October Highlights

October was quite the month for us. Lots of things going on, a few colds here and there, and Halloween is the beginning of chaos in this house. Shortly after Halloween is Thanksgiving, then birthdays, then Christmas, and before we know it, it'll be 2016. Here's a glimpse of our month.

{Jillian had a homework assignment of creating a girl to represent her. I helped cut and glue, but she picked out everything herself!}

{They were all displayed at open house night}

{We decorated the house for Halloween! Some of them got a little ghetto, but that's ok ;)}

{The big fuzzy spider on our door. We're hoping it'll keep all the real spiders, (including fiddle backs!), away}

{We went to a TU game, and we got several prizes before the game started. Jillian has been posing with her tongue out a lot lately =P}

{Davey wearing Papa's hat. He would clap and watch the game, while Jillian would yell "Yay football players" and "Can I go to the bouncey castle yet?}

{Jillian went with me to a local high school football game to support some of our youth kids at church. Her favorite part was playing with a ladybug, and getting popcorn to eat}

{Jillian practiced being a ghost for Halloween all month long}

{She even used one of my undershirts to get the full effect HAHAHA}

{We celebrated the 10th anniversary of our choir director at church. Even though we've only been there for 3 years, he was actually my choir director my senior year of high school! We surprised him with all kinds of speeches, food, and a song I wrote in honor of him. He works hard, and I'm so glad to have this man in my life!}

{We got a Groupon to a pumpkin patch, so Phil took off an afternoon at work to go with us! It was unfortunately 90 degrees that day, but fun none the less. The kids rode ponies, feed goats, went on a hayride, through this corn maze, and picked out a pumpkin to take home}

{Corn Maze Selfie}

{Being so hot, both kiddos were pretty pink-cheeked when we got back to the car. Luckily, they were both fine with some air conditioner, and water to drink}

{I made a perfect over medium egg the other day! I even flipped it in the skillet with one hand ;)}

{We went to a birthday party for a friend of mine, and Davey got an entire cupcake to himself. Unfortunately, the kid that gave it to him didn't realize how he eats food. It's blurry, but trust me when I say he was covered! HAHAHA}

{Jillian has really been into Fancy Nancy books lately. She wanted to look "posh" and wear "ax-eseries"}

{She is a sweet and creative girl, when she wants to be ;)}

{My mom sent money so that the kids could have light-up necklaces for Halloween. The ghosts are for Jillian, and the skull is for David}

{Royals in the World Series!}

{Funny meme I saw the day after the Royals scored 14 runs LOL}

{This boy scared me by running off on me at Petsmart. I couldn't find him for 3 whole minutes. I will never forget how that felt. I was beyond terrified, and I'm so thankful everything turned out ok. Lesson learned}

{I got some "me time" at Wal-Mart, so I naturally went to the toy section to get birthday ideas for the kiddos. Nothing says "I love you" like Poo-Dough!}

{For Trunk or Treat at our church, I needed some kind of costume. At the last minute I decided to attempt this...}

{Nailed it}

{I gave up, and was going to do something entirely different. After my hair got really poofy, I decided to be Adele. No one really got the reference, but I was complimented on how fancy I looked! Oh well, better planning next year :)}

{David would NOT wear the Bear costume we got for him. He picked it out in all honesty. Poor guy needed some mama hugs after all that!}
{Because we're awesome parents, we took a video of him freaking out about it. It's very funny!}

{The heart Jell-O mold came out almost perfect! I'm so glad my mom was able to send it to us again this year :)}

{Phil brought back the Mad Scientist trunk. We didn't win any prizes, but kids seemed to really like it!}

{Our family at Trunk or Treat 2015}
{We've got Adele, a ghost, Luigi, and Mad Scientist}

{Here's a close up of our trunk. Not pictures is the glass bottle of troll farts (it was empty, but we did it for laughs)}

{I was asked to join another friend of my brother's to go to a tasting event at the caterer they are using. I was able to work my calories out to do it without messing up my diet for the day. The other girl is a mom too, so we had a good time together! This was the drink I got, a champagne cocktail}

{The buffet table. It was all very delicious, and I'm glad I got to go on behalf of my bro and his lovely fiance :)}

{Jillian had her Halloween Program at preschool! I won't show other pictures because of privacy for the other kids, but trust me that it was a cute little program. Here are my boys at the snack area after}

{Silly Jilly trying to smile with a big bite of cookie in her mouth}

{Our fence had a portion fall over during the constant rain Friday. Phil thinks it's easily fixable. Hope he's right!}

{We took a family selfie before we left for a Fall Festival near our house from 3-6. That way, the kids could get candy, and we could pass out candy from home}

{Halloween Squad Goals}
{David is Linus, and Jillian is a Dragon!}

October was another full, but good month around here. I hope yours was good too :)

Carb-Cycling Update 3 {3 Months - 90 Day Check In}

Here we are at 90 days into this new lifestyle for me. I remember hearing a quote about
not being worried about the time that it will take to change because the time will pass anyways" (paraphrased quote by Earl Nightingale via) I have found this to be so very true. These 90 days would have come and gone just as much as it would have if I made no changes at all. I really and truly am thankful for my support team, and for the strength God has given me to do this. Truly, sometimes I have willpower that I never knew existed before :) Here we go folks...

The Breakdown:
- I am currently doing the Turbo Cycle from Chris Powell's book, Choose More, Lose More for Life.
- I am taking prenatal vitamins, and a slow-release calcium supplement everyday

Struggles:
- Having to go to multiple grocery stores. (or purchase online), to get what I need to be successful. It's more annoying than anything really
- Saying no to certain foods, especially anything sugary, when I'm stressed out
- Finding a way to start working out without overdoing it, and fitting it into my schedule
- My body has been getting used to good stuff that sometimes it aches when I'm not being extra careful.

What's Been Easy:
- I still love the structured plan.
- My guilt-free reward day is always great, and I no longer need to count calories! I can usually just keep my portions in mind, and do really well.
- Food prepping no longer takes half a day to do. Shopping at the grocery store has gotten much easier too! It's almost like second nature :)
- I have had a few days where I wasn't able to full cook and meal prep, so I improvised. For the most part, I can do really well with that, and not sabotage myself :)

Non-Scale Victories (NSV):
- I can put on and take off my size 18 pants without unzipping or unbuttoning them!
- I can drink 1 gallon of water a day without a second thought. Drinking less makes me feel dehydrated
- Being able to do things like go to a caterer tasting on behalf of my brother, (for his wedding), and plan in such a way that I don't completely go off the wagon!
- Wedding ring is easy to take off my finger
- Others are starting to notice changes!
- Getting great support from my parents, friends, and my husband :)

The Nitty-Gritty Numbers:
{Starting Weight} - 225.8 lbs
{Current Weight} - 194.0 lbs
{Total Loss to Date} - 31.8 lbs

Inches Lost - 16.5" Overall
Most Inches Lost - 4" in hips

Here are some comparison photos. The first ones are from 2014, but I was about the same weight and measurements, so they work :)

{Left: 8/2014   Right: 10/2015}

{Left: 8/2014   Right: 10/2015}

{Left: 8/2014   Right: 10/2015}

The decision to start carb-cycling has been one of the best ones I've made in my adult life. I'm blown away by my results, and I can't wait to see where I'll go from here :) Only 17 more pounds until I weigh what I did on my wedding day!

September Highlights

September was busy busy busy for us! Not only did school start again for Jillian, but most of our other activities started as well. Trying to get in the swing of things while keeping up with carb-cycling wasn't easy, but I feel like by the end of the month, I got the hang of it. Lots of good stuff going on in our world :)

{Jillian started preschool the first day of the month! Even though she has all new classmates, she seems to enjoy school very much :)}

{David took a selfie while Mama worked on stuff at the church. Since my screen is locked, he can only access the camera. I have several pictures of the floor/floor + his foot! HAHAHA}

{Jillian dressed herself and wanted to wear her shirt backwards. I'm picking my battles, so she can wear her shirt backwards anytime!}

{I created a new look for a bulletin board at church for the youth! It's a work in progress, and not as easy as it looks. I'm very impressed with teachers who have amazing bulletin boards!}

{Phil got a brand new phone because his old one had a million cracks in it. He was getting glass splinters :( Jillian decided to fix the old one with her play doh! How sweet ;)}

{Jillian and her daddy had a campout in our living room to celebrate the first full week of school!}

{She had a blast! David enjoyed playing in it too :)}

{I was really craving Chinese food for my free day one Sunday. Unfortunately, some of my choices were making me sick. We took a family day trip to the Asian market, and made our own General Tso's chicken! The chicken was baked, so my stomach loved it as much as my tongue!}

{Over Labor Day, we decided to finally organize our garage! With the help of Phil's brother, it went from this...}

{to this! So far we've kept it clean. And yes, both cars fit in there.}

{A friend from church started a book club for this book. I bought in on Amazon, and I really enjoyed it! Having a book club is really fun, so we're trying to come up with ways to hang out when we've run out of book to discuss}

{I got my hair refreshed, and feeling good!}

{I don't get enough time with this guy. I really do love him, and I love getting to do life with him :)}

{I told Phil that I wished our kids could have the video store experience that we did as kids at Blockbuster. He reminded me that there is a video store still open near our house. We drove over, signed up for membership, and have started doing Family Movie Nights! On payday, we will go to the store, pick out videos and snacks, put on pjs, and lay on sleeping bags and pillows to watch a movie together. It's nothing big or fancy, but something I want to do! Hopefully we can continue the tradition and the kids continue to enjoy it :) We of course started the inaugural one with a Mickey Mouse Movie ;)}

{Jillian made me a bead necklace and asked me to wear it. I was happy to oblige!}

{This is from school. Jillian is getting so good at coloring, and she really enjoys art!}

{David searched all morning for the perfect spot to eat his waffles. He decided right in front of the fridge would do :)}

{Round 2 of blood work}
{The first round was for my primary care physician. He wanted to check several things in my blood, but I had to be off Metformin for a full month before I could. I was only able to conceive and carry both Jillian and David by taking Metformin for my PCOS. However, my body is starting to regulate sugar on its own again. Overall, my bloodwork came back great, and the doctor is pleased with my weight loss. He is hopeful I can conceive and carry more children without Metformin, but told us to give it until January before asking for help. This picture was for a progesterone test with my OBGYN. Basically, Phil and I will be trying for a few months for Baby #3 without Metformin. I may or may not need help, but so far it seems like I'll need help with progesterone for sure. Having regular(ish) cycles and signs of ovulation without Metformin are good signs. We'll just have to be patient for now :)}

{We all went to a football game to support some of the high schoolers at church! We had a good time until...}

{Davey fell on some concrete :( Poor guy was really bruised and scraped! He was having a good time up until then though. A little popcorn calmed him down, and we stayed until the 3rd Quarter}

{The next day looked a little worse. Luckily, he healed within a few days}

{I got our fall decorations down from the attic. Jillian and David both started pulling apart my fall wreath, and scattering the fake spiders all over the house. Tis the season I guess!}

{We were invited to the ground breaking ceremony for Jillian's hearing clinic! We are so excited for them to get this amazing facility so that they can help so many others! I also loved that they incorporated faith into the majority of the ceremony}

{Breaking ground!}

{They let us sign a beam that will go in the building. Jillian wrote her (big) name all by herself!}

{I'm sure this was their favorite part of the night!}

{Jillian got her face painted like a Ninja Turtle! (She's really into the old 80's cartoon TMNT that Phil and I would watch as kids) She loved her make up!}

{She couldn't wait to show daddy!}

{These are some of my kids at church! We built a Tower of Babel out of grapes and toothpicks. I love these crazy kids, and our Wednesday nights together :)}

Like I said, it was pretty full, but we definitely had some good times. I'm sure it will only get busier from here!

Carb-Cycling Update 2 {2 Month Progress}

Month 2 of carb-cycling was successful! No pictures this time, but next month is my 90 day check in. Expect pictures for that one :)

The Breakdown:- I am currently doing the Turbo Cycle from Chris Powell's book, Choose More, Lose More for Life. This specific cycle may or may not change in the future. We will see- Still not working out yet. Trying to figure that all out
- I am taking vitamins and calcium supplement everyday

Struggles:- Having to go to multiple grocery stores. (or purchase online), to get what I need to be successful. It's more annoying than anything really- Being around treats when it's not my free day. I can say no, but it's hard when I just want to do what everyone else is doing- Feeling like I need to start at least doing toning exercises, but not really knowing where to start. No money for a gym, so that'll be a factor too
- My guilt free meals are starting to upset my stomach a little. After eating well for long enough, my body isn't sure what to do with greasy fast food anymore. Had to get creative with my cravings this month!

What's Been Easy:- I still love the structured plan.- My guilt-free reward day is always great!
- I feel like more of my close friends and family are used to what I'm doing, so I get less questions. Not that I mind talking about it, I just feel awkward sometimes.

Non-Scale Victories (NSV):- I can put on and take off my size 18 pants without unzipping or unbuttoning them!
- I can drink 1 gallon of water a day without a second thought. Drinking less makes me feel dehydrated
- Staying on plan despite an active schedule- Wedding ring is getting less tight on my finger
- Others are starting to notice changes!- Getting great support from my parents, as well as my husband :)

The Nitty-Gritty Numbers:
{Starting Weight} - 225.8{Current Weight} - 203.8

Inches Lost - 7" Overall
Most Inches Lost - 2" in waist

Overall, I would say it has been a successful month! Next check in will be my 90 day weigh-in where I wanted to hit 200 pounds as the goal. I'm confident I'll hit it!

That Feeling In Church

I'm so thankful it's fall! I love this time of year :) I'm hoping to make a new wreath for our front door, but we'll see when I have time.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are going to be extra long days for us. Once everything is in full swing, (I'm just missing Handbell practice for now), we will be at church from 5-8:30 pm Wednesdays, and 6-9 pm on Thursdays. This doesn't include the 25-30 minute commute to/from our house, plus Jillian has preschool both of those mornings. I try not to schedule any doctors' appointments or anything if I can help it, but that doesn't always work out. Don't get me wrong, I love this! I'm not sure I'd know what to do if we weren't this busy. And despite Jillian throwing a fit about not wanting to go home while David runs down the hall as fast as he can so he doesn't have to go to the car, (and trust me, he's fast!), I'm secretly glad they are so happy at church. I'm glad it's a place they don't want to leave. I'm glad they are comfortable there :)

I had a conversation with my friend, Angie, the other day. She made a comment about how someone once told her that they felt like the only broken person at our church. That they are the only one with issues, and that these perfect people attend a perfect church and they are the black sheep. While a part of me laughed because I know our church is far from perfect, it really got me thinking. I can see where they came up with that idea. Most people I know, at our church and other churches across the world, don't mention what they did wrong that week. Most of us go, and don't bring up what our struggles have been or why we are in desperate need of Jesus. Then I wondered about myself.

Growing up as a pastor's kid, or PK, is a completely different experience than any other child at the church. Even if your parents are well-intentioned, and do their best to give you a "normal experience," it will still be different. This is not necessarily a bad thing. One positive thing it instilled in me is the importance of church family. Having a relationship with those you worship next to is very important. In every church family I've had throughout my life, I do have those whom I trust with my brokenness. There are a few people in my church family who know that extent of me. When I come in on Sunday morning, it is not my intention to deceive anyone else at church. I'm not a walking band-aid! Instead, my thought is, "Jesus loves me despite myself, these people love me despite myself, so let's take a deep breath, give a sigh of relief, and worship God!" That's what I experience every time I walk through those doors for worship.

I'm not sure if I can personally remedy that person's perception of our church. I just know that I am now more aware of my actions and words, and I hope that will ease some of that in some way :)

Happy Fall, Y'all!