{Weekend Adventures} T-ball, Pool Fun and Bible School

After leaving work on Friday, I went to lunch with my 3rd grade friends. Being teacher, we don't get to eat lunch out very often so we are always excited when we can!

After lunch, I headed to daycare to surprise the boys by picking them up early. We headed home to spend a couple hours playing before I headed out to my Initial Outfitters party for the evening. 

Saturday morning was filled with the usual cleaning and t-ball game. Elijah was thrilled to receive his first trophy! He even insisted on bringing it to church the following day! 

After nearly roasting to death at the game, we raced straight to mom's house for a quick swim. We are loving that mom now has a pool for us to enjoy! The boys had a blast. We spent the rest of the afternoon napping! 

Around 4, we headed to see Brian's new store in Winston Salem. I'm sad that he is much farther away from home but I'm proud of his accomplishments with his company and know that this is just one step closer to him reaching his goal. After getting a tour of the new store, we headed to dinner. Next stop was Sams Club! We were on a mission to grab the last inflatable water slide! This is going to be a gift from multiple family members for Elijah's birthday. I think I may be as excited as he is! 

Sunday morning we headed to church as usual. We were also able to get an adorable picture of the boys and their Poppy.

After a yummy lunch at Furstys (I love the salad bar!) we headed home. The boys napped while I headed to the grocery store. Surprisingly, I enjoy my weekly solo trip to the store. Before kids I would have never said that but now I enjoy the time to myself even if it is at a grocery store! Haha!

Next on the agenda was Bible School. Elijah has attended for a couple years now and Griffin was excited that he was able to attend this year but I was rather hesitant seeing as his typical bedtime is 7:00pm and Bible School isn't over until 8:30pm. Yikes! Thankfully his first night went surprisingly well.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer where everyday is MY WEEKEND!! Wahoo!

{Weekend Adventures} Graduation and Family Fun

Whew! This weekend has left me exhausted but super excited about the fact that it is my last week of school before summer break!

Friday night was Elijah's Pre-K graduation. I was flooded with mixed emotions throughout the ceremony. I was filled with pride as I watched my little man perform the songs he had practiced so hard on, however, I was sad and in disbelief that I am the mom of a child heading to kindergarten! What?? How did this happen?

Saturday morning we woke up at 6:30am...my children didn't get the memo that is was Saturday. This is a message I intend to explain to them over summer break! We spent the morning cuddling on the couch, eating breakfast, blowing bubbles with our amazing Thomas the Train whistle bubbles and watching Elijah's t-ball game. 

After Elijah's game, we came home and let Griffin squeeze in a quick nap. Seeing as the weather was beautiful, we headed to the Keely Park Sprayground to meet my friends Christina and Dan and their sweet girl, Amelia. If you haven't been before you should definitely check it out. It's entirely FREE and super fun!

After an afternoon at the the Sprayground we were definitely hungry! Thankfully, Brian's mom invited us over for dinner. We headed straight to her house for a quick and delicious dinner. We didn't say as long as we usually do because we were on a mission to get the boys to bed on time seeing as we had a surprise in store for the following day.

Sunday morning we work up bright and early to head to Tweetsie Railroad to spend a day out with Thomas. For my two train obsessed boys, this was HUGE! They were so excited to meet Thomas and ride along an actual railroad track. We also enjoyed all of the other activities that Tweetsie has to offer. The boys especially loved the Sky Lift and Mouse Train.

We had the best weekend we have had in a while! Weekends like this make me even more excited that I am able to spend the entire summer with my family!

{Weekend Adventures} 7 Year Wedding Anniversary Trip

Brian surprised me with a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for our anniversary! He arranged for his mom and dad to watch the boys for the weekend. This was a huge deal seeing as I've never been away from them for longer than one night. The fact that the boys are obsessed with spending time with their Nanny and Poppy made it so much easier to be away from them. 

During the four hour trip to Tennessee Brian and I discussed our plans for the weekend. He decided zip lining was the first activity on our "must do" list. I was extremely hesitant at first but so thankful I went along with the plan! Climb Works has created an amazing experience and is one Brian and I will forever remember. The course is made up of nine different zip lines, each one leading to the next. The view of the Great Smokey Mountains  is stunning! I began the experience slightly nervous and ended the experience planning our next sunset adventure! 

Next on the agenda was to tour Gatlinburg. We loved walking around town hand in hand and taking in the scenery. As if zip lining wasn't enough, we road the Sky Lift to take in another amazing view. We also used the magic of FaceTime to let Elijah and Griffin join in our adventure! 

Saturday morning we woke up to the most amazing view from our bed! I could seriously get used to this! 

After getting ready, we headed to Paula Deen's restaurant. Y'all, I can't even tell you how good the food was. It was seriously delicious! Seeing as I've been on a pretty strict diet the last couple months, I was in heaven! Haha! I love sweet tea but don't usually drink it due to the calories. Seeing as I was at Paula Deen's restaurant, I decided to splurge on it and I'm so glad I did! 

Following our yummy lunch, we decided to head to the Tanger Outlets to do some shopping and walk off some of the massive amount of food we had just eaten. These Outlets were the best I've ever been to. We walked around for hours and only went to half of the stores. I was super excited that I was able to score some great deals on new clothes that were greatly needed! 

After doing some damage to our bank account we decided to head over to Wonder Works where we laid on a bed of nails, felt hurricane force winds, found out our life expectancy, watched a magic show and much more! 

We ended the night with dinner and a game of putt-putt with beautiful mountains in the distance. 

Sunday morning Brian insisted that we head back to Paula Deen's to try out her breakfast menu. I have to say, it was even more delicius than our previous lunch. I opted out of the sweet tea this go round seeing as I was still recovering from the sugar spike the day before. 

After breakfast, we began our journey back home. We enjoyed every second of our trip and the uninterrupted time we were able to spend together will forever be treasured. I'm so looking forward to the next hundred years with this man and out little family! 

{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 12

Weight loss the past two weeks: 2lbs

Weight loss total: 23lbs

I didn't post last week because it had been Mother's Day and teacher appreciation week at school and I was just too scared to weight in. Haha! For me the scale is a mind game and if I weigh in and have gained weight I would lose motivation and feel discouraged despite all of the progress I have made. So, in an effort to avoid frustration, I didn't weigh in last week and chose to work extremely hard this week! I was shocked when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw a two pound weight loss! 

Remember my excitement when the first two numbers of my weight changed the first time? I am so extremely excited that I am 0.4lbs away from that happenening for the THIRD time during this journey! Wahoo! 

I'm looking forward to this week and staying on track despite Memorial Day weekend cookouts! 

{Weekend Adventures} Busy with a Splash of Scary

This weekend was a mix of busy, fun, productivity, and scary! 

After leaving school on Friday, I ran into town to pick up a few last minute additions to Elijah's new vintage train room in hopes of having everything I needed to begin the room makeover on Saturday. I also grabbed dinner to take home and headed home to spend the rest of the evening with my boys. 

I woke up early Saturday and headed to breakfast with my mom and niece. We went to Bojangles and I enjoyed my first cup of sweat tea in what feels like an eternity! It was delicious and worth every calorie! We stopped by Michaels on the way home to pick up a few frames I had failed to get on Friday. 

As soon as we arrived home it was time for Elijah's tball game. After a quick change of clothes we were back in the van and made it to his game right as it was starting! Whew! 

After the game it was finally time to tackle Elijah's room makeover. Thanks to my friend Sara, I managed to get a few areas of his room completed though I can't wait to share the final reveal! 

That evening I headed out with my mom to go shopping yet again. I managed to find not one, not two, but three elephant shirts! I'm slightly obsessed with elephants and have been for quite a while now. I'm so excited the rest of the world has joined in my obsession! 

I headed to bed shortly after returning home with every intention of an early bedtime....my tummy had other plans! After tossing and turning I decided to get up and tell Brian, who was watching the race, that I didn't feel right. I ensured him I would be ok and headed back to bed after getting some water. After about five minutes of laying back down I was literally rolled up into a ball trying to ease the pain in my stomach. It seriously felt like someone was stabbing me and twisting the knife on the inside! The pain kept getting worse which is what made me so concerned. I literally thought my stomach was going to rip open! When I finally made it into the living room with Brian, by crawling might I add, he insisted we go to the hospital and at this point I had to agree. Brian called mom and she came to watch the boys while we headed to the hospital. 

Upon arrival, I was quickly checked in and an ultrasound was requested seeing as they thought it may be my gallbladder. Soon after getting changed into my very stylish gown, my dad arrived! News travels fast in my family! Haha! While we waited for the ultrasound, I received a bag of IV fluid and acid neutralizer. The ultrasound was not nearly as fun as the ultrasounds I loved so much with the boys.

Thankfully my gallbladder was fine but they seem to think I have an ulcer. I'm awaiting a call from a GI doctor tomorrow to schedule an appointment with them go have a light/scope ran down my throat. This sounds super scary to me but will hopefully lead to answers for the crazy pain I was having! In the meantime, I'm on an acid blocker medication twice a day and a limited diet to help avoid another flare up! Fingers crossed that it works! 

Sunday was much more relaxing! Thanks to my amazing hubby, who was up until 3:30am with me, I was able to sleep in while he got the boys ready and took them to church. We spent the rest of the day resting and playing with the boys..my favorite kind of day! 

I hope everyone has a great week as we anticipate the upcoming holiday weekend! 

{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 10

Weight loss this week: 1.4 lbs 

Total weight loss: 20.6 lbs

I finally hit the 20 pounds milestone!! I am feeling super proud and so motivated to lose the rest of this weight! 

I'm feeling much more confident when eating out. When I first began this journey, going out to eat made me so nervous because I wasn't sure that I had the willpower to make good choices. I didn't like feeling like I was in control of what I was eating. 10 weeks in, I'm happy to report that eating out is back to being a fun event. 

When eating out I stick with the meat and veggie options and avoid bread. 

It was finally warm enough for me to wear a couple of the new outfits I have been so excited about. Did I mention I was in a size 6?!?? (previously a 10!) Yay! 

I've also continued the 100 squats a day challenge this week! I am loving the results! I'm getting so much stronger and can already see a change compared to my "before" picture! 

I'm looking forward to another great week and hopefully having the first two numbers in my weight change once again...fingers crossed! 

{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 9

Weight Loss this week: 1 lb

Total: 19 lbs

This week has been a great week for me! I've stuck to my diet despite eating out multiple times! I usually opted for chicken and veggies but when we tried out a new burger place for the first time I caved and got a burger. However, I got the low carb version! That was a good choice right? 

With nearly 20 pounds lost, I decided it was a good excuse to go shopping! I plan to lose at least 15 more pounds but I couldn't make it much longer in my old clothes! I was beginning to feel like I was going go work in my pajamas! 

Though I knew the scales showed I had lost weight I wasn't sure how that would reflect in my clothes. During my first trip to the dressing room I took two different sizes and ended up with smaller size!! I have gone down two sizes!!

I'm attending a wedding in May so seeing as I was super excited about my new dress size, I decided it was a good time to try on a dress that's appropriate for the upcoming occasion. My friend, Jade, and I had the best time trying on dresses!  This one was my favorite! What do you think? 

Recently I decided to start a 30 day squat challenge...I have no idea what I was thinking! I'm currently on day 3 and can barely walk! I also decided to try out Pure Barre this week because it only makes sense to start two new workouts in the same week, right? Pure Barre is intense to say the least. The movements were very different than I'm used to. Ouch! 

Overal, I am thrilled with my progress and can't wait to see what the future holds. 

 

{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 8

Weight Loss the past 2 Weeks: 4.4lbs
Total Weight Loss: 18 lbs

I didn't get to officially "weigh in" last week due to a spontaneous family trip to the beach. The trip to the beach, however, proved as an excellent test of my will power! Surrounded by people who indulged in yummy food quite frequently, I am proud to say that I managed to stay on track! I continued with my usual breakfast of eggs each morning. I didn't eat as frequently as I typically do but tried to squeeze in a few healthy snacks throughout the day. Each night we went out to dinner so I turned to my trusty Fitness Pal App and personal trainer brother to keep me on track. I made the following dinner choices, all of which were delicious!

Dinner choices:

Texas Roadhouse: 6oz sirloin, sauteed onions and a house salad with dressing on the side (No BREAD!)

Nakato Japanese Steakhouse: Hibachi chicken and veggies without the rice

Olive Garden: Half of the lunch portion Five cheese ziti

Is it possible to have dinner at the beach without an ice cream dessert? I don't know about your family but my family seems to think ice cream is a MUST after dinner out at the beach. Luckily, my in-laws love frozen yogurt so we enjoyed frozen yogurt after dinner each night. I chose a small cup of the fat free and no sugar added variety each night. At between 80-110 calories I was proud of my choices and happy to not feel deprived of a typical beach treat.

Upon arriving home, I am more motivated than ever to continue on my healthy eating plan. I feel like if I can survive a vacation while maintaining my diet then I most certainly can continue to do well at home.

This week I have discovered two new diet staples:

EAS Lean 15 Protein Powder I have started using this protein powder as my morning snack. It is honestly so good! It seriously tastes like a fudge pop. I'm definitely going to try freezing this and eating it as an ice cream.

PB 2 Powdered Peanut Butter This stuff is so weird but so good. It is peanut butter in powder form but has all the good protein of peanut butter without the fat and sugar of traditional peanut butter. This is the perfect compliment to apple slices.

I'm looking forward to another great week filled with healthy choices! 

{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 6

Lost this week: 1lb

Total weight loss: 14lbs

Let me just say, this week was tough! I definitely strayed away from my diet on several occasions by both eating more and eating less than I should. Needless to say, I am pretty excited that I still managed to lose a pound! 

I was on Spring Break from school most of this week. I always do better at school because I pack my lunch and plan my meals ahead of time. At home, however, I don't. We went out to eat several times and I was surrounded by Easter candy in my house. I did manage to make good choices while eating out! 

On both Saturday and Sunday I had Easter celebrations with my family. I ate a "real" plate of food and dessert at both places. Though I didn't eat as much as I would have previously, I did eat more than I should have. It was delicious and absolutely worth it! 

I was back at work Monday and Tuesday and back on track! Brian wanted to eat at Mexican food on Monday so we headed to Monterry. I love this as an option for eating out because I can order the fajitas, which I love, and skip the tortillas which allows me to have a yummy low carb dinner! 

On Tuesday I wore pants that were super tight the last time I wore them and I am thrilled to report...that isn't the case anymore. 

My goal is to lose 20 more pounds but I am super excited about my progress so far! 

{Family Fun} Spring Break

Due to a large amount of snow days, our Spring Break was shortened this year. However, I had THE BEST time with my little family!

On Wednesday, Brain and I decided to take the kiddos to daycare so that we could finish up finding goodies for their Easter baskets and spend some time together. As parents, we have found that date nights turn into date days quite often. Either way, we cherish our time together as a couple. After a successful shopping day and a yummy lunch at Phoenix Asian Cuisine, I headed to my much anticipated hair appointment.

Wednesday morning I was certain that I was going to change the color of my hair and keep the length the same. However, once I arrived at the salon and talked to my hair stylist I decided to keep the color the same and cut off a great deal of the length...seven inches to be exact! I love how it turned out and the fact that my drying time was cut in half makes me love it even more! What do you think?

Unfortunately, Brian had to work on Thursday so the boys and I decided to make the most of our day together. I started my morning with the boys off with yummy Easter themed pancakes. The boys LOVED them!

Brian and I decided that Friday would be a family fun day at Burlington City Park. I knew that the park had a train and seeing as my boys are obsessed with trains, we knew this was the perfect day trip. I wasn't expecting there to be so many other attractions that the boys loved. There was a carousel, boat ride, car track, air plane ride and playground. The best part is that it is super affordable. We bought two books of 10 tickets and only spent $16! We had a blast and will definitely be going back!

Saturday morning we had an Easter Egg hunt at the church I grew up in. It's always neat to see my kids participating in events that I did as a child, though it also makes me feel super old!

Next, we headed to see a monster truck crush some cars at a local mechanic shop.

Saturday evening we celebrated Easter with Brian's parents. We had a delicious steak dinner followed by an egg hunt for the kiddos. Do you see how strong the boy genes are in this family???

Easter morning was filled with two excited little boys! They both loved the gifts the Easter Bunny left them and spent most of the morning playing with their new trains and reading their new books.

After getting ready, we headed to church to celebrate the true meaning of Easter! We tried to take a few pictures outside of church but trying to get a picture of two boys looking and smiling in the same direction is nearly impossible!

Following church we went to my grandmother's house to celebrate Easter with my mom's side of the family. We had a yummy lunch and a family Easter egg hunt.

As you can see, we had a busy few days and I am forever grateful for my time with my family! Now counting down the days for our next family fun time....