Running in Circles

Monday: 7 miles on the treadmill and Insanity

Tuesday: 10 miles in 1:16

Wednesday: 6 miles of.25 intervals and insanity

Thursday: 10 miles and AB workout

Friday: 5 miles of alternating half-mile intervals at a 6:58 pace and circuit exercises

Saturday: 12.5 miles at the lake with a friend in 1:35. this run felt great!

Sunday: rest day

Saturday was my longest run postpartum (3 months) and it felt fast and hard, but good! I'm feeling better only doing insanity twice a week instead of three or four times (that's just too much with running for me)

1. Getting ready for the day makes a huge difference. Sometimes after showering I just skip the hair and make-up part of getting ready and just put on clean workout clothes. The last few weeks though I've been really good about getting myself put together and dressed and it makes a huge difference in my day...even if I am still just at home playing, it makes me feel like me.

2. Sacrifice is hard. I'm ready for a second car. I'm ready for a bigger apartment. I'm ready for more "me" time. I'm ready to teach Pilates again. There's actually a longer list of things I'd love to change or move up with- but living within our means in the big picture is absolutely more important. Of course I'm not the only one that is sacrificing so I hope this doesn't come off to whiny, but the truth is I have to remind myself to see the bigger picture on a daily basis.

3. A want is a want and a need is a need. This is a lesson you can learn over and over in your life. Just because you want something doesn't mean you get it. Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you get it. Just because it's the one thing you think will make you happy doesn't mean you get it. I've learned over and over again that buying things really is just buying things and it doesn't bring any kind of lasting gratification. The comfort of knowing we can get the things we need because were not spending on all of our wants makes me feel much more secure and happy.

4. Being a mom really is empowering. I feel so blessed to have two wonderful children and to be able to stay home everyday with them. I am realizing that I really can be the biggest influence on them and that gives me so much more power than I ever thought I had as a stay at home mom. I've always thought my job was to keep them entertained and learning, keep the house clean and the errands done. But really so much of what Hazel and Henry will learn, emulate, want, and need is influenced by me during the day.

5. Good friends are the best. I feel so grateful to have made such great friends here in Dallas. The kind of friends that are genuinely happy or disappointed for me when I am. The kind of friends that bring by a salad because they just knew i would love it. The kind of friends that offer rides, babysitting, meals, quality time, play-dates, and advice in an instant. 

A friend in the ward had her baby on Wednesday afternoon and that night after i had already fallen asleep a group text had gone out looking to bring them meals. Within 10 minutes and 28 text messages a weeks worth of meals were planned. I was blown away at how quickly everyone offered to serve and am so grateful for their example. This was a learning moment for my testimony.

6 Teaching the gospel to Hazel is coming more naturally than I have anticipated. For some reason i thought teaching the gospel to a toddler was going to be a waste of effort. But I'm amazed as she has learned to pray, repeats scriptures, is memorizing the prophets of the church, and asks the most sincere questions- family home evening, prayer,family scripture study, going to church and nursery all matter, even at two and a half years old.

One night Brice asked Hazel to bring the scriptures over so we could read as a family. She brought them to the couch and opened them upside down and started saying," And it came to pass, those Lamanites were naughty,amen." 

It was sweet and hilarious.

We were so lucky to be able to spend a few days with several of Brice's siblings in Gatlinburg,Tennessee. We stayed at a cabin up high on a hill just outside of the Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a beautiful area, and it seemed like everyday longer we were there- the trees became more green and full.

Hazel loved spending time with her dozen cousins- running, playing soccer, hot-tubing, playing air hockey, and just playing the way little cousins do! 

She continues asking for them everyday now that we're home.

We enjoyed hiking, exploring streams and ravines, doing crafts, building matchstick rockets (Brice's project for the boys), celebrating Easter with an egg hunt, catching up with everyone, and visiting the Ripley's Aquarium. The aquarium was actually pretty cool and it was easy to spend a few hours there on a rainy day!

Thanks Emily for organizing the trip- we were so glad to come, even with a 14 hour drive. Which by the way went pretty great both ways with two small children, but I need a long break from road trips!

Henry at TWO months

Height: 22 3/4 inches 

Weight: 12 pounds 11 oz

Head circumference: 15 inches

- Goes to bed between 8:30-9:30 an sleeps until 3ish.. eats and goes back down to 6 or 7.

-Is having three naps a day at 9 am, 12 pm, and 4 pm.

-Wearing size 1 diapers but almost ready to move up.

- Is wearing 0-3 month clothes no problem now!

- Loves tummy time and loves milk

- For a few weeks he would spit up after every feeding but i think since his little tummy has grown he's grown out of that. (which his really nice)

- passed his hearing re-test with flying colors

- Gets to go on his first camping trip in TWO weeks, which also includes a 14 hour drive :(

- Has been to church, the Houston Rodeo, and lots of parks with his big sister

- Has a bit of a flat spot on the back of his head so were going to get that evaluated later this week. It really surprised me because we do lots of tummy time and his neck is SO strong, but hes also a good sleeper so maybe that's how he got it. 

- Henry is the happiest baby ever. He just gives the biggest grins and is cooing deep from his belly. He just loves it when he hears his mama talk all silly.

- Does pretty well in the carseat, moby wrap, stroller, and  loves his binky.

-Henry has much more sensitive skin than Hazel had- its pretty dry so he gets greased up everyday.

We just love Henry so much and love having a baby in our home. I hope he feels that love and continues to grow healthy and strong. Also, I hope his head is an easy fix. It feels like its one thing after another ( low heart rate, failed harign test, terrible face acne, dry skin, and now his flat head.) with this kid and he's only 8 weeks old!

Having a two and a-half year-old is the best.

She runs, jumps, and climbs all day. She is not shy to strangers or their dogs. Hazel loves to make "deals" with us and always tells us whether they're a good deal or "probably a bad deal" :)

Hazel is wearing mostly size 2T and 12-18/18-24 month leggings.
Favorite foods are- Hazeldilla (quesadilla with cheese and sour cream), milk and cereal, pancakes, yogurt, granola bars, apples, peaches, blueberries, chicken, mashed potatoes, bread, and ham and cheese sandwiches.

I just asked her whats your favorite food and she answered "Pizza!"
What's your favorite dessert..."Everything!"




She loves to fake cry for attention, sing songs, dance, spin as we count them, run anywhere, play with friends, and build with Duplos. She loves to read and will cuddle up for a long while with a stack of books. She has a great memory; whether its lyrics, directions, friends names, or books. She has learned all her ABC's, mostly learned right from left, but is not interested at all in big girl panties.

Has had a runny nose for weeks and got pink eye for the first time last week. She loves petting zoos and is currently obsessed with asking if every person, animal, or character is a boy or girl. Has lots of wonderful friends but is still learning to be kind and share more. She can be a little dominant and take toys because she sees that she's bigger. She is quick to say sorry after getting talked to though.

- The other day she was playing with her stuffed dog, and she asked "Hey, do all doggies have tags?"
- I put cashews on her lunch plate and she said, "What, are those noses, Mom?"
- Last week we we're running a few errands together and as I turned into a parking garage she asked,
"We're going into that cave?"

Her imagination has taken off! For months I've tried to get her to just play on the floor with her toys alone, but nothing. In the last two weeks she just plays with toys, talks up stories, and does it independently. Her conversations in he car just make Brice and I laugh.
After our weekend at the rodeo, she got out her plastic nativity set and I overheard her playing "rodeo."

Hazel looks exactly like me as a almost three year-old. Here's the proof!


She sure has Brice's mind for breaking and fixing things, asking questions, and coming up with her own solutions though. You can often catch her laying next to Henry saying "good job boom-boom" or "I love you baby Henry."

Having a toddler is so fun and watching her learn new words and ideas everyday really is exciting. We love you Hazelbug!