And the winner is.......

Photography giveaway and pictures of the most amazing family I know



Photo by Amy Jo
http://www.amyjophoto.com/

 I've posted before about my dear friends the Baumgartens who are the most amazing family I know. Josh continues his battle with brain cancer and as a family unit they continue to meet each challenge with faith and grace. I've shared the link http://www.dadnamedjosh.blogspot.com/ before and Kristen continues to update with their progress.

Kristen's friend Amy Jo is a professional photographer and I love the work I've seen that she has done for Kristen. Visit her blog http://www.amyjophoto.com/ and sign up for her huge giveaway and scroll down to see the gorgeous photos from her session with the Baumgarten family. Brian got home while I was looking at them and I was crying they are just so precious and beautiful!! Amy Jo lives in Houston but she does traveling sessions too - so far in 2011 she has plans for Utah, Montana and the Baltimore/DC area. This covers pretty much everyone I know. Go sign up. :) I hope I win!!

I guess those people aren't crazy!

So it's no secret I've been a lazy lady since Quinten was born. Previous to having him, my besties and I were working out on a regular basis even through most of my pregnancy. If I'm being honest these workouts were usually half efforts by me and more important to me as some social time with my girlfriends. Well the year after I had Quinten I lost all the baby weight and then some because of my gallbladder troubles and my determination to avoid surgery. Losing weight because you are afraid to eat is not synonomous with being healthy. So as you might guess as soon as I was forced to have the gallbladder surgery and my pain all went away I overcompensated by trying to eat enough to make up for the last 8 months of deprivation. Yup. That's not a joke. In fact, I ate enough chocolate and sweets, especially brownies to last a lifetime. So no shocker when I gained somewhere around 25 pounds in 2010. Good times, good times. Well even less shocking was how tired and BLAH I felt. I worked out occasionally...very occasionally. Well in December I saw on facebook a friend who was doing a "Get Fit Challenge" - she happens to be a marathon runner and my first thought was how much I wished I had the will power to do something like that(the fit challenge not the marathon!). I like to make excuses for myself and didn't actually think I would do it. Then I started to think how much I look like a sausage in my clothes and how much I wanted a family picture where I didn't look like a sausage. The awful free family picture we had done earlier that month was part awful cause Q was screaming, part awful cause the backdrop was a cheesefest, and part awful cause I looked like Java the Hut. That was about the time I asked my girlfriends Sha and Kristen if they wanted to do the Fit Challenge with me. We slowly convinced each other we could do it and it was settled.

It started January 3rd and works like this. There are 4 teams with 9 or 10 members on each team. Six out of seven days a week you can individually earn points by working out, drinking at least 48 oz of water, eating at least 5 fruits/veggies, no sweets, no eating after 9pm, and making contact with a team member. At the end of the week you get additional points for any pounds lost. At the end of each month you get additional points for any inches lost around waist and hips. The first week of workouts and diet change were a drastic change in lifestyle for me but I was determined to max out my possible points and was rewarded by losing some poundage which I lovingly refer to as my goo. Week 2 and 3 same story. That really isn't the part I'm most excited about or even all that excited about though it is satisfying to see some results after working hard. In a nutshell I've stuck with it and am loving it.

Now to the point of this blog post.

A man who appears to love exercise;
 whose mullet makes him
stylish as well as crazy 

I always have thought that people who workout for the love of it are either liers or a little screwy in the head, note the image above. There have been times in my life when I've worked out somewhat consistently but usually as a result of life circumstance or along with a desire to lose weight or just rise to a challenge; never about long term health and personal daily energy. Well I am shocked to find that after 3 weeks of working out 6 days a week the little connections in my brain are beginning to rewire. Dare I say I'm beginning to enjoy myself and look forward to the sweat and burn.... All I'm willing to admit right now is that I guess those workout loving folks aren't all that crazy after all! I mean that within reason of course, my brain still lumps marathon runners in that catagory of nuts. Even though I admire you girls and look up to you I still think you're crazy!! Now I am a hyper aware that as quickly as my attitude has changed it could certainly unchange in a few short days of laziness. I know for sure I'm committed to this 12 week get fit challenge but I need to be realistic and ask myself how I'm going to prepare for life after the challenge when it's just up to me to do it without points and a team. It's easy right now to say I'll keep it up because I am loving it but I have a feeling that's a little naive. Nothing worthwhile comes easy!! Any suggestions from my vast crowd of readers?? (Crickets chirping....)

How do you get kids to eat veggies??

I opted for the shorter video that did not include me being a giant eating trees accompanied with frightening giantlike roars. I've found if I pretend I am a giant eating a tree or anything any food might resemble in the name of being a giant then Ryanna will follow me and eat it too. So far that is all that works. I like how Ryanna says the tree tastes like there is a chicken in it, in her giant voice of course. hehe.

TA DA!

"What? They accentuate my calves...."

STEP IN TIME!!!

How many times do I have to say we LOVE Mary Poppins!!! Tonight I put good ol' MP on in my bedroom while I set out to clear out old clothes. I would be embarrassed by my room but you can see the giant black garbage sack full of clothes back by the stairs that are heading to DI. Proof of my efforts! Anyhoo, both kids LOVE LOVE LOVE dancing while watching Mary Poppins. Are they America's next best dance duo?? I'll let you be the judge. :)

"It's kind of crazy how that elf got up there..."

So one of Brian's sweet coworkers gave us an elf to put up around our house during the holiday season. The idea is that the elf has been sent by Santa to check on the kids and see if they are being nice or naughty. I put the elf up above our cupboards and Ryanna noticed it right away. I gave her a simple explanation and she was content and excited to show the elf how good she was. I would move the elf to different spots above the cupboard but Ryanna wasn't overly interested in how the elf got there or any of the details of the situation. Indeed it was enough for her that Santa had sent an elf to watch her and that was that. Well, Kenna and Kate came over one day and Ryanna was excited to show Kenna the elf watching over her. Kenna is a little thinker and had to understand every detail of the situation. An hour and several videos later she decided Shelly must have climbed onto our garbage can outside, opened the latch on the door, all with the elf riding on her back. It's like you can see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to figure out how that darn elf got up there. In her words "It's kind of crazy how that elf got up there!" I love those Nielson kids!

Ever just felt like belting out in song?

Ryanna was so excited about Christmas that the entire month of December Ryanna would spontaneously burst into song. This song was her favorite. Enjoy :)

If you want something to eat you just better get it yourself

Quinten apparantly needed a snack because I found him on the table by the fruit bowl and he had eaten about half of an unpeeled mandarin orange. I guess if you want something to eat in this house you just better find it yourself. :)

Christmas in Mesquite

We enjoyed our time with Lloyd and Barbara and the kids and I were able to see Arlene for a bit before Christmas to exchange presents though we wished we'd had more time with her. I didn't get a decent video of the kids opening the presents from Grandma Baldwin or Grandpa Baldwin and Grandma Barbara. Arlene got the kids some beautiful church books full of art and cute photography. We've been reading them every night before bed. Thank you Arlene!! Lloyd and Barbara got the kids the Dr. Suess books "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" and "Thidwick the Big Hearted Moose" and the accompaning stuffed animals. These two have become household favorites so thank you Lloyd and Barbara!!

We weren't able to see any of my side of the family for Christmas but rather than have them mail any gifts they sent them with our friends from Three Forks who have a home in Mesquite and spend their holidays there. So it was so fun to see the Rochfords for a few minutes in Mesquite while we were vacationing and it was also fun to have Christmas continue for the kids. Ryanna thought Christmas must be every other day when there were more presents to open in Mesquite. Well this video is in Mesquite and we want to say THANK YOU Grandma and Grandpa Scoffield(Mom and Dad)!! Love you guys so much and can't wait to see you soon.

How Ryanna and Quinten spent all Christmas day

Santa brought them Thomas trains and they were in heaven. Hey, whatever makes them happy!

Christmas Morning

I figured Ryanna wouldn't put too much together seeing the wrapped presents in the car on our trip and then having some of them be from Santa. Listen for her explanation for this issue. :)

Pre-Christmas Christmas gift from Daddy to the kids

As I talked to my mom on the phone last night she said she needs a Grandma fix. Since I figured out how to download stuff from my phone onto here I figure I better give her what she needs. :) Enjoy!

I like when she tells Brian "good job daddy!" Brian is thrilled she already loves basketball. :)

Blog Slacker

Our favorite part and main reason for having a blog is to share lots of pictures, stories, and videos of our kids. Lately, this hasn't been happening mostly because I haven't been keeping the camera on me like I should. I take more pics with my phone though so I included a few of those here. Though my goal is to do more blogging about the kids and what we're up to, today is not really the day I'll be catching up. Instead I just pasted my entry from the Baldwin family newsletter that covers the basics of our last month. This blog slacker will do better!!!

December was a wonderful month. Everything was a magical experience for the kids, especially Ryanna. The snow, lights on houses, Christmas preschool activities, and especially the time reading and talking about the season of giving in our own home made everyday a happy one for her. She was so excited to head to California for Christmas and asked everyday if it was time to leave. She worked extra hard to make special cards for her friends, neighbors, grandparents, and primary teachers. For some of them she practiced drawing the nativity and spent hours and hours drawing the nativity on every scap of paper in our home. She learned to write Merry Christmas on her own and usually without mistake and that too was drawn all over the house. Quinten enjoyed "decorating" the tree which meant pulling off every ornament he could reach and putting them in his truck to drive around. Sometimes he'd even try to hang them back up. He especially enjoyed driving his cars around the Christmas village and nativity. I know I should have put them up higher but they are all cheap and I decided to let the kids enjoy them instead of protect them too much. A few villagers were beheaded but no real harm done and he enjoyed pointing at baby Jesus. December was a BIG BIG month for Brian. He started working part time for the other radio station in town. It has a country music station and conservative talk/sports AM station. We feel very grateful for this part time job and its flexibility with Brian's schedule. The other BIG accomplishment is Brian finished his Masters program. So he now has a Masters in Special Education. He just told me yesterday he missed the deadline to walk in February but I am going to just make him do it the next available time. I feel it is worth recognizing and he refused to walk for his Bachelors so it will be worth doing. As far as myself I've had a few changes this month as well the most noteworthy being a new calling into the primary as chorister. I had been teaching Gospel Principles in Relief Society which I loved and learned so much from but I know I'm supposed to be in Primary at this time. Today was Ryanna's first Sunday as a sunbeam and she did great! I was worried.....really worried. But I think it helped that I was in there too. Quinten has been doing well in nursery though he struggled today since we changed from 1:00 church last Sunday to 9:00am church today. I know that overall this will be a much better time for our family but he is just adjusting. Well, we had a WONDERFUL vacation spending Christmas at Lloyd and Barbara's home and then spending a few days in Mesquite. We were worried how things would go when within the first 5 minutes of our arrival in Menifee Quinten had broke 2 Christmas decorations and knocked over a little table with some Crystal on it(that didn't break thankfully). Fortunately he was so enthralled with his Christmas presents that he didn't cause much damage to their beautiful home. Ryanna felt right at home and remembered Christmas last year. First thing we did is go visit the kitties. She also got to swim with daddy in the hot tub which she's talked about ever since we were there last year. She was so excited to give them the little kitten figurine she had picked out to give them for Christmas and really warmed up to Lloyd this year. She learned quickly that Grandpa knew how to fix her trains and would run to him whenever they had a problem. Barbara of course went above and beyond to fatten us up. I tried to slow her down but I'm not sure anyone has that ability. We enjoyed every minute spent at their home though it went very quick. We arrived Friday afternoon and left for Mesquite early Sunday afternoon. The entire drive to Mesquite the kids played with their stuffed animals from Lloyd and Barbara. Since we've been home we've read the Dr. Suess books that go with them about a dozen times. They love them. In fact, those two books plus the darling LDS books from Grandma Baldwin have been all Ryanna wants me to read, which says a lot. Thank you Grandparents!! Well I'm running out of time but I also have to say we had a great time in Mesquite. The times we can get together and just hang out seem to be the most memorable of all. Ryanna loved every minute with her cousins which we are grateful for.

Bri said Quinten was actually a lot of help by
putting the screws in the holes for him.
Cute little helper!

With Bri's new schedule dad time is usually right
at bedtime. 30 minutes of focused dad time makes
 for the best time of their day!

LOVES LOVES LOVES the snow!

They both got Thomas trains from Santa and
they LOVED them.