Proud

I haven't seen this in years, but one of my friends put it on her blog and my heart swelled with pride. I am a Canadian living in America. I do love my life in the good ol' U.S of A, but as I watch the Olympics and see my Maple Leaf, the pride bubbles to the surface....and a few tears. Maggie says 'Canda' whenever she sees the flag, I love it!

Love Monkeys

Some of my nieces got adorable Sock Monkeys for Christmas. A friend of my sister's made them. I thought they were so cute, so I googled how to make them. I've made 2 (almost 3) and I'm really happy with how they turned out. One is going to Maggie's little friend, it's her birthday tomorrow. Maggie and Chloe will be getting their 'Love Monkeys' for Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day to Me

I have a wonderful husband...I really do. He is always watching out for me and is constantly looking for ways to make my life easier and happier. He is an amazing Dad and it melts my heart to see him with his girls, they both adore him.

Today I got Flowers! Dave has always brought me flowers. I've gotten them on every Valentine's Day since we've been together, every Mother's Day since we've been married (even before kids), and many other special occasions. They mean so much to me. Dave is pretty careful when it comes to money. Since we are still in the 'poor student phase' of life we don't do a lot of 'extras'. Miraculously, we have stayed pretty well out of debt while he's been in grad school and it's totally because of him. It was a hard adjustment for me to say goodbye to my cell phone and cable TV. We hardly ever eat out and I don't remember the last time we went on a 'real date'....it was before Maggie was born. Our Christmas present to each other was gas to drive to Canada. We try and get by with the minimum. I think that's why the flowers mean so much. My husband, the guy who clips coupons, goes through fliers, gets free samples of shampoo and other toiletries sent to me in the mail, goes out and spends money on something so frivolous because he knows how much I love them.

I know we won't be this poor for much longer, hopefully Dave gets a good job after graduation in April. Even though the flowers won't be such a such a financial sacrifice in the future, I'm pretty sure I will still enjoy them just as much.

Morning Workout Video

Thank you Diego, thank you portable DVD player, thank you Kix cereal, for making my morning workout possible, I couldn't have done it without you.

Household Fun (and new vocabulary)

¿Why did Maggie go into hysterics? She was cowering in the corner next to the drain and howling.

¿Why did all of the toys in the tub get a bleach bath?

Both of these cases were coprogenic.





(Maggie had way too many raisins yesterday.)

Laura, The Lab Rat

I am currently involved in a BYU study on post-partum weight-loss. I am super excited about it. Last week I wore a 'body-bug' 24/7 (except for showers) so they can measure how active I am...hopefully it wasn't too pitiful. I had to get blood work done and a Doctor's approval to be involved. On Saturday I went in for the official 'base-line' tests. They measured everything. I sat in a thing called a 'Bod Pod' (like on The Biggest Loser) which measures fat percentages and muscle mass. I also had a DEXA, which measures bone density. I had to do Shoulder Presses, Leg Presses, and Crunches. I don't want to brag, but pretty much I kicked butt on the Leg Presses (250 lbs) and Crunches (70) , 4 days later and I'm still sore.

They are testing 60 women for the study, 30 of them were done last semester, so I am in the 2nd group. Each group was randomly divided up so half are doing resistance training and half are doing stretching. I was selected for the stretching. I was a little bummed, but last night I did my 1st stretching routine, and I love it. I felt so good after. Every Thursday night there is a Yoga type class that I get to go to, I'm really looking forward to it. I go back in 2 months to have another physical assessment, another one in 4 months, then the last one is in 10 months. I am determined to see the fat percentage number shrink every time. I am so lucky to be in this study. Not only is it great motivation, I will get a total of $100 for doing it...not too shabby.

America, next time you see me I will be one hot Momma!

Similarities

Maggie and Chloe are very different. They don't look very much alike and they have very different personalities. But, one thing they both have in common (besides cheeks) is the Jumperoo! Maggie absolutely loved it when she was Chloe's age and now Chloe is turning into a little Jumping Bean too.

Chloe at 6 months

Maggie at 6 months