Time to breathe? or nap? or relax?

How Far Along?  Tomorrow I will officially be 32 weeks, with 'only' 8 to go.  8 weeks doesn't sound like much, but then again it also sounds like A LOT!

 That's right--I'm in the school bathroom.  Don't judge me!

By now, your baby weighs 3 3/4 pounds (about the size of a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth. www.babycenter.com

(*AGAIN: WHAT THE HELL IS A JICAMA???)

Total Weight Gain: Still somewhere between 30-35 pounds.  My weight has plateued (that's a word, right?) for a while, but-again- 8 more weeks to go!
 

Maternity Clothes: ANY clothes would work.  If I can fit them over my body, I'm wearing them.  Look out students, fashion trends ahead!  Sometime this weekend, I have a goal of going through my dresses and seeing what will work or not.  Even though I've been sporting the tank top/shorts all summer, I'll be trying to stay away from anything that spotlights my protruding belly button.  Let's be real here, it's like a giant THO right in the middle of my stomach- if you know what I mean.  Makes ME uncomfortable to see it--come on October!!

 

Stretch Marks: Fortunately (so far), this is still a pregnancy side effect I have steered clear from.  All fingers crossed!

Sleep: Ugh.  Blah.  It's weird- because both of my pregnancies have really been easy, BUT the end of this pregnancy is wearing me out.  I constantly feel exhausted, but have trouble sleeping.  I constantly feel uncomfortable, and I generally feel like a waddling giant.  I'm not trying to be a hugy baby--just keeping it real people!  Get ready for teacher of the year for the next 8 weeks.  I foresee a lot of teaching from my rolly chair and implementation of "student taught" learning in my classroom.  That's what I'm supposed to be doing anyway, right? 

I feel sorry for Mike too.  When we go to bed at night, I am so exhausted but have the hardest time falling asleep.  I feel like Rachel when she was pregnant on 'Friends'.  I honestly think I've used the line: "Seriously Mike! Could you breathe any louder?"  He had a cough last night, and voluntarily slept on the couch.  Smart boy.  Didn't want to face the wrath!  He's a trooper, though!  Gotta give him credit too--he woke up this morning and went and got me my favorite morning milkshake (let's just call it what it is!) caramel frappuccino (de-caf) and a bagel with cream cheese.  I just love that guy!

Best moment of this week: As uncomfortable as I am, I have still had a really good weekend/week!  Last weekend, we did just about everything you would think someone should do on their last weekend of summer!

ON SATURDAY: WE WENT SWIMMING AT GIGI & GIKUM'S.  (FOLLOWED BY A MASSIVE GREEN CHILE BURGER AT SCOTTY P'S!)

ON SUNDAY: We had a great day!  Went to another fabulous church service.  Went out on the lake for the first time all summer--unacceptable!! Took a nap.  Watched the Rangers-win! Ordered in pizza.  Pretty perfect last day of vacation- in my book!

 

Striking a pose for the camera- go figure!

 

 Last week, we also got our crown moulding installed in Grace & Clark's rooms.  It definitely makes a big difference to the way the room looks--pulls it all together.  It still needs to be caulked and painted, which will be done next week.  I also found some black out blinds at Wal-Mart for $4 a pop!  I had to get 3 to fit the two windows, but they fit perfectly behind the white blinds and are adjusted super easy.  The only thing I need to do is nail or screw them into the top of the window because all they have is a sticky adhesive that does not hold AT ALL!  Here's some pics of the moulding.  You can tell where it will need to be detailed with the paint next week!

 

My Uncle Willie is in town this whole week (horrible timing) with his two daughters.  They are my first cousins, and this is the first time I've ever met the younger one, Chloe, who is almost 4!  I wish Grace and I could've spent the week with them, but last night they all came to Frisco with my mom and stayed the night at Landon and Whitney's.  We went over there for dinner and a little playtime.  I was feeling pretty crummy, so I wasn't really a great time--BUT there was some cobbler and ice cream! 

 Grace and Fiona playing on the phone!

Hanging on the couch with Loli, Chloe, and Uncle Landon!

 Uncle Landon was scaring us! *Loli, Fiona, Chloe, & Grace

 

After hanging out for a while, we called it a night.  Grace was having a great time hanging with her cousins, and they all played really great together.  It's a good thing, because today my mom is taking Grace back with the whole clan to Granbury.  She is also bringing over Clark's finished 'bed skirt', which I can't wait to see how it fits in the room. (pics to come!) 

Mike and I are driving to Lubbock tomorrow morning for one of our really good friend's wedding.  (more pics to come) I showed Mike the dress I got for the occassion and he said it looked like a moo-moo.  Thanks babe.  However, I will be pairing it with a belt because I am a huge believer that a belt helps any outfit!  Six hours of driving tomorrow and six on Sunday- whoo hoo!  So much for resting up before school starts.  Tonight, we are going to be cleaning and getting the house all taken care of so we can all just relax when we get home on Sunday.  whew!!  Lord help me!

 

Miss Anything?: I pretty much just miss being comfortable in general, I miss not needing to pee every 10 minutes, and I miss not having any energy whatsoever.  I enjoy being busy and thrive on a little craziness, so it's driving me nuts to just waller on the couch. 

 

Movement: We all know that Clark moves like a crazy thing all the time, but now he's transitioned from just moving around to pushing.  There are times Mike and I have looked at my stomach and there is one little section that is protruding out about 10 times more than the rest--and then he'll move and it is the freakiest looking thing!  It's a very stretchy, tight feeling I am having at this moment!

Food Craving: I have really lost all appetite lately.  I've been so thirsty, but have not had any hunger pains.  It's the strangest thing.  I really don't realize I'm hungry until I start to fill sick.  I plan on getting some crackers, trail mix, & Vitamin Water for my desk to keep me from feeling 'too' sick at school.  The waves of nauseau are crazy.

Anything making you queasy or sick? No specific 'thing' is making me queasy or sick---I just need to remember to eat every couple of hours or so.  It sneaks up on me like crazy. 

 

Labor Signs: I was actually telling Mike this morning that I feel like I'm starting to get slight Braxton Hicks or something (never had those with Grace?) because every now and then I'll get these strong cramps out of nowhere.  They're not scary painful, but definitely a new pregnancy feeling.  It does feel better this go around knowing what I'm looking for and what's normal or not!  I'm just always on my toes and slightly paranoid since Grace came so early and Clark is a giant, melon head.  Everybody pray that nothing crazy happens while we're six hours away in Brownfield, TX this weekend! Ah!

Symptoms: I don't know if this is a pregnancy symptom or not.  It might as well be..everything else is. BUT I keep pulling out stupid gray hairs!  I'm not even 30 yet, why do they keep popping up?  I need to try some more yoga and stress relief! 

Look at that thing! I know you see it!

Belly button in or out? BHO in full swing

Wedding rings on or off?  My wedding ring is on, and I have to say that my fingers did not swell this pregnancy near as badly.  Lucky for me, my fingers are the only thing that didn't get ginormous. ha!

 

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'd love to say that I'm soo happy and I just love being pregnant and rainbows and unicorns, BUT let's keep it real.  I'm pretty moody and whiny at this point in my life.  I'm working on it- pray for me! :)  It definitely helps having Grace around--she never fails to put a smile on my face.

Here's a picture of her when she left for the babysitter yesterday.  She insists on wearing some type of head gear quite frequently.  The best part of this story is that Mike texted me when he picked her up in the afternoon and said he was driving down Bush with this same hat on because Grace insisted that he wear it.  If he tried to take it off, she would yell: "Daddy, on! Daddy, on!" Sure wish I had a picture of that one! Such a good daddy.  Pretty soon, I hope to get a tea party shot! :)

 

Something else that she started doing--that just breaks my heart--is every time I put her in the car, she always says 'with you'? Then, when I tell her, "No, I can't go with you because I have to go to work" -she always sticks her bottom lip out and tears come to her eyes.  Sooooo sad.  She is just so tender-hearted and sweet.  Mike and I were talking the other night, and you just wish you could keep your innocent, 'love everybody' kids from ever having to see all the bad in the world.  Grace is so lucky to always be surrounded by family and friends that love her, and I am so scared for the day she has her heart broken.  :(

Looking forward to: Now that everything's pretty much back in full swing, I'm looking forward to (and also stressed about) everything that the fall has to offer.  Grace's birthday is coming up, and even though we're not going to do a huge party or anything-- I am still planning on doing quite a few things.  Maybe renting a bounce house, going to Kid Mania, dinner and presents at our house??  Not quite sure yet, but need to start getting all those detailed finalized, as well as getting her presents taken care of. 

On top of that, I'm very excited about two baby showers I have coming up in a few weeks to help me finish final preparations for baby #2!  Next weekend is our annual family reunion, so we'll be heading to Abilene.  My parents are leaving next weekend for a 15 day trip to Spain next week.  Everyone pray for my dad! Like always, crazy busy--but a good busy!

A LITTLE EXTRA:

I am so thankful that our district gave us an extra day of planning in our classrooms this week.  We were able to plan through the entire first month as well as make copies for the first two weeks---huge accomplishment!  After working in my room last week (here and there), yesterday, and today---here are a few pics of my completed pinterest projects.  I've learned the last five years that I am not putting forth too much effort into a cute room (I'll leave that for those adorable elementary teachers).  I just like to let my personality show a little, while making it comfortable for the 130 students in and out of the class!  Let's call these the 'before' pictures!

Pinterest project #1:  Table signs/directions in clear plastic frames! Very handy!

Crates for interactive notebooks for each class period.  I've found that zip ties are the best way to label these things!  I used packing tape last year, and Oh-My-Gosh.

My sanctuary.  Teaching middle school (especially in my tiny room) does not give you an abundance of personal space.  It's partially my fault because I don't really care that much, BUT students learn really quickly that the red isn't just there for decoration!

And...of course I have about 100 pictures of Grace and Tech gear throughout!

This is new this year.  Pinterest project #2 are the 'turn-in' bins decorated in duct tape.  The color scheme doesn't really go with the rest of my class, but they're fun!  The black and white bins are for make-up work for every day of the week.  After my house clean-out this summer, I was able to bring two different bookshelves to class to help organize--plus they give it a homey feel.  The bins have pencils, pens, markers, scissors, rulers, glue, and highlighters.  Tell me again what the students bring??

You can see the other bookshelf from home that has textbooks, notebook paper, & construction paper.  The wall represents my 'People to Know' (A lot of them in U.S. History!), 'Word Wall', and calendar!

Now, is there any way to ensure that students don't mess it all up by week two? Story of my life:  (and every other teacher's...)

 

TO LEAVE YOU...

Here's a cute pic I took of Grace last Saturday morning-being a little diva.  

 

Hope you all have a great weekend, and TEACHERS have a fabulous first week!

Philippians 2:3,4  <3

30 weeks-Home stretch!

How Far Along?: 30 Weeks!

Round 2!  Bigger this time! Think I passed Dad!  

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now and weighs almost 3 pounds (about the size of a large cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will shrink as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.) www.babycenter.com

(*Note: Clark was measuring larger than this at his 28 week appointment and they said I had more than enough fluid for Clark to be comfortable in.  Lucky me!)

Lou loves the baby!

Total Weight Gain: Still somewhere between 30-35 pounds, but I have the biggest growth still to come.  Yikes.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yea.  I've started to try on all my clothes to see what I can wear when school starts.  Nothing is more difficult than planning out my outfits for school everyday with my -very limited- maternity wardrobe.  Just like with Grace, I just can't make myself spend the money on more maternity clothes that will just be worn for 2-3 months.

Stretch Marks: Still going strong- from what I can tell!

Sleep: Between my super congestion and constant need to pee, sleep is starting to be a real pain.  I need to change my nightly routine.  It usually consists of me putting Grace to bed and collapsing on the couch.  I fall asleep (embarrassingly) early and wake up around 1-2 and cannot go back to sleep!  I can feel the exhaustion, but just can't shut my brain off or something.  I've just started using some (doctor recommended) NyQuil type medicine and friend of mine suggested Unisom, so I need to start managing my sleep routine before school starts in a week. Ah!

Best moment of this week: This has probably been one of the more relaxing weeks of the summer.   I know school is getting close, so I've been doing a little  -more than usual- laying around and daytime t.v. watching.  I feel guilty while I'm doing it, but know that I will appreciate it when I'm teaching 140- 8th graders with a pumpkin in my gut!

While Mike was away for a bachelor party, we decided to head to Granbury for a fun, relaxing weekend.  It's such an easy way to relax.  Grace also loves going to the grandparent's because she pretty much gets whatever she wants.  On the way down there, I had to stop at one of my favorite west-Texas places!

Yum!

At swim lessons on Friday, Gigi got us a new swimsuit (in preparation for our Fall swim lessons), and we love it!  We are also rocking swimming lately!  Grace  has flipped a switch!  She breathes so well, kicks her feet like a rock star, and is fearless!

Our new swimsuit!

On Saturday, we did a little flea market shopping in Stephenville where I was able to find Grace a pretty good tree swing for only $5.  Grace was a trooper--even in the 100+ weather!  She also got to sport some sweet power braids!

After a day of shopping and playing at the Stephenville 'water park', we headed back to the house for some delicious, super-healthy (sarcasm) grub!  Now this may be a little TMI, but I am to the point where standing is no longer an option for me in the bathing department.  PLUS, I'm a huge bath lover anyway.  Since our house might have the smallest bathtubs on the planet, I was very excited for the hot tub bath I got to enjoy after my healthy dinner!  It has jets and everything!  (*Note to self:  Must have for next house = hot tub bath tub!)

Clark LOVES chili dogs!

That's right! Candle and all! 

I'm also excited about our trip to Granbury because Mom was able to get started on Clark's bed 'skirt'.  Unfortunately, I was literally less than a foot short on fabric, but she was able to get everything measured and cut and we'll make a trip to Hobby Lobby tomorrow for the rest!

I'm just trying to stay out of the way and maybe learn something!

Miss Anything?: I've been missing lounging on my stomach quite a bit lately.  I have always been a stomach sleeper, so it's an adjustment.  When I'm up at 2 am trying to play candy crush, I want to lay on my stomach- dangit!  Is that too much to ask?

Movement: Still moving around quite nicely in there.  Even though I feel like it, Clark doesn't seem to notice that room is getting a little tight in there.  He seems to be making himself nice and cozy.  I'm a little fearful for the last 10 weeks!

Food Craving: Due to my dear friend, heartburn, I've just been craving foods that sound appealing to my stomach.  Anything that sounds light & refreshing sounds good to me.  Being full of sugar doesn't hurt either! (Minus the chili dogs & Taco Villa mentioned before. haha! Always gotta have the splurges!)

Anything making you queasy or sick? I don't know if it has anything to do with the recent anemia diagnosis, the heat wave, or just the fact that I'm 30 weeks pregnant, BUT  I've noticed a lot lately that I am having huge waves of nausea.  I've noticed that I can't go more than an hour or so without a little something to eat and sitting down.  Makes me a little nervous for my days full of teaching ahead!

Labor Signs: Not that I can tell.  Still early!

Symptoms: heartburn, nausea, constant peeing, never comfortable, congested, waddling, whining, back pain...did I say whining?

Belly button in or out? Out. Completely.    

Wedding rings on or off?  wedding band only--permanently. (For the next couple months anyway.)

Happy or Moody most of the time: I can't complain.  I had an amazing summer...that went by way too fast.  It was as productive as I had hoped, as well as equally fun & relaxing.  Even though I'm sad it's almost over, I am a HUGE fan of the Fall with football, baseball, cool weather, holidays, and -OH YEA- a new Bolding baby coming along!  Even though I can tell I'm being a little more moody & whiny (don't even ask Mike what he thinks!), I know that I am beyond blessed and such a lucky girl.  

Oh yea...and let's keep it real here.  Even though Grace is just the cutest thing in the whole world (I'm not biased or anything), I do believe she's already sneaking up on those 'terrible twos'.  These don't settle well with the moody, pregnant lady.  The grandmas don't believe that their precious angel could possibly throw fits, yet she's actually quite good at them! *I blame that all on Mike's genes!  ;)  I'm determined to catch a few of these lovely scenes on camera--for future entertainment and blackmail!

Looking forward to: 

A last relaxing week of summer- possibly at Mimi's house.  Getting things ready to go for the new school year.  Meeting my new students for the year and mastering all 140 of their names before I leave on maternity leave! Wearing fall clothes!                  Texas Tech football!! Seeing some of my great friends at a wedding coming up!

We've created a monster!

I have started the terrible habit of using YouTube as a co-parent in our house.  We were just messing around on my phone and found Barney on Youtube.  Grace sat there and watched an entire episode!  Well, now every time she sees a cell phone within a mile radius--all we hear is 'Barney, Barney, Barney???' It's fine every now and then, but we have to remind her about those things called 'books' and 'toys', plus it's not cool when she throws herself a nice little fit when we tell her NO.  Have nobody to blame but ourselves.  shame shame.

Our little monster!

Hope you all enjoy your last week or so of summer break!  Do everything you wanted to do that you haven't yet!!  :)

*Isaiah 40: 30-31

(Always makes me think of 'Remember the Titans'!)

..been a Pinteresting day!

With school creeping up, I'm shoving as many of those "I'll do it during the summer" to-do's in now! (<--That sentence makes sense, right?)  This morning, I got up and looked at my fro hairdo (note to self: quit going to bed with my hair wet!!) and decided to try one of my MANY 'hair' pins from my pinterest board.  These will also come in handy when school-days roll around.  Think I pulled it off pretty well-if I do say so myself!  Pretty easy too!

After making myself a little more presentable (what am I going to do when I have to start wearing makeup again???), I convinced myself to organize Clark's closet and dresser, and then I headed to Grace's room.  I cleaned out her closets/dressers with all those outfits that don't seem to fit her anymore.  Always a sad day! :( My baby is growing up!  Now, for another trip to 'Once Upon a Child' for a few extra bucks.  It felt very refreshing to get that chore out of the way.  

After hanging out by myself- organizing closets, I needed some 'fresh' air.  I've been putting off a trip to school, but I went ahead and loaded some things and headed up there.  I planned on just dropping off my things and high-tailing it out of there!  Should've known better...  I sat up there-in the heat- and cleaned out drawers and started to organize my classroom.  

Two hours later, I was feeling wiped so I stopped by the store (for another Pinterest idea) and then headed home.  I have had this pin for a while, but I have had plenty of 'Diaper Genie' refills up until now.  A few of my friends have mentioned that this works, so you can imagine how pumped I was considering how stupid expensive those bag refills are!  I was a little skeptical because I don't have a 'Diaper Genie'--I have the -much cheaper-knock off- version.  It didn't work quite as well, but I can definitely rig it to make it work!  Especially...since I'm about to be doing double time in the diaper department!

For lunch, I tried out two of my food pins from Pinterest, and last night for dinner, I made a recipe! Check 'em out and try them yourself if you think they look good!-->

LAST NIGHT'S DINNER:
-Baked sweet potato with Almond Butter & Cinnamon
-Grilled onions & boneless pork chops
-Steamed broccoli & artichokes
(I have to brag about the fact that Grace ate all of it up!!  Steamed broccoli is one of her favorite foods. Weird, I know!)

TODAY'S LUNCH:
Egg Salad with Triscuits
(Check out my pinterest board for full recipe)
I've done this recipe before, but it's always a big hit in our household!

Courtesy of Patsy, I tried out a little dessert/snack that I think Grace will love!  They turned out really well. 

*Now, don't get me wrong, these are no Oatmeal Raisin cookie--but definitely a great, healthy alternative!

I had to make a small batch of 'raisin-less' for Mike!

I think I deserve some serious credit for the healthy food pins I've made--because there are MANY unhealthy options to choose from!  

HOWEVER... today is MIRACLE TREAT DAY at Dairy Queen!! For every Blizzard bought, $1 will be donated to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital!  Mike and I will definitely be doing this tonight--we have to think of the children!  ;)

S'MORES BLIZZARD TREAT?  Yes, please!

I am happy with how a lot of my pinterest projects have turned out-- including all my nursery projects!  Now...with school coming up, here are a couple ideas I have my eye on!

To use for CONTENT OBJECTIVES & DAILY GOALS?

Can you say Dollar Store?!

Have everything I need for this!  

This looks way better than what I have going on now!

I also love this picture because it is the story of my life! With 30 students in my little classroom, this will be my pregnant belly and me  ---hopefully not knocking students up-side the head! :(

Patsy informed me the Carter's is having a sale (online, I think).  Well, any time I plan on going to Carter's, I always hit up the outlets.  They were having a storewide 40% off sale.  Can you say self control!?  Grace needs a few winter items, but I'm not sure what to even get Clark at this point.  I have a little bit of clothes, but I also don't know what I'm going to get from showers or my wonderful friends/family???  I have to say that I don't have that great of self control... Since my due date is beginning/middle of October, I just had to pick up a little Halloween outfit! ;)

In closing...I just have to say Go Rangers!  They have been rocking it lately and are a lot of fun to watch!  Hopefully, they can keep up their momentum without Nelly.  Leonys is on a roll and Beltre is my hero!  Nothing makes me happier than watching them beat the Angels!  Josh who?

AND..I do have to say- my friend, Jennifer, mentioned something about Jurickson Profar being like JP from 'Angels in the Outfield'.  OMG--that's all I can think of every single time I watch him play!  He's even about the same age as JP would be today.  "Hey! It could happen!"

 

A Little of This and That

Quick baby update:  Got a call from the doctor today with all my results from the appointment on Friday! Good news: free of gestational diabetes!  Bad news:  platelet count is low again and I'm officially anemic.  Just have to add an additional iron supplement to my prenatal vitamin.  No biggie...or so they say.  "We'll just have to monitor it." <---That's the doctor's response to everything.  Not extremely reassuring.  

ON ANOTHER NOTE

The nursery is just about finished!  Thanks to my good friend, Korie, I was able to obtain a pallet!  Yesterday, I completed my clock project, and today I made the bookshelves.  <--Shoulda seen me with my jigsaw, hammer, & 13 Gatorades!  The pallet was a little bit heavier than I anticipated, so the bookshelves became blanket/burp cloth holders instead...BUT I did save a larger one to put on the floor for some books!
I was also able to get Mike's deer mount hung above the dresser, and I picked out fabric for the crib 'bed skirt'.  (Mike doesn't love the sound of our son having anything with the word 'skirt' in it, but I'm not sure what else you would call it?)  I'm planning on taking the fabric to my mom and let her work her magic.  I'll probably keep the crib pretty simple with a bed skirt and plain white, fitted sheet for the mattress.  Unfortunately, the crib will have to be mattress-less for another month or so until we move Grace to her big girl bed!  She will be moving to a full mattress and we will be recycling her mattress for poor- second child- Clark!  Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure:

Mike liked the clock, but didn't like idea of having to replace two of his precious decoys.  Oh well..

Crib was actually a piece of cake to put together!  It required a quick trip to Home Depot, but was very simple!

Picked the navy, chevron pattern to help tie in the navy seats from the glider- PLUS I had to have some of my style in there SOMEWHERE!

I have one additional sign coming in the mail-courtesy of Etsy.  It should be here any day, and I'll add it to the collage wall above the dresser.

   

Crown moulding will be put in either Monday or Tuesday, and then all I really need to do is fix that stupid closet door and find some black out blind apparatus for the windows-piece of cake!! Yay!  

This week has also been full of last minute errands to get out of the way before school starts.  I went ahead and jam-packed our schedule for the fall and spent whatever remaining money we had on Grace's swim lessons for Monday evenings and gymnastics on Thursday evenings.  Apparently, I'm worried that I'm not going to be busy enough with a new school year and new baby and all!  I think I'm a little worried that Grace will feel a little neglected, and I want her to be able to do the same things she would do with a new baby or not!  

She has continued to grow her hat obsession and there is pretty much not a single moment that goes by in our house where she doesn't want us to put something on our heads.  Here's a fun example of the control she has over our household:

Such a good sport!

Two other little ones that I'm worried about are our puppies.  What once were feisty hunting dogs are now our LA-ZY pups!  I told Mike that I didn't care what he needed to do, he is taking them hunting this season!  Can you believe that the trainer we got Rex from said he would never be an indoor dog? Ha!  He's the biggest inside dog I've ever known!

Just pathetic.

Being the fabulous, generous husband that he is- Mike has asked me what I would like for my 'push' present for carrying and birthing Clark.  I definitely need some new workout gear!  Last time I got some new kicks (<--that's what the kids are calling them nowadays, right?) was after Grace was born.  I 'need' some new 'kicks', a new watch, & an ipod!   Easy request, right?  Those things are all cheap aren't they?  Well, I don't need a fancy watch--just something that will keep time.  I also don't need a fancy ipod--a shuffle would be fine.  HOWEVER, it would be nice to have access to either Pandora or Spotify.  Does anybody know of a smaller ipod that has that feature???  I haven't done much research- obviously.

ALTHOUGH..I have looked at shoes.  Those are a lot more fun!  I don't do a lot of distance running and am looking for more of a training shoe instead of just strictly running.  Here's a little peak at what I have my eye on!

I have always liked the look of Under Armour shoes and love all their other products, but I don't know much about them? Thought these were cool--very light!

Gotta love the Reebok CrossFit shoe!...and these were on sale!

Always been a Nike lover...

Decisions Decisions Decisions.  Anybody have any shoe they LOVE?? Suggestions?

I am very ready to get my Crossfit back on and feel more in shape!  I am feeling sluggish with a capital S!  Even though I still do basic workouts and get my heart rate up (occasionally), it's just not the same!  I've lost my ability to do an unassisted pull-up and push ups are just comical at this point!  Mike and I have done a pretty good job watching what we eat, and I definitely don't feel like I've indulged as much as I did with Grace.  I'm not a dieter by any means, but I have mastered the portion control concept at this point---considering!

Unfortunately, Dave Ramsey does not allow us to spend the obscene amount it takes to join a Crossfit gym, but we did find a new-very cool WOD app today.  It's called iWOD ($1.99), and it has some really cool features.  There are unlimited workouts as well as 'how-to videos', alarms/timers, checklists, Paleo resources & recipes, etc... The only thing I haven't been able to find that I really like on my 'myWOD' app is the PR feature.  I like to keep up with all of my max weights and personal records so I have something to strive for when I go to the gym and do a workout.  It's always more fun and challenging when you have something to beat!  

Maybe after Clark is born and we make it through the holidays, we'll come across a Groupon for a Crossfit gym membership for super cheap!

Want

Gotta find this for Clark!

The rest of the week is full of the most annoying errands ever.  I have to get both cars inspected and oil changed. Boo!  If anybody wants to come pick me up and take me for a sno-cone, I'm game!

Mike is headed to Austin this weekend for a bachelor party, so it looks like Grace and I are on our own!  After swimming lessons on Friday, we'll probably head to Granbury (possibly--haven't checked with my parents yet) for one last 'summer' relaxation weekend.  Plus, we can probably knock out Clark's pretty bed skirt! ;)