Happy Birthday Beckett!!!

Yesterday our little Beckett Man turned 2! I can't believe how fast time is flying by when it comes to my little men! We had Beckett's party on Sunday night, since Rob had school on his actual birthday. We invited both of our families over for dinner and had cake and ice cream afterwards. Beckett was being so darn cute that day! He kept yelling "Opening presents!" and "thank you" in his cute little voice after each present. It was ADORABLE! We had a lot of fun and Beckett got SpOiLeD! Thanks to everyone for coming!

Here are some pictures from the party:

Me and the Birthday BOY

Rob's Mom with Baby Yoshi

This is my FAVORITE picture from the night...Beckett with Ty Ty

The Spaz and Mindy

The Wee Man playing with his balloons

Lynette and TJ

Brady and Jenny

Playing catch

The cake

Blowing out the candle (Look how cute his little lips are!)

The Lovebirds

I have no idea what this picture is all about!

Beckett with Grandpa and Grandma Beck

Playing hoops with Uncle Brady

Daddy and the Birthday BOY

On Beckett's actual birthday, I decided to take the boys swimming that night and invited some of our family to come with. The boys had a blast! I don't think I've seen bigger smiles on their faces in a LONG time!

Thanks to everyone for making Beckett's birthday special! (Now it's time to get corny) Beckett has truly brought so much joy into our lives! He is a sweet little boy and our family wouldn't be complete without him! His cute little smile and smirks put a smile on my face! I love that he always want to be held and snuggled with! Although he has his naughty moments here and there, it's extremely hard to stay mad at him! We feel extremely blessed to have Beckett be part of our family! Happy Birthday Beckett Man!!!

Let me introduce you to...

Mr. Sassafras!

He is a new addition to the family. He has sadly taken the place (without my permission!) of my sweet and funny little Wesley. Mr. Sassafras gives me so much sass and attitude (the reason for the nickname, and not because he resembles a plant), I honestly don't know what to do with him! He gets EXTREMELY grumpy if he doesn't get his way and barks back a comment like 'you can't play with me,' or 'you aren't my friend anymore!' It's quite a problem because the only thing he wants to do recently is play on my iPhone and I won't let him, so Mr. Sassafras puts on his scowl and pouts for most of the day. The other night we were at the store and I took his sticker away and he called me a 'little brat!' I couldn't believe my ears! Some days I feel like I'm living with a teenager instead of a 3 year old! I'm hoping that Mr. Sass has only come to stay temporarily... I've heard he doesn't like warm weather, so I'm hoping to get him moved out and my happy go lucky Mr. Wesley moved back in!

Update your freaking blog how bout?

A few people (mainly family members that we talk to on a regular basis, and who know what we have been up to), have bugged me about the lack of posts. There are a couple of reasons why I haven't updated it. #1- We haven't really been up to anything too exciting. #2- I guess you can say I've been busy. #3- Mainly, I just haven't felt like updating it. But for journaling purposes...here is an update on what we've been up to:

(BTW, it might get a little lengthy :)

Rob- has been laid off for almost 4 months! Since then, he's been playing the part-time, stay-at-home dad/part-time student. Recently he was offered a job with Scott's Lawn Care and will hopefully start work here in the next couple weeks. He is thrilled, we are thrilled, and although he says he has enjoyed his time being at home, he is chomping at the bit to get back to work! It's not a dream job, but it's a job and we couldn't feel more blessed!

Jill- I really haven't been up to too much. Although having Rob around 24/7 has been really hard at times, it has also been really nice! We have spent a lot of time as a family and I think the boys have really enjoyed having him home. I have to admit, I have taken advantage of having Rob home. There are many times that I have gone grocery shopping by myself, gone out to lunch with my sister or girl friends, gotten stuff done for relief society, and just gotten out of the house for some alone time! I might have taken too much of an advantage, but I have truly appreciated it and I hope Rob knows that! I think I might have an extremely hard time when Rob goes back to work. I will have to go back to being a single mom during the day and I just don't know how I'll handle it. Besides being busy with the fam, I have also been running myself silly! I am in week 5 of my training for the Canyonlands half and things are going really well! I can definitely tell a difference in training for my first race, compared to this one. Besides the 10 mile run in a blizzard this week, all of our long runs have gone pretty smoothly. Can't wait for the big day!

Wesley- is growing up way too fast! He is getting taller and smarter as the days go by. He is still loving preschool and we couldn't be happier with all that he is learning. He moved up into the Sunbeam class in January. Can you believe it? I sure can't! I spy on him almost every Sunday and I can hardly believe that my little boy is in there. It melts my heart to hear him sing all of the primary songs. Wesley is still big into telling us knock knock jokes. He definitely keeps us laughing! Last week we signed him up for tee-ball and he can't wait to start!

Beckett- is our mini Wesley. He loves to do anything and everything that his brother is doing. If Wesley wants to play cars, Beckett wants to play cars. If Wesley wants fruit snacks, Beckett wants fruit snacks. The only thing they differ on is their drink preference. Wesley prefers Apple Juice while Beckett is a Chocolate Milk man. Beckett has a huge imagination and it has been fun to watch him explore. You will usually find him carrying 4-5 batman figurines and he loves to shoot you with them. He is also a boy of many faces! He has so many facial expressions that crack me up! My favorite is his excited face posted above. It kills me! Beckett is also our snuggler! He loves to be held and snuggled with anytime of day. I can't complain! His smile just about melts my heart!

That about sums up the past month and a half or so! Here are some pictures to fill in some of the blanks. Hope you enjoy!

Sledding

What a weird place to park and play video games!

Bowling!

The Cookie Cupid (aka my folks) dropped off the annual butt-load of sugar cookies

(That is a sheet cake box!)

Wesley loves to take pictures, so we had a little photo shoot tonight and got a little silly!

One Year Anniversary

Last week marked the one year anniversary of when I started running. It boggles my mind that I have been running for over a year! So many things have changed in the past year, and I owe a lot of it to running. Last December I was really struggling with trying to eat right and losing the rest of my pregnancy weight. I was trying to eat right and work out, but it just didn't seem to be enough. I had watched a lot of my friends start running, but I "knew" I couldn't do the same. I would watch weight-loss stories on tv and people would talk about how they started running. I would say to myself, "There is no way I could do that. I have never been able to run and never will be able to run." One day I decided that I was at least going to give it a try. I not only made the goal to start running, but I also made the goal to run a half marathon the following June.

Things started out slow and rough. I would have good days where I thought that I would easily be able to finish my goal. Then I had other days where I doubted myself every step of the way. Along with running, I also joined Weight Watchers so I could have the accountability every week to go and weigh in in front of someone. Slowly but surely, running began to change my life. I not only began to feel better, but I also saw the pounds dropping on the scale. While talking to my friend Jessica one day about my new goal, she told me she wanted to run the race with me. I was more than thrilled! Not only was it nice to have someone to motivate me and keep me going, but I looked forward to our weekend runs where we chatted our way through many difficult miles. I was extremely sad when our race was over and we didn't get to see each other every Saturday morning. Jess and I decided to make a goal to run a race together at least once a year. Whether it's a 5k, 10k, half marathon, or full marathon!

Training for my first half was a lot of work. Jess lives in Layton, so the only days we could really run together were on Saturdays. That meant that it was only up to me to get myself out of bed to run early in the mornings. There were many mornings when I wanted to shut off my alarm and go back to bed, but I didn't want to let myself down. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't miss a single day of training. And I'm happy to say that I didn't. Jess and I crossed that finish line after 13.1 miles! Our finishing time was longer than I was hoping for, but that didn't matter. We set a goal and we finished! That's all that mattered.

After our race was over and done with, I continued to run. Not as far as I had in the past, but I made it a goal to run at least 3 times a week. It hasn't been easy, but I have kept that goal. Along the way I have found people to accompany me while running. Four times a week, Cozette, Alexis, and I are out pounding the pavement around our neighborhood, come rain or shine, sleet or snow, or any other form of weather that gets thrown in our face! And I must say...running with friends is SO much more enjoyable than running with my ipod! I love the girl talk in the early morning hours! It is also a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning, when I know my friends will be there to join me! I am so grateful for them and the motivation they give me to keep going.

Since the half marathon last June, the only other race I have ran was a turkey trot on Thanksgiving. It is definitely harder to keep on running without a set goal in sight. Recently, Jessica and I registered for the Canyonlands Half Marathon which is coming up in March. Our 10 week training began today and I am so excited! I don't think Jess shares my enthusiasm, mainly because I forced her to register, but I'm hoping her enthusiasm picks up soon! I wouldn't be able to do it without her! Also on the agenda for 2010 is possibly the Salt Lake Half in April and maybe a couple of 5k and 10ks. I'm excited to see how each race turns out. Up until August/September, I couldn't honestly say that I loved running. It's definitely an acquired taste. Now I can say that I like running. I like the way I feel after a good run. I like the conversations I have while running. I like the friendships that I've built over running. Overall, running is pretty enjoyable!

Over the past year, with the combination of healthier eating and running, I've lost almost 60 lbs. I am in a smaller pant size than what I wore in 9th grade! I have struggled with weight my entire life, and now in my late 20's I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. The reason for this post was not to boast about my accomplishments. If it sounds that way, I apologize. That is not my intent. I'm hoping by posting this, I might inspire or encourage someone who has said to themselves "I just can't do it!" I'm here to tell you that if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT! I always used the excuse that I just wasn't capable of running or exercising. It's not true. Anyone is capable of achieving their goal. It just takes a lot of determination and decide in the beginning to never give up. I am so grateful for all the many people in my life who have inspired me to become a better person! I'm also grateful for the many friends and family who have pushed me along the way. Without you, I would not be where I am today!

Maintenance is definitely not my favorite stage and it is harder than it looks. I feel like it is harder to stay at the same weight than it is to lose weight. Every single day is a struggle. It's challenging but I hope I can over come it. I know that just like housework, my weight management will never be finished! But I feel more confident now that I have learned the right tools to eat right and exercise. Here's to a healthy and happier 2010!

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009