New Ears!

Luke has had ear problems since he was born. His first hearing test ever he didn't pass, and had to go back when he was 2 weeks old to have a re-test. It took them 5 times to get good readings, and we have always been kinda worried about that. Every time he goes to his pediatrician and they do pressure checks, they have a hard time getting a reading at all! Our doctor always says he probably just has more fluid than other babies. His last ear infection (which he always gets 2 at a time, both ears) we asked our doctor about tubes. I had them when I was a baby, and most of my brothers had to as well. Our doc kept saying he hasn't had enough infections to even talk about tubes yet. However, I decided to take Luke to a Ear Nose and Throat doctor to get a second opinion. Well, Monday afternoon we took him to the ENT, and sure enough, he had ALL the signs they look for in babies that need tubes. The ENT said he couldn't see through Luke's ear drums at all! (Usually you can see through them but his ears were FULL of fluid.) He is always pulling on his ears, he sometimes has poor balance (more than a normal baby..), he says syllables wrong sometimes (like bop bop instead of beep beep) and his ears are always full of gunky yellow junk. We seriously clean them every other day and it alwasy takes TONS of qtips. So long story short, Luke had surgery this morning to have tubes put in his ears! We had to be there at 6 am because he had to fast past midnight and they let the little kids go first in the day : We got him checked in and then walked circles around the hospital in his wagon until it was time for him to go in! I am SOO glad we did it. It took like 15 minutes, and by the time they came to get us he was already "awake." The nurse said, "He already is coming to and asking for mama!" The anesthesia made him really out of it and fussy, of course. The doctor assured us he wasn't fussy and sobbing because he was in pain, just because waking up from anesthesia is kinda weird and yucky. So for about 20 minutes as he was waking up he was really sad and wouldn't calm down for anything, but we are home now, he has had a nap and some crackers and milk and he is as good as new! You wouldn't even know he had been in the hospital this morning! Anyway, I was SUPER sad we forgot our camera! I wanted to take pics of him in his cute hospital gown. I got some with my phone, but they are blurry and not the same. :( Here they are! Sorry they uploaded backwards....

Okay I found this one while uploading pics and had to add it. It's using a app that my brother has on his phone that makes you look chubby. Pretty funny!


Right when we got home after his 20 minutes of screaming. He is still a little out of it eating some crackers.


Riding in the fun wagon waving to everybody.

Looking at the fish in the waiting room

In the waiting room. Too early!

The doctor said he will be able to hear things better now and will probably start pronouncing things better. And maybe will have a little better balance and less bumps and bruises because of falling! And most importantly, less ear infections!!

3rd and 4th weigh in!

Sorry, I know I have left you on the edge of your seats wondering how my last two weeks have been! Haha. Last week, I weighed in on Saturday, and having had a week and two days to lose this time (since I weighed in on Thursday the week before) I was hoping for a bigger loss. I only lost .6! So, SLOWLY but surely, I am making progress.

THIS week, however, I weighed in today (Thursday) since we are leaving tomorrow for our annual "Jones reunion" (it's not technically a reunion but we have gone to the St. George marathon to cheer on my dad and other family members since before I can remember...so it's a reunion to me.. :)) in St. George and we won't be here Saturday. SO, I only had from Sunday-Thursday to make up for my previous two really sad losses. (.2 and then .6) Seriously? Come on! But I am pleased to announce I lost...

drum roll please...

1.8 in those 4 days! I know it doesn't sound like that much but after the past two weeks I was really happy. Now, all I have to do is be REALLY good this weekend on vacation, I CAN DO IT! So now that I have a week and two days again til weigh in, I am really going to try and lose atleast 3 pounds. THEN I will FINALLY reach my first goal of 8 lbs. I don't know why I am having such a hard time this time around. Last time I did weight watchers in the spring, I lost 8 lbs in the first 2 weeks! Now it's been 4 weeks, and I have lost 5. Haha. Sad. But I will get there! Wish me luck on a GREAT week. I'm aiming high at those 8 lbs. Love you all! Thanks for the support. I have great friends. :)

P.S. Next time I will try and do a FUN post with pictures and no diet talk :)

Discouraged...2nd weigh in.

So those of you who aren't familiar with weight watchers, heres a little run down so you can better understand the "points".

Depending on your age, weight, and height, you are given a daily "point allowance." Mine is 29, which is the lowest amount you can possibly get. Food point values are based off of protein, carbs, fat, and fiber. These things combined tell you how many points a certain food is. Fruits and veggies are FREE (which is great for me since I'm a vegetarian, right?) and then you are supposed to chose lean proteins and whole grains because they are always less points. Makes sense. To give you a little idea of how many points things are, here is a little list that compares good-for-you food and not-so-good-for-you-food:

English muffin: 3 points
1 tbs. of peanut butter: 3 points (that is considered kind of a lot but it is good fat.)
2 tbs. fat free salad dressing: 2 points
1 c. whole wheat pasta: 5 points
Lg. Fry from Mcdonalds: 10 points
Big Mac: 13 points
9 piece chicken nugget: 11 points
Small chocolate shake: 10 points.

So as you can see, the better you eat, the more you can eat. (DUH) So weight watchers is kind of all about portion control. You can have a hamburger if you count the points and eat according to the points you have left the rest of the day. You are also allowed 49 EXTRA points for the whole week that you can either use here and there (like 2 extra points one day to eat a cookie, or 4 extra points to have more salad dressing, whatever) or you can use them all in one day. Thats usually what I do on Saturdays. Though our instructor says after our Saturday morning weig-in, "Today is not a free day!" I kind of treat it as such. It's not really free because I'm using my 49 extras, but still...I just don't really count that day period. I just save my extra points for Saturdays. ANYWAY...

That was really long. Sorry.

So I weighed in Thursday instead of Saturday last week. And since that only gave me Sunday-Wednesday to lose weight (in my head) I decided to eat as little as possible. BIG mistake. I'm talking: a banana and 2 pt. yogurt for breakfast, a 1/2 c. cottage cheese for lunch with celery and grapes, and a 10 pt. dinner. I sabotaged myself for sure because from Sunday-Thursday I only lost .2 pounds. Yep, you read that right... ONLY .2!!! So needless to say I was very discouraged. We spent the weekend in St. George again for SUU's Homecoming and to see my parents once again, and I never do well counting my points when we're eating out and eating randomly throughout the day. I was just telling Drew today I feel like I'm not doing as well as I did my first go-round because we're traveling so much.

This post is kinda depressing and pointless, but I am just feeling really discouraged and sad that I'm not as motivated as I need to be. It's like, in my head I want to lose the weight and do whatever it takes to do it, but SOMETHING is taking over that motivation and I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I saw a good friend from college this weekend who has lost a lot of weight and looks amazing. I asked her what she's doing and she said she cut out sugar and flour, which takes a LOT of motivation. I am happy for her and she looks so good, but I am very jealous of her motivation. Why can't I act on my motivation in a similar way??

So, I am conciously going to make a REAL effort this week. Working out every day. Eating exactly 29 points made up of whole grains, fruits and veggies, and lean protein. Drinking my 2 liters of water (which is the only thing I can really stick to lately).

So if you're still reading, :), wish me luck again! I'm gonna need it this week to come back from my sad sad week last week. Also, I probably gained ATLEAST that .2 back this weekend not counting. So I'm gonna have to work pretty hard.

Total loss: 2.8
Weight to lose to meet first goal: 5.2

9/11 - 10 years later

This picture below is the view from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. It is my favorite monument on the mall in D.C., and it is significant to me for a special reason. It was always my favorite because of the views from the steps, as well as the symbolism and architecture of the structure as a whole. But-it became more significant to me as of 9/11/01. Picture this picture below, without all the people.

That is where my dad sat after a morning jog on 9/11/2001. All by himself except for a janitor sweeping the steps. He expressed to me (after he returned from a business trip a week later due to not being able to fly home) his feelings that morning. Feelings of freedom and gratitude to live in such a wonderful country. Sitting on a national monument, looking at a handfull of other monuments as well as our nation's capitol. Can you imagine, not more than a few hours later he was watching the Pentagon smoke from his hotel conference room? And that same capitol he looked at with such peaceful feelings would be in danger?

Maybe my dad's thoughts that morning in conjunction with what happened a few hours later are what changed me. But, as I look back on the last 10 years since that tragic day, I think it's been the tragedies SINCE (as well as that day, of course) that have changed me. I was in 8th grade on 9/11/01, and although I remember the day's events very well, I don't think I understood the impact that day would have on our future, as a country AND as individuals.

20% of Americans knew someone directly who was affected that day specifically. Whether it was a loved one who passed away, a friend, or a loved one of a friend. 2,977 lives lost, and many more suffered injuries. And almost half a million New Yorkers are affected by post traumatic stress disorder. That day was a tragedy and my feelings while writing this are similar to those I felt that day.

Yes that day was a significant day in our generation's history. But many forget about how they felt that day, and more importantly how our brother's and sister's throughout our country feel. They might feel that it was "just a day" but..here are some more tragic numbers that are happening TODAY because of "that day that was just a day."

6,000 soldiers killed in the war.

100,000 + innocent Afghanistan citizens killed.

$3.3 trillion dollars in debt spent on the war, and homeland security. Putting us in a greater debt than ever before.

And perhaps something everyone is forgetting: the WAR itself stemmed from 9/11/01. Our country is divided because of the war. The past 10 years of division and fighting is because of one decision in 2001. We all look at each other differently, not in a good way. It terrified us so much that we allowed a rash decision and that has created a war among our own citizens.

I am so thankful to live in this country, and so thankful to all those soldiers fighting, wherever it may be, to keep my freedom. I know 9/11/01 changed our country forever, and will continue to change it forever.

That is my rant. I am surprised to see how many people are disrespectful of such a significant day throughout the U.S. And I had to say something about it. :) You know me! Or if this surprised you, I guess you know me now. :)

I will NEVER forget. And I hope you won't either.

First weigh-in results

Last weekend we went to St. George to my parents' new house to just hang out for Labor Day Weekend. It was fun to see my brother Kellen and his family, who we don't get to see very often. (Or is it whom, Alyse?? haha.) We went to Cedar City to see one of the Shakesperean Festival plays (a Jones tradition.) Luckily, it was my FAVORITE Shakespeare play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Love it. Loved it. Then we went to "Crazy Stupid Love" that night. I HIGHLY recommend it. It's super funny and cute and even has a twist. It's a good chick flick that guys like too. Then on Sunday we were able to just hang out and swim in the pool and play games. I am so happy my parents got this house so we can meet in the middle atleast once a month. We are actually going again next weekend because it's SUU's homecoming and we are attending the events. GO SUU!! :) Here are a couple cousin pics. It's hard to get a good one of three CRAZY munchkins.





And here are some pics I took of Luke tonight. He wanted to wear his elmo slippers (despite the 90 degree heat outside), and his pirate hat. He looked pretty silly, and cute. :)






And finally...the real reason for this post, haha. I lost 2.6 pounds this week! I wish I could weigh-in at Weight Watchers in my underwear like I do at home cause I am a whole 1.5 lbs less on my scale. But I am still happy with 2.6 on theirs. :) I didnt have a perfect week but I did ok. I am hoping to lose atleast 2 lbs again this week so wish me luck. I found some pics of me at my goal weight and decided I should post them for a little motivation. The worst part is...I thought I was "fat" when these were taken, which proves women are most of the time not happy with the way they look. Sad. I am making a promise to myself that when I lose enough weight to look like I do in these pics again, I will be happy!! (i might need some reminding. But seriously, what I wouldnt give to look like THAT now.) So here is to another week. It has cooled off is weekend in Vegas so hopefully it stays cool enough that I can run again! Yay. That will help I know!
Stats:
-2.6 down
5.4 lbs to lose til first goal of 8 lbs lost.

Weight Watchers

I started Weight Watchers back in February of this year and had a very successful 12 weeks! When signing up, you can either pay weekly, or save about $50 bucks and pay for 12 weeks up front. I decided on that option, not only to save money but because I thought that if I had already paid for it, I would be more likely to not cheat and do bad on the diet! I was right! I did really well and I was very proud of myself. I lost 18 pounds and never gained anything the whole time. There were weeks where I only lost .4 lbs, and weeks where I lost 4.6 lbs, but in the end I averaged about 1.8 lbs/week, which was great for me.

THEN...summer came.

I decided to not pay for another 12 weeks (even though I had another 20 lbs to lose) because it would just be too hard to be weighing in every weekend in a different place. I told myself I would keep track of my points/water/working out on my own without the meetings and weight ins. All I wanted to do is maintain where I was so that come fall, I could sign up for another 12 weeks and not have gained back anything.

Well..I bet you can guess how that went. (For those of you naive people, NOT WELL.) I did okay on making right choices and not over eating in the beginning but traveling a lot = eating out a lot. And it's hard to make the best decisions when eating out. I KNOW I could have done it if I would have tried harder. That's the hardest part about gaining back weight. I know it didn't have to happen, but it did...so heres where I'm at now.

I signed up for another 12 weeks last Saturday. I had played around with the idea to start a "weight loss" blog and post EVERYTHING there. I would post my current weight, along with what I lose, and things I tried that week, etc. But, I decided it would just be too much for someone like me. I don't even like my husband knowing my weight! So, what I've decided, is to share my success' on this blog, but not disclose numbers. I will say what I've lost, how far I am from my goal, etc. That way I can have something to look forward to when I do well, and sharing with everyone will make me more motivated!

So as of last week's weigh in:
-I had gained back 8 lbs of what I lost back in the spring.
-I like to set my goals in small doses in order to get to my BIG GOAL.
--My first goal is to lose those 8 lbs.
--Once I meet that goal, I will double it to 16 lbs.
--That will be 24 lbs total. Then I will only have 8 more until my ultimate goal!
-My ultimate goal is 32 lbs., which is the weight I was at my sophomore year of college and when I got married and was in the best shape of my life due to working out with Acclamation ALL the time and eating healthy getting ready for the wedding.

Weight Watchers determines what they think your goal should be based off of height and body mass index, but I don't necessarily like to go with that because I know my body better than they do. Even when I was in the best shape of my life, I wasn't in the range WW says I should be. It's because I have more muscle in my legs than most 5'1'' girls. AND my growth got stunted when I was in 6th and 7th grade due to taking steroids for my blood disorder. So my body is just kinda messed up as far as how tall I am vs. how much I weight. Haha.

I feel like I'm already disclosing more than I should. :) So, heres to blogging about my success in an effort to stay motivated and keep going! I know I can do it. I was well on my way before, and I know I can do it again. AND once I meet my goal, we might start thinking about another baby. Which is the best reward I can think of! So if you are reading this, please wish me luck and feel free to give me advice and encouragement! I might need it along the way!

I am weighing in tonight (Thursday) instead of waiting until Saturday morning because we are going to St. George to spend the weekend with my family. So this week's weigh in will probably not be what it could be since I'm weighing in two days early, and at night. I like to try and weigh in the same time of day and same day each week to keep it consistent. So I will most likely start blogging next weigh in, next week. Stay tuned!

House Updates

I changed my mind about a couple things in our house. :) Of course, after it took us a whole day to paint our kitchen red (when we moved in in January), I changed my mind a couple weeks ago and wanted to paint it purple. What inspired this thought was I wanted to antique our cabinets with gray and I thought purple would go better with gray than red would. It would also look better with our living room color since the red kitchen and blue living room made it look like 4th of July in our house. (Which is one of our favorite holidays, don't get me wrong.) Drew didn't mind at all and we started researching how to antique cabinets and what look we were really going for. So, we practiced "antiquing" a cabinet in Luke's bathroom upstairs because it's the same exact color/wood as the kitchen cabinets. It didn't go over so well. I really should post a pic of our first attempt because it's tragic. Like, really bad. So we decided maybe it would look better to just antique the cracks in the cabinets rather than the whole thing. Below is how they turned out. I think Drew did a really good job but haven't decided how I really feel yet. But everyone that has seen them, loves them. I think they will look really good once we get silver handles on the cabinets. But the purple is pretty. It looks BLUE in these pics and it looked blue no matter what I tried. So I tried to get a close up of the purple next to a white sign, and thats the real color.

Before:

After:

And here is a pic of our new guest bedroom. That bed is my old day bed I had growing up!


We also painted our bathroom brown.

Before:



After:

And Drew did some construction in our closet to make it fit our needs better.

Before:


After:

And heres my favorite update! We got a bed! It's from Ikea and the nightstands attach to the side of the bed so it's really convenient and cute. The lamps were from Ikea, and the lamp shades from Big Lots! $10 bucks each! Now all we have to do is finish our curtain/canopy idea. It will be really cool, and I'll post a pic when it's finished.

Before:


After:

I also made this wall art with scrapbook paper, modpodge, and canvas'. I like how it turned out! It matches our bedspread really well.

Sorry this one is blurry...

We still have the vinyl lettering that says "Goodnight my love, goodnight my everything" on the wall opposite the window. It's above our new dresser we got for $20 bucks that matches our bed. I LOVE yard sales!

I have to add some cute pics of Luke. He is growing and changing so much. I feel like this last week he has evolved to a toddler. He has an attitude! He is so fun right now, though. It's hard leaving him when I go to work but luckily we have a great baby sitter and her one year old and Luke have become best friends!

And last but not least...we are in the process of re-doing Luke's bedroom. He never really got a cute bedroom because we moved so much in the 1st year of his life. So now we have cute ideas we want to do. Here is what we have of the alphabet for the "ABC" wall we are doing in his room. (Mom...here is what we have, be on the look out for cheap letters!) Haha..I can't wait until we can finish his room finally!