It's almost MARCH?!?!? What???

Seriously, where did February disappear to? I know, we have been so busy planning 2 vacations (France in a few weeks and Orlando in June), training for cycling races, flying airplanes, coordinating classrooms and MOPS meetings, figuring out what to do for kindergarten next year, getting pugs adopted, taxes (nice return this year, woo hoo), teaching Andon and Avery right from wrong (no easy task) and applying for The Amazing Race!!! That's not including our day to day stuff like cleaning and grocery shopping! SOOOO, if I have failed to stay in touch with you, now you know why!

We have been WAYYYY over-scheduled lately...not intentionallly, just lots happening. I think the kids are on crazy mode now that it's back in the 80's again. Some sort of weird, goofy shift occurs when the weather starts to warm up. I think we'll stay here though so hopefully the transition will happen fast!

I am loving my new position as N-2's Director at our church. We are finally getting used to the change in schedule. I have been working on establishing a new, strong steering team for our next MOPS year and we are well on our way! I will be stepping down this year, which will be hard after 4 years of leadership, but it's on to the next chapter of work, being an involved kindergarten mom, soccer games and more!

Mark is still flying people around the country and cycling around the valley. He helped get Focus Racing, a cycling team for the bike shop that he is attached to! It's still in the baby stages but they are official!

Andon is still as energetic as ever! He has started to calm down a little bit though as he learns self-control. He's doing very well in preschool and LVOVES going to school! Right now he is into riding the big bike (he's done with the Thomas bike) without training wheels and anything outside...although he only wants to wear pants and long sleeves for some reason!

Avery is a smarty pants! SHe is reading and writing anything and everything...the other day she read "Available" on a sign as we were driving to school! She has started with little readers at school and usually reads them once or twice and it ready to read it to the teacher. She loves to draw, sing, dance, read and write! Her next tap recital is next week and her teacher wishes she was 6 so she could move up to the next level because she's ready....doesn't she know that they grow up too fast as it is!?!?!

We drove up to The Natural Bridge last Friday and it's a good thing because as on Monday they closed the park due to funding. It's one of my favorite places to drive to and spend the day...maybe they'll reopen it in the future.

We still have our foster pug, Charlie, or as Mark calls him, "Old Man River". He's a good dog though so we don't mind him hanging around!

Well, that's enough rambling for now....hopefully I'll get on here more often!

Cracking Coconuts!

In our producce co-op basket this week there was a coconut....what do we do with a coconut??? Well we dug out the cookbook and found some info on getting the meat out. First we poked the eyes out with a screwdriver to get the juice out...not to be confused with coconut milk, which you have to make by cooking milk or water with the meat and straining it, who knew? The juice was really sweet and yummy but like the people on Survivor, I can get sick of it real quick! Then we put it in a baggie, wrapped it in a towel and hammered the heck out of it! It cracked open but we still couldn't get the meat loose. So, as instructed, we put it in the oven for 15 minutes and it loosened up...not without some prying though! The kids didn't like the meat but we chopped it up in the food processor and it's now sleeping peacefully in our freezer for future use in cookies, smoothies or pina coladas. Here is the one before picture we managed to snap before all the excitement began...

General Updates

Well, I'm just going to type away...
Today was my first official day as the N-2's Director. While it has taken about a week to get the major parts learned, I still feel like I have a lot of little things to learn. I do feel like I am able to start being creative now and have started a new theme in the classrooms that I am so excited to develop...Planting the Seeds of Faith. My job is primarily overseeing curriculum and nurturing, growing and developing the teachers and volunteers. Lots of hospitality which I love to do! I'm teaching the teachers and that's also something I love to do! I think that once I get the general routine and feel comfortable with what I'm doing, I'll be able to really have a blast with things! I have some great ideas that I plan on developing!

Avery started Tap,Jazz and Acro Intermediate last night. She loves it and it gives Andon and I soome date time at the library right next door. Andon will be starting TIny Tots Tennis tomorrow. He has played it on the Nintendo Wii at mom's house and has wanted to play it ever since. It works out that class is the same length as Avery's, 8 weeks, and we'll see how he does. We bought him his first raquet and tennis balls and he is SOOO excited to use them!

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!!! That's right, we are spending 8 days, 7 nights in Disney World with the Chicago Bibbeys. We arrive on Avery and Andon's 5th birthday and we will get a $75 gift card each for them to spend on goodies!!! They have the promotion where you get in free on your birthday in 2009 and since we purchased the 8 day park passes they get to choose one of the other options, the one of most value is the gift card worth the amount of a 1 day admission pass. Mark does not know his schedule yet and may only have a few days off but we'll do all we can to get him there as much as we can! DW has such a great promotion through June where you buy 4 nights you get 3 free...that includes tickets! We also don't have to get a rental car because we are staying at a Disney hotel we get free transportion! Because we are traveling with more than 8 people we get to do some Grand Gathering events...not quite sure what we can all do with that but it's supposed to be pretty cool.

Well, it's 10:45 and I need to get to bed....

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Tonight at dinner I asked Avery and Andon what they wanted to be or do when they grow up and Avery jumped right in saying:
I want to fly to outer space
I want to milk a cow
I want to pet a sheep (which they have done already...check!)

Christmas Eve, Day, Trains

Christmas was a nice and relaxing time for us this year. Mark had to work on Christmas Day and Eve so we e-mailed Santa and asked him to come a day late....he obliged! On our Christmas Eve, mom, Dave, Andy and the kids and I all just literally hung out and munched goodies all day. Christmas morning brought a fun time, bright and early. We opened presents and enjoyed time as a family once again...this time with Mark. Mom got Rock Band 2 and Mario Kart for her Wii and we had fun with that. Andon and mark played with the train a lot and we got some really cute pictures of them doing so...especially Andon. The pictures of the kids all dressed up was on the real Christmas Eve before we headed out to church. The kids did really well as they sat in the "grown up" room together. Hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas!

Weight Loss...Almost 1 year Later

Well, I write this 28 lbs lighter and at least 27 inches smaller! I started the year with my first boot camp, did Hot Mommy Boot Camp this summer and have completed the rest on my own cycling, changing my diet and staying motivated! I have lost 6.3% body fat, most of which was after my boot camps were over and I am now in my size 6's again! I even bought a size 4 pair of jeans for the first time since I can remember! I feel great and have included some before pics and recent pics...I can really notice the change in my face. It's funny how few pictures there are of me before I lost weight...I guess that I was subconsciously avoiding the evidence! I am really proud of myself and although I am still battling those last 4 or 5 lbs (which I am trying to shed before February...the last ones are the hardest though), I am still extremely happy! It took a year but it should stay off!!! Now watch, we'll get pregnant again and the journey will begin once again!

First two are me around my heaviest...


The next pic is a cycling shot from September...

One in October...

Taken end of November...

This blows me away...
BEFORE
AFTER

Merry Christ-Mas!

The gap that we could never reach across was bridged when God Himself came down, in the flesh of Jesus Christ, to forever carry our burdens of sin. A gift that is readily given to all who shall receive it...let us celebrate the birth of that gift. May He be remembered this Christ-mas and may blessings of joy be received!
Love,
January