Blast from the past..

I was looking at Matt and Sarah's website and found these fun pictures from long ago! I just had to share. Lydia's 4th birthday party. She got her very first bike. Sarah, Lydia, Wes and I hanging out on Lydia's fourth birthday at the Sugarhouse pond. I'm the one with the blond hair.
Lydia on Christmas Day 2003. What a funny girl.

Adelle's first birthday. She used to love her binki!

Wes and I when I tried being a blond.

I found this fun picture on my work computer. My girls driving the Barbie Jeep. They are both so young!!!

Looking at these pictures makes me laugh and reminds me of a lot of fun memories.

Wes' Website

So I am super happy to report that Wes' website is up and running! Woo Hoo! He did it entirely on his own which impresses me immensely. He just figured it out. Anyway.. you should check it out! https://www.wesleyoates.com/

Ken and Jackie's Wedding

Tuesday night we headed up to East Canyon Resort for Ken (my step-brother) and Jackie's wedding. We were unable to make the ceremony because we had work and Lydia had school. It was a wonderfully fun reception. Adelle on the way up. How often do your kids do this?? After Adelle had eaten just a few bites of her dinner she said she was full and rushed out to the dance floor.

Grandma Julie loves her grandson Cedric. Ken and Jackie doing the "Chicken Dance".
Lydia and Wes looking on. Lydia looks like she isn't quite sure what to think.

They just had to join in! We all love dancing at weddings.
Julie and my Dad.

Cedric and his daddy Matt! Cedric can now wave and say "Hi". It is so cute!
Lydia enjoying some chocolate wedding cake. Cedric and his daddy again.
Grandma Julie and Adelle rocking out on the dance floor.
Lydia and Allie enjoyed dancing as well.

Roll those arms!
What a cute pair.
I love this picture of Allie and Lydia! Who knew there could be so much energy in one picture.
Ken with his beautiful bride Jackie.
Pinata time! Jackie taking the first swings!

Adelle got a turn as well. In the end Ken ending up breaking it open.
Both of the girls gathered as much candy as they could.
It was like Halloween all over again.
Look at that excitement in their eyes. We will have dessert for evenings to come.
Ken and his loving mom Julie. I found out in the evening that Ken is taking his lovely new wife to Hawaii! Can you imagine. I hope they are having a wonderful time!

I know we had a great time at the wedding. The best part of course was seeing family and sharing in such an exciting event.

Make Believe

So I woke up Sunday morning to little Adelle all dressed up in this beautiful dress. It once belonged to Lydia. She was pretending that she was getting married. Sigh...Must they grow up so quickly. I know someday I will really see her getting married. Thinking of it makes me want to enjoy every little moment I have with my girls now.

Shontelle and Eric's Wedding

Last Saturday Wes' Cousin, Shontelle, was married to her love Eric. They are such a cute couple and seem so very happy! It was energizing just to be around them. I had the opportunity to attend the wedding ceremony in the Jordan River Temple in the morning. It was an amazing experience and the spirit was so strong. Later that afternoon I skipped the wedding luncheon to attend my brother, Phil's, Birthday. I forgot my camera to that event though because Adelle had gotten sick and was at home with Wes. I was worried about her. Later in the evening she seemed to be feeling much better so we ventured out to the cute couple's reception in Orem. Shontelle and Eric, so happy to be married. I think they were tired by the end of the day though.
Wes chatting with his Aunt Kathy and cousin Brandon.
More of Wes' extended family.

My beautiful mother in law, Ellen. She was in charge of the dessert and did a wonderful job! It was super yummy!
Adelle loved roaming around the beautiful backyard where the reception was held. There was even a stream and pond with fish. We missed Lydia. She was with her dad and step-mom in Colorado for the weekend.
These two girls look like little fairies having a tea party.
Wes' grandma Christensen.

Twilight and the end of a beautiful reception.

How I lost Weight and why I should Keep it off

I recently saw someone that I hadn't seen in 3 years and they didn't even recognize me. I think it is because I used to be 40 pounds heavier. About 2 1/2 years ago I was fed up with being overweight. Also, my father had just had a massive heart attack at the age of 52 even though he was as skinny as could be. Diabetes is on both sides of my family. The risks are high in my genes so I knew it was time to lose weight and to become fit and healthy. Here are a few before pictures. I almost can't believe I am putting these on my blog. It is hard to believe that I ever looked like this.
This picture was taken just a few months after I had met my goal to lose 40 pounds. Actually my original goal was 30, but I kept losing and was happy with the 40 lb loss.
This silly picture was taken a few months back at rehearsals for the Tribute concert. It was one of the only full body pictures I could find.
How did I lose all the weight. I found a free web site call Sparkpeople.com. The great thing about the site is it just teaches you how to be HEALTHY. There was no crash dieting, just good old fashioned exercise and eating right. It has wonderful trackers to keep you..well..on track. My biggest problem was that I was eating way more than I needed. Your body will lose weight if you eat less calories than what you are burning. Now that said. There is a healthy range of calories. You should never go too low or your body won't lose anything. It will just hold onto everything because it will think you are going to starve.

It taught me healthy habits and got me excited to take care of myself. Now with all of that said...I have been giving in more and more to unhealthy foods recently and I have decided that has got to stop. No more snacking 5 times after dinner. I need to be healthier not only to maintain my weight loss, but to prolong my life and keep myself around longer for my family. I wasn't kidding when I said that there are a lot of health problems in my genes. I am bound to beat the odds and I know I can if I can by healthy.

Lydia's First Day of School

Lydia's first day of school was Monday. She is now in 4th grade! Wow she is growing up. She already loves her new teacher. The second day of school she came home with a can of soda from her teacher that had a little saying taped to it. It said "You CAN do it". What kid doesn't love free soda, especially when you don't get it at home. She really hasn't been coming home with homework either. The teacher gave her a link to a website to practice typing and to play math games. She LOVES that! I haven't figured out yet if it is required homework or optional. I'll have to ask her when parent teacher conferences come up. Lydia's best friend, Carly, isn't in the same class this year, but they have a special meeting place at recesses so they can see each other. She is having hot lunch again this year. Every day she lets me know if she had a fruit and vegetable (it is required). Of course she always chooses chocolate milk :) How I love my girl!

Lydia has started reading again like CRAZY. She has started reading "Inkheart" again by Cornelia Funke. She has already read the book before, but it is one of her favorites. I would recommend the story myself. We also have started reading "Little Women" together. She understands the book and is really enjoying it. I recently finished the book on my own and it has become one of my all time favorites. I hope she enjoys it as well.

With school starting that means fall is right around the corner. Drat! Summer is my favorite season. It also means less time in the evening for family exercising.