Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A Very Special Sunday

On Sunday we had lots of special events going on.  First we all headed to church to see Brady sing (for his first time in church) with all the other vacation bible school kiddos and he totally LOVED it!  He had VBS all last week and every day that we'd pick him up, he couldn't wait to go back.  His teachers told us every night that he was so good and was so excited to sing and dance (must get that from daddy!).  On Sunday a couple of the other teachers that didn't have Brady said they were so happy to see him on Sunday for the concert because he was so much fun and they could tell that he really loved the music!  He had been practicing all weekend as he was given a CD of all the songs...it's still on heavy rotation at our house!

Then it was Mason's turn...it was his special day.  He was being baptized.  We had all our family there and it was a special time for us.  Mason's sponsors are Bryce and Meggie and we were so honored that they agreed to be a part Mason's day.  After church we all headed to our house for lunch and the kiddos got to play outside...it was a great day!

 Brady is hard to see but he's in white in the front









Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Our Little Warrior


Brady has been having fun playing with the 'Warrior' Hat Andy got for completing the Warrior Dash a week or so ago.   Brady calls it his 'Deer Hat'...too funny!


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Brother Fun!

I can't believe it's already time for Mason to use his Exersaucer...time is just going too fast!  We got it out the other day for him to play in and Big Brother wanted to take some pics with Mason and show him how to play with his new toy!




Monday, July 23, 2012

Fun in Polk City


We had a great time in Polk City on Saturday for their Four Seasons Festival.  We headed over in the morning, hit up our favorite, Reising Sun Cafe for a couple iced coffees and a treat for Brady then we found a great place along the parade route and waited for the parade to start.  I ran in to a couple of people I knew from Wellmark and GV, which was great!  Then the main event, the parade started.  Andy and I agreed, it was hands down the best parade we've ever been to.  It wasn't a parade filled with tractors and other misc things we don't particularly care for.  There was lots of entertainment, the Isiserettes performed, the North Polk band and cheerleaders performed, etc it was great!  Brady loved it!  He got lots of goodies and I was so happy as his favorites weren't candy...he got a couple frisbees, a mini beach ball, beads, etc.  After the parade we went over for Brady to do the Inflatables, eat some lunch and check out the vendors.  All in all, it was a lot of fun and luckily it wasn't too ridiculously hot out yet.  


 Patiently waiting for the parade to start

 The Isiserettes are Awesome...if you haven't seen them before, you're missing out!

 Mason just chilled during the parade
Brady loved the inflatables

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Kiddie Parade

On Friday night we met up with the Fuhrmans to take in the Kiddie Parade (which is part of the Summerfest celebration in Ankeny).  The Kiddie Parade is great because it's nice and short and the boys still got some candy!  After the parade we headed over to Cherry Berry, the new fro yo place close to us.  It was a great way to end the night!






Monday, July 16, 2012

3 Month Pics

Mr. Mason had his 3 month pics taken a week or so ago and here's a little sneak peak at some of the pics...what a cutie pie!  We have another blue-eyed boy!




Friday, July 13, 2012

Fit Friday


I thought it would be fun to feature some Fit Friday posts that are full of motivation, workout tips, recipes, etc.  Since this is what I do for a living (I'm also creating a Wellness Blog for GV).  I love finding new exercises, recipes, motivation, etc as we can all use more of these ideas!  It helps keep me on track with my goals!  Enjoy!
Favorite Recipe of the Week:
Chocolate Banana Protein Shake (Meal Replacement)
1 scoop Protein Powder (I used chocolate)
1 cup Unsweeted Almond Milk (can use Unsweetened Choc Almond Milk)
1 Medium banana
1 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa
4-5 Ice cubes

Place all ingrendients in blender (I use my Magic Bullet) and blend...yummy and filling! Roughly 300 calories (depending on your protein powder)

Favorite Quote of the Week:


Favorite Fitness Funny:


Favorite Exercise of the Week:
Kneeling Roundhouse Kick...great for glutes and inner thighs!


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Mason is 3 Months Old!

Our 'little' guy is 3 months old! Where has the time gone? He is such a happy baby and adores his big brother. He smiles whenever Brady is around, it's so cute to see and luckily the feeling is mutual...Brady just loves Mason to pieces!
Right now Mason is in 3-6 month clothes, Size 2 diapers and is getting up 2 times in the night. We're hoping he starts going a little longer at night but we can't complain. He is so smiley and is laughing and trying to talk, so cute!
He still has to be swaddled to sleep and luckily we got a 'Miracle Blanket' and it has been a true miracle. Our 'little' guy was so strong that he kept getting out of any other swaddler we had. It works like a charm! He loves his swing, Boppy Bouncer and the mobile in his crib. He is able to be put in his crib wide awake and he'll just lay there looking at his mobile and fall asleep.
It's hard to believe that he goes back for another check-up (and more shots...boo!) in a month. I'm curious to see how big he's gotten! I love chubby babies!!
I just wish time would slow down. I know this first year is just going to fly by and we want to take in every minute of it. This is the last time we'll experience all of these great things and we don't want it to go too fast!


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wordless Wednesday...

This guy is a little jabber box lately...LOVE it!






Monday, July 9, 2012

Mason's First 4th of July

On Tuesday afternoon we took our annual trip up to Gowrie to celebrate the 4th. We had a great time despite the heat. :-) On Tuesday we mostly relaxed, the boys played in the pool outside, ate some yummy food, got to visit with Carl and Lisa and then Andy headed out to see some friends and go to the street dance. I stayed home with the boys.
Andy and I got up early to get ready for the 5K. It was smokin' hot but we did it and did pretty well...we both got 2nd in our age groups. Andy really improved his time from last year...he did awesome! My time was of course slower than last year but I was happy overall...since it was my first race post-baby. Then we showered up and headed up to the parade. Brady LOVED waving to all the floats and getting as much candy as he could. He raked in a huge haul! Mason was so good, despite the heat, he slept most of the time and only stirred when the sirens went off but never did wake up...Amen!
We then headed back to the house to cool off and have some lunch. After a yummy lunch and some more catching up, it was time for me to head home as I had to work on Thursday. Andy stayed up with both boys for the night. They hit up the carnival and had a ton of fun! Later that night they had a fire and did Smores and watched some fireworks. It was another great 4th...enjoy the pics below!















Saturday, July 7, 2012

Update Time!

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged. We've been one busy family. I'll try to get up to speed...this will probaby be lenghty...just a warning!

Last week I went back to work. It was bittersweet. I loved my time at home with Mason but I also love my job and was ready to get back into the routine and have some adult conversation throughout the day (and it helps that my Grand View family really welcomed me back with a funny poster and many visits!). I could never be a stay-at-home mom. I think moms that can are amazing...I just couldn't do it. I love my boys to pieces but I'm a much better mommy when I'm working. It's just what works for me and my family. I get weird looks from people when I tell them that I could never stay home...but that's my choice and I don't judge those that stay home. I don't think I'm less of a mommy because I work away from the home. I would probably have a different view if I didn't love my job and what I do. I'll be the first to admit--I don't posess the patience to stay home nor the creativity to keep my boys engaged and entertained all day, every day. Brady thrives at daycare and I'm hoping Mason will be the same way. I think what was the hardest for me was the realization that it was the last time I'll ever be on maternity leave. Not that I want another baby, (we opted for the buy 1 surgery, (c-section), get one free deal (tubes tied)...but it's the finality of it...the fact that this is the last time. But our family is complete and in my honest opinion--newborns are a ton of work and it's not all that fun the first couple of months.

I started back doing Farrells after 6 weeks of recovery. I will say the 2nd c-section has had a much longer recovery time and has been SO much harder to bounce back from (yet another reason we are done with babies). I also started back running (slowly but running none the less). I signed up for the Omaha half marathon that I'm running with some friends in September and am hoping I do well (or at this point, just finish!). I'm working to get the baby weight off (and then some) so I've made some drastic changes to my workouts and diet. Andy is on board which makes it so much easier! I will start teaching my group fitness classes at Grand View this week so that will give me a little boost in my workouts as well! I'll be tracking my progress on here to also help keep me accountable. When you're in the Wellness/Fitness field, you're under a bit of a microscope and people expect you to leave the hospital in your pre-pregnancy jeans--not this mama! :-)

Andy has been keeping busy...he's been working out, even running in this nasty heat and he is doing the Warrior Dash next weekend...it's a Boot Camp style run in Earlham. It's very challenging but he's up to the task and I know he'll do great! He's been such a good daddy and is so helpful! I couldn't ask for a better hubby or daddy! I'm one lucky girl!

Brady has been one busy boy...he is non-stop go and ALL BOY! He makes us laugh every day with the funny things he says. He loves playing in his pool and going down his slide. He has Vacation Bible School coming up soon and he's pretty excited for it! He is also very excited for Mason to be starting daycare on Monday! He also starts 3 year old preschool in August and I can't believe that!! CRAZY!! Whenever we pass his school, he tell us 'That's my school mommy and daddy'! I hope he keeps that excitement!


On the homefront, we've made some changes to our basement. We painted the walls a soft, smokey gray and purchased a charcoal sectional that I've wanted for quite a while...and I love it--it seats 7-8 people! So now we're just doing some decorating and will post some pics when we're all done..loving how it's looking so far!

Well that's somewhat of a catch-up...Andy is out at an Iowa Cubs game and Guys Night Out to celebrate my brother Chris's birthday...so gotta go tend to the boys!