I Think I'll Dance Today

It's official.

I am back in my pre pregnancy size 2 jeans!

Allow me to gloat a little.

I've seriously worked my @$$ off these last 4 months.

Hours of working out and countless miles on the pavement even on days I didn't want to.

Knee pain and knee flair ups...

I FORCED myself.

I even had to practice some major self control over the holidays which meant I didn't quite get to fully enjoy just indulging on some delicious food.

(Maybe that was a good thing)

But it was SO worth it!

I'm totally regretting not taking a "before" pic now.

I was SO self conscious of my body after having the baby that I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror naked.

But it goes to show you that if you aren't happy with something, fix it.

Hard work and discipline.

Let me just add that these jeans did not even fit me prior to finding out I was pregnant with Baby #2.

I had knee surgery 2 years ago, and in the recovery and physical therapy process, I gained 5lbs and all of my jeans were fitting super snug and uncomfortable.

I know 5lbs doesn't seem like a lot, but I have a naturally small frame, and I'm only 5'4.

Five pounds on my frame is the difference between a size 2 and a size 6.

It's crazy because it took me 10 months for me to get back into these jeans after I had Dannika.

I really think that breastfeeding had a huge role in my post pregnancy weight loss.

I've always been a "workout-a-holic", but I didn't breastfeed Dannika past 6 weeks.

 It took me A LOT longer to lose the weight with her.

 Not to mention, I gained 65lbs with Dannika and only 35 with Mattis.

I was even taking weight loss supplements after my first pregnancy, and it took me 10 months.

I haven't been taking any supplements this time because I'm breast feeding.

Oh, and in my overly dramatic excitement this morning in wearing my old jeans, I fell down my stairs and scraped my knee really bad.

But it was in jeans that didn't fit me since after my knee surgery before pregnancy!!!! Win!!!

Let me go do my happy dance now.

Y'all can resume normal activities.

How I Became Wife of the Year

Well...at least to my husband.

Nick is someone I consider a "country boy", but not like "hicky" or "redneckish". 

He barely has a southern accent, and the only way you would be able to tell he's from the south is when he says things like "fixin' to" and "y'all".

He also has a love for sweet tea, BBQ, hunting, and trucks.

He grew up as a military brat, but settled in Alabama when his step dad retired from the Air Force.

He considers Alabama home.

Because of Marine Corps life, and being constantly on the move, it's been years since he's been hunting.

He talks about hunting all the time, and every time he pulls out his little "hunting trophies" from the box of stuff in the garage, he makes it a point to tell me about the time he shot the biggest buck on his friend's ranch.

I always roll my eyes and something along the lines of, "I KNOW! You've told this story a thousand times" comes out of my mouth. 

But I know it's a memory he cherishes doing something that he loves that isn't Marine Corps related.

This past year, one of his best friends got him all excited about bow hunting.

He came home from Virginia last summer after his TAD there telling me about bow hunting, and how his friend Steve had this awesome bow, and how his friend Steve let him shoot his bow, and how his friend Steve.....you get it.

Then he met two guys from our church who are avid bow hunters, and that just furthered his excitement about this new adventure he wanted to embark on.

So for Christmas he told me he wanted a bow.

Simple, right?

I was thinking about a bow like the kind on "Pocahontas". 

You know, like a long piece of wood with some sort of elastic string attached to the ends of it?

Yeah...apparently bows have become a little bit more high tech and complex.

Oh, and expensive.

So my husband is now the proud owner of a Bear brand compound bow.

And THAT...ladies and gents...

is how I became "Wife of the Year".

 

Look how complex this thing looks!

No worries, he got husband of the year by getting me a new DSLR camera.

This is a shot taken with my knew Canon 60D.

 Oh, and Dannika wanted her own compound bow too since daddy got one.

She even stores it in daddy's bow case.

(obviously, hers is the hot pink one, and it shoots little suction cup arrows)

I know Nick can't wait for the day when he can take our kids hunting.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Bible in 90 Days and Some Personal Thoughts

It was brought to my attention that I was a "no reply" blogger.

Sorry!

I totally thought I had changed my settings, but I didn't.

They SHOULD be changed now.

Just let me know if they're not!

It's officially been over a week since Nick has been gone, and I must say that things are a lot easier than I had anticipated.

My life as a solo parent isn't as stressful or as horrible as I had imagined.

I tend to make mountains out of mole hills.

The day after he left, I began a "Bible in 90 Days" reading plan with a group of ladies that I went to high school with via a Facebook group.

Most of the ladies are living in Texas, and there are a few of them scattered around the country, but it's nice to be held accountable even if it is on Facebook.

I really enjoy reading everyone's progress and thoughts in the Facebook group.

I think spending a portion of my day invested in the Word has really helped put my soul at ease while raising two kids solo while hubby is away. 

I notice the Lord working in my life, and I can feel His presence at times when I am starting to stress out or get overwhelmed with daily tasks.

If you've followed my blog long enough, it's not a secret that I'm a Christian in love with Jesus.

You also know that I am not perfect, and for those very close to me know that I have a very broken past.

Just like everyone else, I get caught up in gossip, envy, jealousy, pride, and everything in between.

I read a Facebook comment on a friend's page from someone who said "churches are full of self righteous people that are nothing but bigots."
It made me think...What kind of example are we (or I) setting as Christians for people to think this way? 

I know I am totally guilty of being judgmental, and forget the whole idea of compassion at times. 

I'm human, and I'm a sinner.

And by the way, "self righteous people that are nothing but bigots" are the types of people that need to be in church!

One of my favorite quotes from Jefferson Bethke is that "Church is not a museum for good people. It's a hospital for the broken."

So to everyone who says that they don't attend church because it's full of hypocrites, I say, "YES! We WANT hypocrites in church. Hypocrites are the people who need Jesus!"

Oh, and I am guilty.

I am a hypocrite too.

I hope to try a little harder every day to change that attitude that some people have about people who truly have a relationship with God. 

I've been to my fair share of "churches" where I've felt that they had other agendas besides having a relationship with God, but the places where I've met true selfless and loving Christians have always been a "place of worship" to me.

Dannika is such an amazing big sister!
I love watching her play with Mattis.

Post work out selfie, because who doesn't love looking at my beautiful, sweaty face? lol

I LOVE kinesio tape. 

I have a degenerative knee disease, osteoarthritis, and some other issues with my knees that surgery didn't fix.

I'm too young to stop running, and I love to run.

So I tape my knees up before a run to help with the pain.

Dannika the Ballerina

Dannika had her first dance class today.

She's taking ballet and tap.

Her school requires the girls to wear their hair in a bun for class.

I was worried all week about how I was going to get her thin, wispy hair into a bun.

But we managed to figure it out with a little TON of hairspray and mousse.

I don't think there is anything quite cuter than a bunch of 4 year olds in leotards, tights, and ballet shoes trying to figure out first and second position.

Can you find my princess?

(She's in the front row on the very end.)

After class, her teacher told me she couldn't believe how flexible she was.

Thank you gymnastics!

 Oh, and the fact that she was born with mild hip dysplasia as an infant MIGHT have had something to do with that.

Her pediatrician always told us that she'd make an excellent gymnast or a ballerina because she'd be so flexible.

Watching her put on her little ballet shoes and little tap shoes totally took me back to my childhood.

I dabbled in a little ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop and pointe for around 11 years of my life.

Jack of all trades, master of none...lol.

But I do remember how much fun I had doing dance, going to competitions, attending dance camps, and performing in recitals. 

I want Dannika to have those types of good memories when she's older.

I also want her to learn to concept of hard work, discipline, and never quitting even when it gets tough or "boring".

I want her to understand that life is a competition, and you don't get a trophy for participating (well nowadays everyone gets trophies for just showing up....another philosophy I HIGHLY disagree with). 

Someone is always better than you, and if you want to be up there with them, you have to work twice as hard.

I'm not one of those, "Oh, if you don't like it, you can quit whenever" type moms.

I know that goes against a lot of parent's philosophies these days.

Just a little personal story...

I took piano lessons from the time I was 6 until I was 17. 

After fighting and begging with my mom for over a year about wanting to quit piano, she let me quit my senior year of high school.

To this day, I regret that decision, and I refuse to let my daughter live with that sort of regret when she's older.

And of course, a quick little iPhone photo op before heading off to class!

Disney on Ice: Passport to Adventure

Last year for Valentine's Day, Nick got Dannika tickets to Disney on Ice at TD Garden in Boston.

It was a big hit for the whole family, so this year, she got Disney on Ice tickets again as a stocking stuffer.

This year it was at Agannis Arena on campus at Boston University.

If you've never been to a Disney on Ice production, they have several different themes.

Last year, we went the the "Rockin' Ever After" show, and the entire show was based on a select few Disney movies tied together to old school rock and roll type music.

This year, we went the "Passport to Adventure" show, and the show was based on taking a trip around the world based on different Disney movies.

I highly recommend this show if you have children over the age of 4.

Last year, Dannika was only 3, and while she had a great time, the show is fairly long, and by intermission, she was really fidgety and had lost a little bit of interest.

This year, she was completely engaged through the entire show.

Of course she insisted on wearing her princess dress to the show.

Since it was frigid outside, I convinced her to wear a long sleeved and tights underneath her dress.

Thank God that we purchased the overpriced 26 dollar light up wand LAST year, so we just took it with us this year.

Even though she had one, she even asked us to buy her another one.

Uh, no.

If you have young kids and you are going to this show, I HIGHLY recommend spending the extra bucks to get VIP seating.

I think the experience is way better for them to be up close and personal to the ice.

They can clearly see all the characters and what is going on.

Also, you don't have to worry about not being able to see over the person sitting in front of you.

Overpriced, tastless sno cones in a cheap plastic "stein"....check.

We also bought overpriced 12 dollar popcorn and 12 dollar cotton candy.

Hanging out before the show.

We got there super early, so we had some time to grab all our snacks and treats.

 I feel like now that we have gone two years in a row, it's officially a tradition.

It was a ton of fun, and if they come to your area, it's a must see!