Three.

Ethan & Ellison turned three last month. I cannot believe how fast time is passing by! I mean, I feel like we have been through a lot but I just can't wrap my mind around them being little KIDS. They aren't babies anymore.

 

They share such an amazing bond. They truly love each other so much. I don't even think they realize that being a twin is abnormal. Their older sisters, Haden & Lauren, are so close in age, I am pretty sure Ellie thinks they are twins too. I love the fact that they have a permanent bestie! Especially with Ethan having food allergies, I am grateful that he has Ellie to help keep him safe when we aren't around.

 

Ellison is a free spirit. She is loud and has the biggest imagination. She loves to sing and dance! She is a storyteller too! And she is VERY girlie. She loves all things pink. She loves skirts and dresses and princesses and babies. Her favorite Disney princess is definitely Elsa right now. Elsa EVERYTHING. Elsa songs, Elsa bedding, Elsa string cheese...

 

Ethan is much more reserved. He is such a sweet boy. He requires way less maintenance than Ellison. He is completely content watching a movie on his "pack pack" aka iPad or playing with his cars. He loves anything that goes... planes, trains, cars, trucks, you name it, he loves it. He is ALL BOY though. Like full blown Batman with sound effects, BOY.

 

They are both finally growing and gaining weight consistently. They are still small, but they are consistently small, so their pediatrician isn't worried about it. At their 3 year well check Ethan weighed 25.8 lbs and was 35.25" tall. Ellison weighed 24.4 lbs and was 34.25" tall. Neither Jacob or I are very big so they didn't have much hope to be tall, lol. 

Ethan's speech is improving so much these days. He is really starting to speak more legibly with less babble. Ellison's speech has been developing rapidly. She is forming full blown sentences and says new words daily. 

Ellison is fully potty trained except for nighttime and has been for a couple months now. She does have the occasional accident but for the most part she does great. We just started working on potty training Ethan about a month ago. He is doing so-so. Not quite ready to take the full plunge but he is showing more interest as the days go by

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#100 Day Challenge

So, back in February I was trying to find some inspiration for a goal for the month. As I was trolling Pinterest for ideas I came across a post about a girl who challenged herself to workout daily for 100 days. From there I did a google search on 100 day challenges and found that a lot of people have done this! And not just for weight loss, but for whatever they were wanting to commit themselves to daily!

I was a little worried about setting such a lofty goal because sometimes the pressure seems to be counteractive for me. But after thinking about it for a couple days I decided to go for it. The twins’ birthday party was already planned for 2/4 so I decided to start my challenge on 2/5. I also challenged myself to no sugar or alcohol for the rest of February.

Today is March 16^th. It is Day 39 of my #100 day challenge and guess what?! I have moved my booty all 39 days! Even when I was sick! Even when I was out of town for work! I have not let one single thing derail my challenge. Now, has every day been an intense workout? No. When I was sick, I just walked around the block a few times with my kids. And on days when time was short, I just did 15-20 minutes on the elliptical. But I have had some sort of exercise every day for the last thirty nine days. I also did abstain from sweets and alcohol for MOST of February. I did have a small piece of cheesecake on Valentine’s Day. And I had a drink on 2/28 while I was gone for work. I mean, it was practically March anyways.

 

Blue = Steps // Green = Workouts

The result? I feel really good! Not just physically, but also mentally! I am very proud of myself for following through on my commitment to myself. And I am excited to keep going. I have also lost 8 pounds and my size 10 pants are buttoning AND zipping. #winning

I have struggled a LOT in the last three years trying to find myself. To find my groove. To achieve my goals. A lot changes after having kids. It’s a lot more than just the day to day duties as a parent. It has been a long and slow adjustment period for me but I do think I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I see the “old me” in myself a little more each day.

Bullocks.

Life happens. It is inevitable. We have a choice. We can choose to let it derail us or we can choose to overcome it. Unfortunately, I am guilty of letting it derail me more often than not. Today I am recognizing that downfall and making a conscious effort to change my mindset. If I don't, I will never be able to reach my goals.

Last week was a little rough, I came down with a stomach bug on Tuesday night and was out of commission all day Wednesday and barely functional on Thursday. I started felling better Friday finally and was able to squeeze a workout in at the gym on Saturday before the weather turned bad. We had freezing rain, thunder sleet, and even snow from Saturday through Monday morning. Thanks to the rain I missed my weekend run.

               

This week started out great considering the rough weekend we had. I ran Monday & Tuesday after work. Wednesday is a rest day for me because the twins have gymnastics from 6-7. Then things took a turn downhill. The hubs was sick last weekend with an upper respiratory infection and apparently I caught it. It reared it's ugly head Thursday morning when I woke up. I immediately called my doctor to get a steroid shot and some cough meds to try and prevent it from becoming bronchitis or pneumonia (both are going around bad). Luckily she said it didn't sound like it was too bad in my chest yet but she also said no running until it cleared up. She said because it was below my neck, in my chest/lungs, running (or cardio) can actually make the infection worse and cause it to develop into bronchitis or pneumonia. She said if it was above my neck, like a head cold, then exercising is fine as long as you're up to it. So there's that. A respiratory infection and no running. Plus, I was feverish Friday & Saturday so I chose not to take my contagious ass to the gym to share my germs. You're welcome.

So here I am on Sunday. Still coughing. Somewhat congested (that started last night). And just wiped out physically. I took my elderberry syrup in hopes to fight it off quickly and do feel like I am improving (no fever today). I also bleached all the hard surfaces, sprayed everything else with lysol, and am washing our bedding in hot water. I am determined to get well overnight tonight. Determined.

Tomorrow, I plan to wake up feeling better. I will have my gym bag packed and ready so I can get my Monday afternoon workout in after work and start the week off right. 2017 hasn't started out quite how I would have liked but I refuse to allow it to defeat me. Life is difficult sometimes. We just have to keep pushing forward.

Here's a couple recent pics of the twins. Ellison is a total diva. She has a huge personality and is pretty happy most of the time! Ethan is much more reserved. This was his first time to try ice cream. Ethan has severe food allergies so it is difficult to find safe foods for him and then when I do find them, he usually refuses them. I try not to get frustrated. Maybe God designed him with a natural defense against his allergens by making him super picky.... Or at least that is what I tell myself.

I hope everyone has a great week and smashes their goals!

Happy 2017

The fog has cleared. Finally. For the first time since getting pregnant I really feel like myself.

I plan to write a whole separate post about my prepartum/postpartum depression when the time is right but for now just know that I had been struggling greatly with depression since the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy, so for almost 3 years. I have tried and tried to get my healthy back since pregnancy with very little success. But I have also not been myself. I have been depressed. Incorrectly medicated. Living in a fog. Going through the motions. And not feeling much of anything. This time is different. I am no longer in a fog. My depression is well controlled. And I am feeling more like myself than I have in years!

So, what’s new in 2017? Well, for me, I want to just LIVE. Like, really live. I want to embrace all the moments. I want to be present. I want to enjoy the day, the month, the year. I want to live and lead a healthy lifestyle for myself and my family. I want to find what makes me happy and drown myself in it. Right now I am focusing on getting an exercise routine established. I am doing a combination of running and weight lifting 5x/week. I am really hoping my running will take off and lead me down a path of runner’s highs and races.

Also, in 2 weeks I will have 3 year old twins?!?! How did this happen?