I'm back in action!

Ok, so I know I have not done this blog thing in a while now..like almost a year. So, here I am. My last blog I had walked my first ever 5K, had lost 37 pounds, and was on my way to healthy! It has been a loooong year since then. It has been a year of hard work, working out, frustration regarding food (sounds crazy to some, but if you are a yo-yo dieter like I am, you know what I am talking about), lots of successes, some disappointments, and not to mention my kids growing up before my very eyes. It has been emotional, to say the least. Let's just skip the details and go straight to today! I am 90 pounds lighter than I was in Jan 2010, a bootcamp instructor, and working on my CPT. I have done a number of 5K's since then, an Adventure Race in Austin with a relay team of 5, and Urban Challenge Downtown Houston with my sister-in-law, and now have bigger goals I am ready to tackle this year. My first running 5k I did, my time was 44:15. This past weekend, I did a Run For Hope that supported Camp Hope for foster children and my PR time was 33:24!!! My goal was to be under 38 min. Sometimes I cannot believe it myself...I finally am becoming the wife, mom and person I wanted to be, both physically and spiritually. I could not have done this without borrowing strength from God, and a great support system of amazing friends that I met through Masterpiece.

My goal for this year is to do a 1/2 marathon in December by RunGirl. It is an all-girl 1/2 marathon and I am sooo excited. I have a few 5K's and a Beachpalooza in Galveston between now and then.

Ok, so I must admit, to my husband's dismay, I have found a new LOVE for shopping. To be able to walk into a clothing store (NOT a plus size shop) and pick up a size 8 and it fits, AMAZING! I felt so free when I cut up my Lane Bryant credit card....no need for that ANYMORE, EVER!!!!! I have never liked to shop, nothing fit, nothing looked good, I would walk out of that plus size department in tears! Tears of shame and doubt and embarassment! How did I get here!? A failed marriage? A divorce? Another rocky marriage? KIDS? Stress? Tired? What was going to keep being my excuse? ME! It was all me, my fault! So hard to face something you know to be true. So easy to stay in that place and complain, but not do anything about it. So easy to keep making excuses and being comfortable with being miserable and depressed! NOW, none of that even makes sense!!!! My only excuse is....there is NO EXCUSE! I feel I can do anything now, literally on top of the world. I stive to be the best example I can be for my kids and be sexy, yes I said it, SEXY again! I finally feel confident and TRULY comfortable with myself. NO MORE EXCUSES!

Ok, enough about me! lol Jake and Lauren are growing like weeds! WEEDS, I tell ya! And, yes, somedays I feel like the weeds are strangling me! LOL But amongst the weeds, are these two beautiful flowers blooming into little people. Jake and Lauren have my heart, all of it! They are such sweet little mixes of Mike and me. They keep me going, make me laugh, test my patience and perserverance, and most of all they hang in there with me, and still love me, when I make mistakes as a mom. There are some days that are great, and there are some days where I end up apologizing to them. I want to show my kids how they need to treat others, and how they deserve to be treated. Jake is now 3 1/2 and Lauren is 2! The time has gone by so fast with having two kids, and finding time for Mike and me is sometimees hard, but I know that it is all worth it.

There are so many things that bug me about this man, but so many MORE reasons why I love him. He supports me in everything I do, helps me think things through, and he can even make me laugh. And did I mention he is smokin' hot! lol Sorry, honey!

March of Dimes, March for Babies

WOW! Just WOW! First of all, I was so afraid of turning 30! Silly? I know! I just still wanted to be in my 20's. I made up my mind for my 30's to be better than my 20's...and that would be hard to beat. It has been a long time since I felt in shape and full of energy, like I could conquer anything...so that is how all this started! I decided at the beginning of this year (when I turned 30) that I was on a mission to change myself....my body, my mind, my heart! I have not worked out in over 2 years, so that is where I decided to start. I joined a weight loss class at church...NEVER knowing how this simple move would turn my life around...in a good way! The first day of class started off by me setting weight loss and fitness goals that I didn't think I could reach. I just knew I did not like the number on the scale when I was standing on it. Jenn and Dawn(instructors) along with some that have done this before me, were truly my inspiration. I started off by working out 2 days a week, and counting calories. That turned into walking 3-4 days a week in addition to class. I have found that walking/jogging is truly my stress relief, my mind's get-away, my mommy time-out! If someone would have told me a year ago, that I would be doing a 5K, I would have laughed all the way to the donut shop! AND here I am....

March of Dimes', March for Babies 2010...my first walking 5K. It has been on my heart for years to donate/walk for this cause. I signed up for MFB when I signed up for the weight loss class as my first big goal. I walked/jogged this 37 pounds lighter than I was in January. My sister in law decided to join me, and I could not have been happier than to have someone there that I know. Someone to share in the accomplishment, the sweat, the joy that fills you when finishing such a huge goal. When Jennifer (SIL) and I crossed the finish line, I had no idea I would be filled with so much emotion. While we were walking back through the parking lot, and heard Christian music fill the air, I had to hold back the tears. I was so excited, I had goose bumps!

JUST WOW!

and it does not stop there...

I am signed up to jog my 2nd 5K just a week after...again, with my sweet sister in law! I am not in it to beat any record times, I just want to know that I did my best, and finish! lol

I hope I have many more of these victories to share with you. I want to be healthy for me, my kids and my husband. I want to be the best wife, mom, and friend that I possibly can! Thank you, God, for blessing me with an awesome husband and family, and healthy, happy kids! One day, ALL babies will be born healthy!

It's Been A Long Time....

...since I have updated this blog. This could take forever, so I'll make it short and sweet.

It has been a great Spring/Summer so far. We took the kids to Galveston beach for the first time, took them to the Bluebonnet Festival in Chappell Hill, TX. We bought an RV to take the kids camping in. So far, we have taken one trip and it was a blast. Grandmommy Brazzell went with us. We have another RV trip planned for Memorial weekend.

Jakob is getting so big. He is 2 1/2 now and has such a cute little personality. He loves going to Mother's Day Out to play with his friends. He claps and yells "YAY" when we turn into the church. It is so cute. He has said a few more words that maybe only Mike and I can understand. ;) He now says car, thank you, no, yeah, eye, there, whoa, yeah, 'nana, go, along with mama, dada, sissy and (my fave) Jesus! Mike swears he can say touchdown! lol Jake loves suckers and chocolate. He just got a race car big boy bed, and loves it. He loves to 'go' and gets so excited to get in the car and go for a ride. His favorite place to go is Nana and Grandad's house where he can play with his train track. Jake's favorite toy is his Little Einstein's Rocket and his red truck. He loves to 'read' and look at books. He likes to have his snacks on his table in the play room and has to have a spoon for everything! I absolutely adore him!

Jake loves to be outside!!



I love my family!!!

Lauren is such a girly girl!

Lauren just turned 1 in March. She started walking a few weeks before then. She is really getting steady on her feet and can move, sometimes a lot quicker than me! :) I think she has picked up some things that 'Bubba' does because she sure is stubborn and definitely knows what she wants! She loves to sit on her pink couch and look at books like a big girl. Her favorite toy is her pink cookie jar shape sorter and any baby doll. Lauren has quite the personality and will shake her head at you when she is getting in trouble, as to tell us 'no'! She was ok with going into the nursery, up until about a month ago. She is not so happy when mommy leaves. Lauren loves to be held 24/7 and will let you know when she is not happy about something. It is so easy to make her laugh...she has such a sweet spirit and loves to be entertained.

Mike and I are doing well. He is still working for SWN, and I am still loving staying at home with my babies. I am involved with MOMS and in a workout class at our church. I am on a journey to get healthy and in shape! So far, I have lost 36 pounds, and am about halfway to my goal. I have learned a lot about myself and my body. I have gained so many new friendships that I absolutely cherish. I hope to inspire other moms to get fit for their family!

O'Neal Christmas 2009

This past Sunday my mom's family got together to do Christmas at my Aunt Linda's house. There was so much food and fun and kids! We had a total of 23 people! This was the first time we had all been together as a complete family. The kids were so good and played well together, while the smaller ones just ran around the house! Gift time was fun. The kids all drew names, and when it came time to open, they knew exactly what to do...down to the youngest one!

I love seeing my kids play with my cousin's kids the way we did when we were little. It's hard to believe that our big family just came from two people....Grandmother and PaPa.

They are such sweet grandparents and great-grands! They so enjoyed just sitting back and watching all their family have a good time together and the kids play.

This was definitely a Christmas to remember!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

So I decided, instead of stressing over the gifts I need to buy for family and friends, I would make them! OK so where to go from here? Caution, if there is family reading this, you are about to read about your gift. So, if you want to spoil the surprise for yourself, go for it! But I am so excited to accomplish this, I had to write about it! I always try to find excuses why I do not follow through with things....no time, no money, no motivation....and so on! So I was on an internet searching mission to find the perfect homemade gift! and this is what I found....

Cookies In A Jar!

PERFECT!!!

I provide you with all the dry ingredients..all you gotta do is add egg, vanilla, and butter, mix and bake! It's GENIUS! lol

The CIAJ were so easy and fun to do, I am thinking about making and selling them. Who doesn't like HOMEMADE chocolate chip cookies!?!?

So now you know my big secret...except it is not a secret anymore! I am so happy the way these turned out! Can't wait to bake my own batch!

Christmases in the past have been very stressful for me and I have totally, well not totally, lost the Christmas spirit! I have to thank my hubby and kids for reminding me of the true meaning of Christmas...it's not about all the little things we worry about, it is about giving, and love, and family. It is about the birth of our Saviour, about the love God had for us, enough to send His Son to live on Earth and die for us, so we may have eternal life! I will be the first to admit, I am guilty of getting too wrapped up in all the wrapping, in the gifts, in the menu, in the money, in the looking like a perfect family. This year I refuse to get stressed! I want this season to last, to be able to remember our traditions, the memories, the look on my kids' faces when they get something new, to show my kids' what giving is about!

Ok, I'm back from chasing Santas! lol

So I hope my family enjoys their homemade, with love, gifts!

It is beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas!

Let It Snow!

Today we had snow in Spring! Spring, TX, that is! =) I am 30 years old, but I felt 13! To see snow here just brings out the kid in us all. Jake got to see it standing at the door...he must have thought it was a bubble machine from Heaven! lol He got so excited! There wasn't a whole lot of snow sticking, and it didn't last long...but to see it, is just breathtaking! So to continue the Christmas spirit even after the snow is melted and gone, here is what Christmas is to us:

1) Egg nog or hot chocolate? Definitely hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows. Never have been a fan of eggnog!
2)Wrapped presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped for sure! That is one of the parts of Christmas that I love the most. Wrapping up gifts I spend time shopping for, and watching my kids rip through the paper to see what surprise is inside...priceless! This year I am using purple Disney paper for Lauren and Blue Toy Story paper for Jake. So cute!
3)Colored or white lights? BOTH! I have white lights on my mini tree and outside on the house, but the garland adorning the mantle is full of color!
4)Do you hang mistletoe? absolutely! I have a ball of artificial mistletoe and holly and berries that I hang right in the doorway of the kitchen. So if you enter my kitchen, be prepared to kiss the cook! lol
5)When do you put your decorations up? I take down all my fall decor and pull out my Christmas stuff the weekend after Thanksgiving. Mike puts up the outside lights, and I decorate the inside. I am so looking forward to my kids being old enough to help trim a full size tree without thinking it is something they need to climb on, and Lauren mixing up cookies with me, and Jake holding the icicle lights as Mike hangs them on the house. So many good memories made, and so many to be made!
6)What is your favorite holiday dish? corn bread stuffing, hands down! love it!
7)Favorite holiday memory as a child? It would be going to my MawMaw and PawPaw's house on Christmas day after we had opened our gifts at home. My sister and I would load up as many gifts as we could to take over and show my grandparents. We were always so proud of what we had got for Christmas from "Santa". My favorite gift was my first real jewelry box given to me by my grandparents. I still have it and every time I pull a piece of jewelry out, I think of them. I also loved having all my cousins over at my grandparents house for a sleepover on Christmas night. We would line up the sleeping bags and sleep on the floor in the living room...lined up like sardines, sipping on hot chocolate and watching a movie!
8)When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I really don't remember when...I just remember kinda realizing all the sudden that he did not exist. I was not mad, nor cry...was just ok with it.
9)Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, but just one! and the giver gets to choose which one is opened.
10)How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Our Christmas tree for the past 3 years has been a little 2 foot silver tinsel tree that is lit with white lights and trimmed with red balls. Hopefully this will be the last year we will use this tree. I have so many beautiful ornaments...silver and gold...that I love so dearly! They all have special meanings to me including the ones I get from Hallmark for my kids each year!
11)Snow! Love it or dread it? LOVE it! We don't get enough to really dread the effects of it. Just enough to enjoy and be able to really appreciate it's beauty whenever we are blessed with it!
12)Can you ice skate? NO. I will not even pretend to be able to!
13)Do you remember your favorite gift? yes, the jewelry box from my MawMaw!
14)What is the most important things about the holidays to you? Would definitely be spending time with family. I love shopping for gifts, making homemade gifts and goodies, cooking, and decorating, but it all leads up to spending time with family enjoying it all!
15)What is your favorite holiday dessert? Definitely good old-fashioned pumpkin pie! My Maw Maw used to make this wonderful pecan pie! I can still remember the smells of her kitchen as she would get everything ready for us to eat!
16)What is your favorite holiday tradition? Well, with our family being new with little ones, we are starting our own this year. We will go buy the kids Christmas jammies and go to my mom and dad's house (Nana and Grandad) to have a PJ party with them and my sister's husband and kids. We also make it a point to go to a tree lighting every year....and of course, cookies for Santa.
17)What tops your tree? right now, nothing...but I do have a gorgeous angel that I will use for my big tree next year!
18)Which do you prefer..giving or receiving? I most definitely love giving. I love shopping for the gift for the special people on my list. I love getting a little something from my husband and kids and seeing what he came up with...but would give that up just to be able to give someone else something!
19)What is your favorite Christmas song? I love them all! But my fave would have to be O, Holy Night and Sleigh Ride! Every time O, Holy Night comes on I cry, and when Sleigh Ride comes on, my kids start dancing!
20)Candy canes:yuck or yum? YUMMMM I love peppermint and dark chocolate bark! My MawMaw used to put candy canes on her all red decorated tree. I loved it!
21)Favorite Christmas show? I love the classics...Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas,A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life.
22)Saddest Christmas song? I would have to agree with Michele...The Christmas Shoes

Feel free to repost this to your blog and share your stories!

Thanks Michele for these questions and the stroll down memory lane!

I will add pics of the snow day as soon as I find my camera!

As I watch my children grow...

I cannot believe my little baby girl is almost 9 months! There have been so many changes and she is growing so fast. Once she started sitting on her own, then she was army crawling and pulling up in no time! She can make it around the house faster than I can keep up with.
I am having so much fun having a girl and all the girly accessories!
Lauren has such a funny personality, but also gets her little feelings hurt so easy..like her mama used to! Every time I say uh-huh, or no to her she gives me pouty lip and goes straight into an all-out poor-me cry...until of course she is able to do what she wanted to do in the first place! We were in the car today and she was drinking a bottle in her carseat...she was obviously not finished with it, but Jake decided to take it away from her anyway. You would have thought someone was pinching her...she started screaming. It scared Jake so much, he returned the bottle, and all was good! lol

Lauren is so strong-willed, just like Jake, and according to Nana and Grandad, just like I was! She is fearless when she is in her walker and thinks she can run over anything...including everyone's feet! We all try to push her back a little so we can get our own feet out of the way, and it makes her mad we are moving her. She used to love it when Jake would push her around in the walker, but as soon as she learned to do it for herself, she doesn't like anyone to touch her "car". She is the driver now!


Jake is taking this big brother business serious! He takes such good care of Lauren. He loves to kiss and hug on her all the time!
Jake has a laugh that will melt your heart..at least it does mine! He lives to play and loves to laugh! He also has a strong will. Jake knows what he wants and does not like to be told "no"...but what 2 year old does?? His terrible two's are not so terrible YET...he has "fits" but they are not even as bad as they used to be....oh, but there is still time. He is only 1 month into being 2! It's unbelievable that it has been over 2 years since I found out I was pregnant with Jake...I remember every detail like it was yesterday! There are times when I can just sit and stare at him. He amazes me all the time. The way he takes things in, analyzes things...that would be what he got from Mike. However, Jake does have a mischevious side...he IS a boy! When he is about to be in trouble, I will tell him, "if you do that again, you will be in time out." Well, he will put himself in time out and go sit on the couch until he feels it is time for him to get up! lol
He has a funny walk he does, especially when he is wearing his penguin slippers. Every time Jake hears music he stops what he is doing and dances...of course, he looks around to see if anyone is watching!
Jake is still going to Mother's Day Out...and he loves it so much. At the start of the MDO, I had such a hard time with him not wanting to go in the classroom. I could hear him crying while I was walking away...talk about ripping my heart out! But, I knew he would stop and it was so good for him to be there, doing crafts, playing, socializing, burning all that energy! Well, the past couple of weeks, he gets so excited to go..he will run up to the door without looking back at me. It makes me feel so good that he trusts that I am coming back, but on the other hand, I want him to miss me! I know, sounds backwards! I am so proud of him in every way!

I am so blessed and privileged to be able to stay at home with my kids! I don't thank Mike near enough for him making this happen for us!
My heart overflows with joy....as I watch my children grow!

Not my own...

Tonight at church Jake and Lauren were dedicated. The service was so sweet. I kept it all together until the song "Cinderella" was sung, knowing that in the blink of an eye, at the strike of midnight, my children will be grown and gone. This is such a hard concept for me to accept...that these are really God's children that I am entrusted to raise. That these sweet, precious babies that I carried right underneath my heart for 9 months will eventually grow up and move off and make families of their own. The babies that I felt kick and hiccup while in the womb, will have careers of their own, ideas of their own. The babies I was cut open for, that I have scars from, will one day face their own challenges, their own evils, and the evils of the world. The babies I held so dear and rocked for hours, will have to learn to make their own way in the world. As a Christian parent, I just pray they choose to do all these things seeking the guidance of God, with the faith of a mustard seed, with compassion for others, never losing sight of where they came from or who they are. I pray for my children to be true to their beliefs, their morals, to never compromise their values. I pray that my children show mercy, kindness and forgiveness to others. As I sit here and write this, I want to be so selfish. I want them to stay small, to stay mine, to never leave. The tears swell up as I know that time is the enemy. That it is only a matter of time (and how quickly that will go) that they will sprout their own wings and fly. I hope I give them the tools they need to be prepared. That, by my example, I will show them how to live a life for Christ, a life that can only be fulfilled, not by material goods, but by the joy that eternal life brings. I pray I am the kind of mother whom my children can trust, can come to in times of need, in tmes of sorrow and in moments of joy. There is nothing I would not do for my babies, and yes, they will always be my babies.

I love you Jakob Owen. I pray you are the kind of man who is humble, fair and just, slow to judge and quick to forgive. I hope you find great success in anything and all you do, no matter what that may be, and face your fears boldly. You are already such a loving boy, I know you will make a wonderful husband and father one day.
I love you Lauren Ashley. I pray you are the kind of woman who seeks out the good in everyone. I pray that you love whole-heartedly, live transparently, and feel with sincerity. You are such a stong-willed little girl, I know you will not only chase your dreams, you will catch them. You will make a great wife and protector of your own children one day.

Thank you Heavenly Father for granting me the desires of my heart to be a mother. I am so in love with my children. I promise them I will live a life that reflects the Lord that lives in me, that I will not expect anything from them, that I cannot do my self. When the day, the moment, comes that I must let go, give me strength and give them courage. Thank you, Lord, for Jake and Lauren.

1/2 a year, all my heart

I can't believe Lauren is now 6 months old. Where does the time go? I remember being in the hospital waiting for my csection...waiting for the very first time I see my daughter! She is such a little diva. She started sitting up Sat, Sept 12th. She can get up on her hands and knees and rock, but no rolling yet ;).

Jakob is such a big boy...holds my hand to walk into church and stores now. I love when he colors me pictures while he is at MDO. I have now adorned my refrigerator with color pages.

These are the simple reasons I love being a mom!

There's no place like home....

Well, as you can tell, I have not updated our family blog in a while. So much going on, so little time to sit and type about all of it. We have had a nonproductive, but fun and lazy, summer with the kids. I am itching to get back into a routine (as if I ever had one to get back to). Jake is growing up so fast... "how can I stop this?" I ask myself. Unfortunately I already know the answer and it makes me happy and sad that both my babies are growing too fast right before my eyes. He will be 2 in November and I can't believe my little princess is already almost 6 months old. Where does the time go?

Jake's birthday

Jakob-21 months

current

Lauren's birthday

Lauren -5 months

I am excited to see my kids grow into their own, with their own little personalities. Jakob is my laid back kid...in every sense of the term. He only does things in his time. You can't rush him through anything. He took his time getting here and that is just the way it is. He is full of mischief, but always makes us laugh. He loves to dance, but it is to his own rhythm. He loves to play with his weebles, legos and he loves to "read". A book for this boy is the best thing anyone could give him. His comfy is his paci. Jake is busy, busy and I miss holding him like he used to let me. His fave is giving kisses to anyone that will accept. He is my lovey boy.

Lauren, on the other hand, is determined and strong. She knows what she wants and will not be happy until it is the way she wants it. She smiles so easy and has a smile that will melt your heart. She loves to play and bounce in her exersaucer, and snuggle with her bankie. She is an easy sleeper. Sometimes she even acts shy when you try to make her smile she will hide her face. She is my sweetie girl.

Mike is still with SWN. They sent him on a trip to San Diego this summer for some training. He really enjoys what he does. He is such a great provider and financial caretaker for our family. He loves coming home to see Jake's little face light up when he sees that his dada is home.

Jake will be starting MDO tomorrow, actually. I am so happy he is able to go and be with his friends at church. I will be able to get some things done that I am not able to with 2 kiddos around. I am hosting a table for MOMS (Mothers Of Many Stages) at our church and am so excited to meet some other moms. I love this time of year...weather getting cooler (yes, here in Texas...90 degrees is cooler), the smells of fall, good holiday food and fun. God is so good!

I am so in love with my family.