Military Man

 I have to admit that Memorial Day in past years has not had the same meaning to me that it does this year.  In April my brother, Miles, graduated from basic training and entered the service as a Military Police soldier.

I am so proud of him and was honored to be able to travel to Missouri along with my parents and Jordan (Miles' wife) to see him graduate.  I was able to take a few pics while we were there.  Even though they are a little fuzzy I thought I would post them anyway.  I know the family would probably like to see them.






Miles' graduation was just for the men and women who are MPs (military policemen).  When Miles entered basic training all the MPs were put together in one large group and they trained together.  This involved not only basic training but specialized training for several more weeks after. 

The MPs graduated in 3 groups so when it was Miles' turn Jordan and I were able to go up to the front and take pictures.  Miles is in the row farthest to the left and he is the 4th man from the front.

As they marched up to the stage they were chanting a cadence and it was sooo loud.  I thought about them running (probably at all hours of the night) doing their cadence.  Miles is 3rd from the left.

Each soldier introduced himself and it was really neat to hear and see Miles up on stage in his uniform.  He is 4th from the left.  Doesn't he look handsome!

After the ceremony we were able to visit for a few minutes and take some pictures.

Later we were able to go off base and get something to eat and spend more time with Miles.  It was so great to see him.  He has changed so much!  He seems to be very happy and confident in the career choice he has made. 

Thank you to all the men and women who unselfishly give their lives to protect our freedom and promote freedom for those who don't have it.  It is a gift that they would volunteer to stand in harms way on behalf of all Americans.

Thank you Jordan for being such a wonderful wife to Miles.  I can't imagine how much you missed him while he was gone but you never once wavered in your support for him or in the life that y'all chose.  You are just what he needs and that becomes more and more evident as each day passes.  Much of his success is because of you!  I love you and am so glad you are my sister!

Thank you Miles for volunteering your life for my family's protection.  Scout regularly talks about how you are a hero because you help others.  I am so honored to be your sister and proud of all you have accomplished so far.  I have no doubt that you are and will continue to be really good at your job.  Your courage inspires me to be able to handle the hard things in my life with more diligence.  I know you have prayed your way through each decision you have made and I am so proud of your commitment to do what is honoring to the Lord.  I continue to pray for you and Jordan and I know that Lord will use this time of service to draw you to himself and each other.  I love you!

Weigh-In Wednesday

I think that the oranges are extra good this year.  I can't seem to get enough of them!

This has been a hard week.  I don't really feel like myself and am struggling (still) to remember to track on Weight Watchers.  The week wasn't a total loss though, I lost 1 pound which is still progress.  I am hoping for a much bigger number next week.

44 lbs to go.

Weigh-In Wednesday On Thursday

Who doesn't love quiche? My favorite is Quiche Lorraine. I love the fluffy eggs mixed with the cream, the homey saltiness of the bacon, and it is the only place I think Swiss cheese is acceptable.

As I sat down to eat a slice this morning I plugged it into my Weight Watchers calculator and learned that it represented almost half of my daily points. I looked down at it and I felt like it was looking up at me saying, "Please don't let me go to waste!" So, of course, I ate and it was totally worth it! Warm yumminess!

I know I missed Weigh-In Wednesday last week. I was in Missouri at my brother's Army graduation (more on that later) so I figured I would cut myself some slack on the posting. It has been a slow two weeks in the weight loss dept. Only 1/2 pound lost in two weeks but I am trying to get back on track. There were several days over the last 2 weeks that I didn't track my points and it turns out that it makes a huge difference. I feel a little discouraged but am comforting myself in the knowledge that if I track, I lose weight. I am sure I will have a much bigger loss to report next week!

45 pounds to go!

A Muddy Situation

Yesterday while the boys took their afternoon nap Zoe Scout played in the backyard. Since my bedroom is in the back of the house I settled into my scrapbooking table and kept an eye on her through the window. After a little while she started knocking at the back door which is unusual because she normally just comes and goes as she pleases.

As I approached the back door I noticed that there were rather large muddy circles on the window and winced at the thought of the mess that was probably on the other side. Sure enough I opened up the door and there stood Scout smiling and excited about the huge mud hole she had created in the yard. She had even emptied the dog's water and food bowls and filled them with mud.



I told her to stand still and went to start the shower in my bathroom. I very gingerly carried her through the house to my bathroom and set her in the running shower. As the water hit her mud immediately went splashing all over the shower and I quickly closed the curtian, very thankful that she is able to get herself clean and I didn't have to get a mud bath. I think you can still see mud remnants in the corner of the shower in this pic.


I love that she has such an imagination and enjoys all of those good, dirty, fun, kid things even if it means a little mud here and there.

Weigh-In Wednesday

As you might guess, losing weight causes you to learn things about yourself. Here is something I have learned.....I am hard to live with when I don't get to constantly indulge in the foods I love!

Thankfully WW does not limit what you eat just how much of it you consume. I can have Ranch flavored rice cakes, I just can't eat the whole bag. This is where my self discovery has come from this week.

I think I have been in agressive attack mode this week (note the Tasmanian Devil). I am learning that one of the ways I handle stress or anxiety or anger is to eat. Nothing curbs negative feelings like a huge hamburger and fries or the occasional large bowl of ice cream. Not being able to sedate these emotions with food has led to a rough week with Colin. I definitely lost my cool too much and I am sure there were multiple times he wanted to throw me in the car, drop me at the nearest Mexican restaurant and not pick me up until I was full of fajitas and happy again! Even Zoe Scout told Colin this week that he needed to get me a Boba Thai Tea so that I would feel better. How observant she is............

It is a slow process trying to retrain your brain about food but very rewarding. I lost another 3 pounds this week! That puts me up to 12 pounds lost and more then 1/6 the way to my goal. I now look forward to stepping on the scale on Wednesday mornings because I know I will see my hard work reflected in the black numbers.

46 lbs to go.

The State Of The Floor

Meal time is always an adventure. Zoe Scout usually complains about whatever is on her plate, Jude usually mashes some part of the food into his hair, and Cort throws at least half of his meal on the floor.

The food on the floor is the one that really gets to me. I have to say I am really tired of cleaning the tile (and sometimes the walls) every time we eat. I cannot wait until I am old and senile. I am going to insist on living with Cort and throw all my food on the floor.....we'll see how he likes it!

The Face Of A Hoarder

Does anybody ever watch that show Hoarding: Buried Alive? I do and I am always horrified at all the trash and junk that those people collect in their houses. If you can stomach some mold and lots of animal poop you should watch. Nothing will put the urgency in doing your dishes like this show!

Anyway, we do not have trash piles to the ceiling here but we do have a hoarder. He just happens to be a very cute 16 month old.

Cort loves a collection (much like his mom) and seeks to gather things constantly. He seems to always need to take control of all things that are alike. He is especially possessive of milk cups, crackers/chips, and stuffed animals. If he perceives that Jude or Scout are sharing in his current activity he must quickly collect all things pertaining to that activity.

For example, he is not a huge fan of bananas but if Jude is eating one he must take more bites then his brother. The ironic thing is that after his bite he just spits it back out without eating it. He just doesn't want Jude to have more then him.

Also, after the boys go to sleep at night I go into their room and position their "guys" (stuffed animals) in their cribs so that they don't roll over them in the middle of the night and so they have something fun to do when they first wake up. Somehow, every morning though, when I go into their room all the guys have ended up in Cort's crib.

I am sure this kind of thing manifests itself in singlet children but my guess is that it is more prevalent in multiples. Right now it doesn't really cause problems because Jude seems to be ok with Cort dominating toys and food but one day when Jude figures out that he is much larger then his brother, Cort is probably in for a scratch, bite, or bruise.

Personally, I think it is one of those things about Cort that makes him so stinkin' cute. He has a personality that is so much like my own and on some level I totally sympathize with the need to control everything. Maybe this is just a window into the great leader he will be some day!

Weigh-In Wednesday

<---- There they are, my Brussels Sprouts and they were delicious!

Last week I said I was going to try to cook some this week and it was a huge victory! This is Brussels Sprouts with Almonds. I will post the recipe in the "Mix In A Salad" tab on the top of my blog. If you like balsamic vinegar you will be a fan of these and they are a Weight Watcher's recipe so they are very diet friendly!

This week I have lost........4 POUNDS! How great is that! I am thrilled. This has been so much easier then I thought it would be. The best part is this.....when I tried to loose weight by counting calories it took me 8 weeks to loose 8 pounds. This time I have lost 9 pounds in 4 weeks. That's half the time! I know my body won't be able to sustain this sort of weight loss consistently but it is such a huge morale boost and makes me feel like my end goal is attainable!

I am unashamed to say, I AM SO PROUD!

49 pounds to go!

Haircuts

A couple of weeks ago the boys got their first hair cuts. It was so hard for me to take them! Haircuts, for me, mean that they are not babies but toddlers now. I HATE that. I want them to stay small and snuggley forever. However, it was time. Cort was starting to grow a mullet and Jude was getting mistaken for a girl waaaaay too much.

Cort was first and in typically Corty fashion he was quite unsure about the whole thing. He spent most of the time looking down and furrowing his eyebrows. I was really worried about when it came time for the clippers but the buzzing sound didn't seem to bother him. He did wince at the water bottle spraying him.








Then it was Jude's turn. Jude is fearless and getting a haircut was no exception. He was excited to sit in the fire engine chair and even tried to drive a little. He did end up being so wiggly that the stylist loaned him her name tag to try to keep him still. Colin and I have decided that we are going to try a long hair style on Jude so this was just a shaping trim for him. I am not sure I will like the longer hair on him but it seems a shame to not show off his beautiful blonde locks (who would have thought Colin and I would have a blonde hair, blue eyed child).







Zoe Scout also got a hair cut that day. There are no pictures of her because while she was getting her hair cut I was trying to entertain the boys and keep them out of trouble. It was a rather successful trip even though it took a couple of days to get used to the new short hair. The only down side was the cost....about $60 for all three of them. It seems to me that places should give you a discount if you bring in multiple children....I guess I just need to get used to it.

Weigh-In Wednesday

One of the things I am trying to change in my diet is eating more fish. I love fish so this hasn't been too hard.

A new thing I am going to try cooking is brussel sprouts. Several years ago my mother-in-law made them at Thanksgiving and I thought they were great so now I am going to try. I'll let you know how it goes.

This week I lost .6 pounds. Not as much as I would have liked but let me explain. We went out of state over the weekend which meant that every meal was eaten at a restaurant. Added on top of that, it was a highly stressful trip for me which can supposedly interfere with weight loss and, in my case, will cause me to choose comfort foods which always means I turn to salt. So taking all that into consideration, I am very happy with any loss at all.

This .6 also puts me at a solid 5 pounds lost in 2 weeks which feels really good!

53 lbs to go!

First Day of Spring!

After only 28 years I have finally decided that Tulips are my favorite flower. They feel so bright and spry standing proudly on their stems and they make me happy.

I love seeing their leaves coming up knowing that those sunny petals are soon to show themselves.

I feel a little like my family are tulips this year. We had a very long and shut in winter. We were sick most of the last 7 months and now we are just about to spring forth and enjoy the outdoors for the first time with the boys. I am looking forward to season passes at the zoo and children's museum and hoping to spend many days at the arboretum. There will also be swimming and sprinklers to be had in the near future.

Most years I long to live in the coziness of winter all 12 months but this year I can say with much enthusiasm......Hello Spring!

Weigh-In Wednesday

I'm back and this time I have a new strategy!

Weight Watchers

For anyone that knows me, even just a little bit, you know that I love rules and a system. I just perform better when I can work with dos and don'ts. This is what WW (Weight Watchers) provides for me.

I decided last week that I needed a system that was better then counting calories because let's face it, counting calories is hard! WW has been used, successfully, by several women in my family so I thought I would give it a try. I signed up for the on line version and committed to 3 months.

I have to say that it is soooo easy. I can just plug in whatever I eat and it tells me how many points it is. As long as I stay under my daily points I loose weight. It even has weekly flex points so I can still have a medium Dr. Pepper every day if I want!

So after one week I have lost 4.4 pounds! I am thrilled! As my dad would say......Good Job Bate!

I know this is the kick start I needed to get back into my weight loss journey again.

53.6 pounds to go!

Food Firsts

The boys had their first taste of spaghetti the other night. It was a big hit with Jude (that baby will eat anything) but Cort enjoyed playing with it more then eating it. It of course resulted in a huge mess and baths.




Neither one of them got nearly as messy as Zoe Scout did the first time she had spaghetti.......



This was taco soup night.....I think I was at a wedding so poor Colin had to bath them all by himself. It looks like they enjoyed it!




The boys always try to sneak food from their sister when they think we are not looking. This night Zoe Scout was having grilled cheese, which happens to be one of the boys favorites so Cort tried to get some before I saw.......


When I did see he tried to turn on the charm which, of course, worked.....how could you be mad at that face?


Jude has a couple of new things he likes to do. He has started wearing Scout's Thomas backpack all over the house. He looks a little too old for me!


They both also have a new found fascination with the dishwasher. I think this happened when Colin wasn't looking. You can tell by the look on his face that he knows he has been caught!


Another new game is playing "Where is brother?" This is one of my favorite incarnations of it. Jude stands on the arm of the chair in the living room and looks over the ledge while Cort runs around and tries to scare him.


This is probably one of the last times they slept together. After they starting getting so sick last year they stopped sleeping in the same crib. It makes my heart happy to remember them like this!

Zoe Scout: Fly Slayer

Last night, around 8pm I was sitting on the couch enjoying reruns of Good Eats when Zoe Scout comes rushing out into the living room. She was so excited about something and was carrying a spoon from her play kitchen.

As she got closer I could see that the spoon was sporting a very dead and squished fly. Here is the story as told by her:

"The bug wasn't looking then I smooshed him with the scarf. Then I hit the bug with the spoon then I came to tell you and daddy."

Best I can figure, I think she stunned the beast (it was a huge fly) with the scarf and then finished him off with the spoon! I was so proud of her but not as proud as she was of herself!

Something I Missed

Since I didn't blog for so long there are a few things that I missed posting. One of those was Halloween. Zoe Scout decided to be Poison Ivy (she and Colin play Lego Batman on the Playstation) and Colin was Batman.

For about a month prior to Halloween I tried to convince her to be a princess, fairy, bride, even a super hero all in an effort to be able to buy a costume. You see, little girl Poison Ivy costumes do not exist! She had her heart set on the super villian so I turned my efforts to making a costume. Now, I am no seamstress but I do think I am somewhat creative but this was a big undertaking for me. I was able to use my Cricut to make leaves and then I strung them on twine and tacked them to a skirt and shirt. Mimi and Pop Pop bought the pink wig and we added some green lipstick and ivy to her face. I think I actually pulled it off and I was very proud when two people knew who she was!


We trick-or-treated in Bunnie and Coach's neighborhood that way we could leave C&J with them and go just the three of us! We had a great time and now I feel a little more confident with the thought of possibly having to make 3 Halloween costumes next year, although I am still going to push for store bought ones!

Boy, Have We Been Sick!

I have been absent from my blog for about 3 months. This is because we have been really sick. Before the Christmas holiday we were sick for 18 weeks. 18 WEEKS, PEOPLE! That is a looooong time (especially if you are the mom)!

It took us the whole holiday break to get better and then when we resumed our lives again we got sick, again. We are just now seeing the light at the end of the sick tunnel so I am back!

There have been plenty of goings on at the Parr house and I will fill you in in future posts.

I will also be getting back to Weigh-In Wednesday so stay tuned for that also!

Here is some major cuteness to tide you over!