Just a funny for the day

You know you're TTC when you have to hold your pee for 2 hours because you don't want to waste it and have to wait for hours to pee on a stick and don't have one with you!!! Oy!

I recently saw this on someone's Pinterest page and found it so fitting to how I am feeling these days!

 My favorite time of the day or I should say night in this case, is right after my girls have fallen asleep. Not because they are sleeping and I can finally have some peace and quiet. But because it's the time of day when everything seems right in the world. They both look so peaceful and perfect and it gives me hope that maybe I'm not screwing things up and setting up witty remarks in their futures memoirs! I go in and just sit for a few moments reflecting on the day and silently promising to be a better mom the next day. I vow to have more patience, care less about the clean state of our house or lack thereof. I promise to play more, to yell less and to speak with love.

I'm so grateful for their naturally forgiving hearts and the little kisses and random hugs they give throughout the day no matter how many meltdowns we've all had. When I say "WE" that includes me! 

I'm grateful that they love me despite my millions of imperfections and daily screw ups. 

 

back from Zombieland

Well....this whole 30 day challenge thing is not going as I planned! Our entire house got the flu and it was MISERABLE!!!! I finally hit the gym Wed night and it felt good. I went a Zumba class and it was a lot of fun. I burned almost 500 calories in 45 minutes. It was definitely intense! I am down 5lbs and hope to lose another 5 by March!!!! I need to get my butt outside and start running! Anyone need a running buddy

It's been a while since I've posted about the girls....they are up to their normal antics. Ava definitely keeps things lively:

 Exhibit A

That would be tea tree oil and eucalyptus Diaper rash cream smeared all over her head! 2 days before that it was desitin!

It's a good thing I love this monster so much! She may be a crazy nut but she is also the best snuggler ever. She loves to crawl into my lap and give me hugs and kisses and read, read, read! This girl loves books!

Funny Ava story: We were leaving Bella's Dr appt yesterday and she grabbed the Dr by his face and gave a big kiss on the lips. Held his face in her hands and said "Wuv, you". She then proceeded to give the girl in the waiting a big hug and told her, "no owies, stickers" 

Love this girl!

Miss Bella is getting so smart everyday! She gets so excited when she learns to write new letters or spell words! She loves to learn. She also has the greatest imagination. If she could she would spend all day in her own imaginary world!

 

Day 4

I didn't end up going to the gym last night. So instead of doing the leg workout I did this really GREAT circuit workout: 
http://www.pbfingers.com/2012/01/15/at-home-workouts/

It's pretty fast paced and a definite sweat producer! My legs and arms are SOOOO sore today.

I definitely think I will keep this in my arsenal of workouts! 

Today I'm going to do a 30 min run and the leg workout from yesterday!
 

Day 3!

I'm not feeling so motivated today...which means I need to get my butt MOVING!

Tonight court and I are hitting the gym. I plan on doing a 30 min run and then this fancy little workout from my Pinterest board: http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/top-10-moves-thinner-thighs?page=6

I mean, c'mon! Who doesn't wish there were some more inches separating their inner thighs!? THIS GIRL!

Thanks for all the encouragement friends!  It was very Ghandi-ish wisdom. I am drinking LOTS of water! I'm pretty sure our water bill just might double from all the flushing going on! Holy tiny bladder!

I'm excited to get rid of these 10lbs yes, but even more so I'm excited to just feel good! I already notice more energy and my old lady knees and hips are starting to get stronger! I made a goal to run a 5k this spring and I'm feeling pretty good about it!

Please, if you have any great workouts you  love, feel free to share!!!!!

 

Day 2...starting over

I don't know what happened to my body on Saturday but I got hit hard with something! I was cold, hot, shivering, achy all at the same time and by Sunday night I was totally fine!

I sometimes wonder if my Mother-in-law is right about her Aliens theory!

So..... back on track! I was going to do that great arm workout but Joe ended up getting home from work in time for me to go to the aquafit class at LA Fitness. I've been wanting to go for a while now because I have a bum knee but Joe has been getting home late recently.

I'm not going to lie....I had a vision of a geriatric swimsuit competition....and well, yeah it kind of was...BUT...it was such  a GREAT workout. It was very high-intensity and a major burn! The teacher was probably in his 60's and waaaaaayyyyy more fit and in shape than I am! I really like and am going to try and go back next week. I will however wear a different swimsuit...the girls and I had a close call.

Okay...this is the part where you give me some feedback! I have been trying to lose 10lbs for a year! I finally got down to 135lbs. My problem is I am STUCK!!!!!!! I am doing everything I can possibly think of and still nothing. The really frustrating thing is I feel skinnier and my pants definitely fit more loosely but I gained 2 lbs this week!!! What the heck! I haven't changed any eating habits, or gone on a Krispy Kreme binge or anything. I am so frustrated!

Has anyone had this problem or have some Ghandi-ish wisdom to impart??????

 

Day 2 and 3...a bust!

Sooo, my workout Friday was pretty good. I went to the gym and did the ab workout I posted as well as ran for 10 min on the treadmill and cycled for 10 minutes as fast as I possibly could! I think I did around  miles on the bike.

And then Saturday came and I got SICK!!!!!

So, this post is going to be super short! I'm getting back on the horse tomorrow and will be doing this lovely pinterest workout: http://www.shape.com/blogs/fit-list-jay-cardiello/5-exercises-ditch-arm-flab-forever

Happy exercising!!!

Pinterest 30 day fitness challenge

We all know the saying, "All roads to Hell are paved with good intentions" Well, in this case maybe not to hell, hell as in geographically. But definitely the I have muffin tops, side boobs, back boobs and still look 3 months pregnant HELL! 

Also, if you're like me you have this fancy little board on Pinterest with all these awesome workouts etc...that you haven't even taken a second glance at since the day you pinned them.

I finally feel motivated enough to tackle these last 10lbs that have been the bane of my existence for the past year. I'm starting a 30 day fitness challenge and everyday I'm going to do at least one workout/exercise I pinned on Pinterest! 

I'm using this as my motivation. This was from our Honeymoon and the last time I saw my abdominal muscles!



 Day 1:

This is my first workout I'm doing. This lady's blog is really awesome and has lots of great tips and educational info!

http://www.bikinibodymommy.com/2012/11/top-5-favorite-ab-moves-nutrition-tips.html

I'm also going to do the 5k loop every night on the treadmill at the gym (and not eat leftover Christmas candy for breakfast eek!)
  

I'll let you know how it went tomorrow!!!!

Hello, old friend!

So, it's been a while! I tried to post several times but the photo uploader was being a jerk so I gave up!  

I am trying again!!!

We have had a CRAZY busy year! Joe has been working hard on his MBA and will finish in December!!! Whooo-hoooo!!!! The girls are growing up much faster than I would prefer! We listed our house for sale and have had A TON of activity this past week! Joe will be eligible to apply for management jobs come spring and we need to be able to pick up and go! So, it's off to apartment living for a while! (sniff, sniff)

 But, who cares about all that anyways! Here's some updates of the girls:

Bella will be 4 next week! I cannot believe I have a 4 yr. old!!!! She is so smart and funny and a true sweetheart! She has the greatest imagination and considers everyone her friend!

Ava is....Ava! Can you believe this cray will be 2 in November?! This girl is a ball of energy that never stops...did I say NEVER?! She is such a crack up and knows it. This girl will do anything for a laugh. Watch out future teachers. She is also my cuddlebug and total momma's girl! She loves to snuggle up with a book and just hang out!

 We're excited to see what the next chapter of life will bring and where we will end up! I'm still crossing my fingers that Joe's boss will come to him and say 'Wilcox, I need you to take a job in Ireland, asap"! Wouldn't that be amazing! I guess I'll have to settle for San Antonio or Minneapolis! 

There you have it, my super quick little catch up post! I'm going to try and do a weekly post from here on out so stay tuned!

Not a Photo Challenge post but...

I know! I'm totally slacking on the photo challenge! I have the pictures, I just need to edit them. I thought I would blog this just in case I forget how blessed we are and despite the trials I face my little family is being watched over. 

 We have had a slew of bad luck recently. It seems as soon as we have extra money something happens (I guess I should be grateful we had the extra in the first place) While I have visions of strolling through paris in outfits like this:

Our money eventually ends up going to things like this:

 We haven't had heat or AC for a few months. We finally had someone come out and take a look. Turns out the whole thing is just about shot. The grand total you ask??? It'll be around $5,000 to replace! We're not quite sure what we're going to do just yet. Which is beside my point of this post! 

I was almost in tears when the repair guy left thinking of all the things we need to pay for. One of the immediate things is a booster for Bella. After shelling out big bucks to the HVAC guy today I didn't know how we were going to do it. I left for my visiting teaching appt. pretty dismal. When I got there, she asked if I happened to need a toddler booster seat! Coincidence? I think not! Not only did she give me one but she gave me two and a beautiful twin size bed for Bella! I don't know why I'm always so amazed when these things happen. I should just know that God will always take care of us. He may not have magically dropped off and installed a new energy star heat pump, but He made sure to let us know that we're being taken care of. I am learning everyday that our prayers are always answered, just not in the way we necessarily expect them to be.

Day 6: A picture from a Low Angle

I'm already laughing about today's photo challenge! I LOVE my swimsuit! This is the first time in my life that I can say that. Being someone who is ahem...more endowed than others...and no I'm not talking spiritually here, swimsuits have never been my favorite attire. Except maybe that one summer in college. Different post people. 

Anywho, this is my sad attempt at being artsy.

Notice the orange hat? I'm a little obsessed with it!

As promised day 5

Day 5: something from a high angle

Today was a super crazy day full of cleaning and organizing. If we're being honest here, I really actually made a ginormous mess in my living room in for the sake of organizing my hallway closet that hasn't been clean and organized for 2 years a really long time!

I had really big plans to find a cool shot for today's photo challenge...not so much.

Alas, my sister saved the day! She was able to get all my picture files from our old computer that died. I had completely forgot that almost all my mission pictures were on there. 

Here's one of my ABSOLUTE favorite places in all of France. Les Calanques in Marseille. I could spend forever there. It's truly breathtaking. Whenever I stood on the cliffs overlooking the mediterranean, smelling the fresh, clean air. I always felt as if everything were right in the world. I like to think of it as my outer sanctum.

 

oops! Day 4 AND later day 5

Well yesterday, started out pretty good. I put on this super cute green eyelet skirt, of course to use for the this blog...30 min. before we were supposed to leave for church I glanced int he mirror and GASP!!! That stupid skirt made look 4 months pregnant! So, after fighting back, I'm chubby tears and vowing to start running again and to stop eating eating cookies...I changed.

I also forgot about day 4!

Here you go day 4:

This little guy and I swam together for almost 30 min. (that's when I realized I was more than a mile away from the shore and a baby man-of-war- decided to wrap itself around my ankle. If someone scream 4 letter expletives underwater does it really count?)

Day 5 to come later!

Day 3: Clouds

Living in the Pacific NW you always hear how it's always so gray and cloudy...I mean entire vampire clans live here without even getting noticed. Until the day you need some of those awesome NW clouds for you 30 day photo challenge!

Bella and I set off outside to get some amazing cloud pictures and well, this is what we got:

We have some lovely cherry tree branch, which annoyingly, said cherry tree is not fruit bearing! What the???

 I'm pretty sure this is Bella being avant garde?

 And of course she did capture a national geographic moment of me being nuzzled to death attacked by a lazy ferocious cat wild beast

For the sake of clouds here's a fave from our trip to Maui:

 This was at the Grand Wailea in Wailea. We went here everyday at sunset. There was a little cliff that you could lounge on and watch the sea turtles swim and the sunset. It was amazing!

30 day photo challenge Day 1 and 2

Here it goes!

Day 1: A self-portrait

Okay so not super flattering! This is me trying to show off the super mushed tour d'eiffel from my birthday cake!

Remember the whole OCD thing???

Here's Day 2: A Picture of what you wore today

 

What!? Don't tell me I'm the only one who runs around their house in spandex pants and giant orange sun hats!

30 day photo challenge!

Okay so I always see these and think it would be fun to do......and that's as far as I get!I'm committed this time!

As you will notice I'm doing day 1 and 2 at the same time because, let's face it, thoughIwouldneveradmitIamslightlyOCD and just can't handle doing the first day on the second day of the month!

 

Yikes!!!

Well, I suck at blogging!

What have we been up to the past 7 months???
Well, I have been teaching at Metropolitan Arts Academy, Joe is going to grad school to get his MBA in Finance, Bella is growing up way too fast and getting even sassier and entertaining and Ava is growing right before our eyes! She's ready to start crawling any day here! I just got back from a week at girls' camp (it was amazing!) and sat down to read some blogs and realized I haven't blogged in 7 months! Here's some photos from the past seven months:

 Ava's blessing

 Our little Christmas package

 bella had surgery. Her Scentsy Buddy was the only way we made it through!

 Our Christmas tradition at Thornton's treeland

 We went to Mesa for Michelle's wedding

 Bella and her cousin Sarah at the Mesa Temple

 Christmas

 Our entourage trying to get through the Phoenix airport

 See I told you getting too big too fast

 I went on a skirt making binge

 Many trips to the zoo

 Bella discovering her inner artist

 once again...too big!

Well, there you have it! The past 7 month in a nutshell! I've recommitted to blog more often, we'll see how it goes!

Miracle Baby

6 months ago I thought I would never get to hold this precious little girl in my arms. On Mother's day I started to hemorrhage and continued bleeding until the end of July. I spent every waking minute wondering if my baby was still alive. I stayed up at night crying and pleading with my Father in Heaven to heal my body so that the bleeding would stop and the chances of a miscarriage would go down.

Our prayers were answered and on Nov. 16th Avalyn Genevieve Wilcox was born at 2:40 am weighing 7lbs 5oz!

I started having contractions late Sunday night and at 1:30am made my way to the hospital. Joe waited for his mom to get there and then came and met me. They were hesitant to admit me because I was 37weeks and 5days. Since I was dialted to a 5 they sent me on a walk to see if my contractions would pick up and if I would dilate to a 6.

Well, I power walked my butt off for an hour and it paid off because sure enough I was a 6! This was about 3:30 am. I thought for sure wed have a baby by mid morning.

OH NO!!!! My contractions started to fizzle around noon...they started me on pitocin and I once again power-walked my butt off! I dilated to a 7 and stayed there forever!!! They finally broke my water...and I was stuck at a 7! The mid-wife checked me and discovered that Ava was sideways and couldn't fit under my pelvic bone. Which explained the excruciating back and nerve pain I was experiencing. This was about 8pm! I finally caved and got an epidural. The pain was so intense I couldn't breathe! (I pulled all the muscles in my lower back!) The OB came in and said I wouldn't deliver her vaginally and we needed to talk C-Section...I said I wanted to talk to the mid-wife. She came back and checked me again and was able to turn Ava.

30 min later I was a 10! I pushed for 45 minutes and Ava was born at 2:45 Tuesday morning!

She ended up having Jaundice and we had to spend 24 hours in the NICU under photolights. We're still trying to get her levels down. She's now at home with a light band that goes around her waist.

She is the sweetest baby. We just adore her. I was so worried throughout my pregnancy about being able to divide myself between two babies. For 2 years Bella has been my entire world. It's amazing how your heart stretches and makes room for more. I couldn't imagin life withought my little miracle.

Bella's First Trunk-or-Treat

Last night was our ward Halloween Carnival and Trunk-or-Treat. I wasn't quite sure what Bella would think of all the Halloween costumes and such. True, she was a little meffiante at first, but quickly got into the swing of things when she found out candy was involved! How she ever learned that word, I will never know!
She loved playing all the games. needless to say she did not win a goldfish! You had to toss ping pong balls in mason jars filled w/ water. Well, bella thought it would be much more fun to chuck them at Joe who was standing on the opposite side of the room! The poor beehives had to chase the balls all over the gym! She did however, win the cake walk and scored herself a delicious brownie and cupcake!

Here's a few highlights from the night and our Pumpkin Carving

I'm pretty sure this was the most enjoyed cupcake there ever was!

                                

Wow! My stomach is bigger than my pumpkin! 4 more weeks!

A couple of sickies hanging out watching Sleeping Beauty

Pumpkin Patch

Following tradition we made our yearly trip to bi-zi farms Pumpkin Patch. A little advice...Don't go the 3rd Saturday in Oct. It was soooo busy! It was so packed that it was hard to walk around anywhere!

We still had a pretty good time! Bella loved all the animals and being able to play in the hay and sample fresh pressed cider. She especially loved the ponies. The line was SO long though so we didn't wait around to ride them. Next year.

 She thought this guy was pretty cool!

 My two favorite people

 She picked out her "pum-pim" all by herself!