2013 Year in Review

Well, first off, Alexandra is 14 months and while a little light on hair on top of her head, she is our firecracker!

 Matthew is 34 months or almost 3 yrs old....he is me made over...at times that is just adorable but at 3 am when he has to sleep with me or demands to watch his "show" it is quite annoying...then I like to refer to him as my little monster! (of course in a very affectionate way)

As for the year, I lost 10lbs! I am back to 155lbs which looking at my old training logs puts me back at 2010 1 Jan weight...so pre-2 babies....of course it is 2 lbs off of last year 1 Jan 2012 where I was 153...but I will take it...I am hopeful that in 2014 I can lose the last 5 vanity pounds and maybe stay in the 140s!

As I look at measurements, I lost 2 inches in my hips, 3 in my chest, 1.5 in the waist and half an inch in my neck...that all kinda makes sense as I was 2 months post birth last year and breast feeding....it is a few inches still from where I would like to be but I am hopeful as the fitness side of my life improves my inches, weight and goals will be achieved.

As for fitness, I was optimistic that I would get ~500 miles this year...can't remember if that was to be purely running miles or a combination of running/biking. So the year totals: running ~209 miles, mostly by myself and around this little horseshoe neighborhood that we live within....most runs were 2-3 miles in length.

For biking, mostly on the bike we bought upon moving to St Louis b/c we didn't join a gym, I did ~939 miles. That comes from 20-40 minute bike rides downstairs, typically at 125pbm-160bpm which for me is 60-80% max heart rate....and I guesstimated the distance so a typical 20-30 minute bike ride would be 8 miles and then the 30-45 minute ride would be around 10-12 miles...

This is where 2014 is going to hopefully change. I am hoping that upon buying a house and getting more settled here in St Louis I can get back to teaching spin classes and going to the gym where I can indulge in running on the treadmill during the crappy weather days and the community aspect of spin classes....Until then, the sole running adventures and bike rides in the basement will have to do.

So goals for 2014, would like to get running miles for the year up to 350 miles...that is an increase of 150 miles from last year and I would like to get that 1000 miles biking...Fitness is really my focus this year. Diet and weight-loss was the focus for 2013 so now that I am so close to those goals I am excited to switch my focus. 

For the other achievements: I got a job! I am back to teaching in the traditional face-to-face environment. I am still dabbling on-line for the easy money and for the fun of it, but I am so thankful for the job at St Louis CC. A second huge achievement is I finally attained the 200 hrs of training with Yogafit which allows me to register as an RYT (Registered Yoga Trainer) with YogaAlliance! I sent the paperwork off yesterday and I am just so thankful that my yoga journey which began back in May 2006 is finally complete! Now if only I can get back to teaching, I do miss teaching both yoga and cycling classes and the community that you make in a gym class....hopefully that will return as we find a house which is near a gym.

2014 should be a good year, we are planning to buy a house if we find the right house in the right location. I continue to teach and will take a Yoga PE class for fun so while I don't have a gym membership at least once a week I can enjoy yoga classes. Jay and I celebrate our 5 yr anniversary and plan to visit Vegas and Louisiana for vacations and visits with family! We also hope to see Matthew successfully transition out of diapers but potty training as I am learning is really not a high priority for my little monster!

Well Happy New Year and of course I will try to do a better job on the blog, with fitness being my goal, I am hoping to use this blog as an accountability system so I post my successes in meeting time goals, mileage points,and possibly race results...but not planning to do any races at this time...but that could change....

Update on the blog

It has been a while, but I finally figured out how to find and access my blog since the computer crash this past summer. Yep, it has been a while.
So the last post/entry was May, since May, I have a job now, Alexandra is now 1 yr and Matthew is over 2 and a half years old.
We survived Halloween which was fun, Matt dressed as a pumpkin and Alexandra wore Matt's old Monkey outfit from last year.

 Pictures of my one year old with her Granny. Granny came in unexpectedly once Matt was admitted to the hospital for a boil on his butt that was not healing and forced us to admit him to the hospital for a few days so he could get IV drugs to overcome the infection...Granny came to visit to help out and it was a much needed visit. It worked out that she then was here for our Hello Kitty inspired birthday party.

 Alexandra appeared to love the icing at least on the cake. This also started a craze for Matthew, he really liked the cake and we had to go through this phase of eating cake everyday for a few extra days, then it transitioned into brownies and cookies. This also meant that Mommy and Daddy helped out a bit with eating the sweets that made their way into the house so their went our diets.

 Halloween, it was a cold, windy and rainy night but Matt and Mommy did manage to enjoy some time outside. Matthew wasn't that interested in trick-or-treating. He was excited to just be outside with all the other kids and people that were walking the streets.

I ended up wearing the my old flight suit with some old "fun" Friday patches. My students did get a kick out of me in my old uniform. It was also fun to relive the glory of not worrying about what I would wear to work each day.

May--7 Months Old! 27 Months Old....wow, kids are growing up!

Well, we have made it to 7 Months and Alexandra is cutting her first tooth, her bottom tooth.She is also sitting up and somewhat mobile...moves in circles and pushing up to crawl but not quite yet moving with a purpose but is right around the corner.

 So here are pictures of eating, our new activity we are working on every day. So far she is getting the hang of it when squash or carrots are involved...also a bit fan of bananas but not so much on peas....

 Picture from Mother's day, not sure if we have ever mentioned this, but that bunny is "Hop"....it is Matthew's favorite stuffed animal...we bought a backup and didn't realize that "Bud" has smaller ears so he has been rejected...but we have him should something ever happen to Hop....Hop has made the trips to Vegas with Matt and is a necessity when it comes to bedtime snuggling.

 Here is Miss Alexandra sporting some cute clothes and playing in our Exercsaucer...she is figuring how to jump and play in the devise. She is into playing with that alligator puzzle thing. Matt wasn't as in to that toy on this device but she is all about it.

 Picture of Miss Alexandra on the couch at Granny's house this last trip to Vegas, She got to finally sport some of her cute summer clothes as it was 90+ degrees in Vegas....back in St Louis we have a slow spring and summer so haven't been able to sport our cute little skirts and other sleeveless gear.

 Matthew and Alexandra posing with Granny and Granddad on our final night of our Vegas trip, May 2013. The kids had so much fun and Matthew is a huge fan of his pallet...he is still asking to go to Granny's house and Uncle Johnny's house...guess we gotta get a plan to visit Vegas again really soon!

 Finally the 24th, so officially 7 months old today. Can't believe it is 7 months and she is cutting teeth, sitting up and all her other achievements. Wish she would sleep a bit better...she does better at Granny's house but once home seems to revert back to 11pm and 4am wake-up calls....oh well, here is to keeping fingers crossed she will get with the "Mommy sleeping through the night" program really soon!

Just another 7 month picture.
Happy Memorial Day....we are going to spend some time with Aunt Pat and Uncle Stan at the RV park...Jay has already asked if the lakeside RV park means there is a lake with fish and could he bring his fishing gear....Otherwise the objective for the long weekend is to do our chores and do some yard work, some of the bushes and trees need trimming. Also need to get the back porch cleaned up and use up the last big of gas so we can get a new tank for the gas grill.

Our next big adventure in a few weeks it off to NC for a wedding and for the first time a trip to the Beach for both kiddies! Can't wait!

May 1st, Happy Birthday Granny!

Well, it has been a while, we have had some adventures since the last post. First and foremost: Happy Birthday to Granny!

We just returned not quite 2 weeks ago from Las Vegas and will return for a family vacation in 2 weeks so we can't wait to see Granny and celebrate with her...goodness knows Matthew loves cake so I guess we will  have to get a cake for Granny and Matthew to share!

I am waiting to sign a letter of Intent for a job! I will start teaching at St Louis CC Meremac Campus in August....waiting on the letter of Intent which is held up by the salary, they are trying to figure out how much to pay me based on teaching experience so I had to provide all my credit hours I have taught both online and at Pitt to help them figure out where I fall on their pay-scale. It is crazy but after figuring it out, I am almost at 200 hrs of teaching credits. That is quite a bit of teaching...mostly 4 hr credit courses online with American Public University teaching their Anatomy and Physiology course....hopefully I get a call later today from the Dean to schedule my meeting. I also will stop by and see my office and get my text books as I am going to have to put together a General Bio class and my own A and P course...so planning to take time this summer to do that so come August I am ready to roll!

As for the kiddies. Alexandra is 6 months and just had her 6 month checkup. She is weighing in at 15lbs 5 oz and 27 1/4 inches long. So she is basically the length for 9 month clothe but too skinny for some of it...so I am using 6 month 2 piece sets and 9 month sleepers. She is finally sleeping better and with daycare 2 mornings a week and about to be 3 mornings, it is much better as we are getting on a schedule. She is sitting up ok, and rolls very well. She is even pushing up to crawling all-fours position but not quite moving yet. I just got goodies from Nannie Leone and Mrs. Loiranne (Ne-ne) so she is going to be very well dressed this summer...It just needs to warm up and stay warm so I can get her in some of these really cute dresses.

Matthew is doing ok. He is showing more interest in his diaper, especially when full of poop....so potty training is coming along...he sits on his potty and at times will pee in there, not ready to tell me when he needs to go nor when he needs to poop or when he has pooped...I just keep an eye on his hands, when he starts digging in his diaper, changes are he has pooped and wants to do poop art...ugh...cleaned his room a few times and still can't quite get rid of the poop smell.
He is into Super Why on PBS these days...which is great, b/c finally a break from the Cat in the Hat, but ugh. now another show to download and get tired of in oh about a week of watching it non-stop. At least it has a strong alphabet focus so he is asking for Daddy to spell on his white board and he likes to play what Letter is this game....it is funny b/c he is not quite getting the alphabet song but at times he randomly shouts out letters so his alphabet song is A J W...kinda cute.

He got a haircut...I realized in Vegas the kid needed a hair cut....it is such a pain b/c it has been up to know this 2-5 minutes of screaming and just a fight...but we did it and he did so well...so here is our new and improved hair cut. He is really now beginning to look more like a little kid and less like a toddler/baby...now if only Miss Alexandra would get some hair!

Looking more and more like his cousins now with shorter hair!

Can't leave Miss Alexandra out, here she is with her new Doll from Nannie Leone...sporting this Kangaroo outfit Matthew inherited from somewhere...I promise more girly clothes once it stays a bit warmer...I have stuff now, thanks again to Nannie Leone and Mrs. Loiranne so will get her dressed and pictures will be coming.

ok, super why is over and time to fight to get Matt to take his nap. Gotta go. Happy Birthday again Mom!

Recent Challenges

Well, we have had some challenges lately...

1. back to half day daycare for Matt...which means he is taking his nap at home and so that means the peer pressure of everyone on the cot sleeping is missing. At home in his room, he is running around and playing, then when he gets frustrated and angry, he is tearing up the few books that will have pages, putting the pages under the door, taking his clothes out of his 2 drawers, which means socks and PJs are everyone....and the new thing is taking his diaper and clothes off....which wouldn't be terrible but he has had an accident with pee on the carpet once, but the terrible thing is he has taken the poop and spread it EVERYWHERE....Friday was horrible b/c I let him "cry-it-out" for 30 min or so while I fed Alexandra and when I went up there to check on him....OMG, poop everywhere, I had to throw out the sheet, his angry bird shirt, wash all the socks, pjs, stuffed animals and bedding...and clean. Called Jay to tell him to get the grocery store carpet steamer as our tiny steamer was not going to cut the mess that Matthew left us...So tried to not make a huge deal....b/c I don't want to encourage this when he is mad as a way to goat mom...but sure enough Sunday, he did it again. Luckily, I didn't let him cry it out as much, really he wasn't crying, just normal banging around that lets us know he is awake and not sleeping....so I got to him with poop in his hand, smiling like, "yeah, this is fun, making a mess"
So, what to do...hopefully it will not happen again this week. I know part of him not wanting to have a poopy diaper is a good thing b/c it means he is aware of his body and doesn't want to wear his poop...but gosh, taking it off and then pretending it is mudd and spreading it everywhere is so not fun for mommy....we are going to laugh about this later I am sure, but for now...any advice or ideas on how to get him to nap....how to get him to not take off his poopy diaper and spread it around? This is normal right?

2. Sleeping...when my mom was here she helped us get Alexandra to sleep in the pack n play...she was up 1-2 times a night...since she left, we moved Alexandra to her room and she is falling asleep and going down around 7-8pm and sleeping in her crib...but she is waking up now every 2 or so hours...which means 2-3 wake-ups...and she is not going back to sleep...we need to toughen up a bit and let her cry it out...I know that....and per the articles I am reading online, I think she is wet and that is a reason she is waking up....and maybe she is not hungry but we are feeding her...so that is making her wet more often and thus waking her up....also she is rolling over and whole sleep on her back thing...I try to get her to sleep there, but she typically rolls over to her belly which makes her really mad...she likes to sleep on her side....I think I am in for a few horrible nights, but going to have to do something b/c waking up at 10, 1230, 330, 530 and having her sleep with me in this little single bed are just not working....I am not getting any sleep and we are according to the articles on sleeping babies giving her bad cues and feedback. So suggestions and thoughts?? She hits 5 months old here in a few days so that is time for sleeping 5-6 hrs at night right? and it is old enough to let her cry it out a bit? It is also ok at this age to let her sleep on her side/belly right?
I just don't remember these details with Matthew...he wasn't a great sleeper but it seems like at this point for him, we was sleeping at least long enough at night to let us only have 1 wake-up during the night....just don't remember.

So, that is about it for us....we are enjoying the last bit of cold weather and spending time in-doors...the only downside is that we can't get outside on Saturday/Sunday right now with the rain and with Matthew not taking swim lessons...once April starts we get back to Saturday morning swimming which I know Matthew loves and looks forward too immensely.

So advice and suggestions are welcome on our 2 major issues....I know the sleep issues are really a huge fault of mine but time to get a little tough love going....potty training is still in the background, Matthew is not really interested but I do try to encourage him to sit on the potty while watching his Cat in the Hat TV show...so hopefully one day he will do something on the potty and start at least doing it at daycare with peer pressure around him....we can only hope!

4 Months and 2 yrs

Guess I haven't updated on the growth and milestones. Alexandra is 4 months and at her appointment she weighed in at 13lbs 3 oz and 26 inches. 26.5 inches is the upper range for 6 month Carter body suits so really soon I am guessing we are going to move up to the 9 month size...she is just so tall! So it has been a rough month as she has gotten a runny nose and is a fussy girl, especially in the evenings but she is getting better...or maybe I am just handling it better so don't notice it as much.
She started 2 days a week 1/2 days at daycare, and it was nice to have her at school so I could actually focus on getting work done as I am teaching 3 classes right now and it is a first time for one class so it takes up more time than usual as I have to do some additional prep work.

Matthew is 2 yrs, weighing 27 lbs and 36 inches tall. He is wearing 18months close still at least pants but getting into some 24 months shirts. He takes swimming lessons on Saturday right now with a parent. Jay and I have each taken him and for the most part he really enjoys being in the water, chasing the duck and jumping into the water to us (as long as we hold his hands) but not so keen on blowing bubbles or doing anything on his back. He has another year before he is even old enough to join a real swim class and he enjoys the current class so much we have decided to continue so he keeps working on the skills he will need to move forward when he is ready. The big downside is the class is Saturdays at 11 so it kinda prevents us from doing anything fun on Saturdays...but small price to pay to ensure he doesn't develop a fear of water and can transition to swimming lessons in a year....plus it wears his butt out so he typically takes a decent nap on that Saturday.
In other news, we went to the Dr. Seuss Birthday bash at the Magic house in Kirkwood MO on 3 March. They had a big Cat in the Hat themed event and since Matt is pretty crazy about the Cat, it was a fun outing. It was super crowded but we got our picture with the Cat and spent quite a bit of time in the special auditorium where the Cat themed events were taking place and Matt was just happy to be there and watch the costumed Cat walk around and give High 5's to kids.

So that is about it, we don't have much going on in March as swim class does take a break for 2 or 3 weeks between sessions and it is still chilly here, (snowed yesterday, 5 Mar) so not much on outings, but I am sure that will change and with our break from swimming for a few weekends we can hopefully make the best of the situation and get back to the Zoo, Bird Sanctuary and other STL area kid-friendly attractions.

Pictures on facebook, will try to keep it updated, but as you can see I am well almost 2 weeks behind posting this information so bear with me as I am just a bit busy with the 2 kiddies and only having daycare part of the day and for Alexandra part of the week.
Hope to have news on a job soon for me...watch FB for updates!

Feb 14th, Valentine's Day and Birthday for Matthew and Jay!

Well, Valentine's day takes a back seat to the excitement of Matthew turning 2yrs old and of course celebrating Jay's birthday...of course we don't really report how old after 30yrs old right???

It has been a very eventful few days. Granny came in on the 12th, I have on-line classes ending and class set-up for new online courses piling up, Matt is "sick" he seems to have despite his tubes an ear infection in his right ear that caused him to upchuck like someone who is motion sick (yeah he gets that from his mom most likely) but with a trip to the doctor on the 13th and drops in his ears he doesn't seem sick at all....so onward with the small party on Saturday.

For today, we have a mint ice cream cake for Jay and Matt to indulge in, and since I am not a fan of any or all things mint, I won't be tempted to cheat on my diet...which I am happy to report, 1 week on the medfast meals and I am down 4 lbs and finally in my pre-pregnancy bluejeans and 9 lbs away from pre-pregnancy weight...14 lbs from goal weight!

So since Matt did have his upchuck episodes yesterday and Granny is in town, he stayed home today and we hit the World Bird Sanctuary for a quick trip to enjoy the birds....the weather was ok....low 50 degrees but you would have thought colder the way my mom, Granny, had the kid bundle up....he had a ball and took a great nap so it appears the drops are working and we are on the road to recovery.

I attempted to get Matt to take pictures with the final sticker, the 24 month one and it was as expected a complete failure...oh well, it was cool while it lasted and at least kept me documenting his growth on a monthly basis the last 2 yrs...the good news is I can let loose and just focus on Alexandra as she is about to hit her 4 month mark

So here are some pictures from today!

 Matt getting some whipped cream on his pancakes...he ate the whipped cream but not the pancakes...

 Alexandra hanging out while Matthew enjoys his birthday breakfast!

 Reading the card from Daddy to celebrate Valentine's day. Granny looking over shoulder and helping to read the card. Notice the whipped cream is gone but not the pancakes...Queenie got a feast of pancakes since Matthew I think only ate one.

 Alexandra with her first valentine's day card from her daddy! Posing with the card and hanging out while Granny and Matthew have breakfast.

 So trying to get the sticker pictures, but the minute I get the sticker on his chest he would pull the sticker off, I am trying to do this while his favorite TV show: The Cat in the Hat on PBS is playing but he is not fooled and keeps pulling off the sticker.

Granny and Granddad bought some new books and well she was put to work reading them over and over....Panda Bear, Panda Bear, what do you see??? I think I have heard it nonstop all day....never-mind the other book is the Cat in the Hat, he is all about this Panda Bear book....

So Saturday will take pictures with the Cat in the Hat cake and then Sunday looks to be possibly warm enough to hit the zoo with Granny....too bad Monday looks to be cold and wet....

Tomorrow Matthew will enter the 2yr old room (potty training finally!!!) and I am off to get my hair done...it has been since what...October since I really have had the hair worked on...oh I did get this horrible cut at Great clips with Matthew in November...so yeah, hopefully tomorrow she can fix this horrid cut...I expect it means cutting a few inches off to get rid of these layers but maybe I will then allow my picture to be taken again with my hair down and not in a ponytail or bun....yeah, it is that bad...especially if I don't curl or do something with it....

So the party on Saturday and just saw on PBS this morning that there is going to be a huge Cat in the Hat event at the Magic house here in Kirkwood area on March 2-3rd...so guess I know what we are doing that Sunday...going to visit the Magic house and see the Cat! Anyone in the area who wants to join us, please let me know, we would love to see friends and enjoy the Magic house!

Until Next update!

Feb 6th update

Well, Alexandra is officially able to roll over. At least she accomplished the feat twice last night in the middle of her evening scream/crying session. She is a fussy kid...I am not sure if she is truly colic but if this is a taste of colic, then I totally get why people go crazy after hours of screaming. She usually cries/screams/fusses for 1 out of every 2 hrs she is awake...it get progressively worse as the day wears on so by evening when Jay gets home she is not wanting any of his attention.
Of course, not to be outdone, Matthew usually starts his whining about the time Alexandra finally eats, falls asleep or settles down so yeah, it makes for some very long hours. I have had some training to attend online for my teaching and of course Alexandra screamed throw most of it, not sure how much I actually heard of the skype training or pre-session training but I did my best considering the limited options...and trying to get the training done during naps is still hit-or-miss anyway.
Speak of the devil...she is screaming...just fed and changed her so not sure what is wrong this time, but this kid will definitely drive me to drink and turn my hair gray, I see it happening already.

Despite that, she is darn cute in my opinion. Here are some pictures:

24 Jan, 3 Months old!

Well, we made it to 3 months! Alexandra is finally on some sort of schedule, we usually go to sleep around 930-10 pm and then usually wake-up around 2-3 am to do our night feeding...Typically Alexandra goes right back to sleep until either Daddy wakes us up and makes Queenie bark around 530-545 am (which then wakes up usually Alexandra, Mommy and Matt), Matt wakes up and demands attention around 6 am or Alexandra wakes up super hungry.

 Matt at 23 Months old. He is finally wearing those Size 18 Months pants and his shirts which are 18 months size as well. I am guessing he is around the 26 lbs mark, but next month at his 2 yr appointment we can get an official weight! He has started taking a parent/child swimming class every Saturday and loves going to the pool. He loves taking baths as well and since his swim class has started trying to kick and swim in the bathtub which leads to getting Mommy very wet! We also have this wonderful foam puzzle of the States which is Matthew's new favorite toy/game. We must put and take apart the puzzle a dozen times a day. Matthew is all about the Cat in the Hat TV show on PBS. He was on the Daniel Tiger show and Sesame Street a few weeks ago, but right now he is obsessed with Cat in the Hat!

Alexandra is a Drama Queen! At 3 months she is running the house. She is wearing 6 months one-size outfits but if it is a 2 piece outfit, she is still able to wear the 3 months size stuff. Her feet are still so skinny that I have to put on sock savers to keep socks from falling off. She is typically a happy child during the morning but come afternoon and near a nap time, she is a holy terror, really able to put on a show when it comes to throwing a fit.

As for me, I have applied for 2 biology teaching positions at local community colleges and reached out to friends and family for help getting contacts at various schools, but no luck yet with getting an interview. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hopeful that maybe this spring when schools start to think about their fall schedules and enrollments, maybe something will open up for me. As for on-line teaching, I finish 2 classes on Sunday and my third class ends in 3 weeks. I am hopeful that I might get a few more classes after my current classes end, otherwise I am not sure what I am going to do to keep myself busy.

Jay gets a root canal done on one of his molars tomorrow so hopefully that will go well so he can do his swim class with Matthew. Otherwise I will have to find a bathing suit that fits so I can venture out in public :)

Well, that is about all these days, Queenie is doing ok, going to have to find her a Vet soon as she is due for a teeth cleaning and needs her Rabies shots by April.

 Here is a cute picture of Alexandra, she is now wearing bibs pretty nonstop during the day as the slobbering is continuous. I am sure we shall see teeth poking through before too long. This was one of our better mornings where she was willing to smile and cooperate with me for a short time.

Now that Alexandra holds up her head and likes to be upright, we take time to put her in the exersaucer. She is not quite able jump or really stand all that well in the toy but for short periods of time, she does appear to enjoy it. I am sure before too long, like Matthew she will be very happy to spend hours in this toy, which will be great for mommy to have time to do stuff around the house.

That is about all for now. We are going to leave Matthew and Jay's birthday celebration plans to the last minute as we are not sure what the weather will be and ideally we would like to be able do something outside like the zoo or the world bird sanctuary. I am keeping my fingers crossed for nice weather otherwise we have limited options.

My 2 cents on Lance Armstrong...and an update on the kids

Ok
I am glad to finally get the truth about the whole cheating thing...but do we learn what he actually took? Did he do EPO? Did he do blood transfusions? Or was he taking caffeine or testosterone??? Cold medicine in over the counter medicines??? b/c you might recall, cold medicines got a gold medal taken away from a Romanian Gymnast so these rules and these products that are considered performance enhancing could be things that most of us take or use to help us get through a normal long run or race ourselves....so I can't get too angry at the situation b/c I just don't know exactly what he did and in comparison to all the others, was he just staying on a level playing field by doing this?

Now, I still admire the fact that he is a cancer survivor and despite the fact he did whatever that is considered cheating, he did still make it back to the top of his profession after battling cancer! He started a foundation that has done wonderful work getting the message out there about cancer and research for cancer....I have students who use the articles and writings from the websites to help them write papers and learn more about nutrition and performance, exercise physiology....so despite this terrible thing he did, I just can't get onboard with the hate that is directed at him b/c I see so much good that he has accomplished. I do agree that he should step away for a while and not be allowed to do marathons and tri's for appearance fees and possibly compete for money, but I would have no problem with him participating b/c in a world where so many are obese and out-of-shape, he is a name, he is a cancer survivor and he could still do so much good maybe helping to inspire folks to get out there and move!

I will not watch the interview, we don't get the OWN channel in our 250+ channel package, but I will continue to try and see the good that Lance has brought to our world. If the baseball guys can be forgiven, why not Lance?

Now for my kiddies! We have hit 23 months for Matthew...he is now wearing the 18 month pants that were purchased last year around this time....and his wearing his 18 month shirts but I see we are going to have to move up towards 24 month shirts here really soon! He is all about the PBS Show "The Cat in the Hat, Knows a Lot about That" I have 6 of them taped b/c that is all he wants to watch. If he wakes up at 3 am for whatever reason and I go in to his room, he wants to go downstairs and tells me "Cat in the hat?" Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any of these episodes for the ipad or itouch, so the kid is totally about the TV and watching the show.  His talking has improved so much. He is repeating quite a bit of whatever we say, making some pretty decent sentences and vocabulary, I am very impressed with the words he comes up with....not too bad for an almost 2 yr old. Haven't decided on his birthday party, thinking we might take him to the zoo for one of the days if the weather is nice...
He has a new adventure starting this Saturday. He starts Seahorses, which is a parent-child 30 minute swimming/water-play class. I am making Jay do the majority of the classes so they get some Father-son bonding time plus it prevents me from trying to fit into a swim-suit until I can lose the last 15lbs of baby weight.

Alexandra is almost 3 months...the 24th is right around the corner. Height wise we are in the 6 month sizes but realistically for 2 piece outfits, she is in the 3 month size of pants and shirts....She is getting such a sweet personality. She smiles, giggles and laughs all the time...she is trying to roll to her side when laying on the floor on her back and she sleeps pretty decently at night.

So that is about all for us. I will get pictures updated soon, and try to get a picture or 2 from swim this weekend.