Christmas 2007 pictures...

Big Boy Noah... building blocks and sharing his thoughts about being 2.

Noah is really busy these days. For Christmas MawMaw Dell and Poppey gave the boys a TON of mega block and a bunch of lego's and they, especially Noah, have not stopped playing with them. I recorded him playing with his blocks the day after Christmas and this video shows where his head is. First, I will give you a little background. Earlier that morning Noah asked me if we were going to go to Poppey's house again to open more presents. He was so excited at the prospect of opening ANOTHER present that when I shared with him the harsh reality of the end of the Christmas gift season he was both shocked and appauled. I quickly went into Mommy self preservation mode and let him know that in just a couple months he was going to have his birthday and that he would get to open more presents. This immediately changed that giant frown on his poor little face into a beaming smile, however, now I get to field MANY question and random reminders from my almost 3 year old about his upcoming birthday. Well, I hope you enjoy the video!

The house to myself!!

I just wanted to take a minute to acknowledge a few people.
Thank Megan, my wonderful sister-in-law, who watched the boys for us yesterday afternoon so we could have lunch with some friends.:)
Thank you Jenny, my sister, and my parents for keeping the boys overnight so Aaron and I could do our Christmas shopping for the boys.
You are all so amazing!! I love you so much!!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Hello all! If you didn't get my Smilebox e-mail (our Christmas card) let me know!!
Thanks!
~Becky
dellgirl1@sbcglobal.net

My journey... so far...

How have I gone from this

(11/10/06) to... (size 22)

To this (10/26/07) ?... (size 12/14)

I have been asked a lot of questions since my last blog regarding my weightloss. I will breifly share my story with you. As most of you know, I havestruggled with my weight for my entire life. I have never been able to consistently change my eating and due to fear of failing I had given up on ever having a healthy lifestyle. I gave birth to Noah (3/05) and Collin 14 months later (5/06) and my emotions ran high. I felt as though I was not doing what I had been called, by God, to do. I felt like I was depriving my kids and husband of being the best mommy and wife that I could be. I was broken. I had witnessed my friend Beck loose a lot of weight and one night I ran into her at the mall. I was so humbled and convicted at that moment that I began to cry. I was tired of being crippled by my weight and letting my countless fears control me. This was the beginning of a new way of life for me and my family. The system my friend Beck had used and the plan I have taken on as part of my life is the tried and true weightloss plan of counting calories and exercising. I use a FREE!! website, calorie-count.com, that has a ton of tips and it really helps you know what you are eating and it graph's your weightloss for you. The first 25 lbs. or so came off fast, but beyond that, things have been somewhat slow. The difference has been astounding!! My marriage is stronger than ever. I think the new confidence that I now have has made the most change in this area. I am just happier about being me and a lot less ashamed of the way I treat my body. My walk with God seems to be more genuine and sincere. I feel I am being more obedient to Him. The relationship with my kiddo's is really active now. We dance more, wrestle more and I can keep up with them. The example that I am setting before them of a healthy lifestyle is priceless too. I have begun to face a lot of fears too. Last winter I actually went sledding. I have gone down jumbo slides and last summer I even rode roller coaster's. I am tired of not living because I am afraid of things. God has given me this life and how I use it is up to me. Aaron too has lost 20 lbs because of the healthier way I cook and the fact that he has cut WAY back on his sugar intake. YAY!! Aaron. :) All and all, if I can do it you can to! I hope you are encouraged. Please know that I am in no way saying these convictions are a one size fits all diagnosis of overweight people, nor am I saying I have it down to an exact science, but this is my story and I do not judge others for where they are in their life. In the near future, I want to climb a rock wall. That was supposed to be my reward for hitting my 50 lbs goal, it hasn't happened yet, but it will!! I will post pictures when I conquer that one.

Have a great day!!
B.D.

Doorframe + Noah = Big Owie!!

Saturday around noon Aaron had just left to run an overtime call for work and I was collecting lost socks and cups in Noah and Collin's room when all of a sudden I hear a GIANT thud a couple of feet behind me. It was quickly followed by a gasp ( me ) and BIG Noah tears. My sweet Noah had fallen head first into the inside of their bedroom doorframe. OUCH> Immediately a huge goose-egg appeared on his head followed by a big bruise and a small red cut. I prayed for God's grace on the situation and thankfully it was not a bloody scenario. He actually let me put ice on it for more than 15 minutes and today he was insisting that all of the adults in our church nursery kiss it to make it better. Well the kissing must have helped because it is looking better already.

( I need to mention that Collin has a healing bump on the exact same spot on his forehead that he got during Bible study last Thursday.) Boys will be boys... I am scared! :)

This is the best pic I have of Collin's

bump. It was not quite as notable as Noah's, but it still looked painful. Poor baby!

This evening Aunt Megan, Grandma and Poppie came over for dinner and to visit. I love this pic of Aunt Megan and Collin. The boys love their Aunti Megan. She actually came over last Thursday and watched the boys for a while so I could have some time to read... alone and uninterrupted! She is a true blessing! Did I mention that she even brought dinner for us to eat too.

The picture of me in the skirt and sweater was taken this morning, the one with Noah and me was taken in March, almost exactly 9 months ago. WOW! I have currently lost 52 lbs. The weight is slowly coming off, but I am anxious to reach my goal of (-) 75 lbs. So close... but yet so far! I will do it. I don't care how long it takes!! I am so thankful for the success that God has granted me this far. To God be the glory!

I love this man!!

I love my husband!! I am a lucky girl!

Present for Mommy...

Last weekend Aaron and I took the boys to a local event
called "Winter Wonderland". My parents and sister met us
there and we had a great time. There were horse drawn carriage rides, appetizer's, sparkling grape juice and a little tykes shop where everything cost only 1 Santa buck (aka $1). I signed Noah up and paid the $1 (courtesy of my dad :) ) and bent down and asked him who he wanted to buy a gift for. I named everyone there and he chose me. I was so touched by his choice that I got a little weepy. I pulled myself together and watched him as he left my hand and went into the "Kids Only" area with a helper elf. I was sent away so I couldn't see what he was going to buy. My sister told me that he kept looking up with a confident, big boy grin. He thought it was so great that he was able to go shopping by himself. After he shopped for about 5 minutes he came over to me. He sat down with the gift-wrapped present and quickly opened it up and handed me the gift. He had picked out a very special Christmas light key chain that lights up when you push the button. His elf told my dad that she tried to encourage him to choose stationary or a candle, but he was set on this precious key chain. It is now proudly displayed on our Christmas tree in the dining room. What a treasure.

Collin... a horse of a different color.

When it comes to explaining Mr. Collin, many things come to mind. I chose to post this picture because it is very "him". He is very independent these days, but still finds plenty of time to cuddle and play with Mommy. He is beginning to really come out of his shell verbally and for that I am thankful. Last Sat. afternoon my parents stole Noah away to go to a parade in Lebanon, but it was too cold for Collin to be outside that long, so Aaron and I spent time with our youngest little man. We just went to lunch and ran a couple errands, but the time was special. We realized that when Noah isn't around, Collin speaks a lot more and really interacts more with people. It is pretty amazing really that our little guy is constantly learning and has a bunch of info stored up to blirt out when the time is right. He is a very special little man and I am so blessed to be his mommy.

As for me, today seems to be a good day. The boys are across the hall in their room using their mattresses as gym mats and I am finding a few minutes to myself. I love to watch them play together when they think no one is watching. It cracks me up how Noah is busy making things come to life and Collin just laughs at the things big brother has come up with. I laugh too. I love the fact that we were blessed with two VERY different boys. They keep me on my toes, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.

My first official blog...

My first official blog... Hello all! Thank you for taking a moment to check out my very first blog. I have been encouraged by many of my friends to start a blog and today, I gave in. I think I will like the world of blogging, but I don't know how much time I will be able to put in. Time will tell. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading. :)
Yesterday morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow. It was wonderful! My dad and sister came over for grilled cheese sandwich's and soup and then played with Noah in the snow for a bit. It was so fun to watch! Collin is fighting a cold that won't seem to truely come to be an actual cold, but it has been bothering him since last Wednesday, so he and I stayed inside. Noah was even more excited when he came inside and got to drink moderately warm chocolate with coolwhip from a real coffee mug and have fresh baked brown sugar cookies. YUMMY! We ended the afternoon by watching Elf all cuddled up underblankets. I think Noah was the only one who actually stayed awake for the entire movie. Poor Collin went to bed after lunch and missed the entire party.
The current state of my life would probably be summed up as consistent challenges that someday will produce a wiser woman and two boys who love the Lord and are able to be productive citizen's. Lately I have been thinking a lot about the future of our family. I think about how much my life has changed over the past 10 years and how fast all of those changes have occured.
Becky 10 years ago:
~about 6 months graduated from highschool
~19 years old (+2 weeks)
~2 of my four grandparents were alive
~"in love" with a boy named David (what a joke)
~ partying a lot!
~ drank too much.
~ lived dangerously.
~ never thought about the fact that I was immortal.
~I rejected God.
Becky now:
~ I love God.
~ Mommy of two amazing boys.
~Married, 7 years, to the love of my life.
~Homeowner.
~Minivan driver. (By choice)
~Diaper changer.
~Potty trainer.
~Massage Therapist.
~Full-time student enrolled in the school of do the best you can parenting.
~BUSY...BUSY...BUSY!!
~ HAPPY!!
When you take time to compare where you are and where you were, I think you will either be happy or sad. The lesson's I have learned over the past ten years are invaluable and have shaped me into the woman I am today, just as the lesson's I will learn over the next 10 years will shape me into the person I will become. I am so thankful for where God has placed me in my life. I am thankful for my friends and family. I am thankful for my church. I am thankful for the many blessing and even the challenges God has placed in my life. I hope you have a great day!!
Love to all,Becky