Pack Trip 2010 - Uintas

Shaun took the kids on an amazing adventure they will never forget.  Shaun and Bo do this annually but Savannah has never gone with them until now.  She was well taken care of and had a blast.  Other than forgetting a hair brush and elastics, they were well equipped.  Savannah ate most meals out of a can and learned to do her business without a toilet, oh boy.  The weather held up but the last night it dropped to about 40 degrees.  Savannah said that she seen a teenage deer, hmmm...and when they got to camp and she got off her horse she couldn't even feel her bottom.  Bo said the fishing sucked but he still had a good time.  He would be perfectly content in the outdoors forever, just living off the land with the occasional ball game.  It sounds like I'm going next year, cause Savannah missed her mommy.  I was working the weekend but next time, if we can plan in advance, I'll be there.

Last ShinDig Before School!

LAGOON!

It was a great day - hot, but for the most part very fun.  There were so many things to do that it was hard to fit it into one day.  The kids mostly wanted to swim...what?  I felt like that was all we had all summer.  Shaun was able to go with us which was nice...we usually have to do activities like that without him.  Bo thinks he's too cool for everything and doesn't like to smile for pictures anymore.  Savannah definately does not like to be scared...I think the Tower of Terror ruined her for life.

 

  

 

 

Summer EVENTS!

Our annual trip to Palisade was great, as usual.  The Dains went to so much effort to make sure everyone had accomodations.  The kids and I (including Stone) decided to stay an extra 2 days.  Lots of sun and water.  Bo enjoyed his pontoon and Savannah enjoyed the sand and catching minnows. They had lot's of fun activities planned and it kept us all very busy.  Kelly Jacobson and his family joined us for a day and it was great to see them.

We had a lot of fun at the Jacobson Cabin with the entire Jacobson Family.  It's great to get everyone together all at the same time.  Our lives have become very busy and we all have different hobbies now.  It's nice to plan a weekend each summer where we can be together.  We had a family picture taken out in the meadow and I thought it turned out great.  I don't have a copy of it yet.  The kids got a long great.  The weather was great.  Wish we could do it more often.

Independence Day - great fun.  We are usually camping or out of town somewhere over this holiday weekend and it was great to be able to stay home and enjoy the local festivities.  We went to the balloon festival (bright and early) and then the parade.  We froze during the balloon launch - kinda strange for July in Utah but all should have been wearing jackets.  Shaun was a good sport about doing this instead of camping.  It was really pretty fun.  We had a BBQ that afternoon and had our own short Street of Fire that night. 

Ahoy Matey!

Savannah turned SEVEN!  All the young buckos she invited to her party were marooned on an island (Pirate Island, that is) with lot's of loot to spend.  Those scallywags couldn't be left alone for long in fear of a mutiny.  They left with booty in hand.

I love this girl.  She is a joy to have in our family.  She's stubborn and likes things her way. . . a little like her mommy.  She always tries to do her best.  She is very tender-hearted and gets her feelings hurt easily.  She has progressed so far in school this year and always does her homework right when she gets home from school without being asked. She is friends with everyone and makes friends easily.  She is sassy. . .but I wouldn't trade it.  Sometimes I have to turn my head when she gives me attitude to hide the smile on my face. 

Happy Birthday Savvy!

Another 23 days...

I started HCG again on Monday.  Three days later...down 5 lbs.  I can only hope to lose about 15 in 23 days unless there is a miracle.  Thank goodness for Phentermine (app. suppresant), otherwise, I would be craving everything - instead, I have no desire for food but I am ripping everyone's head off -
So...If I happen to snap at you don't take it personally. 
No social life for me until the first of May.  Baseball games sure make it hard.  There is nothing better than a hotdog and chips while watching a double-header.  I am having an occasional Diet Coke which I did not have lost time.  Everyone with HCG experience say they drank Diet Coke and the weight loss didn't seem to be effected....we'll see. 
My size is looking good but my skin is a problem.  Nothing better than mid-life elasticity or the lack of it.  At the end of this, I could try to fill my skin with muscle but the best solution is going to be a scalpel.  I am now a brunette...in case you hadn't noticed.  Brunette is my natural color, or at least it used to be.  Gray is what you would see if I didn't color - no, I am not kidding.  Thanks to my dad and Aunt Pam for my genetics.
I'll check back soon and give you my latest report.

Hippity Hoppity

Easter's Come and Gone.
Most easter egg hunts were on Saturday morning.  We decided to go to the Lindon Easter Egg Hunt that started at 9:00.  We pulled into the parking lot at 9:02 and it was OVER!  I'm not kidding.  It wasn't the end of the world because we knew that Aunt Pam had her annual
Easter Eggstravaganza
at her house at noon.  She told the kids that hidden throughout her property were 17 easter nests with prizes in them.  She also had Easter Bingo for the kids and we made bird treats from bagels, peanut butter and bird seed and hung them from her tree.  Uncle Jim roasted up some mean hot dogs and we enjoyed our day.  We missed mom and dads big easter egg hunt on Sunday because they were in St. George - maybe next year.

  

 

This will be a classic picture someday. 

All the the Dain and Jacobson grandkids. 

Awesome!

  

 

 

Shaun has always reminded me so much of Uncle Jim,

this picture is proof!

  

Our Staycation

We didn't go far but St. George seemed like a vacation after a long winter. Savannah had a dance competition on Friday and Saturday but we had plenty of leisure time to enjoy ourselves. Shaun stayed home to work and save his vacation time for the RV.

Our weekend consisted of. . .

swimming, fishing, dancing, trophies, shopping, eating, ice-cream, dinosaur tracks, chocolate, hiking, movies in bed and sand dunes.

Boom Chicka Boom

Savannah's Trio has been so fun this year. We started competing early and have lots of competitions still ahead. Today they competed at Odyssey and won

PLATINUM and 1st place.

You can't do any better than that. She has two darling girls in her Trio with her and they have so much fun together. Thanks to Miss (Mrs.) Alexis for spending her Saturdays with us.

Finito - Completed - Terminado - Finished!

Finally. . . I have completed my 40 days of HCG.
I am now able to do something different for 6 weeks before I do a second round. Some days were extremely difficult but I powered through them. My goal was 25 pounds and I am down TWENTY FOUR. So close. I think this next plan will be a peice of cake because I can have Yogurt, Cheese, Eggs, sliced Turkey, Tuna Fish, chocolate Protein Bars and even some low carb Salad Dressings - HEAVEN! It's a high protein plan, so lots of meat. I am a little concerned that I will gain some weight back. I think my mom lost 15 pounds in a month doing this plan so cross your fingers that I will be as lucky.
So, I went shopping on Friday and stepped into Buckle at the mall. . . only to find that my butt actually fit in their jeans and my boobs actually fit in their shirts. SHOCK! It was so nice for a change.
I'm proud of myself, but I've still got a long way to go.

19.5 in Thirty Two

It's slower than I thought it would be. The last nine days have been very difficult. Still sticking to it - and perfectly I might add (okay - I had a 1/2 cup of corn flakes yesterday). Doing another apple day today. This is a great way to lose about 1.5 lbs of water and catch up to where you should be with your weight loss. I would love to hit the 25 lb mark by next Thurday which will be 40 days, but that is nearly impossible.
About every other day I say I'm done and starting something else. And then I seem to get a second wind the next morning. Afterall, I only have a week left. I'm just taking it one day at a time. Noticing my clothes are feeling baggy but still nothing drastic in my appearance. I had to buy a new bra - of course, I would lose the 19 lbs off my boobs. Not suprising!
I still want this bad but miss going out to dinner with the family. That day will come soon enough. For now, I just need to focus. TTYS!

"Bad" Helmet DUDE!

Bo sure gets a lot of compliments on his helmet from fellow shredders on the slopes. He's becoming quite the snowboarder so I guess he has to look the part.
It's "BAD" alright!

MOVE!

Savannah had her first performance this year for the show MOVE - a production that is directed by Rick Robinson from Vibe, her dance studio.
It is amazing!
The show includes dancers that are professional and company team dancers from Vibe. Several famous faces joined the show; Mark Ballas, Chelsie Hightower, Thayne Jasperson. Derek Hough flew in from London and said that he was there for Rick Robinson who taught him everything he knew and who introduced him to dance. It was fun to watch and I can't wait to see more dances to come. I can't wait for Savannah to take lessons from him as she gets older.

Update...

I'm down 13.5 lbs in 16 days. I've hit a wall though that I can't seem to pass. The plan is much easier than I expected. The food is beginning to taste good to me and the cravings have completely gone away. Still miss my Diet Coke - that will never go away. I begin the last leg of my diet on Sunday. . .another 17 days. After that I start the traditional plan which will seem like Heaven. I can do it. We are headed to St. George the end of March and I am determined to be down at least 35-40 pounds. Stay Posted.

My Thoughts. . .

I usually don't do this but I'm going to share my thoughts in hopes that it will help me stay motivated and accountable. I have started the HCG diet (or you could call it starvation) last Sunday Jan. 10th. FOUR days and I have lost 8.5 lbs. It really hasn't been too bad.
I've wasted way too much of my life being heavier than I should be. I've taken extreme measures in the past to lose weight only to gain some back after having two kids. My kids have shown signs of wanting mom to lose weight and that's when it starts to pull at your heart strings. Everytime a commercial comes on for weight loss, Savannah turns to me with encouragement and a smile and says, "mom, you should do that". Gee thanks Sav, ya sayin' I'm fat?
Anyway, it's time to get things under control. I'm old now and the body is showing me signs of weakness. On my small 5'1" frame, it just can't carry this weight without hurting me. I have tried so many times and failed. I've given up trying for several years now because I'm sick of failing. FAIL is the ugliest word in the Dictionary. I never allow my children to FAIL at anything they do, they always must give it everything they have and never quit. How can I ask them to do that when I'm not?
Then there's Shaun, poor Shaun. The young man who chased all the cute, super tiny girls in town. He was so proud of me during the first several years of our marriage and now I am a huge dissapointment to him. He doesn't say it but occasionally he'll remind me that I don't need that donut. Some may think he's awful. . .and maybe so. But he is the most supportive husband ever. He shells out the money everytime I try a new diet. He is doing all the cooking during my time on HCG. The day before I started, he did all my grocery shopping and had everything weighed and portioned out in individual baggies for me. He REALLY wants me to be successful.
I am so sick of looking like a freakin slob. I haven't been shopping for clothes in over a year or more. All my money and effort goes into my kids as I'm sure you all can tell. THAT is sooooo going to CHANGE! It's time for me. I can't wait to wear the cute clothes that I see others wearing. I'm never going to be a long-legged, big-busted, skinny beauty queen but I know I have potential to look like a cute 40 year old.
I want to be able to put on a swim suit and feel decent in it. We are taking a major beach vacation or cruise as soon as I am done. AND, I am going to be in every damn picture we take. So there!
I can do this!

Finally. . .SNOW!

The kids had a fun time in the snow today - for hours. . .

Christmas was great - The kids were happy.
Shaun and I went and picked out our new phones the day after.
We only had to return one item.
I had to work Christmas day for 6 hours and missed
lunch at Grandma and Grandpas.
The tree will probably stay up until the end of January
so that I don't get too depressed.
Can't wait until next year.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday
as much as we did.

The CuteKid Contest - November 2009 Contest Winners

Bo won the Pre-Teen Division for The Cute Kid Modeling Contest. Very exciting - now he has a good shot at the $25,000 college scholarship and many more prizes.

The CuteKid Contest - November 2009 Contest Winners

Cutie!

I took their pictures myself because I had procrastinated and couldn't get anyone else to take them. They turned out OK.

I will post all of them after I get my Christmas Cards sent.

This is just a fun one of Savannah.

New WOOD Stove!

When a disaster happens and ya'll regret

puting in a GAS stove -

come on over and we'll keep ya nice and warm.

Traditional Halloween Party!

Grandma and Grandpa Jake had their

Halloween Party

last night and the kids had a blast.

• Cake Walk
• Fireworks
• Treasure Hunt
• Toilet Paper Mummy
• Great Food

Bo enjoyed scaring the *&#$ out of all the little kids. Poor Hanks would cry until Bo would take his mask off and then he would just smile at him. We love him! It was a little crazy & loud with all the kids but worth every minute of it.

We had Zombie Blood to drink, Baby Mummies, Witches Brain Burgers, Spiders, Mud Cups with Worms, Deviled Eggs, Witches Heads!

Bobbing for Apples is always the favorite!

Poor Grandpa Harley was a good sport!

While they were wrapping him, he said, "I have to pee"

and all the kids kind of freaked out - and mom said,

"go for it, the toilet paper will soak it up."