Dance with Me!

We finally had our long awaited first private dance lesson. Max had been planning this for a surprise date back in August for us. I accidentally found out what it was. And then shortly after that we had to reschedule because the dance studio was changing locations and the remodel of the new studio was not finished. Anyway, we were incredibly excited and super grateful to finally go dancing. We dropped off our boys with Richard and Marissa then headed over to go dancing. We had planned on going out to eat but with Max's work schedule and traffic it didn't work so we chowed down through some Panda express in the car.. haha really romantic..ha!

So then we got to the studio and started our first private lesson in the grand and brand new ballroom. We learned some basic steps to the fox trot and 4-count swing. We took a ballroom dance class when we were at BYU but that was six years ago so we were a little rusty.

After a private lesson we got another lesson in a small group. In there we learned the Tango and Cha cha. We had to switch partners which was somewhat awkward for me but it was also beneficial since the other dancers had been dancing a lot longer than us.

And then after our group lesson, the studio was hosting a little mixer party in the big ballroom where they play a song and call out a style of dance and you switch partners each dance. It was weird at first since some of the styles were unfamiliar but most of the people there knew what they were doing so I just had to be a good follower. Max had a trickier time since he was supposed to lead but wasn't super confident in his ability. There were only about 15 people there, it ended up being pretty neat since I was able to dance with some of the instructors and the owner of the studio who was a professional dancer .Before we left, we had someone take this great blurry photo!

After dancing we went and got some frozen yogurt to end our date night. It always feels good to dress up, brush my hair and get out on a date without the kids. And it is always fun to learn something new together!

The Spirit of Christmas

I really love Christmas. And I love giving gifts. It's so exciting for me that I get to give my boys gifts. And for the most part they don't even expect anything which makes it that much more fun. But sometimes it is so overwhelming to receive gifts. In a good way. Sometimes I wonder how people can be so kind and generous. 

The relief Society president in our ward is an older women who has spent many years traveling. One of those destinations was Armenia. When she found out that I had served a mission there she got so excited and shared with me that she had purchased a nativity while she was there. I don't even remember how I responded to this. But I'm sure I showed some intrigue. I may have shared that I was looking for a nativity when I left my mission but didn't end up getting one. I really can't remember. 

On Sunday, Max came home from his early morning meeting with a package. I opened the package to find this beautiful Armenian nativity. I had no idea that she would give this to me. I really had looked for a nativity at the end of my mission but became pretty discouraged when I realized I couldn't' afford one. That was also on the top of my list of things to get when I return to visit someday. I was completely overwhelmed and shocked with her generosity. 

We also don't really have a nativity set and I had been hoping to add one to our Christmas collection sometime soon. I loved playing with and setting up the nativity when I was little and I hoped that my boys could have a similar experience as they remember the Savior during Christmas. (and hopefully all year long)   

 

Can you read the Armenian on the camel?

Now we have a little piece of Christ and little piece of Armenia in our home, two of the most dear things to me.

Letter V-Veterinarian

We had another exciting preschool adventure. It just makes me so happy that I am able to do this with my friends and our children. Marissa's dad is a veterinarian so way back when we were working on the beginning of the alphabet, Marissa brought up the idea of going to visit her dad at the clinic when we got to the letter V. It was hard to wait for such an exciting field trip but the day finally came and Marissa had arranged everything with her dad so we could bring the kids in to explore and become veterinarians. 

Each child brought their own animal to take care of at the clinic.

Marissa's sister Anna, who works there, gave us a little intro and passed out some bandages for the animals. Charlie's monkey had a hurt tail...

They got to weigh their animals and themselves...it's great to know that when I attempt to hold both of them I'm lifting 66 pounds.

Then Dr. Christensen the Veterinarian (Marissa's dad) came out to help check up on the animals. So much fun! Charlie was ecstatic and loved every second of this field trip.

And Charlie got a little check-up too!

Lacey asked for the popsicle sticks for her kitty.

And they even got to give their animals shots!

And more bandaging!

All that was in the kitty room....we then got to go into the Doggy room. Lacey and Charlie were brave and rode the doggy lift all the way up.

Marissa's dad almost convinced Charlie to eat this dog treat.

And this is one of my favorite photos from our outing and I vote that it goes up in his office!

They even got to dress up in veterinarian garb

And then they went to the surgery room and the x-ray room.

Then they went back to the kennels where they saw a really big dog just waking up from his sedation and they found a nice clean cage to play in

Miles was a big fan of putting his animals in the kennel. 

And group photos as we left.

 It was such a wonderful day. It left a huge lasting impression on Charlie. (and I think Miles too) And I'm sure the other kids loved it as well. I seriously love preschool and the incredibly talented friends that I get to do it with. And a special thanks to Brother Christensen. (that's what I usually call him but it sounds weird here) AKA Marissa's dad.

Health Challenge

Back in October I decided to participate in a 6 week health challenge with a group of other Beachbody coaches. It cost ten dollars to enter and you could earn points during the challenge and then the winner got to take all the money. The total pot came to $230! I knew I needed extra motivation to get my nutrition on track and I knew what I needed to do to see positive results so I decided to join and win money while creating healthier habits. I had been working out almost everyday but it wasn't making much difference since I wasn't eating very well. 

I decided to keep doing the Insanity Max 30 workout and incorporate the 21 day fix meal plan. I've followed the 21-day fix meal plan in the past and have had great results. I really can't say enough about how awesome it is to eat normal food and how helpful it is to know the right portions. It really makes eating healthy a whole lot easier and there are so many more resources now to help find great recipes that go with the meal plan. It's amazing to remember what it feels like to nourish your body right yet it's so easy to forget how good you could feel when you're not eating right. I was making sure I was getting enough vegetables and protein which I don't usually eat enough of if I'm not tracking my food. I found that when I ate the correct portions of a balanced diet, I was only hungry the 30 minutes before a meal, which was great and when you typically should feel hungry. I didn't feel groggy or sluggish during the day as you might imagine with other diets you've heard of. Anyway, I'm not trying to do a sales pitch but I do feel like this is life changing for me and my family and everyone should have an opportunity to try finding balance in their meals and eating the correct portions of the correct foods.  It's not just for losing weight, you customize the plan to your needs, so if you're nursing, or wanting to maintain or gain weight, there are ways to go about while eating enough of the right foods. It really is a way of eating that can guide you for the rest of your life. 

Anyway, here are some of the meals we enjoy that are completely 21 day fix approved and filling and nourishing!

Turkey Chili                                                                Steak, roasted cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. 

 Eggs, chicken sausage, and raspberries                          Peanut Butter Banana toast

Blackberry "ice cream" Plain Greek yogurt, frozen blackberries, and a squirt of honey. 

 

And here I am being bold and sharing some physical results. In the 6 weeks, I lost 10 pounds, 10 inches, and I lost 6% body fat! That's what I'm most excited about. I feel that if I can just make positive healthy changes, my body will feel good and find a great equilibrium of fat and muscle. I'm not going for a certain weight or waist size. I'm still working on that baby belly 20 months later but I'll get there eventually. In the meantime I feel great with this progress and that I have found a way to help guide my nutrition (and my family's nutrition) that gives me energy to fulfill my many responsibilities.

And in case you didn't know, I did end up winning the $230.