Ogden Competition @ WSU

Competition number 2 of the season already! Time goes too fast! This one felt a little different from the get go. We're still trying to determine what Kailee feels before a competition.. The night before is usually excitement and nerves, and the mornings usually start off with the same happy excitement with a few nerves, but sometime before getting up and ready and meeting with her team the hour before she performs, she gets really quiet. It's hard to tell if she's having any fun at all sometimes, even though we know she is! Saturday was no different.

So about a month and a half ago, she fell at school and injured her hand pretty badly. She hurt 3 of her fingers, and even lost a fingernail. Well, lost puts it mildly, it was clearly ripped from her little finger! :( She did some damage and it looked PAINFUL! She honestly was pretty dang tough about it for the most part, I mean, I think I'd even be pretty nervous about having it cleaned out and keeping it from being bumped. It healed much faster and better than we thought, through keeping it wrapped and clean and following doctors instructions. But still, pretty nasty, right?! 

By the time the first competition rolled around she was doing her back walkovers again (with a little hesitance) but was getting back to where she was prior with all of her gymnastics. She is a tough little girl physically, but pretty fragile mentally and emotionally. I blame a LOT of that on her raging pre teen hormones ;) But she has always really let things get to her head and mess with her psych. She is a lot tougher than she gives herself credit for! Anyway, about a week and a half before this competition, she fell at school (while tumbling!) and hurt her arm in the inside of the elbow area. She had complained to Jason about it after school and they tried rubbing it and doing lots of stretches to make it feel better. She had tumbling that night and I had gone down to watch her. I could see it on her face from the moment class got started that it was bothering her. She was kind of whiny and just looked uncomfortable. She would do some moves with no hesitation and others that shouldn't bother her arm at all she was struggling with. Though we didn't doubt she was in pain, it was 100% her head that was messing with her! She toughed it out (with a little encouragement) through class and skipped the last couple of rotations. Her friend Addie came along and once they stepped foot outside, she was golden. I rolled my eyes inside, and chalked it up to her being a little dramatic about her injury. When I found out it was still hurting the next day I felt horrible! Don't get me wrong, I knew she was hurting a bit, I just felt that she was maybe over analyzing the discomfort of a minor strain/sprain a bit. Now I was worried she had done something more serious. Saturday rolled around and I had text her asking her how she was feeling, she replied that it was feeling great and she could do everything on it now! WHOA WHOO! A week before her next competition and things were looking good! 

That week she had doubted herself a bit to Angie about doing her back walkover for competition. I love that she didn't want to let her team down, but inside we all knew she could and would do it just fine! It's that dang head of hers again, getting in her own way! It's funny how clearly you see others abilities, but when it's your own we all doubt ourselves! I sometimes forget that and can be a bit hard on her when I know she is MORE than capable of doing things. I wish she could see herself through our eyes sometimes, she's amazing!

Well Saturday rolls around and she was a bit weird before her first dance. I chalked it up as nerves and kind of left her be. She danced and though none of us noticed, she met Angie afterwards in tears that she had messed up! Not one of us even noticed, but I love that she knew she could have done better! That means she cares! She got over it before coming out to meet the rest of us, and because she had a nice break between dances we were able to go grab some food and hang out before her next performance. We hit Chick-fil-a and let the kids eat and play, and then headed back to the venue to enjoy the sunshine for a bit before it was time for her to get dressed and ready again. It was a GORGEOUS day and so many people came to watch her dance, so it was so much fun to have some time together!

Anchor - Gold Co

 

She struggled a bit emotionally before her next dance, she was SO worried about her back walkover. She said the stage was REALLY slick and she didn't want to fall. We all tried encouraging her, we knew she could do it, she just had to get out of her own head again! After some time with her team and mom, Angie came to tell us that she was feeling much better about it and it was time for her to head back stage! 

She did that back walkover PERFECTLY!!! We all cheered extra loud and were so dang proud of her!

Fireball - Gold Co

She has been doing competitions for 3 years now, this being her 4th. Her teams have always placed really well, and we love how much success these girls have. I'm still not sure if they placed, it definitely was not their best performance. But I am so proud of her for worrying about not letting her team down! THAT is what being a part of something like this is! It teaches you SO much more than dance! I'm so happy she's picking up on these life lessons! After all, you learn much more from performances like this than you do the ones you just got first place on! This will be an awesome learning experience for her and for her team and now we REALLY can't wait for St. George!! Not just for vacation but to see the improvement!

Love our dancing queen, and we are extra thankful for all the support she had there. She is so loved!

These two adore her :)

Love our big, non conventional family!

Oh sweet Boston! I could EAT him! He's the sweetest and best baby ever! He adores Kailee!

Love my family :)

  

And I love MY family :) How lucky are we?!

  

And imagine that! Another competition at nap time! And another perfectly behaved baby until pictures. OF COURSE! Turd!

In attendance: Grandma Merrilee and Tony, Alissa and her friend Riley, Lindsay, Neil, Brody and Brooklynn, Nate and his daughter Ella, and Gram Reynolds made it just after K finished with a big hug. This is one loved little girl, and one big family that I love too! :) So very thankful for all of the support you show to us and to Kailee, we appreciate it so much!

xoxo,
Lacy

18 Months

First off... WHAT?!?! NO! Time is going by WAY too fast and I HATE IT! I am loving every single second of this age! He is SO funny and has so much personality! He is more fun every single day! He is also finding his voice, and says no a lot. That is not so fun! He has no problem telling you what he wants and has become pretty defiant at times! That has been a challenge, but it's also amazing that he HATES being in trouble. It breaks his heart when we tell him no or to stop, so he's been pretty easy through the beginning of these up and coming terrible twos! :) Don't get me wrong, he has his moments, but they really are few and far between! He's such a good boy! 

18 things about our favorite 18 month old!

1- He LOVES his mama! He says 'ma ma' at least a million times a day and gives me the biggest and best loves! He kisses AND hugs and his little arms tight around my neck give me ALL the feel goods!

2- He also says 'da da' a million times a day and at every noise he hears while daddy is at work. He waits (not so) patiently at the garage door for daddy every day and gives him loves, and then quickly reminds him where 'ma ma' is  :)

3- He can now say 'sis' and says it in this high pitched, sweetest voice! Every time we are upstairs he points to her room and says 'sis'. He adores her and I can't wait to tell him on Wednesdays that it's 'sister day!' we both get so excited! :)

4- He has learned SO many new words and sounds. He can do pretty much every animal sound, but our favorites are - slurping for the frog (how the frog catches a fly), fake spitting like a camel, howling like an owl, bawking like a chicken and growling like any animal that he isn't sure of their sound! ;) there was a skull on my workout shirt the other day and he growled at it! ha ha

5 - He LOVES fruit! He says apple and na-na and loves having both of them any time he can! He calls every fruit (other than banana) an apple and it's so cute :) Strawberries are his favorite right now.

6 - He LOVES his books! His current favorite is Thomas the Train, and EVERY page he says 'chooo choooo' We love it! It's always a high pitched choo-choo too! ;) Also, when he sees a boat (in his Thomas book too!) he says ' row, row, row' instead of boat! ;) so stinking cute!

7 - He is obsessed with buses! He finds them in all of his books, and pushes his learning reader until it sings 'Wheels on the Bus' where he then rolls his arms round and round! If we pass a bus, or see one drive by through the window he will roll his arms! SO stinking cute!

8 - He LOVES chicken, and when you ask him if he's hungry and wants chicken he doesn't say yes, he says 'bawk bawk'! He would also eat fruit snacks all day if I let him! He loves them A LOT! :)

9 - He does SO well with his manners and says please 'eeeese' and signs thank you. He knows when to say them and does it every time I give him his food (daddy was all over teaching him to thank mommy ALWAYS! <3 ) Makes me so proud!

10 - He is the easiest baby to take places! He does really well in the car now, and is SO well behaved anywhere we go! When we went to St George for the home shows I literally couldn't believe how good he was the ENTIRE time! In and out of houses and running and playing at the condo. He even slept great there! He was the happiest and sweetest thing! He is so good at restaurants, too. I'm so so grateful for this! We went to a basketball game over the weekend, and he sat and played with toys and ate snacks for almost 2 hours before wanting to go run around! LOVE that! 

11 -  He has all of his teeth plus his 1 year molars. All we're waiting on his his second set of molars. He did great with teething and has the cutest/goofiest smile with all those toofers! He does great with brushing them as well!

12 - He is sleeping like a dream! Well, compared to the first 13 months of his life! He sleeps about 10-11 hours at night (no wakes ups!!) And takes a nap mid day anywhere from 1.5-3 hours! It's amazing! Still an early riser, but we can handle that since he sleeps through the night!

13 - He wakes up ready to eat! He does the sign for 'eat', but also makes the cutest little chewing noises while his fingers are at his mouth! It's so cute and so funny! Kailee used to wake up all the time saying 'daddy, I'm hungry', and it looks like Hank will be the same way!

14 - He loves his trucks and tractors and likes to crash them and say 'caaassshhh' :) All boy, this one! He loves playing catch with daddy and throwing every ball he sees!

15 - He will now tell you if he's stinky and he does the most disgusted face and says 'eeehhhh' while pointing to his nose. Then will say 'oooop' for poop :) He also does 'eeeeh' to anything he finds gross! He even did it while I was watching Chicago Med the other day and they were cutting into someone! OOPS! Ha ha! He does it to all bugs too, just like his mama!

16 - He has the BEST facial expressions and says 'WHOA' with big eyes 327846827 times a day! It's his favorite word right now! He does it when he hears a loud noise, or when he almost falls. SO cute!

17 - He absolutely HATES getting his nose wiped. I blame being suctioned at the hospital! ha ha. No, he has always hated it and freeeeeaaaks out when we try to get his boogers. :( He isn't a fan of getting his diaper changed anymore either and will sometimes cry during the whole thing, only to stand up and give kisses and smile when you're finished! Little turd.

18 - He became a REALLY big boy upon leaving the hospital last month (he was 17 months 2 days). We left his bottle there and he hasn't had one since! I was DREADING this transition. He LOVED his 'ba-ba' but he blew me away with how well he did! We did tell him the first couple of times he asked for it that it was at the hospital. He never asked twice after that! ;) I can't believe how well he has done with all of these transitions! He quit nursing like a champ and now the bottle is done too! This is the only time I'm glad he never took to a binky, we are done with taking things away!! YAY! Next transition will be from crib to bed, but I don't see that one happening for a while.. no need!

He loved Wesson's baby center, and Grandma Jeri loves him!

Hanging out on the couch with the adults!

This kid is OBSESSED with shows! He calls them 'oooohhsss' He knows YouTube well. oops!

He loved wrestling with Great Grandma Jeri

He loves his tractor!

Mommy was cleaning the cushions and he thought it was the coolest thing ever!

Eating a snack with his bear beanie on

His favorite chair to climb on! This boy loves to climb ANYTHING!

He saw this hat and kept saying 'da! da!' It's mine, but you're right buddy, daddy always wears a hat! :) 

Trucks again :)

Walking with Grandma and Tony. When did my baby get SO big?! 

I love hearing him play and saying 'weeooooweeeooow' 

Hard to believe he has been in our lives for a year and a half. He was a tiny baby in my arms just yesterday, and now he's more of a toddler than baby. :( I don't know what we ever did without him! He brings so much fun and excitement and happiness to our family! We love you so much, Hank! You are one special and loved little boy and I love every day of being your mommy!

xoxo,
Mama

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Cleanse Phase I

I finally did it! I ordered my first challenge pack, and I haven't looked back! If you haven't heard of Advocare, or of the 10 or 24 Day Challenges, I highly recommend looking into them! Need a kick in the butt to REALLY get going this time? This is the best start! Jake and I did the 10 Day Cleanse a couple of years ago and both felt AMAZING afterwards. This was KEY in us learning what clean eating meant.

This isn't a cleanse like most. It's not 3 smoothies a day, or a box of laxatives! ;) It is a guide to getting your health and eating on track and I couldn't be more in love with these products! 

I finished Phase I on Saturday, and I'm pleased to say, I lost 10 lbs in 10 Days and 4 1/2 inches off of my body! Pretty great for still being able to eat, right?! I feel lighter, and just overall better. It was a much needed boost after all the excuses the past couple of months!

A quick breakdown of what it is and the products you take for the Cleanse Phase:

Foods - Clean foods only. No processed anything. No dairy. No coffee (GAHHH!:( ). No added sugars or salts. LEAN proteins only. Green vegetables. Whole wheat bread/tortillas etc.  No dressings or sauces. Limited healthy fats (nuts, avocado, evoo)

Eating Schedule - Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. This is NOT a hungry cleanse ;)

Supplements - Spark! YUM! It's an Amino Acid Supplement that provides tons of energy, and is yumm-o! A daily fiber drink that you take in the morning with your breakfast. The worst part of the cleanse by far, if you ever do it, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, let it sit for too long before drinking! It will quickly turn into a lumpy goo of disgusting! ;) Mix it in your water, drink it quick and it's not bad at all! Okay, it's kind of bad still, but not awful! ;) You also take a probiotic each morning and Omegaplex vitamins in the afternoon, followed by a Herbal Cleanse tablet you take at night before bed. That's it! Nothing crazy, and nothing that has you on the toilet all day ;) 

Water - 100+ oz a day

Workout - as normal.

Days 1-4 : (around mid day) were AMAZING! I felt better and I felt better QUICK! I could tell my body had gotten rid of all the toxins, and other than really missing my coffee and a little headache in the mornings, I felt SO good! I lost 5 lbs in the first 2 days! TMI, but I probably peed about 23985792347 times that first day! It was awesome!

Day 4-8 : I hit a BRICK wall. My body was exhausted, and literally I think I was going through withdrawals of sugar and salt and CRAP! I felt poopy. Low energy, frustrated, and just grumpy. It was a HARD few days, but I stuck with it and kept pushing through.

Day 8-10 : Energy was back, my foods tasted good again, I was finding a rhythm and groove and knew that what I was doing was what my body needed! A few temptations hit me on Day 10 with being at a restaraunt for the first time and being at a sporting event with popcorn, but I ordered the healthiest item on the menu (broccoli, rice and chicken - no salt or seasonings) and resisted even a bite of anything I wasn't supposed to have! It was hard, SO hard, but I did it!

I know it is BEYOND cliche to say, but I feel SO much better! I feel lighter and proud and excited that this is going to change my body for the better! This is getting me in the mindset and on the right track to eating to fuel my body and not to please my palette. Don't get me wrong, it's been hard too! I love love LOVE my coffee, and cheese, and of course salt. But this is definitely reminding me of the way I need to eat 90% of the time to have a healthy body and mind. My spirits are lifted, the weight is dropping, the energy is up and I'm trying so hard to be more positive, like I used to be! The past year has taken a toll on my spirits and adjusting to this new life has been challenging. More challenging than I ever could have possibly imagined. BUT, I think I'm finally on the right track to a healthy and happy future! I'm also REALLY excited for day 25! ;) I can't wait to eat some of the healthier things I've been craving. Cottage cheese, salads (with Bolthouse dressing!), peanut butter (okay.. kind of healthy!), a little cheese, coffee, etc. 

Now on to the Max Phase (Days 11-14) where the diet loosens up A LITTLE, and the max metabolism burn comes in! I'm excited! 

xoxo,
Lacy

Thanksgiving Point

Kailee's first dance competition of 2017 is IN THE BOOKS! Girlfriend absolutely ROCKED it!! This competition is an awesome one to start out the year. It's close to home, and just a relaxed atmosphere. It's usually loud and chaotic trying to find a seat, but this year was awesome!

 

I know I can speak for us all in saying how thankful we are to all of our families for coming to support her! I don't think she ever has a competition where she isn't supported by at least someone other than the 4 of us and her brothers! Well, maybe St George, but that one is for good reason! ;)

So proud of you, beautiful girl! We love to watch you dance and see you develop! Her team took 1st place on both dances, what a start Gold Co.!! So proud! Kicking off UDE's competition season with a BANG!!! 

2017 Gold Company

Grandma Andrus and Grandma Mellor :)

One of her brothers was an absolute DOLL, the other, a freakin' grump. Betcha can't guess which was which?! ;) They both love her so much! Hank did great until she was done dancing, once she was done... so was he! Better get used to it, Bud! We have LOTS of these days in your future! Also, how cute is little Boston's smile?! GAH! I love him! SO much fun having two little boys with us now!