maybe a semi-mid life crisis???

So, last year as I was a few months away to approaching 30 I had a brilliant idea to start doing the insanity work out (my thinking was I wanted to be in awesome shape at 30). Well after week one of insanity I found out I was pregnant with Griffin so that went down the tubes.
So now after two c-section babies my lower stomach is less than attractive and I was introduced to 30 day shred by Jillian Micheals by a friend of mine and thought I would give it a try. The mission is back on. As I am approaching 31, don't plan on no more babies, and really want to be in shape. What better time than now.
Here's a overview of the 30 day shred. It's basically a 30 minute workout including a few minutes of warm up and a few minutes of cool down. The work out itself has three circuts of cardio, strength, and abs. It's non-stop. No breaks. There are three different levels. You are supposed to do each one for 10 days. Each one is difficult to say the least when you first start it, you get pretty decent at it by  the time you move up to the next level, and then the next level is insanely hard and repeat.
What I love about the videos. One they are all on youtube. So basically I just go online and do them from my computer. While I feel Jillian Micheals is annoying and comes off arrogant, she knows what's she's talking about and seems to have a good system and has been proven to get results. She also has a way about motivating you and I think she keeps it real (which is what I like). One thing she says in the video which I LOVE is that you can work out and you can work out hard. Don't buy into "I'll just take the stairs". So true! I could go on and on about how lazy I feel like our society is as a whole and we  almost believe that we shouldn't have to do anything physical. Also, I feel like these videos are doable. The insanity was tough and had some super long work outs in it that at the time didn't seem possible to keep up with but who doesn't have 30 minutes a day?
So, I am 21 days into it. I did 6 days at level one (I wanted to challenge myself more so I moved up early), 11 days at level 2 (it was tough and quite frankly I was terrified of level 3), and now I am 4 days in on level 3 (which is NO JOKE). While I have gotten a lot out of it, I also realize my expectations and lack of patience get the best of me. After each workout, I expect to have a six pack and no body fat. I haven't really lost weight in fact I may have gained a couple of pounds which is fine. My weight wasn't the issue, lack of muscle was and extra body fat was. I definately can tell I have more muscle. My arms and legs are actually starting to look toned.t My arms may be the best they've ever been. My stomach is getting toned too somewhat but the lower stomach still has quite a bit of work to do which after being told by two friends that are personal trainers that C-sections do a number on lower abs and it's gonna take a while to get that where I want it to be. So, I'm trying to be patient with that area.
In the 21 days, I did take there were a few days I missed in there because I was sick but got right back to it. That in itself tells me something. I have never stuck with something that long and I plan on continuing. Not just a 30 day thing but all together trying to be fit. Not necessarily for vanity reasons even though it would be nice to have an awesome body but I feel so much better. Physically, I feel stronger. I have more engery. It's an awesome stress reliever. I feel like a beast when I am able to do some of the super hard moves on Level 3. Early on I noticed (or at least I don't think it's my imagination) my skin looking better. So there you have it. Deep inside I have the desire to be one of those people who are in the best shape of their life even it they are in their 30's.

The Sweetest Seven Month Old

Griffin really is the sweetest thing ever! He is so happy and pleasent. He loves his big brother and thinks he's hilarious. He laughs at every silly thing Nash does. He commands a lot of attention every where we go. He also likes to growl, scream, and talk a lot so that's part of it too. Especially, attention getting during church until we find the paci as quick as we can. He gets so excited lately. When I come to pick him up, he just kicks his feet and moves his arms with excitement.  He has also started reaching for me lately which is awesome feeling.

 He is sitting up much better now but still is not completely steady and does fall over after a little bit.

 He tried his walker recently and loves it. (man it's nice to just go pull something out of the attic when we need it). I think he likes the freedom to be able to get around on his own.

 He is scooting quite a bit more and rolling every which way. As soon as you lay him down he flops over. He's sleeping good. Pretty much through the night and maybe getting up once. He's eating good. Still breastfeeding. For some reason, I am super excited that he has not had to have formula yet. I don't have a lot of stash but it's been enough so far that he has had all breast milk. He is eating his fruit better. On some days he eats a bunch and other days not so much. He seems like he's getting longer to me. He's starting to outgrow his clothes AGAIN. I am very sad that I didn't keep all of Nash's clothes. I got rid of some because I thought they would be out of season and now I am kicking myself for it. All and all Griffin is doing great and he's such a cuddle bug. Pretty much the most awesome baby ever. Yeah, I love him just a bit! We all do.

Our Dallas Trip

Last weekend we took a family trip to Dallas. Chris originally had  a tournament scheduled there and we were going to tag along. It got canceled but we went anyways.

These boys did awesome on the ride to and from.

Nash loved the hotel. Going up and down the elevator and just being somewhere new. We did get a really nice hotel for a super good price. It had a sitting area in our room which worked out great with the kiddos.

The main thing we did was go to the Dallas World Aquarium. It was awesome!

We found Nemo and Dorey there!

 Penguins are always my favorite.

Nash and Daddy in the shark tunnel.

 These sharks were just sitting on top of the tunnel right above us.

Inside was a big water fall and jungle kind of area that was open with birds flying around, monkies, sloths in trees, big turtles, swans swimming around. They had closed areas with just glass seperating you from a lepard, aligators, boa constrictor, poisnoius frogs, bats, all kinds of stuff.

While Nash was napping Griffin and I hung out at the pool.

 At the Grapevine Mall, Nash enjoyed this train ride twice.

 Sunday was his birthday so we ate at the Rainforest Cafe and he was sang to. He loved it!

It was a fun family weekend. The kids did amazingly awesome. No real problems at all. We all had a good time. I throughly enjoyed some family away time.

Nash's 4th Birthday Party

We had Nash's 4th birthday party this weekend because we are supposed to be going out of town next weekend on his actual birthday weekend. Nash wanted a bowling party. He's not been bowling much before but saw a bowling party on a show he likes. It was a great idea though because the party was a hit. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

The birthday boy blowing out his candles.

 Nash with his proud parents!
 (we kind of think he is awesome)

 His first time up to bowl.

 waiting for the ball

 Nash with two of his best friends

 They all had a blast.

Nash had a lot of family and friends there. He doesn't realize it yet but he is one blessed boy who is loved by many!

My big beautiful 6 month old

How cute and sweet is this guy.

love those fat baby legs and feet

Griffin will be 6 months old May 30th. He  has tried fruit. First he wasn't crazy about it and only
really liked bananas. Now he likes other fruit but likes it to be warm. He is still nursing and I am loving it. Still no teeth but I think they are coming soon as he chews on everything and drools a lot. I'll be okay for them to take a while coming in. He seems more steady sitting up but is not sitting up by himself yet by any means. He is quick to roll over when placed on the floor and appears like he wants to crawl but hasn't mastered that yet. He's sleeping pretty good and only really wakes up one time during the night to nurse. He is still very much a sweet and happy baby. He's very good and easy going most of the time. He loves to laugh, talk, and smile at everyone. I LOVE HIM TO PIECES and can't imagine life without him. I feel like he completes our family. We all adore him.

summer fun

This is what we will be doing a lot this summer to beat the heat.

May Maddness

May feels busy for us. Chris had his 31st birthday which went well.

Then Mother's Day. My first with sweet Griffin. Nothing too exciting but it was nice and better than my first Mother's Day with Nash because he got sick on Mother's Day morning.

We took our first family pictures since Griffin has been born and I'm excited about those. My in-laws celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on the 12th. Tomorrow Chris and I celebrate our 8th anniversary. Griffin will be 6 months old (really?? this can't be) on the 30th. We are planning Nash's 4th birthday. I am looking forward to my summer schedule with Friday's off and hopefully some down time with the boys. I'm learning to just enjoy this season of my life with the business of the boys and time spent with them.