Constant Beginnings

So, the sale of our house is moving forward. The home inspection should be done this week, we are in the process of packing and hopefully, looking forward to a close at the end of February. With all of this activity, we've also had to seriously seek out some housing arrangements for the next year while Chris is in Korea. It has been a bit of a challenge with our dog, combined with my higher standards of living. I mean really, is it too much to ask not to have crap smeared on the walls, closet doors on the closets, or no urine stains on the carpet? Yucko. We had a difficult time envisioning Mya crawling around on floors like that. And that, folks is what we were up against. That being said, we did find one place that was decent--granted a prison was just down the road, it would have added 15 minutes to my commute, and we would have been in the middle of the woods, but it would have been okay as far as living arrangements were concerned. However, through this whole process, my b...

Hopefully I am not jinxing anything, but Claire has officially stopped stuttering. It truly was an overnight change. Tuesday night it was gone and hasn't been back. Just for documentation purposes and because it is my profession, I need to describe her disfluencies. You can stop reading if you'd like as it will most likely bore you to death... -part word, whole word repetitions with sound prolongations in later weeks -mostly occuring on words with "w" or "m"--bilabial sounds -got significantly worse before better--sometimes repeating a sound 15 times -began to modify her own speech by exaggerating it..accompanied by moving her jaw up and looking upwards too. -no secondaries -more severe when tired -never seemed aware of her disfluencies -lasted for about 6 weeks Glad it is gone!!

i struck gold this weekend, finding several great clothing bargains for our kiddos. in fact, i got these two outfits for only $5.00 each. love them--matching, funky and oh so cute. $5.00 was the price of the weekend--2 pairs of pants at old navy for claire; one oshkosh sweatshirt for claire; one carter's fleece outfit for claire; one carter's outfit for mya. all for just 5 bucks each. you can't beat that. i love a good bargain.

being cooped up over the winter months is definitely one downside to new england life. snow is fun, but not so much for a two year old or 8 month old little kid. last weekend i found a great place online--funworld n.h. we drove up to nashua and had a great day. claire really enjoyed the beautifully painted, huge, 2 story carousel and riding on some of the kiddie rides.they had a huge ball pit complete with multilevel play tunnels. claire wasn't so willing to explore on her own, so with my encouragement, chris took her inside. mya was entertained simply hanging out in her stroller or riding the motorcycle. she has a need for speed--okay, maybe we just posed her on the bike. maybe. god knows i wouldn't let my kid ride a motorcycle let alone without a helmet--EVER!! i hate motorcycles. anyway, funworld was a world of fun and it didn't even cost alot. the highlight to claire's trip was the stamp she received on her hand. we brought her to the playground at the mall this w...

well, it has been quite a week on the healthy eating/exercising front. we sort of fell off the wagon and ate out a couple of times. our food choices were basically within the parameters of the diet plan, but i am sure they were far from acceptably prepared. the interesting thing is the amount of food we were NOT able to finish. typically, we'd eat some of an appetizer and our entire meal, but this time, i was full before i even got the meal and chris ate a few bites of his steak and he was full. it was kind of amazing and sickening at the same time. it is hard to believe how much food/calories we must have been eating/consuming. that being said, we DID stick to our exercising even when we really didn't have the desire or motivation to do so. we did the dvd's each night and both chris and i managed to make to the gym for an extra round of cardio 3 times last week. we are quite happy with the results. chris (after 3 weeks): chest -2 inches waist -2.5 inches hips -2.5 inc...

We have been working on teaching Claire her colors. I found a great little cookie recipe that I thought would be the perfect hands-on lesson--Playdough Cookies (sitsgirlsrecipes.blogspot.com). They were definitely a hit. We talked about the colors, rolled them out with our hands and molded them into cookie-like lollipops. She was so excited to bring them to daycare to share with her friends. They were equally as excited. Here is the recipe: Playdough Cookies 3/4 c. butter 3 oz. cream cheese 1 c sugar 1 egg 1 t vanilla extract 2 3/4 c flour 1 t baking powder 1/4 t salt assorted food coloring 1. In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Beat until smooth. 2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir until soft dough forms. 3. Divide into fourths. Tint each "fourth" with a different food color. Wrap in plastic or put in a ziploc bag and refridgerate for 2 hours (we put ours in the freezer for 15 min...

Dearest Claire, Two years and six months ago, my life changed far beyond what I thought possible. You were born and we were blessed. So blessed. You have made our lives so rich, filled with love, laughter and immense happiness each and everyday. At two years and six months, you are such a little thang. You are miss independent, wanting to do everything yourself and for yourself. While this is independence is supported, it doesn't mean Daddy and I don't get frustrated--like when we are running out the door, but you need to put your shoes on for yourself, or washing your own body/hair, or when you are already late for bed, but you need to brush your teeth for yourself, or when we trying to get dinner on the table, but you need to fill your cup for yourself. Ahhh. We have to take lots of deep breaths and remember to pick our battles. That being said, our frustrations easily subside when we see all that you can do. You recently began putting your jacket on in a new way. You lay it...

we've finished week 2. it has been a challenge as chris was away and i was doing my single parenting thing. all in all we did pretty well. we decided to break out the measuring tape to give ourselves an extra boost of motivation. this is what we discovered. kara--lost 3 inches in EACH leg; 1/2 inch around my chest; 1 inch around my waist= 7.5 inches lost! chris--lost 1.5 inches around his hips; 1 inch around his chest; 1.5 inches around his waist; 1 inch around his legs=5 inches lost! kara -5 pounds total Chris -6 pounds total we're thrilled with these great results. we are adding a bit more cardio this week, so hopefully the progress will keep coming.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com mya just turned 8 months and to comemmorate the occasion, she decided to crawl. she has been scooting around for the past couple of weeks, but hadn't really been able to do anything more than a good old army crawl; however, she has worked beyond and is beginning to do a leap frog type action with a few true crawls thrown in. it is quite fun to see her mobile, although it has made life a bit more challenging too. we have to pay a bit more attention to what is on the floor. otherwise, she continues to be a delight each and every day. she still has just two teeth, eats nearly everything and anything, but wants nothing more than to have or do what her big sister is having or doing. claire is the only one who can make her laugh for 5 minutes straight. no lie. she is totally smitten. i am trying to savor each and every moment, but find myself looking ahead to the great times that they will have together. mya has officially transitioned in...

is a food scale. such a scary idea, but the food scale is a great little tool. i have "dieted" in the past, but followed the rules of thumb, such as 3 oz of meat being approximately the size of the palm of your hand. this method was far from exact, which is probably why my results on those diets were a bit slower to see. anyway, part of the diet portion of our plan specifies exact portion sizes. needless to say, we've been becoming slaves of the scale--food scale that is. it has been slightly eye-opening just how few cashews you get in 1 oz. or just how much 1/2 cup of rice actually is. we've been doing really well. weighing our food is pretty impressive in my opinion, but i am even more amazed at our willpower. we've held strong to our diet and workouts (although I'd rather not talk about the yoga--i think i only made it 20 minutes.) i don't think we've actually gone without eating take out food for two weeks since we've been married and i am pr...

Well, we've survived week one. It has been a tough week at least from a time management perspective. Dividing our time between quality time with our children, prepping our food for the next day and our 1.5 hours (yes, 1.5 hours!!) of exercise per night has made for some jam packed evenings. I have hardly watched any tv, which I guess is good, but I love my TV! I am focusing on the long-term here, consequently, making a major lifestyle shift. Things are going well. I am sore, but feel great. I have energy and feel stronger. I can't say that I have noticed a difference in the way my clothes are fitting, but I suppose that will come. The big highlight to my week was the weigh-in this morning---4 lbs. less than last week! Awesome motivation! Today is my day off from exercising. Chris just took off for another week long trip, so the kiddos and I are going to hang out and play all day. Should be a great way to spend a Sunday. Goal: -40 pounds Progress: -4 pounds 36 pounds to go

Mya modeling her Christmas outfit and her hand. check out the shoes. too cute. the girls were dressed identically...my favorite! claire modeling her christmas outfit. i loved these outfits and was very sad when our christmas eve delay prevented us from going to church. we didn't even dress our girls up after all. I am a huge fan of online shopping. There is nothing better to me than the thrill of ordering something and having it arrive on my doorstep days letter. Each time a package arrives, I get a high similar to a child on Christmas. It is awesome. I do a lot of my shopping online. I recently discovered ebates.com. Love it. Their site connects you with the stores you want to shop, and you actually get a percentage of your purchase returned each quarter. Although .90 may not seem like much, it actually accumulates to be a pretty decent size amount. Can't wait until February when we get our first check. I also am a HUGE fan of etsy.com. I've been shopping on etsy ...

We are four days into our new exercise/eating plan and this is what we feel like: We are TIRED! I have never done so many different types of push-ups or squats in my life. I am being thrown back to the hell of my preseason basketball days. Definitely a pain I've never wanted to relive. My muscles are screaming. Despite our physical pain, the eating part is rather easy. We've eaten fish, chicken, turkey, egg whites galore, low fat cheeses and lots of fruits and vegetables. Things are looking good. I've even made Claire ice cream with chocolate (MY FAV!!) and opened a lunchable for her only to find a delectable Hershey's Peanut Butter cup inside (mmm...mouth watering at the thought :) without having a bit!!. That is monumental. I am holding strong! Yahoo! Can't say I've noticed a difference on the scale yet, but realistically, I probably won't. I think I'll have to focus more on how my clothes are fitting as I will be turning this fat into muscle. I wi...

So I've been wavering back and forth about how much information I am going to share with ye old blogworld. I've expressed my thoughts and received much encouragement (;) Alison), so I guess it was the push I needed. 2009 was a mixed year. it marked the most wonderful blessing on the birth of our daughter, Mya, but it has been tough. raising a child completely different in personality and demeanor from our first has been a huge challenge. we've finally gotten her figured out, but now we're facing different challenges--sleeping in her own crib. in 2009 we said goodbye to a truly awesome lady--my grandma dorothy. that was tough and even tougher this first christmas without her presence at our table. chris was gone for 4 months in 2009 and traveled frequently more recently. single parenthood is tough. anyway, through all that, i've managed to fall into the never ending hole of self-neglect. therefore, i am making the ever popu...

We decided to do Christmas early....and so it continues. Santa informed us that he wanted some peanut butter cookies left for him, so Claire and I got busy. We whipped up a batch of peanut butter blossoms and left a few out for the big guy on Friday night. Saturday morning the presents were left and Claire was overwhelmed. She wanted to play with each and every thing as soon as she opened them and didn't quite like the promptings to continue opening more. Mya, on the other hand, was perfectly content nawing on the packages or pieces of paper strewn around the floor. By the end of the morning, we had a princess (Sleeping Beauty) complete with coordinating high heels (or slippers as Claire calls them) and a pink backpack. That Santa knew that Claire has a few a long airplane rides in her future and set her up with a backpack, books, Hello Kitty lip stuff and paintless paints. He did a great job. Mya got this great little musical activity table, some books and a ball to...

today was a big day for our family. after what has been a long, sometimes difficult journey, chris has become a captain. i am so proud of all he has accomplished. it is strange to think that we have been on this journey together since he was a lowly airman.  he was honored in a ceremony on the base where claire, his dad and i placed his new rank on his uniform. i have had the pleasure of placing three different ranks on that uniform throughout his career as an officer, but this is the first for his dad. it was special. his dad is obviously very proud of his son. his pride gleamed through as he looked at chris' ribbons on his uniform, as he spoke of chris' military accomplishments and his childhood. again, this was a special day. claire showed her love and admiration for her daddy. she  couldn't understand why he wouldn't sit beside her or pick her up during the ceremony, but as she cried when i pulled her away, that love and respect for her daddy was witn...

All done. Claire holding her princess toothbrush. Claire and Luke. Claire just saw Dr. Bryce approaching and his definitely sending him a message. Claire getting her teeth brushed by the hygienist. Claire had her first experience with the dentist. It went great. We'd been practicing for a couple of days, trying to give her an idea of what to expect. Her cousin Luke came with us. He also gave her the low-down on prizes, balloons and toothbrushes. She was excited. Claire chose a princess toothbrush, opened well for the hygenist, allowed her to brush her teeth, but was not so sure about Dr. Bryce. Poor guy. He tried so hard and was soooo nice. He sang to her and tried to win her over, but he only got a partially opened mouth in response. Claire did a bit better at the end, but hopefully next time she's great from the start. She has no cavities and he said she is doing a great job brushing. He was pleased that she was off the bottle at 1 and stopped with the paci at 2. Bec...

Mya sporting 2 teeth!! Mya with her wrinkled nose. Mya and Ava. Claire and Ava. Claire, Ava and Olivia waiting patiently to eat Christmas dinner. Mya showing off. She has taken a huge liking to standing. This was taken during our 12 hour stay at the MSP airport. Torture. Claire and her Papa. Mya and her mullet. She actually liked wearing this thing. She must have some redneck in her. Where are Luke and Olivia? After the huge snowfall, we all went out to play. Christmas Day dinner. Claire working on her ornament. Claire, Olivia, Luke and Ava playing in the snow. Claire getting ready for some sledding fun or not so much. She wasn't a huge fan. Grammy bought art kits for the kids to do. Claire and Ava were waiting patiently to begin. Kiddos handing out presents. Claire handing out presents. Claire opening presents with encouragement from Ava. These two were best buds. After a very long Christmas Eve day, we finally arrived in North Dakota. There was...