Vegas Baby!

A little less than a month ago, we got a call from Rick's brother Doug letting us know that he was vacationing in Las Vegas with his girlfriend, and he was inviting us to join them. Rick's other brother Scot comes out to visit us in San Diego about once a year...but we haven't seen Rick's brother Doug since he came out to visit us when Wyatt was 4 weeks old...which was exactly 7 years ago...which means he has barely met Wyatt, and he has literally never met Beatrice.

Between Rick's opposition to flying on an airplane, and the cost to fly all 4 of us to Rick's hometown in the state of Indiana, we RARELY get to see Rick's family. :0(

So, when we got the call that Doug was going to be in Vegas, there was NO question as to whether we would meet up with him there...we.were.SO.there.

Las Vegas + Children = No bueno...but we were still going to go for a short time. Rick got a night off from work...and we booked a room at The Excalibur for $28...SCORE!

This was our first road trip as a family, and I thought it went GREAT! After all was said and done, I gave the kids a grade of 85% in the car...but Rick gave them a 70%, lol. He reminded me that we left our house at 6am, and after being on the road for a little over an hour, the kids were already asking for their packed lunches at 7am, lol. And then he reminded me that Wyatt asked us (literally) every 20 minutes, how much longer we had left to go. But, I then reminded Rick, that when we answered Wyatt's question, he had a joyful response every single time...even when we were stuck in traffic for over an hour...

Wyatt: How much time do we have left?

Me: 4 hours.

Wyatt: GREAT!

20 minutes later...

Wyatt: How much longer do we have to go?

Me: Still 4 hours.

Wyatt: Excellent mom!

20 minutes later...

Wyatt: How much longer now?

Me: STILL 4 hours.

Wyatt: Wow! We are making GREAT time!

HAHAHAHAHA! You can't penalize a kid for a positive attitude! :0)

After a five and half hour drive, lots of snacking, and just one bathroom break, we finally arrived at our hotel...



We immediately met up with Doug, and his girlfriend Deb (not pictured...SO bummed I didn't get a good picture of this lovely lady)...



And then we set out to walk "The Strip"...



We had such a great time looking at all of the beautiful hotels on the outside...







...and on the inside...







It was so much fun browsing through all of the stores...



Although, things turn a little sour when mom makes you pose for a picture after you've just been told that we aren't buying anything in this store...



And one of the most interesting parts of walking The Strip was seeing all of the "characters". When we first started walking, I caught a glimpse of Bert & Ernie from Sesame Street pretty far away from where we were. I was SO excited...I figured they must be in Vegas promoting something...I HAD to get the kid's picture with them! But after I flagged them down, I soon realized that the situation looked better when we were farther away. These were totally knock-off Bert & Ernie's...AND they had a donation jar in their hand...BOOOOOO! But since I had made such a comotion about getting their attention (DORK!), I felt obligated to still pay the piper, and get the picture. Neither of the kids wanted to pose with Bert and Ernie, but FORTUNATELY I got my more agreeable child to buck-up and take the picture, lol...



It turned out that there was nothing unique about Bert & Ernie traveling The Strip. There were TONS of characters and mock celebrities posing for pictures...with their money cans...with their half lit cigarette...and with their nearly empty bottles of booze. Apparently, this is how the homeless people make their living in Las Vegas now. Minnie Mouse, Garfield, Sonic The Hedgehog, Buzz Lightyear, and Bumble Bee from the Transformers, never looked so TORE UP! We only gave into the temptation of characters one more time...but what can I say!?...this guy is ALWAYS cool!...





After walking The Strip for a couple of hours, Rick and Doug got to spend some time together solo, and I took the littles back up to our hotel room. We had such a great view from our room...





But the kids could care less about our view. There were beds to be jumped on...



...pillow fights to be had...



...wrestling matches to be won...





...and gravity to be fought...









The kids had worked up quite an appetite, and so when the guys came back to the room, we were all ready for a Vegas buffet! But more about that in a different post. ;0)

We ended the night by playing for a little bit in the arcade...



...but then everyone was pretty exhausted from the day's adventures, and we were all in bed by 8pm for the Valentine episode of Wipeout on TV. :0)

I wish the kids had been so tired enough that they actually slept in the next morning...but that wasn't the case. In fact, the idea of sleeping in a new place had them up and excited even earlier then they usually wake up. They were up for good at 5:30 am. :0(

By 7am, their antsy pantsy excitement bought them a breakfast date with me, while Daddy got to sleep a little bit longer. :0)

It was a win-win...seriously. I had been so eager to eat at this restraunt, and the other adults weren't interested the day before, so this was my chance! We were off to Serendipity at Cesars Palace. :0)



The place was super fun!



And I had the cutest dates!





Serendipity is famous for their frozen hot chocolate...we chose the oreo flavor...yes, even at breakfast...





This meal together was definitely a highlight of the trip. :0)



And before we knew it...after we spent a few more hours with "Uncle Doug" & Deb, our 24 hour adventure in Vegas had come to an end, and it was time to get back on the road.

Five and half hours, no bathroom break, a couple of rounds of the alphabet searching game, and even more snacking, we were back home!

Dear Jennifer Hudson (Week 6)

Dear Jennifer Hudson,

This past week was the first week since I can remember that I didn't have any plans for "special eating." At the beginning of the year, I thought that I only had one baby shower to go to early in this year, and then there wouldn't be any distractions from my diet until my cousin's wedding in May. I was wrong. Not only had I forgotten about a few events, but in these last few weeks, new events have been orchestrated.

I'm just going to have to work through them...like I do every other day...dieting is a choice. Every day I make a choice...every meal I make a choice...every bite I make a choice.

I thought for sure this week was going to be easy though, since I didn't have a single event on the calendar. I was going to be determined and steadfast.

But then PMS set in. :0(

I didn't deter from the plan though...I chose not to deter from my goals. It's just that for a 48 hour time frame, it wasn't "easy" to be on a diet...in fact it was very hard.

And then there was the Superbowl. Rick and I purposely didn't make any plans because I didn't want a diet-distraction. But as soon as the game started, something came over me...I went into the kitchen and made BROWNIES! :-0

I was shocked at my lack of self control in making them. (Seriously, when am I going to stop being shocked? This was such an "Elizabeth" thing to do.)

But luckily, God is strong...when I am not.

EVERYONE should be shocked to hear that Rick and I both were satisfied with eating just ONE brownie...and after giving the kids each one also, we threw away the rest. :-0 They were SO good...but they were SO rich! I couldn't have eaten more than 1!

So that's about it for my week. My weigh-in today went GREAT! I am down another 3.4 pounds this week, for a 6 week total of 15.6 pounds...I'm SUPER HAPPY with my progress! :0)

Your Biggest Fan,
Elizabeth

P.S. Why don't you ever write me back!?

That's What He/She Said

I surprisingly didn't take many pictures of our adventures this past week. :0( And without a picture to remind me of our happenings, I can't even really remember what we did last week, LOL! Yep, I have the worst memory EVER!

However...I did make sure to bring out my camera on Friday and Saturday. And boy am I glad I did!

I will preface this post by saying, that on Friday, I brought Beatrice over to my sister's house so she could have fun with the little girls, while I got to take all of the boys on a trolley ride Downtown to watch the San Diego Symphony. After the symphony, we went back to Jenni's house for a little fun altogether, and then the kids and I brought Zachary (one of my nephews) home with us for a sleepover.

When I pulled the pictures off of my camera yesterday, I was laughing so hard at all of the random pictures!! In most cases, the images totally speak for themselves...

"We are waiting for the trolley...what do you THINK we are going to do with this rock!?"



"Yep, Climb it!"



"One minute, I am 'on top of the world', having the BEST time of my life..."



"...And the next minute, I am riding on a trolley, reading the paper, and carrying the weight of that world on my shoulders."



"30 minutes late for a 60 minute field trip...but we made it!!!"



"This is SO boring...I'm having the WORST time at the symphony!"



"...No, I am having the WORST time at the symphony!"



"I am having the best time EVER!!!"



"We had fun too!!!"



Brady- "Yep, this still isn't fun!"...Martin- "I told you guys, I was NOT going to be in this picture!"



Brady- "Oh great, now you are giving me a headache!"...Zack- "Are you sure this isn't where I put my trash?"...Wyatt- "Still having the best day EVER!"



"I'm so glad you guys are back to our house...Auntie, did you notice my shirt?"



"Rootbeer floats only ADD to my great day!"



"This rootbeer float is easing the pain from having to sit through 3 songs at the symphony."



"I don't just want a rootbeer float...I'll take a lemon cookie too, please."



"Wow! Waffles for dinner!?"



"Twins!!!"



Wyatt- "Could my eyes BE any bigger!?"...Zack- "Could my eyes BE any smaller!?"



"A moment of peace without our older brothers."



"We are easily distracted."

Dear Jennifer Hudson (Week 5)

Dear Jennifer Hudson,

Sorry it has been so long since I wrote you last. You may have thought that I was trying to avoid you because I didn't have such great news to share, but that is not the case...I've just been really busy the past few days.

I actually have pretty positive news to share with you from my most recent WW meeting...I shed the 4 pounds that I had gained the week before, plus an additional bonus pound...for a total of 5 pounds lost this past week. :0)

The first month of WW has come to an end, and for the month of January, I lost a total of 12.2 pounds. Not too shabby. ;0)

My weight loss is nothing drastic...and it's probably not noticeable to most people. after all, it's barely noticeable to me, lol. My pants ARE fitting a little looser, but I have not dropped a pants size or anything like that.

I would say that the most noticeable change I have, is just how GOOD I feel on the inside. I feel like my body has just undergone an oil change or something, lol. Obviously WW has a lot to do with that, consistent exercise has a lot to do with that, but more importantly, I think it's my actual food choices that have even MORE do with the way I feel!

February 1st marked the end to the first month of no fast food for this year. Even though, in the past, we didn't have fast food but more than once a week, it still feels SO GOOD to not be putting that garbage into my mouth! And, I am happy to report that I don't even miss it. Jennifer, I can't remember if I told you or not, but towards the end of last year, I had watched a documentary called, Food Inc., and it changed my perception of food...and since food is such a MAJOR part of who we are, and how we spend our day, I guess you could even say, that this movie has changed my life.

I fear that like many times in my life, the newness, and the passion for positive change will wear off, and I will return to my old (destructive) ways. I don't want that for me. I don't want that for my family of four.

I realize that I am only 1 month into this, but as far as fast food is concerned, I feel STRONG! When we get advertisements and coupons in the mail for fast food, I used to go from feeling totally fine, to STARVING in a matter of seconds!...literally! I would CRAVE the burger in the advertisement...I would begin plotting in my head when I would go out and try the new milkshake in the ad. And the same thing would happen when I would watch TV...when the Jack in the Box commercial would come on, I would long for the food on the screen. Often I would tell myself (and my husband), "Look at that deal! We HAVE to get that new combo meal!" But honestly, now, I look at those advertisements in the mail, I watch the commercials on the TV, and the food truly looks like POISON to me! The food is of NO desire to me. Now that I know what is IN that beef, I don't want to touch that greasy mess, slapped between two buns, and I don't want to pick up a pound of that at the grocery store. My prayer is that my desire (or, non-desire) for fast food, "normal" meat, and eggs from antibiotic and hormone pumped chickens, will stay the way that it is...that I will continue to CRAVE the beautiful and delicious produce that I am putting into my body...and that our Lord will continue to provide for my family so that we can continue to afford to buy organic dairy products, and healthy food/fuel for the four of us in our home. My grocery budget may be slim compared to others...but it is enough! :0)

(Stepping off of my soap box now)

The one area that I still have a mental struggle with, is the area of "baking and treats." I have put a pause on my little home bakery business, which is totally fine and dandy. But just for events and holidays, and gatherings, etc., my mind is still in baking mode. With Valentines approaching, my schedule is pretty busy with parties. We have my mommies group party, my MOPS group playdate party, our MOPS Valentine themed meeting, and our Awana Valentine themed night. Most of these events are potluck style. In the past, I usually always sign up to bring cupcakes or cookies. I.LOVE.TO.BAKE. And even with the lifestyle changes I have made this past month, my knee jerk reaction to the food-sign-up-sheets has been to sign up to bring a sugary treat! The first time the list came my way, I was going to bake cupcakes...but before I hit "send" on my email, I did a mental check-up, and said, "Elizabeth, you did not quit your bakery business because you hate to get PAID to bake treats (lol)...you paused your business because you can't be TRUSTED around cake batter, and scraps of cookie dough! No business means, NO BAKING, period." That was a hard reality check. I changed my food from bringing cupcakes, to bringing fruit. I felt like I dodged a bullet!

But would you believe that with the next 2 lists that came my way, I made the SAME initial poor judgement!? I even went as far as planning the design of these treats! GOSH, I can be SO dense! :0( I don't remember when/how I had my moment of clarity, but eventually, it clicked, "You are doing it AGAAAAAAIN!"

For right now, I am not cupcake mom, cake-pop friend, or a sugar-cookie wife.

For right now, I need to be fruit bowl mom, vegetable tray friend, and something-non-related-to-food wife.

I would be naive to think I won't have this exact mental battle in my near future...maybe even tomorrow. Most of my old ways are just second nature to me. DEFINITELY baking is second nature to me.

Some days, and in some moments, I forget that there is (supposed to be) a revised "me."

When I make those sacrifices, and not baking really IS a sacrifice for me, I tend to question how bad I actually want the revised me.

And the answer remains: I REALLY REALLY want it! I don't just want to be thin. I want to be healthy from the inside out!

Your biggest fan,
Elizabeth

P.S. I requested your new book from the library...there are only 14 people ahead of me in line to read it. :0)