Hello Murphy

Well this is my first "Murphy" post since reading the Complete Money Makeover.....it was bound to happen right???? We have to have our transmission completely rebuilt on our car...grrrrr!!!! I guess we need to be grateful that it is happening at tax season when we have a little extra in savings but come on! Just when we think we are a little ahead...BAM! I put this song on here because tonight Justin played it for me and said it was our "theme" song. It always helps to have a sense of humor right? Enjoy! :)

Play dates

I will admit that I am not a "go getter" when it comes to meeting new people. I have realized since school has started that my girls will follow my lead and not reach out to people if they don't see it coming from home. So..........I have begun to make a better effort at making play dates for Grace (poor Haylee still has no friends her age) and making sure that when she is really enjoying someone we make an effort to find out more about them. She has a best friend named Maddie who from day one of school they have just clicked, it's funny because they butt heads like crazy but love each other the next minute. (sounds typical right?) We have had two play dates with Maddie and her Mom this week and have had the best time with them, I love that Grace and I both have found a great friendship. Maddie has no siblings so Haylee fits in great with the two of them and they just have the best time. :) They came over on Tuesday and we did Easter cookies, then yesterday we went to their house and dyed eggs. Girls are just so much fun to hear giggling and telling secrets, we have had a fun week. :)



Haylee managed to stay so focused the whole time, Grace and Maddie could not sit still.
The sugar had kicked in at this point, Haylee's still decorating. ;)

Notice Grace standing....this is something we are working on, attaching her to her chair.

The Biggest Loser....Ellersick edition

So.....Justin and Jen have entered in to the diet and exercise world hopefully for the last battle. I am so proud of them for doing this and so far they both seem to be doing really well. Justin so far is down about 8 or 9 pounds and Jen was down 3 just last week. She has been really good these last few months about eating well and going to the gym. I was telling her that Justin finally got a pass and was really wanting to lose weight so she called him and "challenged" him to a Biggest Loser competition where at the lake over the 4th of July we will see who is the victor. The loser I think they decided will have to buy a plane ticket for the other to visit sometime this next year. :) Sounds pretty good.



So I am now realizing what it takes for ME to have a husband on a diet because it's not just an easy "hey hon on your way home could you pick up a pizza?"....or..."let's go get dairy queen".....I am having a bit of a struggle myself. Maybe it's because I am realizing how much junk we eat on a weekly basis or maybe it's just because it's inconvenient at times and I know that is such a bad attitude. I know this is a good thing and I am going to stick with it for the long haul, I really hope this works out well for both of them and they can reach their goals. I will post about weigh ins and track their progress, anyone wanting to share healthy recipes or tips it would be greatly appreciated. We are doing this the healthy route so there is no "off limit" food it's just about portion control and making sure he doesn't go all day without eating. Oh and of course the exercise, here I am getting tired going up and down the stairs so I am not much help in that dept. Anyway, I figured this is a way to get moral support when they know that others are wondering how they are doing and cheering them on.



So......LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!!!

Here is a 'before' taken just a couple of weeks ago , I will let Jen submit to me a picture before I just pick one to post. ;)

Justin's starting weight is 260

Jen's is 176 (yes, I got permission to publish that)

Carnival time

Grace's school had their carnival today and we had so much fun!!! I didn't get very many pictures because it was crazy busy and there was just no way to not have a zillion kids in the shot. We did enjoy ourselves though and actually found it very fun to "mingle" with other parents of the school and feel like we are a part of it all. :) Justin and I helped out with the Old Granny Ball Roll boothe for the first hour and it was fun. The girls left with all sorts of treats, prizes, and balloons and were very well behaved the whole time which helped a TON! Grace got to spend the day with her best friend Maddie and they were two little peas in a pod going all around together and even getting their pictures taken together...very fun to see her with girlfriends. :) Haylee tried the cake walk about 5 times with no success, she was really hoping for the powdered doughnuts. :(

I was having major euphoria thinking back to the fun we would have at our school carnivals how they had the jail where you could catch people and lock them up....it was like a week in advance that we would be plotting with our friends who we would be taking to jail. (usually the ones we had crushes on) They would usually have the carnival in the evening towards the end of school out on the playground when it was getting warmer and there was the excitement of knowing that school was almost out for the summer. I can't wait for my girls to start making those memories for themselves, it's so fun to see them growing up. :)

Here is Old Granny.

Haylee on her 3rd or 4th round of the cake walk....still no doughnuts!

Grace's funny self....

So we took the girls to Vancouver on Haylee's birthday and Mike (grandpa) was explaining to Grace that we were in a whole different country and something came up about the flags and the Pledge of Allegiance.........well the other night we are watching the debates on TV and she sees Hillary and makes a comment that girls can't be President.....hmmm.....so I ask her if it were her someday if she could be President and she says "Yes, 'I' can but I would be President of Canada because they don't say the Pledge of Allegiance and if I were President I would make them say it"......that's our girl. ;)