Vacay Day 4

Today started out with Olivia showing me that she accidentally broke her signature headband. She insisted that we get her another one, but since Charming Charlie is nowhere near here, we tried changing the subject and keeping her distracted, which seemed to work most of the day.

Daddy had a fun-filled day of surprises in store for us. He wouldn't even tell us what to wear, except he told O to pack her backpack bc we were going exploring. Dan took us to downtown Gatlinburg. We parked in The Ripley's parking garage and walked to The Donut Friar...oh my goodness, homemade donuts...so sinfully delicious. I highly recommend this local bakery. Great customer service, atmosphere, and reasonably priced.

Then we walked on to his second surprise of the day, OberGatlinburg. We took the awesome aerial tramway all the way up the mountain. Then we got out and had no idea what to expect. Dan took us to the Alpine Slide area and asked if we thought it would be a smart idea with Gabe/Olivia. I wasn't sure bc it's a huge skylift ride to the top and then 1800' down the slide, but truth be known, I was a little scared of it myself. I finally gave in and said why not, and oh my goodness, it was a BLAST & the kids loved it! Olivia sat with me and Gabe with Dan. We could control how fast we went and it was like we were in a bobsled, totally fun!
Then we rode the tramway back to Gatlinburg and Dan took us to lunch at No Way Jose's Mexican Cantina. It's located right on the river and had huge tasty portions. I'm going to have to workout like crazy once I get back in the Fort bc this is nuts, but it's vacation, right!
After lunch Dan took us for a long car ride to Cades Cove. Gabe & O both took naps, while Dan & I saw Deer, Turkey & horses. It's a beautiful drive and last year we saw bears.
Then we went back to the cabin to relax and I did some laundry. Later on we went out to the Tanger Outlets to look for a headband for O, but no such luck. We then found a Wal-Mart and got some needed necessities, and buy golly, I found Olivia 9 adorable headbands for less than the price of one at Charming Charlie. Sweet deal! The best part was upon leaving Wal-Mart, I felt a trickle on my foot, looked down & noticed that Gabe peed on me. Yes, that's right, he peed thru his diaper, even though I just checked his diaper before going in there. Oh well, I fit right in at Wal-Mart, right. Good times friends, good times!

Overall, despite getting peed on, it was a nice day and the best part of all, I see that Dan is photo journaling our vacation on his iPad! Awesome!

Day 3

Today was day 3 of our vacation and I'm loving the relaxation! There's something special about the Smokey Mountains that calms one. Maybe it's the ever-abundant earth that God has created and being surrounded by the tranquility of it all without the everyday stressful distractions. I feel so blessed that my parents are letting us stay at their incredible cabin for the week and even happier that we could bring our kids with us. I hope they remember this vacation! I posted some of the highlights from our day. Enjoy!

Vacay Day 2: Mother's Day

Day 2 of vacation was very nice, as I was able to sleep in until 9:00am! Then Dan and the kids took me to breakfast. After that we went to Ripley's Aquarium, which was incredible. The kids loved all of the engaging exhibits. They were very well behaved too, which was a relief. We had fun "popping our heads up" into some of the aquariums. I think the neatest part was going under the aquariums. We even saw a giant sea turtle up close and personal! We were amazed! I highly suggest a visit here!
Then I checked in on Facebook and saw that I won Keepsake Portraits & Designs' Mother's Day Contest! Yay! This news made my day even brighter! I can't wait to get some outdoor professional pics of the kids done!
Then we went to the grocery store to stock this cabin with food for the week. Always a fun time at the grocery, riiiight. Later on Dan made me a delicious dinner and now we are winding down and relaxing. I look forward to some peace and quiet in the hot tub later on tonight. Until tomorrow, here are pics from Mother's Day adventures...Peace & Joy!

Our First "Family" Vacation: Day 1

It's finally here, our first family vacation to the Cozy Nest! We are still on the road to Gatlinburg, TN, but the kids have been relatively well behaved (knock on wood) for such a long car ride. We stopped at Town Center Mall to stretch our legs and have lunch at Qdoba. Then we got back in the car to continue our drive. Louisville traffic was very slow, but luckily Olivia hasn't had any accidents so far. After awhile we stopped at a rest stop to take a facilities break and now we are back on our way south to the Cozy Nest! Here are pictures of our adventures so far...I plan on blogging everyday, so stay tuned!

Toddler Tuesday @ Jefferson Pointe

Today my friend Nikki Riemer invited us to Toddler Time at Jefferson Pointe. I wasn't quite sure what to expect or how my kids would react, but why not, eh. It begins at 11:00am and lasts 30 minutes, just enough time to hold a toddler's attention. The lady who puts it on does a great job of engaging the toddlers with sing-along-songs, such as "The Hokey Pokey" "5 Little Monkeys" & "The Eensy Weensy Spider"...Gabe instantaniously loved it and after a while, Olivia got off of my lap and started dancing too.

They mix songs in with games and random door prizes for kids and adults too. Some of the kids won a big box of goldfish, Dora fruit snacks box, a case of Juicy Juice Boxes, and balloon art. The random prizes for adults were some awesome Vera Bradley goodies, Enzo Pizza, Debrands. The best part about Toddler Time at Jefferson Pointe is that it is FREE and they act like they really appreciate you taking time out of your day to be there! They gave each of the mom's a pink rose for Mother's Day! We will def be going back to Toddler Time at Jefferson Pointe on Tuesdays at 11:00am! We hope to see you there!

My Workout Blessing of a Buddy

I wanted to take the time to let everyone know about how thankful I am for my workout buddy, Deedra. She is truly a blessing in my life and I appreciate her dedication to the fitness lifestyle. Deedra helps push me and is a great accountability partner. She's been pushing herself even harder this past month and I am so proud of her.

Thank you Deedra for being you and giving your time to our friendship! I look forward to training for the Fort4Fitness with you!

4 mile to 13.1...is it possible???

I have never been a long-distance runner at all. Both of my sisters are awesome runners, but not me. I guess it wasn't in the plan, but I now realize that I can help shape my fitness destiny (so to speak). Over the past 6 months I have been able to participate in two 4-mile races. The first one, being the Fort4Fitness, and the second one was the Gallopping Gobbler.

The Fort4Fitness gave me a very accomplishing feeling and the race was set-up exceptionally well. I knew other people who were participating in it, but I didn't see any of them that day, so I ran it by myself. It was fun to see other people committed to the same cause (to get healthy). I enjoyed running/jogging/walking it by myself and seeing people along the way cheering us on. The finish line part was incredible and it really gave you a rush there at the end!

Since then I have been extremely focused on getting fit. I have been committed to win it in eating healthy and exercising=a wonderful new lifestyle that I plan on keeping and sharing with my children. My husband has been a huge help too, as he is my partner in this lifestyle change. I feel extremely blessed to have him helping me out with this, as he is wonderful at planning meals, making meals, teaching me how to prepare the meals, helps me plan workouts, etc. This is truly rewarding and for this I am thankful.

I am also thankful for my Dr. for helping me with this lifestyle change, as if she weren't willing to be my partner for the Tumble X Biggest Loser Contest, then I wouldn't have gotten off to this healthy start. Dr. Justina Girod, you are truly a fantastic person and I am so grateful for your friendship and commitment.

My babysitter, Erin Fallat, is also a huge blessing, as she and her husband are also in the TX Biggest Loser Contest too, and because we made this crazy deal, that if they participated in Biggest Loser, that I would run the 13.1 (Half-Marathon) Fort4Fitness with her come September 29th. I thank you Erin, for pushing me to this new level. Although, I think this is very far-fetched, the feeling of accomplishment will be well worth it!

So...4 mile to 13.1, is it even possible??? I still have lots of time to get there, but I am in it to win it! Win it meaning getting healthier in every way (mind, body and soul). Fully committed friends!