Turkey Day 2014

Thanksgiving is officially over and the rowdy children must head back to school bright and early tomorrow... Which I suppose is good and bad-- I'll miss the sleeping in and not having to check homework, pack backpacks, and make lunches every night, but I'm thankful for a routine again after five days without one!

 Wednesday the kids didn't have school, so we hit the gym for a pre-calorie-consuming workout, ran some last minute errands at the grocery store, cooked up some pies and other delicious odds and ends, and then topped the night off with a killer bonfire out back that night. 

 It had poured and poured for a couple of days beforehand so the wood was totally soaked, and it was taking forever to get it started. Jon finally poured a hefty amount of gasoline on top to speed the process up, and I think we may have lost a couple of eyebrows in the process, but we learned a very valuable life lesson along the way! But, the s'mores were a hit!

 Fireside selfie!! Ha ha ha!

 Turkey Day dawned bright and COLD-- and the best part of all is that we all got to sleep in until 7:15 a.m.! Since we didn't have to be to dinner until 4 p.m., and most of my sides were made the day before, we had quite a bit of time to kill. We decided to head to the park and play for a bit, hoping the kids would burn off some energy. Hoping being the operative word in that sentence!

 Leah and the swing stick together like glue. That's pure joy!

 Zach and Lucy scooted around the park until they were cold enough they thought their fingers might fall off (and mine too)! We figured then it was about time to head back home.

 I decided that because I was only supposed to bring ONE pie, and we had TWO pies just sitting around, I might as well help myself to an early serving of banana cream pie for lunch. I figure the recipe is at least 100 years old, and when I tell people "banana cream pie"-- I mean the REAL deal. Not crappy instant pudding. Real old fashioned pudding. The whole nine-yards with heavy cream, a double boiler, and lots and lots of stirring (at least 20 minutes worth). H-E-A-V-E-N. It was quite a way to start the Thanksgiving feasting off. 

 Lucy and Zach started working on some Gingerbread Houses I'd bought the day before, and had a blast decorating their Christmas houses, while I started the laborious process of decorating for Christmas. Ugghh. So much work (I feel you now, Mom!), but worth it.

We'd been invited to share Thanksgiving with some friends in our ward, the Bassett's. They have two kids both the exact same ages as Lucy and Zach, and they get along great (if not a little wild together). I took this during a "selfie-competition" initiated by Whitney, so what you see is what you get: Us, loaded up in the car, me with boiling hot candied yams on my lap (that spilled all over the very first turn), and Luce dressed like an Indian. "Over the River and Through the Woods" to the Bassett's house we go! 

The one and only picture I took-- of the kids eating pie and ice cream right at the end. Oh well. The turkey wasn't quite done when we got there, and not wanting to give everyone the gift of salmonella, we waited and waited until that dang thermometer popped. We got a late start and that kind of threw me off, but it was delicious! Actually, I kind of hate turkey, but who cares.

The next day we spent unstuffing ourselves at the annual "Unstuffathon" at the gym-- a 90 minute workout with pump, step, and flow, that I got to teach at. It was super fun! We headed home to shower, then to a wicked rocket launch, then up to Cary for some power shopping for all the Black Friday deals at Target, Old Navy, REI. and a few other spots. Can't say that we found anything too out-of-this-world, just tons of people and lots of traffic. We decided to get dinner at Red Lobster before heading back home.

Can you see how much Zachary loooooved those garlic cheese biscuits?!? They were the best part of the meal. That night Jon and I organized the day's haul.

Saturday was like a glorious bonus day since we'd already had Thursday and Friday as a holiday-- so the fun just continued. We'd wanted to go to the new "Big Hero 6" but our local theater wasn't playing it-- don't ask (smh)-- so while we finally finished decorating the tree we brainstormed some fun ideas. I had LOTS of little helpers when hanging ornaments, and our tree looks beautiful! Leah LOVES our tree, and is constantly unhooking ornaments, examining them, and then rehanging them. 

 We decided to go paint pottery and make some special gifts for some special grandparents, so Lucy and Zach's pictures aren't posted. Ssshhhh! They're a secret! We ran some more shopping errands, ordered Mellow Mushroom for din-din, and called it a night. Phew! We were all turkeyed out, ha, ha.

All ready for church this morning in her Christmas dress! We are SO thankful for the countless blessings we have of love, home, and family. Being in the military and living so far away has certainly taught us the hard way how thankful we are for our Savior who knows each one of us personally, for each other, for the good AND the bad times, and for the sheer fact that we ARE making it, one day at a time. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

November in a Nutshell

November is flying by! It seems like little Leah's birthday was just yesterday, I blinked, and now it's already the week of Thanksgiving. We just had our second to last Stake Conference last Sunday, and it was crazy to think that at the conclusion of one more this spring, we are officially outta here. They recently split our ward into the Pinehurst Ward, as well as a new Southern Pines Ward, which caused quite a bit of shake-up! It's amazing to see how the church has grown since we moved here 3 1/2 years ago.

Right about the week after Halloween, all the fall leaves change color and turn this ultra-bright red and orange, and then overnight they turn brown and die. These were trees we enjoyed right in front of the gym. Gorgeous!

 A beautiful tree right in our own backyard! I will miss these long gorgeous "Indian Summer"-type autumns wherever we end up next year.

Zach found Leah's My Little Pony headband and glasses one afternoon while we were waiting to pick Lucy up from "Chicken Club" (they stay after school and feed and water the school's chickens), and he was teasing Leah to keep her entertained.  What a goof!

I recently organized our ward's November enrichment and we made these cute paper Christmas trees as part of an advent calendar for December. You insert a scripture about Christ in the bottom (as well as some chocolate kisses if you want), and then each day you open the tree and read the scripture.

The activity was a hit and they turned out really cute. They look very festive all lined up along the top of my piano. The kids can't wait to start opening them!

We busted out some of Lucy's old winter boots, and thankfully, they look just like the boots Anna wears in the movie Frozen.  And since Leah is super picky about her shoes they are an easy sell. She hates keeping her clothes on-- she loves to undress herself and walk around in just her diaper, and even tries to pull that stunt at the gym.  Thankfully she was fully-clothed and posing very sweetly for this one in her Thanksgiving shirt and Anna boots!

Zach's class celebrated Thanksgiving by learning some Pilgrim and Indian songs and poems and inviting all the parents to come watch them recite them.  I couldn't find a sub for my class, so Jon was more than happy to take the afternoon off and go support Zach instead.

Little Sarah Castelli is the last girl on the right in this picture (with the walker). She has cerebral palsy and is in Zach's class, and Zach LOVES her!! And apparently the whole class just adores her. She is the cutest little girl, but Zach absolutely loves to be "Sarah's Helper" and volunteers to carry her supplies and walk with her in the halls, or play with her at recess. He is a very loving boy.

Enjoying a Thanksgiving feast after their program. Yum!

Zach was a good sport and offered to sing me a couple of his songs when he got home from school.

Saturday morning we decided to brave the cold and do a one mile fun run called the Turkey Trot that our gym sponsors every year. It started at 8:30 a.m. on the dot, and due to trying to haul out all the winter clothes from storage, properly bundle up the kiddos, and find parking close enough to the park we barely made it there by 8:25 a.m. Naturally I was panicking! 

It was 27 degrees but felt much colder with the wind, but at least it was bright and sunny! Lucy's covering her ears and trying to stay warm!

Zach was a good sport and although he missed out on his Saturday morning cartoons, I think he had fun and was glad we made him do it.

There was also a 5k, 10k, and Half-Marathon, so overall there were almost 1,000 participants, which for as small a community as we live in, that's fantastic! It was a huge success for the Fitness Center, as well as for us! We all ran the entire way-- the kids didn't complain (other than about the cold), but we finished in about 10 minutes flat. The kids got medals which they were thrilled about, and I'm so glad we tried it! Next time I'm making them do a 5k, ha, ha.

We decided you only live once. and headed right for the brand new Waffle House for some breakfast waffles and some hot chocolate to help us warm up! It definitely hit the spot! 

Later that afternoon we headed back to the Village to the Pinehurst Resort to check out the Festival of Trees and Candy Cane Lane where Santa Claus was visiting for the day!

I made my kids dress up in their Christmas duds and I think they looked super cute!

We walked around and admired all the trees first, while we waited for our ticket number to be called to go see Santa. Leah especially liked this Hello Kitty tree.

While Jon and I waited in line, the kids listened to Christmas stories read by Mrs. Claus.

HOORAY!! Not one of them was afraid of meeting Santa, and we kept telling Leah that Santa was very nice and would give her candy, so she had no problem going up there. He was an awesome Santa and had the perfect "Ho ho ho."

Telling Santa what they want for Christmas! Lucy wants an Easy Bake Oven, Zach wants a Hot Wheels track, and Leah wants Elsa. I guess we'll see what comes Christmas morning...

All finished and ready to head back home! We are so excited for Thanksgiving, and for Jon to have a little bit of time off to go do some fun things as a family. We are so THANKFUL for November, and that it gives us the opportunity to reflect on just how blessed we are!!

CX-y Ladies!

Since moving to North Carolina I've been forced to find myself some hobbies. It's definitely been the hardest of the three big moves we've made as a married couple-- compared to Philadelphia or Las Vegas, which felt like "home" almost immediately. Friends and play-dates were never just forthcoming, even now 3 1/2 years later in the same ward. As a result, I've had a lot of time to kill at home... Alone. A lot of time, in fact, and I've never been good at being a home-body. So I started getting more and more involved with fitness and working out at the gym, as kind of my "me-time" that I could look forward to on a regular basis, and as a way of getting out of the house.  Up until this point, exercise had never really been important to me, or even something I actually looked forward to!  But as I continued to attend Group Exercise classes the thought that, "I could teach this!" continually crossed my mind until one fateful evening driving in the car, I set the goal with Jon to try and get certified in Body Pump. Well, happily three years ago this December that goal was accomplished, and along the way I discovered how amazing exercise is for the body, mind, and soul!  Exercise is medicine.  Exercise for me brings balance to that part of me that hates dieting and wants a chocolate chip cookie every now and then. It re-sets me not only physically, but emotionally as well.  It's my anti-depressant.  It's my anti-anxiety medication.  It's my stress relief.  And better yet, it is SO incredibly empowering!  To set goals and then see yourself accomplish something you couldn't do even just a week ago is inherently a huge confidence builder.  I've absolutely loved sharing this passion as a Group Exercise instructor for the past 3 years, and it's probably been one of the best things that's happened since moving here to NC.  I often get feedback from participants that they never knew exercise could be so fun, and that it has literally changed their lives.  I've wanted to keep pushing myself to pursue more fitness goals, and recently decided to get certified in a core class called CX WORX. 

CX WORX is an intense core work-out, 30 minutes long, that tones and strengthens every part of the core-- including your glutes, abs, legs, and lower back.  It's hard. After having three babies in a little over five years, it's safe to say I've neglected my core.  The first time I did the class I could barely finish, and my abs were shot.  Part of my reluctance to get certified in this particular class was due to Les Mills' rigorous certification process-- they require you pass a 2 day training (20+ hours), and then a video submission of you teaching a perfect class from start to finish-- technique (form), choreography, and coaching. 

  And, at the training they require you to hold a 5 minute hover. Yes, FIVE MINUTES. Insane, right? 

Well, some girls (fellow instructors) at the gym kind of took me under their wings and finally talked me into attending the training with two of them. I thought I must be out of my mind for even trying!  Each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for about a month before the training, we'd get together to practice the latest CX release, as well as work on holding that 5 minute hover for longer and longer and longer. 

And eventually my CX training rolled around, the Saturday and Sunday right after Leah's birthday. It was about 1 1/2 hours away, just outside of Charlotte, and I got to go with my good friend Jennifer (middle with crazy striped pants) and Erin (on my right). The first day consisted of doing the entire class start to finish probably 5 times, as we each took turns presenting particular tracks for feedback, and demoing moves for critique from our instructor (the black guy).  We had to leave Pinehurst by 4:30 a.m. in order to be there by 7 a.m., and we didn't get home that night until about 9 p.m. I was beyond exhausted.  My abs were on fire! The next morning we were up by 4:30 a.m. again and we started the day over, presenting and executing the same moves again and again, and then holding the dreaded five minute hover right before the end of the day and our final presentations.  The track I was assigned for the weekend included two 2-minute hovers (including alternating toe taps and arm extensions), so not only had I been practicing those all weekend, but I was so afraid that by the time my final presentation came (the pass/fail one for the whole weekend) after the five minute hover, my core would be completely wiped out! There's only so much hovering you can do in one weekend after all!  

Well, although it was the hardest thing EV-ER, I passed. Proving not only to myself that we are often stronger than we give ourselves credit for, but that we can totally do hard things.  The certification process isn't over yet, I still have to tape my "perfect" class and submit it for critique (which is SO nerve-wracking!) sometime in-between this mess of holidays and birthdays, but I feel like I personally accomplished something just by attending the training and passing with 3/3.  So what's next on this fitness journey? Who knows? A half-marathon.  A tri-athalon.  Certification in Body Step. I feel like maybe if I set the goal and put it here in writing, the sky's the limit.  

Happy Birthday Leah!

Guess who turned two at our house?? Our little Wee-Wee's officially celebrated her 2nd birthday on Friday, November 7th, much to the delight of all us-- but most particularly her siblings. We couldn't wait to help her par-tay!

 We started the day off by getting dressed in her very most favorite outfit-- Frozen shirt, Frozen skirt, Frozen shoes, and a My Little Pony headband. I just love that little grin! She operates most days either super happy, or super ticked-off, but the happy Leah more than makes up for Mt. Leah (her nickname for when her mood takes a nose-dive). And as we officially enter the Terrible Two's, it's quite often!

 We spent the morning playing at home, then a trip to the gym for mommy's class (where the kids all got to sing Happy Birthday to Leah at the Kids' Center), and then home to make some very special birthday cupcakes.

 Leah was more than happy to help taste-test the Elsa-blue frosting from the beater Mommy gave her! See that huge smile peeking behind all that frosting??

 The finished product! I wish I would have used a darker blue color for Anna's "dress" so it actually matched, but I think Olaf actually turned out the best. Leah was ga-ga for her girl Elsa! Shortly after we completed the cupcakes, Leah fell asleep for a quick birthday nap. 

 You can see how happy she was to be awake...NOT. She was totally ticked off and wanted nothing to do with presents, but Daddy finally got home and we were ready to head to dinner! Lucy and Zach were trying to coax her into unwrapping them.

 Now the wheels are turning... They're talking about toys and mentioning Elsa, after all...

 And now she can see the proof under all that birthday wrapping paper! Woohoo!

 Oh yeah! Now we're talking! Look at those eyes!

 Birthday Girl is finally happy now that she's discovered Elsa and Olaf, some more Disney princess babies, and SIX new pairs of princess high heeled shoes. Hooray for 2 year olds everywhere!

 We had big, BIG plans to eat at the brand-new-just-opened Chinese Asian Red Bowl Bistro, but after waiting and waiting 40 minutes (they'd told us 20 when we walked in) with three starving, bored kiddos we had to cut our losses and headed across the street to Chick fil A. I supposed it was definitely more Leah's style anyway, but I've been so antsy to try something (ANYTHING) new!

 Back at home Leah lined up her new princess babies, picked an Elsa cupcake, we lit her 2 candles, and sang "Happy Birthday." I don't think she was very sure what to think.  

At least that Frozen frosting was delish! She was a happy camper getting to end the night with a birthday cupcake and some fun new toys. 

I'm not sure how the last two years have flown by so fast, but I can't believe our little "baby" Leah is officially two years old and growing by the minute. She is SUCH a total joy to have in our family-- we love her silly grin, her plentiful hugs, her sweet little laugh, her crazy bedhead, and even her naughty temper tantrums. She truly has us all wrapped around her little finger, and our family would just not be complete without her. Happy Birthday Lee-Lee!!