House Full of Crazies

I will admit that for the past 18 months I have been happily enjoying the fact this little girl has had a much more mellow personality than say...

This crazy nut...

(He took this picture and many more like it by himself on Photo Booth)

But then recently I found these other Photo Booth pictures....

And these from the first day of Preschool

(in the order they were taken)...

Oh boy...It looks like I may have TWO crazies on my hands!

I absolutely adore them both...

and blame the craziness on their dad! :)

Smiles

Cameron: Mom, can I have a young woman's treat?

Mom: Sure, as soon as you are out of your sunday clothes.

Cameron: No Problem!...

You just can't help but smile! :)

Oh, and I just LOVE-LOVE-LOVE baby girls curls (even when they are messy after church/nursery)!

These two put a smile on my face! :)

Up for a Challenge?

Okay ladies (and gentleman too if you would like to join in!), I would like to invite you all to join me in an eight week HEALTHY mind, body, and spirit challenge called Feel Great in Eight! Eight weeks of improving your health in every way - through nutrition, exercise, and even gospel study and prayer!! I am excited to work together to get healthier and maybe even make some MONEY!! :)

The rules in a nut shell:

What is feel great in eight? A fun competition held for eight weeks to "feel great in eight"! It is a fun group all trying to make healthier choices and improvements toward obtaining a permanent healthy lifestyle. This challenge also includes spiritual health!! In my mind this is not a weight loss challenge - it is about taking care of the body, mind, and spirit Heavenly Father gave you. Even if you don't want to lose a single pound, you will still benefit! And, if you would like to lose some weight - I'm sure that will come right along with this healthy lifestyle!!
What do you do? Get points for working out, eating right, drinking enough water, taking care of yourself mentally, spiritually, intellectually, etc. Yep all of it. You also get points taken off for unhealthy decisions. If you chose to join in, I will send you a list of all the behaviors that gain and lose points and their value.
How much? Everyone puts $10 in the pot. I will collect the money and save it for the winners!
How long? Eight wonderful weeks! Starting August 17th and ending October 10th!!
Who wins? 80% of the pot goes to the person with the most points at the end of the eight weeks, 10% goes to 1st and 2nd runner up. (so if 20 people join and the pot is $200, the winner gets $160 and 1st and 2nd runners up get $20 each.) Sounds like motivation to me!!
How do I submit my points? You will need to keep track of your points, total them up, and then email your total to me each week.
Where do I sign up? Just leave a comment with your email address!! The deadline to sign up is Sunday, Aug 16th, by 10 pm. Once you have signed up (by commenting on this post), I will send you an email with my home address for you to send your $10 (cash if possible please!). Or for those of you who live in my parts, just drop it off at my house by hand, or hand it to me a church...you get the idea! :) The money will be due at the end of the first week - by Sunday, Aug 23rd. If I do not have your money by then, you won't be in the rest of the competition.

I will send you the official rules and point tracker sheets no later than Sunday, Aug 16th - The competition will start on Monday August 17th!

I think this will be a really fun way to stay motivated and become healthier! After the eight weeks, I hope we will all see the changes become part of our lifestyle, which is the overall goal! You are welcome to extend this invitation to any friends that would like to join in!

I LOVE to Vacuum...

No really, I do! As I was vacuuming today, I couldn't help but just smile! Here are the top ten reasons why...

10. No more groaning at the sight of every nasty stain.

9. No more cringing at every disgusting stain (that one deserved two!)

8. No more embarrassment over every gross stain (or maybe three!)

7. The yummy feel of the soft spongy carpet on my toes.

6. The new smell - kinda like a new car, ya know?

5. The fact that right now every closet and under every bed is clean and organized!

4. No more dusty baseboards.

3. We can roll and wrestle on the floor and not need a bath afterward.

2. Our floors just look pretty!

And the number one reason I was smiling and vacuuming today....

1. I LOVE our new carpet!!

On Friday, we had new carpet laid in our whole house! YEAH! Yep, that means moving every little thing and pulling everything out of every closet...but it was totally worth it! I love our new carpet! You are all invited to come on over and feel our soft new carpet on your toes! Just leave your shoes on the handy new shoe rack on the way in! :)

Pictures for the parents...not that you can really tell! :)

No Really...Just Try It!

I am constantly on the lookout for ways to be healthier (a trait I inherited from my dad - thanks dad!), but also enjoy good tasting food (this one came from my husband! :) This desire has increased even more since having kids and realizing I am also in charge of teaching them how to care for their bodies. So, I was excited when my brother and sister-in-law introduced me to spinach smoothies - and even more excited to discover that my kids love them! Spinach is so incredibly good for you and although Cameron is great at eating all veggies, I am having to work a little harder with Brooklyn.

So, are you all ready to give it a try? No, really, I promise it tastes good . . . I know you don't believe me, but you really should just try . . . you'll be very surprised!

Baby Spinach Stacked to the top of the blender - I love to just pile it in - SO good for you!

1/2 Can of Pineapple

1 Bananna

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Ice (I usually freeze the pineapple and skip the ice)

YUMMY

Oh, and the best news? I finally talked Adam into trying one this morning and he loved it!! I told you babe!

P.S. I just have to add one more thing . . . I made and ate FISH!! Adam and I both hate fish, but in a effort to get the health benefits, we have decided to cook fish for dinner a few times a month at least. Here was our first attempt - Grilled Tilapia with a Strawberry Salsa! It was surprisingly yummy. Yeah for us! :)

Here is the proof!

I also made Baked Sweet Potato Fries to go along with it. Delish!