Ramblings...

Well, today has been a busy day. We completed our passport of parks sponsered by the Bismark Parks & Rec Dept. We visited 7 of the 8 parks listed and had to answer a trivia question about them. It was really fun to go to new parks around the city. Today we went to 2 that are around the zoo. We went to one, then toured the zoo for a few hours (we have a membership and go about once a week), then went to another park and had a picnic. We turned in the books and the girls each got a shirt, gatorade and a few small toys. Taylor bearly can wear a 2T and the smallest shirts they had were a Youth Small! Oh well, who cares if she wears it in 2-4 years! Last night I went to MNO with Moms Club. This was really good for me to get out. Not only to get away from the snotty nosed, teething baby - but to talk to other Moms. I realized that working out makes me a better Mom. That 20-45 minutes I take of ME time makes me better. So, this morning I found myself awake at 7 am with a quiet house. So, I snuck downstairs to do the eliptical. Along with walking at the zoo and eating good today, I feel so much better! There is more though - I am taking the girls swimming with my MIL later today. We should all sleep well tonight!

Here are a few random pics of me that Alex took. I was shocked when I saw them!

This is me posing with Taylor.... I guess it is nothing too special since I am sitting.
This is the one that got me the most.
I think I look so skinny in this picture!
I know it is not cool to toot your own horn, but I am impressed!
This makes me want to continue to eat right and work out!

Not as great as the last pic, but this shows a front on visual.
Typical Mom ponytail!

This Month's Goals

So, I woke at 6 am to workout. I did 20 minutes on the eliptical, that was all I had in me. I have a cold and feel like crap. So, working out and working out before the girlies wake is one of my goals - at least 5 days per week. Drink lots of water - this has been lacking, so I need to make it a priority. Also, to eat healthy and take my prenatal vitamins daily. I have been slacking on this the past few months.

Yesterday we went to Wade's company picnic. That was fun, the girls had a good time. I was shocked that Taylor did not fall asleep on the way home. They had bounce houses and Taylor LOVED them - but it was hard to find one (even the "baby" one) that bigger kids were not in. It seemed hotter in there than outside, so we pushed lots of water and snow cones.

We also drove around to look for a camping site on Beulah Bay - so I could set up camp before Wade gets off Sunday.... but no luck. We will look closer to home tonight. Baby is up!

Alpacas

While I was in college, my parents bought the farm.

The land was origionally my Great Grandfather's Grandparents land.

My parents moved a house out there and took care of my Great Grandparents until they passed.

Probably about the time Alex was born, or the spring before, my parents invested in Alpacas.

You can read more about Alpacas on my parents website,

http://www.paradisealpacas.com/

So, these are more vacation pics, but only of the alpacas or the girls and the alpacs.

Here are the girls playing in the pool.

I think that the Alpacas were jealous because it was really hot.

Here is Taylor feeding.

I love how the Alpaca stepped in the way to block Alex out of the shot.

Here is my Mom the farmer. :o)
I never thought farmers wore flip flops or matched them to their shirts!
It was hot and she was having helpers feed the herd.



This is Taylor posing at the door of the Alpacas.



One of the babies, I think her name is Zeeva.
I may be wrong, it may have spelled it wrong too.

Here is Taylor sniffing noses with one of the Alpacas.

Here are the girls at the fence of the Alpaca's. They really had a good time feeding the Alpacas with Nana.

Here is a shot of the girls at feeding time.

Another random Alpaca picture.


My parents make great quality items out of the Alpacas fleece, this is the main part of the business. They make sweaters, socks, coasters, scarfs, etc. Visit their farm store on their website to see their great work!

http://www.paradisealpacas.com/StoreHome.asp

I have 4-5 alpaca scarves now, so chances are if you see me wearing a scarf, it's alpaca!

I'm a blob

It has been a rough two days.

Today is night 4 of 4 for my husband, any Mom will understand what I am taking about. The dread of the last day of work, the expectant relief of help over the horizon.

I ate an entire chocolate pound cake last night and today. I was craving chocolate last night, so I made this luscious Tastefully Simple Chocolate Pound Cake that was calling me from the cupboard. The husband had some this morning when he got home, but I think that is it. Oink, I know.

I popped the top on a bottle of wine last night and had a glass. Bummed due to *that time of the month*, I drank a glass.

Today, the kids were absolutely driving me crazy (we went grocery shopping then oraginzing). I guess I have gotten climatized to North Dakota. Here it is August. My friends in Texas and Kansas are seeing how low the A/C can go and how little clothes it is legal to go out of the house in. Well, we live in North Dakota. Not that it has been warm this summer AT ALL.... However, I brought a heaping box of winter clothes for Taylor (aka baby redhead) upstairs. I have them all put away, taking out summer clothes she has worn to make room for them. Sadly, she is such a peanut that I will be pulling these same clothes out when spring hits because most of the 2T's in her closet and drawer still do not fit. It is almost sad to look at these clothes I am putting in Taylor's closet and realize that a lot of them Alex wore when we moved here (she was 23 months). Some, I know Alex got for Christmas when she was 14 months - and they still do not fit little sister at 19 months. :o) I love my peanut!

So.... before dinner, I started drinking more. I had another 2 glasses of wine before and with dinner. Do you think my cheesy vegetable soup (from healthy cooking magazine) counteracts my eating sins? Or does my can of Coke Zero wipe out the wine?

Today is the start of cycle 4, trying for baby #3, round 2. This is the reason for the eating, drinking and depression. I want to be knocked up already.

Vacation and Weight

Well, we went to Oregon on vacation. I ate my way through it... so not too suprising that I gained 4-5 lbs. I didn't work out for the 13 days we were gone, the week before or the week after... so, really not too bad. The previous two days I walked 4-5 miles with the girls - today I just got off the eliptical while Taylor napped. I ate snacks at a Moms Club activity, so I am eating carrots and frozen blueberries while I update my blog.

Here are a few pictures from our trip in random order....

This is a picture of me and baby redhead. This was taken by my 6 year old niece. This was at a Children's museum.

This is a picture of us at my cousin's wedding.

Here are all the kids -
backrow R-L ~ Matthew (4), Andrew (7) & Alexandra (3)
Front row R-L ~ Peter (9) holding Spencer (1), Lillian (3) and Jeannette (6) holding Taylor (1).

Prayers Please!

Well, we found out later that the day after we left camping, our friends Pete & Angie's 1 year old Bodie fell into the fire pit. Apparently there was hot coals from smoking a roast, he stumbled near the edge of the pit and fell, catching himself with his hands. He recieved deep 3rd degree burns on his hands and arms. This was 7/11/09. On Wendnesday 7/22/09 he was moved to Wichita, KS from St. Paul, MN. The family live just outside of Wichita, so this arrangement works out for them better.
Here is the link to read updates on him:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bodie

Also prayers for our friends Kristi and her family. She and her husband have 2 kids. Their home was struck by a tornado while we were camping, so 7/9/09 (I think). They still do not know what is happening with their house - but for now they are in an apartment until they recieve a word on what will happen next.

Another great camping trip!

Here is a pic of our great friends, Pete & Angie. He is from Devil's Lake and she is from KS, they live in KS but were up to visit. She is not a picture person and will kill me if she sees her picture. She is pregant with baby #6, due in October. This one is a surprise, but after 5 boys, I am thinking pink!

This is Taylor and Bodie. He is 4 months younger than Taylor, but outweighs her by about 5 lbs.

Look at those chubby cheeks!

This is Alex and her BFF Jack. She even proposed to him and he said, "Sure."
They are 7 weeks apart, so we have many pics of them together since birth.

I thought this was a good pic of Taylor Grace drinking some water.

This I find gross and disturbing. As someone who hates feet, yuck! The girls entertained themselves on the way to Devil's Lake by putting their feet in their mouth.