As For the Diet.....

I've managed to maintain my weight but haven't lost....and here's why!

We've enjoyed the beautiful walking paths.
And have of course been spending plenty of time outside which means sweating off weight by the buckets due to the humidity.

But then there is this delightful place. We've only been once, but it was seriously heaven. I had a cheesecake coconut brownie icecream. MMMM :) !!!

Kylie liked it quite a bit too. I mostly posted this picture so you can check out her eyes. When she was about 6 months old, I noticed her right eye has rays of brown coming out the the pupil. They are totally different and so cool looking. She's one of a kind!
There was also a little big of sharing going on. Kylie did her own hair that day. hmmmm???

And then there was the pie...oh the pie...and I'm sure it's made with lard or some other heart attack causing ingredient. It is so delicious and rich and oh so YUMMALICIOUS!

Madison surprised us all and almost finished her entire piece! She was also flirting with the bikers at the table behind her. There seem to be alot of bikers around here!

Hmmm...I'm thinking I should cut some bangs again. My forehead wrinkle ages me.
The last calorie burning activity we've been doing a lot of is playing cards. Madison will sit and play go fish for an hour easy. (usually it's only me burned out by that time). And Kylie could win just about anyone in a game of slap jack. Man she's good. I get "schooled" about everytime! It's almost becoming a game of "bloody knuckles". ha ha!

ZOO!!!

The day after arriving in Kansas, we went to the Sedwick county zoo in Wichita for Papa Clarky's work party. Sedwick county zoo is the best zoo we've ever been to next to Audobon in NOLA.

We had to stop at every statue and get a picture taken.
Madison had to tote her new baby around everywhere she went.

After we visited the lions, we had to find the Zebra carcass. I couldn't believe Kylie remembered it from last year. On the drive to Kansas, Kylie said she wanted to get a picture of her pretending to eat it like a lion. I find it a little disturbing....

That poor baby lion....

We blew bubbles and ate snow cones and got lots of comments on the new sparkly skirts Grammie bought the girls.
At the work party, Grandpa guessed the right amount of money in the jar and won the whole jar of smarties and money!

And apparently Madison was trying to find her own treasures as well....

The best part of the zoo next to the vast array of wildlife is the landscaping. The zoo is full of bridges and secret passageways. All the plants are real and there isn't cement everywhere like in the Denver zoo. The humidity and heat here let tropical plants and bamboo thrive so it really is like being in a jungle. The bad part of that...I forget how ugly this weather makes me feel. Curling my hair is pointless and it's pretty long now, so it always ends up in a ponytail. Also...my makeup is a melted mess after just a short time out in this humidity!

I thought this waterfall was so cool. There is a pathway that goes behind the waterfall through a cave and the girls thought it was the coolest thing ever!

KEEP UPDATED FOR MORE VACATION FUN!

Colorado friends!

We staying at my parents house for a week and had so much fun! I'm not sure why it is, but I always forget to take pictures when I'm spending time with them. I guess it's because I'm just having too much fun? We saw Shrek 3D and went to several parks and tried some new foods. (I'm now a HUGE fan of Boba!)

We have to budget out time there carefully so we can spend time with everyone. The first day was spent at the Jones' house. The kids played outside and dressed up in costumes. I sure do miss them and all the fun conversations Kathy and I share.

The next day was spent with Valerie and her kiddos at the park. Valerie is my creative friend who always has a new art project going on. I love how much her kids look alike while being completely different at the same time. She's Italian, and her hubby is a redhead. You can definately tell when looking at her kids:)

Scarlett knows exactly what to do when the camera is on.

Bridget and Madison liked the sand so much they decided to take a bunch of it home with them in their hair.

Kylie and Lucas are 1 1/2 years apart but are still such good friends!

We also ran into my friend Chelsea at the park and got to catch up a little bit, and I got to hang out with my friend Debbie and her kids there too (forgot pictures). Thanks everyone for the fun!

Once Apon A Time...

A long long time ago...okay so just over a month, but it feels like forever. Terrence informed me I've been slacking on the blog front, so here is a little update. We went on our annual Mills family camping trip in April and had a fantastic time as always. We feel like we're missing something though and it still never feels quite right without Terrences Mom and Dad there.

Kylie spent every second possible on the go-cart with Mitch and the 4wheelers with Terrence. I couldn't believe how strong she was. Terrence sat on the back and let Kylie have full control of the gas and steering and she did so good.
Maddi could not leave Tate's side. She is so in love with babies! I have a dozen or so pictures of little Tator-tot and he is putting something into his mouth in every single on of them. In this picture, he happens to be eating a rock.

Wish I would have gotten a picture of Madison on the 4-wheelers. We had to buy her her very own helmet on the way down and she put it to good use. If you could have seen her face and heard her sqeals of laughter when we took her up and down the steep dam, I'm sure you would all die laughing. It was priceless!
It was pretty windy for a while the first day, so the girls got to use their Easter kites.
I had to take this picture so that someday when I no longer drive a van, I can remember how white trash I felt driving this through the canyon and feel better about myself for not having to ever do this again. This picture makes me re-think the whole "swagger wagon" idea a bit.

Andrea's Graduation

Andrea graduated from LDS Business College in April. I realized that I only got a few pictures and they are pretty crooked. I'm not really sure how that happened..... Also, I didn't get any of Andrea. :( My Dad has the best camera in the family, so I planned on transfering his SD card to my computer but forgot so here's all you get:

So glad April is back from England! I've missed her!
My brother trying to be beetnick (sp?)

Her graduation was at beautiful Temple Square in this building:
It was a beautiful day and she looked beautiful. We're so proud of her!

Do you have one of these?

I no longer feel so bad about driving a van!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

HALLELUJAH!!!

Anyone who has seen me in oh...the past 5 or so years knows that I am not my same high school slim self. Funny now to think that I was unhappy with my "fat" roll back then which was really no more than a small fold of skin that showed only when I sat down and slumped forward. I have seriously always hated excersize. I used to enjoy dancing, but after watching myself on home video I decided to retire that real quick! My excersize has been chasing small children, carrying large loads, and the occasional mini hike with the Hubby. When I was pregnant with Madison my blood pressure was elevated and they ended up inducing me 2 weeks early. Since then, my blood pressure has maintained it's higher than average numbers and I feel pretty BLAH all the time. But good news folks...I've met someone new! I joined a fabulous gym. I'm not gonna lie though...the main incentive was the very reasonable priced childcare, and the fact that I can have a break from my kids whenever I need one and know that they are in good hands in the meantime. For the past 6 weeks, I have been working out 3-5 days a week for 1-2 hours each time. I hired myself a personal trainer and have been learning how to really push myself to my limits. I feel so good about myself and it's been FOREVER since I've been able to say that.

Last week, there was a woman on the treadmill in front of me who was doing pretty much the same interval workout that I do. When she set the incline at 15 and started doing her sidesteps and walking backwards, you could tell it was getting hard and I could see her mouthing things to herself like "You got this. You can do this. Ten more seconds. Push! You rock". It was then that I realized what I must look like to others. I do that exact same thing. I get so in my little "zone" that I forget what others are seeing. I am just waiting for the day that I start singing to my MP3 player outloud for all to enjoy. :)

So, I'm hoping that I have a big weight loss story to tell over the next few months, but for now I have lost 10 pounds and after having my blood pressure taken at the Dr. last week it has changed from 3 years of staying at about 132/89 to 112/72! HALLELUJAH!!!

I really have met someone new. I am finding a new determination and zeal for life that has been absent. I believe in myself, and best of all.....I feel so much better! I still have quite a bit of weight to lose, but knowing that I'm moving in the right direction now changes everything.