good try, and I'll gladly share my thoughts on it in more detail. 

 I like to end my thoughts on a positive note. So, here is Evelynn's latest skill. And I'm happy to say that Connor learned it as well! He's not in the video, of course, but we're very impressed with his progress as well! He just doesn't like pictures, OR videos, and we don't like to force him. 

Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did!

Until next time.