Fathers Day 2013

Father's Day 2013 was Casey's 3rd, but his first one with 2 kiddos! Here are some pictures of that day!  

Dayton even wore his Longhorn jersey because it was Daddy's special day! :)

Some of Casey's daddy moments with each child :)

What a good daddy he is!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge: Week 1

I have been interested in trying Advocare for a while now, but the stars aligned when I got money for graduation (from my parents & Casey's parents!!) and the new year began! I love to make new year's resolutions, so I figured what better time to start a 24 day challenge?! I purchased my 24 Day Challenge through my friend Rachel who started the challenge the same day as me and is also my accountability partner! We have texted most days to see how the other one has done. That helps me a lot! We are also apart of a Facebook group with other people who are doing the challenge.

On Sunday, January 5th, I bought a bunch of fruit and veggies at the grocery store so that I would have plenty to snack on. I soon realized that I was going to need much more than that because pretty much nothing in my house was healthy or acceptable! We are very on-the-go eaters and Casey does not like much of anything that is green or fresh, ha ha. I could be fine eating mac-n-cheese for every lunch and cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries is my fav!) for breakfast AND dinner! Because we both work several nights a week, there's not many meals that we sit down and eat together. And most weekends we eat out, so that's been a big change this week, too!

Day 1:

• I woke up excited to start my challenge and then…I made the Fiber Drink we are supposed to drink days 1-3 and 8-10. Oh. My. Gosh. That thing was GROSS! I had no idea what to do to make it better on that first day so I just spooned, yes I said spooned it into my mouth. It was as thick as applesauce, but it didn't taste good. At all. Sawyer saw me eating/drinking it and asked me if she could have some. I let her try it and she said "Momma don't drink that. It doesn't taste good." Ha ha ha ha ha…
• After I finally got the Fiber Drink down, I drank some Orange Mandarin Spark. Orange isn't my favorite flavor, but after the Fiber Drink it tasted like Heaven!
• For breakfast I had a scrambled egg and was too full to eat anything else.
• I worked out legs/butt and ran that day!
• For lunch that day I ate with my mom & the kiddos at Chipotle wear I got lettuce, black beans, chicken, tomato, pico, and hot sauce (no rice, cheese, sour cream, or chips) with water with lemon.
• I had a snack of fruit when I got home.
• For dinner I took the Omegaplex pills and then ate grilled chicken and veggies (bell pepper and zucchini with season all) with water.
• I did not have an evening snack.
• I drank plenty of water on my first day - probably 60 oz. or more
• I took the Herbal Cleanse pills at bedtime.

Day 2 was a bit more tricky because I worked 12 hours and didn't adequately prepare the night before.

• I mixed my Fiber Drink with Orange Mandarin Spark this day and it was ooooohhhh so much better!!
• I drank plenty of water all day long
• I had a scrambled egg for breakfast…I know I was supposed to have more, but I was in a hurry and also super full from the Spark/Fiber Drink
• I went to Jason's Deli for lunch and got the Salad Bar! It was amazing because I sprinkled lemon juice over everything and also some banana pepper juice. I love salad's but also love salad dressing so I was kind of dreading it, but the peppers and also olives gave the salad enough kick! See my picture? It looks yummy to me even now!
• I had a small snack of Mangos covered in whole grain oats and fat free yogurt.
• I drank a second Spark that day - I needed it because I worked til 9pm!
• I had a meal replacement shake for dinner because I had back-to-back clients in the evening and no time to eat.
• I didn't have an evening snack.
• I took my Omegaplex caplets before bed

Day 3

• I made a massive fruit smoothie with 2 bananas and 10 strawberries for breakfast and mixed the Spark and Fiber Drink in with that to mask the taste - it worked!
• I didn't have a morning snack
• I did drink a second Spark
• I had tuna with lemon juice and pickles for lunch on whole wheat crackers
• I had celery and raw peanut butter for an afternoon snack
• I drank a meal replacement shake for dinner
• That night I forgot to take the Herbal Cleanse caplets before bed :(

Day 4

• I was sooo glad to not have to drink the Fiber Drink this day!!
• I took the Probiotic Restore Ultra pills 30 minutes before eating
• I ate a scrambled egg for breakfast & fat free greek yogurt with strawberries and drank a Spark
• I didn't have a morning snack OR a second Spark
• I ate at Jason's Deli again and got the same salad without dressing
• Drank plenty of water all day long
• I had apples and mango in dried whole weat oats and yogurt as a snack
• I worked out for the 2nd time this week - arms, shoulders, abs, & running
• I took the OmegaPlex with dinner
• I had a yummy dish of brown rice, shrimp, garlic, spinach, red bell pepper, and squash! So tasty!
• I did not have an evening snack
• I forgot to take my Herbal Cleanse caplets for the second night in a row :(

Day 5

• Day 5 was a lot easier because we were all 4 home together! 
• I took the ProBiotic pills before breakfast
• For breakfast I had 2 scrambled eggs, 3 grapes, 2 strawberries, and 3 apple slices with raw peanut butter with a spark
• I went straight to workout after my breakfast! I ran, did legs/butt and abs - total of 3 workouts for the week
• I had a second spark after my workout
• I didn't have any daytime snacks
• I ate tuna with lemon juice and pickles on whole wheat crackers for lunch
• I drank plenty of water all day
• I took my Omegaplex with dinner
• We made yummy shish-ka-bobs for dinner! They had pineapple, grilled chicken, green bell pepper, red potatoes, and fresh green beans as a side! Best dinner yet!!
• I had yogurt & oat covered mango for "dessert"
• I had plenty of water all day :)
• I FINALLY remembered my Herbal Cleanse caplets before bed!!!

Day 6

• I took the ProBiotic Pills before breakfast
• I drank a Spark and had a whole lotta fruit for breakfast! I was at Ginni's birthday party and it was super super tempting because there was a bunch of sweets, and that's my sweet spot! But luckily there was a lot of good fresh fruit :)
• I didn't have a snack or a second Spark
• For lunch, I had sushi with brown rice - Yum! I'm starting to mix it up a little.
• I had a small glass of 1% milk and a Muscle Milk protein bar as a snack
• I took Omegaplex with dinner
• We ate dinner at Mi Cocina for Ginni's 30th birthday and it was tempting, but I managed to not eat chips or salsa! Yay! I got Tilapia with veggies and beans and it was good!
• I didn't have a snack and I actually remembered to take the Herbal Cleanse caplets!

Day 7

• On day 7 I drank a Spark and had a Meal Replacement Shake for breakfast at church :)
• We took Casey to the airport so for lunch we ate out - I had turkey on wheat with lettuce, tomato, and banana peppers, with no dressing
• I didn't have a snack or a second Spark
• For dinner I took my Omegaplex and had brown rice, shrimp, garlic, spinach, red bell pepper, & squash (again)! 
• I had the munchies so my evening snack was a Muscle Milk protein bar with a small glass of 1% milk

I didn't cheat at all my first week and I am down 3 lbs!! I cannot believe it! I have more energy and am feeling good. :) Can't wait to see how the next couple of weeks goes. :)

Zoo day///Vday

I love Valentine's Day. It's probably because I love my Valentine!

This year I got to sleep in a bit and then got breakfast in bed - always a winner, especially if you're a mom of 2 kids under 2! ;)

Having small children definitely changes things up a bit when it comes to celebrating anniversaries and Valentine's Day! Casey & I have always enjoyed celebrating these events in a big way and while some find it cheesy, or think it's Hallmark's way of getting some extra cash, I have always loved how special Casey makes the day for me! I always know it will be fun, and this year was no different, even though we celebrated with the kiddos. :) 

Casey took the day off and we went to the zoo!!! It was perfect weather and because it was February, the Dallas Zoo does something called "Penguin Days" where adult admission is only $5. So our entire family got into the zoo for only $10 since the kiddos are under 2, and therefore, free!! Yay! My grandma still gives me Valentine's (which I so appreciate!!) and this year she gave me $20 in my card. Guess how much we spent that day? $8 for parking, $10 on tickets, & $2 on a carousel ticket for Sawyer = $20. Awesome. ;)

Heehee, he's so cute! :)

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the zoo!  

 

My cutie little Valentine decked out in pink! :)

Zoo fun!

After the zoo we all came home and took a good nap! We were worn out from our day of walking! Next up on the Valentine's Day agenda was a movie! Casey & I dropped Sawyer off at his sister's house in Sachse and then headed to AMC at Firewheel to use a gift card that we had (Thanks, Pruitts!). We saw Argo! Not at all a romantic comedy, but we loved it! I love movies that are historically based and mostly true. Good stuff. Most of the movies we've enjoyed lately have been similar…Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, etc. 

Here was our little Valentine setup, haha.

 The day before I had done a little craft with the kiddos for Casey…Paint EVERYWHERE. It is incredibly hard to open a newborn's hand for a handprint…now I know why they do footprints at the hospital!!

My beautiful bouquet of flowers from Casey!

 Here's a compilation of my sweet family on Valentine's Day!

I LOVE them! :) 

Happy 9th Valentine's Day to my hubby!

Casey's 30th *Golden* Birthday!

Have you heard of a Golden Birthday? I hadn't until a few years ago and sadly mine had passed. Not that I would have been aware of it at the age of 2, but still.

Urban Dictionary describes the Golden Birthday this way:

Golden Birthday

The ‘Golden Birthday’ is the day where a human being turns the same age as the date to which they were born (Example, turning Twelve on the 12th of October). All humans will experience this day, whether it be when they are one year old or 31 years old; that is to say, except for a select few individuals born on the leap year – sadly, these humans will never experience the Goldenness of such a day and are forced to live out their lives in anguish and despair.

Haha, oh, Urban Dictionary, you never cease to make me chuckle. 

So, anyway, January 30th was Casey's 30th birthday making it--you guessed it--his GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!  So what did I do? I through him a GOLDEN SURPRISE PARTY! Woohoo! I wanted to make it a big thing with tons of family & friends at our house, but being that I have a nearly-2-year-old and a 1-month-old, I just couldn't get my act together in time so I decided to just have it at a restaurant with people from our CG and a couple of other couples. We had a great time and Casey was genuinely surprised! Yay! I pulled it off somehow! If you know me well, you know I tend to blab my own secrets so I was kind of impressed with myself this time. This was my first time to ever throw anyone a surprise party and it was Casey's 1st time to have a surprise party for himself! He loved it! I also love that he got into our "golden decor" instead of thinking we were cheesy! ;)

*Sidenote: this was my first night to leave both kiddos! Dayton was 1 month old and my mom took care of both him and Sawyer! Kudos to her! (Y'all remember I'm an only child, so this was her 1st time with 2 kiddos age 1 and under;)

Here are the pictures of our super fun night!

 (all of the pictures were taken on my phone, and sadly the quality isn't that great) 

Casey got into our GOLDEN DECOR right away--remember Casey was a trumpet player in high school, haha ;)

 cute GOLDEN mini crowns 

Casey gave me that GOLD scarf for Christmas, and it was perfect for the occassion!

 

30 candles, oh my! 

The party animals… 

  

 

 

 

 

Happy 30th birthday, babe! So glad you had a fun night!

Also, someone got his car good…and we still don't know who it was! Anyone want to fess up?!

C+L=5

Casey & I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on December 29, 2012! In the past we have gone out of town or stayed in a hotel in Dallas for a few days to celebrate, but being that we had a 9-day-old baby this year we stayed home. ;) Casey's parents came over to watch Sawyer while Casey, Dayton, & I went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and dessert! We love their chicken nachos and get them every time along with their 35th Anniversary cheesecake! Yum!!! I also like to get their cafe mocha coffee. It's $5, but so worth it! We had a great little date and Dayton slept through the entire thing.  ;)

It was the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary a little low-key this year.

Before heading out to dinner!

 

Our 3rd wheel ;)

 

We look tired because we are tired.

9 straight days of being up throughout the night with a newborn and worn out during the day by a toddler! ;)

Happy 5 year anniversary to the love of my life! :)

A Very Blessed Christmas {2012 Edition}

This Christmas was extra special because we had the sweet new addition of our new baby boy! It was also really fun because Sawyer was into it and knew how to open her presents! She also really enjoyed her gifts--lots of fun! The big hits this year were LOL Elmo, the Magnadoodle, her many dolls and accessories, and her tricycle! 

I already know next year will be even better with 2 kids that know what's going on. :) I also can't wait to play with our new Fisher Price Nativity Set next year and teach Sawyer & Dayton what Christmas is all about. 

Just a little Christmas Eve photo session…Sawyer changed clothes 3 times…a girl just can't have too many Christmas outfits ;)

(Notice that Sawyer's first shirt is a cat in a stocking - I will buy any kitty-cat clothes I can find for her, haha).

  

 

 We went to the Christmas Eve service at c|Life and Dayton was only 4 days old!!  

 Christmas Eve PJ's!!!

Christmas morning!

 Dayton's 1st stocking! (He got some cool socks, haha)

Sawyer opening her stocking :) 

 

 Present time :) 

 

 

 

 Christmas morning at Mimi & Poppy's!

Listening to Mimi read the Christmas story

 

5 fun cousins :)

Our stockings at Mimi & Poppy's house! 

   

 

 

 

Christmas afternoon at Momma Sheila & Pappa Donnie's!

 You can't see it here, but it started to snow, and by the time we got home everything was white!!

Sawyer playing with her new doll and cradle! She loves baby dolls.

 

 

Dayton just chilled most of the day ;)

Me and my love on Christmas day <3 font="">

 When I got home I decided to lay out all the presents from us, Mimi & Poppy, G-Momma, Momma Sheila, etc. and take a picture! Way too much stuff!!!

Here is Sawyer's stash:

 Here is Dayton's stash (and this is pretty incredible for such short notice--he was only 5 days old and wasn't due til the 27th!):

 Both kiddo's stuff together: 

And, see, our house was white when we got home! The next day was a fun snow day!!! Sawyer loved it!

We had a wonderful Christmas with 2 kiddos. We are very blessed.