A (Cross)Fit Family

The past couple of months, DEl has been involved in an exercise program called "CrossFit" as part of his goal of losing weight and getting into better shape. He's been attending classes 2-3 times a week, and more often than not, has complained a lot about being sore on those days. I admit that I've rolled my eyes and chuckled privately at his antics, knowing that my husband likes to embellish things just a bit and wondering how bad it could truly be.

DEl has been begging me to come to a class with him, so I decided to tag along with him and Krissia on Monday afternoon. I wasn't too concerned about my conditioning as I've been running longer distances lately and recently completed a five mile run.

Boy, was I in for a surprise.

We ROWED. We LUNGED. We PULLED and did AB work.

Then, we did it all again. And again.

And AGAIN.

As I literally hobbled out the door after class, I apologized to my husband. And yesterday, as I groaned each time I stumbled down the stairs or gingerly lowered myself to a sitting position, I vowed to never again doubt his sincerity as he limped around the house after one of these workouts.

My respect for him has grown as I realize he's done this voluntarily on a weekly basis for several months now. I'm just working up the stamina - and courage - to attend a second class at the end of the week!

An Early Christmas Present

Here is a picture of Mathison opening presents on his birthday:
Today, he decide to give me an early Christmas gift.

Earlier this morning, I walked into the family room and noticed Mathison had taken off his jogging bottoms and was walking around in a diaper. When I asked him to put them back on, he said, "No Mom, I want different pants." My response was that those were the pants he chose to wear and he needed to leave them on.

"No, Mom," Mathison replied impatiently. "I want to wear UNDERWEAR."

Hallelujah! Of course, I had no arguments against his wish.... and so far he has done GREAT! My thought was to try potty training again the week after Christmas; but, I have no problems bumping it up a few days.

Here's hoping this time's the charm :)

Into The Woods

Jefferson had so much fun being in "Annie Get Your Gun" this summer that he decided to become part of a fall theater group. The group was made up of kids ages 7-13, and they just put on their production of "Into the Woods" last weekend.

The version they performed was the first act only and specifically rewritten for a children's theater group. They did such a great job! There were four performances with two casts; Jefferson was Cinderella's Prince in the first cast, and Jack in the second one. Although Jack was a bigger role, Jefferson really enjoyed playing the prince because it was a more comedic and over-the-top role.

Jefferson as Cinderella's Prince:

Jefferson as Jack:


On Thursday evening, both of Jefferson's grandmothers and his cousin Grant were able to watch his performance. He was so happy they could come!

The Dark Side

Yesterday, I decided to explore my darker side.

What do you think?

Read All About It!

Extra, Extra - read all about it!

Guess who was chosen by The Desert News as the female prep athlete of the week for the state of Utah?

To view the article, click HERE.

The Best of the Best

As far as husbands go, I hit the jackpot.

Simply put, I have the best of the best.

Today is his birthday, so I wanted to take a moment and list some of the things I like best about him. I decided to go with the number "seven" as today is the seventh, and the numbers in DEl's new age add up to 7 (hint: it's not 34 or 52).

1. I love DEl's enthusiasm for life; he always puts 100% into whatever he does.

2. I admire the way he respects and honors his parents.

3. DEl is wonderful with helping people discover their talents and feel confident about their abilities.

4. He knows how to tell a GREAT story :)

5. DEl is an extremely talented director and musician.

6. He is a great provider and takes an active interest in our children's lives.

7. My husband has a strong testimony of the gospel and is a worthy holder of the priesthood; I am SO grateful for this.

Happy Birthday, DEl!!

Icon

How do you know when a star has reached icon status?

When your toddler knows of their most notable work, decades AFTER it came out.

Case in point?

I was watching the news earlier this week when Michael Jackson was mentioned. Mathison was in the room, and when he heard this name, he turned to me with an excited look and exclaimed, "It's Michael Jackson, Mom!"

Mathison will often repeat what he hears on television, so I didn't believe he knew what he was talking about. How could my (barely) three year old know this icon from the 80's?

"Do you know who Michael Jackson is?" I asked him, confident the answer would be "no."

Mathison paused a moment, a look of concentration on his face. Suddenly, he smiled as widely as he could and proudly announced, "Yes....Friller!" (Thriller)

I Love Tooshies!

About a month ago, I entered a photo in the weekly challenge that the I Heart Faces Photography site hosted. I didn't get anything, but it sure was a lot of fun!

I decided that I have a perfect entry for this week's challenge of "I love tooshies." As the title implies, pictures must include the backsides of the subjects. Here is my picture:



This was taken a few months ago when my sister and I took our children to a local mountain to see the fall leaves. We decided to go on a walk; the little boys ended up in a group, following my sister down the lane. I couldn't help but snap a picture of this scene; it reminded me of a mother duck followed by her babies :)