It's time to LET THE SKINNEY OUT!

I've started a new 'get fit' program. I'm going to be 40 in November. YIKES! And, I really want to be able to have the energy and health necessary to be an 'approaching 60' mom who can keep up with her teenages (within reason!).

I am really dedicated to this. I decided (after a fair amount of looking around) that MD DIET OF UTAH would be the best for me. http://makemefeelbetter.net/ Check out their site if you are interested!

I realize that there are many factors to my current health situation, but one thing I know for sure... is that I have the best reasons in the world for making this happen... BREONI AND KYRIE.

I started on Tuesday, July 29. I won't publish what I weighed....but it is TOO MUCH! On Tuesday we had a class from a nutritionist. It was incredibly informative.

KEY POINTS:
Carbonation causes BELLY FAT! So, if you want to get rid of your 'gut' get rid of SODA! She used this example:
BEER BELLY... what do SODA and BEER have in common? CARBONATION!

HIGH FRUTOSE CORN SYRUP is not what you think it is... it is a CHEMICAL that companies add to their products to make them 'addictive'. Prior to this chemical being approved by the FDA their was no such thing as TYPE 2 DIABETES. HMMMM! BAD BAD STUFF!

If you want to loose weight (and maintain the loss permanently!) you must consume 75% proteins to 25% carbs!

The liver is responsible for removing toxins(all the chemicals in our food) and metabolizing fat. When your liver is stressed, it chooses toxins since those with kill you and excess fat will not. Healthy weight requires a healthy liver, a healthy liver requires vitamin B!

I'm currently pretty "jazzed" about all this. Hopefully, by the end of the year I will be to my goal weight and then... maybe, I'll put a BEFORE and AFTER photo up! I go to the clinic weekly to get vitamin B injections since oral vitamin B is not really that helpful since the acid in your stomach destroys it before it can be fully absorbed. I have also visited my family doctor who is supporting me in this and ordering the necessary blood tests (thyroid for now!).

I went in on Wednesday morning to meet personally with the nutritionist and a nurse practioner. They review you 'body' test which was taken your first day to tell you your percent body mass to body fat. Then, they show you what your body requires to loose weight and recommended exercise plans. The nurse helps decide on what diet medications will help you get started.

Until I go back on Wednesday, I am eating in a way that will "FLIP" my metabolism, which generally teaches your body that you are going to take care of it. I was unaware that not only is BREAKFAST the most important meal of the day, but what you EAT as breakfast is also very important... START THE DAY WITH PROTEIN!

Jerry decided to 'cold turkey' his COKE drinking. He is going through a serious 'withdrawl'. Now, if that doesn't tell you something about COKE... also BAD BAD STUFF!

I hope that I can maintain the excitement and dedication I have right now to the end of the loss period and through the two years of maintenance. They say if you keep the weight off for two years you likely have truly trained yourself so you won't gain the weight back! Just think... I could be in the best health of my life at 40!

Doctors! Doctors!

July 28th
What a day!

Breoni had her 2 YEAR OLD appointment today. We had a couple things to discuss with the doctor. Breoni has had some difficulty breathing multiple time during her two years. She had a pretty bad attack while on the cruise (which I will talk about when I finally get to the cruise post!) and she really hasn't been total at ease breathing since. She also developed a cold on Saturday, which made it even worse. So, I needed to talk with the doctor about the medical histories of Kristi and Breoni's biological father, who had lots of allergies and asthma which was induced by milk. We were at the doctor for quite some time! Breoni is now 33.75 inches and 24.8 pounds.... which puts her at 50% on the height chart and 20% on the weight chart. She is incredibly strong! And, so very smart!!! We left the office with a perscription for amoxocillin for a minor ear infection and two perscriptions for inhalers. And, we have to return on the 13th of August. Then, I had an eye doctor appointment... I just can't seem to find a pair of contacts that work. Apparently, I have very soft corneas. My eye perscription was totally different than it was a few weeks ago. The doctor says... LASIK wouldn't work for me... so I guess I'll just have to settle for not quite right on the contacts or wearing glasses more often!

When we got home, I gave Breoni her 'medications'.... she sat so willingly with the spacer (a mask with a tube on the end which helps kids use the inhalers). It brought tears to my eyes. She is such an amazingly cool kid. I love her so much!!!! We are really hoping (and praying) that she is just going to be suseptible when she has a cold to the asthma. We couldn't really pin down any allergies. But, milk might be one... since I'm still using a formula for her. Enfamil makes a formula called 'NEXT STEP' for toddlers. I just felt it would be a lot healthier for her because of all the vitamins and minerals it has. She loves yogurt and cheese, which the doctor says wouldn't really effect the milk allergy. She only had milk in her cereal and icecream. We haven't noticed anything when she has cereal or icecream. But, on the cruise.... she was eating LOTS of icecream so maybe that could be something. I'm also going to ask the doctor if we could test her vitamin B levels. UGH! I get a bit nervous when I think about her potentially having asthma, but "they" say that it is really managable these days and should impact her activities.

She didn't use the spacer(mask) as willingly for the rest of the day... nothing like having to pin your child down and shove a mask and their face and pump an inhaler! She recovered from the trauma pretty quickly!

Kyrie is doing wonderfully!!!! Sweet, Sweet baby! We have gotten her fussiness down in the evenings. Mylicon for the gas, Prevacid for the reflux (which Breoni grew out of so we are hoping for the same with Kyrie!) and Gentlease formula by Enfamil! She is what we are calling an 'altitude baby'. A friend (can't remember who) used this term with me. It means, "I'm not really happy unless you are holding me and you MUST be standing up!". I've pulled out the 'slings' but just don't like the way the fit. I have a front pack... that works great, until you get her to sleep and you have no way of getting her out smoothly. So, I'm looking for something in this area... suggestions VERY welcome!

Inspite of how it may sound.... I LOVE BEING A MOTHER! I love both of my precious girls so incredibly much. I am so grateful and blessed to have their sweet, sweet spirits in my home!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BREONI!

July 26th
Breoni's 2nd Birthday

Breoni really likes the BACKYARDIGANS.

I'm TWO today!

Cousin Kate is one of Breoni's best friends!

Grandma arrived from Hawaii today.

Aunt LA and Uncle Trevor think I'm WONDERFUL.

I have lots of cousins! And, that's not all of them!

People who attended my party (sorry we don't have you all on the BLOG!)

Mommy, Daddy and Kyrie

Grandma SusanAnn

Uncle Trevor and Aunt LynnAnne

Uncle Stan

Aunt Sherrie

Aunt Jana, Uncle Gordon and Cousin Derek

Aunt Julie, Cousins TimberKy and Forrest

Aunt Kathryn, Cousins Tauyna, Sharon and Kevin

Cousin Kate

(who really is the daughter of my cousin Jenn,

does that make her a 2nd or an once removed?)

There's NO PLACE like HOME!

July 17th - July 25th
SUMMER FUN!
July 18th, Friday

Our neighbor, Heather, has a great swimming pool. They haven't fenced in their yard, so it is kind of a 'free-for-all' when she sets up the pool. We actually been over to play several times, but I only took pictures the first time. I'm starting to realize that I'm never going to be able to use all the pictures I take! So, I'm cutting back a bit. Breoni had a great time playing. There were lots of other kids and mom's out trying to cool off. Breoni is really willing to have her sunscreen put on. She even got a tan line form playing in the pool. We stayed about an hour (or more) playing. Everyone brought treats and it was a bit like a buffet for the kids. It is really amazing to watch toddlers interact with each other, mimic each other and try to emulate the older kids. I love living in a neighborhood where there are LOTS of kids Breoni's age!

Later, that evening Jerry had a softball game. Jerry plays softball every summer. And, last year he played in the fall also. I used to be able to watch, but now I spend all my time with Breoni on the playgrounds. When Breoni was young we took a picture of her in a little baseball outfit in Jerry's mit... we did the same? What do you think? Do they look alike? Kyrie is on the yellow background, Breoni on the stripes!

July 19th, Saturday
Today, we played in our own yard! We drew chalk pictures on the cement, blew bubbles, picked petunias and played in our 'little boring' pool. But, We still had a really good time! Breoni just loves being outside. She runs and runs around the yard. Stopping often to tell Mommy, "Come on" while curling her fingers towards her. It is precious everytime! She is such a delightful child... happy, energetic, curious, brave, strong! I love watching her play and am so grateful that she wants me to play right along. She has taken to 'stripping' and running around naked in the back yard. I guess she has a streak of FREE SPIRIT in her!

July 20th, Sunday

We started the day at church. After we had lunch and loaded everyone into the truck to go for a hike. We went to Millcreek Canyon (my old neighborhood!) to hike to Dog Lake. We didn't make it to the lake for several reasons... but the biggest one is... WE are out of shape and packing kids doesn't help! And, it also starting to POUR down rain. We just barely made it to the truck before the cloud burst!


July 21st and 22nd, Monday and Tuesday
Pretty standard days around the house and a trip to gymnastics. Breoni was eating Lucky Charms in her Slyvester mug. Drinking the milk was more like spilt milk! But, she has a mind of her own. She love her new Bear jammies that we got in Alaska.

And, she had some "almost" naked time play in the 'landscape island' in our front yard. There is a big rock in the middle of the space that she loves to climb on. If you look closely, you will see the 'stamps' she gets at gymnastics. She always wants one on her belly! And, of course, she's got her HOPPY! It is going to be so fun to read her the VELVETEEN RABBIT when she gets a bit older.

July 23rd and 24th, Wednesday and Thursday

We spent both of these days finishing our playground (FINALLY!). We started this project in may with the digging out of the pit and the building of the rock wall. WE didn't actually do that...we paid to have it done. Then, Jerry covered the area in weed paper. We thought we were creating this HUGE space, come to find out, NOPE! We had to get really creative about how to get all the items we wanted in. You can see that we have swings (I think the POST swing is totally cool!). I'm really glad we found this option because otherwise we would have had to give up swings and Breoni loves to swing. All the bags on the ledge are the 'rubberized mulch' we ended up getting only for under the rock wall. I really wanted to get it everywhere, but it was just too expensive.

After we got all the gravel in, we covered it with another layer of weed protection.

We did the gravel to create a drainage area. Hopefully, this will extend the life of the wood chips! Jerry added some extra 'rocks' to the wall since Breoni is so small right now. She can already climb it all by herself! What a kid! The rock wall actually ends above the main play area. Again, something we had to do to get in all the 'FUN' we could. It is amazing how 'soft' it feels to walk on the rubberized mulch.

Now, it was time for the BIG job... taking that HUGE pile of wood chips back. Jerry did tons of loads with the wheelbarrow. I was using the ATV. We'd fill two big garbage cans and bungie them on and I'd go dump them. I was also in charge of spreading and leveling the wood chips once they were in the play ground area. Breoni, always the helper, was right out there with us both days bringing gravel and wood chips in her own wheelbarrow! She is a trooper!

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

The swingset has changeable parts. We have two bucket swings, a belt swing and the trapeze bar. You can barely see that her horse found a new home in the playground. Under the lower level on the tree house is a sand pile and under the upper deck is the gymnastics bar Jerry made for Breoni for Christmas. The ladder provides access to the lower deck and the rock wall to the upper deck. And, of course, with two girls, we felt we should have two slides. We opted for the two different sizes for more options! We are so excited to have this major project done.

July 25th, Friday

We headed up to the Unitah Mountains for an ATV ride. We got Breoni a new helmut that day, becasue her other one (with the face guard is just to heavy for her!). She is totally cool about wearing both her helmut and her googles. I need to get a new helmut for me. The one I have is just to small. I get 'fabric burns' on my cheeks after we go and the face guard smacks Breoni and Kyrie on the head. So, for now, I'm also going to get a helmut like Breoni's.

Breoni loves going riding. I imagine that she is going to want one of her own as soon as she is old enough!

We packed a picnic lunch. We ate in a shady area (with lots of bugs!). We were looking for the 'spring' but weren't able to find it. Maybe next time!

We had a great time. It is really nice to know that you can go out on well groomed, well marked trails. We are so lucky in Utah to have so many recreational opportunties! Kyrie slept almost the entire time. Breoni zonked out on the way back.

Utah is so beautiful. I took about 50 pictures of the mountains and all the different wildflowers. All the different types of trees. But, alas, don't really want to 'upload' all those, so just this one will have to do!

July 26th, Saturday
After Breoni's Birthday (another post!), we went to a family wedding! I feel so lucky to have such beautiful children. LUCKY AND BLESSED IMMENSELY!

Back in UTAH!

June 18th-July 7th

For this section, I'm going to show "highlight photo's" with explanations.... since I'm getting old enough that I can't remember what happened each day (except for the fact that the pictures have a date on them!). I sure do love digital cameras!

June 18th

Visting Grandpa Boyd!

June 19th

While Kyrie was sleeping, I decided to clean the inside of my car. Breoni decided that the car needed a good rub down with LOTION!

June 20th

Breoni REALLY wanted to wear her PURPLE BOOTS to Uncle John's surprise party. After the party, we went to visit Aunt Sherrie who had just had knee surgery.

June 21st

Our friends the Burningham's came over for dinner. They have two daughters also. Jordan is just a few weeks younger than Breoni and Peyton is two months older than Kyrie. They just moved into the area! We are so excited to have them close again.

June 24th

Breoni is such a great BIG sister!

June 25th

Painting pictures for Grandpa!

June 26th

Grandpa arrives from Hawaii!
We had several fun gatherings while he was here. We had a wonderful time getting together with my brother, Trevor, and his family. Linda and her family also came up to join in the festivities. I really can't believe that I didn't take any pictures of these events... This might have been during the time when I couldn't find my camera... following thinking I had lost the photo disk for my digital that had EVERYTHING on it from Kryrie's birth. I finally found it in the side pocket of Jerry's bag. Breoni must have been playing with it. All I can say is.... 'prayers ARE answered!'. We had several dinners and spent an evening boating!

June 30th

We were getting ready to go to a Family party at Aunt Sherrie's and we had some fun taking pictures of isolated body parts. Thanks for helping Daddy!

July 1st
Kyrie is a beautiful, beautiful little girl!

July 5th

We took some fun pictures of the girls in our backyard. Breoni loves her sister so much. She always tries to kiss her and says 'okay' when Kyrie is crying. We also played on our 'unfinished' playground. We are waiting for swings, gravel, sand, wood chips and rubber mulch. It is going to be so cool!

July 7th
The day before we left for our cruise. We were on our way to take family pictures and also Kyrie's one month pictures.