Breakfast with Santa

The kids and I had breakfast with Santa with my friend Annie and her boys last Saturday! We had a great time and did pretty good considering we were out-numbered and Annie's 6+ months pregnant! There were tons of children, but it looked like everyone had a great time! I know our children did!
Here's Dillon eating breakfast before Santa arrived!! That's his friend Caleb beside him.
Here are the boys getting ready to decorate a big ole sugar cookie!
Here's Miss Carly sitting on Santa's lap. She loved it! Santa did not! :) She kept pulling his beard and it was stressing him out. It cracked me up!
And here we all are! Dillon didn't want to sit on Santa's lap - I think he was a little overstimulated by all that was going on!
And finally, here are the boys enjoying the cookies they worked so hard on! As you can see, it was a great day weather-wise, so we were able to take a break from the crowd and get outside for a few!
There were other crafts set up for the children to do as well. Carly and Dillon made a little tile of their handprints and Dillon made a t-shirt of a santa hat. Very fun!

A Kitchen?

I took the kids to see Santa again today in the hopes that I could get a picture with both of them on his lap. While we were waiting in line, I asked Dillon what he was going to ask Santa for for Christmas. He said (as we have rehearsed) "I want a motorcycle!" There are some things I have been prompting him to ask for ... a motorcycle, a "coffee table" (a table and chair set for his bedroom), books, etc ... you know, things he is going to get! So - what does he ask Santa for out of the blue today?? A kitchen!! And how does Santa respond? "A kitchen! Sure! Merry Christmas!" And now when you ask Dillon what he is getting for Christmas he says a kitchen. This is what stresses parents out ... 5 days before Christmas ... Thanks Santa!!!
On a good note, both the children sat nicely with Santa and we got some great pictures! Enjoy!

Dillon - last week being 1!!!

Dillon turns two on Wednesday - some days I cannot believe he is only 24 months!! He just amazes me daily! Let me tell you a few things he has said over the past couple weeks.
On the way home from picking Dillon up from school recently, California Girls was on the radio. I looked in the rear view mirror to see Dillon's hands waving in the air - - - the song was on the course "West coast represent, put your hands up" ... I didn't realize he was listening to the words on the radio!! I had tears coming out of my eyes I was laughing so hard! I was not expecting that!
Last week Mom and I caught Dillon counting on his fingers - he counted to FIFTEEN!! 15! He's not even 2 yet!!! Is that not insane??
This past weekend we went flying and camping. As we were leaving the campground, Dillon was already in the plane and I was climbing into the seat. Due to all the camping gear, Dillon needed to sit on my lap instead of by himself. When I got in, I pretended to sit on Dillon's lap and he said "excuse me Mommy". It cracked me up!
Then Thursday this week Dillon was taking a bath and I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. Thinking he didn't really know what I was talking about since he's only had 1 birthday and I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember it, I tried to help him out. I said "do you want a Thomas the train??" and Dillon responded with "and a helicopter!" How did he know what I was talking about and how did he remember seeing a toy helicopter at Target the day before??
Last night we went to Winston-Salem after work/school to pick up Carly (Mom had a hair appointment, so headed home early). When we were leaving he said to Mom "see you Sunday!" ... LOL She always says that to him when she leaves on Fridays, but again - who knew he was listening and how did he know to say it?? CRAZY!
When I ask Dillon how old he's going to be this week he says either "4" or "5" ... I think he might be on to something! HA HA! So cute!!! In preparation for his big day, Dion took him to get a haircut this morning (his 4th). Dion said he did great, and we think it's his best hair cut yet! ISN'T HE PRECIOUS?? I can't believe my baby is going to be an official toddler Wednesday! :(

Skinny Jeans - Day 1

Well, I'm almost threw my first day of the Skinny Jeans Challenge! So far so good ... I guess!! I haven't cheated today (whoo-hoo!) and I did work out, so we'll call that a success. This morning's gym session was hard - kick your butt hard! But that's good ... if you're gonna do it, might as well go all out, right? I only fell once ... ha ha!! I was doing lunges with 15 lbs weights in each hand and when I went down, I went too low and couldn't get back up! What was the trainer response? You might think it was "oh, too much weight?" or "are you okay, stephanie?" or perhaps "take a breather for a minute and then get back up." No, no, it was none of those. She said "that one doesn't count" ... NICE! This is going to be hard!! :) But like I said, if you're gonna do it, might as well do it all the way!
For those interested (and for my records years to come - ha!) here's what I ate today:
6:30am - hard boiled egg & 1/2 banana
8am - (after workout) berry berry good recovery shake
11am - string cheese and a bag of raw veggies
2pm - greek yogurt and strawberries & blueberries
5:45pm - 1/2 grilled chicken breast, broccoli and 1/2 sweet potato w/ butter
still to come (around 9) - apple with peanut butter
So really you see I am eating. I am not eating carbs though (just the 1/2 sweet potato), and besides the shake (really a smoothie) the only thing I have had to drink is water. HUGEEEE for me ... HUGE! Well, Day 1 almost done ... 55 more to go! :) Bring it on Skinny Jeans!

Skinny Jean Challenge - Day Minus 3

Last month I signed up for the "Skinny Jean Challenge" at my gym. The goal is to lose 2 jean sizes in 8 weeks. There are 4 training sessions per week, and then nutritional guidelines. You take in a pair of jeans, try to fit your fat hiney into them, get your picture taken, then start the challenge. At the end of the 8 weeks, if you can fit into your jeans, you're eligible for some prizes. Sounds great, right?! OK - let me fill you in on my consultation ...
The nutritional guidelines are around "eating clean" ... you aren't going to believe this. Sit down. Eating clean means eating no processed foods ... basically no packaged foods ... no bread (with exception - I can eat Ezekiel bread. They keep that in the freezer section of the grocery store. It's that good - they have to freeze it ... I'm guessing this stuff doesn't fly off the shelf!!) ... no pasta ... no rice ... no waffles ... no tortillas ... NO SOFT DRINKS ... no splenda ... no chips (even the baked kind!) ... so basically that means I will have to change almost everything I do today!! No more protein bars for breakfast with a diet coke. No more Jersey Mike or Subway sandwiches for lunch with baked Lay's. No more Brixx's pasta or pizza. Did I mention no more diet coke?!
I start this challenge Monday. I am so excited and yet SO NERVOUS! I have been planning "meals" for 2 days ... I have come up with 6, and considering I am supposed to eat 6 of these mini meals a day, I have a day's a worth! Apple & peanut butter is one. Greek yogurt and berries is one. 1/2 chicken breast and broccoli. Raw veggies & hummus. Hard-boiled egg and banana. Now I can't even remember the 6th one!! At any rate, the goal is to have a protein and a fruit or veggie with every meal. NEVER eat a carbohydrate alone (ever!) ... (oops! you mean that snack of cheez-its isn't healthy??) Oh - did I mention the water? Half your weight in ounces. All of this has to be tracked. If you "splurge" (you know, get wild with a $1 unsweet tea with splenda from McDonalds), you have to put an "X" on your tracker. Only 4 "X's" per week - that's 90% compliance.
And then the exercise part ... I am soooo nervous about that! When my trainer asked me Monday if I worked out, I did NOT tell her I had been trying to run recently. I'm fine with her thinking I walk at a brisk 2.5 miles per hour twice a week! I want to set the expectations LOW!! My first session is Monday at 7am. My sessions are Monday & Wednesday at 7 and Tuesday & Thursday at 6. I am planning to go to the gym Friday mornings to walk, just so I am really pushing myself these next 8 weeks.
OK - I am soooo nervous!! Be thinking about me! I am going to ask the trainer to email my picture to me. I am sure you are all dying to see me trying to fit into my 2 sizes too small jeans ... (when I was trying them on before heading to the gym, Dillon was making fun of me. He didn't know he was, but he pulled his shorts down and then pretended like he was really struggling to pull them back up ... nice ...)
One last weekend of splurges before I get started!! Dion, Dillon and I are going camping tomorrow! Can't wait! Will post more on that when we get back! I haven't been camping since high school - and that last year, I'm pretty sure I ended up sleeping in the van!

Pinch Me!!

This was Sunday morning at our house ... how sweet are my babies?! Somebody pinch me; I must be dreaming!
They were watching Elmo's World on Sesame Street ... we're starting Carly early!

Coca-Cola

So lately I have been really trying to get my pre-Dillon figure back. By really trying I mean I pack my gym bag every night without fail, but that's beside the point! So this week I actually hit a first and second goal of mine at the gym - I ran a mile and then after a day of sleeping in because my legs wouldn't move, I ran a mile and a half. That morning I was standing in my break room at work toasting my bagel and caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the Coke machine -and man, did I look good! I mean, who knew running 2 1/2 miles in one week could spruce up your appearance so much! OK - turns out it didn't change my appearance that much, BUT those Coke machines sure are tricky! So 2 questions - 1) have you ever noticed your reflection in a Coke machine (if not, please take a moment to do so this week - - - you are a tall, lean machine!) and 2) do you think it's intentional? I mean, it has to be, right? Nice subliminal advertising ... you don't need DIET Coke ... look at that rear! Go for the full fledge ... you know it tastes better! ha ha ha
Go seek out a Coke machine. It will be worth it!

Best Weekend Mornings!

Yesterday we got up and headed to LKN Airpark. Dion and I both took a turn in a Decathlon! Dillon cried when I took off and then again when Dion did ... not the best morning ever for him ... he soooo wanted to go flying too!! Then this morning I woke up at 8:01am to SILENCE!! Aaaahh, was so nice I had to wake Dion up to appreciate it with me! ha ha ha I laid in the bed just enjoying sleeping in until Carly woke up at 8:25! Dillon didn't wake up until 9 or so ... tired boy! (Now don't get me wrong, I was up at 2:40 with Carly, so it's not like she slept all night until 8:25 quite yet!)
2 perfect mornings! I'm sure tomorrow morning will be perfect too when I get up for the gym at 5:25am and take a class that is sure to make washing my hair afterwards feel like my arms are about to fall off ... 2 outta 3 ain't bad!

More about the Decathlon ride - - I went up first and we did rolls, spins, loops and a hammerhead. It was awesome! And surprisingly I didn't feel sick at all. It was so much smoother than any roller coaster ever - and so much cooler! Dion rode in the front seat and actually took off and did a couple maneuvers himself. He had a blast too! While we were taking our turns flying, Dillon was enjoying an egg sandwich and banana - so really, it was fun for everyone! (And Carly was snoozing!)

Carly - Two Month Update

Carly had her 2 month check-up last week at 10 weeks. She is doing well! Here are her stats:
weight: 9lbs 9 oz (8th percentile)
length: 22.5 inches (35th percentile)

Carly is still fussier than Dillon, but getting better. She is smiling now!!! Those smiles will just melt your heart! We saw the first real ones the weekend of the 4th - so sweet!! Carly is also sleeping really good!! Dillon slept through the night at 9 weeks and never turned back; Carly slept through the night at 10 weeks and 1 day but hasn't again! She is getting REALLY close though! Last night she ate at 8pm, went to bed about 10pm and slept until 4:40am!! That's almost 8 hours without eating! The doctor said she might be 6 months before she sleeps through the night because she is so small ... we will show her!!! :)
Dillon still loves Carly to pieces! He just loves giving her kisses and hugs! She loves Dillon too! Except when she just finishes eating and he starts pulling her legs and feet!!
Carly is not really on a schedule per say yet, although she pretty consistently eats 4 oz every 3 hours during the day; 6 bottles a day. (This will only be meaningful for those of you with a newborn ... I couldn't remember to save my life what she was supposed to be eating at this time! Memory of the first months is a little fuzzy!)
Here are a couple of pics from tonight! I just love my Carly!!


And here's Dillon being a little stinker! Look at that expression! CRACKS ME UP!

Girlfriends!!

12 years ago next month, the four of us roomed together - and 12 years later, we have the same relationship! Girlfriends are so unique, and college roommates so special! Last night we got together for Robrina's "last night out" with us before she gets married off next month! The last time we were all together was Beth's wedding 5 years ago, and before that was probably my wedding 7 years ago, and before that, Julie's wedding 8 years ago! At least the weddings bring us all together! But last night was the best - because there was not a lot of wedding fuss going on - just a lot of catching up! Some friendships never change and I am so thankful that my friendship with these ladies has not!

Pik-n-Pig

What a fun Sunday!! Dion flew Dillon and I to Carthage Pik-n-Pig! We all had a great time! Dillon couldn't wait to get in "Poppy's airplane!" "Daddy's airplane!" "Dillon's airplane!" We flew to Pik-n-Pig with Dion's friend Brad in our plane and Dion's friends Mikey and Ashley in the plane beside us. Mikey's plane is a trick plane, and we had an in-flight air show on the way! Dillon was loving it! When Mikey would flip over and go under the plane, Dillon would try his darndest to find him out the window! Dillon also kept saying "Airplane up in the sky! Dillon up in the sky!" So sweet!
Here's Dillon and I before take-off! Dillon was cracking me up with the headphones! He would take one side off his ear, then put it back! I guess he liked hearing the difference!
Mikey and Ashley would wave at Dillon before disappearing!
Here's Dillon trying to find them!! ha ha
And here's Dion and Brad approaching the runway!
Landed!
Playing around at Pik-n-Pig!
Love this outfit on Dill ... Jr Aviator ...
Walking back to the airplane! Somebody was ready to get back up in the sky!
Here's Dill ready for the ride home!!!
And here's Dill 1 minute later!!
Didn't even wake up when we landed!
Click here for all the pictures!

Bunk Beds!

Who knew?

Grocery Store Deals

OK - If you are reading the title and rolling your eyes, I am right there with you! Please continue on reading ... you'll like this! If you got excited about the title thinking I was going to give you some Harris Teeter tips, forgive me!
Last week at the Teeter we had Super Doubles or something like that where the Teeter will double your coupons up to $1.98. This is a super big deal as those of you on facebook know. I have a number of friends who are very good at the whole coupon thing ... very good at it! I also have a number of friends who post their savings on facebook and/or blog about their shopping experiences.
So ... why am I writing this blog today? Because Monday I needed to go grocery shopping. This is how I do it ... I make my grocery list with the things I need, then I look through the coupons Mom cut out for me (yes, I am 32 years old and my mom still cuts coupons out for me! Thanks Mom!), then I modify my list as needed and hit the store. I got to the Teeter Monday and started in the produce aisle. This is where I first noticed "Carter the Coupon Queen". (The names have been changed to protect the innocent, and honestly I have no idea what her name is.) She had a 3-ring binder with divided laminated pages holding coupons. Please re-read that sentence for effect. It was massive! And why did I notice? Because she was sorting through all of those pages in front of the tomatoes - and I needed tomatoes!!! She moved to the potato section where she was in someone else's way, and finally made her way to the slaw section. Weird I thought, but to each her own.
I ran into this "Carter" again when I remembered I needed green beans and headed back to the canned vegetable aisle. Again, she was just standing in the middle of the aisle looking through her binder. Crazy ... And this happened AGAIN in the pasta aisle. Chick, get out of my way!
Our last encounter was when I was rolling my cart to checkout and she pulled out of the cereal aisle. My cart was completely full and she literally had a couple dressings, and a couple of other items like mustard and maybe some grits or something. We had been at the store AN HOUR! And she had less than 10 items in her cart. Now I am sure when she left there she was leaving with those items for free, or for 54 cents or something, but still, I ask you - is it worth all that? Is that what it takes? Hours and hours to save money on items that you might not have bought in the first place? To each his own ...
Now to my favorite part - - - my personal update! I ended up spending $130 and saving $42 with VIC savings and about $12 dollars in coupons. And my dear friends who are professional shoppers have taught me you always need to take a picture to prove what you are saying is true. In all cases I have seen to date, the items are all stacked neatly on the counter. I don't have time for that - I need to check my facebook - so, I just took 2 pictures of the groceries in the Jeep. As you can see, I also don't have time to clean out my Jeep from the beach trip I took about 3 weeks ago. And yes, if you could see under the potatoes, you'd notice I do indeed have the reusable bags ... I just have a hard time remembering to take them in the store!
Happy Couponing to all!!! :)

Hands-Free!

I LOVE my new Moby wrap ... I feel like I can actually do things now!! And Carly loves it equally ... she snoozes every time I put her in!

Dillon and his Daddy

It's true love ... Happy Father's Day!

Nighttime Essentials

Diet Dr Pepper, monitor #1 and monitor #2!!Carly spent her first night in her crib last night! It was very nice for me, and I can only assume very nice for her! She slept from 9:30pm until 2:30am ... go Carly!
This picture is from a nap today (at night I do put her in a sleep sack!)Look how tiny she looks in that big ole crib!!

"Mommy's Cycle"

Dillon thoroughly enjoys his tricycle, but now he also enjoys "Mommy's cycle"! This morning Dillon and I tried out the bike trailer around the neighborhood and he had an absolute ball! We obviously went a little faster than he goes on his trike, so I am sure he liked that part. But we were not going so fast that he could talk to all the neighbors! I pointed out each time a dog was coming up, and then we said "good morning" to those walking the pups. It was a lot of fun, and I am very excited to be able to have a new activity to do with my Dillon! It's a two seater, so I have probably a year to work up the strength in my legs in anticipation of carting both Dillon and Carly around! Fun fun!!

What's That in Your Ear?

Oh yeah - your eyes are not playing tricks on you! Those are earrings! Dillon noticed right away! I also sported some lip gloss earlier in the day! I know I sound pathetic ... mother of 2 finally puts on earrings ... but it is the little things in life! :) (NOTE: Still wearing stretchy pants in public. There will be another post when that changes!)In other news, Carly Mae is now wearing some things that are not "newborn" ... this is quite exciting! She has a lot of really really cute dresses and I cannot wait to put them on her! Today she wore her first fancy outfit out to eat ... it is a Friday night afterall and her mama was wearing earrings (did I mention that earlier?)
In Dillon news, he had roseola. For all my parent friends who don't know what this is (because I didn't), it starts with a very high fever (102.5 and higher) and lasts a couple of days. This is what Dillon had Friday - Sunday. It can also cause a bacterial infection, hence Dillon's earaches. Then a day or so later, a rash breaks out on the belly. For Dillon, I noticed this Tuesday night, but thought it was because he had been playing outside and was just hot. Anyway, very interesting. No other side effects, and there is no vaccine. I had it as a child ... I guess it's more common than I realized. Kind of scared me when the doctor first said he had roseola, but turns out to be no big deal. We go back to the ENT in 3 weeks - - - hopefully no ear infections between now and then!

Success Day 2 - what a week!

This morning I buttoned some jeans!!! Whoo-hoo!! I mean, they are the boyfriend kind that are supposed to be loose and they look painted on, but I mean - I BUTTONED SOME JEANS! :) Headed to Weight Watchers in 30 minutes ... so far things are going well!!

Success!

This morning I felt like I conquered the world!!! And let me tell you it was a GREAT feeling that lasted approximately 2 1/2 minutes ... let me explain! To back up, Dillon has been very sick. He had a 103 fever Friday while at the beach, so we came home that night and took him to our Doctor's office Saturday morning. Saturday he had a 102.5 fever and Sunday a 102.6 fever. He has a slight ear infection in each ear, but we think there's something else going on as well since he has had quite a few ear infections and never had a constant high fever like that. Saturday Dillon was given a shot of Rocephin, and then we had to take him back Sunday and yesterday for additional ones - poor thing! He did great, as always. He is such an angel; seriously, a perfect child (except when he throws food on the floor and says "oh no, not nice" ... but I digress!)
OK - so back to me! Ha ha ... This morning Dillon had a follow up appointment with the ENT Doctor who put his tubes in in January. 9:20am. Me home alone with the youngins. Me in need of a shower. 7:45am Carly and I wake up. Oh no! The countdown is on! To sum it up, I got Carly fed, Dillon up and watching Sprout TV in my bed, and my rear end in the shower, then got Carly and Dillon dressed and out the door by 9am and in the Doctor office building by 9:18am! WHOO-HOO!! Seriously, that was the biggest accomplishment I have completed since I don't know when. Felt fabulous!
So, why'd it only last 2 minutes? Because when I got there, the receptionist said that whoever scheduled Dillon's appointment scheduled it for NEXT Tuesday ... ugh!!!!! Rescheduled for tomorrow at 2:30. Game on again tomorrow I guess! :)
And to give an update on Dillon - he is acting perfectly fine. In fact, he was almost acting perfectly normal this whole time. He is so resilient. No fever Monday or today. Tomorrow we go see the ENT and then Thursday we are going to see his regular Doctor for a follow up. Hopefully all will be well, and Carly will not get any of this mess!! Will update later in the week when we know more.

First Ever Beach Trip

Mom and I ventured to the beach this past Wednesday. Dillon absolutely loved the water and sand! He was so precious! (As I am sure you can all imagine!) Much like his mama, he was not a fan of the sand on his hands, but other than that, he had a ball! He loved when the water came up over his feet, almost fell over every time the water went back out, had a blast looking for the tiny fish in the tide and had a ball knocking down the sand castles Grandmommy built! Carly had a good time too. She was very content snoozing in the canopy ... almost too content! It was HOT HOT HOT! I think we'll head back this Fall when things cool off a little!!
On the way down! Somebody has their party hat on!Not a great pic of me, but this one cracks me up!Carly in her canopy!Grandmommy and DillonDillon eating his breakfast!Since the Pavilion is gone ...Dillon turning into Poppy!! :)Milk time!Carly in her "new" outfit!