Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Family Pictures, January 2013

Tonight must be the night that I catch up on all the random posts I've been missing! 
Let's git er' done!

So, my wonderful friend Denise took some family photos for us back in... JANUARY
Holy Smokes, that feels like an eternity ago! I saved them onto Tyler's computer and then completely forgot about them! 

Funny story- I was so grumpy this day.
It was rainy and gloomy.
No-one seemed to be cooperating.
I had tried on too many scenerios of clothes not really digging any of them.
And did I mention it was rainy? I don't like rainy pictures. I like sunshiny pictures!
BAH!
I don't know how Denise managed to work with us on this day, but she did! 
Thank you Denise!
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I really like this one... even Rachel's expression. 
Funny girl.
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And this one! YES! This one!
My favorite of them all!
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If you don't smile for Mommy in these pictures, Daddy will eat your GUTS!!!!
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Me and my Man- oh how I love him.
This was during our post deployment honeymoon phase.
And little did we know that there was a twinkle in my eye and a little piece of heaven growing in my tummy already. :)
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Miss Rachel being a goofball! 
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Sweet Maggie being sweet...
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A Few Bluebonnet Pictures before the Sun Goes Down

We procrastinated bluebonnet pictures until the 
very end this year. But we still managed to get a few! 
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What did Maggie find? Whatever it was, it was interesting! haha!
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There is a lot of love going on in this picture! 
Kissy, Kissy!
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I stressed over getting an awesome shot of Maggie in the bluebonnets like I had done with Rachel the year before... my Mommy plan was to frame them side by side. But you know how Mommy plans go... you win some, you lose some. These need more sunshine to me. The sun went down before I was ready! I hate it when that happens.
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Regardless, they're still adorable. 
Maggie,
Please stop growing right now.
Thanks,
Mom 
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This little grin makes me so happy! Glad I caught that one! 
Maybe next year all my bluebonnet picture dreams will come true! And our boy will be here! 
Oh, it's gonna be fun! ;)
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Sunday, July 21, 2013

Texas Wildflowers

I just love Texas wildflowers... I'm not sure there are any that compare.
Okay, okay, I'm sure there are some that compare out there somewhere. 
But, TEXAS ones are exceptionally special to this Texas girl!
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They found a ladybug...
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This is Maggie saying, "He's soooo CUTE!!!"
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I was so happy that they found that little ladybug... it made for some beautiful pictures. 
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I love seeing wonder and discovery in a photo. It makes me sooooooo happy!!!
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Maggie warmed up and finally let the ladybug crawl on her...
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Do you like to find ladybugs in fields of wildflowers too? 
We do!
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Friday, July 19, 2013

My CrossFit Pregnancy Journey

Many people have asked--- Are you still doing CrossFit?
To which I reply, "Yes!"


During my previous two pregnancies, I worked out at the gym daily throughout my entire pregnancy minus the last month. I went to spin classes (my favorite), did free weights, elliptical, and did a little swimming. It was affordable and I could bring my kids to the daycare center at the gym. It was my Mommy time; a time to refocus and center myself. Basically, it kept me from going completely insane. 
This time, things are different. Instead of going to a traditional gym, I go to a CrossFit gym. CrossFit has been a huge part of my life and I have loved every second of it. Needless to say, a CrossFit post has been long overdue. It helped me lose the baby weight after Maggie, it has tested my will power, it is harder than any other workouts I have experienced, and I finally found something that I'm really good at. Don't get me wrong, I love endurance sports like running and triathlons, but I will always be naturally better at strength and power sports. Looking back on the last 2 years of doing CrossFit, I can't believe how far I've come! It is absolutely incredible! And, I've still got a long way to go.
When I found out I was pregnant I was so excited to see the difference between a CrossFit pregnancy and the previous two. So let me take you along on this journey with me...

Here I am at 18wks doing clean and jerks at 135lbs... This is probably what I'll consider the prime of my pregnancy. I was feeling better and I finally had my energy back. I remember struggling with 95lbs just a year ago and now 135lbs feels like nothing.
One of the absolute hardest things is letting go of ego and doing a weight that feels comfortable without putting too much strain on me or the baby. Weight is completely dependent on what the athlete is comfortable with. This will be different for everyone.

 Normally, my rule of thumb is about 10-20lbs less than normal during my second trimester, and now I'm down 20-25lbs depending on the exercise.
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This is at 16 wks... yep, rope climbs.  I was pretty good at these before I got pregnant, so I felt confident during pregnancy. I wasn't very big yet and still had my balance. I certainly wouldn't have done these if I felt the least bit uncomfortable. In hindsight I kick myself in the butt and think I never should have done these at all with the risk of falling. Needless to say, I didn't do them again.
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It was extremely hard for me to determine how much is too much. Anyone how has done CrossFit knows that every work-out is fast moving and high intensity.  I would sit up in bed at night worrying if I was pushing it too hard. I asked the Lord to please let know when I need to slow down and so far I feel like he has. I'm also grateful for being able to attend a CrossFit Pregnancy Seminar that educated me on proper scales and movements for pregnancy. I feel much more empowered to do what I want to do instead of what everyone else is doing. 

For example, Monday's workout was push-ups, sit-ups, and double unders. Instead, I knew exactly what to do...
For push-ups I got out the elevated pvc bars so my belly wouldn't hit the ground and I could still go full extenstion that way.
For sit-ups I did knee raises on the bar.
And for double unders I did step ups on the box.
Wa-la!


Oh, and one more stat for my records is my 5 rep back squat max at 185lbs and one rep max deadlift at 255lbs.  I managed to keep that up all the way to 25 wks! YAY! Deadlift and back squats are some of my favorites. Now it's time to scale way down and watch that lower back more carefully. Plus, my belly is totally getting in the way now. ;)
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This is the big hoo-ra of my pregnancy at 25wks!!!!
The workout is called Fran-
It is a timed workout and 21-15-9 reps of thrusters and pull-ups. 
It is any extremely hard work-out and was the benchmark workout at my gym for the month of June. Every month we do a benchmark workout and the beginning and end of the month to see how we progress. 
It took me over a year to finally do the prescribed weight for this workout meaning 65lbs on the thrusters and kipping pull-ups. My goal was to it in under 9 minutes at the beginning and end of the month and guess what?!?! I did it! I was so excited and even had a babysitter so that Tyler could come and do the workout with me. Tyler really pushed me! I tried to keep up with him and he totally blew me away (to be expected), and I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't going to make my goal. But to my surprise after completing the last pull-up and yelled "TIME!" and looked back at the clock that read- 6:58!!!! What in the world? I was estactic. Needless to say a mixture of working out in the cool morning and having my husband there totally gave me a edge! Holy Smokes! I'm still walking on air about this one.

Tyler took a couple very gross, blurry pictures of me during Fran but I had to share because I'm doing pull-ups dang it! haha!
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Dang! Look at that belly! It's going to be way bigger this time--- I can feel it. ;)
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Me last summer...
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Me this summer! haha! At 27 wks!
As you can see baby doesn't just make my belly big--- it pretty much makes everything big. haha!
I'm going to be a Mommy of three!!!! So excited!
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Because I accidentally deleted all my recent half marathon pictures I decided to wear my t-shirt in these pictures. 
I ran the Austin Half-Marathon back in February at 7 weeks pregnant. I was already signed up and had been training so I thought it would be fine. When I went to the packet expo the lady asked me what size shirt I wanted and I said "XL please." She said, "Are you sure?"
"Don't worry, it will fit perfectly in a few months!" haha!
I didn't push it too hard and enjoyed the course. It definitely took a toll on me. Even at 7wks it made me more sore and tired than I'd been in a long time. 
I ended up with a time of 2:09:28 
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Well, that's it! I'm grateful to have a strong, healthy body that allows me to exercise while being pregnant. 
It is certainly a wonderful thing! Although, I hoped to not gain more than I did with my girls, it looks like I will. That's okay! Especially since I feel better and am in much better overall shape than I was with the girls. 

I love CrossFit. I love exercise. I love feeling strong and capable. I love having a husband who pushes me and encourages me.
And most of all life is wonderful.
If you are even the least curious about CrossFit, I'd encourage you to give it a try. 
I can do hard things.
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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Quiet Time


To say we have "naptime" every day would definitely be a stretch.
Like a really big stretch.
It's more of an enforced quiet time.
 Like "if you come out of that room you'll regret it" type enforcement.
Like "mommy needs a timeout right now" enforcement.
Sounds bad, but it's the truth.
 
Yesterday, I heard Maggie leave the girls room and go into my room (where Rachel "sleeps"). I didn't mind because naptime was just about over and they were being quiet.
Then I heard lots of giggling and decided to try and spy on my girls...
 photo DSC_5768_zpsabcd168b.jpgI've been spotted! Totally wouldn't make it as a spy.
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Cheers for quiet time... mixed with a few giggles! ;)

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

EAT MOR CHIKIN

Happy Cow Appreciation Day! 
Did you know that if you dress up like a cow on "Cow Appreciation Day" that Chick-fil-a will give you a free value meal?!?
It's true. You can go for every meal if you want to!
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"MOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
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Maggie Moooooo was on board! hehe!
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She looks way too grown up in these pictures! 
Must be those platform Cinderella flip-flops!
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Tyler (graciously) dressed up like a cow too... he didn't say it but I'm pretty sure he was diggin it! haha!
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I was pretty proud of my signs! Thanks Sarah for the awesome idea! ;)
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I really love Chick-fil-a... seriously, I love it.
I hadn't been in like 4 months believe it or not... and it tasted good!
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Proof that I was a pregnant cow! hahahaha! Oh dear, that was funny.
 And it also made me feel like crying.
I promise there's a baby boy growing in my belly and not in my cheeks (sheesh, let the third trimester swelling begin!)... and he liked the Chick-fil-a dinner too!
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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Chalk Picasso

Long, lazy summer days always call for a little chalk art...
or maybe a lot...
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The culprit has beautiful, ooey-gooey brown eyes...
don't let them fool you...
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There is evidence everywhere... the entire concrete floor is covered along with the sides of the house, screen windows, doors, toy box, and the grill. I never stop her. After all, it's just chalk.
Can I tell you a little secret?
I think it makes our back porch look even better. ;)
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This is the culprits sidekick!
She likes chalk too. ;)
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Oh, and once everything is marked and beautified, we mustn't forget to color our faces and powder our dresses! hehe! I love my girls.
Isn't is obvious?
And that pretty much sums up our lazy summer day.
What do you do in the summertime?

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Friday, July 5, 2013

Two Little Firecrackers

Our neighborhood has a little 4th of July day parade every year. 
Thankfully we found out about it the night before! Sure glad we didn't miss out!
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Happy 4th!
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"Smile for a picture!"
Of course for Rachel "smile for a picture" means this... every single time. haha! 
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It was a small little parade... people decorated their bikes, strollers, and even their doggies...
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Maggie is addicted to dogs... all kinds. 
I want a family dog sooooo bad! Always have... I think we're getting close... maybe... I hope... probably not.. probably so... 
As you can see this is a conflicted  issue.
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Happy Birthday America!!! 
Smile for me!!!
love the enthusiasm... the life of a Mommy photographer...
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At the end of the parade they gave out free hot dogs, sodas, chips, and ice cream! YAY!
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It was a marvelous, low key, July 4th. 
The girls and I played and Daddy worked on bunk beds in the garage...
Just another day in paradise.
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This is how Maggie eats her ice cream...
We keep telling her it's not a great idea, but she is just so excited to get 
to the cone that she can't help herself!
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Funny girl!
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That's one way to get the job done.
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We hope you all had a fabulous holiday! 
Freedom isn't Free.
God Bless America.
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