Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On!

I don't know if you are aware or not, but I've been on a weight-loss mission since just before Halloween. Probably not the ideal time to start loosing weight, but what they heck! I was determined more than ever to be successful this time.

I've made up mini-goals along the way. My first was to fit into my pre-preggo jeans, which happened right about the same time as my second mini goal. The second mini goal was to break out of of the first weight decade if you will (i.e. 129 from the 130's, please don't misunderstand, I'm not there yet! That's just an example) :) So anyway, after I broke to the next weight decade, I bought a pair of boots. Then when I broke into the next weight decade I wanted to get a new pair of jeans. All my jeans had become rather baggie and did nothing for me any longer. Only problem was that I hadn't lost quit enough to be able to fit into the next size down. Well this weekend I happened to pick up a pair of jeans and I thought, "Hmm these don't look like the pants I've been wearing, but then again, I've been a little sleep deprived lately, so maybe they are." After I put them on I realized that they even felt differently. I decided to check them out. I looked at the tag. What do you know, I'm finally able to fit into that smaller pair of pants again!!!! It's been roughly 3 years since I've worn them!!! Last night I made my weekly run to Wally-World and while there, I picked up a new pair of smaller jeans! Man, they feel sooo good and so do I!!!!!!


When I started I had no idea how to count calories and how to go about starting it. My wonderful group of Mommy Friends have cheered me along and encouraged me to stick with my plan. My friend Elizabeth told me to try out MyFitnessPal online and to also download the app on my phone and my iPad. This thing is awesome! I can input recipes that I make at home and it calculates my calories per serving. I can save meals that I eat on a regular basis, like breakfast. If you haven't heard of it or don't use it, you should definitely check it out. It has made me so much more conscience of what I'm eating and how much I'm eating. I don't have any exercise equipment at home, and really by the time I get the monkeys in bed, I'm spent for the night! I's like to start getting up earlier in the mornings to exercise, but we'll see how that goes! Once spring hits I'm definitely going walking around the neighborhood.

As of today, I've lost 20 pounds! I still have roughly 30 pounds to loose, but it's one pound at a time these days, and I'm okay with that. Like I said before, I've decided that I'm really going to do it this time! I'm going to make it stick. I haven't done any extreme dieting or by getting rid of all the great foods that I love. I've simply learned how to eat better.

Well that wasn't as hard as I expected!

I am a horrible terrible horrible meal planner. Every week, or every other week, I go to the store and get groceries. Then the week starts and I am in the middle of my Monday when I realize, "Great, what am I going to fix for dinner?" The I go to my friends and say, "Okay here's what I have. What can I make for dinner tonight?" They always have answers for me and for that I'm incredibly grateful! This seems to happen pretty much everyday of the week anymore!

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't have recipes that I could fix, because I do. It's not that I can't go online and find something, because I do this too. I even print some of them off! It's not that I don't have cookbooks, because I do, an entire cabinet full of them! I just really REALLY REALLY stink at menu/meal planning!

So, today Carson was napping, Clayton was with my parents, and Wes made a run to Home Depot to get some light fixtures. (That's for a different post). I decided since the house was quiet, and I haven't been to the store yet for the week, it was time for me to attempt this week's menu. Well, guess what? IT WAS SUPER EASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went to the freezer to find out what kind of frozen meat and other items I have. With a little thought, there's more there than I realized!

Sunday: Lasagna with garlic bread and green beans


Monday: Cheese and Sausage filled Tortellini Alfredo with either a veggie or salad.


Tuesday: Crock pot Swiss Steak over rice with a veggie


Wednesday: Baked Pork Tenderloin with a veggie and flavored noodles (Knor)


Thursday: Crock pot Salsa Chicken shredded and make into tacos


Friday: Leftovers or Pizza or out to eat :)


Look at me go!!

I'm Baaaaaacccckkkk :)

Well it's been a far too long since I last posted! Let me catch you up on what's been going on in the Johnson House.

The start of December brought our new Christmas tree. The big guys decided it needed to be very colorful. (Not to worry I kept the old one that is all white lights and put it in the formal dinning room!)

Carson played some dress up :) He's getting so big. He started eating more solid foods, 3 meals of cereal and either a veggie or a fruit.

Clayton is still REALLY enjoying being a big brother. I'm so surprised by how much these two boys love each other already! They absolutely always want to be with each other. There expressions are pretty funny in this picture. I think Clay ran in right before it was taken and shocked Carson :)

For Christmas Carson got the below activity bouncer. He loves this thing. Since it was his first Christmas, I really wasn't sure what to expect since he was just approaching 6 months old. He ended up obsessed with opening presents. He got upset once the present was opened and screamed for another one.

Clayton got this awesome basketball goal from Santa. We've played almost every night! It has a score board and timer too.

If you know Clay at all, you know he likes LOVES to play with "diggers". He was ecstatic to get this really big digger and dump truck from Bubba and Gii (my parents).

Clay really enjoyed his 14 days out of school, but was definitely ready to go back to "big school". I was ready for him to go back too, boy needed to get rid of that energy! I don't know how or where he stores it, but if he would be so kind as to share it with me, I'd be one happy Mama!! Speaking of school, he's doing fantastic and learning SO much. He knows how to spell several of his colors and he know writes his first and last name anytime he puts his name on things. (It's actually legible too!)

Carson like I said before, is growing so quickly. He learned how to sit up on his own in December and is only getting better at it! He's 6 months old and now wearing 12 month clothes. He seems to be right now track with his big brother, which means, I might have a couple of big ol' boys :)

I really wish time would slow down just a bit so that I can completely and totally enjoy each of the moments and milestones for both of my boys. Clayton has recently taken up gymnastics and is enjoying it a little more each time he goes. Come February he wants to sign up for t-ball so he can play ball with his friends from school. He's an active boy and apparently only going to get more active as the days go by!

My goal is to right now often.....so, who's going to make sure I do it? HA :)

I'd also like to give a great big shout out to my sweet sweet friend Elizabeth for re-designing my blog! She does awesome work, check out her design page here!

It's Been Awhile!

Well it's been a few days since I last checked in! Oops! Life with 2 boys gets crazy sometimes.

Carson had his 4 month checkup on November 4th and was 15.3 pounds and 25" long. He is 50 percentile in both height and weight! This is awesome to me because at his 2 month appointment he was only 25 percentile on his height. I'm really really really hoping he doesn't get my short gene. But our doctor said that he is growing well and was actually surprised by the amount of his growth in the heighth department! She said and I quote, "He's going to give his big brother a run for his money." Can't you just see me now in our family pictures as they get older? All anyone is going to see of me is my face because the camera will have to be angled up to get them :) Maybe they will be big AND strong and just pick up Mama for pictures. HA! That's an image!   Oh on a side note, she said he was at the drooling stange and NOT teething...I beg to differ! It's been just over 2 weeks since the appointment and guess who now has 2 teeth??? The first one broke through last week and the second one broke through during the night or this morning!

We had our first family of 4 pictures the following Sunday. I just LOVE our photographer. He actually is the photographer that we hired for our wedding, Nick. He takes great and natural pictures. He's so incredibly patient with the boys and with me! He makes sure he gets all poses and pictures that I am after. Of all days for us to wear sweaters, it was that Sunday that was 72 degrees outside!!!

Did I mention that the boys did really good! Clay got tired of the pictures much quicker than he did last time, but oh well we still got some really great pics!

Thanksgiving was nice. We did my family's feast on Sunday before Thanksgiving and then the Johnson Family get-together on Thanksgiving. It was nice to have all my family together on Sunday. It had been sometime since we were all together. Unfortunately I was a loser and had a major mommy fail and didn't take any pictures :( Thursday, we were able to be a little lazy since lunch was at 3. Wes and Clayton worked on Christmas lights since it was nice and I cooked my portion of Thanksgiving. We had a great time at Mema and Pepa's house except that we all missed Sabrina (my mother-in-law). Hopefully she'll be back for Christmas though.

I will hopefully post about all the Christmas decorations in the next day or two. Along with the fun we had with our new Christmas Tree.

Until next time,

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Merry Memories Collage Christmas Card

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Here I sit...

I have recently been expressing that I'd like to do a Mommy and Clayton date but Clay has wanted

NOTHING to do with it! He would much rather have a family day. He doesn't generally like to be away from his little brother, which I find so sweet and hope will continue on as they get older, but then again, I'm not holding my breath on that one!

So, Tuesday Wes had to work out of town and wouldn't be home until Wednesday. My parents suggested I try for that date with my oldest again. Much to my surprise Clayton was very excited about the idea of just the two of us going out together!

All day Tuesday I just knew that when I picked him up from school, he was going to have changed his mind. Well, he didn't!!! So, we took Carson over to my parent's house and we left for our date at Chuck E. Cheese. We had a great time! He even got to see Chuck E!

Last night Wes asked Clayton if he wanted to go to the OU game and I chimed in that it could be guys day! Clay really seemed to like the idea of only Big Guys doing something together! By the time dinner was over he had decided that he didn't actually want to go, he'd rather just stay home with me. So Wes pretty much wrote off the idea. Well this morning Clayton had once again chaged his mind, SHOCKER! That boy changes his mind more often than he changes his underwear! (Okay don't get me wrong, he changes his underwear everyday, he's not dirty!)

Wes began the search for tickets this morning and luckily was able to find some! Clay of course tried to get all of us to go to the game.....he just didn't want to leave his brother again. We finally talked him back into a Daddy and Clayton day and he was good with it when they left.

The guy that he bought the tickets from told Wes that he is often on TV because of where his tickets are located (on the South end, Row 12, right by the goal!) SO here I sit looking for my Big Guys on TV!

BOOMER SOONER BABY!

Where is the time going??

Fall break has come and gone. Now, Halloween has come and gone. Where is the year going?

Before Halloween we went to a local farm for a fun family day out. Chester's Party Barn has been around for a long time, but we had never been. Clayton had a nice time and Carson slept to begin with and then just enjoyed the ride around the farm.

 

For Halloween Clay decided to be a fireman. 

And Carson well he got to be an adorable lil' pumpkin.

I need to do something soon, maybe this weekend, to remember this point in time. I have a 4 year old and a 4 month old. I wouldn't trade them for the world. They ARE my world! I LOVE my babies!