Getting In The WW Zone

So, five years and two kids later, all the weight I lost doing WW is back. I decided to join Weight Watchers again and try to get it off again. I am exactly the weight I was the last time I joined. I think I lost bout 35 or 40 pounds in about a year. Well, it's all back. I just want to loose 30 by the end of the year. I think that is a resonable goal. Gives me 8 months. About 4 pounds a month. We shall see how well it works this time around. I just hope I can get Kevin to stay on track with me. He's carrying some baby weight as well.
So I joined today, but I'm having one last blow out tonight. Corie is coming over for diner. Kevin is making BBQ pizza and chicken in hot win sauce. So, here goes nothing!!

getting to know our neighbors

We've lived here for 5 1/2 years and really never hung out with any of our neighbors. Ok, one, but one time. So, that one neighbor called us and said he was having a bbq and invited us to join. Great! Last weekend was in the 90's and beautiful, well this weekend was upper 60's and breezy. SO, an outside bbq wasn't the best, but we made due. We all got bundled up. Yes, for my Indiana family, that means we need to 'bundle' up. One family has five kids, the youngest being 4, so Mary had a blast. They were all boys and so they played a little rough, but she kept her own and hung in there. We had bbq burgers and beer. It was great fun to hang out and be in walking distance to the house. We were able to put the kids to bed and bring the monitor over and still hang out and enjoy ourselves. Someone brought over a fire pit and so we all sat around it to keep warm. It was like camping. Fun Fun!

4 Months

Teresa is already 4 months old. I can't believe it! She's growing like a weed. She had her 4 month check up today and she is 16.6 pounds, 95% range, and 26 inches long, 90% range. She's a porker. I talked to the doctor about how much she eats and sleeps and he said that is all good. She's growing at a steady rate and is physically just fine. He said not to worry, she's healthy and happy. He thinks she's above average, more like a 6 month old. Well, she certainly looks like she's 6 months. She can already roll over from her back to her tummy and has once rolled back onto her back. She loves to stand with help and has great eye contact. The doctor was very impressed. Well, duh, she's my child. = ) We just have to try to get her fingers figured out. We do have an apt with a hand specialist/surgeon on May 7th. We hope to find out more then. But, she's happy and growing strong, which is all that matters.

Everyone Is Home!!

Well, everyone is home from Baja!!! We went over last night to see mom, dad, Amy, and Matt. So nice to see them after 10 days. Mary was in Papa heaven. It took a while for her to give Nana any love, but she did eventually. So now it's back to reality with everyone home. They kept Mary over night last night so I'm enjoying my quieter morning with only Teresa.

This was Mary at El Torrito this weekend. Her kids meal came with a big sundae at the end. Well, she was not going to share that. She had a good grip on it as daddy had his spoon and trying to dip into it. haha It was pretty darn cute.

My My My Big Girl Mary

Oh the joys of being a mommy of a 2 1/2 year old. She's growing up so fast and becoming a little girl. We have begun the 'why' stage. Oh how fun that is. NOT! This is how a typical conversation goes.......
Mary I need you to clean up your toys
Why?
I need to see the floor.
Why?
We need a place to walk.
Why?
So we can make it from here to the couch.
Why?
So mommy and daddy don't trip and fall.
Why?
We don't want to get hurt.
Why?
Do you like to get hurt?
No?
Ok, now pick up your toys please.
WHY???
UGH, that's where I give up and start to take away toys and then she gets the picture and puts them away. BUT, this is a daily conversation, if not hourly. Fun Fun!
THEN, we are getting more jealous every day about Teresa. Now we will hit, poke, bite, and throw things at our sister because she's upset. It's REALLY hard to get anything done out of the room we are in and leave the two together. I'm not quite sure how to get her over this stage and we all survive. She will be such a good helper at times and give her sister love, but then there is the other 80% of the day. It'll get better, I know.
So, we move on with growing up. Everyone is still in Baja and so she has not had any alone attention time. They will be home on Sunday and I'm sure I"ll bombard them with the kids. I need some mommy time. But it's been good for all of us to try to survive just us, w/out any help. It's all good. We are a family and we need to know how to deal with each other, right?

Easter 2009

This Easter, since we did not end up in Mexico as usual, we spent it with Kevin's family. We had a nice day at his sister's house, Linda. All the Brochtrup brothers and sisters were there with kids. It turned out to be a beautiful day in the high 70's. Mary and Teresa had matching dress' on from Walmart. Teresa was a happy baby and took all her pictures. Mary on the other hand did not want anything to do with a picture. I'm lucky I got what I got. It was a fun day. We missed being at the beach with everyone else in Mexico, but we made due and had fun anyway.

Pees Pees bring out the diaper Genee!!

Today I started to give Teresa pees. WELL, she loved them and between two feedings ate a whole jar. Well, after dinner Kevin smelt something. I was in the kitchen doing dishes when I heard him cry out. haha Teresa had done one heck of a stinky poop. Oh those lovely solid food poops! The feeding fun starts!

Rough Thursday

Today, Thursday, is the day we were supposed to be leaving for Baja for our annual April trip. Everyone left today, but not us. Poor Kevin has to stay here to work, so we can't go. It really stinks, but has to be done. Growing up really stinks. I have only missed one other trip. This one has been really hard. Last night we went over to mom and dad's for dinner and to say bye. It was really hard to see the motorhome ready to go with the buggy hooked up. I just had to hold my breath and drive away. Hopefully Kevin will be able to leave his job for a week sometime in October so we can try to go down then. But we need to make money and in this economy I'm just happy he has a job. This is going to be a long 10 days, but we will survive.

Officially A Camping Family

This weekend we went on our first camping trip as a family of 4. I dreaded the thought of how we were all going to get stuff for two adults and two kids and sleep in the motorhome. WELL, it wasn't as bad as I was thinking. THANK GOD!

We arrived about noon and got settled in. We all had a little lunch and then dad and Mary went down to the beach for some sand fun! The tide was out nice and far so they could play on the wet sand. It's more fun to make sand castles on the wet sand. Mary loved it!

That night was a little windy so we didn't get to have a camp fire. We stayed in and made dinner. We had brought a personal DVD player and so we all huddled around that and watched a Simpsons DVD for a bit. Then we headed for an early night. Mary got to sleep on the fold out couch, which folds in half long ways and is "supposed" to be the size of a double bed. NOT! Anyway, I had gotten a bed railing for it and she slept there in a sleeping bag. Teresa was on the dinette, which folds down. We put them to bed and they were fine. WELL, 12:30 or so Teresa was fussing. Normally at home I'd let her fuss her way back to sleep. In the motorhome, next to Mary, I didn't really want to do that. So, I made the mistake of picking her up and then changing her diaper. THEN she was awake and the only way to get her to go down again was to feed her. I have not fed her in the middle of the night for a couple weeks now. Well, she went back to sleep and so I went back to bed. Now I was up and could not go back to sleep. Which was fine because an hour or two later I hear Mary hit the railing and then it falls to the ground and then PLOP goes Mary on the floor too. So I jump up to get her. What a first night night camping. SO, then Kevin gets up and fixes her bed and I put her back down. ALL's GOOD, except I still can't sleep. SO much for a good nights sleep. I think I eventually fell asleep about 4am and then we were all up at 6:30. OH WELL!

Our first full day at the beach! We get up and have some breakfast and then Kevin and Mary are off to play in the sand. Fun Fun. Teresa is enjoying it as much as she can. She is not really one to be taken out of her 'routine' yet. Oh well, she makes due. We decide to head to town about 11 for a beer at the brewery. We stop at a 2nd hand kids store on the way and sucker dad buys her a doll. Like we need another doll around. ANYWAY, it turned out to be the best $12 spent that weekend. It kept her entertained while we sat at the brewery and had a beer. AND we were not the only ones in there with kids. This was Teresa's first trip there, well second, since the last time I was there I was pregnant with her. Then we went to The Spot for our traditional cheese burger lunch. They have the best cheese burgers in town. Ok, there are not a lot, but I'd drive an hour and 15 minutes for one. Mary had a corn dog and ate almost the whole thing because we kept threatening to take away her new doll.

Now back to the motorhome to wait for mom and dad to come hang out for the afternoon and dinner. They showed up about 2. The weather was GREAT! The internet kept saying high 60's and windy. Well, to me that is cold so I packed all warm stuff for myself and a few lighter things for the kids. Well, I wanted shorts. Luckily I packed a t-shirt just in case. Well, I wore that t-shirt for 2 days. Hey, we're camping, who cares.

Anyway, so mom and dad show up and we hang out and all that good stuff. Kevin cooks up a yummy steak and shrimp and mom brought a salad. Good Good Food. There wasn't much wind, if any that night so we got to have a fire, Mary's first camp fire. I made sure I had marsh mellows and all the smore fixin's. She LOVED it! The Marsh mellows were her favorite part. She didn't care much for the whole smore things with all the chocolate and graham cracker.
But she still had to try it all and make a mess on her face, naturally. It what camping is all about, right?!
Overall, it was a super super weekend. I am so glad we got the first trip out of the way and can make adjustments where needed. Mary had so much fun and I can't wait to do it again. It will be so much fun about 2 years from now when the two of them can play together in the sand. Growing up is so much fun!!!

This weekend was our first time camping as a family of 4! I was dreading the thought of us with two kids, and all the stuff that goes along with it, in the motorhome. WELL, it wasn't as bad as I expected. I guess if you expect the worse it can only get better, and it did. We arrived Friday about noonish. Our spot was empty so we pulled on in, well backed in. Here we are in our spot all unloaded and ready for fun!!

Next we ate some lunch. Mary sat in her seat at the table and was able to eat right there. While Kevin and I scarfed down our left over pizza from the night before. Pizza is our traditional dinner before we go anywhere. It works out to have left overs to much on while you are driving.

NOw it's time to check out the beach!! Kevin took Mary down to the water and to the sand. Where we were camped you did not have a real beach to sit on. When the tide was out then you were able to play on the wet sand, otherwise you had to walk down the the camp ground below for dry sand. So, the tide was out so then went to the wet sand.

We can officially roll

Today Teresa official rolled over by herself. This morning I heard her fussing in the other room and so I went to check on her. I figured Mary was buggin' her or something. Well, she was on her tummy and I had left her on her back. WAHOO We rolled over!! Then I thought that maybe Mary helped her, since she sees us do that to her. So while Mary was napping I decided to sit on the floor and watch Teresa and see if she would do it. Well, she did. It was a very slow roll, but she did it. She wasn't really happy once she got there, but she kept wanting to do it. She had to figure out how to get that tub of chunk over her arm, and she did!!!